New Delhi, January 23
The duration of the Republic Day parade will be curtailed but it will have a display of tanks, latest light helicopters, surface-to-air missiles, the AGNI and specialised infantry combat vehicles, among other aspects.

It will follow the traditional route from the Vijay Chowk till the Red Fort through the traditional route of Rajpath. President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil will take the salute while Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, will be the chief guest. The Commander of the US Navy’s Pacific fleet, Commander Robert F. Willard, will also attend the function.

New Delhi, January 23
A delegation of social activists, journalists and intellectuals from Pakistan today concluded its “peace mission” to India, with a call on the Pakistan government to fully cooperate with India in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

With tension between the two nations easing somewhat, the 24-member delegation, comprising social activists, journalists and intellectuals, held meetings with some of the top Indian leaders, besides calling on foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, during its four-day visit.

The delegation included Asma Jahangir, chairperson, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, IA Rehman, human rights activist, intellectuals and politicians from Pakistan.

The delegation, along with its Indian counterparts, met Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik in India. Addressing a press conference at the end of the visit, prominent members of the team sought revival of the composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan and appealed to the Pakistan government to come out of the “denial mode” and sincerely carry out investigations into the Mumbai attacks.

“War will only perpetuate the crisis. We want democracy to be strengthened in Pakistan,’’ said Imtiaz Alam, secretary general of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), one of the co-sponsors of the delegation, the other being the South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR).

The Pakistani delegation, however, described its meetings with CPI general secretary AB Bardhan, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and Congress foreign affairs cell chairperson Karan Singh as very cordial. “The meeting with the foreign secretary also went off very well. He was not putting up any charter of demands but wanted credible action from Pakistan,’’ Imtiaz Alam said.

Asma Jahangir lambasted the Pakistan government for not acknowledging for a long time that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured from the Mumbai attacks was not a Pakistani national.

The delegation emphasised its conviction that there could not be a military answer to problems between India and Pakistan as that would only destroy Pakistan’s newly emerging democratic process. 

New Delhi, January 23
In the first-ever official communiqué to the three-week old contentious and half-baked decision on the pay related anomalies of the armed forces, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta yesterday handed over a letter to the Defence Minister AK Antony. It lists out the issues that are pending and need to be looked into immediately.

Sources confirmed that Admiral Mehta, in his capacity as the Chief of Staff’s Committee, has listed out the aspects that are still rankling the forces. The latest move of the forces comes after the Prime Minister Office (PMO) sent out a note on December 30.

The three forces contributed their inputs that were collated for Admiral Mehta and the same has been handed over to the Defence Minister. The high-powered committee set up for sorting out issues of command, control and status of the armed forces personnel will also be told about the issues. The Defence Secretary heads the committee.

The PMO note did not sort out two core issues that the forces had originally raised. These were grant of higher administrative grade (plus) to all Lt Generals restoring their parity with the DGP’s in states. The other was the grade pay at par with their counter parts in civilian services. These anomalies remain and the same form part of the letter handed over to Antony.

Yesterday, Antony while speaking at a function said "sincere" efforts to resolve pay anomalies were being made. “The remaining issues, we are examining,” he added.

The PMO had agreed to one demand that was to retain 70 per cent pensionary weightage to the jawans. The fourth demand was agreed but with riders. It stated that the Lt Colonels would be placed in pay band-IV salaries provided they were in “combat or ready-to-combat” roles. Those on deputation would not get it. There are about 2,000 such officers on deputation to various forces like NSG, Assam rifles or other such posts.

The forces will also point out to a 1970 order of the Ministry of Defence that says the last drawn pay of an officer would be protected.

New Delhi, January 23
The Supreme Court judges appear to be in a quandary on the asset disclosure issue and are considering various options to minimise damage and, if possible, project a clean image.

Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and his fellow judges are mulling several steps, including convening a sitting of the Full Bench to arrive at a consensus on the problem that has arisen following a Central Information Commission (CIC) order. The CIC has directed the SC to provide information to a petitioner who sought details of judges’ assets under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Initially, the CJI had said the SC would challenge the CIC order in Delhi High Court and gone ahead with it, securing a stay on the CIC order. However, the SC was subjected to sort of embarrassment following senior advocate Fali S. Nariman's refusal to be the amicus curiae in the case, as he too favoured disclosure of assets by judges. Nariman's stand found ready support from eminent lawyers.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee also expressed himself in favour of the demand for asset disclosure.

Despite CJI dubbing as speculative reports on a Full Bench sitting and the Registry expressing ignorance over any such move, court sources said there was every indication that the CJI and 23 other apex court judges would revisit the issue.

Sources said some judges were of the view the time was not right to take a "holy cow" attitude on the issue as the judiciary had come under cloud following a string of corruption charges against judges. Such charges have been levelled in the Ghaziabad PF scam and against Calcutta HC Judge Soumitra Sen, who is facing the possibility of impeachment by Parliament for misconduct, besides Punjab and Haryana HC Judge Nirmal Yadav.

New Delhi, January 23
Perhaps for the first time, the President will lead the Indian team at the delegation-level talks with a top foreign dignitary.

Official sources said President Pratibha Patil will head the Indian delegation at the talks with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who will also be the ‘Guest of Honour’ at the Republic Day parade. The obvious reason is that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will tomorrow undergo a bypass surgery.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee would hold talks with the visiting leader in the morning.

Jaipur, January 23
Noted writer, Nanak Singh, the Prem Chand of Punjabi literature, has finally gone global. As many as 78 years after he penned down his critically acclaimed “Pavittar Paapi”, its English edition was released by Gulzar at the Jaipur literary festival on Thursday.

Amrita Pritam's “Aj aakhan Waris ha nu” and sufi singing of Bulle Shah’s Heer by Ustad Nile Khan left many, including foreigners with moist eyes.

Poet and lyricist Gulzar released the Indian edition of the English translation of the famous novel “Pavittar Papi” penned in 1930 and published in 1942. It was befitting that Navdeep Suri, grandson of the acclaimed writer has translated the immortal work in English. Suri in Indian Foreign Service and is posted as Consul-General of India in Johannesburg.

“Nanak Singh is global today. With the number of Punjabi speaking, reading and writing persons shrinking over the years, The English translation opened the classic work to a wider diaspora,” said Navdeep Suri, his son adding though it was released in England in 2003 it could never reach the stores.

Penguin publishers have now released it for the first time in India.

Navdeep held the audience, including many foreigners spell bound for over an hour discussing the book.

Nirupama Dutt sharing her fear said she was startled at a UNESCO report that Punjabi would be one pf the several languages identified world wide, which would die in 50 years, “ I am sure the English and Hindi Translation of classics like Nanak would ensure his works are their for posterity as well as revive interest in Punjabi writings,” she said. Of all the praises showered on Nanak Singh and how he was still relevant today, the best came from Gulzar himself, “When I am told to talk about him, I just have to say there was one Nanak Singh, and that is enough.”

Jaipur, January 23
The Rajasthan government has ordered a judicial probe into the acts of omission and commission during the former BJP regime in the state.

The probe will be completed by a three-member commission headed by former Justice NN Mathur. The commission will inquire into the alleged financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 22,000 crore committed during the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje.

The other two members of the commission are chief secretary Inderjeet Khanna and HN Meena, a retired police official. The commission will submit its report within six months. Rajasthan governor SK Singh gave his approval to setting up of the commission here today.

Mumbai, January 23
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray ushered in his 83rd birthday today rallying against Islamic fundamentalists and expressing support for those accused of carrying out bomb blasts in the Muslim town of Malegaon last year.

In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray said he was disturbed that the people who were standing up to Islamic fundamentalism within India were being branded as Hindu terrorists by the government.

The Sena supremo’s statement came a day after 11persons accused of carrying out the bomb blasts in Malegaon in September last year were charged under the tough Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act.

Keeping in view the terror attacks, Thackeray asked party workers not to celebrate his birthday. “The blood (off the victims) is yet to dry up....the common Mumbaikar lives in the grip of fear as he travels by local trains,” Thackeray wrote.

Accusing the Congress of appeasing Muslims, Thackeray said the malignant Muslim tumour growing within India was being encouraged by the Congress. “The party doesn’t have the guts to remove this tumour, which is growing inside our stomach,” Thackeray wrote.

Though scores of Shiv Sainiks gathered outside his residence today, most of them were not allowed inside to have an audience with the party supremo. Thackeray is said to have met with a handful of senior party leaders.

Mumbai, January 23
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which carried a violent campaign against north Indians in Maharashtra, has been granted permission by the police to hold a rally in neighbouring Thane tomorrow on condition that party chief Raj Thackeray does not make any provocative statements. Notably, the event coincides with UP Diwas, against which the MNS had been holding protests.

“We have granted conditional permission to hold a meeting. The permission refrains the party from making any provocative statements that harm peace in the city and violate Indian Penal Code,” Tukaram Chavan, ACP (law and order), Thane, said. “Adequate security will be in place to avert any untoward incident,” he added.

Meanwhile, UP Diwas celebrations in Mumbai scheduled for Saturday will be on a subdued note as organisers have scaled down activities after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray threatened to beat up those observing the event.

According to various organisers here, UP Diwas celebrations will be held in few areas of Mumbai like Nala Sopara where the North Indians live in large numbers. Public celebrations at venues across Mumbai have been dropped after the MNS put up posters asking its workers to beat up those celebrating UP Diwas.

Guwahati, January 23
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has suspended night running of all trains within Assam with immediate effect till the morning of January 27, apprehending that militants may try to target trains at night in the run up to Republic Day.

NFR official Jayanta Sharma said night running of trains within Assam had been suspended on security reasons even as security coordination committees had been set up in all 147 railway stations in Assam to mount vigil against terrorists on the prowl.

GM Srivastava, Director General of Police (DGP), Assam, said all security coordination committees at the railway stations had representatives from the Government Railway Police, Railway Security Force, coolies, vendors and local people. These committees were expected to coordinate with the security forces in mounting vigil on railway property in the state against terror strikes.

The NFR has already provided bulletproof jackets to the engine drivers after terrorists trained their guns on them in the insurgency-hit North Cachar Hills district few months back.

Four outlawed militant groups in Assam, including the banned ULFA, have called for boycott of celebrations of Republic Day and a general strike on the day.

Chandigarh, January 23
An Army Major, who was accused of assaulting his commanding officer (CO), has been charged with attempt to murder. His trial by a general court martial (GCM) is currently under progress at Kanpur.

The said incident had occurred in the Hisar military station in December 2005. The officer, Maj Sandeep Ahlawat, is facing three charges under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Army Act for attempt to murder, destruction of evidence and giving false evidence.

The GCM, presided by Brig Amrik Singh, commander of an Infantry brigade, has been convened on the orders of the General Officer Commanding 4 Infantry Division.

Sources revealed that several witnesses who had been summoned to depose before the court, have retired since the alleged incident took place and some of them have turned hostile. This is the third GCM related to the case, with the trial of two other officers being over.

The officer had moved the Lucknow High Court against his trial, but the court had dismissed his petition yesterday. The court was of the opinion that interference was not warranted at this stage and if the officer was aggrieved by the outcome of his trial, he could seek judicial redressal at that time.

Three different courts of inquiries (COI) were convened by the Army to investigate into the circumstances under which the CO sustained serious injuries, for which had to be hospitalised.

BRIEFLY

New Delhi 
Meeting on tobacco warnings put off: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee-led group of ministers (GoM) on tobacco pack warnings today postponed their meeting without giving any reasons. The meeting is learnt to have been advanced following Mukherjee’s requirement in the wake of the Prime Minister’s ill health and admission to AIIMS, where he will be operated upon tomorrow. — TNS