THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Aug 12: With the AICC-I clearing the list of 17 Congress candidates and the CPI-M ....more

Jaswant Singh

Release of PoWs from Iraq
India assures full
support to Kuwait

NEW DELHI, Aug 12: India today assured full support to Kuwait in its efforts to seek release of 605 Prisoners of War (PoWs) from Iraq......more

U R Rao

ISRO can send
men to moon

NEW DELHI, Aug 12: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has the capability of sending men to moon, noted space scientist U R Rao has said. ISRO has the technological expertise to make hi-tech and complex launch vehicles and spaceships needed for a journey to moon which is 3,80,000 kilometres away from the earth.....more

HYDERABAD, Aug 12: The coming together of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and BJP....more

A Y Tipnis

Pak aircraft was
probing new water
channels in Sir
Creek area: Tipnis

NALIYA (GUJARAT), Aug 12: Has Pakistan been.....more

Battlelines drawn
for Sikkim polls

GANGTOK, Aug 12: Battle lines have been.....more

Former TDP Minister,
2 others gunned down

HYDERABAD, Aug 12: A former Minister....more

Detection of
countrymade bombs
avert rail mishap

HYDERABAD, Aug 12: Just two days after....more

Stage set for electoral battle in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Aug 12: With the AICC-I clearing the list of 17 Congress candidates and the CPI-M and its allies announcing their nominees for as many seats, the stage is set for a no-holds-barred campaign for the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala.

While the LDF is yet to decide its candidates for three seats in the face of resistance from the RSP and NCP to the CPI-M move to take away from them their Kollam and Kannur seats, the UDF allies Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Kerala Congress (Mani) are yet to announce their candidates for the three seats Congress has allotted to them.

The BJP, too, has released its list of 12 candidates, leaving the remaining eight to its allies like JD(U), Lok Shakthi and Samata Party.

As in the past, the main fight this time too is between the LDF and UDG, which shared nine and 11 seats between them last time.

The BJP, which is yet to open its account in the State, is all set to give the semblance of a triangular fight at least in northern constituency of Kasargode and in southern most Thiruvananthapuram constituency.

The Congress has retained all but one of its eight members in the dissolved Lok Sabha. The lone name to be dropped is that of P Sankaran in Kozikode to acccommodate Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president K Muraleedharan.

Prominent Congress candidates in the fray include former Chief Minister K Karunakaran, former Union Ministers Prof P J Kurien and Mullappally Ramachandran and former State Ministers M P Gangadharan, M T Padma and Panthalam Sudhakaran.

Besides retaining its sitting MPs, the CPI-M has nominated well-known actor Murali (Alappuzha) and E M Sreedharan, son of the late Marxist leader and ideologue E M S Namboodiripad, in Mukundapuram.

The CPI’s list of four include sitting MPs V V Raghavan (Thrissur) and Chengara Surendran (Adoor-SC). CPI has fielded playwright-journalist Kaniyapuram Ramachandran in Thiruvananthapuram and AIYF leader Suneer in Ponnani.

The Janata Dal (U) has sprung a surprise by nominating former Union Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister C M Ibrahim for Kozhikode. Though a Malayali himself, this is for the first time that Ibrahim is seeking electoral fortune outside Karnataka.

The BJP which entertains the hope of an upset win has put up the party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha O Rajagopal for Thiruvananthapuram.

Congress veteran Karunakaran who has shifted from Thiruvananthapuram is facing CPI-M’s E M Sreedharan in Mukundapuram.

Besides its normal quota of 11 seats, the CPI-M is all set to take the Kollam and Kannur seats disregarding the claims of RSP and NCP which contested these seats last time. An announcement in this regard is expected on August 15.

The RSP has threatened to field its sitting MP N K Premachandran in Kollam. But in the case of NCP, the latest indications are that it may give up its claim over Kannur taking Muvattupuzha which the CPI-M had offered to it. (PTI)

Release of PoWs from Iraq
India assures full support to Kuwait

NEW DELHI, Aug 12: India today assured full support to Kuwait in its efforts to seek release of 605 Prisoners of War (PoWs) from Iraq.

The assurance was given by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to a high level Kuwaiti delegation of the national committee of missing persons and prisoners, which sought India’s help in seeking their release.

Dr Sultan Ahmed Al-Khalaf, leader of the delegation, told newspersons here that Mr Singh has assured to take up the matter of missing personnel with the Iraqi leadership on humanitarian grounds. India also expressed willingness to support the issue at various regional and international fora. A letter from the family members of the missing personnel was handed over to the minister.

The Kuwaiti delegation also met Foreign Secretary K Raghunath and senior officials of the External Affairs Ministry and thanked them for India’s consistent support on various issues. India had always asked Baghdad to fully comply with the relevant UN resolutions on the Gulf crisis, Dr Sultan said.

Dr Sultan severely criticised Iraq for adopting rigid attitude on this humantarian issue, Iraq has even threatened to pull out of the tripartite committee, which was set up in March 1991 to seek release of the PoWs. He said the Iraqi regime refused to give any information about the missing personnel despite repeated requests by the internatiional community.

He urged the Iraqi regime to cooperate with the international committee of the Red Cross on this sensitive issue.

Dr Sultan has accused Iraq of hampering the work of the commission by boycotting its meetings. He said the majority of the prisoners are civilians, who were either arrested from streets or their houses. Seven women and 22 elderly still unaccounted for.

Referring to normalisation of relations with Iraq, he said "the Kuwaitis are not against Iraqi people. We are against the regime of Saddam Hussain, who had been responsible for trouble in the gulf . Infact Saddam also started war with Iran which continued for over eight years. He said Mr Saddam Hussain never honoured the international law. "Even after vacating Kuwait, he claims that Kuwait is an integral part of Iraq which clearly showed his expansionist designs."

Dr Sultan also met National Human Rights Commission chairperson Justice M N Venkatachaliah and Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha Najma Heptullah he briefed them about the problems of the PoWs. (UNI)

ISRO can send men to moon

NEW DELHI, Aug 12: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has the capability of sending men to moon, noted space scientist U R Rao has said.

ISRO has the technological expertise to make hi-tech and complex launch vehicles and spaceships needed for a journey to moon which is 3,80,000 kilometres away from the earth.

With the indigenously developed Geo-Stationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) technology, making a suitable launch vehicle for the lunar journey would not be a problem for ISRO, Rao, a former chairman of ISRO, told PTI.

Making the spaceship and a lunar ferry which will detach it from the main spaceship and ultimately land on the moon will, however, be a bit difficult as parameters like lunar gravity and influence of other celestial bodies will have to be taken into consideration, he said.

With the existing expertise ISRO can do the job ably, he said. He, however, refused to comment on earlier media reports quoting ISRO chief K Kasturirangan that ISRO would send men to moon within a decade. Man first landed on moon 30 years ago.

The destination moon project might cost about Rs 200-250 crore, Rao, a member of Space Commission, said.

Destination moon, however, was not a high-priority issue for ISRO as it is currently focussing on community-serving activities, he said. The project will be taken up only if there is an urgent need to conduct some important experiments on lunar surface, he added. (PTI)

TDP-BJP pact heralds new phase in Andhra politics

HYDERABAD, Aug 12: The coming together of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and BJP, despite being ideologically incompatible, heralds a new phase in Andhra Pradesh politics that is bound to have an impact on the coming simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and State Assembly.

Ending a prolonged suspense and uncertainty, the two parties firmed up a seat sharing agreement yesterday under which the TDP would offer to BJP eight of the total 42 Lok Sabha seats and 25 Assembly seats in the 294-member House.

Aware of the possible repurcussions of the poll pact, particularly among minorities who have been its traditional vote banks, the TDP has, however, made it clear that it would not join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and that the tactical seat adjustment was aimed at defeating the common enemy — Congress.

While announcing the poll tie-up here late last night, TDP spokesman U Venkateshwarulu said it was not an alliance but only a seat sharing agreement to defeat Congress.

The pendulum of poll strategy for TDP has virtually moved from left to the right as its traditional Left allies — CPI and CPI (M) — had snapped their 15-year-old alliance with the ruling party last year following the latter sailing with the BJP-led coalition at the Centre.

As the TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu faces the first Assembly elections after dethroning his father-in-law and the party patriarch, late N T Rama Rao, four years ago, a clear re-alignment of political forces has begun in the state. (PTI)

Pak aircraft was probing new water channels
in Sir Creek area: Tipnis

NALIYA (GUJARAT), Aug 12: Has Pakistan been planning a ‘Kargil at sea’ by pushing intruders into the Sir Creek area through the seas?

Camping at the airbase here, a little more than 60 km from the International Border, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis said yesterday that Pakistan has been carrying out reconnaissance around the area for quite some time. "There have been many air intrusions in the past," he told a group of visiting reporters.

There have been 52 incidents of violation of Indian airspace by Pakistani aircraft since January this year, thirty of them during the Kargil conflict in May-June. There have been eight instances of intrusion by Pakistani aircraft during May-June in the South-West coast which covers the Sir Creek area.

The maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Berguet Atlantique, which was shot down by IAF fighters on Tuesday for intruding into Indian

airspace, was probably on a planned mission to collect elint (electronic intelligence) and ground information for finding out new water channels in the Sir Creek area for any future offensive by water-borne Pakistani intruders.

"There has been a lot of activity in the Sir Creek area where Pakistani fishermen have been operating for quite some time," Air Chief Marshal Tipnis said.

Dismissing the possibility of any ‘navigational error’ by the Atlantique as the International Border is "clearly demarcated", the Air Chief said it was a deliberate mission to probe new channels which could be navigable in the eventuality of any future offensive. Almost the entire area around the Sir Creek is marshy as during high tide it is covered by waters gushing in from the Arabian Sea.

Air Chief Marshal Tipnis questioned the logic of flying a maritime reconnaissance aircraft over the Sir Creek area where "large-scale naval manoeuvres are not expected". "But the Atlantique has been known to operate over here for several years," he added.

Stressing on the need for intensifying surveillance over the region, he said the IAF would get airborne early warning systems (awacs) in the near future. The airborne radar platforms, he said, would greatly enhance IAF’s surveillance capability for overseeing increased Pakistani activity in the area.

He said ‘Atlantique’ is a military combat aircraft in every sense of the world. The aircraft has anti-submarine warfare capabilities and can carry missiles like sea-skimming ‘exocet’, torpedoes and even air-to-air missiles. It can carry about 4,500 kg of ordnance.

Referring to yesterday’s incident in the context of the 1991 understanding between India and Pakistan that military combat aircraft of either country will not fly closer than 10 km from the International Border without prior intimation, the Air Chief said, "we had intimation that Pakistani Mirage aircraft would come closer than 10 km but not closer than one km from the border. But there was no intimation about the Atlantique."

The Atlantique was taken on by IAF fighters 10 km inside Indian territory. "After an alert was effected by IAF at 1059 hours yesterday, the bogey (unidentified aircraft) crossed the IB at 1114 hours ... It was visually identified as Atlantique by the Indian pilots," he said giving the sequence leading to the shooting down of the Pakistani plane.

Even after it was intercepted by the two MiG-21 aircraft which had scrambled from this airbase, the Atlantique did not show "good intention". As per the operating procedures, an intruding aircraft in such situations lowers its undercarriage as a sign of "surrender."

Pakistani radars were located closer to the scene of action, he said. "Why was no warning given to the atlantique crew by the Pakistani authorities?" he asked justifying the shooting down of the plane.

The Air Chief said as the Atlantique turned towards the Indian fighter aircraft, its aggressive intent was aggravated and an infra-red heat-seeking air-to-air missile was fired at it at 1117 hours. The missile hit Atlantique’s port engine which caught fire. At that point of time, the Pakistani plane was flying 5 km inside Indian skies at a height of 1.4 km.

After being hit, the Atlantique turned towards the IB and came down about two km from it. Explaining the spread of the wreckage, Air Chief Marshal Tipnis said when a flying aircraft is shot, its debris is strewn over a large area. "This also depends on the speed of the plane and the angle of impact ... Since atlantique had caught fire, debris started falling off while it was still in the skies," he said.

The major portion of its debris fell on the IB, he said explaining how some parts fell over the Pakistani side.

Asked whether Indian fighter pilots had established radio contact with the crew of the Atlantique, the Air Chief said, "for shooting down a military aircraft, it is not mandatory." "It is only in the case of passenger aircraft that all such avenues are explored," he said clarifying the rules of engagement.

The IAF is on a state of "alert" considering the activity on the other side of the border, he said. "There has been fighter activity on the Pakistani side as radar warnings have shown ... We are fully alert to meet any eventuality."

However, the Air Chief said he did not expect any escalation in the wake of the shooting down incident and denied knowledge of any pakistani build-up on the ground. "We are maintaining a state of alert as a precautionary measure," he added.

He also denied that the shooting down of the Pakistani aircraft reflected any aggressive posturing in the post-Kargil scenario. The intrusion by the Atlantique aircraft was a hostile act which was dealt with by the IAF, he stressed. (UNI)

Detection of countrymade bombs avert rail mishap

HYDERABAD, Aug 12: Just two days after a major mishap was averted in Andhra Pradesh’s Warangal district following timely detection of a breakage in the line, the gangmen yesterday found two bombs lying beside the Railway track near Behrampur Railway Station.

The two gangmen during a routine check on the Railway track on Howrah-Visakhapatnam section of South-Eastern Railway noticed the bombs lying beside the track near Aminasahibpeta between the two stations on Andhra-Orissa border and promptly informed the concerned officials, who defused the bombs, police sources today said.

Following the detection, the Howrah-Chennai Mail, Ahmedabad-Puri and Secunderabad-Howrah Falukunuma Express were detained for nearly four hours at Surla and Itchapuram Stations respectively, sources added.

A breakage in welding joint was detected by the Railway key-man on the Railway track between Ipaguda and Raghunadhapaly Stations in Warangal district on Tuesday which averted a possible mishap to the Secunderabad-bound Satvahana Express. (PTI)