 |
|
|
Countering Terror
Pak allowed Baglihar dam inspection
Obama is pals with terrorists: Palin
Tourist falls into gorge, dies
PML (N) objects to Zardari’s remarks on J&K militants
|
|
|
Bashir tipped to be new Pak naval chief
Anarkali’s tomb to get back grandeur
Pak working on space cooperation body
Zardari calls joint session of Parliament
Prince Harry abandons military training for girlfriend
Karzai’s brother may be involved in drug money
Artistes come together to fight for music rights
Taking Mohiniyattam to Japanese hearts
Thai protest leader held
Release unlawful detainees: UN
Blast in Nepal mosque injures six
Indo-US N-deal will endanger
NPT: Iran
11 killed in suicide blast in Iraq
|
|
Countering Terror Underscoring the importance of winning hearts and minds of people in the fight against terrorism, President Asif Ali Zardari said the American military action in the Pakistani territory would impede the democratic government’s efforts to secure people’s support in the anti-terror struggle. “It doesn’t help the war on terror. The way we want to deal with the war is to win the hearts and minds of people, and then get the people on our side, alienate them from the terrorists, rather than giving them support,” he told the FOX News channel in an interview. The Pakistani leader was asked to comment on the US forces raid in a South Waziristan village bordering Afghanistan. “It sets me back in dealing with the war the way I want to. And the way is to get the people involved, make them realise that terrorists are making their area unsafe and allowing them to be there is a danger to their own lives,” he stated when asked about the impact of such a move on the government’s efforts in the region. When asked what Pakistan would do if such an action happened again, President Zardari replied: “I think it’s counterproductive to us, to the war. As a policy, it has to be discouraged.” On the Marriott Hotel blast in Islamabad last month, he said it was not yet known who was behind the attack but added, “we will find them.” Zardari did not think that the incident took place because of Pakistan's relationship with the United States. “No, I think that is just an excuse to bring some legitimacy to the war that they are fighting. They say that they are targeting America so that they don’t lose people’s support.” On the implementation of Benazir Bhutto's vision, he said the government is carrying forward her mission towards democratic development, poverty alleviation and women's empowerment. Regarding his impressions about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her Democratic counterpart Senator Joseph Biden, he praised them both for their individual qualities. “She has a new formula, which is the Alaskan formula which I’ve been trying to tell my people back home, where you can go with the consent of the people and get to natural resources and make sure that they get a better life from them.... I think she is very intelligent. She isn’t a governor for nothing,” Zardari said of Palin when the interviewer asked him about the Republican leader. Of Democratic hopeful Senator Joseph Biden, President Zardari said he had met him and found him a friend of Pakistan. “He is a friend of Pakistan. And he knows he is the one who co-signed the $1.5 billion (annual assistance) bill for Pakistan. In fact, the $500 million democracy dividend is his idea. So we have a good man in him.”
|
|
Pak allowed Baglihar dam inspection
India has allowed Pakistan to carry out an on-the-spot inspection of the Baglihar dam. Pakistan alleges New Delhi had recently blocked the flow of water from the Chenab to Pakistan, stirring a major row between the two countries.
Pakistan had blamed India of stopping almost 250,000 cusecs of water from the river into Pakistan from India-held Kashmir, threatening its kharif crops of rice, cotton and sugarcane. Pakistan claimed that the Indian action violated the Indus Basin Treaty that permits building of hydro-electric projects on its side without using the water for irrigation purposes. India explained that the water level in the Chenab was lower than the previous year because snow and glaciers in the catchment areas had not melted enough due to climatic changes. The inspection may be done within two weeks; India has proposed the middle of this month. Pakistan has reportedly set two conditions- a fresh inspection of the Baglihar project and convening an emergency meeting of the bilateral Permanent Commission on Indus Waters (PCIW) that is meant to resolve all disputes over implementation of the treaty. In Pakistan's view, India has directly caused colossal losses to standing crops while storing water in violation of the treaty.
|
|
Obama is pals with terrorists: Palin
London, October 5 She accused Obama for having links with Bill Ayres, the former terrorist-turned-education professor whose “Weather Underground” group had bombed the Pentagon in the 1960s, and with whom Obama worked on community projects in the mid-1990s. “This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America. Our opponent is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country. Americans need to know this,” The Telegraph quoted her as saying at a fundraiser in Colarado. Her party’s presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign has accused his Democratic rival Barack Obama of “consorting with terrorists.” Sarah Palin’s comment was echoed by McCain ally Mike Huckabee, the former presidential candidate, who said: “If you hang out with somebody who has never apologised for bombing the Pentagon and the Capitol and is proud of something he should have been ashamed of, then it calls into question your judgment.” They spoke out after the New York Times ran an article saying Obama had “played down” his links with Ayres. Meanwhile, a Democratic spokesman condemned Palin’s “shameless attack” and pointed out that the same story (in the NYT) concluded that Obama “is not close to Bill Ayres, much less pals and that he string condemned the despicable acts Ayres committed 40 years ago when Obama was eight”. The move comes amid growing panic in the McCain campaign and signs that McCain’s closest aides do not believe he can win the race for the White House in a “fair fight”. There have been several occasions in the past month when members of McCain’s inner circle have said they fear he was doomed. Voters have flocked to Obama in the economic crisis, and McCain has lost the lead in several key swing states that he must win if he is to have any chance of victory in November. — ANI
|
|
Tourist falls into gorge, dies
A Dutch tourist, Peter Ross, died in Pokhara, a panoramic tourist destination in western Nepal, when he fell into a gorge on Saturday while taking a picture of the Seti river that flows into a narrow gorge.
According to a local police officer, 49-year-old Dutch national was hiking Saturday near the resort town of Pokhara, 200 km west from Kathmandu. “He met with the tragic death, falling around 45 metres down into a steep gorge while taking a picture of the gorge from where the Seti river passed through,” the police said. Immediately after the incident, the local administration deployed security personnel along with rock climbers for his rescue, but in vain. It took the police and rescuers three hours to recover the body.
|
|
PML (N) objects to Zardari’s remarks on J&K militants
Islamabad, October 5 “We take exception to Mr Zardari’'s statement in this regard,”PML-N spokesman Siddique-ul-Farooq told Dawn News channel. He said the “uprising” in Jammu and Kashmir over the past few months had proved that the movement in the Indian state was “indigenous”. In an interview to Wall Street Journal, Zardari described militant Islamic groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir as “terrorists” and said “India has never been a threat to Pakistan”. India has for long accused Pakistan of arming and funding the militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has denied the charge. Farooq said the UN resolutions on Kashmir, the Simla Accord and the February 23, 1999 Lahore accord signed by PML-N chief and then premier Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee provided the “only solution” to the dragging Kashmir “If India or Pakistan or both want to get this issue resolved, these (accords) and resolutions suggest the exact solution of the problem,” he said. — PTI
|
|
Bashir tipped to be new Pak naval chief
Vice admiral Noman Bashir has been promoted as admiral and named the new chief of the Pakistan navy in place of admiral Afzal Tahir who has retired.
Admiral Bashir called on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sunday. Gilani assured him that all possible resources would be allocated to modernise and strengthen the Pakistan navy.
Meanwhile, army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who last week ordered drastic reshuffle of the institution, has announced some more key appointments. Lt-Gen Javed Zia has been named as the new adjutant-general and Lt-Gen Zahid Hussain as the quarter master-general of the Pakistan army. They will be replacing Lt-Gen Imtiaz Hussain and Lt-Gen Afzal Muzaffar next week. The outgoing AG Lt-Gen is expected to take over as the new chairman of fauji foundation. General Imtiaz Hussain will replace general Arif Hasan.
|
|
Anarkali’s tomb to get back grandeur
The Punjab government has decided to temporarily move the archives on the tomb of legendary Anarkali from its present site in the heart of Lahore to the Bab-i-Pakistan (gateway to Pakistan) built on its outskirts at the entry point from India.
In the meantime, the tomb will be restored to its original architecture and elegance. A committee constituted for the purpose has recommended that the archives be shifted after place is created in the basement of the gateway. Along the tomb an art gallery would also be erected besides an appropriate section for the relics. It will then be opened to the public, hoping it would attract tourists from across South Asia and abroad. The government has allocated funds to restore Anarkali's tomb to its original grandeur. The tomb is located inside the provincial secretariat complex built by the British in the 19th century. One block of the tomb was rebuilt by the son of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh for his French commander, General Ventura who made it his residence. A hunt is on to find original gates and doors of that building that represent Sikh carpentry. Anarkali's legend has captured the imagination of the people of South Asia and has been the subject of films and novels. According to legend, she was an enchanting beauty from Lahore, a maid in the service of the wife of Akbar, who captured the heart of prince Saleem, later known as emperor Jehangir. Akbar did not allow his heir to marry an ordinary maid. He ordered that she be buried alive in a wall of bricks. Jehangir built a tomb in Lahore in memory of his beloved where she was believed to have been buried. His own mausoleum is located across the Ravi, about 5 km away.
|
|
Pak working on space cooperation body
Pakistan is spearheading an initiative to set up an Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation (APSCO) in collaboration with China on the pattern of the European Space Agency.
The new organisation will aim at making regional countries self-sufficient in the field of space technology. The organisation is likely to start functioning by the end of this year or in next year, secretary, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), Air Commodore Arshad Hussain Siraj told PTV on Saturday. Pakistan is a founding member of the APSCO, while China is contributing ‘major support’ for setting up such an organisation, he added. World Space Week is being observed from October 4 to 12 to create awareness among masses about the importance of space and its related education for the contemporary world. It marks the day when the first space shuttle was launched on October 4, 1957. Air Commodore Siraj said Suparco was working on a National Satellite Development Programme under which projects like communication satellite, remote sensing satellite, satellite launching vehicle and human resource development would be completed.
|
|
Zardari calls joint session of Parliament
President Asif Zardari has summoned a joint session of Parliament on October 8, ostensibly to have a briefing on the war on terrorism and the evolving US approach on the issue.
The move to call a special joint session on an specific issue is unprecedented in country’s parliamentary history. Zardari responded to the increasing demand for involving Parliament in reviewing the current policy towards militancy and the country’s cooperation with the US in the war on terror. Main opposition Pakistan Muslim League -- Nawaz (PML-N), and right-wing Jamaat Islami (JI) welcomed the move and the JI hoped that the in-camera
briefing would be followed by an open debate. Zardari is also likely to take Parliament into confidence on his recent UN visit, in particular his talks with US President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal also suggested that Zardari should explain to the joint session his reluctance to restore deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and some other independent minded judges. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had a second meeting with President Zardari in 24 hours and was reported to have discussed the issue to be discussed in the in-camera session of
Parliament. A joint session is normally held at the start of the calendar year of Parliament in which the President delivers the address, ostensibly approved by the Cabinet on the past performance and future plans of the government. Zardari delivered his main address to the joint session on September 20, about 10 days after assuming office. The session of both houses of Parliament is later called separately to debate the presidential address.
|
|
Prince Harry abandons military training for girlfriend
London, October 5 The Zimbabwean blonde, who was admitted to a hospital last week after she complained of toothache and had to be also operated upon subsequently, has told friends she can’t wait to see Harry, following which the Prince decided to see her. Leeds University student, who is now on a diet of soup only, has also told her friends that she hopes to arrange a welcome home party for Harry as soon as she is better. “She has been feeling really down lately because of anaesthetic. She had a lot of problems with her teeth and she was in so much pain that they operated,” one of Davy's close friends was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying. “In fact, the Prince was in touch with Davy via online social networking site ‘Facebook’. He has been leaving lovey dovey messages on her wall about how much he misses her. They are very much in love even though they haven't seen each other for weeks. After their trial split last year, they’re stronger than ever,” another friend said. Although, Harry promised his grandfather Prince Philip that he would curb his partying, he made a fleeting visit to Boujis this September before he left for
Canada. And he was spotted with Chelsy at a party in West London. — PTI
|
|
Karzai’s brother may be involved in drug money
New York, October 5 Apart from possibly damaging Karzai's credibility, the US officials fear such perceptions were also undermining American efforts to buttress his government, which has been under siege from rivals and Taliban insurgency fuelled by drug money, the report said, citing several senior officials of the Bush Administration. Their concerns have intensified as American troops have been deployed in the country in large numbers, the New York Times said, adding the assertions were never investigated even though allegations that he has benefited from narcotics trafficking have circulated widely in Afghanistan. Allegations against President Karzai's brother Ahmed Wali Karzai came after Afghan security forces found an enormous cache of heroin hidden beneath concrete blocks in a tractor-trailer outside Kandahar in 2004. When local Afghan commander Habibullah Jan impounded the truck and notified his boss, he received a telephone call from Ahmed Wali Karzai, chief of the Kandahar provincial council, asking him to release the vehicle and the drugs, the newspaper said. The commander later told American investigators that he complied after a phone call from an aide to President Karzai directing him to release the truck. Both President Karzai and his brother dismissed the allegations, describing these as politically motivated attacks by longtime foes, the Times said. "I am not a drug dealer, I never was and I never will be," the President's brother said in a recent phone interview with the Times. "I am a victim of vicious politics." "What appears to be a fairly common Afghan public perception of corruption, inside their government is a tremendously corrosive element working against establishing long-term confidence in that government, a very serious matter," Liet-Gen David W Barno, commander of the coalition military forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005 and is now retired, was quoted as saying. "That could be problematic strategically for the US." Numerous reports, however, link Ahmed Wali to the drug trade, current and former officials from the White House, the state department and the US embassy in Afghanistan told the paper. In 2006, American and Afghan counter-narcotics forces stopped another truck near Kabul and found more than 110 pounds of heroin. Soon after the seizure, US investigators told other officials that they had discovered links between the drug shipment and a bodyguard believed to be an intermediary for Ahmed Wali, the report said. The White House believes that Ahmed Wali is involved in drug trafficking, and American officials have repeatedly warned President Karzai that his brother is a political liability, the report said, citing two senior officials of Bush administration. — PTI
|
||
|
Artistes come together to fight for music rights
London, October 5 Well-known artistes like Robbie Williams, Radiohead, Jools Holland, Kaiser Chiefs, The Verve, Kate Nash and Billy Bragg are among dozens of musicians and performers calling for changes to the law and record industry. The new group, Featured Artists’ Coalition, will be launched in Manchester. It will campaign for a series of changes that include the protection of performers’ and musicians’ rights. “The Coalition will give artists the voice they need to argue for greater control over their music,” a statement from the group said today. “It is time for artists to have a strong collective voice to stand up for their interests. The digital landscape is changing fast and new deals are being struck the time, but all too often without reference to the people who actually make the music,” Brian Message, co-manager of Radiohead and Kate Nash said. So far, over 60 artists have joined the coalition by signing its founding Charter. The new organisation will campaign for specific changes to the laws governing the music industry and the business is conducted in a way that artists always retain ultimate ownership of their music. Jazz Summers, manager of The Verve, said, “The Featured Artists' Coalition is an organisation for artists, which would be run by artists.” The organisation will also expose unfair practices where necessary and demand the music companies to consult with artists on all levels. — PTI
|
||
|
Taking Mohiniyattam to Japanese hearts
Tokyo, October 5 Once a student of contemporary dance, Maruhashi, 40, the first Mohiniyattam dancer from Japan has now devoted her life to the ancient art form from Kerala and is single handedly propagating it in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’. About 12 years ago, says Maruhashi, who had been working with Japanese Buto modern dance company, she felt the urge to take up some “ancient” dance form and after some research, learned about the various Indian classical dances. But why Mohiniyattam? “Though there have been many Bharatanatyam and Odissi performers in Japan, Mohiniyattam was virtually unknown. But I felt I was very good with the expressions which are an integral of this dance form and so devoted myself to it after 1996,” says Maruhashi, who also learnt Koodiyattam, a form of Sanskrit theatre traditionally performed in Kerala and Kalaripayyat, a traditional form of martial art that started in the southern state. A student of Kalamandalam in Thrissur, she also studied the dance form under the tutelage of Delhi-based Deeepti Omcheri. Over the years hundreds of students, young and old, from all across Japan have learnt the dance from Maruhashi. “I have no children. So my students are like my children and my aim is to spread this amazing tradition to many eager students as possible,” she says. As part of the endeavour, Maruhashi has invited two dancers who are proficient in various dance forms from south India and will prepare a dance drama based on “Chitralekha”, based on the Mauryan period. Despite a busy schedule, Maruhashi, who also teaches yoga at a private institution in Tokyo, takes out time for at least two stage performances every month. Parents and students usually approach Maruhashi after seeing her stage performances. “There is a growing awareness about India and its rich culture. While many come to me after watching me perform, there are others who research on the Internet on how to learn Indian classical dance and come to know about me,” she says. A frequent visitor to India, Maruhasi says she always looks forward to performing in the country. “India is like my other home,” she says, smiling, as her kohl-lined eyes twinkle. — PTI
|
||
|
Thai protest leader held
Bangkok, October 5 Arrest warrants were issued against nine protest leaders on August 27 on various charges, including insurrection, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. Another key figure, Chaiwat Sinsuwongse, was arrested on Friday on the same charges. The nine are members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, the anti-government group that orchestrated mass street demonstrations that virtually paralysed the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej last month. — AP
|
||
|
Release unlawful detainees: UN
New York, October 5 "Everyday, around the world, there are hundreds of new cases of men, women and children being placed in detention, when they should not be sometimes in quite inhumane conditions," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay told the media at her first press interaction after assuming the post last month. Particularly highlighting the case of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate who has been under house arrest for the past 12 years, Pillay said Kyi had in fact served a sentence "that far exceeds that served by many hardened criminals." Referring to the terrorist suspects detained by the US in Guantanamo Bay, she welcomed the decision of the American Supreme Court in June that the country's Constitution extends to foreigners being held there and that they have the right to challenge their detention in the civilian court system. "Those detainees in Guantanamo, some of whom have been there for up to six years, have the right to a prompt review of the reasons for their detention. They also have an unequivocal right not to be sent to places where there is a risk of torture," she said. Pillay said it was high time to take more effective action to reduce "this hidden, large-scale violation of human rights". The high commissioner said though no accurate figures of illegal detainees existed, "the number of people around the world who are believed to be held in some form of detention that is unjust or inappropriate probably runs into the millions." Pillay was speaking ahead of the launch of the Dignity and Justice for Detainees Initiative, set to begin on October 6 which aims to increase the pressure on countries, parliaments, judiciaries, and other relevant institutions to abolish, or at least reduce, arbitrary and unlawful detention. It also seeks to ensure that conditions in prisons and other places of detention are brought in line with minimum international standards. "We are not against prisons and detention centres per se, but they should be reserved for those who really deserve to be there according to the extensive, detailed and fundamentally sound international standards governing criminal justice," she said. She pointed out that among those who were often illegally detained were people with disabilities, immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as journalists, human rights defenders and political activists. "There are people just like you and me who are sitting in jails across the world today, who should not be there," she said. She welcomed the Myanmar government's recent release of seven political prisoners but said that it was a very small step considering the estimates that more than 2,000 political activists were in detention in that country. "I urge the government to release them all as soon as possible." — PTI
|
||
|
Blast in Nepal mosque injures six
Kathmandu, October 5 The newspaper said unidentified assailants lobbed the bomb into the mosque and fled.The mosque was packed with people and most of the wounded sustained shrapnel injuries. Muslim groups said the attack was an attempt to disturb communal and religious harmony in Nepal. "This a deliberate attempt to disturb religious harmony," the newspaper quoted Nazrul Hassan, president of the Muslim Association in Nepal as saying. "The government must act tough against elements behind such acts." The association called on Muslims to exercise restraint. In April, a similar attack on a mosque in the same area had killed at least two.
The Muslim minority make up less than 5 per cent of Nepal's 28 million population and live predominantly in pockets of southern Nepal bordering India. Nepal has not seen major religious strife between Muslims and the majority Hindus in the past. — DPA
|
||
|
Indo-US N-deal will endanger
NPT: Iran
Dubai, October 5 Deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation Mohammad Saeedi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency that “cooperation in the area of transfer of nuclear technology to the NPT non-members will endanger the treaty.” “The method used by several nuclear states to transfer the technology to non-members of the NPT will create new crises for the international community,” Saeedi said. He said “privileges” to nuclear-armed India, which is not a signatory to the NPT, would undermine the treaty. According to the NPT, only signatories to the treaty could make use of the rights mentioned in the treaty, he added. The comments came in the backdrop of intense pressure faced by Iran over its atomic programme. The US Congress has cleared the landmark nuclear deal early this week and President George W. Bush is due to sign it into law on Wednesday. Making it clear that India would not support Iran’s nuclear weapon ambitions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had last week joined the European Union (EU) in asking Tehran to “re-establish” confidence in the nature of its nuclear programme. But in some balancing act, Manmohan Singh after the Indo-EU summit in Marseilles in France last week had, however, said Iran as a signatory to the NPT was entitled to all that was needed to develop its civil nuclear programme for which it must undertake all the obligations. — PTI
|
||
|
11 killed in suicide blast in Iraq
Baghdad, October 5 American troops came under fire as they entered the house in Mosul, 370 km from Baghdad, lookng for a wanted man, it said in a statement. It said a man detonated a suicide vest as the troops closed in on the suspects. Five men were killed along with three women and three children while another child was wounded in the blast, the US military said. — AFP
|
Bond author saved MI6 in reality Two US helicopters collide 
|
| 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 | |
