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Militants Issue 'Quit Job' Ultimatum to Muslim Women in Jammu JAMMU: Muslim women in Jammu must quit Government jobs by January 25, Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islamia ruled on Monday. Those who don't obey the instruction will invite death at the hand of this pro-Pakistani outfit. The posters, carrying this message in the name of HUJI, were pasted on the main wall of a mosque of Shahdara Sharief in the border district of Rajouri, official sources said. All Muslim families were also asked to get their daughters, who have reached the age of 15, married immediately. The posters were, of course, removed by the police. Other orders for women were: stay at home, go out veiled and escorted by a male companion. Flouting of the directives will mean "serious consequences, including death," the posters said.
PAVAGADH
(Gujarat): Relief operations were on in Gujarat after a ropeway
carrying pilgrims to the hill temple, Mahakali, snapped, killing seven
and injuring 22 others. Three cable cars crashed to the ground in the
Sunday morning mishap, after one of them hit the beam extending from
the supporting pillars of the ropeway.(Details) Pak Envoy Summoned, Strong Protest Conveyed Over Vyas Incident NEW DELHI: India on Monday strongly condemned harassing of its envoy in Pakistan during the weekend. India's charge d'affaires in Islamabad Sudhir Vyas complained on Sunday that his official car was repeatedly blocked by Pakistani intelligence vehicles when he was trying to drive to diplomatic functions on Saturday. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, foreign office spokesman Navtej Sarna said a protest has been lodged over the incident. "This afternoon Pakistan's charge d'affaires in Delhi was summoned to the ministry of external affairs by Arun Kumar Singh, joint secretary heading the division of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, and a strong protest was launched against the unprecedented harassment of India's charge d'affaires in Islamabad on January 18. A note was also handed over to Pakistan's charge d'affaires," Sarna said. Vyas's official car, carrying the Indian flag on its wing, was boxed in by several cars when he tried to leave his home for a lunch at the Malaysian High Commission, then again as he was trying to get to and return from a dinner at the Nepalese Embassy. Pakistani Foreign Office, however, has denied any such incident. The incident came the same day as India test-fired a surface-to-air missile and a week after it tested a nuclear-capable Agni 1 missile that can strike almost any part of Pakistan. Cellphone Inter-connection Issue Resolved (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: The inter-connection issue that had plagued the telecom sector in the past few days ended on Monday. The cellular operators agreed to allow termination of calls from basic operators, including CDMA-WLL with immediate effect. Addressing the press after a 90-minute meeting with cellular operators here, Union minister for IT and telecom Pramod Mahajan said he would request the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to come up with an Inter-connect User Charge regime this week. Dawood Aide Shot Dead in Dubai (Go To Top) DUBAI: One more link was added to the ongoing gang war between underworld dons Chhota Rajan and Dawood Ibrahim on Sunday when Sharad Shetty, a close associate of the latter, was killed by unidentified men here. (Details) Pakistan Joins 'Saddam Exile' Move (Go To Top) ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been asked to join a reported initiative by Arab countries to press Iraqi President Saddam Hussain to go into exile to head off war, said a close aide to Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali on Saturday. Accordingly, Jamali has planned to visit Gulf States shortly, but dates were still being finalised, foreign ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said. Iraq has repeatedly and stridently denied reports that the President could take the road to exile. Middle East analysts say exile is totally out of character for Saddam. But diplomats and press reports are rife with speculation that Iraq's neighbours will work out an exile and amnesty plan for Saddam during a summit being planned in Turkey. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Jordan and Syria are expected to attend the meeting. The United States offered strong support on Sunday to moves to convince Saddam and his top aides to flee as a January 27 deadline looms for UN weapons inspectors to report to the United Nations on Baghdad's compliance. Extradition Treaty Likely with Qatar: Advani (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: India would like to strike an extradition treaty with Qatar, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani told reporters on Monday ahead of his three-nation tour of Qatar, France and Turkey. "I hope that both countries (India and Qatar) will fight terrorism together. And in this regard there will be a joint statement also. We will also discuss about an extradition and mutual assistance treaty," said Advani. Advani said the treaty would help in exchange of intelligence and lead to coordinated action while dealing with terrorism. He is likely to hold wide-ranging talks on major bilateral and international issues, including the Iraqi crisis and developments in West Asia, with Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Osama Calls on Muslims to Crush 'Enemy' (Go To Top) LONDON: Osama bin Laden has issued a new statement urging Muslims to bury their differences and unite to fight the "external enemy", the Nation quoted sources as saying on Monday. The paper, Asharq Al-Awsat, said bin Laden had issued the statement in a letter via the Centre for Islamic Research and Studies in Pakistan. It said the letter was obtained by its journalist Mohamed el-Shaf'aie. The letter, written in Arabic, was 26 pages long and signed by Bin Laden, the paper said, adding that fundamentalist sources in London had told el-Shaf'aie that, although the letter was undated, it was written a few weeks ago. "When will Muslims wake up from their long sleep and when will they distinguish between their friend and enemy," Asharq Al-Awsat quoted Bin Laden as saying. "When will they direct their own arrows that they use to fight each other to their external enemy that steals and loots its fortunes and its resources." Asharq Al-Awsat is Saudi-owned and describes itself as an Arab independent newspaper. It is widely read and respected in the Middle East. If the letter is genuine, it would mark the first missive of 2003 from the leader of the Al Qaeda network, widely blamed for a series of atrocities across the world, including the attacks of September 11, 2001, and last October's Bali nightclub bombing. Anti-terror Police Raid London Mosque (Go To Top) LONDON: British anti-terrorist police on Monday raided a London mosque, the base of one of Britain's most outspoken Muslim clerics, and arrested an unspecified number of people there, said a report in the Nation. "A number of people who were residing at the mosque were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 and are being taken to a central London police station," Scotland Yard police said in a statement. Officers raided the Finsbury Park mosque and two adjacent buildings in north London at 2 am (0200 GMT) as part of a pre-planned intelligence operation, police said. There were no further details of the arrests given. The mosque is the base of Abu Hamza al-Masri, leader of the group, Supporters of Sharia (Islamic law). Egypt-born Masri has become Britain's most notorious Muslim cleric due to his praise for Saudi-born militant Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, and his outspoken criticism of Western foreign policy. -ANI |
