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PM's task groups to bring peace to Kashmir

      Srinagar: Carefully avoiding the use of the word autonomy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today proposed the creation of five working groups that would be tasked with the responsibility of bringing peace in the Kashmir Valley. He told participants on the second-day of the Second Round Table Conference that the groups would focus on good governance, politics and enhancing the peace process. Concluding the conference, Dr. Singh expressed his confidence about achieving success in the ongoing peace process with Pakistan and invited Islamabad to respond with concrete suggestions to New Delhi's past overtures.

     Dr. Singh said that a committee would be formed comprising members of the roundtable that would propose further CBMs. It would also look at strengthening relations across the Line of Control (LoC). Focus would also be on establishment of pan- Kashmiri institutions and curbing human rights violations. The conference convened by the Prime Minister began at 10 am and lasted for several hours. There were 30 participants representing various political parties and interest groups from Jammu and Kashmir. On Wedsnesday, the Prime Minister asserted that attempts by "some elements" within Jammu and Kashmir to disrupt peace would be firmly thwarted and proposed focus on a five-point programme to build a new Kashmir. The Prime Minister appeared to have heeded the suggestion of Jammu and Kashmir's opposition National Conference, which had urged him earlier in the day to constitute sub-groups to carry forward the decisions taken during the second roundtable conference here in a systematic manner.

Aamir not to apologise for stand on dam (Go To Top)

       Mumbai: Bollywood actor Aamir Khan today said that he was not going to apologise for his stand on the Narmada issue. Reiterating his demand of proper rehabilitation for the displaced people, Aamir also urged the people of Gujarat to join hands with him. "I don't feel any shame in apologising if anybody convinces me about my fault. For what I should apologise? I have not done any wrong thing by favouring the poor people who are losing their land and properties due to construction of Sardar Sarovar dam. And my apology would mean that I am letting them down," he said. He said that it will be a very good thing if Gujarati people get water but it should not be at the cost of lives of others. "I am never against the construction of the dam. I am only demanding proper rehabilitation and compensation for the displaced people. And the Supreme Court is saying the same thing. I appeal to the people of Gujarat that if they feel I am write, come forward and join hands with me". While replying to a question Aamir said, "I don't think I am being targeted for being a Muslim. I am an Indian first and then of any community".

Andhra leaders for Rayalaseema state  (Go To Top)

       Chennai: Leaders of Rayalaseema Parirakshna Samiti, an interest group from the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh met Union Communication Minister Dayanidhi Maran in Chennai on Thursday to drum up support for a separate Rayalaseema state. Maran is a member of a panel appointed by the Centre to look into the demand for a separate Telangana state, carved out from Andhra Pradesh, by Telangana Rashtra Samiti, a coalition partner of the Congress-led Central Government. The group is demanding a separate state of Rayalaseema carving out four of 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool, Cuddapah, Anantpur and Chittoor. Telangana Rashtra Samiti, headed by Union Minister Chandrasekhar Rao is demanding a separate state comprising Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy and Warangal districts. Barring Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh capital, it is one of the least developed regions of the country, in terms of education, infrastructure, income and nutrition. For long, there has been an active political movement in Telangana to secede it from Andhra Pradesh, on grounds that the State Government focuses more on the more prosperous coastal Andhra to the east. Rayalaseema, in the south of Andhra Pradesh, consists of Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapuram, Chittooru. Although several Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh have come from this region, there are several movements demanding greater attention to the region. The region has seen continued droughts and a spate of farmer suicides over the years.

Three killed in landmine blast in Srinagar (Go To Top)

       Srinagar: In a landmine blast, three persons were killed and at least seven injured in Batpora area on Thursday. The blast occurred when the tourist bus came over a landmine. All the dead or inured in the blasts were reported to be from Surat. The incident occurred minutes after Prime Minister departed from Srinagar after attending a two-day roundtable conference with the Kashmiri leaders. The militants have been carrying out attacks in the valley for the last four days, despite tight security arrangements in view of the Prime Minister's visit. Militants set off six grenade explosions on Wednesday- four in Srinagar and one each in Anantnag and Badgam districts - killing a labourer and injuring 30 others.

Registration for Amarnath yatra begins (Go To Top)

       Srinagar: Registration for the annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnah is beginning from today. The yatra is scheduled to start from Baltal and Pahalgam routes in Kashmir on June 11. Pilgrims can register in advance through designated branches of Jammu and Kashmir Bank across the country, officials of Amarnath shrine board said. According to Shrine board officials, it was also decided that 1,500 pre-fabricated sanitation units and water heating systems would be erected at different places en route to the cave shrine of Amarnath. Even routes leading to the base camps and the telecommunication system were being improved. Apart from providing better facilities, the security of pilgrims would be high on the agenda during the two-month long Amarnath 'yatra' and the police had been asked to maintain strict vigil in and around Jammu.

     Even, arrangements were to be made for issuing identity cards, lodging of pilgrims, installation of telephone counters, grant of permission for community kitchens besides regulation of traffic and parking of vehicles. Officials have been directed to set up co-ordination cells and a core group in DC's office. The power and public health engineering department officers had been asked to maintain uninterrupted supply of electricity and water in the city, especially at the lodging sites. Jammu Municipal Corporation has been entrusted with upkeep of sanitation and hygiene and the health department instructed to depute medical teams with the 'yatra'. According to Jammu and Kashmir Governor S K Sinha, who is Chairman of Amarnathji Shrine Board, Amarnath yatra is a symbol of 'Kashmir's composite culture' and would be incomplete without the active support of the local people and both pilgrim and traditional tourism had proved a boon to the state's economy.

K Radhakrishnan Kerala Speaker (Go To Top)

        Thiruvananthapuram: Former State Minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader, K Radhakrishnan was on Thursday elected as the Speaker of the Kerala Assembly. Radhakrishnan beat M Murali of Congress by a margin of 53 votes in the elections held earlier in the day. Radhakrishnan polled 93 votes while Murali got 40 in the 140- member House. The pro-tem speaker V J Thankappan did not vote while Left Front leaders Abdul Khader, Thomas Issac and Mathai Chacko, and Varkala Kahar of the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) were absent. The House was adjourned for the day following the elections. After being elected, the 41-year-old leader became the youngest Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The CPI-M had selected Radhakrishnan for the post after at a meeting held here on May 17. Radhakrishnan became the Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly after winning the Chelakara assembly seat in Trissur district for the third consecutive time.

Benazir, Sharif ARD meet on July 2 (Go To Top)

       Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have convened an Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) meeting in London on July 2. Pakistan People's Party Spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the ARD meeting will chalk out a line of action for the alliance after formally approving the Charter of Democracy signed by the duo in London, earlier. He said the meeting would be the first step towards restoring genuine democracy in Pakistan and both PPP and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) were ready to launch an anti-government campaign in this regard. "The meeting will be the first step towards restoring genuine democracy in Pakistan and both the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are ready to launch an anti-government campaign. The charter's signing was the last nail in the coffin of dictatorship. Now the true people representatives will rule," the Daily Times quoted Babar as saying. Benazir and Nawaz have signed the "charter of democracy" in London to strengthen their alliance against President General Pervez Musharraf. Benazir's PPP and Sharif's PML (N) and several other parties have formed the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and are demanding free and fair polls in 2007, which they have said, cannot be possible as long as Musharraf is in power. They are also opposed to Musharraf retaining the title of President and Chief of the Army Staff, and have said that retaining both posts is unconstitutional. The Musharraf regime has however, dismissed the growing alliance between the PPP and PML (N) as irrelevant.

Saran, Burns hold talks on nuke deal (Go To Top)

        London: Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran met US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns, at the India House today to discuss the current status of the July 18, 2005 India-US civilian nuclear deal. Saran, who arrived in the British capital yesterday, and Burns from Washington, met with the objective of bolstering bilateral efforts to get the deal through the US Congress. Both Saran and Burns are expected to discuss the latest development on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) presented at Geneva Disarmament conference last week. Their talks assume importance as they come ahead of the Nuclear Suppliers Group`s (NSG) meeting in Rio De Janeiro on May 29 to discuss the exemption for India in its plenary.

Research on issues affecting Hindus in UK (Go To Top)
by Mike Lockey

       London: The British government will sponsor a research project that aims to explore and understand the aspirations and the issues affecting the Hindu population in the UK. The question of British Hindu identity will also be explored in the research. This is the first time that such a project has been carried out in the country and is part of the Connecting British Hindus Research Programme. The research will be overseen by the Hindu Forum of Britain in collaboration with the social research organisation, the Runnymede Trust. The areas that will be studied include access to public services, education, health, employment and equal opportunities. Other subjects that will be focussed on are integration, regeneration and social cohesion. There will be countrywide consultation seeking the views of Hindus from all walks of life via focus group meetings, phone surveys and even questionnaires that will be available online. The results of all this will be given to the Home Office, before releasing it for the public and the various relevant public service agencies, government departments and local councils.

      So why is all this research being carried out in the first place; how necessary is it? Well, according to a spokesman of The Hindu Forum: "Hindu-led voluntary and community organisations have struggled to deliver tailored services to the community and, moreover, a legacy of inequality and stereotyping has left the Hindu community isolated and with a limited capacity to engage with other communities or to address their own problems". Ramesh Kallidai, general secretary of the Hindu Forum, pointed out that there has been no credible in-depth research conducted with a view to identifying priority areas for government intervention. As Paul Goggins, Home Office Minister for Communities, added: "Projects like these add to the Home Office goal of building safe, just and cohesive communities where people from all faiths can live together as active citizens". And, as Robert Berkeley, deputy director of the Runnymede Trust, explained: "There is very little evidence about the experiences and needs of Hindu community groups". So, this project will hopefully address that gap, and it is hoped that it will prove to be a valuable piece of social research that will add to understanding in the multi-cultural society that is Britain today.