 |
|
|
Top US Gen’s visit triggers speculations
24 killed in Afghanistan suicide attack
Row over membership of gurdwara in Canada
McCain scrubs Obama’s lead in new poll
|
|
|
Prepare for a possible strike on Iran: Bush to Israel
Sharif urged to rejoin cabinet Mediterranean Summit Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (right) is greeted by France President Nicolas Sarkozy as he arrives at the EU-Mediterranean summit in Paris on Sunday. Some 43 heads of state and government are attending the French-inspired summit intended to revitalise cooperation between the European Union and Mediterranean countries. — Reuters photo
|
|
Top US Gen’s visit triggers speculations
An unannounced hurricane visit by Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen to Islamabad and high-profile meetings on Saturday have sparked speculations amid continuing warnings of the imminent US intervention in the tribal areas.
Mullen held back-to-back meetings with top Pakistani political and military leadership to share evidence of the American claims that responsible elements within the country's security agencies were giving comprehensive support to the Taliban and the Al-Qaida. His short but crucial visit coincided with the reports that large-scale military attacks by the Nato-led coalition forces in the country's tribal areas were imminent. Notably, Mullen arrived here following the statement he made in Kabul that Pakistan's tribal areas had become a safe haven for "militants and extremists" and that the US had prepared a strategy for dealing with the alarming situation. Mullen was accompanied by key CIA officials who were also present at the meetings he held separately with the Chief of the Army Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Director-General, Military Operations, Lt- Gen Pasha. According to sources privy to the meetings, the evidence given by the Americans was "non-specific" and it was refuted by the government team using specific facts. Apparently, the Americans were quite aggressive in their claims. Mullen also met some members of the Mini-Jirga Commission. As of now, the Jirga members include ANP leaders Afsandyar Wali Khan, Afrasiab Khattak and chief of the PKMAP, Mehmood Khan Achakzai. General Kayani, in his meeting with Mullen, reportedly reiterated Pakistan's deep concern over the US attack on Pakistani posts in the Mohmand area on the Pak-Afghan border, which killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops. The Mullen visit, which was kept under wraps by the government, was finalised a week ago, according to informed sources. While the Americans apparently leaked the information about his visit, the government remained tight-lipped about it. The visit also coincided with the strongest- possible reaction from India’s National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan accusing Pakistan of involvement in the Kabul blast outside the Indian embassy. He called for a tit for tat response from India and also "liquidation" of Pakistan's
main spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
|
|
24 killed in Afghanistan suicide attack
Kandahar, July 13 The attack in the southern province of Uruzgan also killed five police officers and wounded more than 30 others, said Juma Gul Himat. The bomber struck the police patrol at a busy intersection of Deh Rawood district. The bombing also damaged or destroyed about nine shops in the area, he said.Most of those killed and wounded were shopkeepers and young boys selling cigarettes and other goods in the street, Himat said.Afghan civilians have suffered from a rash of bombings this month. Over 50 civilians were killed in a massive bomb attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul on Monday, while a government commission said this week that US airstrikes killed 47 civilians in eastern Nangarhar province on July 6. Elsewhere, Taliban militants executed two women in central Afghanistan after accusing them of working as prostitutes on a US base. The women, dressed in blue burqas, were shot and killed yesterday just outside Ghazni city in central Afghanistan, said Sayed Ismal, a spokesman for Ghazni’s governor. In eastern Logar province, gunmen today kidnapped parliament member Abdul Wali and his driver, said provincial police chief Gen Mohammad Mustafa. — AP
|
|
Row over membership of gurdwara in Canada
Toronto, July 13 Gurshinder Sahota and Sohan Shergill said they were discriminated against by the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha gurdwara because they belonged to a “higher caste”. The 900 members of the gurdwara are Dalits while the duo belong to the Jat community, which now makes up much of Metro Vancouver’s Sikh population. The tribunal in British Columbia province dismissed the complaint as it found that it did not have jurisdiction over the temple’s membership, Canwest news agency reported. Also citing a prior decision regarding the United Native Nations, it agreed that the temple should be allowed to restrict membership to a minority group in order to promote the community’s welfare. Sahota and Shergill argued that by denying them membership, the temple was promoting the “evil caste system,” according to the tribunal ruling. — PTI
|
|
McCain scrubs Obama’s lead in new poll
New York, July 13 The latest poll by Newsweek which the magazine itself said surprised the analysts showed that Obama was just three points ahead of McCain (44 per cent to 41 per cent) which is within the margin of error. Less than a month ago, Obama was leading by 15 points (51 per cent to 36) against the 72-year-old Vietnam veteran and analysts scrambled to pinpoint the cause for the sharp drop as to whether Obama's glow is fading or there is some sampling error. The 47-year-old's rapid drop comes at a strategically challenging moment as he faces accusations of changing his position on major issues and is struggling to woo supporters of Hillary Clinton, whom he vanquished in the nomination contest, still not reconciled to her defeat. Obama's reversal of position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and his decision to opt out of the campaign public finance system led to charges of flip flop. In this context, a key finding of the poll was that 53 per cent of voters (and 50 per cent of former supporters of Hillary Clinton) believe that Obama has changed his position on major issues in order to gain political advantage. —
PTI
|
|
Prepare for a possible strike on Iran: Bush to Israel
London, July 13 The Bush Administration was said to have informed Jerusalem that he would back an
Israeli plan to strike Iran’s main nuclear sites with long-range aerial weapons, if diplomatic talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme broke down, the Sunday
Times said quoting a Pentagon official. The American President had given Israel an “amber light” to
start preparing for a possible offensive, the official said. “Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us
when you’re ready,” the official said. The US President’ s voice of support comes despite his military officials’ opposition to an attack on Iran, given the risks of an aerial strike.
However, the US would not deploy American forces for such a strike nor would Israel be able to depend on its military bases in Iraq for logistical support, the official said. —
PTI
|
|
Sharif urged to rejoin cabinet
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in London and invited his PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal, while confirming that Gilani talked to Sharif, reiterated the Iqbal said the PML-N would continue to ensure that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led government is not destabilised. Sharif had blamed the PPP for not consulting its allies on any major issue and for taking unilateral decisions. He was particularly critical of Khyber Agency operation against pro-Taliban militants. Meanwhile, the expected meeting between Asif and Sharif in London has fallen through. Asif is likely to return to Islamabad from Dubai within next couple of days, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar here said. Sharif is planning to visit the US before returning to Pakistan. Political observers believe that the coalition between country's two main political parties is coming under severe strain, not only on the judges' issue, but on day-to-day running of the administration where both have trust deficit that is steadily growing. Meanwhile, another coalition partner, the Awami National Party (ANP), has confirmed that PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari had contacted ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan from Dubai and discussed the expansion of the cabinet with him.
|
|
Mediterranean Summit Paris, July 13 A final declaration from a summit launching the Union for the Mediterranean says the members will “pursue a mutually and effectively verifiable Middle East Zone free of weapons of mass destruction.” The statement says that includes nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as well as their delivery systems. The statement says the countries will “consider practical steps to prevent the proliferation” of such weapons. Leaders at the summit included those from Israel, Syria and countries across North Africa and Europe. — AP
|
|||||||
Jolie gives birth to boy and girl in France “Jammu and Kashmir” arrives for air show Ramayana paintings
mesmerise the Swiss Malaysia nod to fund for Indian community UK daily’s campaign for
Kerala grandmother WWII bomb defused 700 kg cocaine seized in Sierra Leone
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Paris, July 13
