Islamabad/Lahore, December 3
Pakistan-based LeT’s operations chief and Mumbai attacks mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi today failed to get any reprieve from the Lahore High Court, which disposed of his two petitions challenging his indictment for involvement in the 26/11 strikes.

While disposing of the petitions, a Rawalpindi-based bench of the Lahore High Court only directed the anti-terrorism court, which had formally charged him along with six other suspects last month with involvement in the 26/11 strikes, to consider Lakhvi's objections against his indictment under provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Lakhvi's lawyer Khwaja Sultan Ahmed claimed during proceedings that the prosecution had no incriminating evidence against his client. He also said the statement given to Indian authorities by Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone attacker captured in Mumbai, is not admissible in the anti-terrorism court.

However, the judges told Ahmed, such issues could be addressed only when the evidence, including Kasab's statement, is presented during the trial in the anti-terrorism court. It is not possible for such matters to be addressed now, they indicated.

Lakhvi's counsel filed the petitions challenging his indictment in the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court yesterday. Lakhvi was indicted along with six other suspects for planning and helping execute the attacks that killed 166 people in India's financial hub.

In one petition, Lakhvi claimed there were no evidence and witnesses against him, except Kasab and five policemen involved in a case registered in Pakistan. The policemen cited as witnesses by the prosecution had only described Lakhvi as a commander of the LeT and accused him of training people for terrorist activities, he claimed. Lakhvi pointed out that witnesses had not said anything about his involvement in the Mumbai attacks. He also claimed that Kasab's statement to Indian authorities is not admissible in a case registered in Islamabad.

In his second petition, Lakhvi challenged the anti-terrorism court's decision to try Kasab separately under provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code. He said these provisions can be applied only when a co-accused cannot appear in court due to illness or other reasons. Lakhvi claimed the prosecution has not stated any reason for Kasab's absence from the Pakistani court.

Lakhvi was formally indicted along with Zarar Shah, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Abu al Qama, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum last month. The next hearing of the case against them in the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi's high-security Adiala jail is scheduled for December 5.— PTI

London, December 3
Cherie Blair, the lawyer wife of former British Premier Tony Blair, is coming to India next week to host a conference on ‘Women Mean Business’, a media report said today.

The 55-year-old will also launch an awards scheme for female Indian entrepreneurs in Mumbai, which she says, “will be strikingly different from existing prizes,” leading British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

Speaking at the launch of ‘Coriander Makes The Difference’, a recipe book, Cherie said, “We want to showcase and prove how much women in business in India are already achieving, and also explore what the barriers are and what we can do about it”.

“We are launching the ‘Women of the Future Awards’ in Mumbai. The aim is to take them back next year and really have a serious competition”. But, Cherie is keen that her efforts should not be seen as any comment on men in general.

“It's not because we hate men. As a mother of three sons, and a husband who I like pretty well, I think good men are very important in this world. It’s when good men and good women come together as equal partners that things really get going,” she was quoted as saying. — PTI 

Washington, December 3
In a stern message to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the United States has warned him to act fast against corruption and governance failing which it will find someone else for the job.

"If those that are responsible at their different level are providing the services that a government has to and needs to provide its people, then we will have a great relationship with working with those people. If those people don't, then we will find people that will," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.

As the Obama Administration was running against time to start the process of drawdown and transition to Afghans from July 2011, the White House indicated that this time Karzai would not enjoy the kind of leverage it did during the Bush Administration and he would not get a second chance.

The White House even spoke of bypassing Karzai if his administration failed to fight against corruption and provide good governance to the people of his country.

"If President Karzai is unable or unwilling to make changes in corruption or governance, that we will identify people at a sub-cabinet level, at a district level that can implement the types of services and basic governance without corruption that Afghans need," Gibbs said.

"What we want them to understand is there can't be a permanent dependence on us being there; that we are going to incentivize, again, through changes in governance and in training, putting onto them the responsibility of both running a government that meets the needs of the people and training and equipping a security force that will provide the necessary security to prevent the Taliban from overthrowing the government.

"As the President said, or creating a safe haven that would allow al Qaeda to return and plan and plot another attack on our homeland," Gibbs said. — PTI