SPECIAL REPORT
Sensational revelations about terror funds
Pakistan’s key role in wire
transfers surprises US

From B L Kak

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: The US Administration has directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency ....more

Govt policies should
not ignore wildlife: Kant

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Vice President Krishan Kant today said plans to protect wildlife should not begin and end in the bureaucratic...more

KPs ask Centre
to take steps to
curb terrorism

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Expressing displeasure over the functioning of Farooq Abdullah administration in Jammu and Kashmir, migrants from the Valley demanded dismissal of his Government and asked the Centre to ....more

CCS reviews situation

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: The Cabinet Committee on Security met here this morning to review the security scenario in the country.....more

VHP to pursue
construction of temple at
Ayodhaya at any cost

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Vishwa Hindu Parishad vice president Acharya Giriraj Kishore today asserted before the Liberhan Commission of Inquiry probing the demolition of Babri Mosque in Ayodhya......more

Globalisation is
leading to climatic
catastrophe: Experts

NEW DELHI, Oct 2: A transition from the closed to the globalised economies has a catastrophic impact on the global climate, the....more

Indian response
to terrorism: No
piggybacking US

NEW DELHI, Oct 2: America’s global war against terrorism is good for India to join, but it is unlikely to decisively change world opinion on terrorists in .....more

No harassment of
freedom fighters over
grant of pension: SC

NEW DELHI, Oct 2: Warning the bureaucrats not to harass freedom fighters applying for pension under ‘Swatantrata Samman.....more
 

SPECIAL REPORT
Sensational revelations about terror funds
Pakistan’s key role in wire transfers surprises US

From B L Kak

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: The US Administration has directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to make available, at an earlier date, detailed data vis-à-vis terror funds wired to certain groups and individuals from Pakistan before the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

The first revelation about the wire transfers was made by intelligence sleuths in Florida. The wire transfers from Pakistan were sent to Mohammed Atta through two banks in Florida. Atta, the suspected leader of a group of 19 terrorists who carried out the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, would obtain money orders to distribute to others involved in the plot in the months before the hijackings.

If the sensational report put out by the CNN was any guide, Pakistan became what was termed as "a common conduit" for money going in and out of Afghanistan. According to the report, about 100,000 dollars were wired in the year 2000 from Pakistan to Mohammed Atta.

The US Administration’s perturbation became too evident to be missed after the receipt of information that Atta and two other men had wired more than 15,000 dollars to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) just before the attacks on New York and Washington. They money, according to the report, went to a man who flew out of Dubai for Karachi on September 11.

Washington, diplomatic sources said, wanted to know exactly where the funds have originated. All that the US President, Mr George W Bush, sought to highlight during the past one week was that his Government had frozen 6 million dollars in bank accounts linked to terrorist activity.

Mohammed Atta had sent 5,000 dollars, while his Florida room-mate, Marwan Al-Shehhi, wired 5,400 dollars. And the third man, Waleed Al Shehri, sent more than 5,200 dollars. The transfers, authorities in Florida assessed, had taken place on September 8 and 9. All three men were believed to have been on board the two planes hijacked in Boston and flown into the World Trade Centre.

That the Government of India is keen on a bigger drive by the international community against the flow of terror funds has been illustrated by New Delhi’s fresh message to Washington urging the Bush Administration to ban and freeze funds of Pakistan-backed terrorist outfits, namely, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

New Delhi’s message reiterated that Osama bin Laden had "strong links" with Jaish-e-Mohammed, which was responsible for the suicide bomb attack in Srinagar, capital city of Kashmir, on Monday. The message was dashed off at a time when the focus of the US fight was against Osama’s Al Qaeda network which operates in one name in one place and another name in another place.

On the other hand, the Vajpayee Government called for a detailed report from the Andhra Pradesh Government about the transfer of huge sums of money from the two Muslims of Hyderabad to their families during July-September 1999.

The two Muslims, detained by America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation after the September 11 terror attacks in the US, had sent about 64,200 dollars to their family members.

According to sketchy details furnished by Hyderabad Police authorities to the Union Home Ministry, the two Muslims, Ayub Ali Khan and Mohammed Javed Azmat, had used a wire transfer company to send the money in several installments in 1999.

Govt policies should not ignore wildlife: Kant

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Vice President Krishan Kant today said plans to protect wildlife should not begin and end in the bureaucratic maze.

Speaking at the presentation of the Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Awards, he said the Government’s economic policies and planning must not ignore wildlife.

"Wildlife is part of a complex, often mysterious process of food chain, habitat, climate and nature’s general house-keeping. These will need to be carefully and cautiously factored into policies and programmes for wildlife protection...," he said.

The Vice President said the heavy hand of law should firmly tackle problems of poaching. Similarly, it is important to generate greater knowledge about the value of the wildlife through schools and university curricula, he added.

He said that country has a very long and diverse tradition in protecting wildlife. Farmers around wetlands still plant leafless trees for birds, specially pelicans and saras cranes, he added.

Mr Kant said there was a need for a change in attitude towards wildlife and an increased awareness that the integrity of all life on earth is crucial to any plan for protection of wildlife. (UNI)

KPs ask Centre to take steps to curb terrorism

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Expressing displeasure over the functioning of Farooq Abdullah administration in Jammu and Kashmir, migrants from the Valley demanded dismissal of his Government and asked the Centre to take immediate steps to curb terrorism, which was spreading its dangerous tentacles in the state.

Demonstrating in the national capital, scores of migrants led by Kashmiri Samiti demanded that the Union Home Minister L K Advani should make public his assessment of the security situation in the Valley.

"Advani should immediately call all groups including Kashmiri Pundits and reveal the remedial steps taken by the centre in order to prevent such happenings in the future," president of Samiti Sunil Shakdher said.

He said India had an opportunity to mobilise global opinion against Pakistan and the Foriegn Minister Jaswant Singh, presently on a trip to the United States, should express New Delhi’s concern in "strongest possible terms."

Shakdher said the US strikes on Afghanistan will have a direct bearing on Kashmir as Pakistan will increase the level of violence in the state. "America should exert all covert and overt pressures on Islamabad to close the death camps run by its intelligence agency ISI so that stability in the region is maintained," he said.

Shakdher said "if the US failed in pressurising Pakistan, incidents like September 11 are likely to happen again but this time in Jammu and Kashmir or India."

A memorandum to this effect was also submitted to Advani later. (PTI)

CCS reviews situation

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: The Cabinet Committee on Security met here this morning to review the security scenario in the country.

The meeting is also understood to have discussed Monday’s militant attack on the heavily fortified Jammu and Kashmir Assembly premises in Srinagar leaving 38 people dead.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, was attended among others by Home Minister L K Advani, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Brajesh Mishra, Centre’s interlocutor on Kashmir K C Pant and three service chiefs.

External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh, a member of the CCS, is away on a foreign tour.

Soon after the brief meeting, Advani left for Srinagar to review the law and order situation in the state. (PTI)

VHP to pursue construction of temple at Ayodhaya at any cost

NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Vishwa Hindu Parishad vice president Acharya Giriraj Kishore today asserted before the Liberhan Commission of Inquiry probing the demolition of Babri Mosque in Ayodhya that "the VHP will continue with its agenda of constructing a Ram Temple at the disputed site come what may."

Deposing before the Commission, the VHP leader said the aim of the VHP movement since beginning was the temple construction at the site and there is no doubt that the objective remains same even now. "We have never hidden our agenda on the Ayodhya movemement. We had said at that time that we would construct a Ram Temple there and repeat the same thing now. We are ready to pay any price to achieve our objective," he reiterated.

Regarding the method adopted for demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992, Acharya Kishore clarified that it was not caused by any bomb blast but removal of bricks from the middle of the mosque. "If bricks are removed from the middle of any structure, it becomes very weak," he informed but claimed that he just saw Karsevaks creating holes in the structure but not the actual demolition.

"Since I had recently undergone pace-maker operation, I went to rest in a room when the actual demolition was carried out," he claimed. The implements used by the Karsevaks for demolition were ropes and iron rods kept there for its protection, he said.

However, he claimed that none of the Sadhu Sants, VHP, RSS or other prominent leaders were involved in the actual act of demolition.

"Torne Walon Me Aap Unki Apeksha Kaise Kar Sakte Hain (how could you expect them to be among the actually demolishing)," he observed when asked by the Commission to confirm whether any of these leaders were present in the photographs of demolition shown to him.

The VHP leader admitted that many professionals and technically qualified persons were associated with their Ayodhya movement and these included about four retired Directors General of Police and a retired Brigadier of Army who was engineering expert. A prominent architect made the model of the proposed temple, he said.

About the removal of head priest of the Ram Temple Lal Das in March 1992, he claimed that it was not due to his differences with the VHP on the issue of Ram Temple construction but due to "the priest not knowing how to perform Puja properly and lack of knowledge of Sanskrit Shlokas. A Government official had tested Mr Das’s knowledge and it was found unsatisfactory following which he was removed," he said.

Asked whether protection of the disputed structure ever came to be discussed during their meetings with the then Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, the VHP leader said that they just discussed the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute and not its security. "Security was the Government’s responsibility and we don’t consider things that does not concern us."

However, he admitted that none of the post-independence Government took any steps to repair the disputed structure. The structure was attacked once more by the Karsevaks before it was finally demolished on December 6, 1992 he added. (UNI)

Globalisation is leading to climatic catastrophe: experts

NEW DELHI, Oct 2: A transition from the closed to the globalised economies has a catastrophic impact on the global climate, the consequences of which are more severe than the September 11 attacks in the US, Mr Simon Rittalack of the Ecologist, London has said.

"While human terrorism is deplorable, environmental terrorism, indulged into especially by the so called ‘developed countries’, is leading to violence with potentially devastating consequences," he said here at a conference on ‘Gglobalisation, Energy and Climate Change’.

Other speakers included Prof N S Ramaswami, Director Cartman, Mr Sunil Mansinghka of the Gosewa Sangh, Nagpur, Mr Abhay Mehta who is the expert on Enron in India, Mr Ashok Mani of the RFTSE and activist Sulabha Brahme from Pune.

Drawing the attention towards the current Afghan crisis, Ms Sulabha Brahme, quoting the Los Angeles weekly, said," the war is all about oil in the Middle East."

"It is the result of meddling in the internal affairs of indigenous people to ensure all the oil (for furthering its economic interests) stays in the hands of America," she said pointing at the misuse of energy.

Globalisation and the resulting mad rush for money has forced the world to increasingly use fossil fuels like oil and coal, which has sent Green House Gases (GHGs)—carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, sulphur compounds and chlorofluorocarbons soaring, said Mr Retallack.

The result is the rise in global temperature, which is likely to shoot up by 5.5 degree celcius by the end of the century, resulting in melting of snow caps, rise in sea levels, destruction of coral shoot up drying up of fresh water sources and shifting of crop seasons, affecting food security of the planet, he said.

"Policies of economic globalisation are leading to massive emission of GHGs and forcing the Governments not to act in the manner required," Mr Retallack said.

Global shipping that has grown ten times since the 1950s has not only increased the demand for oil, but has also added immensely to environmental pollution through emissions and frequent oil spills.

Further, globalisation has led to proliferation of energy-intensive products and petro-hungry cars, other vehicles and fertilizers that have harmed the environment in their own ways, Mr Retallack said.

Even the institutions furthering globalisation like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are playing a role in precipitating pollution. The WB has granted 13.6 billion dollars worth energy projects since the Rio Summit of 1992, which would threaten global environment, he said.

While the ‘economic boss’ of the world, which emits one-fourth of the total global poisonous gases, has pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, the other countries are a mute spectator to its whims and fancies, Mr Retallack pointed at the unequal world order that has given more importance to the ‘economic powers’ of the nations.

"Globalisation is worsening the whole situation because it is generating ‘universal competition’ and forcing the Governments to lower their environmental standards."

He gave the example of Europe where environment tax could not be imposed because it would have decreased their competitiveness vis-a-vis other international players.

"Moreover, the multi-billion profits of the multinationals are used for funding politicians and scientists worldwide to stop them from enforcing strict environmental regulations," Mr Retallack alleged.

Citing Indian example, Mr Ashok Emani said the super cyclone of Orissa was a direct outcome of the havoc played by those practicing aquaculture along the coastline. The trees are cut exposing the coasts to cyclonic storms, he added.

Studies conducted have also brought out the rise in peak summer temperature from 37 to 41 degree celcius in Orissa due to the misuse of natural resources.

Reiterating that the looming war is in effect a fight for oil, the speakers agreed that if the countries have to protect themselves at the ‘physical’ as well as the ‘ecological’ level, then moving away from dependence on the fossil fuels (and therefore on Central Asia) is essential.(UNI)

Indian response to terrorism: No piggybacking US

NEW DELHI, Oct 2: America’s global war against terrorism is good for India to join, but it is unlikely to decisively change world opinion on terrorists in Kashmir and New Delhi will have to search its own answers in this regard, say analysts.

Foreign policy and security analysts say India’s ‘spontaneous’ offer of help after the horrific attacks on the WTC towers and Pentagon was logical, but in no way should it make New Delhi complacent that the west will train its guns on Kashmiri terrorists.

"If a country of India’s size looks to others for security, it will have no friends of its own," said M K Rasgotra, former Foreign Secretary.

"We must learn to stand alone to deal with the injustices, atrocities perpterated on us," Mr Rasgotra said here while commenting on the gruesome terrorist attack on the J and K State Assembly on Monday.

According to major Gen (retd) Afsir Karim, if the statements of the US leaders are any indicator, India should not harbour any thoughts that Kashmir is anywhere on their radar for fighting terrorism - even in the so-called second phase as is being made out to be.

"We have been told that J&K would be the focus in phase II, Phase I being Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaida network. Can we afford to wait for that, specially when there is no formal statement indicating that the Kashmiri terrorists would also be targetted," said the retired general, an expert with vast experience in Kashmir. (AGENCIES)

No harassment of freedom fighters over
grant of pension: SC

NEW DELHI, Oct 2: Warning the bureaucrats not to harass freedom fighters applying for pension under ‘Swatantrata Samman Pension’ scheme, the Supreme Court has asked the officials not to forget the selfless sacrifices done by them half a century ago.

"Once the country has decided to honour such freedom fighters, the bureaucrats entrusted with the job of examining the cases of such freedom fighters are expected to keep in mind the purpose and object of the scheme," a bench comprising justice M B Shah and Justice R P Sethi said in a recent judgement.

Speaking about the case in hand where an Indian National Army (INA) soldier was made to run from pillar to post for nearly 30 years to get pension, the bench said "we have noticed with disgust that the Home Ministry officials have adopted a hyper-technical approach while dealing with the case of a freedom fighter and ignored the basic principle/objective of the scheme intended to give benefit to the sufferers in the freedom movement."

One Gurdial Singh, who was an active member of INA in Bangkok, applied for pension under freedom fighters’ pension scheme in 1973 but it was stalled on one ground or the other. After he was granted the pension, he sought arrears. Peeved by the demand for arrears, the Government cancelled the pension making him approach the Supreme Court.

The Home Ministry authorities cited certain mundane objections to the documents supplied by Gurdial Singh as reason behind cancellation of the grant of pension to him.

Justice Sethi, writing the judgement for the bench, said the standard of proof required in such cases was not such standard which was required in a criminal case or in a case adjudicated upon rival contentions or evidence of the parties.

"Once on the basis of the evidence it is probabilised that the claimant had suffered imprisonment for the cause of the country and during the freedom struggle, a presumption is required to be drawn in his favour unless the same is rebutted by cogent, reasonable and reliable evidence," he said.

"As the object of the scheme is to honour and to mitigate the sufferings of those who had given their all for the country, a liberal and not a technical approach is required to be followed while determining the merits of the case of a person seeking pension under the scheme," he said.

The officials of the Home Ministry should not forget that persons intended to be covered by the scheme had suffered for the country about half a century back and had not expected to be rewarded for the imprisonment suffered by them, the apex court said.

Granting Rs 3,000 per month pension to Gurdial Singh with effect from March 1996, the court said the case of the claimants under this scheme was required to be determined on the basis of the probabilities and not on the touch-stone of the test of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.(PTI)

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