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Chaudhry formally assumes office
Restoration has not weakened me, says Zardari Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Tuesday formally assumed his office after his restoration and vowed to eliminate corruption and malfunctioning in the judiciary to the lowest level. Well-wishers hold a banner with an image of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad on Tuesday. — Reuters

War on terror must not be segmented: India to US
The United States must not give up on Afghanistan and needs to confront the challenges posed by the situation in Pakistan, a senior Indian official advised as President Barack Obama's administration wraps up its inter-agency review of US policy towards Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A Delta II rocket illuminates the skies over Cape Canaveral Fla., during Tuesday launch from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s launch complex. The rocket has on board a GPS navigation satellite. — AP/PTI

Terror-training ground in New York vicinity?
New York, March 24
If you don’t know where to look, you’d probably never find Islamberg, a private Muslim community in the woods of the western Catskills, 150 miles northwest of New York City.

‘Quetta appears to be Taliban HQ’
Peshawar, March 24
US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said that Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan province, appears to be the Taliban headquarters.

Tiger head of Tipu’s throne up for sale on April 2
London, March 24
After Mahatma Gandhi’s personal belongings, some more of India’s heritage is to go under the hammer - this time, a gem-set gold finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan will be auctioned in London next week.

Chaudhry formally assumes office
Restoration has not weakened me, says Zardari
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Tuesday formally assumed his office after his restoration and vowed to eliminate corruption and malfunctioning in the judiciary to the lowest level.

Briefly speaking to a huge crowd of lawyers and others who greeted him at the Supreme Court building on arrival there, Justice Chaudhrysaid the real judiciary had been restored after a long time and now the dignity of the court and institution would have to be restored, besides, the judiciary would have to be cleaned of corruption. He said the lawyers and the civil society had made tremendoussacrifices for the independence of judiciary and would have to continue the struggle to consolidate and strengthen it.

During hearing of a case, the Chief Justice in his remarks said irregularities would not be tolerated in dispensing justice and added that the stories of corruption from civil judge to the Supreme Court was common besides he urged upon the lawyers to co-operate with him in stamping out corruption.

He further said if there was any complaint of irregularity, then a petition could be filed in the Registrar Office. He said he was thankful to the people on their struggle for restoration of judiciary.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has said that reinstating sacked judges to settle the political crisis after the long march earlier this month was not a climbdown and had not weakened his position as president. Talking to Sky News television, Zardari called on the United States and Britain to help his government fight terrorism and extremism in

Pakistan. The President flew to Dubai for two-day private visit Monday night. Asked what his message to US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown would be, Zardari replied: “You’ve got democracy, democracy is part of the solution, but... the second part of the solution is with you, so please give us that help that we need.”

He added: “It is my war, it is my fight, it is our fight, it is Pakistan’s war, we will fight it. But if you help us, we can do it sooner.”

War on terror must not be segmented: India to US
Ashish Kumar Sen writes from Washington

The United States must not give up on Afghanistan and needs to confront the challenges posed by the situation in Pakistan, a senior Indian official advised as President Barack Obama's administration wraps up its inter-agency review of US policy towards Pakistan and Afghanistan. The results of this review are expected this week.

Shyam Saran, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's special envoy for nuclear issues and climate change, said there was a “great challenge within Pakistan”, and that “much of the problems we are facing are within Pakistan itself and that needs to be confronted... the civilian, democratic set-up there needs to be consolidated.” Saran was speaking at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, on Monday.

In an obvious reference to the past US policy of investing solely in individual personalities in Islamabad and not in institutions, Saran cautioned against “once again going in the direction of looking at certain individuals or the army or the ISI as the instruments of delivering a victory in the war in Afghanistan” and said a much more nuanced approach was necessary.

US President Barack Obama is keen that India play a constructive role in South Asia and is looking to learn from some of India's experiences in Afghanistan. Also speaking at the Brookings Institution, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg acknowledged India’s “long tradition of engagement” in Afghanistan, and said the US would encourage India to continue to play a role in Afghanistan. He said the Obama administration was determined to create a situation in Afghanistan where extremists would not prevail. India, he said, “has a huge stake, for obvious reasons, to see that this happens.”

Saran acknowledged that India and the US had convergent interests and New Delhi would be interested in sharing “our perspective on Afghanistan and the region with the United States.” India also has a big stake in the success of democratic governance in Pakistan, Steinberg said, adding that Washington hoped that “as Pakistan takes steps to deal with extremists on its territory, India will be supportive of that and look for ways to contribute to an overall environment which can then lead to further efforts to root out the extremists.” He said India must work with both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

On the execution of the war on terrorism, Saran said this must not be segmented. “You cannot give priority to fighting Al-Qaida, lesser priority to Taliban and even lower priority to Lashkar-e-Toiba,” he said, adding that these groups had, over the past several years, “fused together into one network”.

“To once again make the mistake of segmenting this war against terror we will end up with the same kinds of mistakes that we have made before,” he cautioned. He said India’s “principal concern” was that Afghanistan should “not once again relapse into a hot bed of terrorism”.

Saran said he hoped the United States “would not give up so easily in terms of the long-term goal of political stability and economic recovery in Afghanistan”. He advised against focusing too much attention on the security aspect of the problem in Afghanistan while neglecting the development side. Warning against such an imbalance, he said, “If President Obama is able to bring back that balance again by putting in much more effort on the social and economic side, I think that will be very welcome.”

Terror-training ground in New York vicinity?

New York, March 24
If you don’t know where to look, you’d probably never find Islamberg, a private Muslim community in the woods of the western Catskills, 150 miles northwest of New York City.

This town, sitting on a quiet dirt road past a gate marked with ‘No Trespassing’ signs, is home to about 100 residents.

Sheikh Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani, a Pakistani cleric who purchased a 70-acre plot and invited followers, founded Islamberg in 1980. It consists mostly Muslim converts.

Federal authorities say Gilani is one of the founders of Jamaat al-Fuqra, a terrorist organisation believed responsible for dozens of bombings and murders across the US and abroad.

The group was linked to the planning of the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing, and 10 years earlier, one of its member was arrested and later convicted for bombing a hotel in Portland, Oregon.

Islamberg has its own mosque, grocery store and school. It also reportedly has a firing range where residents take regular target practice.

Gilani has established similar rural enclaves across the country — at least six, including the Red House community in southern Virginia — though some believe there are dozens of them, all operating under the umbrella of the “Muslims of the Americas” group founded by Gilani.

Fox News attempted to visit Islamberg after earlier efforts to set up on-camera interviews were rebuffed.

A spokesman said by phone that residents typically shy away from interviews since they worry their words would be manipulated and turned against them. — ANI

‘Quetta appears to be Taliban HQ’

Peshawar, March 24
US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said that Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan province, appears to be the Taliban headquarters. Holbrooke made it clear that "the number one problem" in stabilising Afghanistan were Taliban sanctuaries in western Pakistan, including tribal areas along the Afghan border and cities like Quetta.

"Quetta appears to be the headquarters for the leaders of the Taliban and some of the worst people in the world," he said, adding that it includes the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud.

"As we speak, they are planning further attacks on the West and the region itself. It's tough. You cannot send troops into Pakistan. That is a red line," Holbrooke told the BBC on Monday. He refused to confirm or deny reports that Washington was now considering an expansion of its covert war into areas around Quetta. — ANI

Tiger head of Tipu’s throne up for sale on April 2

London, March 24
After Mahatma Gandhi’s personal belongings, some more of India’s heritage is to go under the hammer - this time, a gem-set gold finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan will be auctioned in London next week.

The recently discovered gem-encrusted gold finial plundered from Tipu Sultan’s huge golden throne is being put up for sale in the British capital on April 2, ten years after it was found lying in the vaults of an English bank.

The object, found by the Bonhams Islamic Department during a routine valuation, is one of three surviving tiger head finials that adorned Tipu’s elaborate throne.

It had lain at Featherstone Castle, Northumberland, where it was listed in an 1843 inventory of the late Baron Wallace of Knarsdale (1768-1844), who oversaw the East India Company, and afterwards was hidden away in a bank.

In fact, the famous golden throne was broken up so quickly - much to the disapproval of the then Governor- General Lord Wellesley - following the fall of Seringapatam that little is known about the fate of the remaining relics. However, a large gold tiger head from the front of the throne platform now resides at Windsor Castle, while another surviving finial lies at Powis Castle

Auctioneers Bonhams, who have described the finial as actually “one of the most important Tipu items ever to appear for sale”, valued it at £8,00,000, the British media has reported. — PTI