‘Dawood not in Pakistan’: Musharraf was right in Agra

NEW DELHI, Oct 19: Many had taken with a pinch of salt the assurance of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the Agra summit in 2001 that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was not in his country.

But he was literally right!

Musharraf was right because Dawood had left Pakistan in early July, 2001, before the Pakistani President came to India for the July 14-16, 2001, summit.

Dawood, now declared a "global terrorist" by the US Government, had left on a fake Pakistani passport for Singapore and then went on to Hong Kong. He returned to Karachi from Dubai in the intervening night of July 18-19 "on getting clearance from his Pakistani masters", intelligence sources said here.

Dawood, who, according to reports, stays in Moin Palace opposite Abdullah Shah Ghazi Dargah in Karachi’s posh Clifton locality, travelled as Mohammad Anis on a fake passport number 11-123259.

When Musharraf was holding his summit meeting with Vajpayee in Agra, Dawood left Singapore for Hong Kong on July 15, 2001, by a Singapore airlines flight from where he went to Dubai, the sources said.

The sources said Dawood was spotted in Peshawar this August along with his lieutenant Chhota Shakeel, even as the American Treasury Department said he had gone to Afghanistan earlier to extend financial support to the Taliban.

Dawood, Shakeel and Ibrahim alias Tiger Memon, all three listed among the 20 men wanted by India from Pakistan, were granted Pakistani citizenship in June this year.

Dawood has also undergone a name-change and his new identity was Iqbal Seth alias Amer Sahib, while Chhota Shakeel is known as Haji Mohammad and Tiger Memon as Ahmed Jamil.

The underworld don had been issued his first Pakistani passport, number G866537, at Rawalpindi on August 12, 1991, the sources said.

Having faced the heat in the recent past, Dawood is now trying to dispose of his properties in Karachi and other parts and has taken up residence in Islamabad, along with Chhota Shakeel, they said.

Even the Pakistani authorities were seeking an end to the Dawood saga as they were worried about the potential of raising serious security issues especially after the recent blast in Karachi’s Kawish Crown plaza owned by him, they said, adding that Pakistani police thought the plaza blast was a result of rivalry between two mafia groups.

Referring to Dawood’s role in the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, they said while investigations first led to the Memon brothers, the sleuths finally zeroed in on Dawood.

As the mafia’s financial interests prior to the March 1993 blasts were under pressure due to the crash in gold prices, Pakistan’s ISI took the opportunity to pay the mafia heftily if it transported weapons and explosives to India, they said, adding that the entire operation was estimated to have cost Rs two crore, if not more.

Dawood, the sources said, was contacted through two Pakistani smugglers - Taufiq Jalliawala and Yusuf Godrawala, and the entire consignment of explosives landed at the Konkan coast and was shifted to Mumbai in the second week of January 1993.

While the Memon brothers, especially Ibrahim alias Tiger Memon, were the key coordinators of the blasts, Dawood had a role in training personnel, procurement of arms and explosives and coordination of the planning of the operation.

The explosives landed at Konkan coast on two launches —‘Bismillah’ and ‘Sada-al-Bahar’ — owned by Mustafa Ahmed Dosa, brother of a bodyguard of Dawood’s close friend Abdul Wahab Galadhari, the sources said, adding that Dawood, backed by the ISI, was the chief financier of the entire operation.

The sources said 19 small time criminals from Mumbai were picked up by Dawood, sent to Dubai from where they were shifted to Karachi on fake Pakistani visas.

They were then taken to a training camp in North West frontier province where they were trained in use of explosives by the now-defunct Harkat-ul-Ansar, they said, adding they were later smuggled into Mumbai for triggering the blasts. (PTI)

Festival of lights in London

LONDON, Oct 19: Diwali, the festival of lights, has now found a new address at London, with the city coming out in full force to celebrate the ocassion complete with diyas and a sumptuous diwali feast at the spruced up trafalgar square.

"Cultural celebration is a vital part of community life. With about 1 in 8 people in London from an Asian background, festivals such as Diwali make an important contribution to the wealth and diversity of cultural expression that is undoubtedly one of the capital’s great strengths," London Mayor Ken Livingstone said at a charity dinner.

Following on from the success of this summer’s London mela, together with the many local Asian festivals and melas, Diwali is a significant event in London’s cultural calendar.

"With its universal theme of the power of good to triumph over evil, and its message of hope and optimism, it is a festival to inspire all communities," the Mayor said.

The celebrations took off at a charity dinner amidst and array of lights at the Savoy hotel which was hosted jointly by the Mayor of London, the Loomba trust and London first, which raised 114,000 pounds for the benefit of children of widows in India.

Indian High Commissioner Ronen Sen, NRI Industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, Dr L M Singhvi, MP Lord Dholakia, actor Saeed Jaffrey, British TV personality Meera Syal, Lord Addington, Lord Brennan, Lord Carter, Lord Jenner, Lord Roper Baroness Sally Hamwee, Baroness Angela Harris, Baroness Helena Kennedy, baroness jay of Paddington, Tony Baldry MP, Dr Jenny Tonge MP were among those present at the dinner.

Praising the Asian community for making a significant contribution to the economic, social, cultural and creative makeup of London, livingstone said adding "Diwali is an integral part of the fabric of London life."

Asian businesses contributed hugely to the London economy with over 25,000 Asian businesses employing well over 100,000 people in London, he said while pointing out that they also provided the city with links to several world economies the world over.

A highlight of the charity dinner was a brief dance recital by well known Indian dancer Sonal Man Singh.

Raj Loomba, chairman trustee of the Loomba trust, said the trust had raised more than half a million pounds to support 1000 children through their education for a period of at least five years. Ninety per cent of all donations go straight to the children, he said.

"We want to expand our work nationwide throughout India to educate at least 100 children in each of 28 states and 7 Union Territories," he said.

"We recognise the enormous contribution the Indian business community makes in strengthening not just London’s economy, but the UK as a whole", Stephen O’Brien, chairman of London first said.

This year’s Diwali and Annakut (food items) celebrations would be held at at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden -which has earned a place in the Guiness Book of World records for its record-breaking Annakut offering of 1247 food items -on October 25 and 26. (PTI)

Kalam suggests establishment of Indo-UAE cyber university

ABU DHABI (UAE), Oct 19: Setting new precedents in his inimitable style, President A P J Abdul Kalam today made an audio-visual presentation to a gathering at an educational institute and fielded questions when he favoured establishment of a cyber university as part of joint collaboration between India and UAE to boost bilateral scientific cooperation.

On the second day of his visit here, casting aside all protocol behaviour, he mingled with students at the state-of-the art Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and interacted with them posing questions and answering their queries.

Yesterday, immediately after his arrival, Kalam got down to business and drove down straight to a desalination plant where he was given a brief presentation of its operation.

"India and uae can collaborate in cyber technology and an Indo-UAE cyber university can be set up in Abu Dhabi with the help of the available infrastructure and impart education not only in UAE but also help the entire Gulf region," he said.

Interacting with students, Kalam told them that their activities have to be driven by innovations and they should work towards translating their dreams into action.

Recalling his earlier visits to UAE before becoming President, Kalam said "one thing that inspires and motivates me is how a whole country can be transformed by the vision of one man, namely, the President Sheikh Al Zayed Al Nahyan and I wish him speedy recovery."

The UAE President is currently in London where he is undergoing medical treatment.

To a question as to why a lot of money was being spent on scientific research in India, he said "science is a cradle for technology. Scientist Chandrashekhar Subramaniam had studied how long the sun will shine and we need sun for prosperity.

"This had made us look for technology and innovation and therefore scientific research is important."

Asked about his childhood dream, he narrated the story of his teacher who inspired him to take up aeronautical engineering which led him to become the "Missile Man" of India.

The President asked students not to hesitate if they do not understand what their teachers taught them and cited the example of his teacher who took them to a beach to explain the flight of birds when Kalam did not understand it.

"Will you also ask your teacher if you don’t understand the lesson, asked the President to which the students replied in unison "yes, yes".

"That is very good," remarked the President with a smile and quipped "you have a very good teacher".

"Learning leads to creativity, creativity leads to thinking and thinking leads to thorough knowledge and thorough knowledge makes you great," he said when asked about the formula for success.

Later, inaugurating e-learning centre at the college, Kalam evinced keen interest in the modern technology being taught to the students.

"I am happy to visit higher colleges of technology. My greetings to students and teachers for evolving facilities to teach," the President wrote in the visitors book.

Kalam arrived here yesterday on a two-day state visit. He would later go to Sudan and Bulgaria.

Earlier, UAE Minister for Higher Education, Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan told reporters that "the aim of the institution (HCT) is to use higher education as an investment for future development."

HCT, which has nearly 12,000 students, was set up in 1988 and its students go for on-the-job training to Infosys, Wipro, Motorola and Satyam, he said adding that it is part of the move by UAE Government to develop this Gulf state as a major IT centre.

He also said that his country looks forward to stepped up cooperation with India in the field of it.

"India is one of the world’s biggest technology nations and we look forward to stepped up cooperation with India in this field."

The minister said the confederation of Indian industries was coordinating with HCT for providing training facilities to students as also having arrangements with major Indian IT companies enabling the institution to send students annually to India for training with these companies.

Earlier, Kalam visited the special care centre run by the Indian Ladies Association where he met children belonging to local population as also expatriates from the sub-continent,including Pakistan, and exchanged pleasantries with them. (PTI)

Where Pakistanis and B’deshi’s hold Indian flag high

BERLIN, Oct 19: Far from the barbed wires here, a small community of Pakistani and Bangladeshis is earning its daily bread from kitchens of India.

Indeed the bread is well buttered on both sides as they account for 80 per cent of flourishing business in this German capital.

"Shezaan", a restaurant located almost near the point Charlie (a line dividing East and West Germany), is owned by Mohammed Shahbaz, a Pakistani national from Punjab province.

The menu in his restaurant includes "Kashmiri fish", "Hyderabadi biryani" and south Indian "rasam". The ambience of the food place quite resembles the traditional Indian style with the colours of Indian flag forming the colours of the restuarant.

"I don’t believe that the bitterness between the two countries is deep enough to prevent me from selling Indian food," says Shahbaz.

He feels that the bitterness between the two countries was only a "bubble in the air" which will explode very soon as common people in both the countries wanted peace.

This restaurant is the bread earner for two Indian — Ram Dass and Irfan. While the former is a cook who hails from Delhi’s Pahargunj area, the latter is a youth from Allahabad who had come to study here and was doing a part time job.

Several such food joints having typical Indian ambience are mainly run by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in East Berlin.

Asghar, a Bangladeshi national, runs a food joint at Hakashen mart with the name Tagore international. Here one finds Tagore special dal, special Indian vegetables and even the cocktails are named after the great Indian poet.

"I am influenced by his poems and wish I was born earlier to see him," says Ashghar, who had migrated to West Geremany from Bangladesh in the late 80s’.

Now the problem was that how could they manage the Indian spices. "Not a problem at all, we manage it from a businessman in frankfurt....Though little bit costly, but the market for Indian food is there," said Asghar.

In the extreme eastern part of Berlin, a Pakistani national Junaid runs a restaurant whose menu was almost the same as that of a food joint in Delhi or other parts of north India.

From murg tandoori to tangri kebab and from chola bhatura to paneer tika, one has a choice.

Do you have enough customers besides visitors from the sub-continent was a question posed to junaid and he replied "absolutely, people in Germany are mad about Indian food and this is also why I maintain the Indian ambience in my food joint."

He prefers to remain out of the cold-war politics of India and Pakistan. "It is neither Gen (Pervez) Musharraf or (Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee who has to feed my family in Berlin. I have to do it....And when I specialise in preparing Indian food, I have no regrets."

"There is no boundary...It has been created. In my restaurant, I have people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh working together." (PTI)

Bush meets Thai leader ahead of APEC summit

BANGKOK, Oct 19: US President George W Bush, seeking more support in the war against terror, met the Prime Minister of host Thailand today ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit which will focus on the threats to economic growth.

Other world leaders also began arriving in Bangkok, which was wrapped in a shroud of security for the annual the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) annual summit on Monday and Tuesday.

Bush met Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and was to address the kingdom’s troops later in the day to congratulate them for capturing Hambali, an Al-Qaeda leader who was one of the world’s most wanted militants.

Washington is expected to reward Bangkok’s support by speeding up trade talks and designating Thailand a major non-NATO ally, making it easier for it to buy US military equipment.

Bush will also tell other leaders at the summit that growth cannot be ensured without crushing terror, although some APEC members say the group should retain its emphasis on promoting trade and prosperity and not be sidetracked.

Bush told reporters in Manila on Saturday: "The easiest thing to do is to think the war on terror is over with... And I just will remind people that...The United States is still threatened and our friends are threatened, and therefore we must continue to cooperate." (AGENCIES)

US condemns killing of Cambodian journalist

WASHINGTON, Oct 19: The United States condemned the killing of a Cambodian journalist and called on the Government in Phnom Penh not to tolerate an atmosphere of impunity for such crimes.

Chuar Chetharith, 39, who worked as a news writer for Ta Prohm Radio, which is affiliated to the royalist Funcinpec party, was shot dead in front of his office in Phnom Penh a party spokesman said yesterday.

"The United States strongly condemns the killing... The United States deplores all acts of violence in Cambodia. We are particularly concerned by violence directed against journalists," said state department spokesman Adam Ereli.

"The United States calls on the Cambodian Government to take effective action to investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice. A culture of impunity in Cambodia must not be tolerated," he added in a written statement. (AGENCIES)

More spent on mobile calls than health in Singapore

SINGAPORE, oct 19: Singaporeans are such big talkers their total mobile phone bills each year exceed the amount the Government spends on health care, it was reported today.

People chalk up 2.7 billion Singapore dollars (1.6 billion dollars) annually in cellphone charges, more than the 2.1 billion dollar budget for the Health Ministry.

The figure was reached by the Sunday Times by multiplying the total number of subscribers, 3.3 million, by the average monthly cellphone bill of 50 to 70 Singapore dollars (26 to 40 US dollars) a month.

Singapore emerged third in the Asia-Pacific region after Taiwan and Hong Kong in the number of people who own mobile phones, according to communications specialists.

"Multiple lines are the trend," June Liang of research firm frost sullivan was quoted as saying.

"Young couples... Take advantage of different offers and swap sim cards."

Each day, the average mobile phone user in Singapore talks for 10 minutes and sends seven text messages, the data showed, amounting to 202,940 hours on the mobile phone and 82 billion text messages a year.

Eight of every 10 people now own a mobile phone, compared with two of 10 in 1998, according to the infocomm development authority.

A spokesman for M1, one of three telcos in Singapore, expects some 85 per cent of the population will own mobile phones in the next few years, up from 80 per cent now. (DPA)

Activists protest in Bangkok as Bush meets Thaksin

BANGKOK, Oct 19: Several hundred activists chanted anti-US slogans and waved banners against the war in Iraq on the streets of Bangkok today as President George W Bush held talks with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Police made no move to block the demonstrators, who were dressed in red T-shirts and marched out of Chulalongkorn university toward a city shopping centre, some two Km (one mile) from Bush’s hotel.

"Bush get out of Asia," said artist Vasan Sitthiket, one of the protesters.

Others held banners saying "america, axis of evil" and "George W Bush, wanted dead or alive".

Thailand’s teeming capital has been under tight security for Bush’s visit and the annual summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which begins tomorrow.

Thaksin, a former policeman, ordered the removal of the homeless from Bangkok’s streets and the city’s notorious Girlie Bars were told to tone own their acts. Police say they will not allow protesters to come near any of the visiting leaders. (AGENCIES)

S Korea’s Samsung heavy wins S770 Mln ship orders

SEOUL, Oct 19: South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries Co said on Sunday it had won orders worth 770 million for five Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers in Britain and Qatar.

British gas ordered three lng vessels and Qatar’s rasgas ordered two, at an average price of 153.3 million per ship, a Samsung official told .

The deals brought the backlog of orders at Samsung, the world’s largest shipbuilder, to a record 9 billion for over 130 vessels, the official said. British gas was likely to order four more LNG ships, he added.

Shares in Samsung heavy have risen 13 percent over the past three months to 5,150 won, beating a 10 percent gain in the broader index. (AGENCIES)

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