New Delhi, August 6
On a mission to “win the hearts and minds” of the people of Kashmir, the Centre today sought to reach out to separatists, including hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and asked them to participate in a dialogue which it intends to resume.

As the Opposition flayed the Centre and the Omar Abdullah government in the state over “poor handling” of the situation in the Valley, Home Minister P Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha that Kashmir problem was “unique” and required “unique” solutions in which all sections will have to be taken on board.

Chidambaram said the Home Ministry was working on its promise to amend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), besides reducing number of security personnel in the state.

The Home Minister also hinted at a Pakistan hand in the fresh surge of violence in the Valley. “Our neighbour appeared to have changed its strategy on fomenting trouble in the Valley as it seemed to be now relying on “civilian unrest” for “dividends,” said Chidambaram.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be receiving an all-party delegation from J&K, possibly next Monday, and plans to have a meeting with leaders of parties in Parliament, said the Home Minister.

Chidambaram appealed to all sections to put an end to the cycle of violence and said: “We have to put our heads together to find a solution to the unique problem”.

Chidambaram said it was his intention to “do everything possible to resume the quiet dialogue” which he undertook with the moderate Hurriyat leaders before it got interrupted on December 4, 2009 after an assassination bid on one them --- Fazl-ul Haq Qureshi.

“I will resume the political process... I have impressed upon all interlocutors that I am willing to resume the quiet dialogue. We have to find courage that allows to hold dialogue. We have to get on,” he said and “sincerely hoped” that the separatist leaders, including Geelani, would come forward for talks.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley said the situation in Kashmir was “slipping out of control”.

Ahmedabad, August 6
Setting aside a lower court order, the Gujarat High Court today granted the CBI two-day custody of former state minister Amit Shah, who was arrested on July 25 in the Soharabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

Justice Akil Kureshi gave the two-day custody of Shah, a close aide of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, to the CBI though the central agency had sought his remand for ten days.

The court also rejected the defence plea for videography of his questioning during the CBI custody. A special CBI court had earlier rejected the agency’s plea for custody of 46-year-old Shah after which the CBI had approached High Court.

Counsel for Shah, Mahesh Jethmalani, had wanted the entire proceedings during the two days’ custody of Shah to be videographed, which was opposed by CBI lawyer KTS Tulsi.

The CBI, in its petition, had sought quashing of the order passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate AY Dave rejecting its plea for remand of Shah.

Tulsi submitted that the magistrate had committed an error in holding that because cognisance of offence was taken in the case in which chargesheet has been filed, the power of police custody or remand was exhausted.

Amit Shah resigned from Modi ministry after a chargesheet was filed against him in the case. He was arrested by the CBI on charges of murder, extortion and kidnapping.

Shah’s senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, opposing the remand by the CBI, submitted that the investigating agency had no evidence to arrest his client in the first place.

He alleged that Amit Shah has been arrested to strike terror among other potential witnesses. Jethmalani said the CBI by giving a brief note to the magistrate in a sealed cover was attempting to mislead the court. — PTI

New Delhi, August 6
It will be tough days ahead for the Indian Army to open up routes to Leh and other forward posts following last night’s cloudburst.

Some 150-km of the crucial national highway on either side of Leh is badly damaged. At least seven bridges have been washed away, blocking road access to the remote Himalayan region for the next few months. As many as 35 Army jawans are feared dead.

Better news is that the IAF’s advanced landing grounds close to the Chinese territory and paved runaways in Leh, Kargil and Thiose are intact. The Army wasn’t that lucky -- several of its bunkers, positions and handheld weapons have been washed away along with the jawans of the 15 Bihar Regiment stationed along the Turtuk ridge in Eastern Ladakh near the Syhok River.

The affected areas stretch from the Pang village on the Rohtang-Leh Highway upto Nimmu on the Leh-Srinagar Highway. Over 3,500 Army personnel and IAF choppers have been pressed into service for reconnaissance and for airlifting casualties.

Mumbai, August 6
Former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor today acknowledged that Sunanda Pushkar was his fiancée.

Accompanied by Pushkar, Tharoor was in the metropolis to deliver the 16th Lalit Doshi Memorial lecture, whose organisers introduced her as his fiancée.

Referring to it at the start of his lecture, Tharoor said the organisers told him that last year Anil Kakodkar made a powerpoint presentation during his lecture.

“They asked me if I was going to bring my visual aid. So I have brought one,” he said looking in the direction of Pushkar, who was sitting in the front row with industrialists Adi Godrej and Keshub Mahindra.

Delivering the vote of thanks, former Maharashtra Chief Secretary Prem Kumar wished Tharoor and Pushkar well for their future. — PTI

New Delhi, August 6
Iran today sought the immediate withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and proposed a regional strategy to deal with the situation in the embattled nation.

Addressing a press conference here, visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali Fathollahi said Tehran was ready to host a regional trilateral meet of Iran, India and Afghanistan to resolve the issue. It was arranging similar trilateral meetings of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan and Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Fathollahi was here for consultations with Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao yesterday. The two sides learnt to have discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as the situation in the region, particularly in Afghanistan.

India and Iran are vehemently opposed to the reintegration of the Taliban into the mainstream Afghan society, a proposal floated by the West, though they differ on the presence of foreign troops in the war-torn nation.

The Iranian minister said the international community must trust the Afghanistan government for stabilising the situation. “We must empower the Afghan army and the police to control the situation there. If required, regional countries like Iran, India and Pakistan could help Afghanistan in tackling the situation,” said Fathollahi.

Lakhisarai/Kiul, August 6
A large group of armed robbers struck the Sealdah-New Delhi Lal Quila Express today, fired at GRP personnel, assaulted passengers and looted them near Bhalui halt in Bihar's Lakhisarai district, leaving 21 persons, including a jawan, injured.

Enraged over the incident, passengers, mostly kanwarias, raised slogans and ransacked the office of the station master in Kiul.

Around 35 robbers boarded the train at Jamui station and walked into AC and sleeper coaches of the train and started looting cash and valuables, including jewellery and mobile phones worth Rs 2.50 lakh, from the passengers, official sources said quoting the FIR registered by six passengers.

As the unarmed GRP personnel resisted them, they opened fire critically wounding one of them. A jawan has been hospitalised at a nearby hospital, DSP (Railway) R K Sharma said.Passengers travelling on the reserved berths, besides the kanwarias, were assaulted by the robbers with butts of pistols and rifles when they refused to part with their belongings. — PTI