CCS clears agenda for FS level talks

NEW DELHI, Dec 24: The Cabinet today approved the agenda for the forthcoming Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan slated to be held in Islamabad next week.

A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, presided over by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, accorded approval to the issues to be discussed during the next round of deliberations in the ongoing composite dialogue between the two countries, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told mediapersons immediately thereafter.

Besides reviewing the progress in the talks on various issues, the Foreign Secretaries would discuss peace and security, CBMs (confidence building measures) and the Jammu and Kashmir issue, sources said.

They would also fix the schedule for official-level talks on issues like Siachen, Wullar Barrage, Sir Creek, terrorism and drug trafficking, economic and commercial cooperation and promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields.

Meanwhile Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow, two days ahead of commencement of the crucial second round of the composite dialogue process to discuss Kashmir and seven other issues.

Saran would arrive in Lahore with a high-level Indian delegation tomorrow and would immediately leave for Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

The Foreign Secretary would be in Peshawar tomrrow night and on Sunday to hold meetings with a number of local officials and leaders, including those of Awami National Party (ANP), which was founded by Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, also known as frontier Gandhi.

The two Foreign Secretaries would formally kickstart the second round of the composite dialogue process.

The first round of the talks on all issues including Jammu and Kashmir, held in the middle of this year, have not yielded much progress.

The two Foreign Secretaries are expected to work out viable modalities for both the countries to run a bus service connecting both sides of Kashmir.

The two countries are currently deadlocked over the documents to be carried by the passengers to travel by the bus.

While India has agreed to do away with visas and insists on passports and travel permits, Pakistan wants to do away with passports as well.

Informally, the two officials also are expected to discuss solutions to overcome differences on the construction of a hydro-electric dam being built by India at Baglihar in Jammu and Kashmir over River Chenab.

Pakistan claims that the construction of dam is violation of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. India firmly denies it.

India has provided additional data wanted by Pakistan and the two countries could agree for another round of talks at the Water Secretaries’ level, failing which Pakistan said it would approach the World Bank to appoint neutral experts for arbitration.

The Foreign Secretary-level talks are expected to be followed by a meeting between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Shaukat Aziz on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Dhaka in the second week of January. (AGENCIES)

Petition against CID’s objection to Hajj pilgrimage of advocates
DB asks Govt to permit Bar chief’s travel

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Dec 24: A Division Bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court today directed the authorities to release necessary travel documents in favour of two Srinagar advocates to facilitate them proceed to the holy pilgrimage of Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

The Division Bench, comprising Mr Justice R C Gandhi and Mr Justice Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain, directed Chairman of the State Hajj Committee and Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Khursheed Ahmed Ganai, to release the travel documents in favour of the president of High Court Bar Association, Mian Abdul Qayoom, and the former Additional Advocate General, Mufti Meraj-ud-din, besides their family members. The two advocates and their family members wanted to proceed to Saudi Arabia alongwith their families to perform the holy ritual of Hajj.

Mian Qayoom and Mufti Meraj had filed a petition before J&K High Court after the State Hajj Committee reportedly refused to release their travel documents last fortnight. They claimed that their names, as also those of their family members, had been duly cleared by the Central Hajj Committee and all of them had been selected for the pilgrimage under official procedure. However, the State Hajj Committee did not release their documents at the eleventh hour with the plea that CID of J&K Police had not cleared their travel to the foreign country.

In their petition, the advocates argued that they, as well as their carrier Indian Airlines, had made all arrangements of their flying to Jeddah by flight No: 5201 dated Dec 13, 2004.

In his averments on behalf of the petitioners, senior advocate Zaffar Ahmed Shah today pleaded that the State Hajj Committee had no competence to block the holy pilgrimage of any Muslim, more so after all formalities had been conducted under rules. He argued that it was only the Central Hajj Committee, which was authorised by law to disallow travelling on any of the five specific grounds. He also claimed that Hajj pilgrimage was not subject to clearance of the CID or Police.

Advocate Shabir Ahmed Naik appeared on behalf of the Union government’s respondents i.e. Central Hajj Committee and Secretary Ministry of External Affairs. Additional Advocate General Mohammad Amin Rathore appeared on behalf of the State Government and State Hajj Committee. They argued that mere selection of the pilgrims, like Government recruitments etc, did not necessarily tantamount to ultimate no-objection of the Government in favour of the selected pilgrims. They maintained that, according to the reports received from the CID of J&K Police, travelling of the two petitioners to Saudi Arabia was "prejudicial to the security of the State".

Petitioner Mian Abdul Qayoom is the president of High Court Bar Association, which has been a constituent of the separatist conglomerate, All Parties Hurriyat Conference, until its split last year. He has been prominently working for reunification of the Hurriyat factions. He was also head of Kashmir’s first ever separatist alliance in 1990-91 and since 1990 he has been a vociferous advocate of Kashmir’s Azadi and right of self-determination. One time additional Advocate General of the State Government, Mufti Meraj, has been released after years of detention with his alleged involvement in a Hawala racket. He was released after the prosecution failed to prove charges against him.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the DB directed chairman of the State Hajj Committee to release the travel documents in favour of the petitioners "under law". Now their travel is subject to the chairman’s interpretation of the law. According to Mr Rathore, law does not allow any citizen’s travel to a foreign land if the same is perceived to be a threat to the state’s security by CID or Police. The petitioners, on the other hand, refer to different clauses while maintaining that it was the Constitutional right of every Muslim in India to perform the ritual of Hajj.

Like last year, CID of J&K Police has written to the State Hajj Committee that travelling of about 50 selected pilgrims to the foreign country was "prejudicial to the security of the State". The common man’s question on the subject is that a Government, which does not object to the Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s meeting with the ISI chief in Saudi Arabia, has no moral authority to block any prospective pilgrim’s travel to that country.

Advocate General, Altaf H Naik, told the EXCELSIOR that the State Law and Home Departments would study the DB’s order and accordingly decide whether or not to go in appeal against it. He said that the case had been listed in Srinagar and he was not immediately aware of the exact text of the judgement. Additional Advocate General, M A Rathore, said that the case came up for hearing at 1130 hours and the order was passed "in extreme haste" at 1200 hours today. He said that even a mandatory notice was not served on the State and the government’s pleaders were present "only by chance". He further argued that the order was not necessarily adverse or a setback for the State Government for, according to him, the final decision had been left to the Divisional Commissioner’s interpretation of the law.

HM commander takes the lid off Billawar killings

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Dec 24: A Hizbul Mujahideen "area commander" for Billawar-Bani belt Muzaffar Iqbal alias Umar Mukhtiar, who had earlier worked as "personal bodyguard" of slain HM "divisional commander" Shakeel Ansari, has surrendered before police in Kathua district.

The Hizbul "commander" has made important disclosures about the militant attack on a police picket at Lohai Malhar early this month in which three police constables and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were killed.

Muzaffar Iqbal alias Umar Mukhtiar son of Mohd Hussain, a resident of Lohai Malhar surrendered before Billawar police along with one AK rifle, three grenades, two AK magazines, 76 rounds, one Hizbul Mujahideen letter pad, one Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and some incriminating documents pertaining to ‘jehad’.

During his sustained interrogation by police and other security agencies at Billawar and Kathua, Umar Mukhtiar has disclosed that Zubair alias Nadeem (set code 13) and Haq Nawaz alias Munshi Khan (set code 26), both residents of Marmat in Doda district and "commanders" of Lashkar-e-Toiba had led a group of eight militants, who executed killings of the police personnel.

Mukhtiar, quoting from information available with his outfit, said eight militants under the command of Zubair and Haq Nawaz, two dreaded LeT militants operating in Doda for last eight years, along with six other militants including three foreign mercenaries were specially deputed from Doda by an unidentified commander of the LeT "to teach Kathua police a lesson" for recent surrenders and killings of the militants.

He told police that the militants took dinner in a marriage function at village Mathain in Malhar area of Billawar on December 9 night in which the police constables were also present. Later, in the mid-night, they attacked police picket and gunned down the cops after a fierce gun-battle. Four Village Defence Committee (VDC) members were also injured in the attack.

Umar Mukhtiar disclosed that LeT militants were specially sent from Doda to execute killings of Kathua cops on the directions of their "mentors from across the border", who were feeling helpless in infiltrating fresh cadre from Hiranagar sector, a traditional infiltration route for the years together, following surrender of 11 militants, some of whom used to work as guides for the infiltrators and take them to Doda and Udhampur districts.

"The LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen leadership was more disturbed about the surrender of 11 AK rifles to police by the militants. The militants are worried about the weapons than the boys since they were running short of arms due to a check imposed on infiltration on the Line of Control and the International Border in view of fencing and other measures taken by the security forces", Mukhtiar told the interrogators.

Mukhtiar had joined militancy in 2001 when he was 23 years old in 2001. He was involved in several subversive activities before he decided to give up the path of violence on being persuaded by his family and some elderly people.

He was one of the few "most trusted lieutenants" of Hizbul Mujahideen "divisional commander" Shakeel Ansari, who was killed early this year in Srinagar. He had worked as "personal bodyguard" of Shakeel Ansari. Prior to that he was "bodyguard" of Ansari’s wife Shiasta, who used to stay in a rented house at Habbakadal. She had shifted to Doda after her husband was gunned down by police in an encounter.

Mukhtiar was 11th militant to surrender in Kathua since February this year. They include four commanders including a "launching commander", a "tehsil commander", a "deputy district commander" and an "area commander".

However, none of them had been given benefits under the Government’s "rehabilitation scheme" under which a militant is paid Fixed Deposit Receipts worth Rs 1.50 lakh, which can be encashed after three years, and Rs 2,000 per month.

"If the militants are given benefits under the "rehabilitation scheme", most of the local militants in the State will surrender, Mukhtiar claimed. He said 13 local militants—four from Basantgarh, seven from Lohai and two from Loang—were still in Pakistan and they were not being allowed to infiltrate to J&K by the Hizbul leadership for the fear of surrender.

When contacted, SP Kathua Raghubir Singh declined to comment on the surrender saying the militant has laid down arms in Billawar and was being quizzed there by the security forces.

However, Mr Singh admitted that all the surrendered militants hadn’t been given benefits under the rehabilitation scheme.

"The militants are being looked after very well. Their contribution in keeping a check on infiltration and militant activities in Billawar tehsil has been recognised by the police", the SP said, adding "the moment their files are cleared from CID wing, all benefits will be released in their favour". Moreover, he said, there are certain conditions, which are required to be fulfilled before the monetary benefits are extended to the surrendered militants.

Court-martialed Brig contests charges

NEW DELHI, Dec 24: A controversial Army Brigadier who was convicted by a court martial for selling large quantity of military liquor in the open market today claimed that the charges against him were "cooked up at the behest" of a senior Army official and he had approached the Supreme Court in this regard.

"My client was tried by court martial on false and frivolous charges. However, none of these charges attribute to the act of selling liquor by my client," Brigadier R P Singh’s lawyer Lt Col (Retd) S M Dalal told reporters here.

He claimed that the charges, relating to "overdrawing" from the liquor quota when Singh was a Brigade Commander in Delhi Cantonment area a few years back, had been "cooked up" against him on the basis of bills carrying fake signatures.

"A General Court Martial (GCM) was held earlier in the case and my client had been let off with a severe reprimand and loss of 12 years seniority while calculating pension.

"However, as he had brought to the attention of the Defence Minister the illegal activities of a senior official of the Directorate General of Military Intelligence, the latter used his influence to have the case reopened and a fresh CGM sentenced my client to nine months’ rigourous imprisonment," Dalal claimed.

He said the sentence had been offset as Singh had already spent the time in custody and they had now approached the Supreme Court where the case would come up for hearing on January 13.

Accusing the Army of "leaking information" to the media on the punishment awarded to Singh, Dalal said it had tarnished the image of his client and demanded an apology. (PTI)

Lalu files reply to EC
*Says model code not violated

NEW DELHI, Dec 24: Caught in a storm over allegations of bribing electorate, RJD chief Lalu Prasad today beat the Election Commission deadline and filed his reply to its threat of derecognition claiming he had not violated the Model Code of Conduct.

"I have submitted the reply in writing. I have told them the truth," he told reporters after nearly an hour-long meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishna Murthy here. On Monday, the Commission had issued a show cause notice to him seeking his reply as to why his party should not be derecognised for "disregarding and failing" to abide by the model code of conduct and its lawful directions to ensure free and fair polls. It had asked him to file the reply by 1500 hours today.

Claiming neither he nor his partymen had violated the model code of conduct, Lalu sounded defensive saying "we have always respected the decisions of the Commission. We have never given any bribe to anyone."

"Whatever we have to say we have told the Commission," Lalu said refusing to take further questions on the issue.

On his demand for one-day poll in State, he said the Commission told him it faced a problem of the availability of para-military forces for conducting the polls on a single day. "Since the three-phased elections anyway end on February 23, there is no problem presenting the railway budget, Lalu said.

To a question, he said the Commission had not banned the rally but he himself cancelled it to avoid any embarrassment to anyone.

Taking suo motu action on the alleged distribution of money to electorate, the Commission had directed the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer K C Saha to file an FIR under Section 171(B) of the Indian Penal Code relating to the offence of bribery. (PTI)

27 killed in bus massacre

TEGUCIGALPA, Dec 24: At least 27 people were killed in Honduras when their bus was strafed by gunfire in what officials suspect was a message from gangs to President Ricardo Maduro and crime-busting politicians.

Thirty-five people were wounded in the attack yesterday in Chamelecon, 220 kilometers north of here.

Maduro, in a television and radio broadcast, initially said the passenger bus "was machine-gunned, with 22 dead," but authorities later revised the toll upward.

Officials also said the attackers had wielded Soviet-made AK-47 assault rifles.

Maduro traveled to the stricken town overnight, where he has taken personal command of the hunt for those responsible for the massacre.

He said he had no idea what the motives were behind "one of the most barbaric and cowardly acts in Honduran history," but he offered a 53,000-dollar reward for any information leading to the attackers’ capture.

Flanked by Defence Minister Federico Breve and Security Minister Oscar Flvarez, Maduro said he had ordered them, as well as his Justice Minister, to help pursue the gunmen.

Police said a leaflet was found on the bus, asking Maduro "where’s your security?" and threatening him and other politicians behind the Government’s crackdown on organised crime.

"This attack did not target a particular individual, group of people or political party, as the leaflet the cowards left on the scene says, but I interpret it as an attack against all Hondurans," Maduro said. (Agencies)

Mobiles, liquor seized in Bihar jail

PURNEA, Dec 24: Several mobile phones, colour television sets and liquor bottles were seized by police from notorious gangsters and undertrials in an early morning raid at Purnea jail in Bihar, an official said.

Alarmed by reports that some prohibited articles were being supplied to dreaded criminals in the jail, a police team raided the jail and recovered cash, cellphones, TV sets and liquor, Purnea District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar said.

The articles were recovered from notorious gangsters, including the North Liberation Army supremo Shankar Singh and his accomplice Banti Singh, besides some other undertrials.

Altogether seven cellular phone sets, three colour TVs, Rs 75,000 in cash and several bottles of liquor were seized, he said.

According to official sources, the district authorities are planning to shift some dreaded criminals lodged at Purnia jail to some other prison after the seizure.

When contacted, Inspector General (Jails) Deepak Kumar Singh said in Patna that any action against the officials of the jail will be taken only after receiving the report of the District Magistrate.

The Bihar jail administration has been in the line of fire of the Patna High Court recently in the wake of complaints about jail inmates running kidnapping and extortion rackets from behind the bars.

The court had recently ordered frequent raids in jails to check activities of the inmates and in one such raid in the Beur central jail in the capital, a mobile phone was seized from controversial RJD MP Pappu Yadav. (PTI)

Cabinet discusses patent amendments

NEW DELHI, Dec 24: The Cabinet today discussed the amendments to Patent Act and setting up of pension fund regulatory and development authority, but deferred a decision.

"Cabinet discussed the Patent Amendment Bill. Various options have been discussed to meet our obligations under the trips agreement but no decision was taken," Commerce and Industry Minister Kaml Nath told reporters after a Cabinet meeting here.

"We will now finalise the route and what should be done to meet our obligations," he said.

Asked if the Government would take the ordinance route, he said, "Parliament has been adjourned sine die. A decision will be taken in due course and shortly."

Asked if India would meet the WTO obligation to amend Patent Act for introducing product patents from January 1 deadline, he said, "we considered all options, including meeting the commitment, not meeting the commitment and also how to meet the commitment."

Official sources said the Cabinet also discussed steps to establish pension fund regulation and development authority, but did not take any decision.

The sources did not make it clear whether the Government would take the ordinance route or wait till the budget session to bring in a legislation for establishment of PFRDA with a statutory status as in the case of IRDA. (PTI)

BJP revokes Uma Bharti's suspension

NEW DELHI, Dec 24: More than a month after she openly challenged his authority, BJP president L K Advani today revoked suspension of firebrand leader Uma Bharti, capping days of drama of her regret and a reported attack on the second rung leaders.

"BJP president L K Advani has decided to lift the suspension on Uma Bharti," former party president M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.

He, however, replied in the negative when asked whether she would get back the post of general secretary, to which she was appointed only a few days before she stormed out of the party office bearers’ meeting on November 10 demanding action against "leaders without base".

The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, who had attacked leaders like Naidu, Pramod Mahajan, Arun Jaitley and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, shocked the top leadership including Advani and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by her show of defiance in full glare of TV cameras. The decision to suspend her was instant, taken minutes after her walkout from the meeting.

Flanked by general secretary Arun Jaitley and spokesman Manvendra Singh, Naidu said the suspension of her primary membership has been revoked. Asked about the reasons for the decision, he replied "you know the reasons".

He refused to take further questions, saying "internal party matters are not discussed in the media."

Bharti, who is in Ayodhya, could not be contacted for her comments. Sources close to her said she is on a five-day meditation and would not speak before Sunday when it ends.

The day after her suspension, Bharti wrote an emotional letter to Vajpayee and Advani, virtually justifying her defiance but claimed a "daughter" had been wronged on the auspicious day of `Dan Teras’ before Diwali.

Ironically, the office bearers’ meeting, first after Advani took charge of the party, was convened to send a tough message to party cadres on discipline in the wake of open rumblings among second rung leaders.

She later met the two leaders and left on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath from where she wrote a letter of regret for her actions but wanted the party also to reciprocate for the wrong done to her.

Then a controversy again broke when a Hindi weekly magazine published a letter purportedly written by her in which party leaders, mainly the second rung, came under severe attack. She rushed to the Capital to meet Advani again and strongly denied having written such a letter, calling it "forged".

The letter appeared to have delayed a decision on revocation of her suspension. (PTI)

Bakaya reviews KP migrants’ problems

Excelsior Special Correspondent

Jammu, Dec 24: Chief Secretary, Vijay Bakaya has called for maximizing the benefits of centrally sponsored, Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojna (RSVY) introduced in the State to enhance the pace of development in the backward districts.

Addressing a meeting of officers here today, Mr Bakaya said that the Yojna aims at building the basic infrastructure and focussing attention on agriculture and allied sectors in backward districts like Kupwara, Poonch, Doda and Rajouri. He said that the Yojana would extend for a period of three years with an expenditure of Rs. 15 core annually in each district to cover the core sectors under it.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Finance, B. R. Kundal, Principal Secretary Planning and Development, Iqbal Khanday, District Development Commissioner, Poonch and Kupwara, M. Ramzan Thokar and Abdul Majid Khanday, Director Area Planning, Mrs. Shagufta Parveen and representatives of NABARD and J&K Bank.

The meeting was informed that under the RSVY core sectors like agriculture, power, communication, education, PHE and Irrigation and Flood Control would be given thrust in these backward districts. The meeting was also informed that in Kupwara district Rs. 46.93 crores with a loan component of Rs. 1.68 crores would be spent under the yojana and in Poonch district Rs. 45 crores.

In another meeting, Bakaya discussed the problems confronting Kashmiri Pandit migrants putting up in the camps.

The meeting decided that regular medical check-ups of the migrants would be conducted in the migrant camps, besides improving medicare facilities in the existing Medical Aid Centres (MAC). The meeting also decided to provide games and sports facilities to the migrant students upto plus two level in the camp schools.

Setting up of Anganwari Centres and providing scholarships to the students and sanctioning of old-age pensions to the migrants was also discussed in the meeting. Bakaya directed Divisional Commissioner, Jammu to over see the provision of basic facilities to the Kashmiri Pandit migrants.

The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education, Lokesh Jha, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, B. R. Sharma, Relief Commissioner, migrants R. Thusoo, Special Secretary RDD, Yedullah, Director Health Services, Jammu, Director Social Welfare, Jammu and Deputy Director Youth Services and Sports Jammu.

82 year Nobel Laureate marries 28 year old girl

BEIJING, Dec 24: An 82-year-old Chinese-born American nobel prize-winning physicist today married a 28-year-old Graduate Student.

Octogenarian Chen Ning Yang and Chinese student Weng Fan obtained the marriage certificate in the company of their relatives at the Foreign Marriage Registration Division of the Shantou City Civil Affairs Bureau in South China’s Guangdong province, Xinhua news agency reported.

Yang was born in Hefei in East China’s Anhui province in 1922. He shared the nobel prize in physics with his colleague Tsung Dao Lee in 1957 for their joint work in upsetting the principle of conservation of parity as a fundamental law of nuclear physics. Yang became a US citizen in 1964.

Weng is working on a masters degree in translation at the Guangzhou University of Foreign Studies. The couple flew from Beijing to Shantou yesterday.

Yang’s former wife, Du Zhili, died of illness in October 2003. Two months later, Yang retired from his post in the United States and settled down at Beijing-based Tsinghua University, where he taught.

Yang and Weng got to know each other in 1995 when Yang and his former wife attended an international physics conference held in Shantou. Weng was dispatched to receive the old couple as a freshman. (PTI)

Police repulse militant attack on post

JAMMU, One person was injured as police repulsed a militant attack on their post in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said here today.

A group of militants fired rifle grenades and opened indiscriminate firing at the Indian Reserve Police Post at Dhandli in Udhampur district last night, they said.

The security guards deployed at the post retalited leading to a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides.

One jawan suffered minor injuries in the firing and was given first aid, they said adding that militants escaped from the spot after one-and-half hour encounter .

Troops have launched an operation to track down the militants responsible for the act, they said.

Troops also busted a hideout out in Basantgarh area of Udhampur district early today and recovered one 303 rifle, one magazine, 50 rounds, one wireless set, 6 blankets and some ration. (PTI)

J&K more free than PoK, says US survey

WASHINGTON: Disputing Pakistan’s claims of Indian oppression in Jammu and Kashmir, a survey by a US think tank has said the State has a greater degree of freedom than Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The ‘freedom of the world reprt 2005’ has classified PoK as "not free" as compared to "partly free" status for Jammu and Kashmir. The pronouncement by the think tank freedom house challenges Pakistan’s charges of oppression by India in Jammu and Kashmir and its calls for "self-determination" for the State.

The annual survey, released earlier this week, ranks countries on the basis of political rights and civil liberties. India, with a ranking of 2.5 is the only country in south Asia that is classified as "free".

Disputing claims of democracy by military-ruled Pakistan, the survey lists Pakistan, with a ranking of 5.5, as "not free," suggesting that its status is worse than India’s "partly free" Jammu and Kashmir.

Other south Asian states — Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal —all rate better than Pakistan with their "partly free" status.

Expectedly, most western Europe states and the United States top the freedom chart with a ranking of 1. India has been ranked along with Brazil, Philippines and Thailand below Greece, Japan, South Africa, Taiwan, South Korea and Israel among others.

In an assessment of territories classified as "disputed", only northern Turkish cyprus has been rated "free." Jammu and Kashmir, along with Nagorno-Karabakh (disputed between Armenia and Azarbaijan), is rated "partly free." PoK, Tibet, Israeli-occupied Territories, Palestinian-occupied Territories, Chechnya and Kosovo are considered "not free."

The report says 89 countries are "free" and their 2.8 billion inhabitants (44 per cent of the world’s population) enjoy a broad range of rights. There are 54 countries under the "partly free" category, representing 1.2 billion people (19 per cent), where political rights and civil liberties are more limited and corruption, dominant ruling parties or ethnic or religious strife are often the norm.

Labelling 49 countries "not free", the survey says the 2.4 billion inhabitants (37 per cent) of these countries, nearly three-fifths of whom live in China, are denied most basic political rights and civil liberties. Among the worst rated countries are Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan and Turkmenistan.

The ratings reflect global events from December 1, 2003 through November 30, 2004. Country narratives will be released in book form in spring 2005.

Since 1978, freedom house has published freedom in the world, an annual comparative assessment of the State of political rights and civil liberties in 192 countries and 14 related and disputed territories.

Founded over 60 years ago by Eleanor Roosevelt, Wendell Willkie, and other Americans concerned with the mounting threats to peace and democracy, freedom house has been a vigorous proponent of democratic values and a steadfast opponent of dictatorships.

It is a non-profit, nonpartisan organisation that conducts an array of US and overseas research, advocacy, education, and training initiatives that promote human rights, democracy, free market economics, the rule of law, independent media, and US engagement in international affairs. (UNI)

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