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Time not ripe for military level talks with Pak: Fernandes
New Delhi, June 19 (ANI): Defence Minister George Fernandes said on Wednesday time was not ripe for military level talks with Pakistan. "If it (military interaction with Pakistan) is possible someday it will definitely be," Fernandes told reporters on the sidelines of a function to flag off an army mountaineering expedition. Fernandes, however, gave no sign that India was ready to pull back its army from the border. When asked about a US proposal of ground sensors to monitor infiltration along the tense Indo-Pakistan border, Fernandes said: "Yes an opinion has been made in favour of ground sensors but no talks are yet taking place on it." US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had offered ground sensors during his visit to New Delhi last week. India, which massed its army on the border with Pakistan, has long accused its nuclear rival of sponsoring "cross-border terrorism" by sending Islamic militants into Kashmir and elsewhere in the country to attack targets. Pakistan denies the charge, but President Pervez Musharraf has promised to curb militants and prevent them from infiltrating across the line of control.(ANI) Nuclear deterrence helped prevent war: Kalam
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to top New Delhi, June 19 (ANI): Nuclear scientist and frontrunner for the Presidential post APJ Abdul Kalam on Wednesday said the war between India and Pakistan was averted because both the nations are nuclear-armed. "Even the recent warfare, you would have seen that, why it did not take place? If we did not have nuclear weapons, it would have taken place. Did you understand that. This nuclear deterrant on both sides helps to not engage in a big war...to avoid the nuclear war," Abdul Kalam said at a crowded press conference in New Delhi, his first after he filed nominations for the highest post on Tuesday. Taking questions from mediapersons more like a seasoned professor, Kalam outlined three main things for the country. "My feeling is that we have to do three things. One is hundred percent literacy, then we have to do the economic development and the third thing is respect for human beings. That is, we have to love each human being. For that you have to have a value system. In our education system, we should build a value system. If you have all three aspects, definitely you will find a better world," Kalam said. The 72-year-old father of Indian missile programme, Kalam said the country should use technology for the betterment of society. "Technology you can develop for space. Technology you can develop for defence, technology you can develop for atomic energy. But finally every technology has to have a flow to the multiple civilian life," said Kalam who as a rocket scientist with the Indian Space Research Organisation is credited for the success of India's first satellite launch vehicle in 1980. "So I personally believe in the future assignment what I am going to have, the national development is the priority. None of you can tell me that national development is not priority," he said. Regretting the recent religious violence in Gujarat, Kalam said such incidents should be prevented "at all costs". "What has happened in Gujarat is very painful. We should prevent it at all costs," Kalam said. "I can only say whether religion can graduate spiritualism? Whether managers can turn into leaders ? There is a lot of difference between managers and leaders. Can the political leaders turn into political leaders of compassion?" he asked. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed in reprisal violence in Gujarat since February when a Muslim mob torched a train burning alive 59 Hindu activists. Independent human rights organisations however put the toll at more than 2,000.(ANI)
"Infiltration down but not out" Go to top New Delhi, June 19 (ANI): India said on Wednesday there had been a big drop in the number of militants crossing over from Pakistan in the disputed region of Kashmir, a key Indian condition to end a six-month military standoff at the border. "Certainly, there has been a decline and various agencies of the government have referred to that, pointed to that. But as it has been said on previous occasions here and also by other spokespersons of the government, we have to see how visible, how established this trend is going to be over a period of time, over the next period of time......I can't give you a time frame on that. That judgement has to be left to the government to really decide," External Affairs spokeswoman Nirupama Rao told a press conference in New Delhi. India has long accused its nuclear rival of sponsoring "cross- border terrorism" by sending Islamic militants into Kashmir and elsewhere in the country to attack targets. Pakistan denies the charge, but President Pervez Musharraf has nonetheless promised to curb militants and prevent them infiltrating across the line of control. "We are still waiting for appropriate and specific concrete actions from Pakistan on the issue of infiltration and an end to infiltration, on the dismantling of the infrastructure of terrorism, deliverance on the assurances and the pledges made by Pakistan and there is a certain connection there. We have to see action on the ground before the issue of de-escalation can be considered in depth," Rao said. India could end its huge military deployment at the border with Pakistan in the next two months, if it was convinced that the flow of militants in Kashmir had stopped, Defence Minister George Fernandes was quoted on local television. An estimated one million troops are massed on both sides of the border in a crisis triggered by an attack on Parliament in December which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants opposed to its rule in Kashmir. Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have eased slightly after India, under intense U.S. pressure, pulled back warships from the Arabian Sea and lifted a ban on overflights by Pakistani commercial aircraft. India also selected an envoy for Islamabad, but he has not yet been sent there. Islamabad has repeatedly urged resumption of talks to resolve the 55-year-old dispute over Kashmir, and an end to the military build-up on the border. A Pakistani man was wounded as Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire but both sides said on Wednesday the intensity of exchanges between them had eased sharply. The two sides traded heavy fire for a month after tensions soared following an attack on an army camp in Jammu which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants.(ANI)
PM to open conference of rural development agencies in Hyderabad
Go to top New Delhi, June 19 (ANI): The Ministry of Rural Development is organising a two-day conference of project directors of the District Rural Development Agencies (DRDA) and chief executive officers of the Zila Parishads in Hyderabad on July 5 and 6. The conference will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee andadressed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrabau Naidu. Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha is slated to address the concluding session. About 600 participants from states and Union Territories are expected to attend. The all-India meeting will help the state authorities to learn from one another's experience and increase the pace of proper utilisation of funds granted for implemeenting schemes at grassroot levels, Venkaiah Naidu, Union Rural Development Minister, told a press conference. He added that the conference will focus on Swaranjaynti Gram Swarozgar Yojana, Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana, Rural Housing Watershed Development, Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation,Training and Information Technology and the ensuing Jai Prakash Rozgar Guarntee Yojana. (ANI)
Hurriyat for "triangular" talks on Kashmir
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top Srinagar, June 19 (ANI): The All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has said it was considering the idea of holding simultaneous talks with the Indian government and Pakistan to resolve the long-standing Kashmir issue. This is being viewed as a major shift in Hurriyat's stand, as till now the conglomerate of 27 parties was demanding tripartite talks, including Pakistan, to resolve the issue. Giving details of the day-long plenary session of Hurriyat's Executive held on Monday, Hurriyat chairman Abdul Gani Bhat on Wednesday said, "it will be triangular talks instead of tripartite talks. The modalities for such a process can be worked out". Speaking to reporters, he said, "we can talk to India first, and then go to Pakistan for a dialogue". He, however, reiterated that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved without the involvement of the principal party to the dispute - the Kashmiri people. Bhat said that at the meeting of the Hurriyat Executive, General Council and Working Committee "all the members favoured talks to resolve the Kashmir issue peacefully".(ANI)
Petro racket busted in Nagpur
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top Nagpur, June 19 (ANI): Police in Nagpur busted a spurious petrol and diesel racket on Tuesday. They sealed a chemicals plant in Butibori industrial estate and arrested two persons.. Two naphtha tankers were also seized. Police also found nine huge underground tanks at the plant, which were used for mixing naphtha with kerosene and petrol. "Their modus operandi was extremely simple. They would mix naphtha with kerosene. This worked well as naphtha was easily available, volatile and blended well. It use to blend well so that it could be used in the spark engine," said Ramanand, police superintendent of Nagpur city. The arrested persons denied their involvement in the racket. "We are just casual labourers. We have been arrested wrongly. We haven't done anything. The managers were the ones involved, if there is anything wrong. We are just poor labourers," said Ashok Namdeo Dighla. Police have lodged a criminal complaint and ordered an inquiry.(ANI)
Seven killed, 32 injured in bus-car collision
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Srinagar, June 19 (ANI): Seven people were killed and about 32 injured on Wednesday in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a Tata Sumo in Lachipur village of Kathua district in Jammu. The acccident occurred around 11 am. The bus, a luxury model which plies between Kathua and Jammu, rammed head on into a Tata Sumo while overtaking another vehicle of the same make, which also was damaged in the accident. An injured pasenger,Kuldeep kumar, who escaped death said that the driver was overspeeding. The passengers were returning after a pilgrimage to the holy Vaishno Devi shrine.Around 10 seriously injured passengers have been moved to the Government Medical College hospital in Jammu. S.P Bhagat, Medical Superintendent," The injured were reported to hospital and provided first-aid. Out of these eight serious cases were referred to Jammu medical college. Thereafter we sent another five cases which needed specialised medical care to Jammu and the rest are in hospital. Six people have been discharged after first-aid. A police inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.(ANI)
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