W O R L D

Threat not against Pakistan, says Karzai
Afghanistan President Hamed Karzai has said he was serious about his threat regarding hot pursuit targeting ‘terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan’, but insisted that his statement was not directed against Pakistan.

13 killed in Pak suicide blast
Islamabad, May 18
Thirteen people were killed and 22 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded market within the cantonment area in the northwestern Pakistani city of Mardan today.

Pak pays salaries to deposed judges
The government on Tuesday paid salaries and arrears to deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and his other colleagues in the Supreme Court, said Athar Minallah, Chaudhry's spokesperson and prominent leader of the lawyers' movement, here.

Bush, Musharraf least trusted leaders: Poll
New York, June 17
Embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his US counterpart, George W Bush, are among the world's least trusted leaders along with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a new survey in 20 countries, including India, shows. 

NATURE’S LAP: A child is silhouetted against the setting sun at Marunda beach in Jakarta, Indonesia. — Reuters

Foreigners Seeking Legal Status
US court eases rules
Washington, June 17
In a development that could ease immigration rules, the top court in the US has ruled that foreigners who overstay their visas can continue to remain in the country to seek legal status. Under "some" circumstances, people could withdraw their voluntary agreement to leave the US and continue with an application for lawful status, the top court said in a verdict yesterday.

Scarf row: Muslim woman awarded £4,000
London, June 17
A British employment tribunal panel has awarded £4,000 to a Muslim teenage hairdresser as compensation for ‘injury to feelings’ after she was declined a job for wearing a headscarf. Dismissing the claim of a religious discrimination put by 19-year-old Bushra Noah, the tribunal upheld her complaint of indirect discrimination, media reports said today.

Indian jailed for shipping US military goods
Washington/Houston, June 17 
An Indian American businessman was sentenced to 35 months in jail and slapped a USD 60,000 fine by a US court for shipping restricted military technology to Indian government entities engaged in missiles and fighter jet production and space programme.

Car bomb kills 51 in Baghdad
Baghdad, June 17
A car bomb killed 51 persons and wounded 75 at a crowded bus stop in a predominantly Shiite neighbourhood in northwestern Baghdad today, the Iraqi police said. “The car bomb targeted a gathering of civilians at the bus stop in al-Hurriya neighbourhood. It killed 51 persons,” a police source, who declined to be named, said.

Threat not against Pakistan, says Karzai
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

Afghanistan President Hamed Karzai has said he was serious about his threat regarding hot pursuit targeting ‘terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan’, but insisted that his statement was not directed against Pakistan.

Talking to a group of Pakistani journalists who called on him at the heavily fortified Gulkhana Palace in Kabul on Monday, President Karzai said the two governments should join hands to wipe out the elements working against peace and stability and against the innocent people on either side of the border. He said militant leaders Baitullah Mehsud and Maulana Fazlullah were enemies of 
the Pukhtuns.

“I am very serious because it is a very serious matter. When Baitullah Mehsud and Mulla Fazl make statements about going into Afghanistan to kill innocent people, what do you expect us to do? What would the government of Pakistan do in such a situation?”

He nevertheless made it clear that he was not showing any disrespect to the civilian government of Pakistan, and said he had held good conversations with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif.

Karzai said he did not feel that the civilian government was responsible for the situation. Karzai said his remarks were aimed at spelling out his government’s right to defend it. He said Baitullah Mehsud and Maulana Fazlullah were burning schools in Swat, Mardan and elsewhere.

“They must pay for their crimes and even if they don’t come to Afghanistan and if they burn schools I will treat them as enemies. It is a very, very serious matter.

“If the government of Pakistan can bring to justice the two and the likes of them on its own, we have no objection, but we want results,” said Karzai who seemed to be pushing Pakistan towards accepting joint action against extremists in the tribal areas.

He pointed out that Baitullah Mehsud had been accused by the government of Pakistan of killing former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and of many suicide bombings, asking how the government could negotiate with such a person. “If you are negotiating with Taliban, we don’t mind because we are also doing it.”

When asked about peace deals being worked out by the Awami National Party with the militants, he said the ANP was a responsible party and it had suffered for the Pukhtun cause. “If they are doing it they are doing it with good intentions. We will back them.” He stressed the need for wiping out sanctuaries of militants.

About his government’s negotiations with Hizbe Islami leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar, the Afghan president said: “If he is ready for negotiations, we will talk to him because he is an Afghan.

13 killed in Pak suicide blast

Islamabad, May 18
Thirteen people were killed and 22 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded market within the cantonment area in the northwestern Pakistani city of Mardan today.

The blast occurred in front of a bakery located near shops selling music and movies at about 7 pm (7.30 pm IST). A large number of people were present in the market, which is owned by the Punjab Regimental Centre.

North West Frontier Province information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said 13 persons were killed and 22 injured in the suicide attack. An army spokesman said four soldiers were among the dead.

The injured, including six security personnel, were rushed to nearby hospitals. The seriously injured were later shifted to the NWFP capital of Peshawar.

DIG Akhtar Ali Shah said the bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the bakery when he was stopped by security personnel. Other officials said parts of the body of the bomber, believed to be in his twenties, had been found.

A large number of army personnel visit the market and the bakery on weekends and it is believed they were the bomber’s main target.

Local Taliban commanders claimed responsibility for the attack. They told TV channels that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had permitted them to carry out such attacks in retaliation for military operations being conducted in Darra Adam Khel town.

Owners of shops in Mardan selling music and movies also said they had received a threat a few days ago from unknown militants, who had warned them that they would be targeted if they did not wind up their businesses.

Since last year, Taliban militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas and the NWFP have been targeting shops selling music and movies, which they say are “un-Islamic”. — PTI

Pak pays salaries to deposed judges
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

Bush, Musharraf least trusted leaders: Poll

New York, June 17
Embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his US counterpart, George W Bush, are among the world's least trusted leaders along with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a new survey in 20 countries, including India, shows.

Musharraf has the poorest ratings around the world. Only in China, 37 per cent of the people feel that he inspires confidence as a leader, outweighing negative views (30 per cent), the poll conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org found. Nigeria is divided over the Pakistani leader and the ratings of the other 18 nations are negative.

Just two countries, India and Nigeria give Bush positive ratings while Thailand is divided. Sixteen of the 20 countries surveyed say they lack confidence in the US President. Musharraf is rated negatively in more nations. Bush also got the highest average percentage of negative ratings (67 per cent).

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is the only world leader to receive largely positive ratings. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, though relatively new to the world stage, gets positive ratings in six nations, more than any other chief of state.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gets negative ratings in 13 nations, the most after Bush and Musharraf. Only three nations are slightly positive while one is divided.

Indians remain divided on Chinese President Hu, who also failed to get the confidence vote in 13 countries. Only five - Nigeria, South Korea, Iran, Azerbaijan and Ukraine- tend to be positive, according to the survey which was done in countries comprising 60 per cent of the world population. — PTI

Foreigners Seeking Legal Status
US court eases rules

Scarf row: Muslim woman awarded £4,000

London, June 17
A British employment tribunal panel has awarded £4,000 to a Muslim teenage hairdresser as compensation for ‘injury to feelings’ after she was declined a job for wearing a headscarf.

Dismissing the claim of a religious discrimination put by 19-year-old Bushra Noah, the tribunal upheld her complaint of indirect discrimination, media reports said today.

In its judgement, the tribunal said it accepted Noah had not been treated differently because of her Muslim headscarf, but that it doubted there was as severe a risk to the business by employing someone wearing a head covering as the owner believed. Noah, was called for an interview in May last year by Sarah Desrosiers, owner of Wedge salon in King’s Cross, central London.

On reaching the salon, she found the Canadian salon owner was clearly shocked by her headscarf.

Desrosiers told the tribunal she was surprised that the fact was not mentioned earlier.

She added that she expected her staff to reflect the “funky, urban” image of her salon and needed stylists to showcase alternative hairstyles.

After hearing the case, the tribunal ordered her to pay £4,000 to the Muslim hair stylist. — PTI

Indian jailed for shipping US military goods

The Judge said Sudarshan broke the law and risked putting nuclear weapon technology into wrong hands. “This didn't happen one time. It happened time after time after time,” Urbina said. — PTI

Car bomb kills 51 in Baghdad 

Baghdad, June 17
A car bomb killed 51 persons and wounded 75 at a crowded bus stop in a predominantly Shiite neighbourhood in northwestern Baghdad today, the Iraqi police said. “The car bomb targeted a gathering of civilians at the bus stop in al-Hurriya neighbourhood. It killed 51 persons,” a police source, who declined to be named, said.

Violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level in four years, but sporadic shootings, bombings and rocket attacks have continued.

Eighteen persons were killed in an explosion in Baghdad on June 4.

The Iraqi police said it was caused by a truck bomb but the US military blamed it on a misfiring militia rocket.

The US and Iraqi officials have highlighted the drop in sectarian violence and attacks on security forces five years after the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, but US commanders have warned the improvements are fragile and reversible. — Reuters