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Gilani optimistic on Kashmir solution
Mush to return soon
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US ‘comfortable’ with security at Pak N-sites
Backs India on ship detention
‘Behaviour profiling’ at Canadian airports
Suu Kyi’s conviction ‘unfair’
Indian faces deportation
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Gilani optimistic on Kashmir solution
Islamabad, August 14 Addressing a function to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day, Gilani referred to meetings President Asif Ali Zardari and he had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said: “I am very optimistic about the outcome of these meetings. For the peace and security of the region, I expect that the steps taken by the two countries will lead to solid progress towards a better situation.” “On the foundation of equality and in the light of the principle of non-interference, we can play the role of exemplary neighbours,” he told a gathering that included federal ministers, parliamentarians and the three service chiefs. “The peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of Kashmiri people is a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy,” he said. Dwelling on other aspects of the country’s foreign policy, he said a “peaceful and stable Afghanistan was very important for” Pakistan. All functions in connection with Independence Day were held indoors and entry was restricted to few as part of stepped-up security measures due to threat from militants. “Our government has taken steps from the outset to create an atmosphere of brotherhood and peace between the two neighbouring countries,” he said. The relationship between the USA and Pakistan had special importance for world peace, he said. Pakistan appreciates US President Barack Obama’s efforts to build better ties with Pakistan. The speedy clearance of the Kerry-Lugar and Reconstruction Opportunity Zone bills to provide more economic aid to Islamabad would lead to greater improvement in bilateral ties, he said. “Pakistan, as a peace-loving country and a responsible global player, has extensively contributed to attain peace, both within and outside its borders. In this endeavour, our people, our armed forces and our law enforcement agencies have made sacrifices. Our economy has suffered (and) our society has experienced great challenges,” Gilani said. “The people and the armed forces of Pakistan “courageously confronted the challenge of terrorism and extremism and continue to struggle and strive for lasting peace in an environment that is free from fear, where rule of law is the norm, instead of terrorists dictating their terms”, he said.
— PTI
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Mush to return soon
Islamabad, August 14 Musharraf told a TV news channel he would always be with Pakistan when he was needed. He said he had been busy making the rounds of the international academic circuit delivering lectures and would return to Pakistan as soon as he finished his commitments. Pakistan's Supreme Court last month declared the emergency imposed by Musharraf in November 2007 as unconstitutional and illegal, raising the possibility of his trial on charges of treason. Musharraf said he was ready to face any legal challenges or cases registered against
him. — PTI
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US ‘comfortable’ with security at Pak N-sites
Washington, August 14 "We are comfortable with the level of security of the Pakistani forces (at the nuclear sites)," Defence Secretary Robert Gates said when asked about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. His comments assume significance in the wake of a UK-based expert claiming that Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists have attacked nuclear sites in Pakistan at least thrice in the last two years. However, Pakistan rubbished the reports and said there was "absolutely no chance" that the country's nuclear weapons could fall into terrorist hands. The Defence Secretary said there seems to a broad political support for the Pakistan military operations against Taliban and other militants in the western parts of the country. The political support is "more than any one would have expected six months ago", Gates said. "I think that this change of attitudes and the success of the Pakistani forces clearly serve our interest, as well as it serves the interests of the Pakistanis," he said. Commenting on a recent opinion poll which said 64 per cent of Pakistani see US as their enemy, Gates said America needs to rebuild trust with Pakistan. "First of all, one of the reasons that the Pakistanis have concerns about us is that we walked away from them twice. We walked away from them after the Soviets left Afghanistan, and we walked away from them through the 1990s, because of the Pressler amendment. "So our military-to-military relations were significantly interrupted," Gates told a Pentagon briefing. "I think that the Pakistanis probably and with some legitimacy question our — how long are we are prepared to stay there? Is the only reason we are interested in working with the Pakistanis because of the war in Afghanistan? Or do we value Pakistan as a partner and an ally independent of the war in Afghanistan? The latter is the case," Gates observed. — PTI
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Backs India on ship detention
Washington, August 14 "We've gotten some of the facts in the case, a North Korean ship anchored in Indian territorial waters without notification, without permission. When it was approached, it didn't answer. It was acting suspiciously," said Philip S Goldberg, Coordinator for Implementation of UNSC Resolution 1874. "The fact is that the Indian Government may have been acting under international law. It may have been acting under its own domestic law," he said.
— PTI
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‘Behaviour profiling’ at Canadian airports
Toronto, August 14 These officers in plainclothes will watch air passengers for physiological or bodily hints of any hostile intent in their behaviour as they pass through concourses and departure lounges. The officers will be trained to study air passengers' facial expression, nervous foot-tapping and body movement to spot any hints of their intentions. The Canadian Air Transport Authority is starting a pilot project this year to put this plan into action from next year. The 'behaviour pattern recognition' scheme will first be implemented at a major airport and then extended to other airports, according to the airport authority. The Canadian scheme will be on the lines of similar programmes in place at airports in the US, Britain and Israel. The scheme follows the 2007 report of a panel of aviation and security experts which recommended behavioural profiling at Canadian airports. The panel had also recommended that profiling must be done in such a way that it is least offensive to the passengers. A spokesperson for the airport security authority said the scheme will offer an additional layer of security and help detect "malicious intentions". Captain Craig Hall, Canadian director of the national security committee of Air Line Pilots' Association International which has been seeking tougher security measures, told Canwest news agency, "We are very, very pleased." There are over 2,000 behaviour detection officers at US airports to screen passengers by "observation techniques". Since 9/11, Canada has toughened its anti-terror laws and spent billions of dollars to beef up border and airport security.
— IANS
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Suu Kyi’s conviction ‘unfair’
United Nations, August 14 “The Burmese regime should immediately and unconditionally release her and the more than 2,100 other political prisoners currently being held,” she said. Rice said this in a statement soon after the UN Security Council expressed serious concern over the conviction and sentencing of Suu Kyi and called on the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners and create the necessary conditions for genuine dialogue in order to achieve national reconciliation.
— PTI
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Indian faces deportation
Melbourne, August 14 Shivendra Singh, who arrived in Adelaide from a small town in Uttar Pradesh some five years ago and has been trying to complete a Masters degree, is one of almost 100,000 Indian students in Australia, many of whom have spoken out about the criminal attacks, exploitation and the consequences. Now his right to stay in Australia has almost expired.
— PTI
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Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said today that the peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue was a “cornerstone” of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He expressed hope that the recent steps taken by New Delhi and Islamabad would lead to “solid progress” in improving the situation in the region.
