W O R L D

Husain has accepted Qatar’s citizenship: Son
Dubai, February 26
MF Husain, revered by many as India's Picasso, would no longer be an Indian, his son said today, confirming that he had accepted Qatar's offer to confer its nationality on him.

Appeal for Suu Kyi release rejected
Yangon, February 26
The highest court in military-ruled Myanmar dismissed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's latest bid for freedom yesterday, turning down an appeal to end 14 years of house arrest, her lawyer said.

PML-N emerges winner in Rawalpindi bypoll
The Pakistan Muslim League of Nawaz sharif (PML-N) emerged as clear winner with a comfortable margin in the high-profile by-election on the National Assembly Rawalpindi constituency seat NA-55.

US returns artifacts to Iraq
Washington, February 26
US officials have returned more than 1,000 archaeological and historical items taken from Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Ambassador here has said.

Unidentified Indians walk away as Afghan policemen look at the scene of an explosion at a guesthouse in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday. — AP/PTI

Bashir: Talks were exploratory in nature
India has yet not come out of the post-Mumbai "frenzy" amid continuing mistrust but Pakistan would continue to press for resumption of composite dialogue without being desperate about them, foreign secretary Salman Bashir told reporters on return from New Delhi after Thursday's talks with his India counterpart.

Wedding gift for blind soldier
Colombo, February 26
Wedding day brought a pleasant surprise for a blind Sri Lankan soldier who was given a house as a marriage gift. Private K Thusara, 25, who lost his eye sight during the war against the LTTE, was handed over the house on his wedding day. Thushara lost his vision while fighting the LTTE in Kokkuthuduwai, Weli Oya in North Sri Lanka, in 2008, Daily News reported on Friday. Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa Foundation selected Thushara as the recipient of the house donated by philanthropist Dr C Palewela. — PTI

Husain has accepted Qatar’s citizenship: Son

Dubai, February 26
MF Husain, revered by many as India's Picasso, would no longer be an Indian, his son said today, confirming that he had accepted Qatar's offer to confer its nationality on him.

Husain, who has been living in self-imposed exile for nearly four years following a spate of cases in India over his controversial paintings of Hindu goddesses, has accepted the offer and it is under process, Husain’s son Owais Husain said here today.

He said the Qatari nationality was not something he had asked for, but it was the truth now. “I respect his individual decision because somewhere as a son I have witnessed a range of emotions he is going through.”

“Since Indian laws don't allow dual citizenship, accepting this offer would automatically mean giving up the Indian nationality. There is no option for him,” he said.

Owais also said the 95-year-old painter was in Doha currently and would return to Dubai next month. “He (Husain) got a lot of calls, some provocative ones... but he didn't succumb to it and that goes to show his resilience at the age of 95.

“After all he is older than independent India," Owais said, noting that Husain was born in “one of the most holy places (Pandharpur -- a pilgrimage site) of Maharashtra”. However, he said one could not take away the Indianness that defined his father. “You can take a man out of the country but you cannot take the country out of the man.”

Owais, who is also working on a documentary on the life of Husain, said his father had been extremely prolific as a painter in the past few years.

“Since he (Husain) is not a man of words but a man of images, he has poured it all out on the canvas. He has painted the Ramayana, he has painted on India and a whole lot of series in the past few years that he has been away from India. “He has travelled to a lot of places but he has a thing about painting a series of 100 paintings on the history of India. He is working like never before and he just wants to work,” Owais said.

Husain, who shuttles between Dubai and London, went in exile after a hate campaign was launched against him in 2006 over his controversial paintings. Several cases were filed against him by people protesting his portrayal of Hindu goddesses in the nude. His house was attacked and art works vandalised by fundamentalists in India. Husain's son, however, refused to comment on statements from India yesterday that he was welcome to come back.

“I don't know much about those comments. He is the best person to answer that question," Owais said. The Government of India yesterday described Husain as “pride of India” and said it was willing to provide security to him.

“There is no case against M F Husain. The Supreme Court has quashed all cases against him," Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said in New Delhi. He said the government was ready to provide security to the artist if he planned to return. “He (Husain) is the pride of India. I would like him to feel safe and secure in India,” Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said. — PTI

Appeal for Suu Kyi release rejected

Yangon, February 26
The highest court in military-ruled Myanmar dismissed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's latest bid for freedom yesterday, turning down an appeal to end 14 years of house arrest, her lawyer said.

The Supreme Court's decision had been expected since legal rulings in Myanmar rarely favor opposition activists. Defence lawyer Nyan Win told reporters that he would launch one final "special appeal" before the court after determining why the earlier appeal had been rejected. "The court order did not mention any reasons," he said. "Although the decision comes as no surprise, it is deeply disappointing. We continue to believe that (Suu Kyi) should be released immediately along with the other 2,000 and more other prisoners of conscience," said British Ambassador Andrew Heyn, who attended the court session along with diplomats from Australia, France and the United States.

Suu Kyi's lawyers appealed to the court last November after a lower court a month earlier upheld a decision to sentence her to 18 months of house arrest. — AP

PML-N emerges winner in Rawalpindi bypoll
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

The Pakistan Muslim League of Nawaz sharif (PML-N) emerged as clear winner with a comfortable margin in the high-profile by-election on the National Assembly Rawalpindi constituency seat NA-55.

With unofficial results from a majority of polling stations already announced, PML-N’s Malik Shakeel Awan edged past former Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed by over 20,000 votes. Awan polled 58, 830 votes, while Rashid was trailing with 37,600 votes from 178 out 250 polling stations where counting had concluded by Wednesday evening . Imran Khan’s the Pakistan Tehrike Insaf (PTI) secured third place.

Nawaz Sharif’s popularity was at stake in the by-election after his party suffered a setback last month in another by-election in Mansehra (NWFP). Polling was largely peaceful as troops and rangers assisted civil authorities to maintain law and order. The election had also assumed special significance because the country’s biggest Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was overtly supporting Shaikh Rashid after its candidate withdrew to honour understanding with the PML-N in the general elections in 2008 when both parties agreed not to challenge each other in their traditional seats.

The PPP is also not contesting another by-election in Lahore’s NA-123 where Nawaz Sharif pulled out of the contest and awarded ticket to a loyalist. The PPP is sharply divided on this strategy of not fielding any candidate on important urban seats in Punjab. “The policy to challenge the rival PML-N through proxy candidates is seriously flawed and may prove disastrous for its standing in urban Punjab,”a former minister and founder member Raja Shahid Zafar said.

US returns artifacts to Iraq

Washington, February 26
US officials have returned more than 1,000 archaeological and historical items taken from Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, Iraq's Ambassador here has said.

Six pieces ranging from an ancient Sumerian stone tablet to an AK-47 rifle bearing Saddam's image were handed over to Iraq at an Embassy ceremony yesterday. “As Iraqis, we remain steadfast in our effort to return each and every one of these cultural treasures to their rightful home,” Ambassador Samir Sumaida'ie said at the ceremony. Baghdad's envoy said the Iraqi National Museum lost some 15,000 items due to looting after Saddam's regime collapsed. “Half of the items have since been found and returned due to the diligence of our allies,” Sumaida'ie said.

Items returned included an Iraqi coin from circa 250 AD, during the Roman occupation, abandoned at a Houston Museum by a man who said he was a US contractor in Iraq. — AFP

Bashir: Talks were exploratory in nature
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

India has yet not come out of the post-Mumbai "frenzy" amid continuing mistrust but Pakistan would continue to press for resumption of composite dialogue without being desperate about them, foreign secretary Salman Bashir told reporters on return from New Delhi after Thursday's talks with his India counterpart.

Bashir declined to characterise the talks in terms of failure or success while emphasising that these were exploratory in nature that have broken more than 
a year of Indian refusal to enter into any sort of engagement with India.

"We have made it clear to the Indian side that resumption of composite dialogue where these were broken after the Mumbai tragedy is the only way forward to normalise relations between the two countries, " Bashir said in response to questions at Waga border post near Lahore.

He said Pakistan was the dialogue in the interest of peace and stability in the region.

"We are not desperate for these talks and are willing to wait till New Delhi comes out of the frenzied repose to the Mumbai tragedy," he said adding that any talks have to be based on the principle of sovereign equality.

The Foreign Secretary said the New Delhi talks marked a positive development in efforts to revive the process of engagement. During two sessions spread over three hours and later in his courtesy call on foreign minister Krishna the Pakistani point of view on outstanding issues including Kashmir and river waters were effectively conveyed.

He said India believes the dialogue process could be resumed gradually. At, present it has focused mainly on terror. Though acknowledging that Pakistan has certainly taken some concrete steps to investigate the Mumbai attack and initiated prosecution of several key players who operated inside Pakistan, it still is not fully satisfied with these measures and wants more action.

Bashir said the India position on refusal of resumption of dialogue was untenable and unsustainable. It has agreed to have another round of secretary level talks but no date has been fixed for that. Pakistan has proposed higher level of engagement as well top break the impasse.

"We want meaningful dialogue rather than talks for the sake of talks," he observed hoping that India would recognise the need of broader engagement. "The ball is now in India's court and we want them to revisit their present position," he said.