In an interview to a German magazine "Der Spiegel" to be published on Sunday, Musharraf made the startling comment that if the pressure on Pakistan becomes too great then "as a last resort, the atom bomb is also possible", says a report in the Guardian.

He blamed India for harboring a "superpower obsession" and "energetically arming itself". Both states tested nuclear weapons in 1998, the first time Pakistan admitted its nuclear capability.

Musharraf's words about nuclear weapons are likely to cause consternation in New Delhi. Since mid-December the two countries have remained on a full military alert with thousands of troops deployed along their borders and diplomatic ties cut to a minimum.

In the run-up since the attack on the Indian Parliament, which New Delhi blames militants based in Pakistan, Washington has applied heavy pressure on India to stop its military from launching punitive strikes against Pakistan in retaliation.

Then in a groundbreaking speech in January, Gen Musharraf appeared to appease India by pledging to curb Islamic militancy and to promote a moderate state. In recent days, however, his tone has shifted dramatically.

In another interview earlier this week with The Hindu newspaper, the general said that the military situation on the border was "extremely explosive". With unusually frank language he warned the Indians not to treat his nation "as if we are some kind of scum, a very weak country which cannot handle itself".

"We don't crawl," he said. "We're not going to crawl."

The general's unusually aggressive comments came as he announced plans to hold a referendum in the first week of May to confirm his presidency for the next five years.

"I want the people of Pakistan to tell me if I am required. I need your strength," the general said.

After outlining the actions his regime has taken since the coup in October 1999 the general made it clear that he would remain in overall charge of the country, despite the elections planned for October. The constitution would be amended to support his plans.

"I must carry on leading this country," he told Der Spiegel.

"I am not power hungry but I do not believe in power sharing... I believe in unity of command. There has to be one authority for good government."

He said whoever was elected prime minister in the October polls would have their own powers but would "not dare" change the policies which Gen Musharraf himself began. "There will be authority to govern but to govern well." (ANI)

Seven people got injured in the clashes.

"After day's work around 10 pm we were sitting at home and having dinner. All of a sudden we heard some people shouting. We started running and heard a loud explosion caused by a bomb. We went there to see when all of a sudden some people started hurling stones, petrol bombs at us. They also started firing at us," said Girish, a resident.

Ahmedabad bore the brunt of the wave of religious mayhem which swept through the state after a train carrying Hindu activists was torched, killing 59 people in late February.

Curfew has been clamped in 30 areas in the state which bore the country's worst religious bloodshed in a decade.

Sporadic violence has continued even after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee made an anguished plea during his visit to the state on Thursday to end the bloodletting and "stop the poison of religious violence."

Official estimates put the death toll at 825, mostly Muslims, but non-government groups say it could be more than 2,000.

Opposition groups have demanded that Vajpayee sack the state's chief minister, Narendra Modi, to restore trust among Muslims.

Modi has been accused by critics of turning a blind eye to the bloodletting when it was at its peak and not doing enough to control the mayhem. Modi has denied the accusations.

India's human rights watch dog, the National Human Rights Commission, has faulted Modi's government for "a serious failure of intelligence."(ANI)

"We are facing a lot of problems today. Bus conductors are not stopping the buses. They are angry and abusive. We have been left behind by buses and so we are getting late for school," said Riya, a school student.

Office-goers complained that the strike by the bus operators had taken them by surprise, giving them no time to make alternative arrangements.

Manoj Srivastava, a resident of Patparganj who goes to office by bus, said, "I have been standing here since eight in the morning for a bus. We are having lots of problems. What the transport authority of India has done is wrong."v

With several schools and government and public sector offices closed for the weekend, the situation was a bit under control.

However, it is yet to be seen how the city government, which has assured that it will handle the situation, will cope on Monday with offices and schools reopening after the weekend break.

Delhi Transport Minister Ajay Maken claimed that the government has 6,500 CNG buses at its disposal and every attempt would be made to ensure that commuters were not put to much discomfort.

Meanwhile, the bus drivers said they sympathied with the people but had to go on strike as the government has left no other option for them.

The bus operators also expressed their dissatisfaction as the court's decision had come at a time when adequate CNG gas was not available at gas stations.

The Supreme Court ordered pollution-belching buses, three-wheeler scooters and taxis to switch to compressed natural gas (CNG) last March.

According to the court's directive, the bus operators will have to pay a fine of Rs 1,000 a day if they continue to ply their diesel buses from Saturday onwards. (ANI)

Mahajan was speaking at a luncheon meeting of investors and top officials of major corporations at the New York Stock Exchange. Besides, he said, the economy had highly skilled workforce, cost- effective and the government was supportive of induction of fresh capital.

"The administration's attitude has completely changed and now it has metamorphosed into a facilitator from a regulator. That itself should encourage them invest in India", the minister added.

Top Indian and American company executives interacted at the day- long session.(ANI)

The airport would be situated around 35 km from Gangtok. Speaking on the occasion, Krishan Kant said the airport will be a valuable asset not only for the state but for the entire region.

Sikkim Governor Kedarnath Sahani said the foundation stone of the airport would encourage for development in the state.

Terming the function as "historic", Chief Minister Pawan Chamling said he had asked the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to construct the airport six months ahead of the scheduled.

He said the 11th Finance Commission had sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the airport but the government needed almost double the money to complete it. "I would request the Centre to help us in this regard", he added.

The airport was a long-standing demand of the region for boosting travel and tourism, besides the all-round development of the state.

At present the people of Sikkim use Bagdogra airport in West Bengal for their travel. (ANI)

They told The News that the opposition could have four options:

First, the opposition parties may boycott the referendum. The component parties of the ARD, especially the PPP and PML-N, may ask the voters to keep away from the polling stations. The boycott of the referendum may send a message to the world that Musharraf does not have popular support.v

Secondly, they may declare the 'Referendum Day' as 'Protest Day' and hold rallies, processions and public meetings condemning the referendum. Thirdly, they may mobilise the electorate to answer with "NO" or create a situation where voters keep away from the polling stations.

Lastly, they may call on their men in local government not to support the referendum. However, they said, all these options were not good enough to force Musharraf to change his mind.

Political observers are of the view that since the people are fed up with the policies of the political governments they want change. Most of the people think that Musharraf has improved economy, law and order, besides freeing the country from coercive tactics of Jehadi forces.

Therefore, the silent majority, dissatisfied with the political leadership, would support Musharraf.

Once Musharraf is given the mandate to continue as president, he would be in a stronger position to ensure continuity of his policies in future and would like to have positive and constructive negotiations with political parties, said political pundits.

A PPP spokesman has quoted the Constitution as saying that the federal and provincial legislatures only can elect the President. It is illegal, unconstitutional and immoral therefore for the general to declare himself president through the referendum.

He said, "As for the general's claim that law and order had improved, or there was inter-provincial harmony or the country had been taken out of the debt trap or the accountability was swift and across the board, everyone knows the dismal performance of the regime."

On the face of the regime's hopeless performance in all these areas it takes quite some gall to claim credit for improvement," he added. As for the debt, he said the regime has committed the unborn generations to monumental debts by deferring the re- payments it was supposed to make now and shifting the burden to future generations. As for the law and order, he said the bloodshed and mayhem on the streets and in the places of worship makes a mockery of the regime's claim.

"The inter-provincial disharmony was never so acute as it is today. And the regime continues to use accountability for the advancement of its political agenda on the one hand and protecting the corrupt within the regime and among the generals on the other."

He said the general spoke about the loss to national exchequer due to corruption in autonomous corporations of the state but chose not to say a word about astronomical losses due to pilferage and corruption in defence purchases.

"For once the general was right when he admitted, even though unwittingly, that in the field of employment his government had done what no other government in the past had done. No other past government indeed had thrown out tens of thousands of employees from civil departments and filled the vacancies with military men," he said.

PML-N leaders said the general had no right to oust Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto from politics. Both of them represented the masses and only people had the right to decide their political fate.

PML-N General Secretary Khawaja Saad Rafiq dared Musharraf to face Nawaz Sharif in a free and fair political environment and then see his popularity.

Jamaat-i-Islami Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad said the Musharraf's address to the nation on Friday was an effort by a guilty conscience to cover up the sense of guilt, in which he wasted precious time of the nation.

Qazi said Musharraf has been blinded by unbridled desire to hold power, but the fact is that he is ignorant of his surroundings. (ANI)