Mother challenges detention of Pakistani Al Qaeda suspect surgeon
ISLAMABAD - The mother of top Pakistani surgeon detained over suspected links with Al Qaeda militants Wednesday filed a petition seeking a high court's intervention over his "illegal" confinement, court officials said. Doctor Amir Aziz, an eminent orthopaedic surgeon, was picked up by US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and Pakistani intelligence from his home in the eastern city of Lahore on October 21. "Aziz's mother Zakia Begum has sought the immediate release of her son through court intervention," a court official told AFP. In her petition Zakia said her son was innocent and had no links with any terrorists, he said. Government officials have repeatedly said Aziz was being questioned for his alleged links to top Taliban and Al Qaeda members, whom he treated during trips to Afghanistan and allegedly financed. "He was maintaining contact with al Qaeda and Taliban leadership," a senior intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "There is evidence that he treated (Osama) bin Laden after September 11," he added, refering to atrocities in the United States last year. Pakistani interior ministry official Brigadier Javed Cheema said Amir was under interrogation. He dismissed as "baseless" local media reports that government was considering handing over the doctor to the US. "There is no truth in these reports. He will not be handed over to any third country," Cheema told AFP. Intelligence officials said Pakistani security and US FBI agents Wednesday picked up three more men from Lahore's Ghurki hospital where Aziz works. "Local security officials and two FBI agents raided the hospital at 3.30 local time (10.30 GMT) and detained three bearded patients," an intelligence official told AFP. The official did not give any other details. Meanwhile, the party of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif also filed a petition before the Lahore high court for the release of the doctor. The petition filed by Khawaja Saad Rafiq, provincial secretary general of the Pakistan Muslim League-N asked the court to depute officials to recover Amir from the "illegal detention of security agencies," his lawyer said. Amir's detention has created a storm of protest in Pakistan as religious parties, lawyers and professional bodies holding demonstration demanding the government to release the doctor. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Bhutto party says govt coercing MPs to change loyalties ISLAMABAD - The opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of former premier Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday accused the government of pressuring its newly-elected parliamentarians to change their loyalties. The accusations came as the President Pervez Musharraf postponed by one week the scheduled opening of the first parliament since his 1999 coup. PPP secretary general Raza Rabbani said that a number of its legislators have complained of "midnight knocks" by police, civil administration and secret agencies pressuring them to ditch their party. "The continued hounding, harassment and intimidation of the legislators-elect of the PPP parliamentarians by the sleuths of the military regime, with a view to force them to change their loyalties, is condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said. He said that despite "rigging" the October 10 elections -- the first held since Musharraf's coup -- the regime could not muster adequate support for its favorites to form government. With 81 seats under its belt, the PPP holds the second largest number of seats after the pro-government Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), which despite bagging 103 seats has failed to form a coalition government in the 342-member hung parliament. Musharraf postponed the convening of parliament by one week after the PPP and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of six Islamic parties which holds the balance of power, agreed to unite against him. Rabbani warned that the delay in the transfer of power could have disastrous consequences. "Manipulation of election results and now manipulation of power transfer by turning the majority of anti-regime parties into a parliamentary minority amounts to cheating the people of their political rights," he said in a statement. The moves "will have disastrous consequences for the stability and integrity of the federation." - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Musharraf delays crucial parliament opening by one week: official ISLAMABAD - President Pervez Musharraf has delayed the opening of Pakistan's first parliament since his 1999 coup by one week, a government spokesman said on Wednesday, a day after Islamic and secular parties united against him. "In deference of the wishes of the political parties, the government has decided to delay the convening of the first session of the national assembly by one week," the spokesman told AFP, reading from an official statement. "The exact date will be announced soon." The assembly's inauguration had been scheduled for Friday. The postponement came after an Islamic bloc and secular opposition parties struck a surprise deal Tuesday to unite against Musharraf, placing pro-Musharraf parties on the verge of defeat. The pro-government parties issued calls within hours of their rivals' deal for the parliament's opening to be postponed, saying they needed more time to form a coalition out of the hung parliament thrown up by last month's polls. The Musharraf-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) won the most seats in October 10 elections, but no party secured enough seats to rule independently, setting off a frantic four weeks of inter-party negotiations. The national assembly had been scheduled to convene four weeks after elections which were supposed to restore civilian rule following Musharraf's three-year military regime. State-run Pakistan Television (PTV) reported just before the official statement that the government was "inclined to postpone the session to break the political deadlock and give some time to the parties for fruitful meetings and consultations." Analysts said the Islamist-secularist deal had sent the regime into a panic. "This is the severest crisis in three years ... the regime is in a desperate state," Najam Sethi, political analyst and editor of the Friday Times weekly told AFP. The anti-Musharraf alliance is comfortably in control of more than 172 seats, the majority required to form government, opposition politicians and political pundits estimate. The Islamists and their new secular partners -- who are ideologically opposed on economic, social and foreign policies -- have united on their one common platform of opposition to Musharraf and sweeping powers he has given himself through constitutional amendments. They have vowed to undo the most controversial changes, including presidential powers to sack the parliament and the entrenchment of the military's role in politics. The fundamentalist Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party, whose leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman is gunning for the prime ministership, said the postponement was "impeding the process of democracy." "The government is using the pretext of a deadlock and blaming politicians to achieve its own goal of prolonging its rule," JUI spokesman Riaz Durrani told AFP. The head of the secular party Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, said the move was a response to Musharraf's realisation that he may not win parliamentary endorsement. "This is a highly dangerous move aimed at prolonging the military rule. It could trigger anarchy," Khan told AFP. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Eight killed, 13 injured in Kashmir violence SRINAGAR, India - One person was killed and 13 injured when suspected rebels triggered a grenade explosion in a busy market in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said on Wednesday. Seven more people died in separatist-linked violence, police said Wednesday. A spokesman said militants hurled the grenade at a police party in the town of Anantnag, 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, which missed the target and exploded among civilians. "Most of the 14 people injured in the explosion were shopping in the area when the militants struck," the spokesman said. He said one of the injured civilians, Mohammed Afzal, was declared dead on arrival when he was brought to Srinagar's main hospital. Security reinforcements sealed the area and carried out an unsuccessful two-hour search for the attackers. Indian troops shot dead three militants in two separate encounters in northwestern districts of Kupwara and Baramulla overnight, police said. Two more rebels were gunned down in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch overnight and Wednesday. All the four districts border Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Police said militants killed two persons, one of them a woman in central district of Budgam and southern district of Rajouri. More than 37,500 people have died in Kashmir since militants launched an anti-Indian rebellion in the scenic Himalayan region 13 years ago. Separatists put the death toll twice as high. Kashmir's leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, who took charge on November 2, says he will provide a "healing touch" to the people of the region by freeing prisoners, disbanding the counter-insurgency police and proposing unconditional talks with rebels. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Musharraf trying to stall parliament inauguration ISLAMABAD - Fears mounted among opposition parties on Tuesday that President Pervez Musharraf would delay the scheduled convening of Pakistan's new parliament, after Islamists and secularists joined forces against him. The government announced last weekend that it would summon the lower house on Friday, to set in process a partial transfer of power from Musharraf's military regime to the first civilian government in three years. Under controversial constitutional changes by the army chief turned president, the parliament would be under the thumb of Musharraf and other military chiefs who would empowered, through a planned National Security Council, to dissolve it. However the parliament's inauguration has not been officially notified in the government gazette, and no member-elect has received official notification or invitation. "The session is not being held because we have neither received any invitation nor has it been notified by the government," the Islamists' candidate for prime minister, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, told reporters. Deposed premier Nawaz Sharif's party expressed alarm at the lack of notification, which is normally given at least four days before parliament sits. "We are very worried. It definitely seems there is going to be some delay," said Tehmina Daultana, a member-elect from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). "The country's going through a very critical situation and it's at a standstill. Everybody's waiting for the session to be convened and the government to be formed." The PML-N is a key member of the opposition Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, which struck a deal with the Islamic party alliance Monday to back a joint candidate to lead the future government and curtail Musharraf's powers. ARD chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan said any delay would be "aimed at prolonging the military rule." "The government, after seeing that their parties cannot form the majority, are trying to delay the callingof national assembly session. "This drama is being manouevred because...Musharraf cannot get parliamentary endorsement of changes he has made in the constitution." The Islamist-secular alliance has vowed to undo constitutional changes which give Musharraf sweeping powers over any parliament and cement the military's role in politics. The anti-Musharraf alliance and political pundits say they have a comfortable grasp of the 172-seat majority needed to form government. The alliance has pledged to back joint candidates for the posts of prime minister and parliamentary speaker, but has yet to officially name them. Alliance members have said privately that the fundamentalist cleric Maulana Fazlur Rehman has been agreed on, but some officials of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) -- a key ARD member -- indicated they were leaving the door open for their party to win the premiership. PPP acting secretary general, Raza Rabbani, told AFP the final announcement could be delayed until Thursday. "I really don't think it will be announced today," he said. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Tigers top guns return to Lanka amid hopes for peace COLOMBO - Top Tamil Tiger leaders returned to Sri Lanka on Wednesday after notching a key breakthrough in the Norwegian-brokered peace talks in Thailand, officials said. The top military commander of the Tiger rebels, Karuna (eds: one name), and the group's political wing leader, S.P. Thamilselvan, took a military transport helicopter Wednesday to a northern area held by the guerrillas. The duo and three other Tigers returned from Thailand just before midnight (1800 GMT) to Sri Lanka's only international airport -- which only 15 months ago the Tigers had bombed. Their journey via Colombo and taking of a military helicopter was seen by diplomats as a sign of growing confidence between the two sides that are officially still foes. The Tiger members were escorted out of the airport by Norwegian diplomats. They were put up overnight at a hotel near the airport. Karuna and Thamilselvan told journalists travelling with them from Thailand that they were pleased with the second round of peace talks that wrapped up in Thailand Sunday with three crucial agreements. "We went with hope, we are returning with optimism," Karuna said. Karuna will head a rebel team in a panel that will supervise the military de-escalation in the island's embattled regions while Thamilselvan will serve on a panel that will jointly seek international aid to rebuild war-ravaged areas. The most crucial agreement, however, was the establishment of a committee with the top negotiators from the two sides on seeking a final political settlement to the island's three-decade Tamil separatist conflict, which has claimed more than 60,000 lives. The government and rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are now due to jointly study different models of governing to develop a new system of administration for the ethnically divided island-nation. The breakthrough after four days of talks was seen as potentially strengthening Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's shaky coalition. The government had earlier faced criticism for not persuading the LTTE to take up contentious matters relating to power-sharing in a post-conflict Sri Lanka. The premier and top Tiger negotiator Anton Balasingham will now take up some of those issues when they meet November 25 at a Norwegian-organised meeting of aid donors to underwrite the peace process, diplomats said. The Tigers boosted peace hopes Sunday by announcing they will enter the democratic mainstream and allow rivals to conduct political activities in areas under their control. The first round of formal peace talks held at a Thai naval base six weeks ago also saw an unexpected concession from the Tigers when they dropped their demand for outright independence. The LTTE has been leading a guerrilla war for a separate state called Eelam in the island's northeast where the minority Tamils are concentrated. The Tigers have emerged as one of the most ruthlessly efficient guerrilla outfits in the world with a dedicated band of suicide bombers. They have been outlawed as a terrorist organisation in a number of countries, including the United States, Britain and India. In July last year, the LTTE bombed Colombo airport, destroying four civilian jet liners parked there as well as over a dozen military aircraft parked at the adjoining airbase. Until September 11 last year, the Colombo airport attack was regarded as the deadliest terrorist attack against civil aviation. No civilians were hurt but 12 Tiger suicide bombers and six security personnel were killed. - AFP ----------------------------------------------------------------- Indian naval shipbuilding factory gutted by fire CALCUTTA - A naval shipbuilding factory in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta was destroyed in a fire overnight, a West Bengal state minister said on Wednesday. Fire services minister Pratim Chatterjee told AFP the factory, used for making naval ships and defence accessories, was gutted in the fire which broke out at about 11:00 pm on Tuesday. Chatterjee said 31 fire tenders were rushed to the factory and the fire was brought under control after about seven hours. There were no injuries or casualties. The cause of the blaze is being investigated. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ramadan from tomorrow in subcontinent ISLAMABAD - The Islamic holy month of Ramadan will start in Pakistan tomorrow as the new moon was sighted yesterday, officials announced here. A meeting of the country's moon-sighting committee in the north-western city of Peshawar yesterday said the moon's crescent had not yet been sighted anywhere in Pakistan, which means Ramadan will begin tomorrow. Ramadan will start in India and Bangladesh tomorrow, officials announced in New Delhi and Dhaka. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Seven Indian workers crushed to death by train HYDERABAD - Seven Railway casual labourers were killed and three others seriously injured yesterday when a Visakhapatnam-bound passenger train ran over them, near Porlupalem, 10km from Visakhapatnam city. The mishap occurred at about 3.30pm when 21 casual labourers were engaged in track maintenance work. The labourers failed to notice the Raigarh (Orissa)-Visakhapatnam passenger coming on the same track while they were looking at a goods train running on the other track. - PTI ------------------------------------------------------------------ Kerala plans facelift for state capital From our correspodent TRIVANDRUM - A meeting of people's representatives convened by Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony here yesterday has decided to formulate an action plan - Vision 2020 - for the comprehensive development of the capital city. The document, which would contain guidelines for the development of the city in the next 18 years, would be ready by February 2003. The implementation of the plan would begin from the next financial year onwards, said Mr Antony. He told newsmen after the meeting, which was attended by MPs, MLAs, representatives of local bodies and residential associations besides senior officials, that a separate meeting would be convened to discuss the development of Trivandrum International Airport. The government has decided to appoint an international consultant to conduct a feasibility study for developing the Vizhinjam port as a transshipment terminal. Mr Antony said that the government would allocate sufficient funds for the development of the city in the next year's budget. "All the participants at the meeting have extended cooperation for the development of the city cutting across political lines and other considerations," he added. In order to address the traffic congestions in the city, a study on traffic management would be initiated, he said. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Antony slams police misuse of freedom From T.K. Devasia Our Kerala correspondent TRIVANDRUM - Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony has lashed out at the law and order machinery for misusing the freedom given to them by the Congress-led United Democratic Front government. The strong indictment came at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the multi-storied barracks for the city Armed Reserve at Nandavanam here yesterday. Addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone, Mr Antony said that the police had failed to ensure protection to the life and property of the people and warned that they would lose the freedom if they continued to fail in their basic duty. The chief minister pointed out that the police were granted the freedom to initiate action without any sort of interference from any quarters against law-breakers. However, several sections of the police have been using this freedom to harass common man and people's representatives, he added. Mr Antony also warned the people's representatives and politicians against protecting law-breakers. "This is a curse, from which they should desist. Politicians should not consider themselves as people beyond the purview of law." He said that politicians and the affluent sections were often found to be disobeying traffic rules in the state. This was not a good practice, he added. The chief minister said his next attempt would be to de-politicise police camps. Political leaders should not be invited to address functions at police camps, he said. Mr Antony assured that the government would give utmost importance for the welfare activities of the section. The indictment of the police force by the chief minister is in the light of mounting criticism from within the UDF against the police policy. The liaison committee meeting of the top policy-making body held at Kovalam yesterday continued the criticism. The district leaders of the UDF, who was involved in the evaluation of the performance of the 17-month-old government, also pointed out several lapses in the functioning of the police. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Row over inquiry into kidney racket takes new turn From our correspondent TRIVANDRUM - The row over the inquiry conducted by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) into the kidney transplant racket in Kerala has snowballed into a major crisis with the inquiry committee chairman Dr M Muhammed Ali threatening legal action against the IMA leadership for tampering with the original report. His revelation at a Press conference at Kannur on Monday, that the report released by the IMA president and Ethics Committee chairman at a Press conference here last month was not the one prepared by the three-member ethics committee headed by him, has come as a shock to many. Dr Ali said that the IMA leadership had suppressed several findings contained in the original report with the ulterior motive of saving the higher-ups involved in the racket. He has sought the resignation of IMA president and secretary and the Ethics Committee chairman for betraying the medical community. The inquiry panel chief has threatened legal action in the light of move by the IMA leadership to remove him from the organisation for criticising the Ethics Committee chairman. Dr Ali's revelation has confirmed doubts expressed by several quarters that the IMA leadership had tried to hush up the sensitive issue. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Hindu groups agitated over award to Surayya From T. K. Devasia Our Kerala correspondent TRIVANDRUM - Pro-Hindu organisations in Kerala are raising a hue and cry over the state government's decision to confer its prestigious 'Ezhuthachan Puraskaram' on Surayya alias Kamala Das. The award, carrying a cash prize of Rs100,000, is conferred on a prominent Malayalam writer every year. While Sangh Parivar outfits are questioning the propriety of giving the award, instituted in the name of a poet known for his spiritual moorings, to a writer whose works have "elements of sex and romance", what apparently sets them against the author is her conversion three years ago to Islam from Hinduism. The criticism against giving the award to Surayya was unleashed by Thapasya Art and Literary Forum and Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, the literary and cultural wings of the Sangh Parivar, which said the government's decision to select her for the award was an "insult to Ezhuthachan", who is regarded as the 'Father of Malayalam Literature'. "Conferring Ezhuthachan Puraskaram on Kamala Surayya is like giving an award instituted in the name of an Islamic teacher to Salman Rushdie or Taslima Nasrin," said Bharatiya Vichara Kendram Director P. Parmeswaran. Surayya's colleagues have locked horns with the Sangh Parivar, accusing them of trying to unleash communal venom on the internationally well-known writer. They felt that the criticism by the two organisations was provoked by her decision to embrace Islam, not any concern for literature. "The criticism smacks of their fascist communal thinking. If the two Hindu organisations were trying to saffronise Ezhuthachan, the enlightened people of Kerala would not allow it. Ezhuthachan does not belong to the fundamentalists, but to the entire people of the state", said a joint statement issued by writers Sara Joseph, C.V. Sriraman, K.G. Shankara Pillai, V.G. Thampi and others. The statement urged Chief Minister A.K. Antony to reply to the criticism aired by the Sangh Parivar since he had claimed that there was nothing called saffronisation in the country. They pointed out that the Sangh Parivar was trying to give a communal colour to literature and warned that this would lead to serious consequences. Well-known critic and orator Sukumar Azhikode has dismissed Mr Parameswaran's argument as "childish". "It is foolish to insist that a writer, who gets an award instituted in the name of another, should show similarities with the works and thinking of the other. No two writers can be similar. A writer of 21st century cannot become another Ezhuthachan," Mr Azhikode said. Regarding Mr Parameswaran's charge about the alleged overdose of sex in the writings of Surayya, Mr Azhikode said that only a person who has lost his sense of balance could see such things in her writings. "She is an original writer, who has endeared readers all over the world, with her unique and simple style and intense yearning for love." He said that those who had made the charges against Surayya had kept their eyes closed to more vulgar description of sex in several Indian classics. Like others of his ilk, Mr Azhikode also feels that the reason for criticising the award could have more to do with her decision to embrace Islam than any misgivings about her literary works. ------------------------------------------------------------------ One killed in Indo-Pak firing SRINAGAR
- An army porter was killed and three others injured when Indian
and Pakistani troops exchanged heavy artillery fire over the disputed
border in Kashmir overnight, police said yesterday. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Mulayam announces protest against governor From Anand Raj Singh Our UP correspondent LUCKNOW - Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav announced yesterday that his party, along with the Rashtriya Kranti Party led by former chief minister Kalyan Singh, would observe a state-wide protest day against Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri, who, he said, was "playing politics on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party-Bahujan Samaj Party coalition government" and continued to refuse convening of a special session of the state assembly for trial of strength of the ruling combine. He was speaking to mediapersons after holding a meeting of the Samajwadi Party members of parliament and the state assembly as well as party office-bearers in the state capital. He had earlier held discussions with Kalyan Singh over the governor's refusal to convene a special session of the state assembly despite request to that effect by all most all the opposition parties, including the Congress Party, besides the independents and BJP dissident MLAs. "It (governor's refusal) defies all constitutional logic when an overwhelming majority of MLAs meets Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and requests that heshould convene a special session of the assembly for a trial of strength. It is secondary whether the Congress Party will support the Samajwadi Party in forming the next government or not. What is obvious to everyone is that majority of MLAs have approached the governor on the issue of a special session. And still Mr Shastri refuses to act on his constitutional duty. Therefore, we have decided to observe protest day on November 11 all over the state," Mr Yadav declared. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Dateline Delhi Diwali leaves capital gasping for breath By
Ravi S Jha Blame it on Diwali, says medical experts. While about 140 cases of fire accidents and mishaps have been reported across the city since last night, more and more people are visiting respiratory clinics and specialised hospitals. Neither the anti-cracker campaign of the Delhi government nor the appeals from asthama and heart patients' associations have helped a great deal in stopping people from bursting crackers. There virtually were no takers for the Supreme Court order banning the use of crackers after 10pm. Consider this: according to the National Institute of Chest here, four out of 10 people, including children, suffer from chronic respiratory illnesses in New Delhi. From causing chronic Asthmatic Bronchitis to respiratory tract infections, Diwali smoke has a major role in triggering the diseases that normally last till Spring next year after the pollen in the air begins to settle. But, till then, it is coughing and choking for nearly half-of-Delhi's masses. The Central Pollution Control Board records show the level of respiratory suspended particulate matter the night after the extravaganza rises by over 85 per cent in the air, making it simply too difficult to breathe, forcing many to consult doctors. Says Dr S.C. Kapoor of the National Chest Institute: "The rise in the level of such pollutants trigger severe Asthama attacks. With so many people already suffering from respiratory diseases, the smoke that would now rarely settle with the arrival of winter and haze would continue giving trouble to the patients. Doesn't it matter when it comes to noise pollution as well? When the Union government said it was essential to keep the noise level under check in the capital, not much did it realise that there is no mechanism to enforce such a law. The very directive stating that no fire-cracker with more than 125 decibel can be sold in the capital, the police administration said since there were no sound meters to check the noise level with them, the administration was helpless and cannot enforce such a directive. Mumbai or Delhi? BETWEEN Mumbai and Delhi, which is better? Well, this debate has continued for the past some time now, with Mumbaikars having very strong reservations about life in Mumbai and Delhites strongly refuting the reasons given by Mumbai on culture. But then, despite Mumbai having Bollywood and, unfortunately, much of the art and cultural activities shifting to Delhi in recent times, the debate on which city could be called the cultural capital of India has gained momentum here. A survey on which of the two cities scores well on the art and culture front has given many a Mumbaikar settled in Delhi a reason to explain. Though most of the Metros in India might be unsafe for people during night, the issue of crime is a major yardstick in the comparison of the two cities. While the sudden spurt in crime in moving buses has given Delhi much notoriety, many ladies now working in Delhi who have had an occasion to spend time in Mumbai, feel that Delhi has got much more to do to protect women. With the government admitting that pick-pocketing, daylight robbery, molestation and many other related crimes in moving buses have increased, many who have settled in Delhi for jobs have taken this an excuse to begin the debate on which city is the best: Mumbai or Delhi? But, according to a debate held at India Habitat Centre, Delhi has its own advantages, it being the centre of government, as well as several non-government organisations making policies, planning development and writing the fate of the nation.With Mumbai being a loser after much of its art and culture-related activities shifting their bases to Delhi, the debate has more focus on the issues concerning the state in Mumbai. "Theatre has shifted from Mumbai to Delhi, the fine art of film making is here, almost all top authors and publishing houses have its base in Delhi. So, what does Mumbai have to offer now, except the much acclaimed night life, Bollywood and Shiv Sena, asks Puja Saxena, a participant in the debate, who has spent her first 26-years in Mumbai before she shifted residence to Delhi recently. Argued strongly by another contender, again from Mumbai, Alfred Da Chunha: "Mumbai cannot be compared with Delhi at all. It's a city much older in character and the quality of life in Delhi is much worse than in Mumbai. Well, the debate continues. Delhi, it is said, hasn't got many roads, so they are building many in the skies. True, it may appear, with the Delhi government's ongoing exercise of making flyovers and expressways in a way that they are disengaged with normal roads and are helpful in easing the traffic. The days are not far when the long-distance commuters and city-goers would simply not have to face traffic or drive stop-and-start every three minutes. Delhi would get some 40 more of large to medium flyovers that would help commuters sail through the skies 40 feet above the ground to reach their destination on time, much faster than expected. Realising that the ever-increasing number of people - according to one estimate, about 300,000 people get settled in Delhi every year - along with their vehicles has posed a serious problem, the Delhi government is making things possible. Already five high-speed, multi-way, well-lit and easy-to-use flyovers have come up in the heart of the city. Though the infrastructural aspects like water and housing are being taken care of, owing to the capital's high per capita income in comparison to the rest of India, the traffic that is the most to suffer has been given top priority by the Delhi administration. "With big roads getting smaller with the rise in population, traffic jams are common and devastating road accidents too obvious," says Delhi Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Maxwell Pereira. The idea is to have as many flyovers on both the outer and inner ring roads cutting through major cross-sections. The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) crossing has a new flyover that has made life easy for commuters. A section of the Dhaula Kuan on the same inner ring road would get a flyover by the end of this month. This section linking many crucial roads to the airport would be completed in the next three weeks. The traffic at this cross-section would ease manifold with the huge flyover coming up. In the next two years, almost all crucial cross sections in central, south and west Delhi would have expressway flyovers. Also, the 23-km-long Gautam Budh Expressway connecting Noida and Greater Noida was inaugurated just last month. This expressway has cost nearly Rs2 billion. On this expressway, the 23km distance from Noida to Greater Noida can be covered in flat 10 minutes. The eight-lane expressway will have service roads on both sides for local traffic, besides an overhead bridge and underpasses at different intersections for speeding vehicles. ------------------------------------------------------------------ ARD, MMA agree to back joint candidate for PM ISLAMABAD
- Ex-premier Benazir Bhutto's party and its opposition partners
reached a deal with religious parties yesterday to back a joint
candidate as Pakistan's first prime minister in three years. The
head of the opposition Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD)
Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan announced the decision after talks with
Benazir's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Majlise
Amal (MMA) alliance of religious parties. "From the Press reports you can make a very clear guess," Mr Babar told AFP, adding that he did not want to pre-empt a formal announcement. The MMA, which holds the balance of power in the hung parliament after huge gains in October 10 elections, has set Maulana Fazal's candidacy as the condition for entering an alliance with other parties to form a governing coalition. The Nawabzada had already given, in principle, the alliance's backing to Maulana Fazal. Under the agreement reached yesterday, the posts of prime minister and parliamentary speaker would be split between the MMA and an ARD party, most likely PPP's parliamentary leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim. "One alliance will have the speakership and one will have the prime ministership," the ARD chief said. The ARD has set up a committee to "start contacting different party members and MPs to finalise details", he added. Elements of the PPP are against Maulana Fazal's candidacy, with Makhdoom Fahim himself expressing reservations about the Maulana's acceptability in the West. The MMA-ARD agreement was struck in principle over the weekend. The ARD has been waiting for the green light from Benazir before formalising it. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PPP's terms for backing ARD-MMA accord From our correspondent LAHORE - Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has reservations about Maulana Fazalur Rehman being a joint candidate of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy and Muttahida Majlise Amal for the post of prime minister. Before endorsing a government formation accord between the two alliances, the PPP wants finalisation of a package on all important offices - prime minister, Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker and deputy speaker. Sources in the party were quoted as saying yesterday that the PPP considered it unfair on the part of the MMA and parties in the ARD to first 'impose' Maulana Fazal as candidate for the top office and then expect the PPP, which got the highest number of votes and seats, to lend unconditional support to him. "We want to go with the ARD and MMA. We also want to put up a joint candidate for prime minister. We also have tremendous regards for Maulana Fazal. But his candidacy should not be forced upon the PPP," the sources said. Without saying it directly but leaving least doubt that the party would like to see Makhdoom Amin Fahim in the Prime Minister's House, the sources added: "We have to bring to the fore a candidate who is acceptable to all provinces. We want a liberal, democratic and tolerant government at the centre." The sources indicated that instead of sitting in the opposition, the PPP would prefer to form government to be able to solve problems faced by the people, give jobs to those retrenched by the present government and, above all, to achieve for the country its due status in the comity of nations. Asked how would an ARD-MMA government be able to co-exist with General Pervez Musharraf when parties in the two alliances did not recognise him as president and did not accept the Legal Framework Order, the sources said the PPP wanted to break the deadlock. It wanted the new assembly to function. The sources said that at a time when the country was in the process of transition from military to civilian rule, political forces should be flexible in their attitude. The government and political parties should adopt a 'give-and-take' approach to break the deadlock. They said that since Gen. Musharraf had held the elections according to his commitment, the military should be given an exit route. If political forces remained inflexible, it will be difficult to rule out the possibility of a head-on collision with the military. Such a situation, the sources said, would be in nobody's interest. PML
(N)'s stand: He warned that a government which accepted the constitutional amendments made during the past three years and the presidency of Gen. Musharraf would be no more than a stooge of the general. Mr Farooq stressed the need for eradication of corruption from all government departments in general and defence in particular. He said the country could not afford corruption in defence deals which had a direct bearing on the military strength. He demanded removal of corrupt elements from the armed forces and their open trial. In a related development, the PML (N) has decided to contact each and every parliamentary group committed to the supremacy of parliament and constitution to prevent the military government from interfering in the process of government formation. The party has called upon the Chief Election Commissioner to take steps to ensure presence of its acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in the opening session of the National Assembly. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Musharraf has'legal cover', says court From our correspondent LAHORE - A Lahore High Court has ruled that General Pervez Musharraf has the legal cover and he cannot be tried for any action taken by him as the president of Pakistan. Hearing a petition against the Legal Framework Order (constitutional amendments), Justice Saeed Akhtar said the court could not take any action against General Musharraf as far as actions taken by him as president were concerned. However, the judge said, the court could hear petitions filed against an action taken by him as chief executive and army chief. The petitioner had argued that the general could be tried for contempt of court for exceeding the timeframe given by the Supreme Court in the Zafar Ali Shah and Waseem Sajjad cases. Justice Akhtar asked the deputy attorney general of Pakistan to explain how an individual was empowered to make changes in the constitution and how only he was deemed t have authority to validate such amendments? The judge also dismissed a plea that the Chief Election Commissioner, Justice Irshad Hassan Khan, be tried for his role in the alleged rigging of the October 10 elections. The court also questioned the purpose behind formation of a consultative body, the National Security Council, especially when the president and the prime minister were already entitled to convene meetings with the army chief and other officials. The state lawyer argued that the NSC would not hinder parliament's work. The deputy attorney-general defended the reinstatement of Article 58(2)-B in the constitution. He informed the court that the first session of the National Assembly would be held on November 8 while the Senate would meet four days later. He said that parliament would be the 'right political forum' to debate the LFO and amend it if necessary. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Zardari senior allowed to go abroad From our correspondent KARACHI - A Sindh High Court bench allowed Mr Hakim Zardari, father-in-law of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, to go abroad for medical treatment. The court issued the order on a petition filed by Mr Zardari through his lawyer Farooq Naik seeking permission to go abroad for hip surgery. The division bench comprising Mr Justice Shabbir Ahmed and Mr Justice Mohammad Sadiq Leghari heard the plea which was not opposed by Deputy Advocate General Zakir Mohammad. When asked by the court if any default case was pending against him, Mr Zardari replied that one case involving an amount of Rs350,000 was before a banking tribunal. The bench asked the trial court to hand over to Mr Zardari his passport to enable him to travel abroad. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Govt decision on Lowari Tunnel 'firm and final' From our correspondent PESHAWAR - The NWFP Governor, Lt- General (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said that the government's decision to build the Lowari Tunnel is firm and final, adding that President Pervez Musharraf had issued a clear directive about the project. "There will be no delay in launching the project once technical issues have been sorted out," the governor said while talking to an eight-member delegation, headed by the newly elected member of the National Assembly from Chitral, Maulana Abdul Akbar. General Iftikhar Shah said the federal government had taken the responsibility of the Lowari Tunnel project. However, the provincial government had decided to restore the Nowshera-Chakdara-Dir road from its own resources and to also extend the project up to Chitral, after completion of the tunnel. The road, the governor said, would now be called Nowshera-Chakdara-Chitral road and its phase-wise restoration and rebuilding had already started from Mardan up to Sher Garh. Its next phase, from Sher Garh to Dargai, would be launched soon. Similarly, the road's portion, from Chakdara onwards, had also been approved it was in the designing stage. Regarding hydel-power generation, the governor said that the NWFP, especially its northern districts, had immense potentials of hydel power and if properly exploited its water resources could generate as much as 4000mw power. ------------------------------------------------------------------ MQM goes through worst internal crisis in years From Sarfaraz Ahmad KARACHI- Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), one of the main political parties of urban Sindh, is perhaps facing its worst internal crisis since its emergence in the 80s with its chief publicly criticising the performance of the Pakistan-based leadership of the party. That there were serious problems in the party was known for the first time on Sunday night when Altaf Hussain criticised the performance of members of the coordination committee in handling matters related to general elections and summoned the front-line leaders to London, leaving on hold their contacts with various political parties for the formation of a government at the centre and in Sindh. The leaders, including Dr Farooq Sattar, left for London on Monday. Workers, supporters and sympathisers of the party in Karachi and other strongholds in the province were stunned that their leaders had gone out of the country when hardly a few days were left in the first session of the National Assembly and the party had not yet decided whether its elected legislators would join a coalition government or sit in the opposition, both at the centre and in Sindh. Mr Hussain had earlier announced that he had decided to return to Pakistan, regardless of consequences, and later postponed a final decision in this regard till tomorrow. He criticised the performance of a top MQM leader and, according to a newspaper report, said that he would announce a new party set-up on the eve of the first session of the new National Assembly. In a telephone address to workers gathered at the party's headquarters in Karachi he also expressed reservations about the 'intense desire' of some MQM leaders to be part of a coalition government in Sindh. According to party insiders, he mentioned the names of four MQM leaders whom he considered to be particularly loyal to the party. "I don't need an army of people to run the party," he is reported to have said angrily. It is said that Mr Hussain plans to announce a new committee to run the party in an address on Friday evening, although the National Assembly will be meeting in the morning that day. Therefore, it is still not clear if MQM's legislators will attend the NA session and take oath. One major surprise was Mr Hussain's severe criticism of the convenor of the MQM's coordination committee, Dr Imran Farooq, and the performance of some senior members of the committee. He is also reported to have alleged that some members of the committee were serving others' interests. His criticism was apparently based on a feedback from the rank and file, with dedicate MQM workers alleging that opportunists and people loyal to others'interests had taken over 'Nine-Zero', the party headquarters in Karachi, and they were not interested in listening to or addressing problems of the people. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Report about Bin Laden's son denied ISLAMABAD
- Pakistan yesterday denied a weekend report that Iran had handed
its authorities a son of Al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden. "It's
not correct. That's all there is to say," Brigadier Javed
Cheema told AFP. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Govt-Tamil rebel talks expected to be a success COLOMBO
- Set apart from previous attempts at a political solution to
Sri Lanka's protracted ethnic conflict, the current peace process,
with two sessions of Thai peace talks concluded, has all the hallmarks
of a successful end. The best gauge of the LTTE's bona fides came from a Buddhist chief prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter in central Kandy who has been highly critical of the Tigers' motives in the past. Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkita Mahanayake Thera on Monday said the latest developments indicated that the LTTE had realised the futility of war and separatism, and was now committed to peace with some autonomy within a unitary state. Bombarded from all sides, the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has remained on course despite attempts by opposition parties and at times the Tamil rebels to test its strength and endurance. The indefatigable Norwegian facilitators have been steadily steering the process and remained 'cautiously optimistic' throughout. Confidence building measures also aimed at restoring normalcy in the former war zones were spelt out in a February ceasefire agreement that is being monitored by Scandinavians. Joint statements on agreements reached have been announced at the end of two sessions of structured talks between the parties with the Norwegians in the Chair. "The follow up by the Norwegians is incredible. The parties are constantly spurred into a forward thrust and unable to wade back," said a Western diplomat. On five previous occasions, the LTTE and Lankan governments talked without a third party, only to end up blaming each other for the failure at talks, that each time brought a fresh round of fighting. The influential Buddhist clergy and the chief opposition party have in the past blocked the peace moves of successive governments and even abrogated agreements reached between leaders of the Sinhalese and Tamil communities. The 1965 Dudley-Chelvanayagam Pact and the 1957 Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact are cases in point where Sinhala leaders from two rival political parties backed out in the face of opposition. The chief opposition People's Alliance initially challenged the incumbent government to promptly begin negotiations when there was an undue delay by the two parties to commence talks. After the dates for the talks were fixed, realising that the two parties planned to skirt contentious issues, the PA demanded that such issues be taken up. The LTTE this week agreed to discuss such contentious issues and volunteered to look at foreign models and focus on 'federal and confederate systems' as possible solutions. This position is a clear follow up to its announcement at the opening session that it was dropping its three-decade long demand for a separate state. The first announcement was received with scepticism by some media analysts and political commentators. The two sides agreed last week to appoint a Sub-Committee on Political Matters to jointly study constitutional and other issues to find a political solution. Ven. Buddharakkita pledged to the Government chief negotiator Prof. G.L.Peiris that he would give his guidance, support and blessings for the peace process, hoping it would lead to ethnic harmony, economic development and prosperity for all. For the first time, he extended his blessings to the LTTE which bombed the Buddhist shrine the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy that houses the tooth relic of the Buddha. The bombing prompted the then PA government to ban the Tigers in 1998 only to be de-proscribed by the new administration in September before talks. The major breakthrough during the talks however came when the LTTE announced it was willing to enter the democratic mainstream that it eschewed for more than three decades. A diplomat from South Asia said this was the biggest singular achievement in the peace process so far. He predicted the LTTE would initially sweep the polls if elections were held in the North and East but would be strongly contested at the next round. "The best way to tempt a former militant group is to allow it a field day at the ballot. After years in the democratic mainstream, it would be difficult for the LTTE to return to the bullet," said the South Asian diplomat. Analysts also commended the LTTE's softened stance towards the minority Muslims, saying it was vital for security in the East described by political commentators as a volcano waiting to erupt. At last week's talks, several measures were agreed upon between LTTE's Colonel V. Karuna and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader Rauf Hakeem along with top military figures from the government to improve the security situation in the Eastern province. A sub-committee on de-escalation and normalisation to facilitate the resettlement of internally displaced persons in the North and East was also agreed upon. In another gesture of goodwill to the Muslims, the eastern military leader Karuna undertook to return lands belonging to the Muslims within two months. A sub-committee on immediate humanitarian and rehabilitation needs to improve the living conditions of all communities in the North and East was also agreed on. A joint appeal by the government, LTTE and Norwegians for international support for humanitarian and rehabilitation needs of the war-ravaged regions is to be made at a pledging conference in Oslo later this month. Norway will also play host for the next round of talks scheduled for the first week of December when the United National Front government completes a year in office. The UNF was elected on a pledge to settle the ethnic conflict and has upto now made some headway. But, its other promise to kickstart the economy that had recorded a negative growth during the earlier regime is yet to be realised even as the government unveils its second budget today. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangladesh movie for Oscar DHAKA
- A Bangladeshi film which has won two international awards despite
being initially banned by the Bangladesh government, has been
submitted for Oscar nomination by the local film industry, a spokesman
said yesterday. A censored version of the movie premiered here two weeks ago after finally being cleared by government censors, who had initially banned it outright on grounds it could "hurt the religious sentiment of one section of society." The film, which portrays life in a madrassa, won the Director's Award at the Cannes Film Festival and last month the Best Screenplay Award at the Marakesh Film Festival in Morocco. The film is directed by Tareque Masud and produced by his wife Catherine Masud. - AFP ----------------------------------------------------------------- World Bank warns Bangla govt against rights abuses DHAKA
- The World Bank, a major partner of Bangladesh, warned the government
yesterday not to violate human rights during its nearly three-week
army operation against crime. "While it is important to establish the legal basis for army involvement and to maintain human rights, sight should not be lost of the urgency of police reform as a priority component of any longer-term governance improvement strategy," he said. Temple warned of "political interference" in the work of police, who he said were underpaid and vulnerable to reprisals. The World Bank approved $321 million in low-interest credits for projects in Bangladesh during the fiscal year 2002. The United States said October 30 that it had seen credible reports of rights abuses in the crackdown and urged Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to wind down the operation quickly. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ UP governor seeks police action report From S. Anand Raj Our UP correspondent LUCKNOW - Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri, who is keeping a close watch on police action against MLAs who have withdrawn support to the coalition government in Uttar Pradesh, has reportedly sought daily report from the police about political arrests in the state. Highly-placed sources said that the governor had expressed displeasure to the police top brass about non-availability of information in this regard. Police officers have so far been briefing Chief Minister Mayawati on the issue. The governor took note of this after the arrests of two independent MLAs, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya from Kunda in Pratapgarh district, and Dhananjay Singh from Rari in Jaunpur district early on Sunday morning on a complaint lodged by Puran Singh Bundela, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Mehrauna in Lalitpur district. After his arrest, Raja Bhaiyya told mediapersons at the police station that he had already given a written memorandum to the governor expressing apprehensions that he could be arrested in false cases for opposing the state government. The arrests have even surprised several senior police officers as they came to know about them quite late. They have got busy preparing a report about last week's developments to be forwarded to the governor. The governor's directive assumes significance keeping in view of reported police plan to arrest more MLAs. Meanwhile, Raja Bhaiyya and Dhananjay Singh who will be in judicial custody till November 8, were shifted to Fatehgarh jail yesterday. However, police sources said that they would be separated after judicial custody and, while Raja Bhaiyya would likely be lodged in Lalitpur jail, Dhananjay Singh would remain in Fatehgarh jail. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Funds crunch hits Mumbai's phones From Nithin Belle Our correspondent MUMBAI - Even as India's commercial capital readies for a new era in telecommunications - with eight-digit telephone numbers becoming operational from the next month - much of Mantralaya, the headquarters of the state government, has been cut-off from the rest of the world, because its ancient telephone system has finally given way. Mumbai's telephone network is being upgraded to an eight-digit one, as the existing seven-digit system - which can provide only up to nine million lines - has proved inadequate. But at Mantralaya, where the entire political and bureaucratic leadership from the chief minister and the chief secretary downward, has its offices, the 15-year-old system has crashed. And the state government has no funds to replace the system, which has nearly 1,200 extensions. According to government sources, a new telecommunications system for Mantralaya would cost less than Rs15 million, but the cash-strapped government has delayed replacement. Of course, direct phones to ministers and secretaries continue to function, as do their mobile phones, but board lines have become non-operational. Efforts have been made to salvage the old system, but sources in the government say these are only temporary measures. The Maharashtra government is facing a major financial crisis, with most of the state-owned corporations reporting hefty losses. Delays in servicing borrowings by state-owned corporations have resulted in downgrading of its credit rating by a leading domestic agency. The World Bank, a major financier of projects in the state, has also called for reforms to improve government finances. But the Democratic Front government is unable to push ahead with reforms, because of the refusal of some of the smaller parties. The state is facing an acute energy crisis, with power cuts ranging from three to 18 hours being reported in most parts. Even parts of Mumbai have started facing power cuts. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Transport operators threaten strike From Nithin Belle Our correspondent MUMBAI - Transport operators in Maharashtra have once again threatened to launch an indefinite strike in protest against the state government's move to cancel the registration of all commercial vehicles that are over 15 years old, from March 1. Transporters here plan to meet Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Friday, to persuade him to convince the Bombay High Court not to insist on the March 1 deadline for cancellation of registration of old vehicles. The government had earlier assured the transporters that it would file an affidavit in the high court relating to the non-availability of CNG (compressed natural gas) and CNG kits for old vehicles. However, the affidavit has still not been filed, and over 100,000 vehicles in Mumbai could be deregistered from March 1. The court has taken a strong view against the polluting vehicles, and has ordered the state government to cancel the registration of commercial vehicles that are 15 years old, and have not switched over to CNG. Operators of trucks, tempos, buses and tankers - who have an apex association - point out that taxis and autorickshaws in Mumbai are facing a lot of problems because of the non-availability of CNG. In fact, many taxi- and autorickshaw drivers have to spend hours at fuel stations, waiting for their turn to get the CNG cylinders. The Maharashtra government has promised to provide space for CNG outlets, but demand for gas is huge and there are not enough retail outlets marketing the CNG cylinders. The high court has been extending the deadline after the government appealed for more time to create a better CNG infrastructure. Environmentalists had filed a case in the high court, demanding the cancellation of registration of all old commercial vehicles, because of the pollution caused by them. The Delhi High Court and even the Supreme Court have issued orders in the past, canceling the registration of old vehicles. Environmentalists fear that because of official inaction - in increasing the number of CNG outlets, or giving approval to CNG kits - the government will merely get the deadline extended further. Transporters in Maharashtra comprise a powerful lobby, and the state government has in the past succumbed to their pressures, citing fears of shortage of essential commodities. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Chinese crackers blaze a trail in AP From Omer Farooq Our correspondent HYDERABAD - Deepavali, the festival of light, had more sparkle and comparatively less noise as Chinese crackers marked their entry into the Hyderabad market this year. However, last month's fire tragedy, in which 13 people died when a fire in a crackers warehouse set a four storeyed building on fire, cast its dark shadow on the festival. The night sky in Hyderabad witnessed a burst of colourful lights as 'Made in China' crackers, with their unique style of fireworks won praise from people. Though there was the usual deafening burst of crackers, including what is locally called 'bombs', what caught the attention of the people were the shining blue, red and white fireworks in the sky, going up from various directions. The most popular this time was the new rocket priced at Rs1,500 which, once shown the spark, sends repeated fire balls and beautiful flares in the sky uninterruptedly for 15 minutes. Local cracker manufacturers and sellers admitted that the entry of cheaper Chinese crackers was a major challenge for them and they will have to improve their quality and be competitive to meet this challenge. But the festival brought little cheers for the retail crackers sellers who were not allowed to set up their roadside stalls in the residential areas in view of the tragedy in Begumbazar. After the fire in the warehouse of the Shanti Fire Works and at another cracker making factory, the Hyderabad city police commissioner ordered the closure and shifting of all crackers stores from the thickly populated and congested residential and commercial areas. In the absence of street corner shops, major crackers shops set up in open areas did more business. One o the main shops reported a business of Rs7 million on a single day yesterday. Despite police restrictions on bursting crackers on roads and public places, the busy commercial areas including Abids had a lot of resounding cracker bursting till late into the night. At least 20 incidents of fire were reported from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad due to the bursting of crackers. Twenty-five people were injured in different incidents, six of whom were admitted to Osmania Hospital. A timber depot in Darussalam area, a shop in Laad Bazar and a part of Padmalaya film studios caught fire when the burning crackers fell on them. The fire tenders, put on high alert, were pressed into service to put out the fire. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Indian wheat to be made into biscuits for Afghan children NEW
DELHI - Some 40,000 tonnes of Indian wheat, part of a total donation
of one million tonnes, is to be made into biscuits to feed children
in war-devastated Afghanistan, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP)
said on Tuesday. The biscuits are to be distributed to Afghan
children under a local school feeding programme, WFP executive
director James Morris said in a statement. The biscuits will be made by three bakeries in India and WFP plans to distribute them to one million school children in rural Afghanistan, the statement said. The school feeding programme will be fully operational by March, it said. In addition to the one million tonnes of wheat, the Indian government also pledged 15,000 tonnes of rice to WFP. India, along with Iran and Russia, backed Afghanistan's Northern Alliance against the hardline Taliban regime, which until the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States was allied with India's foe Pakistan. Since the Taliban were routed late last year, India has offered to help develop infrastructure, civil aviation, transport, industry, health facilities, educational institutions and agriculture. Last year, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced a 100-million-dollar grant towards the reconstruction of Afghanistan. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Bhutto delays opposition deal to back cleric for PM ISLAMABAD
- Ex-premier Benazir Bhutto's party on Tuesday was holding up
a joint opposition deal to back an Islamic cleric as Pakistan's
future prime minister, demanding an agreement with fundamentalist
Islamic parties beforeentering what many regard as an unholy alliance. "Obviously there's the question of the constitutional amendments to be ironed out, then our own position vis-a-vis our manifesto. We would be supporting them on an issue-to-issue basis and would vote accordingly." PPP was the main seat winner in the October 10 elections among the opposition parties grouped under the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), which has struck an in-principle deal to back MMA to lead the government and throw out constitutional amendments by President Pervez Musharraf. Such a deal would clear the way for anti-Musharraf parties to control the first civilian government after three years of military rule by Musharraf, the army chief who seized power in a 1999 coup, and undo the major amendments. The ARD alliance and MMA both opppose key controversial amendments, including presidential powers to sack the elected government and establish civilian-military National Security Council with powers to oversee the government. But the liberal secular PPP has stalled over the deal with its ideological opposites in the MMA, while its key ARD partner the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) openly declared its support for Rehman on Monday. Rabbani said that while PPP was considering throwing its weight behind MMA to lead the government, the party would not sit in the government with them. "Our principal position is that we will not be going into government, not taking any ministerial positions," Rabbani said. ARD chief Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan has said the ARD would support MMA's prime ministerial candidate, hardline cleric Maulana Fazlur Rehman -- known for his fiery speeches in support of Afghanistan's Taliban regime late last year. Khan told a press conference late Monday that the ARD was only waiting on Bhutto's approval before formally declaring an ARD-MMA alliance with Rehman as prime ministerial candidate. However the ARD had been unable to contact Bhutto as she was travelling from the United States to London, where she lives in self-imposed exile, Khan said. Rabbani attributed the delay in firming the deal to "protracted and complicated negotiations." "Basically there are a great deal of ideological differences between the PPP and MMA, so those issues need to be thrashed out." The PPP was also demanding an end to "the political victimisation and witchhunt" against Bhutto and her jailed husband, former senator Asif Ali Zardari. Both are facing a series of corruption charges, and Zardari has been in jail since 1996. The MMA meanwhile was reserving its decision on whether to sign an agreement with the PPP. "It depends on how many issues they want to talk about. It's too early to say,"MMA spokesman Shahid Shamsi told AFP. The 342-seat national assembly was due to convene Friday. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Pakistan quake toll hits 12, thousands homeless ISLAMABAD
- Relief workers were struggling to assist the injured and homeless
in northern Pakistan's Karakoram mountains on Tuesday following
weekend earthquakes that have left at least 12 dead and up to
5,000 homeless, officials said. "Relief operations are gaining
momentum despite many problems," Saulad Raza from the military's
Inter-Services Public Relations office told AFP. Raza said 12 people were confirmed dead and up to 5,000 displaced, although the remoteness of the affected villages was hindering efforts to compile a tally quickly. "But the relief agencies are there, the army are there, so it's likely that we would soon be in a position to give some specific answers," he said. "People are working round the clock." Four helicopters were dropping blankets, tents, and other foodstuffs and also evacuating people, Raza said. Jahangir Khan, joint secretary of the Kashmir affairs department, warned that the death toll was likely to rise. "There might be some places the rescuers have not reached but they are continuing to survey the area. The death toll may unfortunately rise because they have not been able to go into the rubble of the houses," he said. Around 700 people had already been shifted by helicopter to safer places, he said, while delivering drinking water and blankets to people were now the main priorities of rescue workers. "The temperatures at night have touched zero. Many people whose houses have been destroyed have been shifted, but people are still up there and they're out in the open," Khan said. Nine trucks carrying emergency supplies were due to arrive from Islamabad later Tuesday, and more were being sent, Khan said, adding his department was holding a meeting with non-governmental organisations Tuesday to coordinate efforts. Landslides prompted by ongoing minor tremors were hindering rescuers and causing the blockage of the strategic Karakoram Highway, which links Pakistan and China. "The road is still closed. We keep on clearing it but the landslides keep coming so it's a continuing effort," Khan told AFP. Salahuddin Malik from Peshawar's seismological department said the frequency of the aftershocks and tremors had settled down. "There was only one remarkable shock today in the area," he said. Gilgit is a once-popular tourist gateway to glaciers and the famed Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi peaks. It lies 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of the capital Islamabad. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ BJP slams Mufti Sayeed's proposed reforms MADRAS,
India - The head of India's ruling Hindu nationalist party on
Tuesday denounced the reformist agenda of troubled Kashmir's new
leader, who wants to disband the counter-insurgency police and
free political prisoners. Venkaiah Naidu, president of Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee's BJP party, said Kashmir's new chief minister
Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's proposed reforms were "not in the
interest of the nation or thepeople." Sayeed, a former Indian home minister, was sworn in Saturday as chief minister and immediately promised to deliver a "healing touch" to India's sole Muslim-majority state by freeing prisoners and probing human rights abuses by security forces. Sayeed heads the provincial People's Democratic Party,which is in a coalition with India's main opposition Congress. In a violence-plagued four-round election that closed October 8, the two parties together swept out of power the National Conference, which had taken a more hawkish line on Kashmir's insurgency and whose legislators in New Delhi are allied with the BJP. Sayeed vowed Sunday to give a "new image" to security forces and get rid of the Special Operations Group, which is dreaded by many Kashmiri Muslims for alleged human rights abuses. But BJP leader Naidu said disbanding the counter-insurgency police would "demoralise the state and put its people in jeopardy." Sayeed has also said he will free political prisoners. Three of the seven executive members of Kashmir's main separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, are in jail. The chief minister has said he will not implement the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which was rammed through the Indian parliament in a special March 26 session over objections of the Congress party. Critics say the act, which gives authorities more leeway to detain and eavesdrop on suspects, has been used disproportionately against non-Hindus. Kashmir is in the throes of an insurgency against Indian rule that has claimed more than 37,500 lives since 1989. Separatists put the death toll twice as high. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ One dead, 14 injured in Bihar train crash PATNA,
India - One person was killed and 14 injured, three seriously,
when two passenger trains collided on Tuesday in the eastern Indian
state of Bihar, police said. A police spokesman said the Gwalior-Barauni
Express rammed into the Amritsar-Barauni train at about 8.00 am
(0230 GMT) in Chapra, Purnia district, derailing a coach. "We have to see whether it was caused by engine failure, or signal failure or the fault of the driver," Kumar told reporters. "In any case, something like this should not have happened and we will take action against anyone found guilty." In September, 120 people were killed when a high-speed luxury passenger train veered off the tracks in Bihar as it was traveling around 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour. Part of the train fell into the swollen Dhabi river. With a staff of 1.6 million people, Indian Railways claims to be the world's biggest employer. It is saddled with a bloated bureaucracy and lacks the resources to increase capacity on busy routes. - AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------ At least two dead, 14 injured as Maoist rebels attack bus in Nepal KATHMANDU
- At least two people were killed and 14 injured when Maoist rebels
firebombed a bus in southeastern Nepal, police said on Tuesday.
The driver lost control of the vehicle, which left the highway
and caught fire, a police spokesman said. Local news reports Tuesday, meanwhile, said rebels had torched at least 24 village development committee offices in western Gulmi district since Saturday. The rebels have been fighting for a communist republic in Nepal since 1996 and the uprising has so far claimed more than 7,000 lives. - AFP
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