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US: No military operation in Pak
Sri Lanka celebrates LTTE’s defeat
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US concerned over JuD chief’s release
Now, jazia on Sikhs of Khyber Agency
Indian bureaucracy ‘least efficient’
Qaida group says it killed British hostage
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US: No military operation in Pak
Washington, June 3 The General said operations in Pakistan against the Taliban and other terrorists had to be done only by the Pakistan military. US President Barack Obama has nominated McChrystal to be commander of the Internal Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and those of the US forces in Afghanistan. “I think all we can do is to share intelligence with them, to share, in some cases, ISR assets, that sort of thing. To coordinate operations, there have been a number of coordination centres established that are still growing in size and in scope,” McChrystal said. According to him, the problem of refugees, if not handled properly, could become another breeding ground for the Taliban. He said, “I think right now the sense is they hold the Taliban, the insurgents responsible. But I think that’s got to be worked hard by the Pakistani government.” He was responding to a question about the type of counter-insurgency and cross-border strategy US should adopt along with the Pakistan army so as to deny the Taliban and Al-Qaida any safe havens there. Referring to her meeting with the Afghan President last week, Senator Hagan said the Al-Qaida’s presence in Afghanistan had shifted to Pakistan’s federally administered tribal area, specifically in Waziristan. — PTI
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Sri Lanka celebrates LTTE’s defeat
President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid a tribute to the Sri Lankan military on Wednesday as the country celebrated the defeat of the LTTE with a military parade to honour the troops who fought in the decisive battle to crush the Tamil Tigers. The ceremony marked the climax of more than two weeks of celebrations that have taken place since LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakarn was killed and troops took control of all areas that were once controlled by the Tigers. "What was considered the most ruthless and most powerful terrorist army for 30 years was shattered and destroyed in less than three years. Terrorists are no more invincible. It is only you, the valiant troops and our motherland that are invincible,” the President said in his address, which was followed by a military parade with many of the troops who fought in the northern front among the participants. "It is now the time to win over the hearts of the Tamil people. The Tamil speaking people should be protected. They should be able to live without fear and mistrust," the President said.
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US concerned over JuD chief’s release
Islamabad, June 3 Holbrooke, the special American envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, expressed reservations over the release of Saeed. "His release has disturbed us all," he told Geo News channel. The Lahore High Court yesterday accepted Saeed's petition challenging his detention in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks and ordered his immediate release. Saeed and numerous other top JuD leaders were detained in December last after the UN Security Council designated his group as a front organistaion for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is blamed for the Mumbai attacks. — PTI
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Now, jazia on Sikhs of Khyber Agency
Lashkar-i-Islam, an extremist and militant tribal outfit with links to the Taliban, has imposed jazia (Islamic tax on non-Muslims) on Sikhs living in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency bordering Afghanistan. The tax has been levied at the rate of Rs 1,000 per person a year. A spokesman of the group said the imposition of the tax was through mutual agreement with the Sikh representatives. A similar tax was imposed on Sikhs in the trouble Buner by the Taliban in April. It was condemned even by mainstream religious parties and Islamic scholars who maintained that this tax can be levied only by an Islamic government and not by any individual or group. Constitutional experts said Pakistan's constitution did not permit any discriminatory tax on any community, including minorities. A decision to impose the tax was taken at a meeting between Lashkar-i-Islam chief Mangal Bagh and a delegation of the Sikh community held in Speen Qabar close to Peshawar. About 7,000 Sikhs live in the Khyber Agency.
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Indian bureaucracy ‘least efficient’
Singapore, June 3 The island-state was ranked first for a third time in a poll of 1,274 expatriates working in 12 North and South Asian nations on the efficiency of bureaucrats in those countries. “During normal times, when the system is not stress-tested, it operates very well,” Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) said in a 12-page report of Singapore’s bureaucracy. “However, during difficult times, or when mistakes are made that reflect badly on the system, there is a tendency among bureaucrats to circle the wagons in ways that lack transparency and make accountability difficult,” the report said. India’s “suffocating bureaucracy” was ranked the least-efficient by the survey, which said working with the country’s civil servants was a “slow and painful” process. “They are a power centre in their own right and extremely resistant to reform that affects them or the way they go about their duties,” it said. Thailand was ranked third. “For all the country’s troubles, or perhaps because of them, respondents to our survey were impressed with the way Thai civil servants have been carrying out their duties,” the PERC said. The survey ranked Hong Kong second. China was ranked 9th. Ranking by most efficient to least efficient economies: Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, China, Philippines, Indonesia and India. — Reuters
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Qaida group says it killed British hostage
London, June 3 The group had said it would kill the Briton if the UK government did not release Abu Qatada, a Jordanian Islamist it was holding in prison. The hostage was killed on May 31 after a second deadline for their demands expired. — Reuters
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President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid a tribute to the Sri Lankan military on Wednesday as the country celebrated the defeat of the LTTE with a military parade to honour the troops who fought in the decisive battle to crush the Tamil Tigers.
