Nation Pays Homage to Mahatma on His Death Anniversary

          NEW DELHI: The nation paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on Wednesday, his 55th death anniversary. The day is observed as Martyrs' Day. President APJ Abdul Kalam, along with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and others, visited his samadhi at Rajghat and offered floral tributes. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also paid homage to the Father of the Nation.

          The solemn ceremony began with a prayer meeting and recitals from various religious scriptures. Contingents from the armed services presented a guard of honour and buglers sounded the last post.

European Parliament Opposes Unilateral Strikes on Iraq

         BRUSSELS: The European parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday expressing its opposition to unilateral military action against the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein, sources said. In a resolution adopted by 287 deputies with 209 voting against, they also agreed that preemptive military strikes could be illegal. The parliament "expresses its opposition to any unilateral military action and believes that a preemptive strike would not be in accordance with international law," said the resolution.

Pak Infiltration Up Again, Says US Official (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: Muslim militants continue to slip into Kashmir despite Pakistani pledges to reduce infiltration, making it harder to ease tensions between the adversaries, a US official said on Thursday.

           The official, who asked not to be named, said Pakistan had checked infiltration last summer but the numbers had since gone up, perhaps because Pakistan was disappointed its efforts had not triggered a positive reaction from India.

US Turns Down Pak Plea for INS Opt-out (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: The United States has rejected Pakistan's request for an exemption from new immigration rules imposed on citizens of 20 mainly Muslim States as part of an anti-terror crackdown, reports the News. Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on Wednesday asked Secretary of State Colin Powell during their meeting at the State Department for an opt-out for Pakistanis.

           Powell told reporters: "I assured the minister that ... this is not something directed at Pakistan or directed at Muslims or directed at Pakistanis in America." But he signalled that there would be no opt-out for Pakistan.

           Powell again reaffirmed that the US wished to play its due role to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan and expressed the hope that both neighbours would reach a point where dialogue could be resumed on all issues, including the core issue of Kashmir.

Pak Nuke Plan India-specific: Kasuri (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: Pakistan's foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri has asserted that Pakistan's nuclear programme was "India-specific" and the United States was partially responsible for the nuclear race in South Asia, saying US administrations had not stood by Pakistan sufficiently in its confrontation with India.

           He expressed these views during a breakfast meeting with the staff members of the Washington Post. On Kashmir, he challenged India to allow international monitors and human rights investigators into the zone it controls in the region. "India does not want United Nations observers. What is it that India wants to avoid? . . . This movement is largely indigenous," he said, speaking of the Muslim insurgents fighting Indian control in Kashmir. He rejected criticism that Pakistan had not done enough to reduce infiltration across the Line of Control dividing the region.

Nawaz Brother Shahbaz Arrives in US (Go To Top)    

          LAHORE: PML leader Nawaz Sharif's brother and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif arrived in New York on Wednesday evening in a dramatic development which surprised the political circles in Pakistan. Shahbaz arrived in New York via London in a British Airways flight, after remaining behind bars in Pakistan and exile in Saudi Arabia. The PML (N) leaders and workers are happy over the new development, while the PML (Q) leadership is visibly perturbed over the latest turn in politics.

           No details are available as to how long Shahbaz will stay in the US, why he picked America in the first place while earlier he was scheduled to go to London, whether he is there for treatment and what are his future plans or his departure is a part of yet another deal . Even his party men have very little idea. Official sources said Shahbaz was suffering from serious ailment and has gone to the US for immediate surgery and treatment.

US Likely to Write Off a Billion Dollar Pak Loan by Feb (Go To Top)    

          ISLAMABAD: The Bush administration is likely to write off Pakistan's one billion dollar loan by early February, Dawn quoted Prime Minister Jamali's adviser on finance Shaukat Aziz as saying here on Wednesday. "The House Sub Appropriation Committee of the United States is meeting next week or the week after to write off one billion dollar loan out of 3 billion dollar loan owed by Pakistan," he stated.

           Speaking at a news conference here after his return from Davos (Switzerland), where he had gone to attend the World Economic Forum meeting, Shaukat Aziz said that United States acting secretary of treasury Kenneth Dam told him that the House appropriation committee was about to write off one billion dollar loan to help ease Pakistan's external debt burden.

Hailstorm Lashes Islamabad (Go To Top)    

          ISLAMABAD: Residents of the federal Capital awoke to a blanket of soft ice for the first time ever on Wednesday morning after a heavy hailstorm pounded the city overnight, reports the News. A layer of hailstones as deep as 10 cm covered the streets and parks, drawing school-children out of class to toss snowballs and play in the soft ice, an unprecedented sight in the 40-year old city.

          "This is the first time Islamabad looked like this," said a security guard surveying carpets of white iceballs shrouding the grounds of Parliament House. The 20-minute hailstorm late on Thursday was the heaviest to hit Islamabad in six years. Heavy snowfalls were reported in Murree, some 40 km north-east of the Capital in the Himalayan foothills.

Two Army Officers Killed in De-mining Operation (Go To Top)    

          SRINAGAR: Two army officers were killed and another was injured as an anti-tank landmine exploded during a de-mining operation along the border with Pakistan, sources said on Thursday. The explosion took place overnight in the village of Devigarh in the Arnia sector of Jammu region along the international border. The officers, who belonged to the army's engineering wing, were removing mines planted in the area.

India Welcomes Ceasefire in Nepal (Go To Top)    

          NEW DELHI: India on Thursday welcomed the surprise ceasefire between the Nepalese Government and Maoist rebels. Speaking to newspersons here, external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said, "the Government of India has noted the announcement of the recent steps towards peaceful resolution of the armed conflict in Nepal to achieve durable peace and security in Nepal."

          He added, "we believe that the process of dialogue should be based on national consensus and should involve political parties, and should be conducted in an environment free from violence." Sarna said, "we continue to regard multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy as the two pillars of stability in Nepal." "India remains committed to strengthening its long-standing and close and good-neighbourly relations with Nepal," he added.

          The ceasefire announcement in the Himalayan kingdom has spurred hopes for an end to the bloody campaign by the Maoists that has killed more than seven thousand people, more than five thousand alone in the last 14 months, since the last ceasefire broke down. The interim Government appointed by King Gyanendra has vowed to press ahead with preparatory talks with the Maoist rebels immediately after a breakthrough last night, ahead of formal negotiations among all the political parties, the rebels and the King. The ceasefire comes after the Government made a secret offer to the Maoists to drop a bounty on the heads of Maoist leaders and cancel its declaration of the group as terrorists.

Temple Sparks Row Between Indian Village and Bangla Border Guards (Go To Top)    

          PHANSIWADA (West Bengal): The construction of a temple in a border village in West Bengal has kicked up a row between border guards of Bangladesh and the villagers. Construction of the temple in Purana Bazaar village in Jalpaiguri district was stopped after the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) wrote a letter earlier this month to the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) demanding an enquiry in the matter.

          The BDR says the "permanent structure" is being built within 150 yards of the zero point of the border, which is in direct violation of the border agreement with India. The BSF has stopped the construction pending the inquiry. Agitated villagers accuse BDR officials of interfering in their private affairs. "The temple lies in our country, and we even pay tax for the land. If the land does not belong to the Government of India, then why do we pay tax for it?" questioned Nityananda Debnath, a village council member.

           Sukumar Chatterjee, a member of the temple committee, alleged that since it was a Hindu temple, "some people" were trying to kick up a religious controversy . Chatterjee said the temple authorities had decided to put off construction only to maintain peace in the village. "For generations we (Hindus and Muslims) have been living here in communal harmony. We do not have any political or communal conflicts here. Keeping all these things in mind, we stopped the temple construction temporarily," Chatterjee said. The BDR, in its letter, has also pointed out that about 350 houses have also come up within the 150-yard area.

           Five States - West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya - share border with Bangladesh stretching over 4,000 km.The two sides have frequent disagreements over demarcation of the largely porous border. Relations were severely strained between the two in April 2001 after skirmishes between border guards of the two countries left 19 soldiers dead. New Delhi accused the BDR of torturing and killing 16 BSF soldiers. India plans to finish erecting wire-fences along most of its border with Bangladesh by 2007. So far, 1,357 km of the border has been wire-fenced. Under the second phase, to be completed over five years, another 2,429.5 km would be covered.

-ANI