Home   Contact Us                                                                                Dateline New Delhi, Friday, Dec 5, 2003

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Ash, Chi Chi to grace Pak polo event (Go To Top)

          Lahore, Dec 5: Indian film stars Aishwarya Rai and Govinda will arrive here on Saturday to attend the opening ceremony of a polo tournament at the Royal Palm Country Club. According to the Daily Times, two other unnamed Indian actresses will also be present at the function, which will be followed by a dinner hosted in their honour by Lt. General (retired) Khalid Maqbool, the Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province. About 300 guests have been invited to the dinner. The polo tournament begins on Sunday and will feature teams from India, Singapore, Iran, Australia and hosts Pakistan. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is likely to attend the inaugural ceremony.

Raman Singh, not Judeo, BJP CM for Chhattisgarh (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI, Dec 5: Following the landslide victory in the Assembly elections in the northern heartland, the BJP has named their chief ministers. While state party president Raman Singh will take the oath of office in Chhattisgarh on Sunday, Uma Bharati and Vasundhara Raje Scindia will be sworn in as Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan chief ministers, respectively, on Monday. Raman Singh, a Lok Sabha member, has already been elected leader by the legislative party at the state capirtal, Raipur, instead of the scam-tainted Raja of Jashpur Dilip Singh Judeo. He replaces Ajit Jogi of the Congress. In Bhopal, Digvijay Singh has resigned after the Congress rout, making way for Uma Bharati. In Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje will be formally elected leader of the slegislative party today. Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has convened a CWC meeting for Sunday to review the debacle at the hustings. The focus of all ire will be Ambika Soni, general secretary in charge of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the party suffered heavily .

India, Pak must continue to reduce tensions: White House (Go To Top)

          Washington, Dec 5: India and Pakistan should continue to work towards reducing their tensions to ensure a more peaceful South Asia, the White House said on Thursday. Welcoming the confidence-building steps taken by both India and Pakistan, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters that it was important for both countries to continue in this vein. "We're very well aware of what's going on in the region between India and Pakistan, and we welcome the steps that are taken to reduce tension in the region," Online News quoted McClellan as saying. "It's important for the parties to continue working together to reduce those tensions. So we welcome efforts (to reduce tensions)," he added. Last week, India and Pakistan announced a cease-fire along the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir. On Monday, they agreed to restore direct civil aviation links, suspended after the December 13, 2001, attack on the Indian Parliament.

10 PoK militant offices sealed (Go To Top)

          Muzafffarabad, Dec 5: In a major crackdown, authorities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have sealed at least 10 offices of two outlawed militant groups. Sources said that police had shut down nine offices of the Khuddamul Islam and one office of the Jamiatul Ansar. Last month, the Islami Tehreek Pakistan, Millat-i-Islamia Pakistan, Khuddamul Islam, Jamaatul Furqan, Jamiatul Ansar and Hizbul Tahreer were banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Another group, Jamaatul Dawa, was placed under observation under the same act. According to a report in the Dawn, this action has been taken on the orders of the interior ministry.

          The paper quoted an unnamed official as saying that one office of Jamiatul Ansar and three offices of Khuddamul Islam were sealed in Samahni, while one office of Khuddamul Islam was also sealed in Barnala on Thursday. In Mirpur district, two Khuddamul Islam offices were sealed in the towns of Mirpur and Dadyal, whereas in Kotli, the office-cum- residence of the same group in Chowk-i-Shaheedan was sealed on Wednesday. Police in Muzaffarabad told the newspaper that two offices of the Khuddamul Islam were sealed in Chehla Bandi and Sangri Mera localities of the town. Khuddamul Islam and Jamiatul Ansar were previously functioning as the Jaish-i-Mohammad and Harkatul Mujahideen, both blamed by India for a number of deadly attacks against its military installations.

LoC cease-fire brings solace for separated relatives (Go To Top)

          Karin (POK), Dec 5: The unthinkable seems to be happening in Karin, a small Kashmiri village divided by the icy waters of the Neelum River. Its inhabitants separated by years of conflict between India and Pakistan are flocking to the river's banks to catch a glimpse of their kith and kin living on the other side. The "reunion" of the separated families has been made possible by the announcement the cease-fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

          Thousands of Pakistani and Indian troops stood guard on both sides of the LoC, while civilians on both sides bore the brunt of regular shelling from the two armies. All roads leading up to the river, have re-opened after years, allowing an excited bunch to rush and converge on its banks, only to holler at their loved ones. "We all say that there should be complete peace," said Shaukat, a local shopkeeper. "Shelling creates a lot of panic and we cannot live in our houses. The Indian posts are right in front of the village. So, a lot of firing hits the civilian population. We want that there should be peace. That will be good for everyone," he adds.

          The people of Karin are making the most of this peaceful interlude. Undaunted by the icy torrents, youngsters were seen hurling packets wrapped in polythene bags across the water, while their elders shouted out. "It is a matter of great happiness that we have met our relatives. We saw one another; we talked to one another; we are very relieved. We will be very happy if our Kashmir gets liberated," said Abdul Hameed Butt, as his wife shouted at her sister across the water.

Centre-NSCN (IM) talks begin (Go To Top)

          Kohima/New Delhi, Dec 5: As the talks between the Indian officials and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) begin on Friday, locals here are pinning their hopes on a speedy resolution to end the country's longest-running separatist revolt. Six rounds of talks between the Indian Government and NSCN-IM representatives have already taken place, and hopes are high for the outcome of the next round of talks that begin in Bangkok. Analysts here believe the meeting could make other separatist groups fall in line.

          "Of course everyone knows that this conflict like this in northeast does not have any solution other than negotiation, so they (the other militant groups) will definitely watching the outcome and they will also fall in line and I think we are moving in the right direction," Deepak Dewan, Editor of the North East Sun, told ANI TV in New Delhi yesterday. The peace process received a boost when NSCN chairman Isak Chisi Swu and party general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah met Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani in New Delhi in January this year. Both sides have held discussions in Europe and Asia since the 1997 truce, but this was the first time Naga leaders had met an Indian minister in New Delhi since 1967. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's recent visit to Nagaland has also raised the hopes of the locals, who believe that the state's development could happen only after peace returns.

Russia train blast toll rises to 32 (Go To Top)

          Moscow, Dec 5: Thirty-two people have died and 75 injured when a blast blamed on a suicide bomber ripped through a Russian commuter train near Chechnya on Friday. Rescuers and investigators have rushed to the blast site, which is located a few km from the town of Essentuki, officials were quoted by news agencies as saying.

US embassy terror warning in Indonesia (Go To Top)

          Jakarta, Dec 5: The U.S. Embassy here has issued a fresh warning to American citizens in Indonesia on Friday, saying the risk of terror attacks over Christmas and New Year particularly high, a foreign news agency reported. "The embassy reminds all Americans in Indonesia of the increased volatility of the security environment during the holiday season", read a statement posted on the embassy's web site. The statement said there was a particularly high potential for attacks on hotels, clubs, restaurants, shopping centres, housing compounds, transportation systems, places of worship, schools and outdoor recreation events.

Three Iraqis killed, 13 wounded in fresh Baghdad bombing (Go To Top)

          Baghdad, Dec 5: At leas three Iraqis were killed and 13 wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in a crowded market place in Baghdad on Friday. Police Brigadier General Thamer Al-Janabi said he had heard American soldiers had also been wounded in the attack, but had no details. The U.S. Army said it had no immediate information on the incident.

Porn film racket busted in Kullu (Go To Top)

          Kullu, Dec 5: Himachal Pradesh police have claimed to have bust a pornography film racket. Sources on Friday said that at least seven people had been arrested and charged under the Immoral Activities Act. Police confirmed that they had seized film recorders, video editors, a large number of video cassettes and over 2500 VCDs, some blanks and other items containing 100 different recordings. Anand Pratap Singh, the Superintendent of Police of Kullu, said that an attempt was being made to identify the five girls who are featured in the recordings. "The production quality of the film indicates, and also from the people involved in it, it seems that only locals are involved. Not just people from Kullu, but nearby districts as well. But they are definitely Himachalis," Singh said. This is the first instance of a pornography racket being busted in the state.

Left in a spot over BJP's electoral romp (Go To Top)
-by Gautam Ghosh

          Kolkata, Dec 5: The Left parties appear to be in a spot over the BJP's astounding victory in three out of the four states which went to the polls on December 1. The Marxists, who were planning to form a broad-based "secular front" under the Congress leadership to take on the BJP in the next year's Lok Sabha elections, are already having second thoughts. The state BJP is naturally upbeat over the party's performance but its ally in West Bengal, Trinamul Congress, feels the election results have reduced its power to bargain with the BJP on Mamata Banerjee's portfolio in the NDA Cabinet.

         The CPI(M), which has never tried to conceal its anti-BJP stand, apprehends a new polarisation of political forces which may further marginalise "the secular parties" before the Lok Sabha polls. Outwardly its leadership is putting up a brave front, saying the poll results are the outcome of the anti-incumbency factor which went against the Congress in the concerned states. The Marxists now anticipate the BJP sparing no efforts to consolidate its position in the Hindi heartland. It fears that the BJP will now pay full attention to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and try to find new allies to overcome its organisational weakness in these two crucial states, which return 120 members to the Lok Sabha.

          The Marxists are also suspicious about the "understanding" between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and the BJP leadership following the state government's recent affidavit on the question of framing a chargesheet against Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition case. Both Yadav and Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh have been extremely critical of the CPI(M) for questioning their party's secular credentials. They feel the CPI(M) is resorting to double-standards on the question of maintaining a normal Centre- State relationship. Singh has rejected the CPI(M)'s charge that the U.P. Government has gone "soft" on Advani, pointing out that West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, too, has a maintained "cordial relationship" with Advani despite his party's anti-BJP stand.

          The virtual rout of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh will naturally prompt the CPI(M) to rework its political strategy before the Lok Sabha polls. The election results have dealt a blow to moderates like former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu and party general secretary H.S. Surjeet who have been clamouring for a political understanding with the Congress to remove the BJP-led NDA from power. Both have even urged the party to accept Sonia Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the combined Opposition, ignoring the people's reservations about her foreign origin. The outcome of the Assembly polls will obviously strengthen the hands of radicals in the CPI(M) like Sitaram Yechuri, Prakash Karat and Biman Bose who want the party to retain its anti- Congress stand for ideological reasons.