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Brumby vows to stop attacks on Indians
Train safari set to hit the track
Fonseka on fast
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Indian military doctrine dangerous: Pak
Iraqis vote despite militant attacks, 38 killed Unfazed, Indians not to return home Water Dispute India imposing war on Pak: Saeed
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Brumby vows to stop attacks on Indians
\Melbourne, March 7 "Victorians abhor and condemn racism. That's because our state is built on migration and cultures from around the world. But there is a small and ignorant minority of people who are racist," Brumby said in interview to PTI. Acknowledging that Indians have fallen victim to violent crimes here, he said "no matter how small in number, any crime motivated by racism is outrageous and won't be tolerated." "When an Indian family decides to send a son or daughter to another country, they place their trust in that country. I know Victorians would take that trust very seriously," said Brumby, who is under pressure to tackle the crisis. Insisting that Victoria, and indeed Australia, was not a racist society, he said his government has repeatedly condemned any racist behaviour, violent or verbal. "This behaviour is by a very small minority of people whose actions are repugnant to most Australians," Brumby said. However, he said the sad fact of any big urban city is that there is crime which can impact any member of the public. "I and the government acknowledge that. The police acknowledge that... I have always said that where it is a racially based motivated attack we condemn that in the strongest possible terms," he said. In a damage-control exercise, the Brumby government has announced a slew of measures to curb the attacks, but there is a feeling that not enough has been done as the offenders have been leniently dealt with by the law. Brumby also claimed that Victoria has the toughest anti-knife regime in Australia. "Victoria Police investigates all matters reported to them equally, and the justice system deals with all people equally." Over 100 incidents of attacks on Indians, including racial, have come to light since May last year in Australia. The 21-year-old student Nitin Garg, who was stabbed to death here, was the first victim of such assaults this year. Police were also scrambling to crack the case of the unnatural death of three-year-old Indian boy Gurshan, whose body was found on Thursday six hours after his disappearance from a house rented by his parents in a Melbourne suburb. With Indians being seen as soft targets, Victorian police chief Simon Overland had recently come up with an advice asking them to "look poor" to avoid attacks. Despite criticism of Overland's remarks by the community members and student bodies, Brumby stood by his top cop. "I understand that Police Commissioner Overland's remarks were taken out of context." "Overland was reflecting the common sense advice given by both Australian and Indian governments to students and others coming to Australia - not to ostentatiously display expensive items, avoid dark and lonely places late at night," he said. — PTI
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Train safari set to hit the track
Pakistan Railways (PR) is all set to launch next week the much delayed train safari to take foreign tourists to country's most prized cultural heritage sites, including those sacred to Hindus, Budhists and Sikhs. If things go as planned, Pakistan Railways Advisory & Constancy Services long-delayed train - christened Cultural Train Safari - will finally hit the track by the mid of this month, it is learnt reliably.
Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and chairman, Pakistan Railways Sami-ul-Haq Khilji, will flag off the Taxila-bound train and may take a ride on it before getting off at the Taxila Junction Railway Station. Twice rescheduled, first due to Ashura observance last December and then in the wake of Lakki Marwat suicide bombing on January 1, the train’s launch is intended for highlighting the country’s rich cultural heritage and tourist attractions locally and internationally. The Tourism Ministry has collaborated with PRACS for the train’s commencement, slated to run once a week to begin with. According to the plan, the train will make a stopover at the Taxila Junction Railway Station to let the passengers see items dating back to 1886 at Pakistan Railways Heritage Museum. Amongst these old things are watches, pendulums, kerosene lamps, gate signal lamps, crockery, fans, arms and ammunition, heating and electric appliances, surgical items used at railway hospitals, a 1904 hand pump, long armed chairs used in waiting rooms and Dak bungalows, a 1943 railway timetable, historic photographs, and last but not least, a train driven by a steam engine. From there, the train will leave for Taxila, where the visitors will be taken to the neighbouring museum displaying around 4,000 objects excavated from this ancient city. According to the plans, the safari train’s scope is to be gradually extended to historical places like Wagah, Chhanga Manga, Attock Khurd, Harappa (Sahiwal), Multan, Kasur and Bahawalpur.
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Fonseka on fast
Colombo, March 7 Fonseka’s wife Anoma told reporters that her husband had been denied the right to speak to his daughters who are currently overseas and therefore he would fast till his demand was fulfilled. Military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe told PTI that the phone facility provided to Fonseka was an additional privilege given to him while he is being detained. “It is the privilege of the Army Commander (Army Chief Jagath Jayasuriya) to allow or not to allow him (Fonseka) to take calls,” he said. He said there was no court order asking for facilitating phone calls between the detained former General and those whom he wished to speak to. — PTI
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Indian military doctrine dangerous: Pak
Islamabad, March 7 “It is India’s dangerous military doctrines and massive militarisation that are matters of huge concern for regional stability whereas Pakistan has always acted to protect its legitimate security interests,” The News quoted Basit as saying. He was responding to Indian Defence Minister AK Antony’s remarks that New Delhi was not convinced with the US explanation that it was supplying sophisticated arms to Pakistan army to take on the Taliban and Al-Qaida. According to reports, the US has cleared the supply of sophisticated laser-guided bomb kits, 12 surveillance drones and 18 F-16 fighters to enhance Pakistan military's capability against Taliban and Al Qaida.— IANS
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Iraqis vote despite militant attacks, 38 killed Baghdad, March 7 Blasts rumbled across Baghdad and other cities as scores of mortar rounds, rockets and roadside bombs exploded near polling stations in a campaign to scare voters after Sunni Islamist insurgents had vowed to wreck voting for Iraq's second full-term Parliament since the 2003 U.S. invasion. Iraq's political course will be decisive for US President Barack Obama's plans to halve US troop levels over the next five months and withdraw entirely by end-2011 and was watched closely by oil companies planning to invest billions in Iraq. In the deadliest incident, 25 persons were killed when an explosion blew up a three-storey Baghdad apartment block. Four persons were killed in a similar explosion at another residential building and nine others were killed in rocket, mortar and roadside bomb attacks. Despite the violence, the U.S. military said insurgents had "fallen short" in attempts to intimidate voters. —
Reuters
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Unfazed, Indians not to return home Kabul, March 7 Meeting the officials of the Indian embassy, consulates and those engaged in reconstruction projects in Afghanistan was one of the first engagements of Menon when he arrived here to discuss security for about 4,000 Indians in this country in the aftermath of the February 26 attack. Menon asked them about their views on the security situation and how they felt, sources said. The staffers of the embassy and others engaged in development activities pointed to the dangerous situation, but nobody said they wanted to return home, the sources said. There was no response even when given an offer that if anybody felt scared and wanted to leave Afghanistan, it could be facilitated, the sources said. Menon appreciated their brave spirit of continuing their tasks despite the difficult conditions. Indians are working on a range of developmental projects which cover areas like infrastructure, power, healthcare, education and the social sector. India has committed USD 1.3 billion in assistance to Afghanistan. Taliban and other associated terrorist groups, at the behest of their masters in Pakistan, have been making efforts by carrying out attacks and issuing threats to force India to wind up its reconstruction activities and leave Afghanistan. During his visit, Menon asserted that India would continue to fulfil its commitments towards Afghan people, although there may be some adjustments in the way things are done. "We have development assistance programme and a cooperation programme which is essentially an effort to work with our Afghan friends and to do the things that they wanted us to do. That will continue," he told reporters before winding up his visit here. "We might adjust the way in which we do it but it is certain that our commitment to that developmental partnership will continue as it was," Menon said. On the security aspect, he said Afghan authorities had assured that efforts would be made to strengthen protective measures for the Indians engaged in various reconstruction projects. —
PTI
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Water Dispute Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan preferred bilateral engagement with India to resolve the water dispute and the option of international arbitration would be explored only if bilateral talks failed to deliver. Talking to reporters in home town Multan, Qureshi said Pakistan had suggested a road map for structured dialogue and emphasised that interaction should be meaningful and result-oriented. He said under the Indus Water Treaty, India cannot hold back Pakistan’s share and Islamabad had communicated its point of view on water and Kashmir issues to New Delhi during the Foreign Secretary-level talks last month. He welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement on Friday in the Lok Sabha in which he explained the importance of negotiations with Islamabad. He said Pakistan was committed to the trial of the Mumbai accused, adding that the legal process was in progress and the case would be decided by the court. The foreign minister said Pakistan had made it clear to India that it wanted “result-oriented and purposeful dialogue” and was not interested in a mere photo opportunity. “Pakistan is not in hurry and can wait for meaningful dialogue.” In reply to a question about reports that India had sought custody of Jamaatud Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed during the secretary-level talks, he said they did not mention Hafiz Saeed. In reply to another question about India’s reported efforts to seek Saudi mediation for resolving differences with Pakistan, Qureshi said the matter did not come up for discussion in the talks last month.
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India imposing war on Pak: Saeed Lahore/Islamabad, March 7 Saeed made the remarks while launching a “nation-wide protest” against what he described as India’s “theft” of Pakistan's share of river waters. A declaration adopted at the rally said: “If India continues with her water terrorism, Pakistan must keep open the option of using force.” It also alleged that India had “virtually declared war on Pakistan by unlawfully constructing dams and diverting Pakistani rivers”. —
PTI
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Indian American eyes Lt Governor’s post Russian men expect too much
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