New Delhi, June 14
Ahead of the high-level exchanges between the two countries, India today declared that it wanted to see a peaceful, stable, energy-secure and prosperous Pakistan which acted as a bulwark against terrorism for its own sake and for the good of the region.

“Asymmetries in size and development, should not prevent us from working together, building complementarities, and realising a vision of friendly, bilateral relations,’’ Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said, speaking at an Afghanistan-India-Pakistan Trialogue, organised by the Delhi Policy Group.

The event came days before Home Minister P Chidambaram travels to Islamabad for the SAARC Interior Ministers’ meeting. Nirupama is scheduled to accompany the Home Minister to do the groundwork for External Affairs Minister SM Krishna’s much-awaited visit to the neighbouring country on July 15 to resume the dialogue process, stalled since the Mumbai terror attacks, with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

In a lengthy speech, the top Indian diplomat made it clear to Pakistan that dialogue between the two countries could succeed only in an atmosphere free from terrorism, which had been the bane of the region.

“Every terrorist attack, including the one in Mumbai, hardens Indian public opinion, making our task more difficult. Terrorism as a continuation of war by other means, and the use of terrorist groups selectively, as strategic assets against India, cannot and must not, continue.”

Pakistan, she said, must act effectively against those terrorist groups that sought to mollify and to destroy the prospects of peace and cooperation between thetwo countries.

Referring to Islamabad’s apprehension about India’s conventional defence superiority and growing strategic capabilities after the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, Nirupama reiterated that India’s defence posture and capabilities were not of an offensive nature, and not targeted against any country, including Pakistan.Islamabad should also not 
look at India’s economic rise in subjective or negative terms. “In fact, our fast growing economy and large market should be seen as a growth opportunity: a reliable source for investments, technology and entrepreneurial resources.”

On the unprecedented focus on the water issue between India and Pakistan in recent months, the Foreign Secretary rejected the charge that India was diverting water resources meant for Pakistan. India has never sought to deny Pakistan its fair and stipulated share of the Indus waters. New Delhi was in any case committed to resolving all differences with Pakistan over the water issue within the framework of the Indus Water Treaty.

Talking about Afghanistan, Nirupama said India neither saw Afghanistan as a battleground for competing national interests nor assistance to reconstruction and development of the war-torn country as a zero sum game.

India paid a heavy price in terms of the lost lives of its citizens who worked in Afghanistan as they were targeted by those whose agendas conflicted with the emergence of a strong and stable Afghanistan, she said, in an obvious reference to the involvement of Pakistani agencies in the attacks on Indian interests in the embattled country.

Lucknow, June 14
A ‘mundan’ ceremony turned into a tragedy in Ballia district in eastern UP early this morning when a boat carrying around 60 persons, mostly women and children, capsized midstream in the Ganga river drowing around 42 persons.

While 17 persons swam to safety, around 25 bodies have been recovered and search for more continued till late evening.

Expressing profound grief over the deaths, Chief Minister Mayawati announced a financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

The victims belonging to Dubhad, Naseebabad and Hariharpur villages in Ballia district, around 400 km from Lucknow, were on their way to Ojhwallia ghat temple for the ritual shaving of head. The boat capsized midstream in Ganga River near village Ojhwallia under the Dubhar police station in Ballia.

The boat meant for 30 persons was terribly overloaded and was reportedly carrying between 70 to 75 persons.

According to police sources divers attached to the PAC 30 battalion posted in Gonda and Flood Relief unit in Dohari ghat were immediately pressed into service. By evening they had recovered 19 bodies.

The CM has directed the Ballia district administration to carry on the rescue and relief operations on a war-footing.

Chaibasa (Jharkhand), June 14
Security forces shot dead over a dozen Maoists in an encounter in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on Monday. According to Jharkhand Police, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was also killed in the incident.

Security forces have recovered 20 claymore mines, 60 bags of ammonium nitrate, three containers of liquid explosive, one electric metal cutter, three solar panel plates and 300 kilograms of rice and fish from the site.The slain CRPF personnel has been identified as Himmat Singh, a commando of the 203 battalion of the Special Action Force (SAF).

Over six CRPF personnel were injured in the encounter. West Singhbhum SP Akhilesh Jha said the police are yet to recover bodies of Naxals. All injured security personnel were admitted to a hospital in Ranchi. The police suspect that the Maoists team was led by its commander ‘KP’ and his comrades Anmol and Animesh.

Meanwhile, nine trains were cancelled, bus services were hit and trucks were stranded in several parts of Jharkhand on the first day of a two-day Maoist shutdown in three states Monday, officials said. — Agencies

New Delhi, June 14
In an unusual action, the Karnataka High Court today approached the Supreme Court complaining against its own judge, Justice DV Shylendra Kumar, accusing him of “berating” Chief Justice PD Dinakaran using “intemperate” language.

The petition has also sought quashing of some orders passed by a Bench headed by Justice Shylendra Kumar, who had in the past attacked Justice Dinakaran in his blogs, in which he has questioned administrative decisions of Justice Dinakaran relating to the roaster of the Benches and work allocation to judges in Principal and Circuit Benches.

The petition filed through the Registrar-General of the high court was mentioned before a vacation Bench comprising Justices Deepak Verma and KS Radhakrishnan that decided to hear it tomorrow. —PTI

New Delhi, June 14
Big, fat salaries dominate the minds of wannabe techies one would assume. But someone, somewhere is breaking that myth. Enter the world of BITS-Pilani and you know who these rule-changers are.

This year on World Blood Donors’ Day, students and faculty of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science set a record of sorts for the country’s highest-ever blood collection by an educational institution -- 841 units -- in two days. The institute walked home with salutations showered upon them by the Government and the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS).

Since such collections by higher educational institutes are unheard of, with this gesture, BITS held out lessons for all educational institutes in India. Striking it is that BITS’ feat comes at a time when the theme the World Blood Donors Day is ‘New Blood for the World’, with a focus on the collection of young blood, which is safer. At any given time, one out of three people globally need blood transfusion and the tragedy is that 99 per cent of the global population depends on the remaining one per cent to donate blood and save lives. BITS-Pilani falls in this coveted one per cent. It shared the laurels today with centurion blood donors, including the 60 plus Gabruddin, who ended his blood donating innings with a bang. He is the top centurion blood donor of India, having offered blood 160 times. Now that he is 60, he can’t donate.

Manish Gurwani and Nitish Kumar (they are the people behind the blood donation camps at the institute), today told TNS: “We had a record 1,030 donors this year - the highest ever in our history of 29 years of blood donation, which is now a tradition at BITS. This year we will enhance the donor base.”

Chennai, June 14
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today assured Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi that 47,000 Tamils in Sri Lankan camps would be resettled by the end of the year.

In a letter to Karunanidhi, the Prime Minister said that Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa had given an assurance in this regard during the meeting between the two leaders recently. Manmohan Singh further said the two leaders had also announced a joint initiative to construct 50,000 houses for internally displaced persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

“The Government of India is separately also working on projects and programmes for resettled families to be in a position to earn their own livelihood,” the Prime Minister said. “I have also impressed upon the Sri Lankan President the need for reconciliation among communities in Lanka and for practical arrangements, including devolution of powers, to enable all minorities in Sri Lanka, and particularly the Tamil minority, to lead lives of dignity,” he added.

Jaipur/Sawai Madhopur, June 14
At a time when thousands of child marriages are being solemnised in a hush-hush manner in the desert state, a 15-year-old tribal girl has complained to the police against her own kin saying they were forcing her to marry a middle-aged man.

Nirma Meena of the non-descript Puneta village in Sawai Madhopur district has alleged that her parents and relatives were forcing her to get married to Mukesh of Gangapur. As per the complaint with the Bali police, Nirma’s father Badri Meena and relatives got her engaged to Mukesh on June 10.

“I am a student of Class X and wish to continue my studies but my alcoholic father wants me to marry somebody more than double my age,” she complained. Nirma not only lodged a complaint with the police but also put up strong resistance against her family’s bid to marry her.

“I repeatedly resisted their move saying that I have not yet attained marriageable age but they just would not listen. They thrashed me and even threatened to kill me. I have been going through hell for the past few days. However, when I could not take it anymore I approached the administration and sought protection,” Nirma said. The girl has also submitted documents to the police to prove her age. She has also sent a copy of her complaint to the Collector, SP and National Commission for Women. Bali police station in-charge Narayan Dan confirmed to have received the complaint. “The girl has sought protection. We have called her family members for questioning,” he said.

According to rough estimates, in some districts of Rajasthan, over 68 per cent girls are married off by age 18. Hundreds of child marriages take place, especially in the tribal belt, on ‘Akha Teej’, considered one of the most auspicious days for weddings. This, despite the government forming teams in all districts to ensure that children were not forced into marriage.