 |
|
|
Stop running to US, BJP tells govt
Advani leads the charge, says ISI non-state actor
2 slain NSG men may get Ashok Chakra
|
|
|
Three Black Widow militants flee from jail
UNSC Meet
Chouhan to sworn in as CM today
Antony denies tampering with Arjun
Maya seeks special package for state security
AP fishermen to get ID cards
Uproar in Orissa Assembly over Kandhamal violence
Bird flu detected in Guwahati
Get ready for chill from today
|
|
Stop running to US, BJP tells govt
New Delhi, December 11 “Nobody will do anything for us,” he said, adding that the government kept pinning hopes on the US and secretary of state Condoleeza Rice with the hope that “somebody else will solve India’s problems. In response to Shourie’s remarks, the Congress said Rice coming to India following the attacks was to keep the international community on India’s side. “We have to get the international community on our side,” senior Congress leader Karan Singh said later. In a speech liberally interspersed with statements issued by government top bosses, including former home minister Shivraj Patil and defence minister A.K. Antony, Shourie explained how in weeks and months preceding the Mumbai attacks several references were made regarding dangers of terrorists striking from sea routes but nothing concrete was done. Even now, barring one, none of the remaining 35 islands in Lakshadweep was properly staffed by security personnel, he added. He also warned that asking Pakistan to help would be like “fooling ourselves”. “To think that any terror group could operate without the knowledge or patronage of the Pakistan Army would be like living in fool’s paradise,” Shourie said. He advised the government to judge Pakistan by ground realities and not by joint statements signed with their leaders. Noting that terrorist groups backed by the neighbouring country had used technology like voiceover internet protocol, he warned that in the next five years terrorists would use non-conventional weapons like chemical and nuclear arms in miniature forms. Shourie asked the government to completely “stop the miscalled peace process with Pakistan. “ Even as we are badgered everyday, the government says terrorist activities will not be allowed to get into the way of peace process. “ Zulm karte hain dushman aur ham shrmaye jaate hain,” he said, urging the Congress-led UPA government to shed the denial mode as intelligence record revealed that ISI was now knitting together Indian insurgent groups. Shourie said the ‘proxy war’ started by former Pakistan president Zia-ul Haq had kept India bleeding for 35 years. Rejecting the theory of using minimal force, he said the government should go with full force to win over the proxy war. In response, Karan Singh said, “I am not saying we must not hit back but according to developing situation we must maintain stability in the region. In final analysis, we must have peace in the region” Maintaining that the Navy knew about the movement of vessels near the indian coastline, Singh wanted to know why boats were not tracked, erring officials should be held accountable and demanded disciplinary action against them, he said. PM: Separate debate on Assam strikes
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday had to intervene in an ongoing discussion on the Mumbai attacks in the Rajya Sabha to give an assurance that a debate on terror strikes in Assam would be held separately. The Prime Minister’s assurance came after some MPs from Assam tried to interrupt the debate on the Mumbai attacks. Terming the terrror incidents in Assam as dastardly as Mumbai attacks, Singh said the debate should not be disrupted. “We are not shying away from an orderly discussion on Assam. If the House thinks we should have a debate on Assam terror attacks, we can bring Assam separately in a debate, he said.
|
|
Advani leads the charge, says ISI non-state actor
New Delhi, December 11 But Advani did not begin until he had described BJP’s recent electoral losses as “BJP’s losses rather than Congress’ victories”, and reminded members that they would be underestimating the people of India if they thought terrorism was not an issue. Terming the reigning crisis as a terror war, Advani pledged support to the government in its war against terrorism. He, however, warned of undue dependence on the UN Security Council, saying India should use its own diplomatic skills for goods-delivery. “I am afraid of the UN Security Council. Had we not left Kashmir to the UN, it would have been resolved,” Advani said, reiterating that Kashmir was integral to India. For most part of his hour-long speech, the opposition leader remained unsparing of Pakistan and ISI, which, he said, was a non-state actor as it was not answerable to the elected government. He also said it was a concern that no one knew who was in-charge in Pakistan. An important information Advani brought to the House was LeT supreme commander Hafeez Mohd’s statement that India only understands the language of force and should be talked to in that language, and LeT’s reasoning of jehad as an “ideology that goes beyond challenging India’s sovereignty in Jammu and Kashmir to the restoration of Islamic rule in all parts of India.” “The recent strikes in Mumbai attack our civilisational ethos and progress. We must remind the world that in this war we are all but divided,” Advani said, as the CPM deputy leader Mohd Salim congratulated him — a rare gesture indeed in a House of “disorders”. Salim also ducked differences with the Congress to say: “Let us be clear that if we have been attacked unmindful of caste and religion, we have to retaliate in that very spirit.” He urged for a national security index for continuous assessment of threat perception as in the case of political VVIPs. Similar sentiments came from Ramji Lal Suman of the Samajwadi Party, Devendra Yadav of the RJD, and from the Congress’ young brigade led by general secretary Rahul Gandhi, MPs Sandeep Dixit and Milind Drora. All termed the strikes an attack on India’s unity and called for de-politicisation of the terror debate. One of the strongest statements of the day was CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta’s. He wanted India to compel Pakistan for “complete liquidation of terror launch pads in that country.” External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee responded befittingly, saying history could not be ignored all the time. He referred to how Indira Gandhi had once told Margaret Thatcher of why not a single bullet from Pakistan was ever fired in any side except India. “I can’t change my neighbour; I can’t live with my neighbour in perpetual tension. But issues cannot be ducked any further, and will have to be solved,” Mukherjee said.
|
|
2 slain NSG men may get Ashok Chakra
New Delhi, December 11 Besides the two, sub-inspector Tukaram Umbale of the Mumbai police is also likely to get the same award. He is the one of the three cops who caught hold of Ajmal Amin Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive. Umbale was shot at five times from point-blank range but held on to Kasab till two of his colleagues armed with lathis and an antiquated rifle nabbed him. Assistant sub-inspector Sanjay Gowilkar and sub-inspector Bhaskar Kadam of the Mumbai police is also likely to get Kirti Chakra, nation’s second highest peacetime award, sources here said. Ashok Chakra is awarded for the “most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice” done during peacetime. The decoration awarded either to military personnel or a civilian is usually given posthumously. The NSG is yet to make the recommendation as the two killed Army men were on deputation to the special action group of the NSG. It is almost certain that the Ashok Chakra will be suggested. For a few others who were in the forefront and were injured a citation is on the cards. It may be mentioned that three security personnel, policemen and para military men who fought terrorists when Parliament was attacked on December 13, 2001, were awarded the Ashok Chakra. The security personnel - M.S Negi, J.P Yadav and woman constable Kamlesh Kumari - who sacrificed their lives in the face of the terrorist attack on Parliament were security assistants in Rajya Sabha watch and ward staff. The five policemen, who also were gunned down in the attack, were decorated with the Kirti Chakra.
|
|
Three Black Widow militants flee from jail
Guwahati, December 11 DGP G.M. Srivastava said three senior militants from Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa) or Black Widow group - Daku Dimasa, Daniel Dimasa and Nalo Dimasa - escaped through the main gate of Haflong jail by exploding a grenade at around 5.20 a.m. The DGP hinted at involvement of the jailer in the jailbreak incident that went off so smoothly. There was a sound of grenade explosion outside the jail as son as the militant made good their escape through the two main gates of the jail that were kept open so early in the morning by the jailer. “We immediately arrested the jailer Lunlet Lhoubum immediately after the jailbreak incident and launched an investigation. Meanwhile, police launched search operation in and around Haflong to trace the militants who had escaped from the jail,” Srivastava said. The under trial militants facing charges of heinous crimes were lodged in the jail that is located adjacent to the main police station in Haflong. The manner in which they managed to flee without facing any resistance from jail guards raised many an eyebrows. It was a set back for the police which toiled hard to arrest these three hardcore leaders of the banned Black Widow which is considered a most ruthless militant group in Assam. The outfit involved in many attacks on security personnel, politicians, railway property in the hill district besides carrying out rampant extortion operations. Daniel Dimasa was the second in command of the outfit while Daku Dimasa was the in charge of the outfit’s stock of arms and ammunition, the police official informed.
|
|
|
UNSC Meet
New Delhi, December 11 “We have taken so much beating over the years. This terrorism has been going on for decades. Thousands of people have been killed. The government should talk tough and name Pakistan as the accused,” senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said. At the UNSC meeting, minister of state for external affairs E. Ahamed named the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a wing of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), as the organisation responsible for the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks. “I don’t think India did well (at the UN). It is very obvious that Pakistan is involved yet India is shying away from naming this country and giving all the proof,” Naidu said. Pakistan has offered to ban the Jamaat-ud-Dawa if the UN passes a resolution in this regard. The BJP leader also maintained that a federal investigating agency without tough anti-terror laws would be meaningless. “We have been telling the government- if you have the will, bring the anti-terror bill. We will support it,” he said.
— PTI
|
|
Chouhan to sworn in as CM today
Bhopal, December 11 Chouhan will take oath alone and ministers will be sworn-in on a future date, yet to be announced. Chouhan was elected the leader of the 173-member BJP legislature party yesterday. The election was a mere formality. The BJP had made it clear from the day one of the campaigning for the Assembly polls that if the party was voted to power, Chouhan would lead the government. The party intends to make the function a big show. A host of central leaders of the BJP as well as the Chief Ministers of other BJP-ruled states are expected to
attend.
|
|
Antony denies tampering with Arjun
New Delhi, December 11 Reliability trials have been carried out systematically by the Army with successful results, he said while adding that the DRDO had not proposed any enquiry into the matter. Antony denied knowledge whether a lobby in the Army is in favour of the purchase for entire equipment for the Army from other countries. Meanwhile, the minister said a full-scale engineering development (FSED) phase I for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was sanctioned in 1993 for only technology development. Later in November 2001, the FSED phase II was sanctioned for manufacturing of additional prototypes and eight limited series production aircrafts. There are no other changes in the design. The project is progressing well and has completed more than 933 test flights successfully with seven aircrafts under flight test phase.
|
|
Maya seeks special package for state security
Lucknow, December 11 “I have written to the Centre to rise above party politics and equip the state governments with the state-of-art weaponry and security equipment. Not every state, including Uttar Pradesh, has the resources to supply its police force with the latest arms and apparatus to tackle terror,” said the BSP supremo. However, she is yet to get a response from the Center in this regard, she said. Not mincing words while expressing her dissatisfaction on the ongoing debate in Parliament on a federal agency to deal with the new face of terror she said, “However, stringent a law is introduced it would not succeed in reigning in terror as the Centre does not possess the strong will and determination to wipe out terror.” According to the Chief Minister, this crucial decision involving the nation’s security should not be taken without consultation with the state governments. “It would prove to be a futile exercise if the state’s consensus is not sought before finalising the contours of the federal agency.” Speaking to the mediapersons she said if the Centre had been sincere about crushing terror, it would have struck at the root cause of the menace. “Sadly its entire approach was very superficial and mechanical.” Spelling out the root cause, she suggested a three-point formula to tackle terrorism. “First we need to tighten the vigil across India’s poorly protected international borders. This makes infiltration by terrorists easy. The apathetic state of alertness along the coastal areas was recently established in the unchecked access of terrorists who struck Mumbai recently.” Hitting out at the pathetic condition of the central intelligence services, she said, “The second thing that urgently needed to be taken up was strengthening and streamlining of the intelligence machinery at the national level.” Central assistance to the resource-starved states to modernise its police force to combat the modern face of terrorism was Mayawati’s third suggestion.
|
|
AP fishermen to get ID cards
Hyderabad, December 11 The decision is part of a series of measures in this regard taken at a high-level meeting of Navy, police and Coast Guard officials in Vishakapatnam yesterday. Vigil along the Bay of Bengal coastline of the state would be stepped up, tamper-proof identity cards issued to fishermen and all vessels venturing into the sea would be registered.
— PTI
|
|
|
Uproar in Orissa Assembly over Kandhamal violence
Bhubaneswar, December 11 The House was adjourned for two hours before the lunch break as both sides trooped into the well amidst noisy scenes, objecting to each other’s remarks during the special debate on the Kandhamal violence. Trouble erupted when members of the BJD and the BJP took strong exception to Deputy Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra quoting certain remarks reportedly made by some saffron leaders about Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Members of the ruling combine stormed into the well when Mishra made a reference to a Sangh Parivar letter allegedly about the Dalits, published in a local magazine. Accusing them of trying to prevent opposition MLAs from expressing their views, Congress members, too, trooped into the well in protest. Angry over the permission granted by Speaker Kishore Mohanty for a point of order to BJD’s Kalpataru Das, Congress member Tara Prasad Bahinipati suddenly picked up an earphone in the melee and threw it towards him. Though the ear phone missed the Speaker, it hit an Assembly employee, leading to the adjournment of the House for two hours. “It should not have happened,” the Speaker told reporters outside the House, adding that he was examining the matter. Parliamentary affairs minister Raghunath Mohanty said MLAs should conduct themselves according to the rules of the House. — PTI
|
|
|
Bird flu detected in Guwahati
Guwahati, December 11 State veterinary director Dr Ashwini Kataky said the avian influenza had so far hit fowls in six districts of the state - Kamrup, Barpeta, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, Chirang and Kamrup Metropolitan district that includes Guwahati city. The rapid response teams (RRTs) today culled over 4000 fowls in the government farm.
|
|
|
Get ready for chill from today
New Delhi, December 11 Almost halfway into December and plains of northwest region, including the capital, have not yet faced the real winter. In fact, maximum temperature on Wednesday touched 27.9 °C in Delhi, four degrees above normal. Weatherman, however, term the unusually warm weather a temporary phase and a result of continuous western disturbances that have been hitting the region, keeping the real chill away. According to IMD director B.P Yadav, the western disturbance as an upper air system over Jammu and Kashmir and neighbourhood is likely to move away eastward by Friday. Under its influence, scattered precipitation is likely over western Himalayan region during next 24 hours. While minimum temperatures have fallen by 4-6°C in the past 24 hours over north Rajasthan and 2-4°C over south Rajasthan, Gujarat and parts of Punjab, with the eastward movement of the western disturbance, minimum temperatures are also likely to fall by 2-4°C over remaining parts of northwest and central India from tomorrow onwards, he says. Along with this, rain and snow is also likely at few places over Jammu and Kashmir during next 24 hours while the rest of the region will mainly experience dry weather and experience fall in night temperature by 2-4°C. November, too, was comparatively warmer and went down as the driest month in the region with the national capital recording an average rainfall of 4.3 mm. A western disturbance moved across northern parts of the country between 18 to 21 November and under its influence scattered to fairly widespread rainfall was recorded in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand and isolated to scattered rainfall activity occurred over rest of the northwest India, including Delhi. Maximum temperatures remained slightly above normal during the month except from 20 to 24 when they were below normal. The minimum temperatures remained nearly normal during the month except on 20 and 21 when they were above normal.
|
|
| 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 | |
