The Pakistan government is preparing an exit policy for the army currently stationed in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), where it has nearly concluded its operation in Swat and is currently tightening the noose around Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in tribal areas of South Waziristan, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said.

Pakistani warplanes resumed strikes against militant hideouts in South Waziristan on Saturday, security officials said, with more than 30 insurgents killed in the Afghan border tribal region in the past 24 hours.

After securing much of the scenic Swat Valley in the past month, the military plans to extend its offensive with operations in South Waziristan against the main stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, a key Al-Qaida ally.

The operations came after Taliban gains in the region raised fears for the future of nuclear-armed Pakistan, a vital ally for the United States as it strives to defeat the Al-Qaida and stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.

A full-scale offensive has not yet begun in South Waziristan but fighter jets have been softening up targets for the past several days.

“Our jet fighters bombed and destroyed two militant hideouts in Maula Khan Sarai,” a security official in the region said, referring to a militant-held area east of South Waziristan's main town of Wana.

He gave no other details but an intelligence official said 15 militants were killed in those strikes.

On Friday, jet fighters killed more than 30 militants in attacks in the South Waziristan villages of Barwand, Sarwaki and Kundsari, said security officials who asked not be identified.

The military was not available for comment on those incidents and there was no independent verification of the casualties.

In a statement released on Saturday, the military said 32 insurgents were killed when the armed forces retaliated after militants blocked a road between the towns of Tanai and Sarwaki in South Waziristan. Campaign against Mehsud will likely further reassure Western allies who see Pakistan as vital for their campaign to eliminate Al-Qaida and Taliban.

Washington, June 20
Ruling out any American mediation on Kashmir issue, US President Barack Obama has said dialogue is the best way to reduce tension between India and Pakistan.

“I believe that there are opportunities, maybe not starting with Kashmir but starting with other issues, that Pakistan and India can be in a dialogue together and over time to try to reduce tensions and find areas of common interest,” Obama told Pakistan’s Dawn TV in an interview. The answer from Obama came in response to a question as to why his administration has been silent on Kashmir, after he initially mentioned it.

Categorically ruling out any mediation between India and Pakistan, Obama said: “We want to be helpful in that process, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to be the mediators in that process. I think this is something that the Pakistanis and Indians can take leadership on.”

He exuded confidence that nuclear weapons of Pakistan were safe and secure. “I have confidence that the Pakistani government has safeguarded its nuclear arsenal,” he said.

“I won’t engage in hypotheticals like that,” Obama said when asked: “Do you actually see the possibility that one day the Taliban might take over those weapons? And if you see that happening, would you actually try to seize those weapons before the Taliban?”

However, Obama said he was concerned about growing extremism in the region.

On the aid been given to Pakistan, Obama said the aid had to be used against extremism, supporting lawmakers concerns that the new financial aid should not end up building up the Pakistan army against India.

He said the support provided to Pakistan was focused primarily on the internally displaced persons, who have been uprooted from their homes due to military operations in the restive northern areas.

“We have in the past supported Pakistan militarily. I think it is important to make sure that military support is directed at extremists and our common enemies,” he said.

Obama said US had no intention to send troops to Pakistan and it was for Islamabad and the Pakistan military to deal with the situation in the country. — PTI

Dubai, June 20
India and Bahrain have inked a key agreement to ensure protection for Indian workers against unscrupulous employers, the Indian envoy here has said.

The agreement included housemaids who were not covered by Bahrain’s Labour Law and was signed during the visit of Overseas Affairs minister, Vayalar Ravi, to the country, India’s ambassador to Bahrain George Joseph said.

Around 3,50,000 Indians are working in Bahrain out of which around 2,75,000 are in the construction industry and household sector.

“This deal means the Indian government now has in place labour and manpower cooperation agreements with all Gulf countries, except Saudi Arabia, to protect workers,” Joseph said adding that the deal also suggested that labour reforms in Bahrain were on track.

As per the agreement, a committee will be constituted to ensure that directives in the agreement are implemented and will consist of officials from Bahrain’s Labour Ministry and Indian Overseas Affairs Office.

Employers who want to recruit Indian workers will now have to specify the nature of the work they will be doing and the required professional skills. Other required details include the duration of contract, an agreed salary and end-of-contract benefits, health services and holidays. — PTI

Kathmandu, June 20
Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, on a two-day visit to Nepal today to give fresh impetus to the obstructed peace process and foster better ties with the new government, faced protests at the Kathmandu airport on his arrival by youths alleging India had occupied Nepal’s territory.

The Nepal police said about seven to eight young men, seemingly students, tried to show the visiting envoy black flags as he alighted at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

However, the police broke up the protest and arrested four of the protesters. “It’s a non-political protest,” the Gaushala police station in-charge said. “The youths said they were part of the Susta Bachao Abhiyan. We are looking into the matter,” he added.

For years, Nepalis have been alleging Indian encroachment in Susta, a village in Nawalparasi district on the Indo-Nepal border.

The Indian government says all border disputes between the two neighbours have been resolved except for Susta and Kalapani, another disputed area on the Indo-Nepal-China border. However, on the eve of Menon’s visit, there were a series of reports in the Nepali media, alleging further encroachment and violence by India’s border guards - the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) - in other districts. — IANS

Kathmandu, June 20
Nepal and India today agreed to reactivate the existing local-level bilateral mechanism to resolve the border dispute between the two countries and expedite the implementation of past agreements and understandings.

The move to revive the bilateral mechanism was decided during a meeting between visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshanker Menon and Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, during which they also reflected on the current political situation in the country.

Menon, who arrived here on a two-day visit today, his second to Nepal in the past four months, held marathon meetings with top Nepalese officials, including President Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister, Nepal, and Maoist chief Prachanda.

To deal with the issue of border dispute, both sides agreed to reactivate the local-level border mechanism so that problems can be addressed as soon as they emerge.

Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Rajan Bhattarai told mediapersons that Menon extended an invitation to Kumar Madhav to visit India, dates for which are being worked out and conveyed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s “good wishes” to his Nepalese counterpart.

By setting up a bilateral mechanism on border issues, the two countries hope to take out the sting from a campaign being run by the former ruling Maoist party, which has alleged that India has encroached upon Nepalese territories in Dang district. — PTI