Pak's flip-flop on visa for Indian cricket fans  (Go To Top)

(The websites on which tickets are available are: http://pcbtickets.cricket.org,
http://pcb.cricket.org, www.cricinfo.com)          

          Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that it could not guarantee visas to non-Pakistani cricket fans who managed to buy tickets for the upcoming cricket series against India. This is in sharp contrast to yesterday's news report in which the country's Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat had promised to arrange visas for all Indian cricket fans who purchased tickets. Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat on Monday had indicated that Indians purchasing tickets for the matches would be entitled to visas.

         According to a report in the News, on Tuesday, the day when the PCB began online ticket sales for the series, the Board made it clear on its website for non-Pakistanis that the purchase of tickets online did not mean that a visa would be made available. However, the PCB said that ticket-holders intending to travel to Pakistan must consult with the nearest Pakistan Embassy/ consulate/travel agent regarding visa requirements. It also made it clear that the personal data submitted during purchase of tickets would be shared by the PCB, and could also be passed on to law enforcement authorities for security checks.

         The Board website said that an individual could reserve up to ten tickets per match through a credit card. The reserved tickets could be collected from a designated booth at the respective ground during three days before or on the day of the match, the website said, adding that the buyers have been advised to present order confirmations and a copy of ID card while collecting tickets from the booths.

Hurriyat rebuff to Centre (Go To Top)

         Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference chairman Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari on Wednesday announced suspension of talks with the Centre accusing it of not being "sincere" and said the process would resume only if the government ended "human rights violation" in Jammu and Kashmir. "The dialogue process with the government is in suspension because there is no evidence of sincerity and seriousness on their part," Ansari told reporters at a hurriedly called press conference here. Ansari said the talks could resume only after Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani fulfilled his promise of putting an end to human rights violations in the state before the end of this month. Hardliners have been attacking Hurriyat Conference led by Ansari for not taking up the killing of five civilians allegedly by security forces in Bandipore seriously.

CBI gets reprieve in Bilkis case (Go To Top)

         New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted three months time to the CBI to complete its investigation into the alleged gang-rape of Bilkis Yakub Rasool, who was sexually assaulted by a mob during the post-Godhra riots. The CBI, which had taken up the probe on the direction of the apex court, in its status report said it has done some substantial investigation work and would require three more months to complete the probe. The Gujarat police had closed this case citing contradictions in the statements of the victim.

After UP and Orissa, Sonia storms Haryana (Go To Top)

          Faridabad: After touring several parts of Uttar Pradesh and Orissa in the run-up to the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday commenced her two-day road show in Haryana. Party's Haryana unit president Bhajan Lal accompanied her along with a number of party workers.

          During her tour of the state, the Congress chief visited a number of districts, including Faridabad, Ballabhgarh, Sohna Gurgaon, Rewari. In the second phase of her two-day visit, the Congress chief is slated to visit Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Hissar, Fatehabad, Jind and Sonepat on Thursday. In Faridabad, Sonia made brief halts at Badkhal Chowk and near the district Congress office in old Faridabad. But she kept herself away from the media. The Congress president waved to the people standing along the highway in the district from her vehicle. Her convoy passed through Palwal and Sohana in the adjoining Gurgaon district. Later in the day she was scheduled to drive through Dadanpur, Machrauli, Silani in Jhajjar district, Kalanaur and other areas in Rohtak district, Dadri, Bhiwani, Tosham and Khanak in Bhiwani district and reach her night halt in Hissar.

          On Thursday, she would commence her tour from Hissar and visit Barwala in the district, then move over to Uklana Modh, Tohana in Fatehabad district, Narwana and Jind in Jind district, Gohana, Sonepat and Rai in Sonepat district before entering the national capital. Bhajan Lal told reporters that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and Om Parkash Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) government in the state, which till recently was supported by the BJP, had failed to meet the aspirations of the people. He said that all sections of the society, including farmers, scheduled castes, backward classes, employees were disillusioned with the Centre and the state governments as both had failed to safeguard their interests. No new industrial project had come to the state in the recent past as the government had failed to ensure a pro-industry atmosphere, he added.

Andhra Congress, TRS reach poll pact (Go To Top)

          Hyderabad: The Andhra Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Wednesday firmed up a poll pact to fight the upcoming parliamentary elections. After weeks of suspense, Congress and TRS leaders finally agreed on a seat-sharing formula with Congress Working Committee member Ghulam Nabi Azad supervising the negotiation process. As per the agreement, the Congress would give 42 Assembly seats and 5 Lok Sabha seats to TRS, a fledgling party fighting for separate Telangana state, Congress sources said. TRS, facing elections for the first time, had earlier insisted on 50 assembly and seven Lok Sabha seats. The backward Telangana region accounts for 107 seats in the 294- member assembly and 16 Lok Sabha seats out of a total of 42 in the state.

Jogi to campaign for Congress in North-east (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The Congress seems to have cleared the way for reinstating former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi into the party fold. Jogi, who had been suspended from the party after he was accused of bribing MLAs on tape, will campaign for the Congress in the north-east. Jogi was suspended soon after the Chhattisgarh elections which he lost. He is also still facing a CBI investigation into the cash for MLAs controversy. Several Chhattisgarh Congress MLAs had asked the central leadership to revoke Jogi's suspension.

Army major killed in Meghalaya encounter (Go To Top)

          Shillong: An army major and two militants were killed in an encounter with suspected ULFA and NDFB militants in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district, police said here on Wednesday. Major Samrat Maiti of Naga Regiment who was leading the contingent in a counter-insurgency operation on Monday night, was killed at Babegiri area under Tikrikilla police outpost in the district. The militants opened fire at the raiding army team forcing the security personnel to retaliate killing two suspected ULFA extremists on the spot. With the killing of the major, the army suffered its first major casualty in the state after the Bhutan offensive.

Govt to tap Rs. 145 billion: Shourie (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: 'Privatisation Minister' Arun Shourie said on Wednesday the government was confident of meeting its target of raising Rs. 145 billion this financial year through stake sales in state-run companies. India has lined up a slew of big ticket equity sales in March in several state-owned companies such as Oil and Natural Gas Corp and GAIL India Ltd, both leading and profitable energy firms. The government also plans to offload 20 percent equity in Dredging Corporation of India. There are also public offers for residual stake sales in former state-run firms, such as Indian Petrochemicals Corp Ltd, in which the government had shed management control, but still held shares.

          "You will have to also see the settlment of accounts...time would be required for that. After all many of these individual houses have many of the branches, it is not difficult for them or for the investors to contact them...I am sure that the financial advisers will necessarily more agressively know that the government attaches great importance to the success of issues and they naturally are partners with the government in this," Shourie told reporters here after a meeting with financial advisers and the chairman of the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Moharram alert in Pakistan (Go To Top)

          Karachi: Security has been tightened in all sensitive areas in Pakistan during the Islamic month of Moharram. Policemen and paramilitary troops are guarding the Imambargahs and mosques as Shi'ite Muslims hold big processions and meetings during the Muharram, in which they mourn the 7th century slaying of Imam Hussain, a grandson of Prophet Mohammad. Hardliners among the Sunni Muslims consider Muharram to be against the spirit of Islam and accuse Shi'ites of making derogatory remarks against companions of Prophet Mohammad. On Friday, the government issued a list of 341 clerics, mostly Sunnis, who would be confined to their home districts for 90 days. The order said there were reasons to believe that they will make speeches or indulge in activities prejudicial to the public safety.

Police raids beer bars in Mumbai, over 1000 detained (Go To Top)

          Mumbai: The police on Wednesday conducted raids on over 50 night clubs and bars in Mumbai detaining over 1,000 bar girls, employees and customers. The raids began on Tuesday night and were aimed at cracking down on flesh trade, obscenity that had flourished in these night clubs. A K. Roy, Bombay police commissioner, said that bars will not be allowed to operate if they were found indulging in immoral activities. "The message is very loud and clear. You can conduct the business as permitted by the licence. And beyond that if you conduct we will clamp down. When and how, which place will be raided, I cannot declare. But definitely we mean business, that this kind of illegal activities so flagrantly conducted, shall not be tolerated," he said. He promised that appropriate action will be taken against those found guilty. The people arrested in the raids were produced in various metropolitan courts in the city. There are nearly 9,070 permit rooms in the state and the liquor industry contributes 19 billion rupees to the state exchequer every year.

Indian, US air forces conduct combat exercise (Go To Top)

          Maharajpur (MP): The first-ever joint combat exercise by the Indian and US Air forces concluded with a sepctacular show by fighter jets in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. The 10-day exercise, codenamed "Cope India 2004", held in Maharajpur base, seven km from Gwalior city, is the first of its kind, signalling an unprecedented level of military cooperation between two nations that were on opposite sides during the Cold War. US-designed twin-engined F-15C Eagles clashed with Russia- built Sukhoi-30, MiG21s and French-designed Mirage 2000 of the Indian Air Force (IAF). David Schaketd, a pilot with the US Air Force, said his side had an amazing experience in the exercises. Despite speculations, the US Air Force did not bring its latest F-16 jets, which helped destroy Iraqi air defences during the Gulf War, and the IAF did not display its newest acquisition, the Sukhoi-30-MKI multi-role combat jets. Air Marshal A. Bhagnani of the IAF said the Indian side matched up with the Americans. "This will match up with each other as to be very beneficial to both sides. A lot of mutual respect has been created for the skills of each other. Especially our air planes as we have we upgraded them and for the skills of those who have been flying these airplanes," Bhagnani told reporters after the conclusion of the exercises. The US Air Force brought in 100 personnel for the exercises as well as two heavy transport planes to provide airlift facilities for combat and support troops.

Another huge ammunition dump found in Valley (Go To Top)

          Tangdhar (Jammu and Kashmir): Security forces have discovcered a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir. The recovery, the third in the last few months, was made in Tangdhar sector, along the Line of Control, by the army. Security officials said the dump, which belonged to rebel groups fighting Indian rule, was unearthed following a tip-off from the local residents. The seizure included hand grenades, AK-47 and AK-56 rifles, several rounds of ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), detonators, rifles, mines, wireless sets and literature belonging to various militant outfits, including the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba. Nearly a dozen militants groups are active in Kashmir, which has been at the heart of two of the three wars between India and Pakistan. Officials say more than 40,000 people have been killed in a revolt, which India says has been stoked by Pakistan in Kashmir since 1989. Separatists put the toll to 80,000.