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‘No
intentions to cross LoC at this stage’ NEW DELHI, Oct 16: In a significant statement coinciding with the arrival of U S Secretary of State Colin Powell, India today declared it will be a "no-holds-barred and ruthless" battle against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir but refused to discuss in public the question of strikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "India will be ruthless in dealing with infiltration and the kind of methods used by Pakistani terrorists including suicide exercises. Essentially it means that the Army will act very decisively with "no-holds barred," Defence Minister George Fernandes told a press conference, His strong comments come a day after his reinduction and the "punitive" military action along the Line of Control and International Border in the Jammu sector. Fernandes said that in yesterday’s operation, 30 infiltrators were killed and 11 Pakistani posts destroyed in firing by the Army which used small arms, air defence guns, automatic grenade launchers and mortars. Asked if Indian Armed forces would strike at terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, he said "exact details of action are never disclosed. Otherwise, the adversary would make preparations to counter it". On J and K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s demand that the terrorist camps should be attacked, he said "if such extraordinary step has to be taken, then that’s a big decision. Such a decision cannot be taken on the spur of the moment". "A decision (on crossing the LoC) will be taken only at that time...Everybody can come to their own conclusions", the Defence Minister said to a volley of questions whether he did not rule out strikes across the border. On ‘hot pursuit of militants camps across the LoC, Mr Fernandes said "hot pursuit has not been very clearly defined". He however said ‘severe action against terrorism’ as demanded by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah "is a big decision and cannot be taken on the spur of the moment". "It was an emotion-loaded statement and one does understand the pain he carries. But hard decisions are not taken on the basis of emotions." The Defence Minister said there had not been much change on Pakistan’s deployment of troops on the border since the ceasefire was called off in May. In the background of the Afghan situation some troop movement was there but it was of a defensive nature. Mr Fernandes said the recent incidents in Akhnoor and Mendhar proved that Pakistan’s desire to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir had not ended. There had been a lean period only when Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf was coming to India. The continuing militancy through laying of mines and Improvised Explosive Devices and suicide attacks like the one on the J and K Assembly were continuing. "One has to be ruthless to deal with them. The punitive action (taken yesterday) is what I meant when I said we will be ruthless. The punitive action will continue". Mr Fernandes said his information was that although terrorist training camps existed across the border the activity there had come down. There were reports that foreign mercenaries were going back from the Valley and also that some recruits from within Jammu and Kashmir were returning to the State. He said reports of the United States enhancing military ties with Pakistan was not of concern as India had been trying to tell the world for the last ten years that Pakistan and Taliban were behind the terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir but nobody believed it. "If the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon had not been attacked I do not know whether the US would have talked of terrorism". India had all along been fighting terrorism and would do so without relying on another country, he added. Mr Fernandes, who quit following the Tehelka expose on defence deals, said he would once again ‘stick my neck out’ to see that arms acquisition was speeded up so that national security was not jeopardised. (UNI) |
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Calls for immediate
dialogue ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: The US today described the Kashmir issue as "central" to the relationship between India and Pakistan and stressed that beginning of a dialogue between the two countries was the "most important thing now". The US believed that "the Kashmir issue is central to the relationship" between the two countries, Secertary of State Colin Powell said after holding talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf here. Responding to questions, Powell said "beginning of a dialogue (between India and Pakistan) is the most important thing now. That is the message I will be taking to India". The American Secretary of State, who will leave for New Delhi later today, also spoke of "mutual respect for each other and desire to accommodate the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and respect for avoiding confrontation." Stressing the need for avoiding "provocation", he said at a joint press conference with Musharraf "I will press upon both sides that dialogue between two sides is important." Observing that terrorism has no place in the civilized world, Powell said he had thanked the Pakistani President for his condemnation of the October one car bomb attack in Srinagar. Powell said the Kashmir issue should be resolved through "peaceful, political and diplomatic means and not through violence and reliance on force but with a determined respect for human rights." He said "we too believe that the Kashmir issue is central to the relationship and can be resolved if all parties are engaged with a willingness to redress their concerns in mutually acceptable ways". The American Secretary of State recalled that President George W Bush had praised Musharraf’s call to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee earlier this month. Powell said "we discussed ways to promote stability in South Asia which we all know is a critically important part of the world." Musharraf said he had conveyed to Powell that Pakistan desired to have "tension-free" relations with India but that "Kashmir remained at the heart of India-Pakistan tensions". The Pakistani President said during discussions Powell had expressed Washington’s willingness to play a "helpful role" in improving India-Pakistan relations. While stressing that the current US-led campaign against terrorism must seek to eliminate the "root causes" of the scourge, he said Pakistan has decided to be with the international coalition within the three parameters of intelligence sharing, use of air space and logistical support. Powell said, "in the coming months US will take concrete steps to strengthen Pakistan’s economy and further broaden our commercial and trade ties and together we can accomplish great things." With regard to Afghanistan where US is engaged in military operations, Powell said, "we both have a common goal to see that the Afghan Government is one that will represent all the people of Afghanistan and a regime that obviously will be friendly to all its neighbours including Pakistan. Musharraf said he had Powell agreed that durable peace in Afghanistan was only possible through "broad-based, multi-ethnic Government" established without outside interference. He said any future dispensation in Kabul could involve former exiled Afghan King Zahir Shah, the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance and the moderate elements within the Taliban regime. "Extremism is not in every Taliban... We know for sure there are many moderates in the Taliban," he said. Stating that the Taliban regime was under "enormous pressure", Powell said he however could not speculate on when it would collapse. (PTI) |
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Musharraf, Powell see some future role for Taliban ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and US Secretary of State Colin Powell today revived a stagnant relationship with agreement that any future Afghan Government should include the opposition as well as Taliban members. "Former King Zahir Shah, political leaders, moderate Taliban leaders, elements from the (opposition) northern alliance, tribal elders, Afghans living outside their country ... All can play a role in this Government," Musharraf told a joint news conference. Powell recognised that the hardline Taliban, now under attack from US forces hunting down Osama bin Laden, said there were some moderate elements of the Taliban and they would have a role to play in Afghanistan’s future. "The term Taliban defines the current regime," Powell said. "But it also defines a group of individuals or group of people. "If you got rid of the regime, there will still be those who might find their teachings and feeling and believes of that movement are still very important and to the extent that they are willing to participate in the development of a new Afghanistan." Powell, in Pakistan to shore up support for the US-led action against Afghanistan in pursuit of Saudi-born militant bin Laden and his Taliban protectors, said military action would not stop until all objectives had been met, but he hoped it would be short — something Musharraf also wanted. "We are focussing today on the terrorist threats eminating from Afghanistan and Al Qaeda organisation of Osama bin Laden," Powell said. "Obviously we want it to be short ... Precise." Musharraf agreed. "one would like to say that certainly a majority of the people are against the operation in Afghanistan," he said. "They would like to see this operation to be terminated as fast as possible and that is what I would urge the coalition —to achieve the military objectives and terminate the operation." But he said most Pakistanis supported his decision to back the global alliance against terrorism. "However the majority of the people of Pakistan are with my actions," he said. Street protests against the action have been muted. Nevertheless, Powell arrived in the Muslim country amid intense security as radical Islamic groups that back Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban and are furious that Musharraf is backing the military action in a neighbouring Afghanistan called a general strike. The response was lacklustre. Musharraf said the Taliban had brought their plight on themselves. "We regret the Government of Afghanistan jeopardised interests of millions of its own people," he said. "There is enormous pressure. But I can’t tell you when this pressure will cause the collapse." Powell said it was only a matter of time before the Taliban collapsed, but he would not speculate on when that might be. "The regime is under enormous pressure. The neighbours that it has have turned against it. It is subject of efforts of the entire international community." The United States today sent one of the most fearsome weapons in its arsenal to strafe the stronghold of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban in Southern Kandahar city as US force moved in closer on their prey. (REUTERS) |
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LeT, JeM can't fight India's power: Advani MANESAR (HARYANA), Oct 16: India today termed as "strange" Islamabad’s linking of its support to America-led coalition against terrorism with Kashmir and asserted it would not get any backing to what it is doing in Kashmir. "Our neighbouring nation is saying it is supporting the (international) campaign against terrorism because due to this it will get more support to what it is doing in Kashmir. This is strange," Union Home Minister L K Advani said here. "But whatever they (Pakistan) may say, they will not get support (on Kashmir)," he said while addressing the troops of National Security Guards (NSG) on its 17th Raising Day. Emphasising that India had strength to deal with its problems on its own, he said due to the present international campaign against terrorism, world atmosphere will become such that supporters of cross-border terrorism will reduce, which will be helpful to India. He said no terrorist group, including Lashker-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad or Hizbul Mujahideen, could fight India’s "immense power". "Any private terrorist organisation cannot do anything. Danger emerges when these groups get backing and patronage from another nation," Advani said. He said India was faced with state-sponsored terrorism wherein infiltrators are sent here who kill and terrorise innocent people and go back to take refuge in the country which supports them. Any country using terrorism as a national policy should be ostracised and declared a pariah, Advani said, adding "if there is international opinion, things can be stopped." He endorsed targeting of terrorist targets in Afghanistan by the US-led coalition, saying "it is a logical decision as the regime is supporting and providing shelter to Al Qaeda. "So the Taliban naturally becomes a target," he said. The Home Minister said India had been unsuccessfully trying for the last 15 years to make the world, particularly the US and its other allies, aware of the threat posed by terrorism. "We used to tell them that the problem being faced by us may confront them," he said, and added "but the US thought nobody would attack it as it had emerged victorious in two World Wars and was far away." Advani said after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the world needed to understand what India had been saying and address the problem at international level. September 11 is a date when thinking changed, he said. "Terrorism, a menace for humanity, is a new kind of war where the enemy is not known and the victim is not clear, not necessarily security forces," he said. He said the present US-led campaign should not be limited to avenging the September 11 terrorist attacks but move ahead to eliminate terrorism throughout the world. "What happens now or how long this (campaign) goes on, I do not know. But there is no doubt that when this new chapter ends, world atmosphere will be such that India will emerge victorious and we will win of our own strength," he said.(PTI) |
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Cabinet approves ordinance to combat terrorism NEW DELHI, Oct 16: The Union Cabinet tonight approved promulgation of an ordinance to combat terrorism in place of scrapped TADA making non-disclosure of information relating to a terrorist act an offence. In the new ordinance, the terrorist act has been defined as acts committed by using weapons and explosives or other methods to cause death and injuries, damage property, disrupt essential services and threaten the unity and integrity of the country. With a view to stem criticism that such laws result in harassment, the ordinance will ensure safeguards, including reduction in the maximum period of police remand from 60 days under TADA to 30 days. The Director General of Police and the review committee will have to confirm the FIR against a person within ten days and 30 days respectively and investigation of an offence would have to be conducted by an officer not below the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Intimation of the arrest of an accused will have to be provided to a family member immediately after the arrest and a lawyer on behalf of the detained person will be allowed during interrogation. Only recording of confession of the accused by a police officer not below the rank of a Deputy Superintendent will be admissible as evidence. (UNI) |
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US switches to low
level attacks KABUL, Oct 16: A US special forces gunship swung into action today, raking a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan with heavy machine gun and cannon fire. Fierce daylight bombing at Kabul set International Red Cross warehouses afire. Massive explosions from the battle over Kabul’s skies could be heard along the front lines between Taliban and Afghan opposition forces 50 kilometers to the north. Black smoke billowed on the capital’s northern edge. The second straight day of punishing daylight raids and the first use of the low-flying, lumbering AC-130 marked a dramatic intensification of the air campaign against Taliban military sites and leaders. The attacks also signaled US confidence that more than a week of strikes by ship-launched cruise missiles and high-flying jets had removed much of the threat from Taliban air defense. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in neighboring Pakistan to shore up support for the US-led campaign, called Afghanistan’s Islamic regime "under enormous pressure" but refused to say whether he thought it near collapse. Today’s fresh waves of air strikes targeted the Taliban on multiple fronts - military bases and airports outside the capital of Kabul, Taliban leaders’ southern base city of Kandahar and the key northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif - a former opposition stronghold. Salvos of bombs struck in the north of Kabul throughout the day, blasting at a cluster of Taliban military bases and transport and fuel depots. One bomb crashed into a Red Cross compound at Khair Khana injuring a guard and setting two warehouses afire. Afghan workers braved the smoke to recover some of the blankets, tents and medicine from one building. The other contained wheat, ICRC staffers at the scene said. In Islamabad, ICRC spokesman Mario Musa said the warehouse roofs had been marked with a Red Cross insignia. Outside Kabul, an Associated Press reporter with opposition forces on the Shomali plain well to the north of the Capital could hear huge explosions from the bombardment and the roar of heavy guns. Taliban fuel supplies and vehicles were believed to have been removed from some of today’s targeted installations in the Khair Khana area. Residents say Taliban forces avoid spending the night at the Khair Khana military bases, taking refuge in local mosques instead. Locals say today’s bombing injured three farmers out working in their fields when the US jets roared overhead. Taliban Information Ministry official Abdul Himat said 13 civilians died in the pre-dawn assault at Kandahar. The Taliban also said two people were killed in today’s attack on Mazar-e-Sharif. The claims could not be independently verified. In Washington, a Defense official confirmed the overnight attack was led by an AC-130, marking the first acknowledged use of special-forces aircraft in the offensive, which began on Oct 7. (AP) |
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Inhabitants seek help of
security forces Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 16: As foreign terrorists active in Surankote area resorted to committing rapes, brutalising civilians, slitting throats and rendering small children orphans, there is strong resentment among people over inhuman acts of these so-called Jehadis. To express their anguish over heinous atrocities of terrorists, large number of people today staged a protest demonstration and sough help from the security forces to protect their honour and dignity, a defence spokesman said. He said, there is a wide spread feeling among inhabitants of militancy plagued areas that only forces can protect their womenfolk from the hands of foreign mercenaries who are hell bent to kidnap young girls for lust. It may be recalled that in the last fortnight, the atrocities of Pakistani terrorists have increased. The so-called Jehadis had slit the throat of an innocent couple last week. Tired of the demands of terrorists, Tariq Hussain and his wife Naseem Begum had pleaded them to leave. The couple was beaten and brutally mutilated before killing them in cold blood. The security forces later tracked and killed this barbaric terrorist called Omar Pakistani. There was another heart rendering case of Pakistani terrorist waking up the peaceful family of Hamidulla Zhara. The couple was brutally killed in cold blood. Hamidullah had earned the wrath of these Jehadis when he wanted to save the honour of his wife. The tales go on and on, these perpetrators of terror do not intend to stop at this. These groups of mercenaries are sustained not by religion or ideology but by terror and violence and only lust for money and pleasure of women, the spokesman said. Meanwhile in their resolve to fight the growing atrocities of terrorists, the people of Surankote and Mendhar organised protest marches. Prominent leaders, sarpanches, shopkeepers and masses sought the help of security forces and met the local commanders to reiterate their stand to extend unstinted co-operation to the security forces in fighting these unwanted terrorists, he said. They have given them only pain, suffering, misled their youth to rise in rebellion against their own brethren and hindered their socio-economic growth. The delegation openly interacted with security forces and expressed their complete solidarity to fight jointly against these messiahs of death who despise and disregard their culture and customs. Portraying visible anger, they pledged to denounce militancy. Meanwhile it is reliably learnt that angered by the foreign terrorists for humiliating the pride of local girls, terrorists of HM and HM PPR have tacitly supported the security forces. The army killed 41 terrorists in this month, who were targeting to disrupt peace in this region. The army has assured the locals to bring the terrorists to justice, the spokesman said. |
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Student killed, 45
civilians wounded in 2 blasts Excelsior Special Correspondent SRINAGAR, Oct 16: While as a student died and 45 civilians sustained injuries in two grenade blasts in Kashmir valley today, at least eight militants and three civilians were reported killed in other incidents of violence today. Informed sources in north Kashmir told EXCELSIOR that a patrol of Rashtriya Rifles 30 Bn was ambushed by militants at Hanga village on Handwara-Langet road. Even as a driver of the convoy received gunshot wounds on his right hand, troops retaliated and forced the militants withdraw. A covering party of the same battalion trapped the fleeing militants and engaged them in an hour-long gunbattle. Troops used mortar shelling and eliminated three militants. According to residents, four militants of the group managed to escape. Officials identified the militants killed in the encounter as Abu Osama, Abu Saffaya and Abu Nasir and described them as Pakistani cadres of Lashkar-e-Toiba. Unconfirmed reports said that a women also got injured in the gunbattle. A large quantity of arms and ammunition, including 3 AK-56 rifles, one wireless set, three hand grenades, nine rifle grenades, one grenade-launcher and disposable rocket-launcher, were recovered from the site of encounter. Reports from Bandipore said that a group of militants fired upon a search party of Rashtriya Rifles 14th Bn at Salinder village, near Choontimulla. Troops retaliated, killing three Pakistani militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba. One of them was identified as Abu Ukasa of Karachi. Official sources confirmed that two soldiers sustained injuries in the encounter. Late last evening, troops had launched the operation on the basis of a tip off which suggested presence of four militants in the village. Reports from south Kashmir said that another encounter took place between militants and security forces at Sheikh Gund, in Achhabal locality of Anantnag in which two unidentified militants got killed. Meanwhile the two militants killed in an encounter at Dobjan, Shopian, last evening, have been identified as Shahid-ul-Islam S/o Ghulam Mohammad of Bhaderwah and Bashir Ahmed Wagay S/o Sonaullah Wagay of Kuru-Batpora, Kulgam. Officials today described them as members of Harkat-e-Jihad-e-Islami. The militants killed near Sadhna Pass, in Trehgam area of Kupwara on Monday, has been identified as Mohammad Maqbool of Lipa Valley, PoK. Student killed, 45 injured Official sources in south Kashmir said that militants hurled a hand grenade at a crowded place, at the main bus-stand of Kulgam, this evening. A Class 10th student, namely Showkat Ahmed, got killed and 25 other civilians sustained injuries. Earlier, in a similar explosion, at least 20 civilians sustained splinter injuries at Exhibition Crossing in the capital city. Most of the wounded were rushed to hospital. Even as officials held the militants responsible for causing the blasts at crowded places, very few people here believed that militants would have caused such explosions at the time of the American Secretary of State Colin Powell’s New Delhi visit. Reports from Pulwama said that security forces seized an IED at Naira village, on Pulwama-Tahab road and defused the same without any damage. 3 civilian killed Official sources in Budgam said that last evening, an encounter took place between militants and troops of RR 34 Bn at Khwaja Gund in Arizal area. In exchange of gunfire, a 16-year-old boy, namely Waseem Ali Khanday S/o Mohammad Akbar Khanday of Sail, got killed. However, residents alleged that troops in ambush mistook the boy as a militant and shot him dead. Another boy, namely Abdur Rasheed Khan S/o Abdul Karim Khan of Gadole, Kokernag, got killed when he began fiddling with an explosive device which he had picked up from a field. It went off, killing the boy on spot. Reports from south Kashmir added that militants kidnapped Mushtaq Ahmed Negroo S/o Hassan Negroo of Sirhama, Bijbehara, and later throttled him to death at Dargund village. He was described as a labourer. |
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Top Kashmiri terrorist held near rail track Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 16: A hardcore Kashmiri terrorist of newly formed Asarul Islam outfit was arrested by police this morning between Bari Barahamana-Vijaypur section of railways when he was conducting recee of rail track to carry out sabotage. Arrested militant had undergoing training in manufacturing and planting sophisticated explosive devices in Pakistan for about a year. He has been identified as Tariq Parray alias Shahbaz, a resident of Badgam district in Kashmir valley and a front ranking activist of Asarul Islam outfit, headed by Ahsan Dar. Official sources described the arrest of Shahbaz as a ‘prize catch’ which will help in identifying the network of new militant outfit in the State. This was first arrest of the outfit in Jammu region, they said. Shahbaz was arrested by a Bari Barahamana police station party headed by SHO Mohd Rafiq under supervision of SP City (South) Jagdish Lal Sharma during a naka laid by police party in a village, close to railway track, between Bari Barahamana-Vijaypur section early today. Initially, the terrorist pleaded innocence but broke after sustained interrogation by police parties. Tariq Parray disclosed that earlier he was affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen outfit and operated mostly in Badgam district of Kashmir valley. Later, he said, he switched over to newly formed outfit Asarul Islam of Master Ahsan Dar due to ‘monetary considerations’. Asarul was deputed to Pakistan for arms training in September last year. He got training in handling of all type of sophisticated explosives including manufacturing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). He stayed in Pakistan for about 11 months and returned in August this year using International Border of Samba sector. After infiltrating, he proceeded straight to Kashmir valley and reported to his group leaders. From Kashmir, he went to New Delhi early this month, reportedly on a ‘mission’, which he was yet to disclose. He returned from Delhi yesterday and was conducting recee of railway track, reportedly to carry out blasts at a later date when he was arrested by police. No immediate recovery could be made from the possession of Shahbaz but, the sources said, some recoveries were in the offing. Sustained interrogation of Shahbaz was going on and some more disclosures were expected. A major tragedy has been averted with timely arrest of Shahbaz. |
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Young girl gunned down in Rajouri Excelsior Correspondent RAJOURI, Oct 16: A young girl, who was scheduled to wed next month, was gunned down by five terrorists in front of her mother and other family members in her house at village Salora in Manjakot tehsil last mid-night. As usual, the terrorists described the young innocent girl as an ‘army informer’. Twentyfive years old Shamim Akhter daughter of late Mohd Zaman, a former Lambardar of Salora was getting married in the middle of November. Reports said that a terrorist wanted to marry Shamim but the girl had turned down his offer. The terrorist was reported to have used his outfit’s members in killing the girl and to hide their crime labeled the girl as ‘informer’, the reports said. A total of five terrorists were involved in the crime. While two of them went inside the house, three others kept waiting outside. One of the terrorist fired a volley of shots on Shamim Akhter resulting into her instant death. Assailants escaped. A police party from Manjakot police station headed by SHO reached the spot. Police carried out searches in Salora and surrounding villages of Rajdhani and Mangalnar to track down the terrorists but couldn’t get them. Body of the girl was buried this afternoon after it was handed over to her family by police after post-mortem. A large number of people joined the burial and some of them even shouted slogans against Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. Police said Shamim’s father Mohd Zaman, Lambardar and her brother had already been killed by the terrorists. In another incident, the terrorists set ablaze a house of Shrafat Hussain in Topa village of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch district last night. House of Shrafat Hussain’s brother Razak Hussain was torched by the terrorists last week. Meanwhile, out of five terrorists killed in Mahrot area of Surankot tehsil in Poonch district yesterday, four have been identified as ‘Capt’ Amir Talla and Abdul Razak of HEI outfit, Mohd Khan and Anwar Shahin of Hizbul Mujahideen group. Besides, initial recovery, seven detonators, one pistol, one AK-magazine and 11 rounds were recovered today from the scene of encounter. Police also recovered 90 rounds of AK-56 rifles from near a field in Mendhar police station, which was attacked by two fidayeen on late Sunday night. SDPO Mendhar Dalip Kumar had sustained minor injuries in the attack while fidayeen had escaped in injured condition. |
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Mazar-e-Sharif falls to Alliance MOSCOW, Oct 16: The opposition Northern Alliance today captured the key strategic northern town of Mazar-e-Sharif with the assistance of 4,000 Taliban fighters who switched sides, Russia’s commercial channel NTV reported. However, there was no independent confirmation of the report. The channel reporting from Afghan opposition headquarters in Khoja Bahauddin said that Uzbek warlord Abdul Rasheed Dostum’s troops entered Mazar-e-Sharif, known as the northern gateway of Afghanistan, from the south and south-east. It said the alliance has confirmed that Gen Dostum’s troops have entered Mazar-e-Sharif. The TV channel said the alliance is ferrying arms and ammunition by helicopters to Dostum, who has managed to rapidly cover the distance of 30-40 km in a couple of days without facing much resistance after local Taliban field commanders with 4,000 fighters joined his ranks. Earlier, quoting Afghan embassy sources in Tajik capital Dushanbe, the Itar-Tass news agency reported heavy fighting near Mazar-e-Sharif airport between another Northern Alliance field commander and the Taliban units, mostly consisting of Pakistanis and Arab mercenaries. According to NTV, the opposition forces are in a hurry to establish control over Mazar-e-Sharif before the launching of US ground attack from the Uzbekistan territory to gain a bargaining position. The US special forces could be planning to make Mazar-e-Sharif their main base for advancing deep into Afghanistan, just like the Soviets did in 1979, the NTV said. (PTI) |
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NEW DELHI, Oct 16: India today said that there was no lack of willingness on its part to discuss the Kashmir issue with Pakistan but cross-border terrorism must first stop to push forward the dialogue process. "We do not agree with the premise that Kashmir is at the heart of Indo-Pak relations," said a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. "the present situation in Kashmir consequence of state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism." The comments came a day after US Secretary of State Colin Powell asked India and Pakistan to resume their dialogue and reduce tensions over the issue. Islamabad maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is experiencing a freedom struggle. The MEA spokesperson said Pakistan is obsessed with its one-point agenda of Kashmir but India has not received any satisfactory response from it as yet. "There is a necessity to move forward the dialogue process. We never said no to talks with Pakistan," she said.(UNI) |
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US, India agree on broad-based Govt in Afghanistan NEW DELHI, Oct 16: United States and India tonight agreed to strengthen the fight against terrorism and on the need for a broad-based and multi-ethnic Government in Afghanistan in post-Taliban scenario. This was stressed during a 50-minute one-to-one meeting between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh which was followed by delegation level talks. The two leaders met in an "extremely cordial, constructive and positive" atmosphere and decided to further broaden, expand and deepen their relations", an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters. (PTI) |
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NEW DELHI, Oct 16: India today outrightly rejected Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s contention that Kashmir remained at the "heart of India-Pakistan tensions" and asked Islamabad to create a conducive climate for a meaningful dialogue between the two countries. "We certainly do not agree with that premise. This is not a new position that has been expressed and our response to that is also not altered", an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters. She was asked for New Delhi’s comment on Musharraf’s remarks and US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s observation that Kashmir was "central" to Indo-Pak relations. She, however, made no direct reference to Powell’s remarks on Kashmir. "We have all along been saying that we must have dialogue with Pakistan and we have not jettisoned that policy. From our side there is no dearth of willingness. But Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism must stop. Unfortunately, there has not been sufficient response from Pakistan side in that direction", she said. Pakistan needed to abjure violence and shed its one point agenda for a meaningful dialogue, she said adding "we need to look at the whole issue and address all issues in a composite manner". Asked whether New Delhi would convey its concern to Powell, the spokesperson said "we will continue to reflect and articulate our concerns" though there might be some differences between the two countries on certain issues. "Our concern on whatever issues we feel necessary will be conveyed to the American side", she said. The spokesperson said "the present situation in Jammu and Kashmir is a consequence of state sponsored cross border terrorism. It is not the cause as is misleadingly sought to be portrayed in some of these interpretations." Asked about US stressing that India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, she merely said "restraint is a good idea". To a question, she said Pakistan was indulging in a "deliberate campaign of disinformation by exaggerating yesterday’s incident along the Line of Control." New Delhi has also accused Islamabad of misusing Powell’s visit to the subcontinent to its advantage. On the US move to resume military assistance to Pakistan, she said if and when such a situation arose, New Delhi would articulate its views to the right quarters. India has all along maintained it did not wish to do anything to add to the already complicated and complex situation in Pakistan. To a question on moderates having some role in the post-Taliban regime, the spokesperson said that "we do not see any place for Taliban in the structure we are looking at in Afghanistan". Emphasising that New Delhi was in favour of a broad-based, multi-ethnic dispensation in Afghanistan, she said "we are completely in favour of a structure that enables this dispensation in Afghanistan which will be in the interest of Afghan people". On the issue of denial of Pakistan visas to Indian journalists wanting to visit Pakistan to cover the Afghan crisis, the spokesperson said New Delhi had taken up the matter formally with Pakistan Foreign office and through Pakistan High Commissioner here. Maj Gen Richard Khare of Military Intelligence, who was also present, said intelligence inputs had suggested that a large number of infiltration had been planned at a number of places on the Line of Control which resulted in yesterday’s shelling. Terming the incident as "normal", he said there was "synergised and systematic plan to push in people" from across the border. "Infiltration continues apace as in the past and 100 to 150 infiltrators are pushed into our side", he said.(PTI) |
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