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Truce offer: Lanka rejects India’s appeal
17 ethnic Indians released in Malaysia
New Punjab CM to be elected soon: Gilani
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US drone attacks kill 8 in Pakistan
6 fishermen held in Pak
3 die in chemical leak in Singapore
16 Tibetan activists held in Nepal
Pak cleric sets deadline to enforce Sharia in Swat China’s lunar probe lands on Moon
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Truce offer: Lanka rejects India’s appeal
Colombo, March 1 Colombo also said it had not received any formal communication so far from New Delhi in this regard. “We have not received any communication from India. Our position is that the Tigers should lay down weapons and violence will not be there,” Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said when asked about his reaction to Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's appeal. “It is reported that the LTTE has offered a ceasefire. While this may fall short of a declaration of willingness to lay down arms, it is our view that the government of Sri Lanka should seize the opportunity presented by the offer to bring about a pause in the hostilities,” Mukherjee had said in a statement in New Delhi yesterday. “We have no formal communication from India... When the Tigers lay down arms, there will be no fighting. Then the firing will stop immediately,” Kohona said when asked to react to the Indian minister’s observations. Noting with grave concern the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, Mukherjee had urged the Sri Lankan government to bring about a pause in hostilities and work for safe passage for trapped civilians. — PTI
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17 ethnic Indians released in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, March 1 They were detained after a huge gathering of people assembled at the Brickfields police station yesterday to lodge police reports against the alleged ill treatment of P Uttayakumar in detention. The police had also resorted to firing chemical-laced water canons to disperse the large gathering after some of the people had refused to move. The Indians had gathered to register a police report against mistreatment meted out to the detained Hindu Rights Action Force leader, who is suffering from diabetes. While the police allowed about 50 persons - five family members of Uthayakumar and five representatives each from the country's nine states, including MPs - to enter the police station, the rest were asked to disperse. The authorities have maintained that Uttayakumar, in detention along with his four Hindraf colleagues since December 2007, was being given adequate treatment. Among those arrested yesterday was ethnic Indian MP S Manikavasagam, who was also released last night. Uttayakumar has been held under the Internal Security Act for organising an illegal rally of ethnic Indians in November 2007, which saw over 20,000 members of the minority community protest their alleged marginalisation.
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New Punjab CM to be elected soon: Gilani
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad “The PPP suffers from an innate manufacturing defect that it feels happy in sitting in the opposition,” the Prime Minister said while speaking in the National Assembly after a 3-hour speech by Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ali Khan. His speech was directed mostly against President Asif Zardari, whom he accused of making autocratic policy and following General Musharraf’s tactics. He said Zardari was keen to take control over Punjab. Khan said the PPP won a simple majority only in Sindh but had extended power in all provinces and the centre. Now Zardari was hell-bent on imposing the PPP rule in Punjab through horse-trading and exerting official influence to buy the loyalty of members. He said Zardari had subordinated the judiciary and was getting judgments passed that suited him. Khan and the PML-N MPs chanted slogans of “Go Zardari, go” and praised slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. Khan eulogised her sacrifices for democracy and described the PPP as the party without which the federation would fall apart. But, he said, Zardari had never been a leader of the PPP and Benazir was a born leader. Gilani strangely intrigued everybody by not defending Zardari against PML-N assault. But, he tried to adopt a conciliatory tone towards the PML-N and asked them to calm down and have patience. “There is no need for horse-trading... we will sit in the opposition if we fail to form a majority government,” he said. “We feel very comfortable sitting in the opposition.” He, however, asked the PML-N lawmakers to respect the President and not shout slogans against him, saying that the President was a part of Parliament. Gilani said the government would support a consensus bill to repeal the 17th Amendment abridging powers of the President and abolish the National Security Council.
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US drone attacks kill 8 in Pakistan
Islamabad, March 1 Two missiles fired by a suspected US drone hit a compound in Sararogha, in tribal South Waziristan region, killing at least eight suspected militants, the News quoting officials reported today. The strike took place apparently targeting Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who is also a suspect in the assassination of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto. At least 30 persons, including a top Afghan Taliban commander, were killed on February 16 as US drones had targeted a militant hideout in Pakistan’s restive Kurram tribal region.— PTI
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6 fishermen held in Pak
Karachi, March 1 The fishermen were detained and their launch seized by the Pakistani Maritime Security Agency (MSA) on the night of February 27. They were handed over to the police in this port city yesterday, officials said.The fishermen are likely to be presented in court this week for obtaining their remand, the officials said. India and Pakistan detain many fishermen every year for violating maritime boundaries.
— PTI
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3 die in chemical leak in Singapore
Kuala Lumpur, March 1 Two workers died on the spot when they suffered burns after a small quantity of nitric acid leaked from a heat exchanging unit at Chemic Industries on Friday, while the third one succumbed to his injury yesterday. Other two workers have been treated at the Singapore General Hospital. One of them is in critical condition.and the other is in stable condition with 4 per cent burns. Meanwhile, a stop-work order has been issued to the company and police investigations are on, the Ministry of Manpower spokesman said.
— PTI
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16 Tibetan activists held in Nepal
Kathmandu, March 1 The arrests were made yesterday in the wake of growing pressure from China to step up security at Chinese Embassy, Chinese consulate office and Chinese business community in Kathmandu, the officer at Kamalpokhari police station said. Those arrested have not yet been released, the officer added.
— PTI
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Pak cleric sets deadline to enforce Sharia in Swat Islamabad, March 1 Sufi Muhammad, who was instrumental in bringing about ceasefire between the government forces and Taliban militia, said he was not satisfied with the steps taken by the Pakistan government so far. Addressing a press conference in Mingora, he regretted that despite the signing of the draft of Nifaz-e-Shariat, Malakand division’s all courts were proceeding with cases under old law. “If Shariat were not enforces by March 15, then protest camps would be set up in Malakand division,” Muhammad was quoted as saying by Geo TV. Pakistan agreed last month to implement Islamic law in Swat valley in an effort to pacify the Al-Qaida and Taliban forces active in the region bordering Afghanistan. The provincial government had promised to establish Islamic courts in Swat and surrounding areas to Muhammad, whose son-in-law heads the Taliban group. Muhammad also asked both the sides to ensure the release of each other’s prisoners.
— PTI
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China’s lunar probe lands on Moon Beijing, March 1 It represents the first step in the Chinese ambition to land robotic explorers on the Moon before 2020. The satellite ended its 16-month mission when it hit the lunar surface at 1.50 degrees south latitude and 52.36 degrees east longitude. Chang’e-1 began to reduce its speed under remote control by two observation and control stations in east China’s Qingdao and northwest China’s Kashi. This was the first phase of China’s three-stage Moon mission, which will lead to a landing and launch of a rover vehicle around 2012. Chang’e-1 was launched into space on October 24, 2007, and sent the first full map of the Moon’s surface back to China one month later.
— PTI
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