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Indian High
Commission ISLAMABAD, Jan 17: Indian High Commission Staffer P Moses, who was abducted and brutally assaulted by Pakistani intelligence operatives yesterday, was released in the early hours today. Moses was released at between 0200 and 0230 hours, acting Indian High Commissioner Sudhir Vyas told PTI......more China ordains 2-year BEIJING, Jan 17: China today announced that it had ordained a two-year-old boy as a new living Buddha in a face-saving measure after one of the highest leaders in Tibetan Buddhism escaped to India. .....more Nehru did not foreclose nuclear option: US expert NEW YORK, Jan 17: India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru was a hardheaded and shrewd man and did not forestall the country’s option of ....more Afghan Taliban recognise Chechen Government KABUL, Jan 17: Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban Islamic movement has become the first Government to recognise the breakaway Russian Republic of .....more |
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Gen Musharraf confident of BEIJING, Jan 17: Pakistan’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf today ......more Pak sees greater US BEIJING, Jan 17: Pakistan’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf sees ......more China quake toll rises, BEIJING, Jan 17: Twin earthquakes which rattled the Southwest Chinese .....more Bangladesh pilots sacked over suspected plot DHAKA, Jan 17: Three pilots for Bangladesh Biman Airlines have ......more |
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Indian High Commission staffer P Moses released ISLAMABAD, Jan 17: Indian High Commission Staffer P Moses, who was abducted and brutally assaulted by Pakistani intelligence operatives yesterday, was released in the early hours today. Moses was released at between 0200 and 0230 hours, acting Indian High Commissioner Sudhir Vyas told PTI. A High Commission source said moses was not in a condition to speak. Moses, was abducted yesterday when he was leaving for the church in a taxi and severely beaten up. A badly battered Moses was later shown on PTV, which claimed that he was attempting to deliver a bomb and Rs 5000 to unknown persons. Moses whereabouts were not known till late last night. The Indian High Commission here lodged a strong protest yesterday over the incident, dismissed all allegations against Moses as baseless and unfounded and demanded his immediate and safe release. Moses was abducted and continues to be held in illegal custody by the Government of Pakistan while on his way in a taxi to the Fatima Church in Sector F8 in Islamabad, Vyas said. It was amply clear that moses has been made to make false statements under extreme duress on PTV, while several injuries indicating physical assault and torture visible on his face, he said. The local police have refused to register an FIR in the case. The incident appears to be in retaliation for an incident earlier this week involving a Pakistani High Commission staffer in New Delhi who paid for his son’s school fees with a counterfeit 500-rupee note. (PTI) |
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China ordains 2-year old living Buddha BEIJING, Jan 17: China today announced that it had ordained a two-year-old boy as a new living Buddha in a face-saving measure after one of the highest leaders in Tibetan Buddhism escaped to India. The announcement came in a brief dispatch on the official Xinhua news agency saying the little boy was enthroned yesterday as the 7th reincarnation of the reting Rinpoche. The sixth reting, Dandzim Jigme, who played a role in the administration of Tibet in the 1930s and in the search for the present Dalai Lama, died in February 1997. Xinhua said the new living Buddha, Soinam Puncog, was born in Lhari, North of Lhasa, on October 13, 1997. But his legitimitacy is contested by the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in Northern India since he fled Tibet in 1959 after China brutally suppressed an uprising against Chinese rule. The ordination ceremony was held yesterday in the Johkang Temple in Lhasa, and attended by the leading authorities from the city and the Tibetan autonomous region. Xinhua described the reting Rinpoche as one of the highest-ranking positions in Tibetan Buddhism and said the region’s vice president had presented an official certificate approving him as the 7th reting. The tradition of patriotism and the spirit to preserve the unity of the Chinese nation have long been advocated by raiqen living Buddhas, it said. Despite his pro-communist stand the 6th reting Rinpoche was persecuted during the cultural revolution (1966-76). But the boy’s most renowned predecessor was the 5th reting Rinpoche, who was designated the regent to run Tibet after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1933 — a post he held until the ordination of the current Dalai Lama in 1940. The 5th reting Rinpoche was also head of the search party for the present Dalai Lama and his senior tutor before being arrested in 1947 by the Tibetan Government for colluding with China. He died a month later in prison, four years before Chinese troops marched into Tibet. The enthronement of the 7th reting Rinpoche comes just weeks after the 17th Karmapa, the only Tibetan Buddhist leader to be recognised by both the Dalai Lama and Beijing, fled to India. His escape has proved a major embarrassment for Beijing, which is still insisting that he has not defected to the Tibetan Government in exile in Dharamsala but has gone to fetch traditional musical instruments. (AFP) |
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Nehru did not foreclose nuclear option: US expert NEW YORK, Jan 17: India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru was a hardheaded and shrewd man and did not forestall the country’s option of making a nuclear bomb down the road, a US expert on South Asia says. While in seemingly categorical terms, Nehru said that India would not build the bomb, he quietly worked with leading nuclear scientist Homi Jahangir Bhabha who was developing a capability that could produce a bomb, George Perkovich says. In an interview to be published in the upcoming edition of American magazine, Perkovich says it was Nehru who essentially gave Bhabha Carte Blanche. Nuclear policy was made between those two over dinner. There were no checks. Bhabha, who died in a plane crash over Mount Blanc in 1966, is considered to be the father of India’s vast and prestigious nuclear establishment. Petrovich describes Bhabha as a charismatic, brilliant physicist who expressed willingness to stay in India to create a grand nuclear establishment and wanted to be endowed with resources. The Government was glad to have someone who could put India on map technologically. Bhabha, who was educated at Cambridge, had offers from Princeton University and other prestigious establishments but decided to go back to India to work. (PTI) |
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Afghan Taliban recognise Chechen Government KABUL, Jan 17: Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban Islamic movement has become the first Government to recognise the breakaway Russian Republic of Chechnya but said it could hardly give any help to Chechens in their conflict with Moscow. The formal recognition was agreed by Taleban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar during a meeting with a Chechen delegation yesterday at his headquarters in the Southern Afghan town of Kandahar, Taliban Foreign Minister Abdul Wakil Muttawakil told a Pakistan-based Afghan news service. Mullah Omar agreed that the Chechen Government "can open its diplomatic mission in Kabul from today", a Taliban spokesman told Reuters here. It was the first time any Government had recognised rebel Chechnya and comes as a bloody four-month-old Russian military campaign against the rebels is facing strong resistance in the regional capital Grozny and in the South. "The delegation requested the Taliban leader to recognise the Chechen Government, and the Taieban leader accepted this request on the basis of Islamic brotherhood, Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) quoted Mr Muttawakil as saying over telephone from Kandahar. He said the Taliban, itself struggling for international recognition, had intended to recognise Chechnya anyway but that the urgency of such a move had increased because of the Russian assault. Asked if the Taliban could help the Chechens fight the Russian offensive, a Taliban spokesman, Tayeb Agha, said Mullah Omar had told the Chechen delegation that his movement had "limited ability in terms of giving such help". The Taliban Government, accused by the West of helping international terrorism is fighting a Northern-based opposition alliance and is recognised by only three countries — Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Moscow has repeatedly accused the Taliban and some Pakistan-based militant groups of training warriors to fight Russia in Chechnya. The Taliban and Pakistan deny the charges. The Taliban Government, which controls about 90 per cent of Afghanistan, in turn accuses Russia of helping the opposition alliance that holds the remainder of the country, which Moscow had occupied in the 1980s under the former Soviet Union. (REUTERS) |
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Gen Musharraf confident of cementing ties with China BEIJING, Jan 17: Pakistan’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf today termed China as a trusted friend and said during his two-day stay here he would discuss with Chinese leaders the security situation and various steps taken by Islamabad to bring peace and stability in the region. During my stay in Beijing, I look forward to an in-depth discussion with our Chinese friends on the security situation and various steps the Government of Pakistan has taken to bring peace and stability in the region, Gen Musharraf said, kicking off his maiden international visit outside the Arab World since seizing power in a coup on October 12 last. Lauding the the steady growth in Sino-Pakistani relations, the Chief Executive said in his arrival statement, I am confident that my visit would further fortify our ties, strengthen our mutually beneficial, relations and enhance mutual cooperation in international fora. He described China as a country which Pakistan holds dear as its most reliable and trusted friend, and added my visit to China is a reaffirmation of our close and fraternal ties. Islamabad’s releations with Beijing has grown in strength and vitality and the long-standing ties between our two countries are underpinned by mutual trust and confidence China has stood by Pakistan in difficult times, he said. Our relations have remained strong and steadfast notwithstanding the cataclysmic changes in the political and security environment at the international, regional or domestic level, Gen Musharraf, who had visited China during the peak of the Kargil conflict in May last, said soon after his arrival here on a two-day working visit. According to official sources, Gen Musharraf has started official talks with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongi and tomorrow he is scheduled to meet with President Jiang Zemin and Parliamentary Speaker Li Peng. The Kishmir issue, terrorism and religious fundamentalism and the South Asian nuclear issue would figure in the bilateral talks, diplomatic sources said. Xinhua noted that this was Gen Musharraf’s first China trip since he took over as the Chief Executive. Gen Musharraf is leading a high-level team to China including Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar and Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz. China has long been a crucial ally, providing vital military equipment, liberal economic and diplomatic support. Gen Musharraf arrived on a regular commercial flight of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) so as to save money, a Pakistani official said. (PTI) |
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Pak sees greater US role in Kashmir issue: Gen Musharraf BEIJING, Jan 17: Pakistan’s military ruler General Pervez Musharraf sees a ‘serious’ role for the US in the Kashmir issue and ensuring peace and security in South Asia, a leading official Chinese newspaper reported today. We believe the US can make a serious contribution to establishment of peace and security in the region and expedite a just and fair settlement of the Kashmir problem in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, Gen Musharraf, who began a two-day working visit to China today, told official ‘China Daily’. He said Pakistan desires friendly and cooperative ties with all countries of the world including the US. In the past, we have welcomed international efforts aimed at reducing tension and initiating a meaningful dialogue between Pakistan and India in order to resolve contentious issues, including the core issue of Kashmir, he said. During the interview, Musharraf reitarated Pakistan’s support to Kashmiri militants and accused India of failing to respond to Islamabad’s initiatives to reduce tension. We shall continue our unflinching moral, political and diplomatic support to our Kashmiri brethren in their struggle to achieve self-determination, he said. He claimed to have initiated an important step to reduce military presence along Pakistan’s borders with India. It is unfortunate, but not surprising that India has failed to respond positively to our gesture and has instead embarked on a vilification campaign against the new Government to isolate it in the international community, he said in a obvious reference to last month’s hijacking. Pakistan will remain committed to dialogue and the peaceful resolution of all issues. At the same time we are opposed to hegemony and power politics, Gen Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup on October 12 last, said. Asked when civilian rule would be restored in Pakistan, he refrained from committing a firm date and went on to claim that the economic and social situation in the cash-strapped country has improved since he took over. We must fix our vision on realisation of the agenda at hand and not worry too much about the time frame. The armed forces have no intention of staying on charge any longer than absolutely necessary to pave the way for true democracy to flourish, Gen Musharraf said. The choice before US on October 12 has between saving the body (that is the nation) at the cost of losing a limb (which is the constitution), he said adding that the constitution is but a part of the nation. Therefore, I chose to save the nation and yet took care not to sacrifice the constitution, he said. He said the new administration faces an uphill task but has succeeded in identifying the priorities before the nation. The economy is showing signs of recovery, law and order has improved considerably the new administration is making several decisions to pave way for genuine democracy through delegation of power at grass-roots level, he claimed. (PTI) |
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China quake toll rises, relief efforts intensify BEIJING, Jan 17: Twin earthquakes which rattled the Southwest Chinese province of Yunnan over the weekend killed five people and injured more than 1,500, the China daily reported today. It said 31,000 houses were damaged or destroyed and quoted a local official as saying preliminary estimates put the cost of the damage at 610 million yuan (74 million dollars). The first quake, measuring 5.9 on the richter scale, struck early on saturday morning. The second, measuring 6.5, hit the same area 90 minutes later. Local officials said it was the second tremor which caused most of the damage and the low death toll was due in part to people fleeing their homes after the first. Thousands of them spent saturday night huddled around bonfires or in surviving homes to escape freezing overnight temperatures. Several hundred tents had already been set up and 2,000 more were due to arrive today, the China daily quoted relief officials as saying. Soldiers had also been drafted in to help coordinate rescue efforts in Yao’an county, about 100 km northwest of provincial capital Kunming, where most houses are built of wood and brick, the officials said. Victims in the mountain village of guantun, at the epicentre of the quakes, said it was a terrifying experience. "Several women and children were frightened to the point of tears and people were choked by the flying dust," Xinhua quoted witnesses in Guantun as saying. A pregnant woman buried under rubble was rescued and promptly had a caesarean section delivery, state television said, showing images of the woman and her infant swaddled in quilts. Yunnan province had suffered more than a dozen powerful quakes, killing close to 20,000 people, since the 1949 founding of the People’s Republic, Xinhua said. In the most dramatic case, a tremor measuring 7.7 hit Tonghai county on January 5, 1970, killing 15,621 people. The devastation, which struck amid the tumultuous 1966-1976 cultural revolution, was covered up until a special report appeared in a state-owned newspaper this month. (REUTERS) |
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Bangladesh pilots sacked over suspected plot DHAKA, Jan 17: Three pilots for Bangladesh Biman Airlines have been sacked and barred from leaving the country on suspicion of plotting to free relatives jailed in the killing of the country’s independence hero, aviation officials said today. They said the pilots were fired over the past week after intelligence reports suggested they may have been involved in conspiracies to seek the freedom of relatives sentenced to death for the killing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Rahman was slain, along with most of his family, in a 1975 coup and a special court last year sentenced 15 people, mostly retired Army officers, to death for their involvement in the coup. Official BSS news agency said late yesterday the pilots were "fired in the interest of public security following intelligence reports about their activities." It gave no further details on the alleged plot. (REUTERS) |
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