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Zardari’s J&K remarks keep people guessing
China mud-rock flow death toll rises to 128
Strong quake hits Iran, oil facilities safe
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Nepal Maoists uveil policies
Russia’s threat to US
Kayani warns US to keep troops out
14 killed in grenade attack
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Zardari’s J&K remarks keep people guessing
President Asif Zardari’s hint at “some good news” about Kashmir has triggered speculations in diplomatic and political circles here about the nature of the upcoming initiative between India and Pakistan. In his maiden news conference after being sworn in as President of Pakistan on Tuesday, Zardari referred to back-channel dialogue between the two countries and promised some good news before the term of the ruling Congress Party in New Delhi expires. He said he has talked to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and also taken into confidence other mainstream leaders on the issue. While India’s South Block has expressed surprise and lack of knowledge on Zardari’s promise, Pakistani officials have also tried to lower the expectations raised at home. “There is not going to be any major break through on the Kashmir issue in coming months, “ a senior Pakistani diplomat said. The dialogue process initiated by former Indian Premier Vajpayee and former President Pervez Musharraf would continue under the new government, though with greater vigour and much better atmospherics, he said. Informed sources say Zardari was referring a possible progress in talks on augmenting bilateral trade not only along international borders but the line of control in Kashmir (LoC) as well. Zardari has suggested that this question be taken up with a sense of urgency because of continued blockade of trade by extremists in Jammu between India-held Kashmir and the rest of the country. Both governments are reportedly working on a plan to open flow of goods trucks between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad capital of Azad Kashmir. Perishable fruits and vegetables, besides furniture and other goods could be moved between the two points. The new Pakistani President is also on record that he wants to give pe-eminence to expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation hoping that it would help foster progress on the more intractable issues like Kashmir. Nawaz Sharif also supports improved ties with India while Zardari’s other coalition partners including ANP, the JUI and MQM are equally enthusiastic about augmenting the peace talks. The liberal media has extended full support to this thinking. The media has called it the right time to move on in improving the bilalteral realtions over contentious issues, including Kasmir as well.
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China mud-rock flow death toll rises to 128
Beijing, September 10 According to the rescue headquarters, the collapse took place as "the unlicensed Tashan mine was operating illegally and the stored waste iron ore dregs had surpassed the capacity of the holding pond." Nine people including the mine owner have been detained for questioning, the police said. Relief and rescue operations are going in full swing and local officials are coordinating the operations. Rains and rough terrain are hampering the rescue efforts. The accident had occurred yesterday in a pond holding waste ore dregs of the Tashan Mine in Xiangfen County, which was soaked by torrential rain. A rescue team of more than 1,100 police, firefighters and local people were searching through the rubble, according a rescue officer. The mud-rock flow also destroyed a three-storey office building, a market and some village houses in the valley. A witness said the flow roared down the valley and washed away the market and houses in a few minutes. The specific number of people trapped underneath the rubble is still under investigation. — PTI
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Strong quake hits Iran, oil facilities safe
Tehran, September 10 It said 15 people were injured on Qeshm, an island in the southern Gulf close to where the tremor struck. Iranian reports variously described the quake as 6.0 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. ''So far, no damage has been reported from the 6.0 Richter scale earthquake which occurred at 3.30 p.m (1630 IST) for 30 seconds,'' ISNA news agency reported, quoting a local official. The agency later said the quake cut power on Qeshm. Magnitude 6 quakes are capable of causing severe damage. Bandar Abbas is a major Iranian port with oil installations including a refinery. Iran is the world's fourth largest oil exporter and an industry official told Reuters last month that Bandar Abbas was processing 320,000 barrels per day of crude. An Interior Ministry official told Reuters the quake was centred on Bander-e Khamir in the south of the country. ''It might have damaged old parts of the place,'' the official said. A number of seismological fault lines cross Iran. In 2003, about 31,000 people were killed when a tremor struck the historic city of Bam, 1,000 km (600 miles) southeast of Tehran. In March 2006, a magnitude 6.0 quake with aftershocks struck the same province of Hormuzgan in southern Iran, causing only minor damage. In 2005, an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit Qeshm island in the Gulf, killing 10 and injuring 50 people.
— Reuters
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Nepal Maoists uveil policies
The newly-elected Maoist-led coalition government in Nepal on Wednesday unveiled its ambitious policies and programs mainly concentrating on bringing the peace process into a logical end and drafting a new democratic constitution on time and achieveing radical socio-economic change in the country. The newly-elected President of republic Himalayan nation Dr Ram Baran Yadav today read out the government's 90-point policies and programs at the legislature-parliament meeting amidst a special function. According to the draft, the government has planned to reintegrate and rehabilitate around 20,000 Maoist combatants confined inside the United Nations-monitored cantonment sites within next six months. The draft has also given top priority to develop 10,000 MW of electricity in ten years so as to achieve the goal of double-digit growth rate targeted for the complete eradication of illiteracy from the country within two years. The government has envisaged forming various commissions, including Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission to find cases of disappearance, in accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA). Regarding the foreign policy, the government will emphasise on the ties with neighbouring countries-India and China, and with other countries, the economic diplomacy will be the focal point. However, Nepali Congress (NC), the main opposition in the Parliament including some influential leaders of the CPN-UML, the major coalition partners in the Maoist-led government have expressed their dissatisfaction over the government's policies and programs saying that it has "nothing new". Senior leader of NC Sher Bahadur Deuba dubbed the government's policies and programs presented by President Dr Ram Baran Yadav in the parliament as "tedious essay". Former UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said the government failed to address the people's aspirations by introducing progressive programs as his party had introduced people-oriented programs during the minority government in 1994 Meanwhile, the parliamentarians are scheduled to debate on the policies and programme on September 12, 13 and 14. The parties have been asked to register their amendment proposals on the government's 90-point document by tomorrow.
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Russia’s threat to US
Moscow, September 10 “I can’t exclude that if such decisions are taken by our military-political leadership, the missile shield in Poland, the Czech Republic and other such objects could be chosen as designated targets for some of our inter-continental ballistic missiles,” Gen Nikolai Solovtsov said, quoted by Interfax. Solovtsov added that by the end of the year, Russia planned to carry out four strategic missile tests, including a test of the new RS-24, capable of carrying a clutch of independently targetable warheads.
— AFP
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Kayani warns US to keep troops out Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has warned that no external force would be allowed to conduct operations against Pakistan inside its borders. In an unusually strong statement on Wednesday evening Gen Kayani rejected the perception of an agreement with the coalition forces in Afghanistan whereby they are allowed to conduct operations on our side of the border. Kayani’s statement that referred to recent incident where innocent civilians were killed in a cross-border raid by the coalition forces came hours after US Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman joint chiefs’ of the staff, committee’s testimony before a congressional committee in Washington. Mullen talked about a “new, more comprehensive” US strategy that would envisage stepped cross-border attacks on militant targets on both sides of the Pak-Afghan borders. Earlier in the day, Kayani had called on President Asif Zardari in Islamabad. The rules of engagement with the coalition forces are well defined and within that, the right to conduct operations against the militants inside own territory is solely the responsibility of the respective armed forces, the statement said, adding that there is no question of any agreement or understanding with the coalition permitting them to operate inside Pakistan. Referring to his meeting with Mullen and other US senior officers on USS Abraham Lincoln on 27th August, Kayani said they were informed about the complexity of the issue that requires understanding in depth and more patience for evolving comprehensive solution. He said his own viewpoint was elaborated in detail and it was stressed that in such like situations, military action alone could not solve the problem. Political reconciliatory effort was required to go along with the military prong to win hearts and minds of the people.
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Peshawar, September 10 Dir police chief Fida Hasan Shah said 14 persons were killed and 35 wounded and the death toll could go up. Militancy has spread across the northwest in recent months. — Reuters
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Beijing, September 10
