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No use of having UNITED NATIONS, Oct 24: Even as three key UN Security Council members - Russia, China and France - opposed the new US draft ......more Pak
religious parties ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Differences among Pakistan’s hardline Islamic religious parties have come to the fore hardly a month after their significant ....more Security forces gun down KATHMANDU, Oct 24: In continuing anti-insurgency operations against Maoist rebels, Nepalese...........more |
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Religious
hardliners harp on plebiscite for Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Religious hardliners insisted on "right of self-determination for Kashmiris" to ......more Labour Party chief Charles LONDON, Oct 24: In a minor but swift reshuffle of Cabinet, British Prime Minister Tony Blair today .......more Pakistani women oppose PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, Oct 24: Most of the girls cover their heads with veils when they attend university in the conservative Pakistani city of Peshawar, but are dismayed by plans by Islamist parties........more |
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US sniper case arrest may link to Alabama killing.... Britain sends counter-terror team to Moscow.... No sign of an early Parliament in Pakistan.... |
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 24: Even as three key UN Security Council members - Russia, China and France - opposed the new US draft resolution on disarming Iraq, Washington has made it clear there is no use in having a "pointless resolution" which could make Baghdad "sit back and smile" fearing no "consequences." The three permanent members of the Security Council were opposed to the draft as they think it contained language which Washington could use to attack Iraq without seeking explicit authorisation from the Council. Sounding tough US Secretary of State Collin Powell said that Washington was still ready to listen to reservations of other members of the council which meets tomorrow but Iraq cannot be allowed to "sit back and smile" if it fails in its obligations of dismantling all weapons of mass destruction. "When they get back together on Friday, members ... Will come forward with ideas and we will listen to those ideas," Powell told reporters yesterday in Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum meeting, "We want to give (weapons) inspectors what they need to do the job, and that job has to be the disarmament of Iraq," Powell said. The US dropped its initial demand for explicit authorization of war if weapons inspectors are obstructed. But the draft finds Iraq in "material breach" of the Council resolutions and threatens it with "serious consequences" if it fails to cooperate with inspectors. This, according to Russia, is the hidden trigger which the United States could use to start military action. Moscow, Paris and Beijing want the Council to adopt a second resolution giving explicit authorization for military action if Iraq fails to cooperate. Russian UN Ambassador Sergey Lavrov said Moscow had given no assurance that it would not veto the resolution but then, he said, the issue had not been discussed. He said the resolution contained unacceptable "use of force" against Iraq and the mandate given to inspectors is "unimplementable." The changes made in the original draft have not met the concerns raised by Moscow, Paris and Beijing, he told reporters after the text was distributed to the full 15-member Council as it met yesterday to discuss the US draft resolution. French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte also expressed reservations on the resolution fearing that could be interpreted as giving authorization for military action. American UN Ambassador John Negroponte expressed the hope that the Council would move quickly to vote but diplomats said it could not happen before next week. The Council will hear the views of chief weapons inspector Hans Blix tomorrow which might influence the decision the members take. Britain co-sponsored the draft that was introduced rather suddenly even as negotiations were on between five permanent veto-wielding members of Council to reach a consensus and the ten non-permanent members, who had been kept out of the negotiations, had their first look at it. Diplomats, unsure of American strategy, said Washington could force a vote next week or simply decide to go it alone in taking military action against Iraq despite strong opposition. That is creating dilemma for France, Russia and China. For diplomats say they can do little if the US takes unilateral action if Washington finds it impossible to get a resolution through. Another minus point for them would be that then they would have little control over the developments that follow. For the US, the dilemma is that unilateral course would isolate it and it would face strong international opposition. But if the things are delayed too much, Washington would lose the small window for taking action that is between December and February. The draft needs nine positive votes and no veto to be adopted and reaction of the non-permanent members was not immediately known. Diplomats do not expect France and China to veto the resolution and say they might abstain. (PTI) |
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Pak religious parties differ over power sharing ISLAMABAD, Oct 24:Differences among Pakistan’s hardline Islamic religious parties have come to the fore hardly a month after their significant victory in the general elections with Jamat Islami, main component of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal alliance, objecting to the Jamat Ulema Islami nominating its candidate for Chief Minister’s post of NWFP. Much to the surprise of the alliance partners, JI has publicly expressed its opposition to JUI’s nomination of its local leader Akram Khan Durrani as the NWFP Chief Minister. JI, in a statement said, Durani’s nomination was not valid till it was approved by the MMA’s central committee which was scheduled to meet today. While voicing its reservations, JI, however, has not outlined its specific objections. The MMA is composed of six religious parties and factions. While JI was the biggest among the six, JUI faction led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman has emerged as the biggest party by winning large number of seats for the national and provincial assemblies from its strongholds in NWFP and Baluchistan provinces bordering Afghanistan. The JI has its strongholds in Punjab and Sindh where the MMA fared moderately. It appeared that JI which proposed the name of Rehman to the post of PM wanted to get the Chief Ministers post of the NWFP. This was not acceptable to JUI as its candidates have won 29 out of the total 48 seats bagged by the alliance in the 99 member NWFP assembly. The JI which won 20 seats in the provincial assembly was offered the post of Speaker of assembly. JI also objected to Durani’s candidature as he was not an Islamic cleric, reports here said. "The JI leadership also appears unhappy that the beardless Durrani had been preferred to other capable but bearded contenders for the Chief Minister’s job", local daily The News said commenting on the differences. His nomination was being interpreted as an attempt to appease the "powerful military-led Pakistani establishment as well as the Western countries", it said. MMA has hit the headlines all over the world after elections by demanding the closure of US airbases in Pakistan and calling for a halt to the crackdown on Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan. (PTI) |
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Security forces gun down 25 Maoists in Nepal KATHMANDU, Oct 24: In continuing anti-insurgency operations against Maoist rebels, Nepalese security forces today shot dead 25 guerrillas across the country, Defence Ministry sources said. Nine armed rebels were ambushed in Gajyangkot area of Jumla district and nine others were killed in Bardia ditrict during separate encounters, Defence Ministry Spokesman Bhupendar Prasad Poudyal said today. Four ultras were killed in Kaleshwor area of Lalitpur district, two in Malmela area of Bajhang district and one in Panchthar district, he added. Security personnel have recovered 13 guns, country made weapons, socket bombs, military fatigues and food grains during the search operations, he said. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Comission has asked the Maoists to stop the killing of innocent people. "The banned oufit’s members were found to be involved in activities like poltically-motivated assassinations, killing of so-called `informers,’ abduction and torturing of civilians and security personnel," a report in the rising Nepal said. "The Maoists have also recruited children in their fighter squads, used landmines in an indiscriminate manner and looted foodgrains and medical goods meant for public use, the Commission said in its report prepared after monitoring human rights situation in 35 out of the 75 districts in the country. (PTI) |
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Religious hardliners harp on plebiscite for Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Religious hardliners insisted on "right of self-determination for Kashmiris" to resolve the Kashmir issue, even as they said that they would abide by all international agreements and would not let Pakistan emerge as a "pariah state". Leaders of six-party Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal yesterday invited diplomats from various countries including India, US, Europe and the Gulf for a get-together where in they assured that if they formed the Government they would adhere to all agreements reached with different countries. In reply to a question by the Indian Deputy High Commissioner Sudhir Vyas, MMA’s Prime Ministerial candidate Maulana Fazlur Rahman said, "Pakistan and its people have a clear policy on Kashmir as they want its solution according to the UN resolutions and under the spirit of the Simla agreement". "We invite India to come to a bilateral dialogue to settle this long-standing issue on the basis of justice as the right to self-determination to the Kashmiris was also admitted by late Indian Prime Minister Nehru," Rahman said. Vyas, had asked MMA leaders as to what their stand would be on President, Pervez Musharraf Government’s decisions, including ban on militant groups like Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Toyaba and his announcement not to let Pakistani territory and areas under its control to be used to commit terrrorism abroad. Vyas later told reporters "we discern attempts to back away from the commitments Pakistan has made to the international community". About Pakistan’s cabinet resolution promising not to let the territory of the country to be used for committing terrorism abroad, Qurshid Ahmad, senior leader of the Jamat Islami and Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies replied that "the future policy would be decided by the new Parliament." However according to accounts published in local media MMA leaders said the alliance condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and would not allow anyone to use Pakistan’s soil for this purpose. Earlier assuring the world community of its commitment to abide by all international conventions and agreements, the alliance’s senior leader and chief of Jamat Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said "we want fraternal relationship with all countries and do not want to become a pariah state". He also sought to dispel the impression about ‘Jehad’ saying the term means an utmost endeavour for peace and justice for oppressed against the oppressor: "Protection of faith, life, property, human dignity and honour of a human being is the basic objection of Islamic Shariah," Ahmed said. Rehman, assured that MMA would follow balance policies and would not be rigid. Ahmed told the diplomats that the focal point of its politicking was the 1973 constitution and asserted that all the constitutional amendments brought in by the Musharraf Government should be ratified by the Parliament which he considered as supreme. (PTI) |
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Labour Party chief Charles Clarke replaces Morris LONDON, Oct 24: In a minor but swift reshuffle of Cabinet, British Prime Minister Tony Blair today appointed Labour Party Chairman Charles Clarke as the new Education Secretary in place of Estelle Morris who put in her papers last night. Morris quit after not done well enough in the job. Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid is to replace Clarke as party chairman. Welsh Secretary and former Northern Ireland Minister Paul Murphy steps into the role of Northern Ireland Secretary. Peter Hain, currently Foreign Office and Europe Minister, moves to the Welsh Office as Secretary of State. Tony Blair’s official spokesman said the Prime Minister was "very confident" in Clarke’s ability to manage a high-profile department. Reacting to Clarke’s appointment, Liberal Democrat Chairman Mark Oaten said it was an "interesting choice". "Charles Clarke is a big-hitter and he has education experience in the past. The critical question is whether he is going to be his own man." Morris resigned after coming under sustained pressure following the debacle over a-level (equivalent to Indian Secondary School Leaving Certificate level) marking and delays in vetting teachers for the new school year. This week, the former teacher had faced more trouble over an apparent failure to honour her own promise to resign if education targets were missed. In an interview with BBC news, Morris said she thought she had not been as good at the cabinet post as in her old job as Schools Standards Minister. Morris said she had felt more comfortable before she became A Secretary of state who had to take strategic decisions and run a "huge" department. "If I’m really honest with myself I have not enjoyed it as much and I just do not think I’m as good as it as I was at my other job," she said. In a letter to morris, the Prime Minister said he was certain she would return to Government. "I have no doubt you are doing an excellent job, as I said to you and I have full confidence in you," wrote Blair. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell told Radio 4’s today programme that Morris had been a victim of the modern political process. "I think she had a very clear choice. Either she was going to grow more layers, become more thick-skinned, and therefore less human, in her own terms, or she had to step aside and take some time out and that is what she has decided to do," Jowell said. (PTI) |
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Pakistani women oppose plans to end co-education PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, Oct 24: Most of the girls cover their heads with veils when they attend university in the conservative Pakistani city of Peshawar, but are dismayed by plans by Islamist parties to ban co-education. "I don’t mind studying with my male colleagues because in practical life we have to work with them. There is nothing wrong with co-education," said 20-year-old University of Peshawar student Irum Khawaja. On Sunday, one of the leaders of the hardline Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) religious alliance that emerged as a major political force after this month’s election in Pakistan said his party would seek to end co-education at universities. But even in the MMA heartland of Peshawar, where the alliance swept to power in the provincial Assembly of Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), many women are not convinced. "Co-education creates confidence among us, and such confidence is necessary for us if we have to work in a male-dominated society," said history student Samana Azam. Throughout Pakistan, boys and girls are already educated separately at secondary level and are only brought together at primary schools and university. MMA vice-president Qazi Hussain Ahmed promised to set up separate universities for female students in a speech to thousands of Burqa-clad women supporters at the weekend. His remarks raised concern among liberals that the religious right would try to impose strict Islamic laws in their strongholds. But some people were sceptical about whether Ahmed’s plans for new universities would get off the ground. "It will not be just the construction of buildings but it will also include provision of new teachers, provision of laboratories and other facilities which right now looks impractical," Khursheed Ahmed, a medical student said. Lawyer and women’s rights activist Shehnaz Hameed Khattak said religious parties were wrong to suppose co-education promoted immorality, and said banning it would set a bad precedent. "It will not end here, then you have to set up separate offices, separate hospitals and separate courts for women," she said. Some students, though, supported the plans, arguing they were in line with the cultural ethos of the Pashtun-dominated region, where women are jealously guarded from alien eyes and scarcely mingle with men. "One should see the trend of the people," said Zahoor Khan, a male medical student. "Since we don’t have any interaction between girls and boys, we need to have separate universities for them so that they can freely interact with their colleagues." MMA exploited anger at President Pervez Musharraf’s support for the US-led war on terror to make surprising at national and provincial level in the October 10 vote. During its campaign it promised to enforce Islamic laws in Pakistan and throw out US military bases. Support was strongest in NWFP, but even here some students appealed to Musharraf to rein in the MMA. "We have some faith in our President because he is quite liberal and I think he would not allow this to happen," student Khawaja said. Some MMA leaders are also showing signs of softening their stance as they vie for a place in a future coalition Government. "We will not make laws but create an environment so that there is reflection of our culture and religion on our society," MMA secretary-general Fazal-ur-Rehman and Prime Ministerial candidate, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. (AGENCIES) |
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US sniper case arrest may link to Alabama killing MONTGOMERY, ALA., Oct 24: One of the two people arrested today in the investigation of this month’s 20 Washington-area sniper slayings might be linked to a September robbery and murder in Alabama, state police said. John Wilson, the police chief in Montgomery, Alabama, said there were "very good similarities" between John Lee Malvo, 17, a Jamaican citizen held in the sniper shootings, and a sketch of the suspect who shot two women at the ABC beverages liquor store on September 21 in the city. One of the women died. But Wilson said the ammunition used in the Alabama robbery and murder did not match the .223-caliber bullets used in the attacks that terrorized Washington area for three weeks. "I’ve been told officially that the same weapon that was used here is not the weapon that was used up there," Wilson said at a news conference just hours after Malvo and his Stepfather, John Allen Muhammad, were arrested at a highway rest stop in Maryland, about 100 km northwest of the US capital. Wilson denied reports one of the September 21 shooting victims was robbed of a credit card. "There was no credit card connected to our crime here," he said. No one has been charged in the Alabama murder or the sniper attacks, but law enforcement officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said they were cautiously optimistic the two men under arrest were connected to the sniper killings. Alabama Police had been stymied by the liquor store killing until the task force investigating the Washington-area sniper case called to say an anonymous tip had mentioned a possible link to the Alabama crime. The FBI in mobile, Alabama, denied reports its agents were investigating a military-style training camp called ground zero in Marion, Alabama, for a possible connection in the sniper shootings. "The FBI has no interest, nor have we searched, nor have we visited (ground zero in Marion) in connection with the ongoing events" around Washington, tim munson, special agent in charge of the FBI’s mobile office, told Reuters. "It has been reported that the FBI served a search warrant there. That is not true." Some news organizations had reported that a training camp linked to Islamic militants had been operating in Marion and that european security officials believed Muslim extremists were using it to prepare for a holy war. While some reports have suggested one of the suspects held in the sniper case had shown sympathy to a terror-related cause, there has been no evidence connecting either suspect to militant groups. In Washington state, where Malvo went to high school, police chief Randy Carroll of Bellingham said: "It appears that these people that have been taken into custody are not acting with any group or with any organized group of people. It appears that they have acted on their own." (AGENCIES) |
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Britain sends counter-terror team to Moscow LONDON, Oct 24: Britain said today it was sending a team of counter-terrorist experts to Moscow to help secure the safe release of hundreds of hostages being held by Chechen separatist guerrillas. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Britain was responding to its "paramount responsibility" to do what it could to ensure the safety of three Britons and the remaining 700 hostages seized by guerrillas in a Moscow theatre. "I am sending a team of counter-terrorist experts to advise our Ambassador Sir Rod Lyne on the situation," Straw said. Officials said the small advisory team was expected in Moscow within 24 hours. "They will offer advice to the ambassador and the embassy, but will talk to the host authorities if appropriate," one official said. (AGENCIES) No sign of an early Parliament in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Political wrangling over forming a coalition Government in military-ruled Pakistan continued for a 14th day today with no sign of an early Parliament in sight. Pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) has emerged as the strongest party with 77 of the 272 in the recent parliamentary poll seats with the religious Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance third with 45 seats. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto emerged as the second largest party with 62 seats. President Gen Pervez Musharraf has promised to transfer power to a civilian Prime Minister by around November one, but there has been speculation the deadline will not be met, with no sign of a Parliament 14 days after a general election. Meanwhile, the PML (QA) continued to get independent support even as the PPP failed to reach an agreement with the mma. The MMA today demanded an early convening of national and provincial Assembly sessions, saying the "delaying tactics at this stage are uncalled for". "The Government is bound to convene national and provincial Assembly sessions after the publication of the final list of successful candidates," MMA leader Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani told a news conference after his alliance’s Supreme Council meeting. (UNI) Sri Lanka President seeks unity to support peace COLOMBO, Oct 24: Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga today sought rapprochement with her hostile cohabitation Government and appeared to support its peace bid. Kumaratunga who has staunchly opposed the Government’s handling of a Norwegian-backed peace bid said in a televised address to the nation that it was time to forget the past and work towards ending bloodshed. "The petty political bickering which has been the bane of our political culture must now be confined to the pages of history," Kumaratunga said. She did not directly refer to the on-going norwegian attempts to broker peace, but said a final settlement appeared a real prospect in a country where over 60,000 people have been killed since 1972. "I take this opportunity to propose to you that you join hands with me, leaving aside all political and other differences, in order that we first formulate a clear programme for peace acceptable to all our peoples ...," Kumaratunga said. Diplomats had earlier warned that the political bickering could be a setback to the Government’s bid to enter into a peace agreement with Tamil Tiger rebels. In a speech which was in sharp contrast to her recent public outbursts against arch rival premier Ranil the Government. (AFP) 3 Japanese, Pak killed in road accident ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Three Japanese television journalists and their Pakistani driver were killed today after their vehicle plunged into a ditch in northern Pakistan, police officials said. The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NKH) journalists and the driver died when their vehicle went out of control on the Karakoram highway linking the Pakistani capital Islamabad with the Northern city of Gilgit, police said. The victims had been en route to Islamabad, a police official said, when they crashed about 80 km from Gilgit, near the town of Chilas, at about 3:30 PM local time (1600 hrs Ist). Police in Gilgit said the four had decided to drive after failing to get a flight to Islamabad. Police said it would take time to determine the victims’ names because of the remoteness of the area and its lack of communications. (AGENCIES) |
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