The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Pak may soften stand on US apology over NATO strike

Islamabad, May 3
The Pakistan Government is considering the possibility of making compromises in its efforts to obtain an apology from the US for a cross-border NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last year, according to a media report today.

The issue was discussed at a meeting of the top civilian and military leadership chaired yesterday by President Asif Ali Zardari.

The meeting was convened to explore ways to end a stalemate caused by Pakistan's demand for an apology for the NATO attack.

"We discussed various formulations for the demands to be made from the US, including the text of a possible apology statement that would not only be acceptable to us but would also help the Americans overcome their reluctance in apologising," an unnamed participant of the meeting was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

Talks between Pakistan and the US during Special Envoy Marc Grossman's visit to Islamabad last week broke down over the issue of the apology.

Following the NATO air strike in November, Pakistan closed all routes used to transport supplies for foreign troops in Afghanistan and forced the US to vacate the Shamsi airbase, considered a hub for CIA-operated drones.

The first round of formal talks between the US and Pakistan last week failed because of the US insistence on not discussing an end to drone attacks and its refusal to apologise for the NATO attack, the Dawn quoted its sources as saying.

A source said following the impasse over the apology, the Pakistani side began working on a statement that could be acceptable to both sides.

After developing consensus in Pakistan, the text of the proposed apology will be suggested to the Americans and they will be asked to announce it so that the two sides can move on with negotiations on other issues. The draft text, though "mild in language than a direct apology", includes an implied acceptance by the US of responsibility for the air strike. — PTI

Pak-US to find alternative to drone attacks

Islamabad: Pakistan said on Thursday that it was working with the US at different levels to resolve all outstanding issues, including finding an alternative to drone attacks, as both countries are partners in the war against terror. "There is a need to resolve all issues with the US," Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan said during a weekly news briefing.

Notice to Pak Govt on plea against Gilani

Lahore/Islamabad, May 3
A Pakistani court has issued a notice to the federal government on two petitions asking it to stop Yousuf Raza Gilani from holding the post of Prime Minister after his conviction, while another court has dismissed a similar petition.

The Lahore High Court issued the notice yesterday after hearing the arguments of two petitioners represented by lawyer AK Dogar, who is also the counsel for Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. Dogar argued that after the conviction, the Premier and his Cabinet stood disqualified and there was no need of any further process for their disqualification. He asked Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, who was hearing the matter, not to feel any fear and declare the PM disqualified. — PTI

Special to the tribune
Taliban-US peace efforts create rift in ranks of terror outfit
Ashish Kumar Sen in Washington DC

US-led efforts to make peace with the Taliban have created turmoil in the ranks of the militant group, deepening rifts between those in favour of reconciliation and those determined to continue the war, according to US and Afghan officials.

Taliban’s field commanders, whose job is to plan and carry out terrorist operations, including suicide missions, are angry at their political leadership for engaging in negotiations while they risk their lives in the name of jihad, according to several Afghan and Western officials.

“It is quite clear to us that there is a range of interest among Taliban in reconciliation and there is quite a bit of internal political turbulence within the Taliban on that score,” a senior Obama administration official told reporters in a background briefing this week.

The Taliban, meanwhile, announced the start of its spring offensive on Wednesday as suicide bombers struck in Kabul just hours after US President Obama wrapped up a surprise visit to Afghanistan.

Seven persons were killed in the attack that took place at a compound in the eastern part of Kabul. Many children from a nearby school were among the wounded.

The militants planned the attack “hurriedly after finding out about Obama’s ‘surprise visit’ to Afghanistan,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahed said in a statement.

The Taliban warned that it would attack Western and Afghan officials, particularly those working with the ministries of defence, intelligence and interior; foreign troops; members of Afghanistan’s Parliament and the Afghan government- backed council tasked with making peace with the militants.

The “primary target” of this new offensive will be “the foreign invaders, their advisers, their contractors and members of all associated military, intelligence and auxiliary departments,” said Mujahed. The Taliban will use “new and tested war tactics”, he added.

The Taliban broke off peace talks with the US in March. One of the reasons for its decision was that the Obama administration has not released five high-value Taliban operatives from the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This was a key demand of the Taliban when it signalled its willingness to start official peace talks with the US in January.

The delay in releasing the prisoners has strengthened the hands of Taliban opposed to peace. However, the US official, who briefed reporters on background, said the prisoners’ release had been put on hold for “reasons that appear to have to do with internal political turbulence among the Taliban”.US officials have been in contact with Taliban leaders in an effort to put the peace process back on track.

The Taliban has refused to talk to the Karzai government, which it refers to as a puppet regime. However, an Afghan official said Taliban elders with deep tribal ties have approached the Karzai government.

“It is the younger, ideological Taliban who are difficult to talk to and can take longer to reach a settlement with,” said Ashraf Haidari, deputy assistant national security adviser in the Karzai government.

“A rift (within the ranks of the Taliban) is very natural, especially when there are several factions, some willing to reconcile, some not, others unsure and on the fence,” he added. These rifts could cause the Taliban to splinter, according to analysts.

The Taliban is a “decentralised and disparate movement, and peace talks are just the sort of thing likely to stimulate disagreements and splits in that movement,” said Paul Pillar, a CIA veteran and former national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia.

Obama wants all US combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Philip Mudd, a veteran CIA and FBI officer, said there is “a prospect we will see splintering, especially as the timetable for departure begins to march forward.”

“There is a chance that you will go back to some sort of factional fighting within the Taliban,” he added.

The Taliban has, in the past, shown resilience in the face of internal rivalries, leading some US officials to be cautious about the prospects of a split.

“The prospect of talks definitely opened up internal debate and controversy within the Taliban, but everyone is realistic; the Taliban has stubbornly resisted internal and external pressure before,” said a US official, who spoke on background citing the sensitive nature of the discussions.

US PREZ POLL
Gingrich finally calls it quits

Newt Gingrich

Washington, May 3
With just two victories under his belt in Republican primaries, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich finally called it quits, a little less than a year after he officially launched his White House bid.

"Today I am suspending the campaign but suspending the campaign does not mean suspending citizenship," he said at an event on Wednesday in Arlington, Virginia, a Washington suburb, to announce the suspension of his campaign.

Gingrich thanked his supporters, chronicled his life in public service, vowed to continue fighting for his policy ideas and expressed support for Mitt Romney, but stopped short of endorsing the presumptive Republican Presidential candidate.. — IANS

Munch’s ‘The Scream’ sets auction record, sells for $120 million

New York, May 3
Setting a new record, Edvard Munch's iconic painting 'The Scream', considered one of the most recognisable in art world, was sold for nearly $ 120 million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art at any auction.

The 1895 artwork, original image of the pulsating anguish of modernity, was sold for $ 19,922,500, which includes the premium paid to Sotheby's at the auction held here yesterday.

Till now Pablo Picasso's 'Nude, Green Leaves and Bust' was the most expensive painting ever sold. It was bought for $ 106.5 million at a Christie's auction in 2010.

The auction house did not release the name or any other details of the buyer. The bidder was participating in the auction through phone.

The painting depicts the image of a man holding his head and his mouth wide open. "A seminal image of the pulsating anguish of modernity, The Scream is among the most recognizable images in the history of art," Sotheby's said.

At over $ 119 million, Munch's painting has become the highest-priced artwork to ever sell at auction. The painting was estimated to sell for at least $ 80 million.

Bidding at the packed Sotheby's auction started at $ 40 million with bidders from the US and China competing for the sunset-colored portrait which is in its original frame.

The painting is one of the four versions that Munch created and the only one still in private hands. The other three are housed in the National Gallery of Oslo and the Munch museum in the Norwegian capital. The painting is being sold by Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen, whose father is believed to have been Munch's friend and neighbour. — PTI

Hillary Clinton to meet Mamata on India visit

New Delhi, May 3
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may press the case for India's stalled policy to open its supermarket sector to foreign chains when she meets its most powerful critic: Mamata Banerjee, the fiery chief minister of West Bengal.

The two women are due to meet during Clinton's three-day visit to India that starts on Sunday with a stopover in Banerjee's home state. Indian officials in New Delhi said retail reform — an issue of enormous interest to US and other foreign investors — could be discussed but did not elaborate. US officials declined to comment on the meeting.

"Maybe Clinton will try to use her persuasive powers to try to convince Mamata," said DH Pai Panandiker, the head of the RPG Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank. "Manmohan Singh is not strong enough to convince her on anything."

From Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, Clinton will head to New Delhi on Monday, where she will meet Singh. Afghanistan, retail reform and India's controversial proposal for retroactive taxation are likely talking points.

Clinton will travel to the South Asian giant after a trip to China this week that was overshadowed by blind dissident Chen Guangcheng escaping house arrest and seeking shelter in the US embassy in Beijing.

Mamata came to power in West Bengal last year, tapping into a groundswell of disaffection with decades of communist rule that have saddled the state with heavy debts.

But accusations of heavy-handedness in running her state, combined with her opposition to policies in New Delhi, have sparked a backlash against her. — Reuters

A first: Fugitive Hanif’s extradition from UK

London, May 3
Hanif, a "classic fugitive" wanted in India for two bomb attacks in Gujarat in 1993, has been ordered to be extradited to India by a British court, the first successful extradition from UK obtained by New Delhi since 1993.

Hanif, whose full name is Mohammed Hanif Umerji Patel (51) was traced to a grocery store in Bolton, Greater Manchester in March 2010. He is said to be an associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Westminster magistrates' court in London ordered Hanif's extradition to India.

Hanif's case is the first successful extradition obtained by India since the extradition treaty was signed with Britain in December 1993, sparking a wave of satisfaction among Indian officials here.

The court had yesterday described Hanif as a "classic fugitive".

Hanif was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in February 2010 on an extradition warrant that alleged conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions.

He is wanted in India for his alleged role in a grenade attack on a packed market place which killed an eight-year-old schoolgirl in Surat in 1993. He is also accused of plotting to carry out a second grenade attack on a crowded railway station which seriously wounded 12 commuters. — PTI

Ashton Kutcher’s gig as Indian in ad termed racist

New York, May 3
An ad for a potato chips company featuring actor Ashton Kutcher dressed as a dark-skinned Bollywood producer 'Raj' and talking with an Indian accent has been slammed for being racist by social media users.

In the ad for 'Popchips', Kutcher appears as four different characters looking for a partner in a dating show. One of Kutcher's appearances is as 39-year old Raj, a "Bollywood producer looking for the most delicious thing on the planet," the actor says with an Indian accent. Kutcher's face is done up with heavy brown make-up.

He is wearing a blue embroidered sherwani, sports a moustache and is wearing a big gold watch and a ring. The dark-haired Raj has a black mole on his cheek. The ad shows Kutcher in three get-ups — as a British 'Nigel', tattooed Southerner 'Swordfish' and pasty fashionista Darl. — PTI