 |
|
|
India concerned over US aid diversion by Pak
New Delhi funding Taliban: Malik
|
|
|
B’desh steps up security of Indian envoy after e-mail threat
Another Indian attacked in Oz
106-yr-old Indian woman ‘oldest’ in Malaysia
Abdullah fears poll rigging
4 US soldiers die in Afghan chopper crash
Pak detains
11 Iranian guards on border
|
|
India concerned over US aid diversion by Pak
Washington, October 26 "But our bitter experience over the last 25 years has been, ever since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, money gets poured in from Washington into Islamabad, and a colossally high percentage of it is actually spent, not on the purposes that Washington intends, but to buy tanks and planes and artillery aimed directly at India," Tharoor told CNN in an interview. Asserting that India wants peace and to develop deep relations with Pakistan, Tharoor said that every effort towards this has come from New Delhi, while every such gesture has been thwarted by Pakistan. "India would say to you very honestly, every gesture for peace has been made by our side; every gesture that has thwarted peace has come from the other side. And that's the regrettable thing," the minister said. "Pakistan needs peace as much as we do. When will they come to the realisation that it's in their interest to end this unproductive approach?" he asked. For a productive partnership, Tharoor said Pakistan will have to act decisively to cauterize the cancer in its midst, because this is, unfortunately, the result of a policy, a deliberate policy, carried out over a period of years -- one would argue, a couple of decades -- of actually encouraging jihadist militancy as an instrument of policy. Asked if elements in Pakistani military were responsible for the recent attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Tharoor reiterated that India was not interested in finger-pointing but, at the same time there should be conclusive investigation into it. "We're interested in moving to a state of affairs where this kind of thing doesn't keep happening." "I don't believe that today's government in Pakistan thinks that was a good idea. But it has to act to end the bitter legacy that that idea has spawned," he observed. Counselling Pakistan not to be fearful of deepening Indo-US relations, Tharoor said New Delhi in its march to rapid economic expansion wants Pakistan to benefit too. "We believe that, if India becomes a successful, prosperous economy, free of the fear of terrorist attack, Pakistan will benefit very much from being next door to it. Tharoor said in mid-90s India offered most-favoured nation trading status unilaterally to Pakistan, but it has still not been reciprocated. "It has been extended. Today, Pakistan can export things to India on that basis. The problem at the moment, frankly, is that it's been Pakistan throughout that has turned down these overtures," the Minister said. -
PTI
|
|
New Delhi funding Taliban: Malik
Islamabad, October 26 Asked during an interview to a TV news channel as to who was backing the Taliban, he said: “There are certain hostile elements against Pakistan and there are certain hostile agencies which do not want Pakistan to be (stabilised).” In response to a question on whether India is among the hostile agencies, Malik said, “Yes, of course, I am convinced. I have no doubt about it. I was very open. I have given the full details.” At least 14 militants and a security personnel were killed when a group of Taliban attacked security checkpoints overnight in the Hangu region of Pakistan's restive northwest.The militants armed with heavy weapons launched an attack on several checkpoints late last night. The troops repulsed the attack, killing the militants in retaliatory firing. —
PTI
|
|
B’desh steps up security of Indian envoy after e-mail threat
Dhaka, October 26 'Amaeder Samoy', a tabloid, said Chakravarty received an e-mail threat in August 28 prompting the authorities to increase security for the envoy and other Indian diplomats in Bangladesh. However, the Indian envoy declined to comment on the issue. “It is our policy not to comment on our security issues,” Chakravarty said. However, the police said they had intensified the security of the Indian envoy and other diplomats as part of a nationwide security alert issued recently. The Home Ministry officials were not available for comments but a senior police official preferring anonymity said, “We routinely keep an extra security vigil on foreign embassies which are deemed to be exposed to security threats”. The media report said the Al-Qaida or the Harkatul Jihad Bangladesh (HuJI) may be behind the e-mail threat. The activists of the liitle-known Lamp Post tried to gate crash the Indian High Commission in Gulshan area recently in protest against New Delhi's stance on maritime boundary disputes. Inspector General of Police Noor Mohammad said they knew about the “threats” and took necessary measures to intensify the security of the envoy and other diplomats of the high commission. “We have been receiving reports of threats to the Indian High Commission for the past several days and took steps to maximise the security of the diplomats at — PTI
|
|
Melbourne, October 26 The police is investigating the “unprovoked” bashing of the 22-year-old Indian youth who was punched in the head and had his turban removed as he slept at a bus stop yesterday. However, the name and other details of the Indian man has not yet been known. “The Yarraville man was asleep at a stop near Epping railway station in Cooper Street about 12.45 am on Sunday when a bus pulled into the depot and five persons approached him,” The Age reported. Two of the five youths allegedly bashed the Indian man, while their three companions are believed to have tried to stop the assault, the report said, adding that the 60-year-old bus driver and a passenger also tried to stop the attack. The five youths managed to escape from the scene. “The victim suffered injuries to his mouth but did not need medical attention,” the Age reported. The police has appealed for any witness in connection with the incident. — PTI Australia doing its bit: MEA
Bangalore: Ministry of External Affairs spokesman and MEA joint secretary Vishnu Kumar today said the Australian government had taken “a lot of measures” to prevent violence against Indians in Australia. Answering a question in a press conference here today, Kumar said the government was “extremely concerned” about the reports of violence against the Indian community in Australia. “It is a serious issue and it has been taken up at the highest level. Foreign minister SM Krishna also visited Australia to take up the matter with the Australian government. We have been assured that there will be zero tolerance by the Australian authorities in dealing with such cases”, Kumar said. He said measures taken up by Australian authorities to check recurrence of such cases included increased patrolling by the police, installation of street lights in comparatively dark neighbourhoods and interaction with Indian students to have a better understanding of their problems. Immigration agencies were also being kept under watch so that malpractices by them did not create problems for Indian students, Kumar said. He said Australian authorities would carry out an audit in educational institutions next year in order to curb attack against the Indian students. “We are doing our best to prevent the attacks. We have also put an advisory on the MEA website for those who are interested in going to Australia”, he said. —
TNS
|
|
|
106-yr-old Indian woman ‘oldest’ in Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, October 26 Kalavanti Inderam, reportedly born in Punjab in India, had arrived in the early 1900s. Inderam’s identity card states her birth year as 1918, which also happens to be the same as her younger sister Shanti Devi, a news report said here today. However, Shanti Devi said her sister is 19 years older than her. Kalavanti’s name cannot be registered as the oldest person in Malaysia Book of Records as she does not have documents to prove her birth year, her daughter Sakuntala Devi said. “They came from India and back then there was no such thing as “proper identification documents”, Sakuntala was said as quoting by a local daily. She has been wheelchair-bound for a decade after fracturing her leg, and her eyes remain closed as the eyelids have become weak, the report said. Otherwise, she is in a reasonably good health, it added. Another daughter, Geeta Devi, who is a lawyer in Penang and looks after Kalavanti, said the secret of her mother’s longevity was vegetarianism and a good sense of humour. “She has been very active all her life, and she sings well,” Devi added. — PTI
|
|
|
Washington, October 26 Abdullah also rejected the possibility of entering into an agreement with the incumbent Karzai to avoid the November 7 run-off to the Presidential election. "I am not talking about boycott at this stage, though my supporters are pressing on that point, that if the state machinery a fraud, as well as election commission, which was unfortunately involved in fraud -- both are in place, and then both are working in collaboration with one another, perhaps we might have to go through the same sort of saga," he said. The former foreign minister and Karzai's main challenger said he had no intention of entering into an agreement with his rival to avoid a run-off, and added he was working to ensure the process was transparent and credible. "I think I should rule it (Coalition government) out, because I am ready to go for a run-off. "And what I am focusing at this stage is to provide the relevant institutions which sets off recommendations and sometimes conditions to ensure the transparency of the Afghani elections," Abdullah told Fox News. He said he is working with the international community on sets of conditions which have to be met. "These are not conditions in favour of one candidate against another," Abdullah said, adding that some of the things he will be putting forward are very serious issues. "Without it, without considering it, we will not have a transparent, credible process, and it will be very difficult to convince the people to turn out and to show up, because the people are taking risk... And they are taking risk in the first round elections," he said. Supporting General Stanley McChrystal's report recommending some 40,000 additional US troops to Afghanistan, Abdullah said more foreign troops were required to reverse the deteriorating security situation in the country. Hamid Karzai, the Afghan President, who is seeking re-election, too, has supported the McChrystal report. "There is a need for more troops. There is no doubt about it... And that's based on military analysis and especially by General McChrystal," Abdullah said. "If the situation is not reversed from deteriorating further... the future of this country will be at risk, and the future of the engagement of the international community will be at risk," he said. — PTI
|
|
4 US soldiers die in Afghan chopper crash
Kabul, October 26 Two other soldiers were injured in what the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said was believed to have been a mid-air collision in the south, a Taliban heartland and the most volatile part of Afghanistan. “Four ISAF service members were killed and two others injured in the incident,” it said. “The incident is currently being investigated, but it is confirmed that hostile fire was notinvolved,” it said. —
PTI
|
|
Pak detains 11 Iranian guards on border Quetta, October 26 The revolutionary guards were arrested in the Mashkhel area on the border with Iran, eight days after a suicide bomber killed 42 people, including six revolutionary guard commanders, in the Iran's southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province. A Sunni Muslim group Jundollah, claimed responsibility for the blast. Iran said the group operates from across the border in Pakistan. “Five soldiers, three non-commissioned police officers, who were chasing fuel smugglers at Iran's border with Pakistan have been arrested in Pakistan,” said a police official, identified only as Brigadier Rezai. — Reuters
|
||
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
FIndia supports US efforts in Pakistan, but is concerned about the diversion of American aid and military equipment by Islamabad against it.
"We have actually applauded the US supporting Pakistan on two things. First is its own economic development, and the second is equipping it to overcome the homegrown horror of terrorism," Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said.
