US special representative to the region Richard Holbrooke has cautioned Pakistan to be wary of committing to an Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline because the anticipated US sanctions on Iran could hit Pakistani companies.

Holbrooke announced that the United States would increase military as well as civil assistance to Pakistan. He said his country would also help Pakistan overcome its critical water and energy problems which would be part of the agenda in the strategic dialogue along with education, health, war on terror when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton comes here in July.

"The impending sanctions being contemplated by the US Congress target the energy sector as well and can impact Pakistani companies," Holbrooke told a group of reporters during a briefing session. "I will advise Pakistan to wait and see," the US official added.

He, however, said the US is fully conscious of Pakistan's energy needs and has committed to put it top of priorities set for assistance. But in regards to a specific project, legislation is being prepared that may apply to the project,” he said, referring to the pipeline.

“We caution Pakistanis not to over-commit themselves until we know the legislation.”

Pakistan is plagued by chronic electricity shortages that have led to mass demonstrations. It signed a $7.6 billion natural gas pipeline agreement with Iran last week. The foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said the UN sanctions did not affect the project.

On Saturday, addressing a joint news conference with Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mamood Qureshi, Holbrooke avoided a direct comment on the Pak-Iran deal. When pressed again, he said: “Pakistan is an independent country and it is Pakistan’s own decision on the project,” adding that the US had no concerns on the project.

Baghdad, June 20
Suicide bombers in two cars killed 26 people and wounded 53 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad today when they drove down a crowded street and blew themselves up simultaneously, security officials said.

The morning bombings, which came hot on the heels of attacks late yesterday that killed seven people and wounded 20, underlined the dangers of a resurgence of violence amid a persistent political vacuum more than three months after a general election.

The bombers struck outside a bank in a major thoroughfare in the mainly Sunni Arab Mansur district that provides access to the fortified Green Zone government and embassy compound in the city centre from western Iraq.

"The report of the bomb disposal team confirmed that the two attacks that happened in Mansur today were carried out by suicide bombers who drove the car bombs," the capital's operations command said.

"Each car was loaded with 80 kilogrammes of ammonium nitrate," the command said in a statement.

"They were detonated simultaneously. They targeted the Iraq Bank for Commerce." The bank is the conduit for much of the government's foreign exchange transactions and its dealings with investors.

"The bank branch was seriously damaged," a security official said.

Fire from a Katyusha multiple rocket launcher killed three people and wounded four in Al-Obeidi, an anarchic Shiite slum district in the far east of the capital beyond the sprawling Shiite bastion of Sadr City, an official said.

And in the Zayouna neighbourhood of central Baghdad, police found the bodies of five women. A security official said they were believed to have been killed two or three weeks ago. — AFP

Dubai, June 20
A year-long celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore has been launched here, amidst enactment of his famous works.

India Social and Cultural Centre (ISCC) and the Abu Dhabi Indian Bengali Community teamed up for the event which has seen the local Bengali community eagerly participating. Presentations of song, music, dance and drama items based on his work have marked the festivities.

Recognising Tagore's contributions, Anuja Chakravarty, head of the cultural wing of the Indian Embassy in UAE, said on the occasion that the hallmark of a genius is that his work transcends the barriers of time, geographic locations, language and cultural divides.

Prominent NRI businessman and winner of the Padma Shri BR Shetty and Thomas Varghese, president, ISCC were the guests of honour present at the inauguration. — PTI 

Kuala Lumpur, June 20
Two of Malaysia's veteran Indian politicians are being nudged to quit their top party posts ahead of the 2013 elections. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has said he wants new leaders to take over constituent parties.

S. Samy Vellu, who heads the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) since 1979, had retained his post despite the party faring badly in the March 2008 elections and losing his own parliamentary seat. The case is the same with M. Kayveas, who has been chief of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) for the last 17 years. Sections of their partymen are exerting pressure on them to quit before the 2013 elections.

The Barisan Nasional (BN), the ruling coalition of which they are constituents, is also adding pressure on them to quit. Prime Minister Razak, who heads the Barisan, wants new leaders to take over constituent parties to galvanise the alliance in time for the next polls.

Vellu announced his retirement last month, but gave himself 16 more months. He said he would quit in the third quarter of 2011, though his term ends May 2012. Before that, he has vowed to "destroy" what he calls "detractors of the party" -- a reference to his critics. Making a similar announcement last Sunday, Kayveas said he would step down as PPP president, but only "in a few years' time" setting his retirement date four years from now. 2015.

"The question that begs to be asked is why is there a need to wait for change to take place?" The Star newspaper said.

The announcement of retirement was expected ever since the PPP's drubbing in the 2008 polls with Kayveas himself losing the Taiping parliamentary constituency by a large margin of nearly 12,000 votes. — IANS