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Prescott pushes for LONDON, July 18: Britain has taken up with India the question of delay in finalising the hawk deal, a defence weekly has reported. ......more
Musharraf
briefs cabinet, ISLAMABAD, July 18: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today briefed his cabinet and the all powerful military dominated National Security ....more IAKF:
Musharraf used NEW YORK, July 18: The United States-based Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF) has said that attempts by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to use diplomacy as cover to "legit.....more Musharraf
strengthens ISLAMABAD, July 18: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf did much to revive his flagging image at home during his performance in India this week, where he proved his credentials .......more |
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Musharraf’s
visit to India a ISLAMABAD, July 18: Deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that Indo-Pak summit "failed" due to non representative character of.....more Summit
has shown WASHINGTON, July 18: The United States has said that the Agra summit between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and President Pervez.....more Musharraf
to flag off ISLAMABAD, July 18: President Pervez Musharraf would flag off indigenously built Pakistan’s Main Battle Tank (MBT), named Al-Khalid on July 20, media reports here said today. ....more US
says Indo-Pak summit WASHINGTON, July 18: The serious and constructive atmosphere of the Indo-Pak summit indicates that both sides are committed to resolving their differences, the US State Department has said. .......more |
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Prescott pushes for hawk deal: Report LONDON, July 18: Britain has taken up with India the question of delay in finalising the hawk deal, a defence weekly has reported. Deputy Prime Minister of Britain, John Prescott, who visited India for a day recently, is "believed to have discussed" the delayed Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) (hawk) sale with External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh and National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, the weekly reported. Quoting Indian defence officials, it said prescott travelled to India earlier this month with the "specific aim" of "pushing" through the hawk contract. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) are locked in a face-off over the purchase of an AJT, which the IAF has been demanding for over 15 years to bring down its high accident date, the report said. Quoting a senior MoD official in Delhi, the report said "contentious" price negotiations for 66 BAE systems hawk trainers that the IAF wants to acquire had led to the Russian MiG-at trainer aircraft becoming a "live option", despite having earlier been rejected from the competition. "A request was made by India at the (June) inter-Governmental commission for military-technical cooperation in Moscow to re-evaluate the (MiG-AT) aircraft for possible acquisition," the Jane’s defence weekly reported in its latest issue. The MoD is now also believed to be considering Italy’s aermacchi M-346 and the Brazilian/Italian AMX-T AI light combat and AJT aircraft, it said. But the IAF, which has lost nine fighter aircraft this year and 580 since 1978, wants to swiftly induct the hawk into service instead of the Mikoyan Design Bureau’s MiG-AT, which is still under development. "If the AJT selection procedure begins afresh it will be years before the air force gets anywhere near a trainer" leading to more accidents and increased pressure on pilots, an IAF officer said. Final price negotiations for the hawk trainers were "deferred" in March following a disagreement over their price, and also in the aftermath of unconnected arms bribery allegations following the tehelka.Com episode that led to the resignation of Defence Minister George Fernandes. The MoD also demanded assurances from BAE that the hawks to be purchased would not be fitted with any components from the US, which imposed sanctions on India for its 1998 nuclear tests. While some defence officials, according to the weekly report, said the announcement to re-evaluate the MiG at was merely a "signal" to BAE to reduce prices or lose out on the deal, others said growing Indo-Russian military cooperation, especially in joint ventures was "almost certain" to clinch the deal in Moscow’s favour. (PTI) |
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Musharraf
briefs cabinet, all powerful ISLAMABAD, July 18: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today briefed his cabinet and the all powerful military dominated National Security Council (NSC) the reasons leading to the stalemate at the Agra summit amidst reports that his popularity graph had soared after his plain talking with senior Indian editors while in Agra. The two bodies approved the stand taken by Musharraf at the Agra summit, officials said. Musharraf would address a press conference on July 20 for which the Indian media would be invited, they said. He would also soon convene meetings with politicians, Islamic clerics, leaders of Pakistan-based Kashmiri parties, editors of Pakistan media, students and women groups to brief them about the outcome of his India visit. Media reports here said his popularity graph soared specially after the telecast of his meeting with senior Indian editors during which he bluntly stressed the centrality of Kashmir in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. Officials said he was all set to repeat the exercise of meetings with groups and individuals whom he met in the run-up to his talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in order to consolidate the "positive" image he "acquired by standing firm on the Kashmir issue." It is also evident from yesterday’s press conference by Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar that Musharraf considered the Agra summit "inconclusive" and not a failure and hoped to continue his talks with Vajpayee when the two meet in September this year at the UN General Assembly in New York. It was also during the consultative meetings with various segments of Pakistan society, that Musharraf virtually set the tone for the Agra summit, before he set off to India tour on July 14, in which he pledged to discuss Kashmir as the main issue with Indian leaders. Barring former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto led Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif led Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and 19 party Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and other small parties and groups supported Musharraf’s visit to India. While both PPP and the PML bitterly criticised him for returning "empty" handed from Agra even without clinching a joint declaration, the ARD chief, Nawabzada Nasullah Khan, who also boycotted the meeting with Musharraf prior to the military ruler’s visit to New Delhi has praised Musharraf for standing firm on the Kashmir issue. It is to be seen whether he would attend the meeting of the political parties to be convened by Musharraf in the coming days. If he does it could spell the end of the ARD, which till date remained the only united political force that openly opposed the continuation of military rule in Pakistan. (PTI) |
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IAKF: Musharraf used
diplomacy to NEW YORK, July 18: The United States-based Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF) has said that attempts by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to use diplomacy as cover to "legitimise Islamabad’s nefarious designs" have resulted in the Indo-Pak summit making no headway. "Musharraf, the mastermind behind Kargil battle, was merely using this opportunity to legitimise his position as dictator. Pakistan cannot be trusted," the Forum said in a statement yesterday. It criticised Musharraf for his "reluctance" to contain Pakistani-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir and trying to persuade New Delhi to accept the "centrality" of the Kashmir issue. "The crux of the Kashmir issue is the cross-border terrorism, Islamic militancy and the return of the Kashmiri Pandits. Yet none of these issues appeared to have been on Pakistan’s agenda. Any future dialogue must from the outset acknowledge and directly address these issues," it stressed. For the Kashmiri community, the time is running short and bold new initiatives are needed to ensure that they return to the state, it said. Musharraf’s contradictory stance on negotiations, the forum said, was obvious at his press conference with senior Indian journalists. "It is here that he repeated the standard Pakistani reference to the aspirations of the people of J&K — while apparently unfazed over his own rise to power following a military coup," it added. Referring to escalation of militants’ violence during the summit, the Forum said even while the talks were underway, the death toll in Jammu and Kashmir reached over 81, with the terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen warning of increased attacks. Notably, this warning came from the Hizbul’s supreme commander, Syed Salahuddin, who is based in Pakistan. This only further underscores the need to contain cross-border terrorism as a first step in resolving the Kashmir issue, it added. Militant groups such as the Laskhar-e-Toiba, it said, have gone on record to declare that the goal of their holy war is the annihilation of India. "Yet Musharraf continues to look the other way. The end result is that the original inhabitants of Kashmir — the minority Kashmiri Pandit community — continues to suffer a wretched fate after being forced out of Kashmir at gunpoint," it said. (PTI) |
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Musharraf strengthens hand at home after summit ISLAMABAD, July 18: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf did much to revive his flagging image at home during his performance in India this week, where he proved his credentials as head of state if not his legitimacy. The leader of the popular 1999 military coup which toppled the Nawaz Sharif Government, General Musharraf admitted recently that his political graph was on the decline. But analysts said his confident and straight-forward approach to this week’s landmark summit with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has revived his image at home and abroad. "I think Musharraf has gained a lot although India and Pakistan did not get much out of the summit," said Jamil Raza, Assistant Professor at Quaid-e-Azam University’s Department of Defence and Strategic Studies in Islamabad. "He got legitimacy and recognition not only from the Pakistani side but from the rest of the world ... The people (of Pakistan) in particular are taking him as their leader." "Compared to Vajpayee he seemed like a much more open and dynamic personality. The image he projected was more progressive and forward looking," Raza said. His success, at least in the image stakes, may help reverse growing dissatisfaction at his regime’s failure to live up to its promises of boosting the economy, reeling in religious extremists and improving human rights. Analysts said it would also allay misgivings about his grab for the presidency in June, which fed fears that the military is planning a much longer stay in power than the three-year stint promised after the coup. Pakistan’s sidelined political parties disagree, saying the Musharraf will face growing opposition following his diplomatic failure. "It was expected that General Musharraf would fail and he would return empty handed because he did not have the backing and the mandate of the people of Pakistan," said Pakistan People’s Party spokesman Farhat Ullah Babar. "Despite all the histrionics and acts that he played with his changes of costume, it was a grand and miserable failure". "I believe that he will be weaker, although from the outside he will acquire all the instruments of power." Raza said mandates and constitutional legitimacy were second to performance in Pakistani politics. "When we talk about legitimacy it’s more of a theoretical thing. Practically he has gained ground and the people appreciate him now," he said. "In terms of the future, there is now the possibility, since he has enhanced and reinvigorated his image in Pakistan, that he will be with us for a long time to come." (AFP) |
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Musharraf’s visit to India a political gimmick: Sharif ISLAMABAD, July 18: Deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that Indo-Pak summit "failed" due to non representative character of President Pervez Musharraf and described his visit to India as "nothing more than a political gimmick." "The failure was bound to happen and we warned about it several times," he said in a statement. Sharif, who was toppled in October 1999 military coup by Musharraf and later exiled to Saudi Arabia indefinitely, said "Musharraf did not hold any representation of the Pakistani nation and the behaviour of the Indian Government clearly demonstrated this." "During his visit to New Delhi, the focus of attention was on his ancestral home and in Agra it was the Taj Mahal," he said adding "the only thing the Pakistani nation got from this visit was few pictures of Mr and Mrs Musharraf under the shadow of the Taj. Trying different Indian foods, reviving some childhood memories, strolling at Taj Mahal and talking to the international press does not address the real issues." Musharraf was aware of the "likely response" of the summit that’s why "his much-hyped visit was nothing more than a political gimmick," Sharif said in the statement released to Pakistani daily The News in London yesterday by his son Hasan Nawaz. On the contrary, the Sharif-Vajpayee Lahore meeting was a complete contrast to what happened in Agra, the statement said. "Failure to issue a (joint) statement or signing a declaration, reminds us when the Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee came and signed the historic Lahore declaration with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif," the statement said. It said "that meaningful summit addressed the major issues while highlighting the Kashmir problem." "Now General Musharraf stands with a failed summit in which he could not even manage to get a word out of Vajpayee’s mouth about Kashmir," the statement added. (PTI) |
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Summit has shown path to be taken for settlement: US WASHINGTON, July 18: The United States has said that the Agra summit between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf has shown the path to be taken for the eventual settlement of the differences between India and Pakistan. "While India and Pakistan did not reach agreement on a final joint statement, it is important to keep this meeting in perspective. The two sides were grappling with very difficult issues that have divided them for over 50 years," Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina B Rocca said yesterday at an Indian American Friendship Council Banquet organised by Council President Krishna Reddy. She said "yet the serious and constructive atmosphere of these talks tells me that both sides are committed to resolving their differences, even if this turns out to be a lengthy process. Prime Minister Vajpayee’s agreement to visit Islamabad for further discussions is a positive step, and the Foreign Ministers of both countries have said their Governments want the dialogue to continue." "We strongly support this kind of sustained, senior-level engagement between Pakistan and India," she said at the banquet which was attented by as many as 100 senators and Congressmen. Meanwhile, senior advisor to the State Department Gary Usery said at a White House briefing for the council members that it was probably not surprising that Indian and Pakistani leaders did not succeed in their first effort. "The important thing is they decided to stay at it and they will meet again." "It looks as though the process has begun and we are very happy about it. We are very supportive of the process," he said. Asked whether the us would mediate, he pointed out that the us’ policy is not to offer any mediation unless both sides request it. Actually, without anyone’s mediation, India and Pakistan "are doing pretty well. It looks like they are doing fine," he added. (PTI) |
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Musharraf to flag off Pak’s MBT on July 20 ISLAMABAD, July 18: President Pervez Musharraf would flag off indigenously built Pakistan’s Main Battle Tank (MBT), named Al-Khalid on July 20, media reports here said today. Musharraf would receive the first batch of the 15 Al-Khalid tanks built by Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) and hand them over to Pakistan Army for extensive field trials. There are, however, conflicting versions in the Pakistan media about the claims of indigenous content of the Al-Khalids. The tank was built with relentless efforts from the past eight years, Pakistan’s daily ‘The News’ said today. Another Pakistan newspaper, ‘The Nation’ in its recent report said Al-Khalid was a Sino-Pak joint venture and Pakistan hopes to manufacture 50 tanks a year in collaboration with China. Al-Khalid according to the Pakistan defence officials was superior to T-90 tanks being purchased by India from Russia. The main features of the tank were its exceptional mobility, effective protection and excellent fire power supported by a hunter killer capability. ‘The News’ said that Al-Khalid stands well matched with the most modern contemporary tanks, and meets all future defence requirements of the country. "It indeed is a great leap forward in the quest to achieve an impregnable defence for Pakistan," said a senior officer. Al-Khalid tank is an ideal blend of mobility, firepower and protection, and its high agility and obstacle crossing capability makes it an effective weapon that can match the tactical requirements of modern warfare. One of the most powerful weapons of its time is mounted on the tank, which can engage targets at long stand off distances, it said. The weapon is supported by a modern image stabilised fire control system with capabilities for day and night operations. The MBT is fortified by modular composite armour, which can effectively defeat modern ammunition, it said. (PTI) |
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US says Indo-Pak summit had "serious talks" WASHINGTON, July 18: The serious and constructive atmosphere of the Indo-Pak summit indicates that both sides are committed to resolving their differences, the US State Department has said. Commenting on the meetings in Agra between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, State Department Spokesman Philip Reeker said yesterday that progress toward reconciliation will be difficult and lengthy. "The two sides were grappling with very difficult issues that have divided them for over 50 years," Reeker said. He said Vajpayee’s agreement to visit Islamabad for further discussions is a positive step. (AP) |
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