Washington, June 24
India, along with other key global powers and regional players, has been invited to an international meet on Afghanistan and Pakistan in Trieste, Italy later this week.Iran, which has been also invited for the crucial Af-Pak meet by host Italy, has not yet responded.

“We expect an open dialogue on the challenges that we face together in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said a State Department official.

However, the senior official could not comment what would be expected from India at this meeting with regard to Pakistan. India’s role in Afghanistan is well known, where New Delhi is quietly involved in massive developmental activities.

The meeting would be held on the sidelines of the G-8 Foreign Ministers’ meeting. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns and Special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke would represent the US.

“If we all working together, I think there’s a significant amount of common interest in Pakistan in bolstering the Pakistani government and in providing more resources for its fight against the Taliban and other extremists, and for finding money,” the official said.

The official noted that there was an enormous humanitarian challenge in Pakistan and the international community would need more resources to deal with that.

“All of these countries coming together who have an interest in all of these same things: bolstering the government, fighting extremists, and dealing with the humanitarian situation, we hope we will be able to coordinate the efforts better with a chance to talk about it,” he said.

Asked if the participating countries would be asked for both humanitarian and military aid with regard to Pakistan, the official said: “We will be looking for all of the ways in which countries will be able to help bolster the government and contribute towards these goals.” The official said host Italy had really wanted to put a very heavy emphasis on Afghanistan and Pakistan at this G-8 meeting, given the degree to which this was a question of global concern.

“So, some of those Afghanistan-Pakistan meetings in Trieste will be attended by Afghanistan’s neighbours, and by the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as other countries and organisations with a stake in those two countries,” he added. — PTI

Dhaka, June 24
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has demanded immediate ‘withdrawal’ of the Indian high commissioner here after he allegedly called Bangladeshi water resources specialists protesting Manipur’s Tipaimukh dam project as “so called experts”.

The remark allegedly made by envoy Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty at a seminar in the presence of Foreign Minister Dipu Moni amounted to his interfering in Bangladesh’s internal affairs, the BNP parliamentary party said.

“We demand immediate withdrawal of Indian high commissioner as his statements are concocted and made to interfere in the internal affairs of Bangladesh. His statements will also damage relations between the two countries,” New Age newspaper quoted opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque as saying.

The BNP offensive was aimed at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government that is preparing to send a parliamentary team and experts to the dam site for an on-the-spot study and discussion.

“His (Chakravarty’s) behaviour and attitude have become audacious after the present (Awami League-led) government came to power,” he said. “But the foreign ministry does not feel the need for warning him,” he added.

He said the foreign minister had committed an unpardonable offence as she did not take any step in connection with the High Commissioner’s statement.

Zia had a day earlier addressed a letter to Indian prime minister asking him to stop work on the proposed dam to be built over Barak river in Manipur.

Chakravarty had disputed the ‘perception’ in Bangladesh that India had been ‘secretive’ and had not consulted the lower riparian neighbour on the project. There was no international law that could stop New Delhi from implementing the project, he had said.

Protests are mounting in Bangladesh against the proposed dam at Tipaimukh as locals, joined by NGOs and political parties, allege that it would have an adverse effect on Bangladesh. Part of the Brahmaputra river system, the Barak river feeds Bangladesh’s Surma and Kushiyara rivers, eventually flowing into the Meghna, one of the three main rivers of Bangladesh. — IANS

A roadside bomb of the sort used by Taliban against security forces struck a civilian vehicle in the turbulent southern province of Helmand, the interior ministry said in a statement.“Today seven civilian countrymen were martyred when a mine planted by the enemies blew up their vehicle,” it said, adding four others were wounded.

The province has seen heavy military operations in recent weeks as security forces try to clear out insurgents hotspots ahead of August 20 presidential and provincial council elections.Afghan soldiers have killed 48 militants in two operations in Helmand and adjoining Uruzgan this week aimed at clearing Taliban strongholds, officials announced today.— AFP

Londan, June 24
Prince Charles on Tuesday faced renewed calls to make a full disclosure of his financial accounts after it emerged that his public costs had risen by nearly a quarter in the last year while his tax bill had fallen.

The last financial year saw state subsidies for the Prince of Wales jump from £2.45m to £3.03m and his private income increase to £16.4m.

Overall, Charles spent more, earned more and employed more staff last year, but still managed to cut his tax bill by nearly 10 per cent, the official figures showed. There is no official figure for the estimated £2m it costs to pay for Charles and Camilla’s security.

Graham Smith, for the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, said it was time that the government scrapped state subsidies for the couple. “This is a double-whammy for the taxpayer - less tax and more subsidies while the government has to make swinging cuts to public services. After months of public anger over MPs’ expenses, it is now time for Charles to come clean.” — In Arrangement with The Independent

Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Dr Fehmida Riaz has set up a 27-member committee to suggest constitutional amendments, ostensibly to restore its original parliamentary character that is currently tilted heavily in favour of the President.

The panel includes leaders and members from all political parties with representation in the Senate and the National Assembly. Top political leaders, including Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan (PML-N) Raza Rabbani (PPP), Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI), Asfandyar Wali Khan (ANP), Waseem Sajjad (PML-Q), Prof Khurshid Ahmed (Jamaat Islami), Dr Farooq Sattar (MQM) and Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao (PPP-S) have been named in the committee.

The unusual size of the committee and the ambiguity about its mandate immediately evoked skepticism from the Ppposition that the government is using delaying tactics to avoid abridging President Zardari’s powers. Former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf drastically amended the constitution in 2002 to concentrate key powers in the office of the president.

Information secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Ahsan Iqbal noted that the government took nearly 210 days to constitute the panel after President Asif Zardari promised it in his address to the joint session of the parliament in early March.

“It is also not clear whether the committee would be required to suggest the repeal of the 17th Amendment introduced by Musharraf or revisit the entire constitution, “ Iqbal added.

Eminent jurist and senator SM Zafar concurred with Iqbal. He said no terms of reference have been announced for the committee. “If it is required to revisit the entire constitution instead of simply doing away with the 17th Amendment, it would be difficult to forge a consensus in the committee,” he said.

Washington, June 24
Describing the US as a natural economic partner of India, a top Indian envoy here has said both the nations are committed to take bilateral relations to a new level.

Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar described the transformation that the Indo-US bilateral relationship had witnessed in recent years and highlighted the complementaries and convergences in the ties.

Shankar asked US companies to take advantage of the huge infrastructure development programme, which India proposes to undertake during the next few years.

She was speaking at a panel discussion on “US-India Relations: The Road Ahead’ organised by the East-West Centre, a Washington-based thinktank, in association with the FICCI.

The US being the largest economy in the world was naturally a key economic partner for India, the Indian Ambassador said. She pointed out the growing two-way investment between both countries.

Shankar also emphasised the need for more engagement in various sectors, including education, healthcare and high technology.

The FICCI President, Harsh Pati Singhania, and its Secretary-General, Amit Mitra, addressed the panel discussion during which she spoke about the developing economic ties between India and the US and numerous opportunities for further cooperation.

Earlier the Indian Ambassador released a study by FICCI: ‘India Contributes to Employment, Capital Growth and Tax Revenues in the US - Direct Investment by Indian companies in 2007-2009’.

The study prepared by Ernst & Young analyses data for financial years, 2007-08 and 2008-09. Its finding is that Indian companies made 143 acquisitions across various sectors in the US; with the total value in excess of $5 billion. — PTI

Tehran, June 24
Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai withdrew complaints made to the country’s electoral watchdog about the disputed presidential election, IRNA news agency said today.

In a letter written to the Guardians Council, Rezai said he was withdrawing his complaints as the country’s “political, social and security situation has entered a sensitive and decisive phase, which is more important than the election”. “I feel it is my duty... taking into account my pledge as a soldier of the revolution, the leader and the people, to inform you that I renounce following up on my complaints.”

Rezai was one of the three defeated candidates who had complained to the Guardians Council of “irregularities” in the June 12 election that saw President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad return to power.

Meanwhile, Iran has arrested 25 journalists and other staff at a newspaper owned by defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, one of its editors said today.

The arrests come after the newspaper Kalemeh Sabz (Green Word) was shut down by the authorities. “Among those arrested on Monday were five or six administrative employees while the rest were journalists,” Alireza Beheshti said — AFP