Pak not interested to buy Jinnah’s house in London

ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: The London house of Pakistan’s founder leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah is up for sale and a real estate dealer raised its stakes by warning Pakistani Government that India planned to acquire it for its prime location.

Jinnah’s former residence near a royal palace in London has been put up for sale but the Government of Pakistan has expressed inability to buy it while Indians were keen to acquire it, London-based property dealer Khalid Hasan said.

"We will give preference to the Government of Pakistan or a Pakistani for the deal, which may be as cheap as 1.5 million pounds sterling," he was quoted as saying by the Pakistani daily `The News’ today.

He said the seller has approached Pakistan Government to buy the house in which Jinnah lived between February 1893 to July 1896, before he moved to India.

He said the house at 35 Russell Road, Kensington, London owned by an American of Pakistan origin was located close to, Kensington Palace, which prompted the Indians to evince keen interest.

"The Indians are keen to buy as they want to develop the property at one of the most important place, frequented by thousands of people," Hasan said.

Hasan said the Pakistan Government was not keen to buy it saying that it did not find it feasible because of local by-laws.

"It is our setback that neither the Pakistani Government nor Pakistani community has come forward to purchase the property. Therefore, the owner has put the Quaid’s monument for sale in open market and is in the process of negotiation with an interested party, who is a property developer and a non-Pakistani," he said

"Although this decision of the owner is very painful for himself but the Government of Pakistan did not leave any alternative but to accept this existing offer," he said and appealed to Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to consider the proposal and buy the property for its historical importance to Pakistan. (PTI)

Pakistan Islamic hardliners defend stricter laws

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, Dec 19: A senior leader of Pakistan’s hardline Islamic coalition has defended steps to enforce Islamic laws in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) it controls, saying the public backed its actions.

Fazal-ur-Rehman, general secretary of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) bloc of six religious groups, told media late on Tuesday moves to enforce elements of sharia law long ignored by the populace did not constitute a shift to extremism.

"Our constitution basically calls for an Islamic way of life and whatever we are doing here is not anything revolutionary," Rehman said in Peshawar, provincial capital of NWFP.

In general elections held in October, the religious right swept to power in the NEFP and won a share of control over Baluchistan province, both bordering Afghanistan, in its best ever poll showing by far.

The MMA alliance successfully tapped fierce opposition to the US military action in Afghanistan and to President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to back Washington’s self-styled "war on terror".

It also vowed to impose Islamic laws in Pakistan more strictly, a move seen by many liberals as a step in the wrong direction in the already conservative NWFP.

"We are doing it democratically and our society demands it. There is no extremism in what we are doing," Rehman said.

Since coming to power, the Islamic alliance has banned music played on public transport and ordered that buses stop and let passengers off to pray at the appointed times if they so wish.

It has also advised cinemas in Peshawar to stop showing films demed explicit and police have been removing posters featuring women from outside cinemas, according to their owners.

The alliance favours separate education for boys and girls, although new schools would be needed to enforce such a policy and it is seen as unlikely to happen any time soon, if at all. Rehman said secular parties backed the alliance’s drive to impose a stricter interpretation of Islam in the cultural sphere.

"If in our province even secular people appear satisfied with our measures then no one should worry about it," he said. "Every culture and society defines its own values."

On co-education, Rehman said there were female college students who had called for segregation of the sexes, and that if the resources were available, then that should happen.

Some alliance members have also called for Friday to be made a public day of rest, Rather than a half-day as it is now. The proposal drew sharp criticism from Pakistani businessmen who want to align more with Western norms to spur economic development.

Law enforcement proposals by the alliance so far have been broadly welcomed by people in the NEFP, who voted overwhelmingly for the coalition and its fierce anti-US rhetoric.

But there are concerns that they will be followed by more fundamental steps to impose a stricter form of Islam in Pakistan.

The head of a cable television company in Peshawar, who asked not to be identified, said he was worried his business could be restricted or even wound up by clerics who would label many channels immoral.

And while the alliance still looks liberal against the hardline Islamic Taliban regime toppled last year in neighbouring Afghanistan, Rehman openly supports the Afghan militia.

Professor Ghulam Taqi Bangash, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Peshawar, was not unduly concerned.

"The MMA can seem pretty bad at first glance, but I don’t think they are really," he said. "They will soon realise the realities, and when they look at those realities, their policies will change."

Rehman said the alliance’s supreme council, which met in Peshawar on Tuesday, would decide which Islamic laws to try to impose after considering recommendations from Pakistan’s Islamic Ideology Council. (AGENCIES)

Indo-UK relations remain ‘strong and vibrant’ in 2002

LONDON, Dec 19: Buoyed by a string of top-level exchanges with Britain’s unequivocal support to India’s stand on cross-border terrorism, bilateral relations between the two countries remained "strong and vibrant" during 2002 with the prospect of annual trade turnover touching seven billion pounds next year.

The momentum of high-level exchanges has, in fact, been unprecedented with British Prime Minister Tony Blair visiting India twice in October last year and January this year and his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee visiting here in November last year and October this year.

This apart at least half a dozen senior Indian Ministers including Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani visited here, further consolidating the relations.

As the Indian High Commissioner Ronen Sen put it: "India’s relationship with the United Kingdom is a special one. Our relationship has matured to that of a close partnership based on shared aspirations, common interests and mutual benefit.

"The four meetings between the Prime Ministers of our two countries over the span of one year, and the unprecedented intensity to bilateral contacts at other levels, reflect the vitality of the bilateral relationship, which has never been as good before as it is today."

The bilateral cooperation is not confined only to political and trade ties but has gone far beyond encompassing science and technology, education, environment, defence and counter-terrorism.

Britain has been quite vocal in stating that it would support India’s claim for a permanent seat in the expanded UN Security Council, Pakistan should put an end to cross-border terrorism and the Kashmir issue should be resolved bilaterally as per the Shimla Accord.

Besides the ministerial exchanges, two other factors have played a significant role in consolidating the bilateral ties.

They are the 120-MPs-strong Labour Friends of India and their regular visits to India and the India-UK Round Table co-chaired by Lord Swraj Paul, NRI and British Ambassador for Overseas Business and K C Pant, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission which has smoothened out a number of delicate diplomatic issues.

India’s proximity with the UK has also helped to pressurise US President George W Bush to prevail upon Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to contain militants, diplomatic sources said.

It is also significant to note that Blair held discussions with Vajpayee at a week-end at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s weekend residence.

During the meeting the two leaders discussed an entire range of bilateral relations and surveyed the wider international picture.

As Vajpayee himself put it they have a "happy convergence of views on most matters." They agreed to intensify exchanges of high-level visits and focus greater attention on implementing the provisions of the New Delhi declaration signed by them in January this year.

"Our relations with the United Kingdom remain strong and vibrant," Vajpayee said at the conclusion of his "fruitful" visit.

On the economic and commercial front, the bilateral trade was on the upswing and crossed the 5 billion pound mark in 2001 and the two Governments are hopeful of achieving the target of 7 billion pounds by 2003.

Britain is also vigorously pushing India to finalise the long-pending Hawk deal under which India is expected to purchase 66 Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft from the British Aerospace. The total deal is expected to be worth over one billion pounds.

Hawk also figured during the discussions Defence Minister George Fernandes had with British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon earlier this year.

As part of the ministerial-level meetings, Advani visited here twice, first in June as Home Minister and later in August as the Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of Home. On both occasions, the central theme of his discussions with the British leaders was cross-border terrorism.

After his meeting with Advani, the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described India as one of the "closest friends of the UK."

Stating that Advani’s visit provided an excellent opportunity to discuss UK’s strong bilateral relationship with India, cooperation on counter-terrorism and the India-Pakistan situation, Straw said he had known Advani since his time as Home Secretary. "We have always enjoyed a strong working relationship."

Jaswant Singh visited the UK in January as the External Affairs Minister before he swapped his portfolio with Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha. Sinha also visited here thrice, first to attend the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting, then accompanying the Prime Minister and later on en route to cape town to attend the NAM meeting.

Tourism Minister Jagmohan attended the World Travel Mart 2002 and projected an upbeat India on the March.

The new brand ‘Incredible India’ unveiled by him focused on the diversity of India as a tourist destination, highlighting its ability to offer everything from SPA holidays to action packed adventure holidays such as mountain climbing in the Himalayas or white water rafting down one of India’s many rivers.

At the world travel mart, Lalit Suri, chairman and managing director of the new Delhi-based Bharat Hotels Limited, won the prestigious world travel mart’s global award for the Asian region for his outstanding contribution to the growth of tourism in the region.

Petroleum Minister Ram Naik participated in a two-day road show here to attract foreign investment in oil and gas exploration in India while Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha made a brief stopover on his way back from New York, after visits to Germany and the USA.

A number of Chief Ministers also visited the UK in their efforts to attract foreign investment. They included Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Garyana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi. (PTI)

US indicts 7, arrests 7 others

WASHINGTON, Dec 19: Stepping up efforts to block flow of funds to terrorist organisations, the US has indicted seven people, including a leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas and his wife, and arrested seven others on charges of money laundering and dealing with countries supporting terrorism.

A grand jury in an indictment in Dallas, Texas, charged five brothers with money laundering and shipment of computers and computer parts to Syria and Libya, designated by the US as terrorist states, Attorney General John Ashcroft told a press conference here yesterday.

Four brothers were arrested in Texas by anti-terrorism agents while the fifth was already in custody, he said.

Senior Hamas leader, Mousa Abu Marzook, and his wife Nadia Elashi, a cousin of the five brothers, were also indicted, Ashcroft said.

In a stern warning to terrorism financiers, he said "just as we are hunting down the murderers you support, we will hunt you down....We will pursue the financiers of terror as aggressively as we pursue the thugs who do their dirty work."

He said some of the indictments carry a jail term of several years if convicted, and fines up to 7.2 million dollars. Twenty three convictions of terrorists have been secured so far in 22 States and the treasury has frozen 112 million dollars in terrorist-related funds, he added.

Meanwhile, seven people have been arrested during raids in several businesses and homes in Dearborn area of Michigan by US customs service. They were allegedly involved in illegal money transfers to the tune of 50 million dollars a year to yemen, officials said.

Recently, three persons were also arrested on charges of sending over 480,000 dollars to Yemen, a hot bed for Al-Qaeda.

Justice Department officials said the arrests were part of US Government’s efforts to cut off terrorist financing.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said the agency was committed to aggressively disrupting terrorist networks.

He said there are 66 state task forces to crack down on terrorists and terrorist financiers. (PTI)

Human rights abuses have reached
unprecedented levels in Nepal

LONDON, Dec 19: Claiming that human rights abuses have reached unprecedented levels in Nepal, the Amnesty International today said nearly half of the 4,366 people killed in the conflict in the Himalayan Kingdom were either rebels killed in encounters or civilians targeted for their support to the Maoists.

A new report published by Amnesty International "Nepal, a deepening human rights crisis" highlighted that at least 66 people are reported to have "disappeared" in the last year after being taken into custody by the security forces.

The total number of "disappearances" reported to the organisation in the context of the "people’s war" was over 200. This makes Nepal the country with the third highest number of "disappearances" reported worldwide in the last four years, the global human rights watchdog said.

"Human rights abuses have reached unprecedented levels since the Army was called out and the security forces given new powers," it said.

"It is clear that the authorities in nepal lack the willingness to remedy the situation and tackle the endemic impunity in the country. There is an urgent need for international assistance to provide increased human rights protection and create a law enforcement system capable of addressing reports of human rights violations with greater transparency and accountability," Amnesty International said. In the report - which will be submitted to members of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva in 2003 - Amnesty International called for the establishment in Nepal of an office of the High Commissioner for human rights to include international human rights monitors and to assist the Nepalese Government in strengthening systems for the investigation and indictment of perpetrators of human rights violations.

It said Maoist forces have also been responsible for a number of human rights violations including the killing of an estimated 800 civilians considered ‘enemies of the revolution’, hostage taking for ransom, torturing of people taken captive and the deliberate killing of members of the security forces after they were taken captive.

The Maoists have also been responsible for recruiting children into their Army, the report claimed.

According to official figures released in August this year, 9,900 ‘Maoists’ had been arrested of whom 1,722 remained in custody.

Most arrests and initial period of detention took place outside any legal framework, especially when suspects were held in Army custody, the report said.

The Army denies holding detainees beyond the legally permitted period of 24 hours specified in the Army Act.

However, there is overwhelming evidence of people being held for long periods incommunicado in army barracks, the report said. (PTI)

Putin flays "fighters for Islam"

MOSCOW, Dec 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin today flayed the so-called "fighters for Islam" involved in sowing strife and terrorism in multi-ethnic nations like Russia.

"Many pluralistic nations of the world, like Russia are today facing either with religious fanatics or those who take the cover of religious slogans, in reality these fighters for Islam are the people without any roots, simply bandits, for money they are ready to do anything.

"As the Chinese say: Ready to call any woman their mother as long as she has milk," Putin said in response to questions in his 155-minute live TV question-answer session with the nation.

In the middle of 1990s "these criminal elements" (fighter for Islam) viewed Russia as an "easy prey", and thought that a first step could be taken here for implementation of their plans for the creation of an Islamic caliphate.

The idea of world Islamic caliphate is as "crazy" as Hitler’s idea of global dominance, Putin said.

"Like any of the world religions including Christianity, Islam is also a faith of peace based on principles of humanism," Putin underscored adding in the middle ages the inquisition in Europe had also committed atrocities in the name of christ.

Even as he underscored the transition to a peaceful stage in resolving the Chechen crisis by holding elections and referendum on its internal constitution, Putin categorically ruled out talks with the separatist leaders.

"In 1996 they got what they asked for and were given freedom, but what was the result," Putin said in reference to the attack by Islamic militants from Chechnya on the neighbouring Daghestan to create an Islamic caliphate in South of Russia extending from the Caspian Sea to Black Sea.

In his second televised encounter with the nation, part of the Kremlin’s campaign to polish Putin’s credentials as a man of the public, Putin faced a host of questions ranging from pension woes, the economy, health and eduation.

Putin told the nation that Russia’s nuclear power plants will not be privatised, and the state’s share in the hydro-electric sector will be maintained.

Reform of the power sector will affect "only a small number of thermal power plants," Putin said during a live phone-in question-and-answer session on national television.

Putin stressed the need for radically down sizing the bureaucracy and shrink its powers to effectively combat corruption. He said under him the number of generals in the army has been slashed by 50 per cent from 2,800 during Yeltsin-era to 1,400.

The questions for today’s sessions were collected at a call center in Moscow and queries transmitted live from groups of people gathered in several cities and towns. In his question-answer session Putin could reply to 51 questions from total 1.4 million questions received from the Russians.

In his answers, Putin said the Russian economy and living standards improved this year, but that "the vast majority of our citizens live very modestly." (PTI)

US sets late January as deadline for decision on Iraq war

WASHINGTON, Dec 19: The Bush administrtion has set the last week of January as the ‘make-or-break’ point in the stand-off with Iraq, to disarm and bring about a regime change in that country, media reported today.

The US "is increasingly confident that by then it will have marshalled the evidence to convince the UN Security Council that Iraq is in violation of a UN resolution passed last month and to call for the use of force," the Washington Post said.

The report to the Security Council expected today from Hans Blix, the UN Chief Weapons Inspector, will boost the US position that Iraq’s 12,000-page report does not fully account for the chemical and biological weapons and warheads it had assembled as well as materials it bought.

This is for the first time the US administration is saying that Blix’s position will strengthen that of the US which will regard non-compliance with the UNSC resolution as ground for going to war with or without council approval.

Senior administration offcials involved in the internal talks told media that Bush is striking a delicate balance to have "zero tolerance" for Saddam Hussein’s "defiance" and "lies" and allies’ demands for patience from the US.

The officials said that Bush has decided not to declare Iraq in "material breach" of the Security Council, which the US can consider as justification for war even if the majority of those who passed the resolution, namely the 15-member Security Council, do not think so.

Bush’s strategy now is to demand that the Security Council issue summons to Saddam Hussein to produce the scientists who were involved in Iraq’s weapons effort, and their families, for being spirited out of Iraq for interviews to expose Saddam’s declaration.

Meanwhile, US intelligence officials, at a background briefing at the Pentagon, said that President Saddam Hussein plans to pursue a "scorched earth" strategy in the event of war with the US and its allies.

They said he would destroy the country’s oil fields, electrical power plants, food shortage sites and other facilities while blaming US militry forces for the damage.

The officials also told reporters that they have evidence that Hussein, if he believes his Government is about to fall, will try to create a humanitarian crisis that could slow any US invasion and foster international opposition to the war.

They also warned that Hussein likely will attempt to release bological or chemical weapons as a last desperate act.

US electronic media said that several Arab Government leaders are quietly approaching Iraqi generals to dump Hussein and make peace with the United States.

The White House had yesterday said that there are "serious omissions" and "problems" with Iraq’s declaration.

"The President is concerned about omissions in the declaration and about the problems in the declaration," White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said.

Fleischer also pointed out that Bush had said before the UN General Assembly that he would wait for weeks, not months, for Saddam Hussein to disarm or be disarmed.

Bush decided in a meeting with his foreign policy team to chart a deliberative course that would push the prospects for military action into the new year, officials said on condition of anonymity.

Bush, oficials said, intends to use the Iraqi declaration to build a strong public case against Iraq — polls show that majority of the Americans are already prepared for war —starting with a speech in Washington condemning Saddam Hussein. (PTI)

IAEA tells UN nothing new in Iraq nuke declaration

VIENNA, Dec 19: The UN nuclear watchdog agency told the Security Council today that Iraq’s declaration on its nuclear programme contained nothing new compared to its last statements to nuclear inspectors in 1998.

Mohamed Elbaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the important issue now was verifying through inspections and intelligence Iraq’s assertion that it had no nuclear weapons programme.

"Iraq’s current declaration of its nuclear programme prior to 1991 contains no substantive changes from the FFCD (declaration) provided to the IAEA in 1998," Elbaradei said, according to a text of his statement made available to Reuters.

"The declaration does contain numerous clarifications, but does not include any additional documentation related to areas which were identified in previous iaea reports as requiring further clarification, particularly weapons design or centrifuge development," he told the Security Council. (AGENCIES)

Syria boycots UN Security Council meeting

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 19: Syria today boycotted the discussions on Iraq declaration in the Security Council protesting that it was handed over an abridged version of the dossier.

The UN Security Council, which met today, was given preliminary assessment by the weapons inspectors on the Iraqi declaration and the status of its weapons of mass destruction.

Syria had yesterday itself returned the abridged document claiming that only the five permanant members of the Security Council were given the complete version of the Iraqi declaration, while all the 10 non permanent members, including Syria, were given edited version.

Pointing out that Syria being a neighbour of Iraq, anything happening there would affect it, Syrian UN Ambassador Mihaill Wehbe, who was instructed by his country to boycott the discussions, told reporters it could not participate in the discussion as it has not read the entire document.

The Council had come to the understanding that all members would get the same document after inspectors had edited out the sensitive parts.

But later the United States and the four permanent members got the entire text of the declaration while the non permanent members got the edited version only.

Sections giving details of the fabrication of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and the names of foreign companies that helped Iraq were taken out, and diplomats said the expurgated version was only 4,000 pages long. (PTI)

Iraq blasts Blair stand on weapons dossier

BAGHDAD, Dec 19: Iraq today blasted British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s "scepticism" about its arms dossier saying Britain and its US ally had been caught lying.

"Britain and America lied to the world when they said Iraq had produced weapons of mass destruction after the withdrawal of inspectors," Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said, referring to UN experts who left Iraq before 1998 US-British air raids.

"So they found themselves in trouble after Iraq agreed to let the inspectors back and to deal with the bad (UN Security Council) resolution 1441," he told Iraq’s official news agency.

Resolution 1441 committed Iraq to allow UN inspectors into the country and cooperate with their search for nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. It also demanded Baghdad make a declaration of all weapons of mass destruction and any efforts to make them. Iraq revealed its declaration earlier this month.

Sabri said US and British officials had kept on lying even after UN inspectors had searched sites where they had alleged that Iraq was producing weapons of mass destruction.

"Instead of admitting the truth, or at least keeping silent, the American and British officials started to behave according to the saying ‘lie, lie until people believe you’, and so they go on lying," he said.

Blair said yesterday there was widespread scepticism about the weapons dossier Iraq gave the United Nations on December 7, but Britain would respond formally in the new year.

"I think most people who have looked at this obviously very long document are pretty sceptical about the claims that it makes but it’s important we study it in detail and make a formal and considered response," Blair told Parliament.

"The British Prime Minister knows that Iraqi officials, and first and foremost President Saddam Hussein, do not lie," Sabri said.

"American and British officials, together with the zionists (Israelis), harbour animosity against Iraqi officials because the Iraqis are faithful to their principles and policies." (AGENCIES)

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