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Year 1  Issue 41  Thursday, 26.04.12

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Galloway’s victory & Tories

Cameron predicts first Brit Indian Conservative PM

Cameron can’t win the next election without Ethnic and religious Minorities The Conservative party is going to be the first in the UK to have a British Prime Minister of Indianorigin, Premier David Cameron has forecast as he praised the community for their hard work to make Britain what it is today.

“We were the first party to have a woman prime minister (Mrs Margaret Thatcher), we were the first party in (Benjamin) Disraeli to have a Jewish prime minister and when I look at the talent behind me I think we are going to be the first party to have a British Indian Prime Minister,” Cameron said at the launch of the Conservative Friends of India.

He noted that “the values of Conservative party and values of British Indians such as caring about

family are identical” and praised “the excellent contributions” of Sailesh Vara, MP, Government

whip and Prity Patel, MP. At the outset Cameron told the packed gathering at The Lawrence

Queen Victoria’s last love Muslim, Curry, Urdu

Channel 4 on Wednesday 25th April at 9pm.

Did you know that Queen Victoria could read and write in Urdu? That she loved her curries?

That despite her somber clothing, she loved her bling! And, did you know, her private secretary in her 60s was a ‘munshi’, 24-year old Abdul Karim, a Muslim from Agra, who became more than a key figure in her royal household, in an era when the term ‘multicultural’ as we know it, did not exist.

Hall in central London, “We would like to celebrate the success of British Indian businessmen and British Indian cricket players.”

“There are so many British Indians who had put in hard work to make Britain what it is today.”

Referring to UK-India tie, he said “first of all, the relation between Britain and India is incredibly strong and incredibly important. But we have to make it strongest ever.”

He said sometimes people think that Indian economy was just based on call centres.

“Nothing could be farther from the truth. Indian economy is there as a dynamo to the world economy,” he noted.

Continued on page 2 >>

Amnesty says Muslims in Europe face discrimination, calls for measures

European countries are discriminating against Muslims for demonstrating their faith, especially in the fields of education and employment, rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday.

Amnesty International has said in a new report that Muslims in several European countries face discrimination in hiring and daily life because of rules targeting their customs, urging European governments to Continued on page 3 >>

Continued on page 5 >>

NEWS

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

Cameron can’t win the next election without Ethnic and religious Minorities

Continued from page 01 >>

Earlier according to a report Warsi targets ethnic minority voters with ‘core Tory values’ as Cameron is warned he can’t win the next election without them

• Lady Warsi admitted that many of her colleagues have been surprised to discover that they have far larger migrant populations in their constituencies than they previously realised.

• Tories won just 16% of nonwhite vote in 2010 • Cameron to unveil Conservative friends of India group to woo voters

‘Tory Popularity Worst Since Before Elections’

more to attract Muslim and Hindu voters. Andrew Cooper has reportedly identified 30 urban seats with big black or ethnic minority populations that will be needed if the Tories are to be returned in 2015.

George Galloway’s victory in the Bradford West by-election has convinced Conservative high command that they need to do more to reach ethnic minority voters.

David Cameron will also launch a Conservative Friends of Pakistan and a third group for Bangladesh later in the year.

Tory supporters have recently written in the ethnic minority media stressing that welfare dependency runs in the face of their community’s values.

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Warsi admits that both parties were outcampaigned on the ground by Respect, and is surprisingly forthcoming in her praise for Galloway.

“I don’t begrudge him. Not one minute,” she says. “Eighteen thousand people came out of their homes and voted for that man so whether we like it or not we’ve got to respect the democratic process.”

The Prime Minister launched a major campaign on Wednesday to target ‘aspirational’ ethnic minority voters in the suburbs after warnings that he can’t win at the next election without them.

Tory Chairman Baroness Warsi has revealed the party aims to woo female and older Asian voters who share the party’s views but who have traditionally voted Labour.

She has told Conservative Cabinet ministers and MPs that they need to do more to win over non-white voters

Baroness Warsi said: ‘There are at least ten constituencies that we should have won at the last election, on the basis of the overall swing we achieved, but which we didn’t win purely because they were seats with a much larger than average black and minority ethnic population.

like the importance of family and law order, they still vote Labour by a majority of 70 to 30.

The new strategy has the enthusiastic backing of the Conservative joint chairman Baroness Warsi who campaigned in Bradford and wants the party to adopt a more proactive

‘The battleground for the next election is predominantly urban.’

Following the trouncing of Labour in the Bradford West by-election, Baroness Warsi said the party would capitalise on the malaise among young Asians with the way Labour used their elders to dictate how they should vote.

‘You can see in Bradford that a generation of younger Asian women are standing up and demanding to be heard,’ she said.

David Cameron’s polling guru Andrew Cooper has identified more than 30 urban seats, with big black and ethnic minority populations.

approach to winning Asian voters.

The Tories seem to have accepted, though, that they cannot look to “community or faith leaders” to deliver bloc votes of religious minorities.

A senior source said: “We have taken the view in the past that we don’t need to show our faces and it’s enough to

Managing Editor & CEO Mohammad Shahid Khan Group Editorial Managers Gulzar Khan (India) Abdul Khalique (Pakistan) Editorial Board UK Frances Brunner FYI Tribune team Adrian Fellar Misbah Khan Reema Shah Rohma Khan Keziah-Ann Abakah Marketing & Sales Andrew Klugman (Manager) Art Department UK Ali Ansar (Art Director) Md. Reazul Islam

in key marginal constituencies.

They will be ordered to discuss core Tory values – hard work, good schools, the perils of welfare dependency – rather than ‘pandering’ to received Left-wing wisdom that Asian voters are only concerned with state handouts and foreign policy issues such as Afghanistan.

The PR drive comes after Tory pollsters warned that the party could fail to win a majority in 2015 unless they do better with ethnic minority voters.

Mr Cooper has told ministers that polling data shows that while ethnic minority voters most closely associated themselves with Conservative values

go and talk to so called ‘community leaders’ and they can deliver the votes.

But if you look at the 2010 election you can clearly see that didn’t work.

If you analyse the result from seats like Solihull— which we should have won on the national swing — it shows that our failure to engage with ethnic minority voters was crucial in our failure to win.”

Recently Tory Cabinet ministers have been ordered to attend Diwali and Eid festivals with Hindu and Muslim voters

after being warned they can’t win the next election without increasing the number of Asian voters they attract.

Earlier this month British news reports have quoted officials from Prime Minister David Cameron’s governing Conservatives saying the party’s bid to achieve a parliamentary majority will only succeed if — like Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper — Cameron can broaden the Tories’ appeal among immigrants from India, Pakistan and elsewhere.

Both the Independent and Daily Mail newspapers reported that Cameron intends to send his political secretary, Stephen Gilbert, to meet with Kenney in Canada and learn more about how British Conservatives can increase their support among so-called BME voters (Black and Minority Ethnic), as they’re categorized in U.K. political parlance.

British news reports have quoted officials from Prime Minister David Cameron’s governing Conservatives saying the party’s bid to achieve a parliamentary majority will only succeed if — like Prime Minister Stephen Harper — Cameron can broaden the Tories’ appeal among immigrants from India, Pakistan and elsewhere.

‘Tory Popularity Worst Since Before Elections’ Support for the Tories has plunged since the Budget, according to a new Guardian/ICM poll that gives Labour its best score in almost nine years.

A three-point Conservative lead over Labour just before George Osborne’s Budget has now given way to an eightpoint deficit.

Tory support has slumped by six points in a single month, down from 39% to 33%, while Labour is up five from 36% to 41%, to claim an eightpoint lead.

The Liberal Democrats are unchanged on 15%, while the combined total of the smaller parties has inched up two to stand at 12%, suggesting more support for UKIP and the Scottish and Welsh Nationalists.

The Conservative slide is the biggest seen in the monthly Guardian/ICM series since the autumn of 2008, when the onset of the credit crunch briefly produced very volatile political conditions.

It leaves the Tories with their worst score since before the general election.

Labour, meanwhile, has broken through the 40% threshold - often said to be the benchmark for a clear election win - for the first time in many years. Indeed, its 41% score is the party’s strongest showing in the series since May 2003.

The UK scores for other smaller parties are: 4% for the Scottish Nationalists, 1% for Plaid Cymru, 2% for the Greens, 1% for the British National Party and 1% for other minority groupings

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

NEWS

Queen Victoria’s last love : Muslim, Curry, Urdu

Continued from page 01 >>

Queen Victoria’s Urdu handwriting, 1892 The story of Queen Victoria’s relationship with her Indian servant Abdul Karim, which violated Victorian taboos and stoked royal jealousy, threatening her diamond jubilee celebrations Next on Channel 4 Wed 25 Apr, 9PM

Diamond Jubilee ‘derailed’ by Queen’s love

In 1897, Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee - the first British monarch to do so. But beyond the grand celebrations on London’s streets, a war was raging between Victoria and her court over her relationship with her Indian servant Abdul Karim.

The biggest memorial in the world to Queen Victoria stands in Calcutta, in the shape of the Victoria Memorial.

Abdul Karim’s descendants left for Karachi Pakistan when the country was partitioned in 1947, leaving behind all the land and exquisite gifts given to Abdul Karim by Queen Victoria and other European royalty. Only a diary and a few memorabilia survived. A lonely grave in Agra, some portraits in Osborne House, the Hindustani journals they

wrote for 13 years, and a house that bears his name in Balmoral, are all that remain today of the Queen’s closes confidant. Yet the story would not manage to be erased from the history books.

Victoria’s friendship with her Scottish servant John Brown is a familiar story. Her relationship with Karim is less well known but produced even greater shockwaves in the palace.

OMG! FACTS The Queen’s staff and personal household threatened to go on collective strike if she took Karim with her to Europe.

Ultimately, they lost, and she took him with her.

The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign was known by her Household as the “Year of the Munshi”.

The Queen’s son claimed she may have to step down on grounds of “insanity” over Abdul Karim, and that he would be ready to step in.

Originally one of two Indians selected to join the Queen’s household, Karim rose from being a humble waiter to become Victoria’s most intimate confidant. Abdul Karim ‘was gift-wrapped’ and sent to the Empress of India on her Golden Jubilee as a symbol of her ‘Jewel in the Crown’. Victoria had never been to India and wanted to know more about its people and its language; and in Abdul Karim, says Basu ‘her empire came to her’. It triggered a charming if unconventional relationship that drew the ire of her courtiers and

tested the refined sensibilities of Victorian England.

He introduced her to the delights of Indian cuisine, fed her romantic visions of India, and became her ‘Munshi’ or teacher, giving Victoria daily lessons in Hindustani.

Their relationship violated Victorian taboos of race and class as well as stoking bitter jealousy in the royal household; Karim was showered with honours and promoted over the courtiers whose families had served the royal family for generations.

The presence of a Muslim at the heart of the British court even threatened to destabilise the politics of Empire itself.

A crisis point was reached in the summer of 1897 in a dramatic confrontation between the Queen and her family, which threatened to plunge diamond jubilee celebrations into chaos.

The film features interviews with relatives of both Victoria’s household and Abdul Karim, as well as extracts from Victoria’s diaries and journals. She responded by becoming even more intimate with him. When he became ill she would spend long periods in his bedchamber, fluffing his pillows and stroking his hand.

because it affects the throne.”

Victoria had to admit defeat and Abdul did not get his knighthood.

But he was constantly by her side for the Jubilee celebrations.

For the remaining four years of Victoria’s life, she was inseparable from her beloved servant.

When she finally died in 1901, the protection Abdul had enjoyed came to a sudden end.

The Munshi returned to India in November 1899 for a year.

Waziruddin, described as “a courtly old gentleman” by Lord Curzon, Elgin’s replacement as Viceroy, died in June 1900. By the time Karim returned to Britain in November 1900 Victoria had visibly aged, and her health was failing. Within three months she was dead.

After Victoria’s death her son, King Edward VII, dismissed the Munshi and his relations from court and had them sent back to India. However, Edward did allow the Munshi to be the last to view Victoria’s body before her casket was closed, and to be part of her funeral procession.

Almost all of the correspondence between Victoria and Karim was burned on Edward’s orders.

Lady Curzon wrote on 9 August 1901,

Then in 1897, with just weeks to go until Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the Queen announced she planned to knight Abdul.

The bombshell was one step too far for her ministers and attendants.

The Viceroy of India joined forces with the Prime Minister to oppose the move. In response, Victoria threatened to pull out of the Jubilee celebrations.

With the biggest event that the British monarchy had ever seen under threat, the Queen’s eldest son, Bertie — later Edward VII — stepped in.

He hatched a plan with the Queen’s doctor, Sir James Reid, who wrote to her, saying: “There are people in high places who know your majesty well and say to me the only charitable explanation that can be given is that your majesty is not sane, and that at some time it will be necessary for me to come forward and say so.

“I have seen the Prince of Wales yesterday and he has said he is quite ready to come forward,

Charlotte Knollys told me that the Munshi bogie which had frightened all the household at Windsor for many years had proved a ridiculous farce, as the poor man had not only given up all his letters but even the photos signed by Queen and had returned to India like a whipped hound. All the Indian servants have gone back so now there is no Oriental picture & queerness at Court.

In 1905–06, George, Prince of Wales, visited India and wrote to the King from Agra, “In the evening we saw the Munshi. He has not grown more beautiful and is getting fat. I must say he was most civil and humble and really pleased to see us. He wore his C.V.O. which I had no idea he had got. I am told he lives quietly here and gives no trouble at all.”

The Munshi died at his home, Karim Lodge, on his estate in Agra in 1909. He was survived by two wives, and was interred in a pagoda-like mausoleum in the Panchkuin Kabaristan cemetery in Agra beside his father.

3

On the instructions of Edward VII, the Commissioner of Agra, W. H. Cobb, visited Karim Lodge to retrieve any remaining correspondence between the Munshi and the Queen or her Household, which was confiscated and sent to the King. The Viceroy (by then Lord Minto), Lieutenant-Governor John Hewitt, and India Office civil servants disapproved of the seizure, and recommended that the letters be returned.

Eventually the King returned four, on condition that they would be sent back to him on the death of the Munshi’s first wife.

He was exiled to India — where he survived just eight more years, dying at the age of 46.

Queen Victoria’s Last Love was on Channel 4 on Wednesday 25th April at 9pm.

Shrabani Basu (left) with Abdul Karim’s family members (from right) Javed Mahmud, Begam Qamar Jahan and Naveed Hassan at an interaction with the media in Bangalore

NEWS

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EDITORIAL

Muslims in Europe face discrimination

European countries are discriminating against Muslims for demonstrating their faith, especially in the fields of education and employment, rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday.

The report, titled “Choice and Prejudice: Discrimination against Muslims in Europe,” exposes the impact of discrimination based on religion or belief against Muslims in several aspects of their lives. The report, which focuses on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, where Amnesty International has earlier raised issues such as restrictions on the establishment of places of worship and prohibitions on full-face veils, documents numerous individual cases of discrimination across the countries covered. “This report highlighted some examples of discrimination experienced by Muslims in Europe in the areas of employment and education. It also referred to situations where the rights of Muslims to freedom of religion or belief and to freedom of expression are restricted in a way that cannot be justified under international human rights law,” the report said.

Are 18% of French people racist?

‘France now more racist than 5 years ago’: “National Front voters must be respected,” Sarkozy told reporters as he left his campaign headquarters in Paris.

The unpopular Sarkozy, the first sitting president to be forced into second place in the first round of a re-election bid, now faces a difficult balancing act to attract both the far-right and centrist voters he needs to stay in office. Readers have been asking why in France , Marine Le Pen did so well in the first round of voting on Sunday. Is it really because 18% of French people are anti-immigrant xenophobes, with a particular line in Islamophobia?

There is no doubt that, at times during this campaign, Ms Le Pen has sounded a note dangerously close to that of her father and predecessor as leader of the National Front, Jean-Marie. This was particularly true after Mohamed Merah shot dead seven people in and around Toulouse, after which she bellowed: “How many Mohamed Merahs in the boats, the aeroplanes, that arrive each day in France?” French president Nicolas Sarkozy appealed directly to far-right voters with pledges to get tough on immigration and security, after a record showing in a first round election by the National Front made them potential kingmakers.

All this to say that it is too simplistic to see Ms Le Pen’s score as a mere manifestation of French racism. Nor is it simply a protest against the system. Her electoral success reflects, rather, a mix of disappointment with Mr Sarkozy, despair at the level of joblessness, bewilderment in the face of globalisation, frustration at the impotence of Europe, and disillusion with the political class. Break down Sunday’s voting geographically, and you find some striking results. Ms Le Pen came top in Hénin-Beaumont, with 35%, ahead of both François Hollande on 27% and Mr Sarkozy on 16%. She now plans to run

for a parliamentary seat there in June’s election, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she wins her first National Assembly seat.

That Marine Le Pen, leader of the farright National Front party and powersuited reactionary, should win one in five votes is a terrible indictment of French politics today. Marine is altogether more polished, both physically and politically, than her bulldog father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the National Front, but her underlying messages are just as ugly: her pledge to reduce immigration to 5 per cent of current levels is both unrealistic and based on racist ideas of what it means to be French.

And yet her success is as much down to the shameful political manoeuvring of Sarkozy as her undeniable political skill.

In seeking to outflank Marine, Sarkozy has shifted political debate rightwards and helped foster the kind of atmosphere where racist pronouncements on preserving French identity have gained a degree of political acceptability.

Policies like the burka ban and prohibition on outdoor prayers (which disproportionately affected Muslims) served no other purpose than to win votes from a populace who feel threatened by Islam. While only a small minority are directly affected by the legislation (it is estimated that only a couple of hundred women in France wear the burka), it sends out a deeply harmful message to ordinary Muslims. The deportation of Roma from France showed a similarly shocking willingness on the part of government to play to voters’ unfounded prejudice and to discriminate against minorities.

Of course elected leaders have to engage with the concerns of the populace, but this doesn’t mean that they should pander to general ignorance and unfounded fears. I hope the French presidential election will serve as a reminder to British politicians of the dangers of seeking to gain ground from the far right.

In Britain, as in the rest of Europe, high unemployment, austerity, rapid social change and a fear of terrorism may all contribute to a rise in the popularity of the far-right, with its comfortable blackand-white views on immigration and Islam. That means it is more important than ever that the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems refuse to engage with the racist fringe of British politics, and are robust in their defence of Britain as a multicultural, pluralist, tolerant society.

After five turbulent years leading the world’s fifth economy, Sarkozy could go the way of 10 other eurozone leaders swept from office since the start of the crisis in late 2009.

“Marine Le Pen’s breakthrough throws the second round wide open,” read the front page of right-leaning Le Figaro, while left-wing Liberation read: “Hollande leads. Le Pen the killjoy”.

Le Pen’s focus is now on securing a strong National Front showing in the parliamentary vote, and she is keeping her distance from Sarkozy, describing him as doomed.

If Marine Le Pen’s considerable share of the French vote is to serve any good purpose, it is as a reminder to others of the danger of courting the far right.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

‘RACIST’ CAKE OUTRAGE

Swedish Minister Lena Liljeroth in racist caricature row

Swedish minister denies claims of racism over black woman cake stunt Calls for Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth to resign over role in art event supposedly highlighting female genital mutilation and racism Sweden’s minister of culture has been accused of racism after cutting a cake depicting a naked black woman.

Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth was taking part in an event at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the capital’s museum of modern art and home to works by Picasso and Dalí. She was invited to cut the cake, an art installation meant to highlight the issue of female genital mutilation.

She began, as instructed, by taking a chunk from the cake’s “clitoris”.

The artist, Makode Aj Linde, who created the installation for World Art Day on 15 April, took part in the cake-cutting, with his blackened face and head sticking up next to the cake’s stomach and arms. The cakes “insides” were a gruesome red. A

video shows him screaming loudly every time a visitor hacks off another slice of the cake.

Linde posted photos of the “genital mutilation cake” on his Facebook page. But the images provoked a

this simply adds to the mockery of racism in Sweden.”

“A cake party that meant to highlight the issue of female genital mutilation had not achieved its aim. Instead, the cake was just a racist caricature of a black woman. The Minister took part in a dubious event with cannibalistic overtones showed her incompetence and lack of judgment.”

We also have to remember that these these stunts don’t just happen spontaneously. Like the Spanish Insurance ad with Pepe Reina there must have been a lot of elaborate preparation.

It is deeply worrying that no one in Spanish or Swedish circles who put together the ad and stunt highlighted there was something profoundly

vava black women and the cutting of the ‘racist’ cake furious response, with Sweden’s African-Swedish Association describing it as “a racist spectacle”.

A spokesman for the association, Kitimbwa Sabuni, told Sweden’s The Local newspaper: “In our view,

wrong.

The general acceptances of grotesque and racist stereotypes speaks volumes about a society’s lack of understanding about how racism works.

Respect Party Conference 2012

The 2012 Respect Party conference will take place in Bradford on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th June. The conference is open to all members of the Respect Party and is your chance to determine the priorities and strategy of the Respect Party in the coming year.

The conference will open with a rally on the Friday evening and be followed by a full day of debate and discussion on the Saturday.

Delegates will also have the

George Galloway bids farewell to the

opportunity to listen 6th Viva Palestina Convoy as it leaves Bradford to international guest register in advance via the website. speakers and elect part of the You can book for conference online incoming National Council (for below. You can also join or renew details of the regional elections your membership for the rest of please see below). We will publish 2012 or for a full year using the details of the venue when confirmed. choices below. For those unable A full agenda will be confirmed to register online a postal form after the National Council meeting will be included, along with voting on 12th May. papers, with the next edition of To help us better plan the conference our members magazine, Respect and reduce queues on the day we Quarterly, which we expect to be are asking all those who can to posting out around 15th May 2012.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

NEWS

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Amnesty says Muslims in Europe face discrimination, calls for measures

Continued from page 01 >> do more to challenge the negative stereotypes and prejudices against Muslims which fuel discrimination especially in education and employment.

The report, titled “Choice and Prejudice: Discrimination against Muslims in Europe,” exposes the impact of discrimination based on religion or belief against Muslims in several aspects of their lives. The report, which focuses on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, where Amnesty International has earlier raised issues such as restrictions on the establishment of places of worship and prohibitions on full-face veils, documents numerous individual cases of discrimination across the countries covered.

The human rights group spoke to Muslims who have had trouble getting jobs or had to change schools because of discrimination.

It also notes the rise in political movements that target Muslims or Muslim practices.

“This report highlighted some examples of discrimination experienced by Muslims in Europe in the areas of employment and education. It also referred to situations where the rights of Muslims to freedom of religion or belief and to freedom of expression are restricted in a way that cannot be justified under international human rights law,” the report said.

Noting that Amnesty International is concerned that antidiscrimination legislation is not effectively implemented in several European states and that European institutions are failing to tackle this problem, the report said Muslims are discriminated against on the ground of religion or belief in employment even in countries where such discrimination is

prohibited under domestic legislation.

“Restrictions on the wearing of religious and cultural symbols and dress have sometimes been introduced in education and lead to violations of the rights of Muslim pupils to freedom of religion or

that legislation prohibiting discrimination in employment has not been appropriately implemented in Belgium, France and the Netherlands and that employers have been allowed to discriminate on the grounds that religious or cultural symbols will

can be dismissed for wearing beards associated with Islam,” Marco Perolini, Amnesty International’s expert on discrimination, was quoted as saying on the website of Amnesty International. “Rather than countering these prejudices, political parties and public officials

belief and freedom of expression.

On some occasions states have introduced general bans in public

jar with clients or colleagues or that a clash exists with a company’s corporate image or its “neutrality.”

are all too often pandering to them in their quest for votes.”

“Wearing religious and cultural

education without proving that they were necessary and proportionate for the achievement of a legitimate aim,” the report said.

The document highlights

“Muslim women are being denied jobs and girls prevented from attending regular classes just because they wear traditional forms of dress, such as the headscarf. Men

symbols and dress is part of the right of freedom of expression.

It is part of the right to freedom of religion or belief -- and these rights must be enjoyed by all faiths

equally,” Perolini said. “While everyone has the right to express their cultural, traditional or religious background by wearing a specific form of dress no one should be pressured or coerced to do so. General bans on particular forms of dress that violate the rights of those freely choosing to dress in a particular way are not the way to do this.”

In a series of recommendations for European governments, Amnesty International urged them to establish a national equality body to monitor the implementation of anti-discrimination legislation, to collect individual complaints and provide support to victims, including advice on informal settlement mechanisms and legal support in cases brought to court.

On combating discrimination in education, the human rights group recommends European governments avoid introducing general bans on the wearing of religious and cultural symbols and dress in education.

It also urged the European Union to ensure that European antidiscrimination legislation is

implemented, interpreted and developed in a manner consistent with international human rights law.

“Choice and Prejudice - discrimination against Muslims in Europe”.

Lord Ahmed commends the efforts of Amnesty International for their report

Lord Ahmed commends the efforts of Amnesty International for their report on “Choice and Prejudice - discrimination against Muslims in Europe”. Which exposes the discrimination faced by European Muslims in several countries, and joins Amnesty International in calling on European governments to do more to combat negative stereotypes and prejudice.

The report focuses on Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland and highlights that women and girls are being denied jobs and access to regular classes in schools just for wearing traditional forms of dress. Additionally the right to establish places of worship - a key component of

the right to freedom of religion - is being curtailed in countries such as Switzerland and Spain. Lord Ahmed said “ Islamophobia in Europe has become almost synonymous with racism”. The report highlights and goes a long way to speak about Muslims and their problems in Europe. Lord Ahmed has praised the work of Amnesty International and said “Sadly, Anti-Muslim sentiments have become a contemporary form of racism”. He went on to add that Muslims are facing similar prejudices as the Jewish communities did hundred years ago. The report is very clear on the rise of Anti-Muslim feelings in France, in relation to the Head Scarf’s as well as the campaign against Halal meat, Minarets and Places of

Worship in Europe. The European Union and the Commission that prides itself in fighting Prejudice and Racism against minorities around the world has closed its eyes and ears within Europe where there is a rise of Islamophobia.

The recent events of Norway and arrest of a white supremacist in the north of England clearly shows the dangers of ignoring fascists in Europe. He has called upon all the communities to raise this serious issue with the members of the European Parliament and Parliamentarians around Europe so that proper legislation can be approved in these 28 countries so that we can have equality and equal rights for all citizens.

NEWS

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

Russia says Syria on the brink of a civil war ‘catastrophic civil war’ will follow if peace plan fails

Syria faces a catastrophic civil war if both sides in the crisis that has gripped the country for over a year fail to take advantage of the current fragile ceasefire there, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. “A very important event in the developments in the country has come about,” the ministry said in a statement on its website. “The issue in Syria now is the choice between a transition towards peaceful, nationwide talks or a descent into civil war.” United Nations envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point peace plan for Syria stipulated the start of a ceasefire on April 12 in a bid to stop the violence the UN says has so far claimed around 9,000 lives. But UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday

that he had seen “troubling” evidence of ceasefire violations by both government troops and rebel forces. He also said Syria had failed to comply with its obligations under Annan’s peace plan to withdraw troops

and heavy weapons from urban areas. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday the ceasefire was holding, despite “violations and provocations” but warned of a “new circle of violence” in the event of its breakdown. Foreign ministers from the Friends of Syria coalition, which Russia

is not part of, met in Paris on Thursday evening. They said later in a statement that the ceasefire and Anna’s peace plan were the “last hope” of avoiding civil war in Syria. French President Nikolas Sarkozy accused Assad before the meeting of seeking to wipe the rebel city of Homs

“off the map.” The Friends of Syria group, which includes the United States and the United Kingdom, suggested earlier this month arming Syrian rebels, a proposal that Russia said would merely prolong the conflict.

Moscow has twice vetoed UN Security Council resolutions over what it called pro-rebel bias since the start of an uprising against the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, but gave its full backing to Annan’s peace plan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also criticized earlier this month Assad’s handling of the uprising against his rule and said Syria needed to be “more decisive” to meet its commitments to Annan’s peace plan.

It’s your vote, Hundreds of dolphins don’t lose it found dead

The May 2012 elections are just over a month away, but will you be able to have your say? It’s simple: if you’re not on the electoral register you won’t be able to vote. So why not take three minutes now to print off a registration form at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk Our research shows that just 77% of people from BME communities are registered to vote compared to 86% of white people.

Young people and students, who move around more, are also more likely to be missing from the register (only 56% of those aged 19-24 are registered). In addition, only 14% of people who moved into their home after the annual canvass in autumn 2010

were on the electoral register in April 2011.

We also know that almost half of those not registered mistakenly think they are. Remember: just because you pay council tax doesn’t mean you’re registered to vote! These statistics are of obviously of concern. We want everyone who is eligible to vote to be able to have their say on the issues that affect them.

As part of our drive to get more people on the electoral registers we’re holding Register to Vote Day on Tuesday April 3. This marks the official start of our campaign to get as many people on the electoral registers before the elections.

Why not use this chance to double check that you are on the electoral register, or to spread the message amongst your friends and family?

The deadline to register to vote is Wednesday 18 April: it’s your vote, don’t lose it!

Excessive Coca-Cola habit linked to woman’s death

A woman’s two-gallons-a-day Coca-Cola habit “probably contributed” to her death, experts concluded Friday. The sister of a woman whose partner claimed she died because she drank too much CocaCola says she does not hold the company responsible.

However, the woman’s partner and mother-in-law say warning labels should be put on the drink.

An inquest for mother-of-eight Natasha Harris was held in Invercargill yesterday.

Harris died on February 25, 2010.

Natasha Harris, a 30-year-old mother of eight, from Invercargill, New Zealand, died of a heart attack in 2010. A pathologist from the coroner’s office said she probably suffered from hypokalemia, or low potassium, caused by excessive consumption of Coke and poor nutrition.

Scientists and Peruvian officials are investigating a mass die-off of

dolphins ended up dead on beaches in the country over the past 2 1/2

hundreds of dolphins along the South American country’s coast. A total of 877 dolphin carcasses have been counted recently along the shore in the northern regions of

months.

On beaches in Peru well over 877 dead dolphins have been found by conservationists from an organization called BlueVoice.org.

over 200 dolphins. We hit a length of beach no more than 100 yards long in which we found ten dolphins of varying levels of decomposition.

The numbers continued to mount.

By the time the rising tide forced us off the beach the count had reached 877, counted over 135 kilometers,” said a Blue Voice employee who visited Peru.

It sounds like there could be many more. It isn’t clear yet exactly what caused the deaths. One speculation is sonic testing conducted by oil companies, because it is believed the very loud noises can cause internal bleeding in dolphins. (Sound travels faster in water, than in air.)

“We have been noting that the animals were suffering from acute decompression syndrome – that is to say, a violent death produced by an acoustic boom that disorients the animal and produces haemorrhages

Piura and Lambayeque, said Deputy Environment Minister Gabriel Quijandria.

The head of this group was quoted in MSNBC as saying the deceased dolphin count is 877, but on the the Blue Voice blog, the number was said to be potentially much higher by a marine mammal rescue director in Peru. In fact the Blue Voice blog says the stranding could be the largest dolphin mortality event yet recorded.

“I was stunned to hear we’d counted

which cause the animal to end up dying on the beach,” said ORCA director Dr Carlos Yaipen. (Source: 3news) Another speculation is that a disease caused an epidemic. In the United States an increase in deadly dolphin strandings in the Gulf has been tied to habitat damage due to the huge oil catastrophe, a situation which is ongoing because there is still some oil in the Gulf.

Officials have been studying possible factors in the dolphins’ deaths including a virus or seismic oil exploration that has recently been carried out off northern Peru.

Authorities are still trying to unravel the mystery of why hundreds of

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

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NEWS

UAE recalls envoy from Iran in row over Gulf island

Iran Prepared to go to War with UAE over Persian Gulf Islands Iran has warned its sovereignty over a trio of islands in the Persian Gulf is “non-negotiable”.

Tensions between Iran and the Gulf states over control of Abu Musa Island have recently escalated.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on 18 April that Iran’s sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa and the Tunb islands is not negotiable, the Tehran Times reported.

There are competing claims on the islands by the UAE and Iran. The UAE has recalled its ambassador to Tehran for consultations after what it called a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who visited a Gulf island claimed by both countries. Ahmadinejad’s trip last week, which made him the first Iranian head of state to go to the island, UAE’s state news agency WAM said on Thursday the envoy had been recalled for consultations, without giving further details.

The spokesman’s comments came after the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, made up of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar, issued a statement warning Iran that any perceived aggression against the UAE would be considered an attack on the bloc as a whole. The UAE has urged Tehran to agree to take the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague or engage in direct negotiations.

Iran summons Swiss ambassador over U.S. official’s remarks on Abu Musa Island The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Swiss Ambassador Livia Leu Agosti on Friday to

protest about the recent remarks by a U.S. official about the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.

Iran and the United States do not have diplomatic relations, and the Swiss Embassy in Tehran hosts the U.S. Interests Section in Iran.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday that the United States supported “a peaceful resolution” over the three islands and backed the UAE call for the issue to be resolved through talks or at the International Court of Justice, according reports.

“The United States appreciates the UAE’s efforts in this regard and urges Iran to respond positively to the UAE’s initiative to resolve the issue through direct negotiations,” Toner said in a statement. Britain has described the recent visit

by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad to the disputed island of Abu Musa as “highly unfortunate”.

“The United Kingdom supports a peaceful settlement to the conflict

between the UAE and the Islamic Republic of Iran over Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunb islands acceptable to both parties, in accordance with international law,” said a British foreign office spokesperson.

This should be either through direct negotiations or by referring the matter to the International Court of Justice, reported Kuwait News Agency citing the spokesperson’s statement Thursday.

Britain said it valued the measured approach “taken by the UAE over the issue”.

“Actions such as the April 11 visit

by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to the Abu Musa Island only complicate efforts to settle the issue,” he stated.

The UAE claimed on April 11 that the visit had been “a flagrant violation of the United Arab Emirates’ sovereignty over its territory and a transgression of efforts to find a peaceful settlement to end Iranian occupation of the three UAE islands.”

In reply, Iran said that the visit is an issue related to Iran’s state sovereignty.

“The recent visit to the island of Abu Musa by the president of the Islamic republic is based on the right of sovereignty and national integrity,” the letter stressed.

It said that Iran was ready to have “constructive talks” with the UAE over any “misunderstanding” emanating from “the implementation of documents exchanged in 1971.”

International documents clearly show that the three islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa which were historically owned by Iran, temporarily fell to British control in 1903. The islands were returned to Iran based on an agreement in 1971 before the UAE was born. Iran has repeatedly declared that its ownership of the three islands is unquestionable.

Under international law, no state can defy any agreement, which came into being before its establishment. An Iranian Foreign

Ministry official, during his meeting with the Swiss ambassador, said that the comments made by the U.S. official illustrate “interference in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s internal affairs” and called on the U.S. government to provide an explanation in this regard.

The Iranian official stated that the three islands are “inseparable” parts of Iran’s territory, adding that President Ahmadinejad’s visit to the island was part of his regular tour of the country’s provinces.

The Swiss ambassador said that she would convey Iran’s protest to U.S. officials. The UAE has repeatedly questioned Iran’s sovereignty over the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs and urged Tehran to agree to take the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague or engage in direct negotiations.

Iran says its sovereignty over the islands is not negotiable but has called for talks with the UAE to clear up misunderstandings.

India says grieved at Pakistan plane tragedy Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered his condolences to his Pakistani counterpart, Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani, following Friday’s deadly plane crash. “Our thoughts and our prayers are with the people of Pakistan in this time of grief,” Singh said.

“I was deeply grieved to learn of the air tragedy near Islamabad that occurred earlier this evening leading to the loss of so many precious lives,” Singh said in a message to Gillani. “I convey my deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost

their lives in this unfortunate incident. I pray that the Almighty will grant them strength to bear their loss.

“Our thoughts and our prayers

are with the people of Pakistan in this time of grief,” Singh continued.

The message represented a rare display of warmth between the

two neighbors known for their turbulent relations.

The chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, Mamata Banjeree, also expressed her condolences to the families of the “Pakistani brothers and sisters” who died in the crash, India Today reported.

India and Pakistan -- both of which have nuclear capabilities -- have sought to restore peace talks that were disrupted by the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that killed about 170 people.

All 127 people aboard the Bhoja

Airlines flight from Karachi died when the plane crashed just miles from its destination, Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport, on Friday.

Poor weather is blamed for the crash, and there are reports that the aircraft was struck by lightning and broke up in midair.

“The weather was very bad, there was hail and thunderstorm. The pilot lost control and hit the ground. It tossed up due to the impact and exploded and came down in a fireball,” the British

NEWS

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

Iran sees progress at Baghdad nuclear talks in May Iran says nuclear ‘capabilities’ must be recognized

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili today said the West has to give a “correct assessment” of his country’s atomic capabilities in important talks due to be held in Baghdad next month.

Jalili, speaking to visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said such a stance was needed for the talks to be successful, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

“The outcome of the Baghdad meeting relies on a correct assessment by the West of Iran’s national, regional and international capability,” Jalili said. The issue of Iran’s uranium enrichment is seen as one of the headline issues of the May 23 talks in Baghdad between Jalili and representatives of the so-called P5+1 group, which comprises the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany.

Iran and the P5+1 met in Istanbul on April 14 for the first time in 15 months, and agreed to hold the more substantive round of negotiations in the Iraqi capital.

Obama announces sanctions for tech used in human rights abuses in Iran and Syria President Obama issued an

time to impose sanctions against foreign nationals found to have used new technologies, including cellphone tracking and Internet monitoring, to help carry out

technology have been widely credited with helping democracy advocates organize against autocratic governments and better expose rights violations, most notably over the past year and a half in the Middle East and North Africa.

Obama’s executive order, which he announced is an acknowledgment of those dangers and of the need to adapt American national security policy to a world being remade rapidly by technology, according to senior administration officials familiar with the plans. Although the order is designed to target

executive order Monday that allows U.S. officials for the first

grave human rights abuses.

Social media and cellphone

companies and individuals assisting the governments

of Iran and Syria, they said, future executive orders could name others aiding other countries through technology in crackdowns on dissent.

Under the order, the administration announced new sanctions, including a U.S. visa ban and financial restrictions, against a range of Syrian and Iranian agencies and individuals.

Addressing the Iranian nuclear threat, Obama pledged U.S. support for Israel. “When faced with a regime that threatens global security, denies the Holocaust and threatens to destroy Israel, the United States will do everything in our power to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” said Obama.

Obama mentioned, however, that there are other options aside from military intervention. “We know that our work will never be done. There will be conflicts that are not easily resolved. There’ll be senseless deaths that aren’t prevented. We can’t intervene militarily every time there is injustice in the world, but we have other tools,” said Obama.

Suspected cyber attack hits Iran oil industry

Attack hits Internet and communications systems of Iran’s Oil Ministry and of its national oil company, Mehr news agency reports.

Iran is investigating a suspected cyber attack on its main oil export terminal and on the Oil Ministry itself, Iranian industry sources said on Monday.

A virus was detected inside the control systems of Kharg Island, the country’s largest crude oil export facility, but the terminal remained operational, a source at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said.

The virus, which is likely to be compared to the Stuxnet computer worm which reportedly affected Iranian nuclear facilities in 2009-10, struck late on Sunday. Personnel at the Kharg oil terminal haven’t been able to send or receive any e-mail since Sunday, said an oil official at the terminal, through which at least 80% of Iran’s exports are shipped abroad. An investigation has begun into the suspected cyberattack, he said.

Israel ‘prepared to attack Iran’

Speaking in a newspaper interview Sunday, Israeli military chief of staff General Beni Ganz said his country is prepared to launch an attack on nuclear sites in Iran. At the same time, he denied any immediate attack plans. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to the existence of Israel.

Iran: Israel just ‘bluffing’ on attacks But the e-mail shutoff is having “no effect on the exports,” the oil official said. “There is a normal procedure at the terminal. We are using telephone, fax, SMS.” Iran’s oil ministry website has also come under a cyber-attack, said Alireza Nikzad, a ministry spokesman, in a statement.

The ministry said its public web

servers are isolated from the main servers.

“Critical oil [data] have not been compromised,” Nikzad said.

The National Iranian Oil Co.’s website was also reportedly attacked. Both websites had been shut down for a few hours before returning to service, Iranian news agencies said.

Iran’s foreign minister has dismissed talk of an Israeli attack as just bluffing.

Ali Akbar Salehi, during a visit to Tunisia on Monday, said threats from Israel were “empty words, bluffing.”

Fearing that Iran is moving quickly toward nuclear capability, Israel has repeatedly hinted at an attack.

Salehi also pronounced himself “optimistic” about the next round of talks with the six world powers over Iran’s controversial nuclear program, to be held in Baghdad on May 23.

He described himself as “satisfied” with the earlier meeting April 14 in Istanbul. The talks included the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany.

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

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Thursday, 26.04.12

international

Will resign if Pakistan Test-Fires convicted : Gilani Long-range Missile Entire cabinet to accompany Gilani for contempt verdict

Is it a Reply to India’s Agni-V?

Pakistan on Wednesday successfully test-fired the Hatf IV (Shaheen 1A) missile which is a nuclear-capable intermediate-range surfaceto-surface ballistic missile.

The Hatf IV Shaheen-1A missile was launched into the sea, the military said in a written statement.

It was described as an intermediate-range missile having a longer range than its predecessor, the Shaheen-1, which is believed to fly up to 465 miles.

“The improved version of Shaheen-1A will further consolidate and strengthen Pakistan’s deterrence abilities,” said Lt. Gen. Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, who witnessed the launch and is responsible for the country’s nuclear programme.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani congratulated the scientists

working on the program over the success of the missile test.

Pakistan has informed India about its plan to conduct a long-range missile test in the Indian Ocean within five days. It also has asked Indian authorities to issue a notice to all commercial airlines to avoid the area where the test will be conducted.

The announcement by Pakistan to test fire a long-range missile came just five days after India test fired its first ICBM. Call it a coincidence but the timing of the test could make many raise the eyebrows as India and Pakistan have border dispute.

India test fired its indigenously built Agni-V with a range of more than 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast from Integrated Test Range (ITR) on April 18.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said he will resign if the Supreme Court convicts him in a contempt of court case for not acting against President Asif Ali Zardari, Geo News reported on Sunday. Speaking to an Arab news channel, Gilani also said the cases against Zardari are politically motivated and the President enjoys immunity in the country and abroad.

Gilani will now appear before the Supreme Court Feb 13 to be formally charged with failing to reopen the graft cases against Zardari.

If convicted, he faces six months in prison and risks losing his parliamentary seat. He may also be slapped with a five-year ban from holding any public office. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said he would appear before the seven-member bench of the Supreme Court on April 26.

“I will appear before the Supreme Court tomorrow,” Gilani told his

Sri Lanka government orders removal of more than half Century old Al Khair mosque

cabinet, while chairing the weekly cabinet meeting here at the PM Secretariat.

Gilani said he had always honoured the court’s decisions and fully respects its verdicts.

Moreover, the prime minister announced during the meeting that if any other cabinet member wished to accompany him, he was welcome.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the entire cabinet would accompany the prime minister when he appears before the apex court.

Gilani will be making his third appearance on Thursday in front of the SC bench, headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk, hearing a contempt case against him.

The court is expected to either exonerate the prime minister of all charges, or slap him with contempt.

Gilani had earlier appeared before the Supreme Court on Jan 19 and Feb 13.

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

Agni-V: China says India underplaying Agni, it can hit Europe China’s strategic experts and the official media are trying to provoke western countries saying the Agni-V missile has a longer range than India would admit, and it can hit cities in Europe.

In comments that are obviously authorized by the defence ministry, Chinese experts said the Indian missile actually has a range of 8,000 kilometers and not the shorter range of 5,000 kms, as claimed by India. There are signs China will try to pressure the US and Russia not to sell missile guidance systems to India.

“The missile brings the whole of Asia, 70 per cent of Europe and other regions under its strike range and puts India among a select band of countries in the world to possess the technology of intercontinental ballistic missiles,” the official Xinhua news agency said in a dispatch published in dozens of Chinese newspapers. Another paper, the Global Times, even carried a map showing Moscow, Tehran and Jakarta among cities coming within the range of Indian missiles.

An expert at the PLA Academy of Military Sciences said the Agni-V actually has the potential to reach targets 8,000 kilometers away, according to the Communist Partycontrolled Global Times. It quoted the researcher, Du Wenlong,

saying the Indian government had deliberately downplayed the missile’s capability in order to avoid causing concern to other countries.

“According to China’s standard, an ICBM should have a range of

at least 8,000 kilometers. The Agni-V’s range could be further enhanced to become an ICBM,” the paper quoted another expert, Zhang Zhaozhong, a professor with the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University, as

Talks must resolve all Pakistan-India issues: Gilani

Admitting that the era of warfare has ended, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday that all issues with India, including Kashmir and Siachen, must be resolved through dialogue.

Gilani said he took the initiative in normalising ties with India, in particular.

He said it is time to settle issues with other countries through negotiations, Geo News reported.

Speaking during a Muslim Hands International Conference, Gilani said, “I strongly believe that better sense will prevail on two sides and we will resolve these issues through dialogue.”

Recalling the time when he assumed office in 2008, Pakistan’s relations with India, Afghanistan and Iran were not satisfactory, Gilani said he

took the initiative in normalising ties with India, in particular.

Gilani said he met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at an international summit and stressed for pursuing the dialogue policy.

He said it was agreed in his several meeting with Manmohan Singh that issues including Kashmir, Sir Creek, Siachen, water and terrorism could be resolved through political will.

saying.

But some Chinese experts have raised questions about New Delhi’s capability to actually use the missile.

“India does not posses highprecision guidance system. To make up for the shortfall, it has to buy it from US and from Russia. These counties may be reluctant to sell their most advanced technology,” the official China Central Television quoted some experts as saying.

CCTV even questioned India’s infrastructure capabilities. “The missile weighs 50 tonnes. It has no suitable loading vehicle to transport it. Due to India’s poor infrastructure, the country’s bridges and roads cannot bear the weight of the missile”. “So far, it can only be launched from a fixed position. Even though it was successful, it will take a long time to build an operational missile force,” it said.

In the Global Times interview, Zhang suggested the Agni-V would help India rise from a regional to a world power. China must work on developing defence systems against the threat of ballistic missile. “It is India’s goal to possess an ICBM, as the country seeks to improve its status and become a major world player. Without it, India will remain a regional power,” Zhang said.

By itself, the Agni-V will not take away China’s superiority in this technology, Zhang said. “But for the sake of regional stability, China should continue to develop defence systems against ballistic missile threats,” he said.

The Communist Party’s main organ, the People’s Daily, ran a commentary, “Risks behind India’s military build-up” saying the Agni-V development shows Indian’s intention to seek a regional balance of power.

“However, in the context of the eastward shift of global economic power and the changing Asian geopolitical pattern, India should cooperate with neighbouring countries and reduce its own persecution mania,” it said.

China successfully conducted its first ground-based mid-course ballistic missile interception experiment in January 2010, becoming the second country in the world to conduct this kind of missile defence test, the local media pointed out.

These views, mostly fuelled by experts connected to China’s ministry of defence, were different in tone and content from comments made by the foreign affairs ministry on Thursday. The foreign affairs ministry said China was for “cooperative partnership” with India as it was not a rival.

Lalu backs Ansari as Presidential candidate

RJD president Lalu Prasad Monday said his party would support Vice President Hamid Ansari as the Presidential candidate.

“Our VicePresident Hamid Ansari should be made the President. He is a good candidate for the President’s post. He should be upgraded as the President,” Prasad told reporters outside Parliament.

Asked about his party’s stand on former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the RJD leader said, “Kalam has already been the President.

Now Ansari should be made because he is an able person and his performance is also best in the Rajya Sabha.”

Presidential elections will be held in July and the UPA has to depend on other parties as it does not have required numbers to elect a President on its own strength.

BSP supremo Mayawati said, “It is too early to comment on it. Let the name of candidate be declared first and then only we will make our stand known.”

BJP leader Rajnath Singh said, “We do not want to comment on any individual. But our view is that there should be a consenus among all political parties on the candidature of the President.”

Janata Dal (U) leader Sharad Yadav also refused to comment on any name for the Presidential candidate, saying, “Let’s first hold talks on the issue.”

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN NEWS

Afghanistan, US ‘finalise draft post-2014 deal’

Afghan and US officials have finalised the initial draft of a strategic partnership agreement that will govern relations between Kabul and Washington after 2014, a presidential statement said Sunday.

“The draft agreement on Afghanistan and US long-term partnership was finalised and initialed on Sunday in Kabul by the heads of the two negotiating delegations in Kabul”, a

presidential statement said.

“The agreement is now ready for signature by both the Presidents.”

No details were released of the content of the draft agreement, which will now be reviewed by the US and Afghan presidents, the US Congress and the Afghan parliament.

The 130,000-strong US-led NATO force helping the Afghan government fight a decade-long Taliban insurgency

President Karzai condemns soldier photos

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned photographs of United States soldiers posing with the mangled bodies of Afghan insurgent bombers as “inhuman” today, calling for a rapid transition from NATO to Afghan security to prevent more such incidents.

The pictures dealt a further blow to US-Afghan relations as Washington is trying to sign a strategic deal with Karzai on a presence in the country after the 2014 pullout of most foreign combat troops.

“The Afghan president emphasised that the only way to prevent such bitter experiences in the future is a quick and complete security transition from foreign forces,” said a statement from Karzai’s office.

“Afghanistan can take its destiny into its own hands very soon and in this country there will not be any bad actions by foreign troops.”

Karzai called the two-yearold photographs, taken by US paratroppers in 2010, an “inhuman act” and said it was “disgusting” to pose in that way with dead bodies.

Ties between Karzai and his Western backers have been strained over a series of blunders, including US troops inadvertently burning copies of the Koran, as well as the killing of 17 villagers for which a US soldier was charged.

Those incidents have helped fuel anti-Western sentiment in the country ahead of a crucial May meeting in the U.S. city of Chicago to discuss the future size and funding

for Afghan security forces beyond the 2014 NATO exit deadline.

The Afghan Taliban, who claimed responsibility for brazen weekend attacks in Kabul and three other provinces, vowed revenge against US forces fighting in the country after the pictures were published in the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

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“They will be punished for their actions and we will take revenge.

When and how is up to our military officials, (but) it will be added to our plans,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone.

Washington denounces behaviour in pictures US officials quickly condemned the behaviour seen in the pictures published on Tuesday, which included a photo of American soldiers posing with a dead insurgent’s hand with the middle finger raised.

In one of the photos, a US paratrooper posed next to an unofficial patch placed beside a body that read Zombie Hunter, while in another photo soldiers posed with Afghan police holding the severed legs of an insurgent bomber.

Apologies from Washington did little to quell Taliban ire, with Zabihullah trying to stoke so-far muted Afghan public reaction against police seen

standing with the Americans.

“Such photos by the invader Americans are not something new, but what looks new in these photos is the Afghans looking like slaves, standing beside their invader masters and making fun of corpses,” he said.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said he regretted the Times’ decision to publish the photos, which he said might trigger retaliatory violence against foreign soldiers in Afghanistan.

But Afghan Defence Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak, attending a meeting of NATO allies and partners in Brussels, said he did not expect a widespread backlash.

“I think these pictures were not as graphic as some in the past. So I doubt it will create a reaction that will cause attacks on international forces,” said Wardak.

Insurgents this week launched a coordinated assault on four provinces, targeting diplomatic and government areas of Kabul with rockets and gunfire in what they said was retaliation for incidents involving U.S. soldiers.

The attacks - the start of the traditional summer fighting months - showed the insurgency’s continued strength nearly 11 years since the militant group was ousted from power.

is due to end combat operations and pull out by the end of 2014 and the two countries are in talks about their future relations.

Kabul has already achieved two preconditions for signing the treaty -- full control over the US-run Bagram prison and controversial special forces night raids against Taliban insurgents.

But the agreement will not cover the crucial issue of the status of US troops remaining in Afghanistan after the withdrawal. The issue will be discussed after the strategic partnership deal is signed, according to the US embassy.

In Iraq, Washington pulled out all its troops, leaving no residual force, after failing to get Baghdad to grant its soldiers immunity from prosecution in local courts.

In Afghanistan, anger over the murderous rampage last month by a US soldier who allegedly killed 17 Afghan villagers in their homes at night before being flown out of the country, has complicated negotiations.

US ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and Afghanistan?s national security adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta agreed on the wording of the draft, titled “Enduring

Strategic Partnership Agreement between Afghanistan and the United States”.

“The document finalised today provides a strong foundation for the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world and is a document for the development of the region”, Spanta was quoted as saying the statement.

The US ambassador said in the statement that the agreement will cement a longterm strategic partnership between “two equal and sovereign States”.

He said his country was committed through the strategic partnership document to doing its utmost to assist Afghans and to help Afghanistan develop as “a unified, democratic, stable and secure state.”

Afghan forces are now in control of night raids and the main US prison is in the middle of a six-month transfer.

Night operations by international special forces against insurgent hideouts had triggered popular anger and were a key factor fraying Washington and Kabul’s relationship.

Afghanistan and the US signed a deal on April 8 putting local forces in control of the raids, but with the option of requesting NATO support.

Afghan commandos have been conducting regular night raids since taking responsibility for the controversial operations from their NATO mentors.

Last Sunday, Afghan forces responded to the biggest assault on the capital in 10 years of war, in which squads of militants attacked government offices, embassies and foreign bases.

Obama seeks probe of Afghan body abuse by US troops President Barack Obama wants an investigation into photographs that have surfaced of US soldiers posing with the maimed corpses of Afghan insurgents and says those responsible should be held accountable, the White House said on Wednesday.

Although the photos, published in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, were two years old, they appear at a sensitive time, following a Koran-burning incident that led to widespread riots in Afghanistan and the deaths of several American soldiers.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said, “The conduct depicted in those photographs is reprehensible and does not in any way represent the high standards of the U.S. military.”

Carney also said, “The president certainly shares in the Defense secretary’s opinion that this should be investigated and those

held responsible will be held accountable.”

Carney also expressed disappointment that the Times published the photos.

It comes at a particularly sensitive time for US-Afghan relations, after a series of incidents – including the murder of 17 Afghan civilians in March – stirred up anti-Western sentiment. Nato combat troops aim to leave Afghanistan in 2014.

NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan, US General John Allen, said an investigation was under way, and US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta apologized “on behalf of the Department of Defense and the US government.

“The president certainly shares the defense secretary’s opinion that this needs to be investigated, will be investigated and that those responsible will be held accountable,” Carney said.

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BANGLADESH NEWS

Two shot dead Khaleda gives govt 4 in Sylhet clash more days to trace Ilias

Two people were shot dead during a clash between pro-hartal activists and police at Biswanath upazila

town in Sylhet Sunday afternoon.

One of victims was identified as Monwar Hossain, 30, son of Abbas Ali of Rajnagar village and a student of Biswanath Degree College.

Abdul Hai, Biswanath upazila general secretary of BNP, claimed that Monwar was an activist of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, a student body backed by the main opposition party.

Police found the bullet-hit body of Monwar near the local upazila parisad office around 3:15pm, Md Shakhawat Hossain, Sylhet superintendent of police, told The Daily Star.

Another young man, who could not be identified immediately, succumbed to his bullet wounds at MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

Three police personnel including Chand Miah, officer-in-charge of Biswanath Police Station, were also seriously injured during the clash in Biswanath, the constituency of M

Ilias Ali who remain missing since April 17 night.

The injured police personnel were

also rushed to the MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

SP Shakhawat said situation almost went out of control at about 2:30pm when police attempted to intercept a procession while entering Biswanath upazila headquarters.

The opposition leaders and activists brought out the procession in support of a daylong nationwide hartal called by the BNP for a second consecutive day for getting back its missing leader M Ilias Ali and his driver.

The lawmen fired several hundred tear shells and blank shots as the agitators pelted bricks. The law enforcers became confined inside the police station building after failing to control the situation.

The angry activists vandalised the upazila parisad building, set fire to the official jeep of upazila nirbahi officer and five motor bikes kept in front of the office premises.

2 buses set ablaze in city

Pro-hartal activists set fire to two buses in the capital on Monday evening. A police bus parked near BNP’s Nayapaltan head office was torched at about 7:30pm while another bus of Gulistan-Chiriakhana route near Matsya Bhaban around an hour later.

Habibur Rahman, a sub-inspector of Paltan Police Station, told The Daily Star that police had requisitioned the bus for carrying their men.

The torching incidents took place hours after the main opposition party called a fresh nationwide daylong

hartal for Tuesday for getting back its missing leader M Ilias Ali and his driver.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the general strike around an hour before the ending of their second day’s hartal on Monday.

Former lawmaker and BNP Organising Secretary (Sylhet Division) M Ilias Ali along with his driver remain missing since Tuesday night.

The main opposition BNP claimed that government agencies have picked them up to make them disappear.

Death Toll Rises in Bangladesh Protests

Issuing a four-day ultimatum to locate Ilias Ali and his driver, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has threatened to go for tougher programme from Sunday if the government fails to find them out

by Saturday.

As per her announcement, the main opposition party will stage demonstrations across the country on Thursday and all upazila headquarters on Saturday. The next agitation programme will be declared by the central BNP on Saturday.

“There is no scope to stop movement.

We have showed patience a lot. We have lost many of our leaders and workers. Many lives met untimely ends, but no more. Tougher agitation will start from Sunday,” Khaleda warned.

The former prime minister was addressing a crowded press conference

Tuesday evening at her Gulshan office after wrapping up their nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal for a third consecutive day.

Asked about the possibility of getting Ilias back alive, she says she is hopeful about the return of Ilias and the government must do it.

It was her first formal appearance before the media since the missing of BNP’s organising secretary and former lawmaker Ilias Ali on April 17.

Ilias’ wife Tahsina Rushdir Luna and their three children were also present at the news briefing.

While reading out a written statement, Khaleda has also touched a number of issues like bribe scandal of railway and resignation of ruling Awami League lawmaker Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj. The disappearance of a leading opposition figure in Bangladesh has

plunged the South Asian nation into a political crisis and threatens efforts to turn around its global image as a “basket case,” as former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once famously put it.

On Tuesday, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party called supporters into the streets for the third straight day of strikes to protest the disappearance last week of Ilyas Ali, a party member from the northeastern city of Sylhet.

At least five people have been killed and scores of protesters and security officials injured in Sylhet and Dhaka, the capital, over the past week as tens of thousands joined demonstrations.

Dhaka ground to a halt as people stayed in their homes Tuesday. Shops remained closed and thousands of security personnel fanned out across the city of 12 million.

Mr. Ali’s car was discovered near his Dhaka home Tuesday last week with its lights on and doors open. He and his driver are missing.

BNP officials have accused Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government and its security forces of involvement in the abduction of the 51year-old party official, who is a rising star in the opposition. The government denies the BNP allegations, and the party has provided no evidence to back its charge.

US, Bangladesh to enhance partnership on security Dhaka and Washington during their substantive dialogue on security issues here yesterday agreed to enhance partnership in the UN peacekeeping, counterterrorism and disaster management.

Both sides at the first-ever USBangladesh Dialogue on Security Issues exchanged views on the ongoing engagement between the two countries in the areas of counterterrorism, disaster management, maritime security and peacekeeping operations and shared commitment to peace, security and prosperity in the region.

Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes while inaugurating the dialogue referred to Bangladesh-US relations as a partnership characterised by convergence of values and aspirations and an expanding scope

of cooperation.

Additional Foreign Secretary Mustafa Kamal led the Bangladesh at the dialogue held at the Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies (BIISS).

The 11-member US delegation was led by Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J Shapiro.

The US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena also attended the event.

Describing Bangladesh as an important partner of the US in dealing with many traditional and nontraditional security threats, Shapiro

stressed the strategic importance of Bangladesh for the US. The Bangladesh delegation comprised of representatives from the ministries of home affairs, defence, food and disaster management, and foreign affairs and Armed Forces Division.

A press release of the US Embassy in Dhaka said the positive and substantial exchanges of the dialogue reflected the depth and strength of the bilateral defence relationship as well as shared commitment to peace and prosperity in the region.

It hoped that the US-Bangladesh Security Dialogue would broaden and strengthen bilateral cooperation on a wide range of political-military issues, and enhance partnerships in peacekeeping, joint military exercises and exchanges, counterterrorism, and security cooperation.

Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

SAARC

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF BHUTAN NEWS

SARRC CCI demands creation of Climate Change Fund “Shared vision and collaborative efforts at Public and the Private sector level can mitigate the impact of climate change and cooperation in energy can help south Asia for it transformation from energy constraint to energy surplus region.”

This was stated by Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan while inaugurating two-day Conference on Climate Change and Energy Cooperation in South Asia organized

by SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) in association with Bhutan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI).

Vikramjit Singh Sahney, President, SCCI in his keynote address urged upon the need for collaborated efforts to devise out mechanisms to tackle the adverse effects of natural calamities due to climate change; for instance, sharing knowledge and technology. He also recommended that all the SAARC nations should

New Delhi also shared their views at the inaugural session.

Iftkhar Ali Malik, Vice President, SAARC CCI and Mr. Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, Vice President SAARC CCI (Nepal) also shared their views.

The First Technical session on Climate Change chaired by Dr. Pema Jamtsho, Minister for Agriculture & forest while Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuck,

articulate common positions on climate change. For this, he said, a SAARC Climate Change Fund could be created to finance projects directed towards climate and environment protection.

He offered the policy makers and SAARC Secretariat at Kathmandu to work together to formulate doable action plan for users of power generated through hydroelectric and non-conventional energy sources. He shared that investors from India have

considerable interests in investing and transferring skills and technology in the energy sector of neighbouring countries.

Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuck, Minister for Economic Affairs, Bhutan, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister for Power and Energy of Sri & the guest of honour, Dasho Topgayl Dorji, President BCCI, Iqbal Tabish, Secretary General SAARC CCI and Mr. Subodh Kumar, the Executive Programs FNSt, Regional Directorate

Poor country rich people syndrome

It is only in Bhutan that the Central Bank takes overdrafts at 10 percent to bail out private consumption, says the RMA governor The Central Bank has been borrowing rupee by availing itself of overdraft facilities not to pay off government loans or to fund government expenditures, but to bail out increasing private consumption, said the Central Bank governor at a meeting with Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) earlier this week.

“Now, outsiders are saying that Bhutan is a poor country with rich

people,” he said, adding that while the government is going through difficult times borrowing money, people are living wealthy lives.

The governor was clarifying when BCCI said the private sector was blamed for the current rupee crunch in the country.

He said the terms “private sector consumption” and “private consumption” have been mixed up.

Rupee crunch, the governor said, was caused by private consumption and not necessarily private sector consumption.

According to RMA, credit from

financial institutions fuelled private consumption amounting to Rs 48.5 billion. These are urgent and shortterm debts.

In 1998, RMA had to take an overdraft of Rs 800 million at an interest rate of 10 percent to finance private consumption.

According to the annual RMA report, the concentration of private sector lending in consumer�driven and

non�productive sectors coupled with the high asset�liability mismatch in the banking system fueled external imbalances through private consumption.

It further contributed to upward inflationary pressures through the trade account, thereby exposing the financial sector to risks of illiquidity.

In the last five years, Bhutan’s growth in credit has more than doubled the nominal GDP. The Bhutanese economy grew by around 11 percent between 2010 and 2011. But the growth was mainly import-driven. And since the exports

didn’t grow, the situation worsened.

According to the National Accounts Statistics of 2010, the level of private household final consumption expenditure rose to Nu 30,194.5 million in 2010 from Nu 23,202.21 million in 2009. In real terms, it registered a 23.09 percent growth in 2010.

The final consumption expenditure of households takes into account expenditure incurred by private households and on consumer goods and services.

Additionally, these risks increase because Bhutan’s financial sector model permits both banks and non�banking financial institutions, including the pension fund and insurance companies, to engage in lending.

The governor said that in other countries, pension and insurance companies are not allowed to give credit. It is allowed in Bhutan since the non-banking financial institutions could not sustain their business.

However, by June 2014, non-banking financial institutions will have to reorganize themselves. Insurance companies can then only do insurance business and pension companies cannot lend as there will be fund management companies by then.

The governor said, “The RMA’s responsibility is not to bring in rupees but to maintain it.” But to earn and spend it, he said, is the responsibility of the private sector, public and the government.

Minister for Economic Affairs Bhutan chaired session on Energy, which was addressed by prominent academicians, experts from Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and Pakistan including Speakers from Pakistan included Ms. Raina Khan, environment expert, Engr. G.R. Bhatti, Member PEC and former Gm, KESC.

Increasing incidence of leprosy Besides the nine existing leprosy cases Pemagatshel hospital has been treating since last year, the district health officials said they have detected several new cases lately.

A Class II student of Khothakpa primary school was tested positive for leprosy, at Reserboo hospital in Pemagatshel two days ago, and was referred to Pemagatshel hospital.

His father, a truck driver, who completed treatment in July last year, also suffered a relapse, and was tested positive on the same day.

However, the mother and a younger child haven’t contracted the disease.

Meanwhile, the hospital is also starting leprosy treatment on a 14year-old and a six-year-old from Dungmin gewog, about a two-day official walk from Pemagatshel town. The two were earlier treated for fungal infection.

“Anti-fungal treatment is given when white patches are found on patient’s face and body,” tuberculosis and leprosy in-charge, Rinchen Chungchung, said. “When the patches refuse to go away despite treatment, leprosy is confirmed.”

Another 11-year-old boy from Dungmin, is also undergoing antifungal treatment.

Some of these children were detected with the disease, while conducting a focal survey in the endemic areas of Dungmin and Nanong gewog in December last year.

In the past 15 years, records with the hospital indicate Dungmin had the highest number of leprosy patients in the dzongkhag, about 20, followed by seven in Shumar, six in Chongshing, three in Khar, two in Yurung and one in Choenmong.

Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae.

It multiplies very slowly, and the incubation period of the disease is between two to five years and, in rare cases, between two months to 55 years.

100 years of modern education

Education in Bhutan will turn a new page on May 2 next month. The day, which is observed as the teachers day will mark the start of a year – long celebration of Bhutan’s journey in the last 100 years of modern education.

The Sherig Centenary Celebrations will begin on May 2 at the Nazoen Pelri hall in Thimphu and ripple across the country before it ends on February 21 next year at Ugyen Dorji Higher Secondary High school in Haa. Education minister Thakur S Powdyel said the centenary of education means Bhutan has completed a full circle.

Education came to Bhutan in waves with monastic education being the first wave that helped in the

formation of a national, spiritual and cultural identity.

“The second educational wave is the modern, western style, English medium, liberal education wave that gained prominence in the mid of the century more towards the beginning of the 60s,” lyonpo said.

Records with the ministry show that the first school started in Haa in 1913.

“We feel that the last 100 years has been extremely significant for Bhutan and what Bhutan is today is largely thanks to the contribution that education has made,” lyonpo said. “Today we are a dynamic, confident, forward looking nation, and where we have come has been very largely guided and supported by education.”

SAARC

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF INDIA NEWS

SC refuses to interfere in appointment of Army Chief SC on Monday dismissed a PIL challenging the appointment of Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next Army Chief but made it clear that its order would not affect any pending proceedings against him in cases including an alleged encounter in Jammu and Kashmir.

The court also refused to reopen the age controversy relating to incumbent Army Chief Gen V.K. Singh when the petitioners raked up the issue, saying it has already been settled by the court.

Before refusing to interfere with the government’s decision on the successor to Gen V.K. Singh, a bench of justices R.M. Lodha and H.L. Gokhale sought for a government file on Gen Bikram Singh’s appointment and went through it in the post-lunch session.

After going through the confidential report, the court said the government had considered various allegations against him before clearing his appointment and opined “there is no justiciable ground” for hearing the PIL challenging his appointment.

“We have carefully gone through the averments made in the petitions. We do not find any justiciable ground to entertain the petition,” the bench said while dismissing the PIL filed by a bunch of top retired bureaucrats, including a Naval Chief, challenging his appointment.

“It is made clear that dismissal of the petition shall not affect any legal

pending proceedings in court or any other forum,” the bench said.

The petitioners, including former Naval Chief Admiral L Ramdas and former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy, challenged the appointment by levelling various allegation against him including his role in the fake encounter in J&K in 2001 and his questionable role during a UN peace keeping mission in 2008 in Congo.

The bench, which at the outset refused to hold in-camera proceeding in the case, went through the confidential file regarding the appointment and found that the government had considered these and various other allegations against him but was given clean chit.

“Not only three but as a matter of fact there are many allegations which were collected from various sources. Reasons have been given by the government (in clearing Singh’s name),” the court said after going through the file.

India orders deportation of 10 French nationals over Maoist links

Indian police have ordered the deportation of 10 French nationals who they say worked with a non-governmental organisation that supports Maoist militants. Police official Paras Nath said the French nationals violated their tourist visas by working for Unity Forum in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Nath said the group was flown to New Delhi on Monday and would be deported. The French nationals were detained in a densely forested area of Bihar where Unity Forum had organised a meeting of local farmers. Unity Forum says it works to protect the land and water rights of the poor. The Maoist militants say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong and are demanding land and jobs for impoverished tribal communities.

Opposing the plea of the petitioners that system was manipulated for making Singh as Army Chief, the government placed the record of entire proceeding which led to clearance of Singh’s name as next Army Chief.

Attorney General G E Vahanvati said that matter was considered by various authorities including Prime Minister, Home Minister, Defence

Minister and the Intelligence bureau before his name was cleared.

During the arguments, the bench asked the petitioner not to make “bald” allegation and asked for the documentary proof.

“What documents do you have?

It amounts to maligning our armed forces without documents.

All these bald allegation can put at stake someone’s career,” the

bench remarked when advocate Kamini Jaiswal, appearing for the petitioners, mentioned allegations against the Armed Forces on Congo mission. “It is not desirable to read out,” the bench said while restraining Jaiswal.

The petitioners, including veteran journalist Sam Rajapa and social activist M G Devasahayam, alleged that Lt Gen Singh is facing court of inquiry for his to take action against officers who were involved in sexual harassment and rape, when they were posted to Congo in 2008 as part of the UN peace— keeping mission and the case of face encounter is still pending in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

The government had on March 3 announced the appointment of Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next Army chief.

Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

COMMENT

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“Indian foreign policy is behaving the American way”

In conversation, Ayesha Siddiqa, a strategic analyst from Pakistan not very high. There is nothing happening substantially to increase the trust. The Pakistani political government is trying to take initiative of using other methods to expand Indo-Pak relations. There should be at least some effort from the Indian side as well.

In an interview with Trithesh Nandan in New Delhi, she dissects Indo-Pak relations. Edited excerpts: Ayesha Siddiqa was the first Pakistani woman to work as director of naval research with Pakistan Navy. After serving 11 years as a civil servant, she worked for 11 years before making headway into academics where her expertise in military technology, defence decisionmaking, nuclear deterrence, arms procurement/production and civil-military relations in South Asia is now most sought after.

What is your view on IndoPak relations at the present moment?

If you see on a scale of 0 to 10, the trust level is somewhere between two and three. It is

What’s the problem on the Indian side?

I will tell you that peace process is elitist in nature. The Indians are now behaving in a way that Americans used to earlier. You are behaving as if your foreign policy is like the US foreign policy.

What do you mean when you say the Indian foreign policy is becoming more like an American foreign policy?

When I say that, it is how you look at Pakistan or judge Pakistan entirely from the prism of war on terror or thinking force or pressure will do the job as far as Pakistan in concerned. I think it is a very American attitude.

America is thousand miles away from the Indian subcontinent.

India and Pakistan are next door. I don’t think that India has that luxury of treating Pakistan like Americans do. Americans

love to talk to some stakeholders leaving more people behind. In the last few years, India has been approaching in the same way.

There is a huge stake involved in the peace process.

What is the mindset of common Pakistanis? What do they want from India?

The common Pakistani has to learn (there are) benefits from following India and connecting with India. When I asked a taxi driver in Karachi about the Kashmir issue after the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Pakistan in 2004, he immediately stopped his car and told me there are so many benefits if there is

peace. We will have money to spend on ourselves – health and education. The ordinary Pakistani sees the benefits of peace dividends as that and also in rest of South Asia.

The ordinary Pakistani will want to follow in India’s footsteps.

We are not jealous about India’s economic growth.

Then who are creating hurdles in the way of better relationship between the two nations: politicians, bureaucrats or the intelligence people?

It is a combination of all three.

When we say vested interest, it is not the one or the other. In India, there is a strong ministry

of defence, civil–military bureaucracy, which probably doesn’t want peace at a fast pace.

In Pakistan’s case, it is similar.

Why did you say that the peace process is elitist in nature?

Look at the peace process, who do we get? Come to India or Pakistan, it is the same people. I think it needs to be broadened.

There is a need to change its policy. Every Pakistani who crosses and comes to India legitimately is asked to get a character certificate from police or get intelligence clearance from here (in India). It is unfair.

Same with Indians who go to Pakistan. It is not going to help.

But in Pakistan there are different centres of power – military, judiciary, parliament.

Slowly, democracy is gaining in the country. I would say democracy is in transition and when it is in that stage it is always weak. As long as the government is not destablised, the process continues.

Are the confidence building measures effective?

The CBMs are very necessary but these are very tactical. We need to begin to change our attitude and unless we change the way we assess each other, there is no way forward.

Agni V test reaffirms India’s missile programme on track Test hailed by US, NATO, frowned upon by China

Rohan Ramesh India’s successful test launch of Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) has catapulted it into an elite club of nations that have the capability to field such missiles.

According to defence sources quoted in the Times of India, Agni V soared from the Odisha coast and hit its designated target in the Indian Ocean.

“This launch has given a message to the entire world that India has the capability to design, develop, build and manufacture missiles of this class, and we are today, a missile power,” VK Saraswat, director general, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was quoted as saying in the same report.

“The nation stands tall today. We have joined the elite club of nations (to possess the ICBM capability),” defence minister AK Antony told Saraswat on phone after the test flight of the missile was declared successful on Thursday.

The 5,000-km range Agni V was launched from a test range at Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha at 0807 hours and took 15 minutes to reach its target in Southern Indian Ocean according to PTI. The missile achieved all the mission parameters and has turned out to be a huge success, defence ministry officials said in a PTI report. The launch was cancelled last night due to bad weather and heavy lightning in the test range.

Agni V is a product of the integrated guided missile development programme. In 2007-2008, the government gave the go-ahead to DRDO to develop and test a 5000kilometre range missile that could hit

any part of China, including Harbin (China’s largest naval base), as part of

a credible nuclear deterrence triad.

Agni I is an medium range ballistic missile with a range of 700-1200km.

Agni II has a range of 2000-2500 km while Agni III has a range of 30005000 kilometres. Agni IV with a range of 2500-3700 km bridges the gap between Agni II and Agni III. Agni V with its 5000-6000 kilometre range will cover the whole of Asia, including the northernmost parts of China, 70% of Europe and other regions under its strike envelope. All earlier in the Agni series of missiles were aimed at Pakistan.

“The sleek missile, within a few seconds of its blast-off from the island launch pad roared majestically into the sky Continued on page 29 >>

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

Airliner with up to 127 people on board crashes in bad weather, no survivors A private company’s airliner with 127 people on board crashed in bad weather as it came in to land in Islamabad on Friday. The plane disintegrated and there were no sign of survivors.

The Boeing 737, operated by Bhoja Air, was on its inaugural flight to the capital from Karachi. It crashed around 11 kilometres off Koral Chowk and about nine kilometres from the Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

Body parts, wallets and eyeglasses lay among wreckage strewn in a small settlement just outside Islamabad.

The old-series Boeing, which was 27 years old, took off from the Karachi airport at 5pm and was supposed to land in Islamabad at 7pm.

According to sources in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the plane lost its contact with the air traffic control at 6:40pm after it was signalled to land.

The Friday plane crash was second such tragedy in the country in less than two years – an Air Blue plane crashed in Margalla Hills in July 2010, killing all 152 passengers onboard.

Six children, five infants, 68 women and 53

men were on-board the ill-fated Bhoja airliner on Friday.

Residents said they had seen a ball of fire in the sky before the plane crashed. Parts of the aircraft smashed into electricity poles, plunging the area in darkness.

Bhoja Air said the airplane crashed during its approach in Islamabad due to bad weather.

A man who had been waiting at Benazir Bhutto International Airport for the flight yelled “my two daughters are dead” as tears streamed down his face.

Nearby, relatives of passengers hugged each other and sobbed. One man cried “my kids, my kids”.

Among them was Zarina Bibi, desperate to

determine whether her husband was on the flight. “He called me before leaving Karachi but I don’t know if he was on this flight or not,” said Bibi, whose eyes were red from crying.

“Two years later the same story is being repeated in my house again,” said Nasreen Mubasher, who was at the hospital waiting for the remains of her brother-in-law, who was a passenger. Another brother-in-law died in the AirBlue crash.

At Karachi airport, Asim Hashmi complained the airline’s counter was shut and he had no way of obtaining information on his aunt and cousin, who were on the flight B4-213.

“We don’t know anything,” he said, adding, “Just pray for the souls of the departed. That is all we can do now.”

Sources said black box of the crashed plan had been found and was in custody of security officials.

Bhoja Air re-launched domestic operations with a fleet of five 737s in March. The airline was planning to start flights connecting Karachi, Sukkur, Multan, Lahore and Islamabad. Bhoja had been grounded in 2000 by the CAA amid financial difficulties.

Passenger plane escapes accident as tyre bursts amid landing Less than two days after an airline jet crashed near Islamabad that killing all 127 people onboard, another plane narrowly escaped a major accident on Sunday at the Karachi Airport runway.

The plane suffered problems when one of its tyres burst causing the aircraft to tilt towards its side during landing.

The spokesman said the Shaheen Air plane 737 was coming from Islamabad and landed at Karachi Airport at 12.16 pm when the incident occurred. However, all the 122 passengers and six crew

members on board remained safe, said the spokesman of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Pervez George.

The Karachi airport runway was shut down following the incident.

The Director General of the CAA, Nadeem Khan Yousufzai, has launched a probe of the matter and all flights to and from the airport were suspended till 7 pm today.

The Director General CAA also requested Pakistan International Airline (PIA) to help remove the aircraft from the runway so that it could be cleared for normal traffic, the CAA spokesman said.

Some passengers on board the plane complained that the pilot never opened the emergency gates and the Continued on page 26 >>

NEWS

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

Sri Lanka government orders removal of more than half Century old Al Khair mosque

Sri Lanka’s government has ordered the removal of a mosque from an area it says is sacred to the country’s majority Buddhists.

The order comes two days after Buddhist monks led a crowd trying to storm the mosque in the central town of Dambulla.

Prime Minister DM Jayaratne says the mosque has simply been ordered to relocate to another part of the area.

But the incident has angered senior Muslim politicians.

Buddhist monks in central Sri Lanka had threatened to demolish the mosque next week if the authorities did not act first. A

special meeting to discuss the issue appears to have been convened on Sunday, and this statement was produced.

The statement listed four prominent Muslims as present at Sunday’s meeting agreeing to relocate the mosque - but according to a weekly Muslim paper, three of them say they were not there.

He described it as a mosque which is in the process of being built and local Buddhists have reportedly said that a previously small structure is now being illegally expanded.

The chief of the mosque told

reporters that the building was legal and was simply being refurbished.

Meanwhile, the police have ordered the removal of any illegal structures, including the places of worship of other religions from the sacred area before April 23.

M Rahmathullah, a trustee of the mosque, disputed the Buddhist claim.

“We do not agree to their claim.

The mosque was in the area for more than 50 years,” said Rahmathullah.

Overnight the mosque had been targeted by a fire bombing, but nobody was hurt.

Lankan expats condemn barring of Muslims from Jumma prayers Sri Lankan expatriates yesterday condemned a protest at a mosque in the Sri Lankan city of Dambulla where worshippers were barred from performing their Jumma prayers.

A group of Buddhist monks with the support of a large group of hooligans had staged a mass demonstration there.

Syed Hamid, marketing executive in a food supplying company in Riyadh, told Arab News that although this is the work of a few misguided people from the majority community, he found the involvement of the Buddhist clergy really disturbing.

“This is definitely against the teachings of their widely respected spiritual leader Lord Buddha,” Hamid said, adding the inaction of law enforcement forces was also a disappointing factor.

Nihal Gamage, the former president of the Sri Lankan Expatriates Society who is a practicing Buddhist, told Arab News that this was an unfortunate incident engineered by a group of people

with vested interests.

“As Sri Lankans we have to coexist with other communities in the island. We have already proven this concept at the Kataragama sacred area where one can find mosques and Buddhist and Hindu temples in the same quarter,” Gamage added.

Gamage said the incident was the work of a few who should be brought to justice without any delay.

Mohammed Mackeen, who works in the medical profession, said that he was worried since his family was living in the same Dambulla district where the incident happened.

H.M. Rafeek, president of the Sri Lankan Expatriates Society in Jeddah, said all Sri Lankans believe in communal harmony “We have just finished an ethnic conflict and the government has been trying to bring all communities under one umbrella for its progress and prosperity,” Rafeek said, adding those who have personal grievances should report them to the concerned authorities.

Another community member,

Mohammed Hashim, said these incidents would strengthen the claims made by the Tamil diaspora at various levels.

“Dambulla may be an unknown town on the world map but not any more. The mosque attack in this sleepy town was widely publicized in all the international media. It is now the responsibility of the right thinking leaders of the majority community to act and act fast,” Hashim said.

“Sri Lankan Muslims who stood by their motherland with all their might to protest again at the US resolution in the UNHRC in Geneva are disappointed by the gratitude paid by some unruly elements,” community member Ahmed Lebber Mohammed Sabir said.

“The world community and especially the Arab and Muslim world are watching with all eyes open. The Sri Lanka government should not treat this lightly. This is the time for it to prove to the world how it safeguards minority rights,” said a Sri Lankan worker, who wished to remain anonymous.

Buddhism is the religion of the majority of Sri Lanka’s 20 million people.

About 74 per cent are Sinhalese, who are mostly Buddhists, while about 18 per cent are Tamils, who are predominantly Hindus or Christians. About seven per cent of the total population are Muslims.

Sri Lanka Buddhists disrupt mosque’s prayers Protesters, including monks,

demand demolition of mosque which they say has been built in a sacred Buddhist area. thousands of Buddhist monks and lay supporters protested the construction of a mosque and a Hindu temple within the Buddhist sacred zone in Dambulla on Friday (April 20). The protestors, shouted slogans and waved the Buddhist flag marching from the Dambulla town towards the mosque located in the Kandalama Junction.

Presents

A New Beginning Though women in India have made a name in various fields like corporate finance, politics, IT and arts amongst others, injustice towards women is still a ground reality in our country. One such actuality is prevalent in the ‘Bedia’ tribal community in the Bundelkhand region of India. There exists a world bound by centuries of tradition. They are a tribe known for their beautiful ‘Raai dance’.

But over the years, this dance form that was originally meant as a reverence to God turned out to be detrimental to a woman’s dignity with the ritual of ‘Sar Dhakaai’. Set against a custom that’s deep rooted in India, Zee TV’s new primetime offering, ‘Phir Subah Hogi’ traces the journey of a young woman from the Bedia tribe and her journey of discovering this harsh reality hidden under song and dance and wanting to break free to lead a dignified life away from this barbarism.

Phir Subah Hogi, Mon-Fri at 10:30pm, is the story of Sugni, a young, simple girl born in the Bedia tribe. Young Sugni is clear that she will not follow her mother’s footsteps and if she dances, she will do it only for God. Sugni’s refusal to do the ‘Raai dance’ and participate in the ritual of ‘Sar Dhakaai’ shifts the ground beneath her family. Sugni’s journey is

special because she made a choice...and what makes her stand apart is that she dares to fulfil her impossible dream...

It’s a dream that is impossible because no one in her community has dared to think of independence, dared to think of a relationship which is not need based but love based...Sugni dreams of what every young girl does. To her, love means care and concern and not sharing a bed for a few nights, and a man who is not a just a master or a visitor by choice but a support for a lifetime... Sugni is a free spirited and bold woman of today whose will to survive against all odds will prove to be a beacon of hope and inspiration to many.

Sukesh Motwani, Fiction Programming Head - Zee TV said “Zee TV has always portrayed issues that are socially relevant.

Taking our channel’s core sentiment ‘Umeed se Saje Zindagi’ forward, we bring to you a reality which is prevalent and practiced even today. ‘Phir Subah Hogi’ is a story that blows away the cliché that life has to stop because of dark customs and traditions.

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Police probe ‘serious threats’ against George Galloway

POLICE were investigating threats of “serious harm” made against newly-elected Bradford West MP George Galloway.

Detectives wednesday confirmed they were investigating the threats, but declined to discuss the precise nature of them.

A spokesman for Mr Galloway said: “The police are talking to everyone who is involved in this.”

Officers have spoken to Mr Galloway about the allegations, which came to light at the weekend.

Police have confirmed they are investigating threats against the MP, but have refused to discuss the nature of the threats, or whether anyone has been questioned about the claims.

The allegations have been discussed at a senior policing level. A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “We can confirm we have received an

allegation of threats made towards Mr Galloway and that inquiries are ongoing.”

South Yorkshire “Infidels” Group Wants to Kill George Galloway Infidels of Britain.2 April Good piece this....Gallow’s for Galloway?!

Infidels threatened George Galloway Early April after George Galloway stunning victory on face book a racist group wrote as the response of the South Yorkshire Infidels, a breakaway faction from the EDL, to George Galloway’s by-election victory

Five men held in terrorism probe

Cops and MI5 swoop to thwart feared attacks

Five men have been arrested in Luton on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. The arrests were part of a “pre-planned, intelligence-led” operation by the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism command. According to the Sun their homes are understood to have been searched previously — last September — but no arrests were made at that time.

The men, aged 21, 23, 24, 30 and 35, were all arrested at separate homes in Luton and have been taken to a central London police station for questioning.

Officers stood guard outside an address on Bishopscote Road as police examined the inside of a semi-detached home.

Others living on the same street spoke of their shock and described their neighbours as “friendly” people. Selfemployed Mohammed Iqbal, who did not give his age, said he believed the man arrested on Bishopscote Road lived with his family. Another neighbour living next door, who would not give her name, added: “They are very nice. They have been very good neighbours.”

Police stood guard outside a semidetached red-brick property on Cornel Close - a short distance from Maidenhall Road - which neighbours claimed was home to a Pakistani family named Hussain. Those arrested are understood to include one man of Somali origin and another with a Bangladeshi background.

At least one was a Briton of Pakistani origin. Self-employed Mohammed Iqbal, who did not give his age, said he believed

the man arrested on Bishopscote Road lived with his family. “I see him passing by sometimes,” he said. “I don’t know him but he seems friendly. I think his family are all grown-up.” Another neighbour living next door, who would not give her name, added: “They are very nice. They have been very good neighbours.”

in Bradford West. Later next week FIVE suspected far-right

extremists were arrested by counter-terror detectives and a

number of Yorkshire addresses were being searched after race-hate material was posted online. On a North West Infidels Facebook page, a message posted said: “Heads up if you have posted any thing you might get in trouble for delete it now ... while you still can ... and don’t post anything considered racist folks you are responsible for your own actions.”

It said the group was an alliance of “right wing nationalists, patriotic and loyalist groups from different parts of the UK”.

Breeding Breiviks? Europe, US ‘at risk’ of anti-Islam massacre

Threat to UK Muslims: “GIVE ME A GUN AN AL DO YOU ALL OSLO STYLE”.

Man bailed over ‘Oslo threat’ claim

A man who allegedly threatened to bomb Asian restaurants and carry out an “Oslostyle” attack has been arrested, according to a group which monitors the English Defence League.

Northumbria Police said a 29-year-old man from South Shields, South Tyneside, was held for questioning on Saturday on suspicion of assault and possessing racially inflammatory material. He has been bailed pending further inquiries, a force spokesman said.

According to the EDL News website, which claims to “reveal the truth about the English Defence League”, the man posted on Facebook that he had “got a pipe bomb just 4 Ocean Road” - an area of South Shields known for its curry houses.

The writer abused Muslims and then added: “GIVE ME A GUN AN AL DO YOU ALL OSLO STYLE”. The website claimed the man held by police was a member of the EDL. Norwegian gunman Anders Behring Breivik is currently on trial for mass murder after killing 77 people last July. His Oslo car bomb killed eight before he went on to massacre 69 more people on Utoya Island.

Northumbria Police said the assault the man was arrested for was unrelated to the alleged racial offence which followed “posting of racially inflammatory material

on a social networking site”.

Chief Inspector Michael Barton, of South Tyneside Area Command, said: “Extensive inquiries are being carried out. There is no place for any sort of racial incitement or use of social networking to place inappropriate comments and we take incidents such as this extremely seriously. “I’d like to reassure the public that a full investigation is taking place into this allegation.”

Northumbria Police added: “Extensive inquiries have been carried out and there is no apparent threat to the general public.”

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF PAKISTAN NEWS

Pak SC reserves verdict in PM contempt case

Ahsan said he was hopeful the judges would acquit his client The verdict would be announced on Thursday and the prime minister has also been summoned for the occasion.

“The court will announce judgment in the case on Thursday (April 26)”, the prime minister’s counsel, Aitzaz Ahsan, told reporters in Islamabad.

Asked if the prime minister will appear in person, he said: “I will inform him about it today and he will, God willing, come to the court.”

Ahsan said he was hopeful the judges would acquit his client.

Earlier during Tuesday’s hearing, newly-appointed Attorney General Pakistan Irfan Qadir claimed that no law addressing contempt of court existed in Pakistan.

Qadir made the claim while presenting his arguments in the

contempt of court case.

He further said that a contempt of

court ordinance was promulgated in the country in July 2003 but that

it had expired in December 2003.

The attorney general moreover said that it was the prosecution’s duty to ensure that no one innocent was penalised.

The attorney general said that no evidence existed against the premier and nor would writing the letter to Swiss authorities have led to reopening of cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Qadir further said that the apex court did not directly order Prime Minister Gilani to write to authorities in Switzerland.

He also said that a section of the media was misreporting the details of the case and was creating misunderstandings between the government and the judiciary.

Moreover, the premier’s counsel said that the court should not insist on writing to Swiss authorities

as that would undermine the federation.

Ahsan said the president symbolised the federation and was also the armed forces’ supreme commander.

“This is why while Asif Zardari is the president, the court should not insist on writing the letter and absolve the prime minister of the charge levelled against him,” Ahsan said.

Prime Minister Gilani was charged with contempt of court on Feb 13 over the government’s two-year refusal to write to authorities in Switzerland asking them to re-open corruption cases against President Zardari.

A guilty verdict could result in Yousuf Raza Gilani losing his job and serving up to six months in prison.

Zardari for joint strategy to Karachi police claim defeat lawlessness in Karachi arresting ‘serial killer’ President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said that if the three political parties— PPP, MQM and ANP— join hands in Karachi, there was no reason why they could not confront and defeat the menace of lawlessness and the targeted killings in the metropolis.

He also directed for setting up a committee comprising of representatives of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awmi National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to have constant liaison with the provincial home minister and the chief minister to remove any misgiving about the operation against the law breakers, extortionists and the target killers in the city.

This he said while chairing a meeting of the allied parties held in Bilawal House Karachi.

Those who were present during the meeting included Dr.Isharat-ul-Ibad Khan, Governor Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, CM Sindh, Dr. Farooq Sattar, Babar Ghouri, Raza Haroon, Adil Siddiqui, Waseem Aftab, Saghir Ahmed, Senator Shahi Syed, Ajab Khan, Sultan Mandokhel, Rana Gul Afridi, Murad Altaf Advocate and Riaz Gul. Interior Minister Senator Rehman Malik, Home Minister Sindh Manzoor Wasan, Agha Siraj Durrani, Murad Ali Shah, Ayaz Soomro, Rafiq Engineer

and Spokesperson to the president Senator Farhatullah Babar were also present.

Briefing about the meeting Senator Babar said that the meeting reviewed law and order situation in Karachi and the steps taken so far to restore order in the city.

The governor, chief minister, home minister and the federal interior minister briefed the meeting about the law and order situation in the city.

The president emphasised that it was the shared responsibility of all the political parties to help restore complete order in the metropolis and to bring culprits to books.

The president directed that all steps be taken to protect lives and property of the citizens and strict action be taken against violators of law and order regardless of any consideration.

Moreover, President Zardari also held a separate meeting with the MQM’s delegation.

The delegation on the occasion urged the president to conduct local body elections in the province on immediate basis.

The president said that he wants to contest the next elections with support of the coalition partners.

Speaking to the media representatives after the meeting, MQM leader Raza Haroon said his party has demanded the president to hold the local body elections as soon as possible.

“The president was told that there was a lag in the implementation on the terms of consensus that was reached on the provincial level after the 18th amendment,” the MQM leader said.

“The president has issued orders to the chief minister Sindh in this regard,” he added.

Police in Karachi arrested a man on Tuesday who was reported to have been behind the brutal murders of three women.

The man, who was arrested by Jamshed Quarter Police, was identified as Muhammad Rafiq, a resident of Sukkur. He had reportedly picked women and taken them to his house to murder them and dismembered their bodies. The body parts were found from different parts of the city including Soldier Bazaar and Guru Mandar.

One of the victims, whose body parts were found in the Guru Mandar area, has been identified as Nasreen, a mother of 4 and resident of Quaidabad.

On March 10, Nasreen’s body was found near the Guru Mandar area and the police was said to have closed the file. On April 10, 11 and 12 when more female body parts were found around the city, the police were forced to revisit the case and PPP representative Faryal Talpur took personal notice of the incidents, directing IG Sindh to make arrangements to arrest the offender immediately and find out the identity of the second woman.

Police had interrogated a rickshaw driver who had revealed that he had dropped a woman to the Patel Para area after picking her up from

the mausoleum. The driver had led the police to Rafiq’s house, who was arrested.

Rafiq had initially denied any involvement in the incidents

but had later admitted he had murdered three women and had also served time in prison earlier for the murder of another woman.

Police also found tools that Rafiq had used to dismember the victims after he had murdered them.

Inspector General (IG) East Tahir Navaid said that there was no clear reason as to why the murderer had carried out the acts, but attributed them to mental instability.

Rafiq was later presented in front of the media by the police. He said that he strangled the women to kill them and had used a knife to dismember the bodies.

He said that there was no motive behind the killings, adding that he had “lost his mind” when he carried out the acts.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF MALDIVE NEWS Nasheed wants to portray Maldives as Afghanistan Government Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza has said that former President Mohamed Nasheed is trying to make Maldives look like a second Afghanistan.

In response to a question by Haveeru, Riza said that Nasheed is trying to make Maldives look like a feared place to the western countries in order to gain their support for his cause.

He further accused former President Nasheed of working for political gain.

“Most people in the current administration had received their higher studies from western countries. Maldivian education system had been based upon Cambridge education.

The statements he is making to the western audience stating that Maldivians are religious extremists is based on his greed for power.

Nasheed wants to accomplish what he wants no matter how much Maldives is to suffer” Riza said.

Nasheed’s’ interview to the Washington Post, in his trip to current visit to India, Nasheed said that he had changed the educational curriculum within his term at office, to make it “more balanced and not so Islamic”.

Nasheed Meets India PM, Seeks Early Elections In Maldives India has expressed hope that engagement with all the stakeholders in Maldives will help bring stability there as former President Mohamed Nasheed met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday to seek the country’s help to ensure early elections in his country, report.

Nasheed, who quit on Feb 7 in the wake of widespread protests and later claimed

he was a victim of a coup, has been here for nearly a week to garner support for elections in his country this year instead of next year as announced by the Maldivian government.

During his meeting with Manmohan Singh, he is understood to have impressed on the need for early elections and sought India’s help in this regard.

For his coup SoS, Maldives prez was asked for ‘note’

Indian envoy asked for a request in writing when the nation was asked to intervene during a coup in Maldives According to reports in certain sections of the media, Indian high commissioner in Male, Dhyaneshwar Mule asked the Maldivian government to provide a ‘note’ when requested for help to deal with coup that was underway in the archipelago.

Quoting former Maldives president Mohammed Nasheed, the reports contradict the Indian version which claims Mule had asked Nasheed if he needed help and that the leader replied in the negative.

According to former foreign secretary Shashank, India was trying to cultivate the best of relations with Maldives. Saying that ambassadors should know and do better, Shashank says “Ambassadors are they eyes and ears of the government abroad.” Adding that despite the fact that he did not know the details, the

allegation made by the Maldivian president was “most unfortunate”.

Nasheed told reporters that transfer of power in the Maldives was the first “televised coup” and Mule had “caught the wrong end of the stick”.

Nasheed added that “he knew a coup when he saw one”.

India was caught on the wrong foot when the coup was staged just weeks after prime minister Manmohan

Singh attended a high-profile meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) along with other influential leaders.

Reports say the coup happened because of Nasheed’s actions against a judge and before that placing the Maldives parliament deputy speaker under house arrest.

Nasheed is in India to meet a whole spectrum of political leaders,

Early poll must be for a five year term: MDP Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has reiterated the call for early presidential elections to be held this year by the Commonwealth and added that a five year term must be afforded after the election.

Speaking during a press conference MDP spokesperson Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy said that a presidential election must be held this year and a five year term must be given for whoever is elected.

He noted that the constitution needs to be amended if a presidential election for a five year term is held during this year, but that the process can only be facilitated once an election date is declared.

“We believe that an election held with such little time left must be for a five year term. However, in order to do what is necessary, a date that the election would be held must be declared first,” Inthi said.

“Without amending the constitution an early election for a five year term cannot be held. However before we can amend the constitution we need to determine if and when such an election would be held.”

In addition, Inthi had also highlighted the statement issued by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) regarding the situation in the Maldives.

He noted that the Commonwealth had extended its assistance to instill democracy and a constitutional government in the Maldives.

To that end, Inthi warned that if the calls of the Commonwealth are not heeded by the government, they might take strict action against the Maldives.

“If any action is taken against our nation by an international partner, it would have grave implications on the people,” Inthi added.

“Government must heed the calls of the Commonwealth.”

Inthi further said that the MDP protests held from here on in would call on the government to heed the calls of the Commonwealth.

The CMAG statement Monday had called for a presidential election to be held during this year.

Also it said that the National Enquiry Commission established by President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik to probe the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power “is not independent or impartial.”

The Group further warned that, should the composition and terms of reference of the Commission not be amended within four weeks in a manner that is generally acceptable and enhances its credibility, CMAG would be compelled to consider further and stronger measures

including prime minister Manmohan Singh.

It must be recalled that in 1987, India had averted a coup in Maldives which was being ruled by Abdul Gayoom then. India landed paratroopers in Male under orders from then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and took control of the nation in a few hours before handing the reigns back to Gayoom.

National expenses rise to MVR 3.9 billion

The Finance Ministry has revealed that the national expenditure has risen to MVR3.9 billion.

The statistics published by the Ministry shows that up till April 12 state income amounted to MVR2.7 billion of which tax income constituted MVR1.8 billion.

Statistics show that most was spent on loan repayment and issuance, which cost the state MVR1 billion total while the budget deficit now amounts to MVR1.2 billion.

National expenses are exceeding more than national income with most costs comprising of recurrent costs to maintain and run government institutions.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF NEPAL NEWS

Nepal urged to drop plan Maoists flexible for war crimes amnesty on federalism

Leading rights groups urged Nepal on Monday to drop plans for a blanket amnesty over thousands of killings and other atrocities committed during the country’s ten-year civil war.

More than 16,000 people died in the conflict between Maoist rebels and the state, which ended in 2006, and more than 1,000 are still missing.

The parliament is setting up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate wartime killings, torture

and forced disappearances and is debating proposals to grant an amnesty for abuses by government and rebel forces. Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists released a

joint statement calling on political leaders to fulfil a commitment made in the post-war peace agreement to prosecute violations of international law. “Amnesty for gross human rights abuses — such as torture, including rape and enforced disappearance — would

violate international law,” said Frederick Rawski, of the Genevabased ICJ. “Amnesty for these crimes would also contradict wellestablished Nepal Supreme Court jurisprudence and the government’s own public commitments at the UN Human Rights Council.”

New York-based HRW released a report in 2010 compiled with Nepali rights group Advocacy Forum documenting 62 cases of killings, disappearances, and torture carried out between 2002 and 2006.

Most were committed by state security forces but some were blamed on the Maoist People’s Liberation Army, and the report said both forces were using their power to impede investigations.

“Victims are entitled to both knowledge of what happened and to effective remedy and reparation, including the prosecution of those responsible,” said John Sifton, Asia Advocacy Director of HRW.

Adopting a flexible stance, the UCPN (Maoist) has proposed federating the country into nine states on the basis of identity and capability. Earlier, the party had been advocating 14 states with primacy given to ethnicity-based federalism.

The Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML are in favour of six to eight federal units.

In a meeting with the CPN-UML, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said his party is ready to seek “neutral and historic”

names for federal units to address demands put forth by the NC and the UML. A Maoist leader close to Dahal said the party is ready to compromise on the number of the federal units.

According to UML leader Pradeep Gyawali, positive talks began among parties on federalism on Sunday.

According to leaders, parties have also agreed to adopt a mixed model of governance but are divided on the president’s election procedures.

While the NC has said the president must be elected by an electoral college, the Maoists want the president elected directly by the people.

Nepal war children head from poverty to university The gates of one of Nepal’s top private schools swing open and 20 children who hope to be the doctors, lawyers and scientists of tomorrow spill out into a smart Kathmandu suburb.

But while their classmates come from the country’s wealthiest elite, these children were rescued seven years ago, dirty and sick, from a cowshed on the edge of the capital.

“I want to be a pilot when I leave school. I’d like to study science at university, maybe in France,” says

breaking labour in brick factories and mills.

Their salvation came when they were discovered by Irish businessman Gene Lane-Spollen and his wife, Maura, who were visiting Nepal and heard about a group of children living in a cattle shed.

“It was a cold March day and there was no sign of the children because it was dark,” said retired Coca-Cola executive, Gene, 64, who is based with his wife in France.

to read and speak English and Nepali rather than their tribal language.

In this photograph taken on March 19, 2012, founder of The Humla Children’s Home charity Eugene Lane-Spollen (top L) and his wife Maura (C) pose with Nepalese Humla children at their home in Kathmandu. The gates of one of Nepal’s top private schools swing open and 20 children who hope to be the doctors, lawyers and scientists of tomorrow spill out into a smart Kathmandu suburb. - AFP Photo

losing her father in the 1996-2006 Maoist civil war and having to leave her mother and younger brother and sister behind when she was sent to Kathmandu.

“Gene is like our godfather,” she told AFP. “He changed my life.”Most of the students have never been back to Humla and they get to ring home just once every other month, but many talk about returning one day.

“I will go back to my village and I will try to develop it. I want to help other

Rita Bhandari, 14, who is in the top two per cent of her year group at the prestigious Gyanodaya Bal Batika School.

Like her 19 friends, Rita was handed to traffickers in impoverished western Nepal by her family in the hope of giving her a life away from the brutal civil war then sweeping through the countryside.

The children’s journey from the remote district of Humla saw them end up on the unforgiving streets of Kathmandu, where children are sold as sex slaves or forced into back-

“We went upstairs on a ladder and there was no light, no windows upstairs at all. When your eyes got used to the dark you could see something and then we realised the barn was full of kids.

“There was one big string across the room with all the clothes chucked over it and there was nothing else – not even any straw on the floor.”

Gene and Maura took all 20 children – who were then aged between three and nine – and set up a charity to house and educate them, enrolling the group in a local school to teach them

“Over the course of the next couple of years we found the children were developing a real sense of ambition or competitiveness among themselves, even though they lived as a big family,” Gene said.

The couple return frequently to monitor the pupils’ progress after appointing carers to instill a regime of study and discipline that has seen the youngsters catching and then even overtaking their more affluent classmates.

Rita’s success is all the more remarkable given her start in life,

people by establishing a school,” said Basanta Budhathoki, 15.

A picture taken around 1966 shows Marian Dobre (C) at the age of 2 and his grandmother (L), mother (2ndL), father (4thL) and grandfather (R) in Bucharest next to their house confiscated by communist regime.

Romania on April 18, 2012 delayed adopting a controversial bill that reduces compensation for property seized by the country’s Communist regime, calling for a “national debate” on the issue. - AFP Photo Chand Rai, who runs the home with his

wife Menuka, says he feels “blessed”to be the group’s surrogate father.

“My family is here. It’s not work, it’s living here with them,” he said.

Rai said the children were not treated differently by their more affluent classmates at school as they have earned respect by being good at sport and lessons.

But he admitted problems occasionally arise when they see their richer friends enjoying cinema trips and other privileges.

The children rise at 6:00 am for prayers before their chores, and study for an hour before school. They are allowed an hour to unwind after classes but then it’s back to the books.

“If there is an exam the senior boys will study until 10:00pm or 11:00pm,”said Rai. It is the strict routine which sets the home apart from other care centres in Kathmandu, where children are left to their own devices and often end up back on the streets.

But it is not cheap: accommodation and schooling costs for the group costs around 2.8 million rupees ($35,000) a year, with Gene and Maura covering most of the expense and donors making up the rest.

“If they have good food, good medicine, good management and a good school, there’s nothing to stop them,” said Gene. “They can be whatever they want.”

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF SRILANKA NEWS

President to undertake Indian Opposition Leader calls on Sri Lankan President state visit to South Korea

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, who is leading an Indian parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the President’s House in Colombo on Friday morning.

The BJP leader and the Sri Lankan President were expected to discuss the devolution of powers to the

Northern and Eastern provinces and Mrs. Swaraj was expected to convey the concerns of the major Tamil party, Tamil national Alliance (TNA) over a political solution to the ethnic issue.

The delegation has reaffirmed India’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s unity and called for progress in the dialogue for a political settlement to

find a solution only within a united Sri Lanka.

First Lady Shiranthi Wickremasinghe Rajapaksa, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha and Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of Mrs. Swaraj also participated in the occasion.

President will undertake a state visit to South Korea from April 23 to 27 at the invitation of the President of South Korea, Lee Myung-Bak, said Presidential Spokesman Bandula Jayasekera in a release yesterday.

During his visit to South Korea, President Rajapaksa will hold talks with the South Korean President. President Rajapaksa will be accompanied by First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the release states. Several bilateral agreements will also be signed during the visit.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will address a business luncheon co-hosted by four major Business Associations in Seoul and the Sri

India, Lanka and Maldives take part in joint naval exercises

With international piracy extending its tentacles to Indian Ocean, Coast Guards of India, Sri Lanka and Maldives are taking part in a joint exercise off the coast of Male, aimed at achieving interoperablity that is to be held in the seas off Male from today upto April 27, the Navy Headquarters said. Six warships are taking part in the fiveday exercises code named ‘Dosti XI’. Indian Coast Guard ships ‘Sankalp’ and ‘Subhadra’ are participating in the war games, while ‘Huravee’, ‘Ghazee’ and ‘Shaheed Ali’ of the Maldivian National Defence Force represent the Maldivian

Coast Guard.

A Sri Lankan Naval statement said that due to its geo-strategic significance, it is important for the Coast Guards of the three friendly countries to ensure the safety and security of the Indian Ocean for all sea-farers.

“The mutually beneficial exercise, therefore, will pay the way for launching coordinated efforts in times of crisis,” it said.

Sri Lankan Navy’s offshore patrol vessel SLNS Sagara has set sailed to take part in the war games. This is the first time that Lankan coast

guards are taking part in such a joint exercise.

“The exercise will focus on Maritime Search and Rescue, Marine Pollution Response and Boarding Operations,” the statement said.

Offshore Patrol Vessel, SLNS Sagara is sailing for the Maldives to take part in the exercise ‘Dosti – XI’. With the aim of strengthening bonds of friendship and enhancing mutual operational capability and cooperation, the exercise will focus on Maritime Search and Rescue, Marine Pollution Response and Boarding Operations, the navy said.

Lanka-Korea business forum hosted by the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will undertake a state visit to South Korea from April 23 to 27 at the invitation of the President of South Korea, Lee Myung-Bak, said Presidential Spokesman and International Media Advisor Bandula Jayasekera in a release yesterday.

During his visit to South Korea, President Rajapaksa will hold talks with the South Korean President. President Rajapaksa will be accompanied by First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the release states. Several bilateral agreements will also be signed during the visit.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will address a business luncheon co-hosted by four major Business Associations in Seoul and the Sri Lanka-Korea business forum hosted by the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

President Rajapaksa will also meet with Heads of leading trade organizations in South Korea. A Sri Lankan business delegation will travel with the President to South Korea.

Relations between Sri Lanka and South Korea) dates back to 1968 when South Korea opened a Trade Mission in Colombo. In 1977, the relations were upgraded to that of an Embassy with a resident Ambassador for South Korea in Colombo while Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Japan was concurrently accredited to Seoul in 1978. In 1987 Sri Lanka opened a resident Embassy in Seoul. Sri Lanka’s exports to South Korea have gradually increased from US$ 18.4 mn. In 2004 to US$ 45.05 mn. in 2011.

Sri Lanka rejects calls to withdraw troops from north

Sri Lanka’s President has rejected a call by Indian legislators to withdraw soldiers from the island’s former war zone in the north where minority Tamils are concentrated, his spokesman said on Sunday.

President Mahinda Rajapakse told a delegation of visiting Indian lawmakers that troops could not be pulled out despite the end of the decades-long Tamil separatist war in 2009.

“The President explained that there are troops elsewhere in the country as well,” spokesman Bandula Jayasekera told Agence France Presse (AFP). “They are not only in the (Tamil-dominated) north.”

The visiting delegation was the first team of Indian MPs to

visit the island since Sri Lankan forces crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels, ending an ethnic conflict which had claimed up to 100000 lives.

Indian opposition leader Sushma Swaraj and the crossparty delegation met Mr Rajapakse on Saturday.

Among the visiting MPs were representatives from the Tamil Nadu state, whose 60 million population shares close cultural and religious links with Sri Lanka’s Tamils.

Sri Lankan forces have a strong presence across the north, which was badly damaged during decades of fighting.

Tamil politicians there have demanded political autonomy to address long-standing grievances of discrimination and oppression by Sinhalese-dominated governments.

BUSINESS

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

Pakistani stores eye Indian markets

From running a single franchise store for 12 years in Delhi to planning to open 200 more across Mumbai, Delhi and smaller cities, Pakistan’s largest fashion retail chain Sefam is the stuff businesses dream of.

After a successful showing at the first-ever Lifestyle Pakistan exhibition in Delhi, Sefam said the demand for Pakistani couture in India is too huge to be met through the one store they have in India. The retail chain with eight brands including Barezee, is first planning a flagship store in Delhi, and also scouting for partners, said Zain Aziz, Sefam’s head of international business.

They are one of several Pakistan lifestyle businesses ambitious about expansion plans in India following the huge response to the April exhibition.

Over 100 Pakistani lifestyle companies showcased their products and services in Delhi from April 12 to 15. The companies were from a wide range of segments, including textiles,

couture and pret wear, designer furniture, leather accessories,

food products, marble ornaments and handicrafts. The exhibition has spurred 36-year-old designer Asim Jofa to plan exclusive outlets in India. Jofa has been selling in India through a distributor for the last three years, but is now eager to have his own stores. “I can’t wait to start my own stores in India. It would be brilliant if we could trade with each other.

After the wonderful response at the exhibition, I feel more than

India-Pakistan trade through land route up 44% this fiscal

Trade between India and Pakistan through the land route soared 44% in 2011-12 to R2,341 crore. In 2009-10 and 2010-11, bilateral trade via AttariWagah land route stood at R1,194 crore and R1,170 crore, respectively.

Though the balance of trade is still in

India’s favour, imports from Pakistan through land route rose by over 100% to R965 crore in 2011-12 against R453 crore in the previous fiscal, a customs department official said.

Exports from India to Pakistan grew 18% to R1,376 crore against R1,170

crore in 2010-11, the official added. In 2009-10 and 2010-11, bilateral trade via Attari-Wagah land route stood at R1,194 crore and R1,170 crore, respectively.

The volume of trade in terms of trucks also grew manifold with the number of trucks crossing over to Pakistan increasing from 32,000 in 2010-11 to 39,000 in 2011-12. In 2009-10, the number of trucks that exported items to Pakistan was just 17,000.

The number of trucks coming to India through rose from 3,600 in 2010-11 to a whopping 17,000, the official said.

“Over 70% of total export to Pakistan constitutes soybean extraction and it mainly comes from Madhya Pradesh, while fresh vegetables like tomatoes come from Nasik, Delhi, Kanpur and Rajasthan,” the official said.

at home now,” said Jofa.

Kashif, group CEO of leading Pakistani retail brand Chen One, which specializes in lawn prints and dresses, pret dresses and home textiles, said he is encouraged by the significant sales and bulk enquiries in Delhi.

The retail chain is also looking to setting up stores across India once trade norms ease. “Up until now, trade between the two countries has been indirect. But now we don’t want that. It will be a winwin situation for both countries if we could increase trade,” Kashif said. The brand is all set to come back for an exhibition in Mumbai to be held after two months, which will enable it to look for local partners. “We are looking for a joint venture here.

We are very keen to work with India,” he added.

With huge demand for Pakistani muslin and lawn dresses, Pakistani retailers said India could figure as their largest market after the US and UK if trading were to be opened up.

Trade with India: Zardari hints at opening Sulemanki border President Asif Ali Zardari, while addressing a gathering in Okara, hinted at opening Sulemanki border and said that Pakistan is willing to have dialogue with India on all issues, and is also open to trade with the neighbouring country.

The president said that he is also examining the possibility of connecting Multan with India.

“A politician’s last weapon is dialogue. If you’re not talking today, it doesn’t mean you won’t have to talk tomorrow,” he remarked.

After offering a prayer for the soldiers buried in Siachen, the president questioned the possibility of a unilateral withdrawal of troops from the “world’s highest battlefield”.

“How can there be a unilateral withdrawal? Have we been sitting for 10 years doing nothing? Yes, our

soldiers are being sacrificed but we are a nation who makes sacrifices.”

Hitting back at PML-N Boasting his dissemination of power to the parliament and provinces, Zardari criticised Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for “accumulating” 17 ministries to himself.

“This is the difference between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and other parties… How can one person handle 17 ministries?”

He added, “I had power, I could break down the parliament, but I diluted it in every form and distributed it.”

“What these parties do not understand is reconciliation. If you cannot reconcile with other parties, how can you have good relations with other countries when you’re in power?” he further questioned

Bangladesh seals `landmark` oil deal

Bangladesh has signed a ‘groundbreaking’ $855m agreement with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group, for the import of crude oil and refined petroleum products.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Division and the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation entered the Import Finance Murabaha Agreement, according to AMEinfo. com, a provider of online business information in and about the Middle East region.

The deal is considered “a landmark achievement” for being the largest syndication

raised by the ITFC for a single client, as it brings together a total of 28 financial institutions including ITFC as participants.

“The financing was raised in response to Bangladesh’s urgent request to front-load a minimum of $500m during the dry period of the first half of the year which is a period of high irrigation need thereby contributing to ensure food security of the country,” it said.

The total ITFC funding represents a third of Bangladesh’s annual financing requirements which currently stands at about $6bn.

“This accomplishment also demonstrates the good standing that the Government of

Bangladesh enjoys in the market as one of the most credible investment opportunities supported by the sovereign credit rating by reputable rating agencies (BB- and Ba3 by Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s respectively),” the region’s leading business website for news and information said.

ITFC mobilised almost 90 percent, or $755m, of the total amount from external banks for this trade finance operation. “This exemplifies ITFC’s reputation in the market by fostering strong partnerships both locally with Bangladesh Bank but also regionally and internationally thus putting Bangladesh in

the map for international investment.”

The agreement was signed at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka between Dr Waleed Al-Wohaib, CEO of ITFC, energy secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin and Md. Abubakar Siddique, chairman of BPC. The prime minister’s energy affairs advisor Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and state minister for energy Muhammad Enamul Huq witnessed the signing along with high level officials from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, BPC, Bangladesh Bank, Economic Relations Division (ERD) and ITFC.

Saarc international I Thursday 26 April 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

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After 14 years, superstar Shabnam returns to Pakistan After over a decade, famous silver screen actor Shabnam returned to Pakistan from Bangladesh on Monday night. She was warmly welcomed by hordes of excited fans and media personnel.

further expressed sorrow over the closure of Pakistani film studios.

When asked if she would consider working for Pakistani films again, Shabnam didn’t According to a report by Dawn, Shabnam is returning to the country to be a part of a show organised by Pakistan Television to honour the couple for their contribution to Pakistani films.

Shabnam, accompanied by her husband, renowned music composer Robin Ghosh, expressed her joy at coming back to the country that brought her fame. The couple, originally belonging to parts in former East Pakistan, had shifted to Bangladesh at the end of the 20th century. “I’ll try to meet everyone,” the actor told the media on being asked whether she will meet her former colleagues in the country. She

sound too sure. On the insistence of some media personnel, Shabnam sang a line from one of the songs filmed on her.

Abhi-Ash on their wedding anniversary

It’s been five years since Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan said ‘I do’ and had a grand marriage that was the talk of the country.

On April 20, 2012, the golden couple celebrated the very special occasion with a fabulous party for close friends. Unlike earlier years, when they would head for romantic escapades abroad, this time the duo

decided to spend their day with Beti B and family and friends.

According to a source, the party kicked off at Jalsa at the Bachchans’ residence. Shortly afterward, the party moved to a five-star hotel where a table for 24 people was reserved. The atmosphere at the hotel was lively with food, drinks and a gigantic cake. The source

added that very close friends had been invited to be a part of the party including Apoorva Lakhia, Goldie Behl, Sonali Bendre, Shrishti Arya, Sikander Kher and Ash’s friends from south Mumbai.

It is believed that around 2.30 am the gang headed back to Jalsa and continued partying until the wee hours of the morning. And while Abhi and Ash partied, the senior Bachchan and his wife Jaya stayed at home to take care of their granddaughter.

The Big B, on his part, gave an idea of what was in store when he tweeted last week, “It’s past midnight ... time to say Happy Anniversary to Abhishek and Aishwarya,” and “Abhishek and Aishwarya celebrate their wedding anniversary tomorrow April 20th, and it seems like yesterday when we were in the midst of all the rituals and celebrations for it…”

ALL IN GOOD TIME is a hugely warm hearted, comic tale adapted for the big screen from the Olivier award winning play Rafta Rafta by Ayub Khan Din (East is East.) Centred around a close knit, larger than life British Asian family living in present day Bolton, ALL IN GOOD TIME follows Atul Dutt and his young bride Vina for whom the first taste of married life is proving far from straightforward.

When their hard saved for honeymoon is cancelled the day after the wedding, the newlyweds have no choice but to return to the Dutt household and set up home there.

As prying family members and gossipy neighbours conspire to keep the couple from consummating their marriage, Atul and Vina start to panic. But if they can just keep their situation private, and if they can just get a bit of time alone, all could be saved for this pair.

So with meddling parents, nosey neighbours and a community

that thrives on gossip, can their marriage last?

ALL IN GOOD TIME is directed

by NIGEL COLE (Calendar Girls, Made In Dagenham) and produced by Oscar nominated ANDY HARRIES (The Queen) and SUZANNE MACKIE (Calendar Girls, Kinky Boots).

ALL IN GOOD TIME will be released through STUDIOCANAL in Cinemas nationwide on 11th May 2012 MEERA SYAL (The Kumars at no 42, Anita & Me) HARISH PATEL (Run Fat Boy Run) REECE RITCHIE (The Lovely Bones, Prince Of Persia – The Sands Of Time) AMARA KARAN (St Trinian’s, The Darjeeling Limited) AYUB KHAN DIN (Writer, East is East, West is West) NIGEL COLE (Director, Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham)

Aamir to attend rickshaw driver’s son’s wedding in Varanasi

Aamir Khan, who befriended rickshaw puller Ram Lakhan in Varanasi during his country wide promotion of “3 Idiots”, has been invited to his son’s wedding.

The 47-year-old actor met Lakhan two and half years ago while travelling in disguise in North of India without any bodyguards to promote his film.

Lakhan has now invited Aamir to attend his son’s wedding in the holy city tomorrow.

Lakhan, who too Aamir on a tour around Varanasi while he was disguised as an old man, developed a strong bond with the actor in three

days. “Lakhan came all the way to Mumbai from Varanasi to invite Aamir for his son’s wedding. Aamir was very touched with this gesture,” a source said.

Aamir will be attending the wedding apparently. The actor-producer is currently busy with his debut TV venture “Satyamev Jayate”.

NEWS

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

Passenger plane escapes accident as tyre bursts amid landing

Continued from page 17 >> passengers were stranded on the aircraft for at least half an hour following the accident.

parts, stored on stretchers and covered by white sheets.

The disaster is the city’s second major plane crash in less than two years – an Airblue plane came down in bad weather in July 2010, killing 152 – and victims’ families have voiced fury at the authorities.

No technical fault in plane, thoroughly checked before leaving: CAA

it would be sent abroad for decoding which could take three months to one year. He said the voice recording between the Captain and the control tower has been preserved. Meanwhile sources said initial investigations reveal that the plane had caught fire before it crashed which may have been caused

crash

by bad weather and lighting striking the plane. The plane had lost contact with the control tower prior to the crash.

The four member team constituted by Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi is being led by experienced civil aviation official Mujahid Islam and other members

exploded before the debris hit the ground.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), however, indicated the contrary.

CAA Director General (DG) Nadeem Yousufzai, while talking to the media on Saturday, categorically said that

include Kabir Khan. Dr Ijaz and Imanullah Alvi. The investigation team collected forensic evidence from the site of crash. The control of the crash site has been handed over by the army to civil authorities.

The flight data recorder has been recovered and will be sent abroad for analysis, he told reporters Saturday, Interior minister Rehman Malik said a committee had been set up to investigate the crash and the head of the airline Farooq Bhoja had been put on an “exit control list”, banning him from leaving Pakistan.

All 127 people on board – 121 passengers and six crew – were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames at around 6:40 pm on Friday. There were 11 children among the dead.

The crash came less than two years after the worst ever air disaster on Pakistani soil.

In July 2010 an Airbus A321 operated

by Airblue crashed into the hills overlooking Islamabad while coming in to land in heavy rain and poor visibility, killing all 152 people on board.

Friday’s flight was Bhoja’s first evening trip from Karachi to Islamabad since resuming operations last month after a 12-year suspension for not paying Civil Aviation Authority dues.

the airfield was visible despite harsh weather and the plane’s captain had been given a green signal for landing.

“After this it was the pilot’s discretion to land or not,” said Yousafzai, indicating that it was not a technical fault but rather the pilot’s indiscretion.

From what the initial probe report indicates, a possible reason for Friday’s tragic Bhoja Air crash that killed 127 people was a technical fault.

The report states that the aircraft caught fire mid-air, and most likely

‘Inquiry may take a year’ Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar has also has ordered an inspection of all aircraft being operated by private airlines in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, at the Lahore airport, a flight bound for Mashhad, Iran was delayed due to technical difficulties.

According to reports, flight number 742 was delayed due to a leakage in the jet’s fuel tank. However, officials at the private airline said the reason for the delay was over-fueling.

Victims of Bhoja air crash buried

The aviation authority on Saturday said that it might take one year to reach any conclusion about the cause of the air crash.

The Director General Civil Aviation Authority Nadeem Yusufzai has said that there was no technical fault in the ill-fated plane that crashed on Friday as it was thoroughly checked before departure from Karachi.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Yusufzai said the maintenance and performance of the aircraft was checked as per standards as the CCA makes no compromises on

Families buried the bodies of their loved ones on Sunday who had fallen victim to an airline crash near Islamabad that killed all 127 people on board, as investigators probed the causes of the fatal incident.

The Bhoja Air flight from Karachi

it. He said the last contact of the aircraft with control tower was when it was six kilometers from the airport. He said the flight operation was according to rules and till the unfortunate tragedy, the plane was flying smoothly. He said the control tower gave the clearance to

came down in fields near a village on the outskirts of the capital on Friday evening, in the city’s second major fatal air crash in less than two years.

Thirteen of those killed were buried late Saturday in Islamabad and funerals for 36 other victims were held in Karachi and other cities early Sunday, with more interments expected in different cities throughout the day.

Television broadcasts showed footage of distraught relatives, weeping and hugging each other, as the dozens of coffins left Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital where the remains had been taken.

Some nine dead bodies have not yet been identified and will undergo DNA tests, a hospital official said.

A reporter who visited the hospital late Saturday said some of the remains still at the hospital were no more than body

the pilot for landing with instructions to check all the gears. The DG CAA said the landing gears of the plane were down but it is to be investigated what happened when the plane started descending from 2600 feet. In reply to a question, Nadeem Yusufzai rejected speculations that the Bhoja airline was given permission to resume operation under some pressure. He said CCA is a regulatory body and its international rating stands at No.10 among its counterparts. He said they do not compromise safety because they are related with international standards.

The MD CAA said the company entered into a joint venture and all its planes were fully inspected. Replying to another question, Yusufzai said the Blackbox containing information about engine operation, flight conditions, speed and height has been found and

Why Pakistan plane crashed? Officials differ over the events that led to

He said that an Airblue flight landed on the same runway two minutes after flight B 213’s crash.

The initial probe report submitted to the ministry of interior said that the plane lost height and came down to 2,000 feet at 300 miles per hour. The pilot informed the central aviation officials he lost control over the aircraft but soon lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower at 6:40 pm, after which it crashed.

Some of the witnesses at Hussainabad village, the crash site, also told reporters that they saw the plane catching fire mid-air.

However, Yousafzai ruled out the possibility of the plane catching fire and exploding in air. After listening to the conversation between the pilot and the control tower and visiting the

crash site, Yousafzai suggested “the aircraft hit the ground and bounced off before crashing”. In the face of such contradictions, a CAA official did say the preliminary report was only a starting point and could not be relied upon to fix responsibility entirely.

Vital evidence – in the form of that gained from the plane’s Black Box and voice recorder recovered from the crash site – is still to be included and investigated.

“The plane looked like a fire ball descending onto the earth like a meteor,” the official said, quoting the report.

The Koral police station SHO said, “They (investigators) visited today and asked us not to remove the wreckage for two more days,” in order to continue investigations. The bodies, however, have been removed from the crash site.

On Saturday, Pakistan blocked the head of Bhoja Air from leaving the country and ordered him into protective custody as it began an investigation into its second major air disaster in less than two years.

Speaking at the scene of the crash, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that Farooq Bhoja, head of Bhoja Air, had been put on the “exit control list”, meaning he can’t leave Pakistan.

Such a ban is often put on someone suspected or implicated in a criminal case. He said Bhoja had been ordered into protective custody and a criminal investigation launched into the incident.

He later said that the airline “seems to be at fault as it had acquired a very old aircraft”.

“If the airline management doesn’t have enough money it doesn’t mean you go and buy a 30-year-old or more aircraft as if it were a rickshaw and start an airline.” At around 7pm on Saturday Omar Farooq Bhoja didn’t know that news of him being taken into custody was making the rounds on television channels.

“What? Have I been taken into custody? Who said that?” he said speaking to The Express Tribune.

When told about the news tickers, he paused for a while and then said: “Bas! Allah malik hay.” The phone went dead after that.

Separately, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said he has ordered a judicial commission to probe the accident and said, “It is not fair to reach any conclusion without a proper investigation.”

Bhoja Air started domestic operations in Pakistan in 1993 and eventually expanded to international flights to the United Arab Emirates in 1998.

The company suspended operations in 2001 due to financial difficulties but resumed them in 2012.

According to the website www.airfleets. net, the Bhoja jet was 32 years old and first saw service with British Airways in South Africa. Thirty-two years is not especially old for an aircraft, and age by itself is rarely an important factor in crashes, said Nasim Ahmed, a former crash investigator.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

COMMENT

27

Pakistan on the Brink

The future of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the West

With Bin Laden dead, Pakistan threatened by internal power struggles, relationships between the United States and Pakistan at an all-time low, and as the US and Britain begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan, what are the possibilities - and hazards - facing the world’s most unstable region?

Now, as Washington and the rest of the West wrestle with negotiating with unreliable and unstable ‘allies’ in Pakistan, there is no better guide to the future than Ahmed Rashid. In his follow-up to the acclaimed Descent into Chaos, Rashid focuses on the longterm problems: the changing casts of characters, the future of international terrorism, the policies and strategies both within Pakistan and Afghanistan and among the Western allies.

Pakistan on the Brink offers sensible solutions and provides a way forward for all countries involved.

Praise for Ahmed Rashid

‘The foremost chronicler of modern Afghan and Pakistani history’ The Times ‘Pakistan’s best and bravest reporter’ Christopher Hitchens ‘A journalist of the highest narrative and analytic gifts’ Max Hastings ‘His knowledge of events and people there is second to none’ Kim Sengupta Over the past 15 years Ahmed Rashid has established a well-earned reputation as a meticulous, reliable and authoritative chronicler of events in south-west and central Asia. This latest work is effectively an update of his lengthy and important Descent into Chaos (2008). Despite its title, it actually covers Afghanistan in as much detail as Pakistan. Rashid touchingly talks of his own occasional “exhilaration and hope” and says he is still “constantly looking for that open window and hoping that it will stay open long enough for peace to emerge”. But Pakistan on the Brink is not a cheering read.

It is all here. In Afghanistan, Rashid revisits the early hubris of the west, the diversion of resources during the war in Iraq and in particular the strategic flip-flops of the Obama administration, the infighting between the Pentagon and other parts of the US government and the continued, increasingly frantic search for the silver bullet.

Nato, Rashid baldly states, has achieved none of its strategic aims.

In Pakistan he takes us through the plunging relationship between the Pakistani security establishment and their American interlocutors, the violence in the “tribal agencies” of the frontier zone, the corruption of the political elite, the arrogance of the generals and the sufferings of the common man.

Many have covered this ground but few have the same access or depth of knowledge. Rashid mentions in passing having dinner with three presidents – Pakistan’s Asif Ali Zardari, Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai and Barack Obama – and innumerable conversations with other key players.

The detail doesn’t always make for an easy read, and it would have been rewarding to have heard more about the characters he has viewed at such close quarters. The occasional brief reference – to Karzai ruminating on whether to abandon the flawed elections of 2010, for example – leaves the reader hungry for more.

Unlike many journalists, however, Rashid does have the courage to outline how he believes the catastrophic situation in both his homeland (Pakistan) and its neighbour can be improved. For Afghanistan, he sensibly talks of the importance of a regional solution which would give countries including Russia, China, India as well as the various central Asian “Stans” a genuine stake in the stabilisation of the shattered country.

Pakistan, he says bluntly, “must act as a normal state, not a paranoid, [intelligence service]-driven entity

whose operational norms are to use extremists and diplomatic blackmail”.

He suggests that Turkey might be “an example of what success might look like in such a volatile region”.( Jason Burke is the south Asia correspondent of the Observer and the Guardian) An interview with Mr. Rashid, author of “Pakistan on the Brink.”

In your book, you write that Pakistan is now considered the most fragile place on earth because of what might happen there politically and what it can foster elsewhere. You say it’s not yet a failed state but if it continues the way it’s doing right now… it’s sliding down the path of becoming one quickly. Why is Pakistan unraveling so rapidly now… more so than any other point in its history?

I think there is an internal crisis that has really not been addressed and this is the failure of the Pakistani elite, both civil and military, to cope with the end of the Cold War and the consequences of that. The end of the Cold War presented a lot of benefits to many countries but it passed Pakistan by completely. The whole era of economic reforms, globalization, high-tech, new industries, regional trade and peace attempts, it just totally bypassed Pakistan. So we are suffering from a 20-year lag, basically, of a failure to address the problems and the advantages and the benefits that the end of the Cold War produced.

Is this because Pakistan has been so focused on India?

I think the main problem has been internal. It’s been a failure of the elite to want to change its monopoly on power, on income, on the lack of taxation, on the lack of responsibility the elite has for development and the people. If you look at all the major indices, they have all gone down… whether it’s education or health.

Since 2004… India has not been such a major issue. Certainly, the budgetary focus, the defense spending is aimed at India, and if there is a foreignpolicy dilemma in Afghanistan, it’s partly India-driven. But I will say it’s an internal crisis shown by a lack of vision by our politicians and generals who have not been able to wake up to reality.

If there has been a failure on the part of the elite, then what about regular people? Is there a possibility of something like an Arab Spring in Pakistan, where young Pakistanis take to the streets and demand accountability from the government?

The fear in Pakistan is on the contrary. That if there was a mass movement like that, it would probably very quickly fall into the hands of the Islamic parties and the extremists. We should remember that in the Arab world, Islamic parties were crushed and driven underground for 30-40 years and they were partly responsible for the Arab Spring, in that for the first time, they saw the freedoms and reacted in a very modern way. They are talking about democracy and women’s rights and education and industry.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s religious parties are not talking about any of these issues. They are not talking about issues that really concern people

and, if there was an Arab Spring, they are the most organized force. Civil society is certainly there in Pakistan and has a powerful voice, I would say, through the media, through the NGOs and human rights groups, but they are not organized.

What about politicians like Imran Khan? There seems to be a renewed sense of optimism among the younger electorate. Has the time come, perhaps, for someone like Imran Khan?

I think the attraction of Imran Khan, certainly, is that the youth – fed up of the existing political structures and the parties and the leadership that has emerged from these dynastic parties of Nawaz Sharif and the Bhuttos etc.

– is responding to somebody who is new, somebody who is promising an end to corruption and everything else.

But the problem with Imran is that his foreign policy parameters remain almost exactly the same. In other words, the pre-Cold War parameters.

For example, he’s not talking about ending tensions with India; he’s not talking about

ending interference in Afghanistan; he’s not talking about bringing in the extremists groups — either reconciling with them or forcing them to give up the practices they are engaged in. He’s not talking about the crisis in Baluchistan and the separatist movement there.

The real crisis is other countries generally have foreign policies that reflect the domestic situation in that country. Pakistan, unfortunately, has always had a foreign policy, especially since the end of the Cold War, that has actually enormously damaged the country, and undermined growth and development. And that is what

you have to come to terms with. You can’t get to grips with corruption if you’re still going to be dependent on American aid and not be selfsustaining, or be dependent on the diktats of the extremists.

America and Pakistan seem to be lurching from one crisis to another first Osama bin Laden’s killing, then the November incident where 24 Pakistani troops were killed by NATO aircraft. How would you assess USPakistan’s relations right now? Is this their lowest point?

I think there is an attempt now to get back on track. We have had three meetings in the past weeks, including President Obama meeting the PM, the U.S. Army generals meeting with the Pakistani Army and (Special U.S. Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan) Marc Grossman’s meeting with (President) Zardari. So we’ve had three meetings in the space of five days.

Now, we have to see the results.

Obviously, the first result that should come is the opening up of the road from Karachi for NATO supplies. The other problem is of course, there is a huge internal crisis – energy, political, economic – and the Parliament that was supposed to pass this list of demands that were to be negotiated with the U.S. still hasn’t even submitted it, even though it had that list 10 days ago.

So, I don’t think anything can open until Parliament finalizes this list.

But the very fact that the Americans have conducted these meetings and the Pakistanis have accepted these meetings means obviously something is going to get back on track.

What will determine the endgame for Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan? What will be in the tipping point for Pakistan, when it wakes up and says, maybe we should look at our own internal crisis?

I really don’t know. The leadership is not doing that. Now we have this crisis with electricity and gas again. There has been rioting on the streets in Lahore and in Punjab.

The leadership is not waking up to the really sad realities.

This is one of the tragedies of not understanding the end of the Cold War. There’s this feeling that somehow the Americans will come bail us out, the Chinese will come bail us out. In this day and age, nobody will come and bail you out. There is a global economic crisis and this is not how a modern state, in this era, works. You don’t bail out allies. Especially allies that are not prepared to carry out reforms.

Look at the hardship, for example, that people are enduring in major European Continued on page 29 >>

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

Israeli propaganda blitz targets overseas Pakistanis

Ynetnews Yedioth Ahronoth – Israel’s most widely-read daily newspaper – as well as several popular magazines and dozens of local publications.

On Tuesday they published a news with regards to a weekly newspaper called Press Pakistan a Canadian web newspaper ‘Weekly Press Pakistan’ wishes Israel happy birthday’ Toronto-based newspaper highlights Israel’s contribution to technology, urges Jewish state to ‘recognize significance of nonArab Pakistanis and Ajmi Muslims’ One has to be careful as this paper is representing Overseas Pakistanis point of view in Urdu and claims that “Weekly Press Pakistan - Canada is a Toronto-based newspaper that takes pride in its unbiased in-depth news reporting both in English and Urdu languages. The weekly reaching to hundreds of journalists through Press Pakistan Google Group as well as to local and international readers including Government officials, political leaders, diplomats, lawyers, civil society, activists and overseas Pakistani community.

In its 24th April issue the Press Pakistan newspaper (http://

Pakistan on Israel’s side?

weeklypresspakistan.com/) wrote as “Anyone who denies the existence of Israel, actually

denies his own existence,” according to a special article published by Toronto-based Weekly Press Pakistan on Tuesday, ahead of the Jewish state’s 64th Independence Day. The article, which was published in

the Urdu language on the Torontobased newspaper’s website, was distributed through a popular journalists’ forum on Google and included a video clip titled: “What does Made in Israel mean to you?” Including a link to a YouTube video..

The video highlighting Israel’s contribution to technology and asked: “If Israel didn’t exist, where would such wonderful inventions coming from?”

The newspaper also mentioned Israeli humanitarian projects, including IsraAid and the Save a Child Program.

In the Weekly Press Pakistan article they wrote “The day is not far when talented and educated people from both countries (Israel and Pakistan)

will join hands to serve humanity together. But for this to happen, Israel will also have to promote media-to-media dialogue and recognize the significance of non-Arab Pakistanis and Ajmi Muslims,” The newspaper also published a commentary which stated that Israel has the “dubious distinction of being the only UN member state whose right to exist is regularly challenged, whose elimination from the world map is the aim of at least one other UN

member state, Iran, and whose population centers are deemed fair game by Hamascontrolled Gaza and Hezbollahdominated Lebanon. Thus, Israel’s sheer act of survival from year to year is itself noteworthy.”

In the article, David Harris wrote,

“None of the countries that are serial human-rights violators — not Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Zimbabwe, Sudan, or any of the others — gets anything near the relentless, obsessive, guilty-tillproven-innocent scrutiny that democratic Israel receives from UN bodies, with their built-in, anti-Israel majorities, in New York and Geneva.

“No other country is the target of such non-stop, well-funded, and highly-organized campaigns to discredit, delegitimize, and demonize a sovereign state. No other country faces such systematic attempts to launch boycotts, divestment campaigns, and sanctions against it, not to mention flotillas and flytillas, and all the while those behind the efforts, claiming to speak for human rights, blithely ignore places like Syria, where thousands were killed in the past year alone, because they can’t claim an Israeli connection,” he said.

“And no other country has its right to self-defense challenged as Israel does, even though it does no more than any other nation would do if confronted by periodic terrorist assaults and deadly missile and rocket attacks.”

Norway custody row, NRI children return home After nearly a year in foster care in Norway, two NRI toddlers, separated from their parents on grounds of negligence, arrived here today to an emotional welcome following a prolonged custody battle and diplomatic pressure by India.

The children—Abhigyan (3) and Aishwarya (1)-- escorted by uncle Arunabhas Bhattacharya and their Norwegian foster father were received at the Indira Gandhi International airport by their paternal grandparents, relatives and Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur.

Their return home came after sustained diplomatic pressure mounted by the government and a protracted legal battle which ended yesterday when a Norwegian court in the city of Stavanger handed over their custody to their paternal uncle Arunabhas.

The children were taken away from their parents—Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya—by Norway’s Child Welfare Services in May last year on grounds of “emotional disconnect” and negligence.

However, the parents of the children denied

the charges saying it was a case of cultural misunderstanding.

Welcoming the return of the children, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna thanked Norway for their release, saying the

children “belonged to India”.

“They belong to India. They are Indian nationals. I am confident that the uncle will take care of them in the environment of their extended family in India,” he said.

“I thank the government of Norway and in particular the foreign minister for his constructive approach in resolving this humanitarian issue. I wish to congratulate the judicial system in Norway for taking such an enlightened decision. All is well that ends well,” Krishna said.

Reacting to the arrival of the kids, a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said for the Ministry the case has drawn to a close.

The External Affairs Ministry had mounted diplomatic pressure on Norway to ensure return of the kids to India after the case received wide attention in the media.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had taken up the matter with his Norwegian counterpart during the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul last month.

After several twists and turns in the case, the Stavanger District Court yesterday finally gave custody of Abhigyan and Aishwarya to their uncle, supporting a joint application submitted by the children’s parents and the CWS.

COMMENT

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

29

Chomsky and Galloway on American media’s duplicity Dariush Gilani

Checking out the US media recently I have noticed a dramatic downturn in anti-Iran rhetoric. Now that the Israeli leaders got what they wanted from the Obama administration, in terms of more weapons and money and a relief from forced negotiation with Palestinians, the scare tactic about nuclear Iran has died off. Israel was a clear winner and achieved what it wanted without firing a shot.

By now more people should come to the point of understanding that all of this brouhaha was about “Mullah’s Blanket”.

I traveled to Iran two years ago and I found the media to be a joke at best. That is expected. But ,when I compare the accuracy of the media Iran with its counterpart in the US, I do not see much difference. That is NOT expected. At the risk of being an apologist for Ahmadinejad I take issue with the “free press” in my adopted country.

Why is there such a hype about Iran’s nuclear program?

Even if Iran WAS after the bomb, would any one blame the fear among the leadership of Iran about being surrounded by the most powerful military in history which could attack it, like Iraq in 2003, at any time without excuse? It would be unwise and politically irresponsible for the leaders of Iran not to, at least, think about having a bomb as only a deterrent to foreign invasion.

We have US secretary of defense Leon Panetta recently saying that Iran is

NOT pursuing a nuclear program.

Several years ago during George W Bush’s administration all US intelligence services came out with a report with the same conclusion.

If it IS true that Iran is not after a bomb then we must agree that

you will not read it in the American media.

Chomsky goes on to say that, as far as anyone knows, Iran is living and operating within the NonProliferation Treaty. He does admit that “they have some secret activities,

infamous quote (it is actually a quote from Ayatollah Khomeini) George Galloway, who was recently re-elected to serve in the British Parliament, says that: “it was a lie that went around the world before the truth could get its boot on it But we know from every

these ever increasing international sanctions against this country, which severely punish the people of Iran, are a violation of international laws.

In an interview with NPR , Noam Chomsky pointed out that the US negotiators have never backed down from their precondition to the negotiation which is Iran’s agreement to “permanent” suspension of uranium enrichment in advance. That is not a serious offer. Any Iranian administration who acquiesces will be committing suicide.

According to Chomsky (and Mohammad Elbaradei), it is the West that keeps throwing a wrench in the negotiation machinery, not Iran. But

but it is unknown” However, Iran has repeatedly offered to negotiate on all issues in the Middle East. In 2003 for example, Iran under the leadership of the Khatami’s moderate government and, with the support of all the hardliner clerics, Iran offered to negotiate all outstanding issues, including nuclear issues, including two-state settlement for Israel –Palestinian conflict. Everything. The Bush administration did not respond.

It just censured the Swiss diplomat who had brought the offer. These offers have been repeated and they are just ignored. Well, that was a good way to accelerate a conflict.

Commenting on Ahmadinejad’s now

professor of Farsi, from Tokyo to Tel Aviv, that Ahmadinejad never said anything of the kind. Galloway ads that” he said exactly what I have been saying “that the ideology of Zionism has to be defeated and be wiped off the map. Not the country, not the people and it was a deliberate falsehood.

Chomsky maintains that the West, in particular the US, love the ravings of Ahmadinejad and they are widely publicized. But the mainstream media here conveniently forgets that Ahmadinejad is NOT the leader of Iran and that he has a superior who is the real commander in chief of Iran.

Ayatollah Khamenei has repeatedly proposed to accept the two state solution in Israel offered by the Arab

Pakistan on the Brink:

Continued from page 27 >> relations?

I think we have taken steps forward countries. People have taken huge on that front. The ceasefire has drops in their salaries, they have been been holding for 7-8 years. There rendered unemployed. Austerity is the have been trade talks, which have name of the game in Europe. We don’t been encouraging. India has offered see any of this in Pakistan. Obviously, to export electricity to Pakistan. I we cannot progress unless we tighten wouldn’t exactly say a breakthrough, our belts and pursue greater austerity. but there has been a huge warming The example of Europe is before us, up of relations compared to what was yet the leadership doesn’t take that there before. into account.

Do you think economic ties are Let’s talk about U.S.-Afghan relations overruling the way India feels about and the planned U.S. withdrawal in Pakistan-sponsored terrorism?

2014. What will the U.S. and NATO I think India would not like to see Pakistan leave behind when they pull out? suffer more economically, because that We don’t know. It’s very difficult to say could put a burden on the entire region. right now. I think the whole program In your book, you say Pakistan must act has to be reassessed. The Americans as a normal state, rather than a paranoid, want to stay on. They want to keep insecure, ISI-driven entity whose 20,000 troops behind, but that could operational norms are to use extremists prove to be very difficult. We saw and diplomatic blackmail. How far is what happened in Iraq, they wanted Islamabad from being a “normal state?” to keep 20,000 troops in Iraq. And At the moment, I would say what I Iraqis asked them to leave. There are said before. I don’t see the leadership no troops there. I think everything is having the vision to reform. The two very unsettled at the moment. key words are “change” and “reform.”

What is your sense of India-Pakistan

League in 2002. He has declared that he is willing to have full normalization of relations with Israel if it accepts the international consensus. But this is not published anywhere.

As to the argument regarding nuclear Iran attacking Israel there are several answers: 1- As you have heard, it would be an act of suicide on the part of the mullahs ruling Iran since Israel will retaliate heavily. The mullahs want power and good time. They do not want to die.

Have you ever seen a mullah suicide bomber?

2- If Iran gives the bomb to a so called “terrorist” group and the group bombs Israel the source of that bomb will certainly be traced back to Tehran and Israel would respond accordingly.

3- People keep forgetting that Jerusalem is a holy site to all Muslims and millions of Muslims live inside and around Israel. Does any sane person believe for a minute that Iran would destroy the holy site of Islam and also kill millions of thousands of fellow Muslims?

Censoring the truth, and worse, falsification of the news by the sycophant media in the West has a dangerous drawback. It gives credit to the badly discredited people like Ahmadinejad. What should an average Iranian, who speaks Farsi and English, think when he or she compares Ahmadinejad’s statements in Farsi and its translations in the American media? I find myself in a very uneasy position to defend the man despised by many thanks to the pandering corporate media of the US.

Agni V test reaffirms India’s missile programme on track Continued from page 15 >> leaving behind a trail of thin orange and white smoke before disappearing,” said an eyewitness quoted in the PTI report.

The surface-to-surface Agni V is capable of striking a target more than 5,000 km away. It is about 17-meter long and two-metre wide with launch weight of around 50 tonnes. The sophisticated missile can carry a nuclear warhead of more than one tonne, according to the PTI report.

Besides, the Agni can carry multiple independent re-entry vehicles warhead which means the missile will be able to strike more than one target as each warhead can be designated to hit a separate target after re-entry.

Realising that having missile silos was going to be fatal as the country followed a ‘no first strike’ policy, the people involved designed Agni V to be housed in a canister (to provide a hermetically sealed atmosphere for the life of the missile) that was road or rail mounted.

Agni V is touted to have advanced technologies including a ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer for navigation and guidance. It borrows its first stage heavily from Agni III, with a specially modified second stage and a miniaturised third stage which ensures it flight to distances of around 5,000 km. A canister-launch system will impart higher road mobility, giving the armed forces much greater operational flexibility than the earlier-generation of Agni missiles.

The test has caused consternation in China which responded cautiously calling the test a “missile delusion” and claimed India was still far behind China in terms of missile technology. China’s state run Global Times even criticised India saying the country “is still poor and

lags behind in infrastructure construction, but its society is highly supportive of developing nuclear power and the West chooses to overlook India’s disregard of nuclear and missile control treaties”.

The US on the other hand commended India and stressed on its non-proliferation record. “Naturally, I just would say that we urge all nuclear-capable states to exercise restraint regarding nuclear capabilities,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on Wednesday ahead of the test, according to an article in FirstPost. “That said, India has a solid non-proliferation record,” he added when asked to comment on India’s plans to test its indigenous intercontinental ballistic missile Agni V. “They’re engaged with the international community on nonproliferation issues. And Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh), I believe, has attended both of the nuclear security summits, the one in Washington and then Seoul,” Toner noted. Even NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has openly stated that they did not think India was a missile threat, nor a threat to NATO and its allies. Pakistan’s media too gave great coverage to the test and wrote positively about the outcome.

Analysts say this test might give Pakistan a window and they may try and test one of their missiles using the Indian test as an excuse despite the recent friction it has with the US and its allies. China looks like it will adopt a ‘wait and watch’ policy but then nobody really knows what the Chinese are up to or capable of.

The US, after recent growth of warmth between the two countries, will not clamp sanctions against India. The test has proven India’s Integrated Guided Missile Programme is on the right track. The biggest winner today is India

NEWS

30

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

Sachin Tendulkar turns 39, but still hungry for runs

The Indian Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar turned 39 today 23rd April , completing another milestone with unprecedented highs, the most memorable being the World Cup triumph and his unapproachable elusive century of centuries.

The appetite for runs has increased with the each passing year. The 100th ton chase bereft the master for more than a year and finally the historic March 16, 2012 added another feather to the legend’s hat.

The champion batsman, who sits on such a huge pile of runs and records, will be celebrating his 39th birthday.

His dream was finally fulfilled and even for a man who is known to be discreet in expressing emotions, the tears were visible when his teammates carried him on their

shoulders for a lap of honour and dedicated the World Cup trophy on April 2.

With 100 international centuries in his kitty, records are fairly

precocious talent was there to be seen when he shared an unbeaten 664-run stand with childhood buddy Vinod Kambli in the Lord Harris Shield Inter-School Game

routing for the batting great.

Much before his debut on November 15, 1989, Tendulkar’s

in 1988.

His first Test century came in England next year at Old Trafford

and the diminutive Mumbaikar rose in stature after the 1991-92 tour of Australia, hitting sublime centuries on a Sydney turner and a Perth minefield.

The rest is history. No existing batting record seemed safe. Other than Brian Lara’s Test match highest of 400 not out and first class highest score of 501 not out, every batting record became Tendulkar’s.

A staggering 15,470 runs scored in 188 Tests before the ongoing one at a robust average of 55.44 confirmed Tendulkar’s greatness in the longer version of the game.

And in the 462 ODIs he played, a whopping 18,374 were added to his mountain of runs at an average of 44.81.

Tendulkar is also the only batsman in the world who has scored a double ton in ODIs,

a feat he achieved in Gwalior against South Africa in February.

This feat was included in ‘Times’ magazine’s top 10 sports moments of the year.

The biggest compliment to his batting came from Sir Donald Bradman himself in 1999 when he said that Tendulkar’s style of playing resembled his style.

“That touch I used to feel when I batted,” he had said.

Tendulkar’s colossal batting exploits have completely overshadowed his utility as a part-time bowler who reveled in breakthroughs.

He was a complete enigma with the ball, sending down military medium pace, orthodox leg-break and off-spin with the guiles that often caught batsmen off their guard.

His 45 Test wickets and 154 scalps in ODIs underline the fact that Tendulkar could have also staked claim to be that elusive all-rounder that India has been desperately looking for since the legendary Kapil Dev. But shoulder problems have not allowed him to bowl as much as he and the team would have liked.

In the field, he is among the safest pair of hands in the slip and his flat throw releasing strong arm saw him manning the deep with equal aplomb.

The aura has only grown because of his impeccable demeanour, on and off the field.

Pakistan players wait for central contracts lingers on The announcement of this year’s central contracts for Pakistani cricketers has been further delayed after the PCB formed a new committee

Board said that former chief selector Mohammad Illyas had, after discussing the matter with board officials Intikhab Alam and Zakir

to recommend the pay raise and players who would be included in the list.

Sources within the Pakistan Cricket

Khan, finalised the list of players for the new central contracts and also recommended a pay hike for the players.

“But now since Illyas has resigned the board has now formed a committee headed by Intikhab Alam and including new chief selector, Iqbal Qasim and others to recommend a new list of players,” one source said.

Interestingly the central contracts of the Pakistani players ended on

December 31, 2011 and they are still waiting for the new contracts four months into the new year.

“The players obviously are not happy with the situation as they have not received payments from their central contract monthly salaries for the last four five months and payments from

their recent series against Bangladesh, England and the Asia Cup have also been held up,” one player said.

New PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf has in principle agreed to give a pay raise to the players in their new central contracts but the committee will now decide how much the hike will be.

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

31

Pakistan coach hopes PPL attracts foreign players

Pakistan cricket coach Dav Whatmore said Monday he was happy to endorse the Pakistan Premier League and hoped it will attract international players.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is planning to launch the PPL in October and wants to use the Twenty20 competition to show the world that the country is safe for cricket. Several companies -- including one from India -- have shown interest in the project.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of international cricketers looking to their schedules and see they are available in this short period of time to come and play here,” Whatmore said. “I am very hopeful that there will be some very good international cricketers coming and enjoying playing in the Pakistan Premier League.”

Pakistan has not hosted a major international team since terrorists attacked a Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009, killing six police officials and wounding several members of the team.

Bangladesh was due to start a short tour of Pakistan next week but its visit was postponed after the High Court in Dhaka ordered it be delayed for a month because of security concerns.

The PCB has succeeded in convincing only the Afghan national team to compete in Pakistan when it played three one-day internationals against a second-string Pakistan team last year.

While test-playing countries remain unsure of the security situation in Pakistan, the PCB named Australian

Whatmore and Englisman Julian Fountain to its coaching staff soon after the series against England ended in the United Arab Emirates in February.

The UAE has served as a second home for Pakistan, which plays its home matches in the Gulf country.

Whatmore said there are no security problems for him in Lahore where he has been staying at the National Cricket Academy -- close to the site where the Sri Lanka team came under

attack.

“I am now staying in Lahore for the last two months and I move around quite freely,” Whatmore said. “I really don’t have any problems with security and if I knew more areas in Lahore I would be visiting more places.”

Pakistan hosted a domestic Twenty20 competition in Rawalpindi this month and Whatmore was impressed with the presence of large crowds watching national team players.

A team comprising players from British universities also visited Lahore this month and played one-dayers against the national under-19 team with hundreds of people in attendance at the Gaddafi Stadium.

“People in this country are starved (for cricket),” Whatmore said. “A lot of people have said and I’ve read ‘it must be difficult for Pakistan, it must be really hard for the people here,’ but do they really know how hard it is?

“You need to come and witness it, to really know how difficult it is for a nation that has a rich history in international cricket to keep the game going without having the ability to host overseas teams.”

Pakistan’s next international matches will take place in Sri Lanka, where it will play a test and ODI series starting in June. The PCB is also planning to host Australia in Sri Lanka for Twenty20 and ODI matches to get more used to the conditions ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup -- also in Sri Lanka in September.

Bangladesh propose series against South Africa

Cricket South Africa (CSA) is considering a request from the Bangladesh board president Mustafa Kamal for South Africa to play Bangladesh in May, CSA’s acting chief executive Jacques Faul has said.

Kamal made a request to CSA president Willie Basson last week and offered to pay all the costs, whether the series takes place in Bangladesh or South Africa.

“We have received the request and we are in the process of checking whether it would be possible,” Faul told reporters that “We’ve got nothing against it, it’s just about scheduling. At the moment, I can say it is a request we are looking at.”

Faul will meet with the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and national coach Gary Kirsten next week to discuss the possibility of playing the series.

He said the decision will be based on South Africa’s schedule and whether this fixture can be included without causing fatigue.

“We always want to play cricket and foster cricket but we’ve got to be careful with how much preparation and how much rest we give our team,” Faul said. “It is quite important how we pace the team.”

Bangladesh have no international cricket scheduled before the World Twenty20 in September. Their trip to Pakistan, for an

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ODI and a T20 later this month, was put on hold after a court order placed a fourweek embargo on the tour, and their visit to Zimbabwe in August was postponed because of work being done on the pitches in Harare and Bulawayo.

By contrast, South Africa’s schedule is busy. Having already spent a month in New Zealand, they will go to England for more than two months in early July, head straight to Sri Lanka for the World T20, tour Australia in October and November and then host New Zealand during the home summer.

Aussies look to set big run chase against Windies in third Test

Continued from page 32 >>

timed a drive to Warner to end a 66-run stand with Chanderpaul.

Ben Hilfenhaus, Ryan Harris and Warner all finished with one wicket each while Cowan had three catches and a run out to his name in an active fielding display.

Aside from Chanderpaul and Rampaul, Kieran Powell (40) and Adrian Barath (29) played the only innings of any substance for the Windies, who face an uphill battle to claim the victory they need to level the three-match series.

32

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 April 2012

Bangladesh unlikely to tour Pakistan: BCB

According to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), it is unlikely that Bangladesh will tour Pakistan now even if the Dhaka High Court gives the go-ahead after four weeks because of other international commitments, Dawn News reported. Talking exclusively to Dawn News, a spokesman for the BCB said that the decision not to tour Pakistan is not part of a conspiracy. He

further added that the BCB was still waiting for a copy of the stay order from the Dhaka High Court.

Bangladesh were scheduled to play one ODI and one Twenty20 in Lahore at the end of April. The tour was postponed due to security concerns and because Pakistan had failed to submit a security plan to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

SAT

Sports

Aussies look to set big run chase against Windies in third Test

AUSTRALIA lost the wicket of opener Dave Warner cheaply just before lunch on the third day of the Third Test at Windsor Park, having taken a 110-run lead on the first innings after wrapping up the West Indies for 218.

Australia hold an imposing 128-run lead in the second innings at lunch on day three of the third Test against the West Indies in Dominica.

At the break Australia are 1-18 after earlier dismissing the hosts for 218 with Ed Cowan (6no) and Shane

Watson (0no) unbeaten at the crease.

David Warner was unable to safely negotiate a 20minute spell before lunch, falling for 11 when he edged Kemar Roach (1-5) to Shivnarine Chanderpaul at first slip.

That same pair had earlier frustrated Australia for about an hour in a 32-run last wicket stand that boosted the Windies score past 200.

Resuming on 8-165, the Windies managed to add 53 runs on the third morning with Nathan Lyon and

Mitchell Starc taking the last two wickets.

Veteran Chanderpaul was the last man dismissed, trapped LBW by Starc (2-29) after scoring a vital 68 for the hosts.

Lyon (4-69) finished the innings with four wickets in another impressive display after his five-wicket haul in the second Test in Trinidad last week.

The off-spinner claimed the first wicket of the morning, removing Ravi Rampaul for 31 when the No.10 misContinued on page 31 >>

South Africa turns down Bangladesh tour request

South Africa have turned down a request from Bangladesh to play a limited over series in May primarily because of a hectic schedule, the country’s cricket board said on Wednesday.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board, after their brief Pakistan tour this month was postponed following a court order, had approached Cricket South Africa (CSA) with a proposal to play one-day and Twenty20 internationals in May. “Unfortunately there are too many practical obstacles that prevent us from accepting this

commitment,” CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul said in a statement.

“At the moment most of our senior Proteas are spread around the world in England and India and those who are at home are undergoing rehabilitation from injuries picked up during the past season. “We also have to bear in mind that the Proteas have a hectic schedule ahead of it with very important tours to England and Australia with the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka sandwiched in between,” he added.

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