WASHINGTON: The Obama Administration has expressed “surprise” over the dismissal of a federal indictment against Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in the visa fraud case.

“We were surprised by the dismissal of the indictment against former Indian Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade,” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said, a day after a New York court dismissed the indictment against Devyani Khobragade.

Devyani Khobragade, whose arrest and strip search soured Indo-U.S. relations, on Thursday won dismissal of the case against her with a U.S. judge ruling she had full diplomatic immunity.

The ruling, however, left open the possibility that U.S. prosecutors could bring a new indictment against Khobragade.

George Abraham, Chairman of Indian National Overseas Congress (I) USA, welcomed the decision to dismiss the indictment against  Devyani Khobragade.

“Whatever the merit of the case, it has become a major irritant to the U.S.-India relationship and something had to happen to resume normalcy,” he said in a statement.

Abraham said Indo-U.S. strategic partnership and relations were too important in the global arena to be frozen due to a row over a visa issue. - PTI

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday strongly condemned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal’s recent remark that he would send every media person to jail. “This is an anarchic attitude. They want to destroy democracy by eliminating the media. They possess a Maoist ideology, and it is visible now. It is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct,” said BJP spokesmen Prakash Javadekar.

“It is evident that he is trying to threaten the media. Now, it is up to the media to deal with him,” he added.

Javadekar also said that it was the media which has given publicity to Kejriwal, and added that he has taken full advantage of them. “Now, he is denying this statement. He should standby his statements,” Javadekar said.

On Thursday, during a fund raising event in Nagpur, Kejriwal had alleged that the whole media is sold out, and that if his party ever forms the government at the Centre, then he would probe this, and would send every guilty media person to jail.

AAP shields Kejriwal, says ‘paid media’ sin for democracy

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) defended party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who is at the centre of another controversy over his remark that he would send every compromised media person to jail if his party comes to power at the Centre. “See, paid media is a sin for the country. People who manipulate news and present it in a different way are actually lying. They are misrepresenting the actual news,” said senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia.

“The claims by the media that there is no corruption in Gujarat, and that development has been done there, is nothing but a pure lie. So, there is a nexus between the BJP and the media. It has to be exposed,” he added.

He also asked why the media has failed to present the true state of schools and hospitals in Gujarat.

“This is not the first time that we are raising this issue of the media. Voices have been raised even from the inside about this malpractice,” he said.

On Thursday, during a fund raising event in Nagpur, Kejriwal had alleged that the whole media is sold out, and that if his party ever forms the government at the Centre, then he would probe this, and would send every guilty media person to jail. - ANI

NEW DELHI: Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, who left Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee red-faced two days back, today said he had skipped the poorly-attended rally because he was misled.

He maintained that he does not support any of the political parties but endorses Banerjee individually as she is the best of all the Chief Ministers of the country. Breaking his silence on his absence at the much-hyped 'joint' rally with Banerjee at Ramlila ground on Wednesday, Hazare told reporters here that he had skipped as he had been misled.

He said he had been told that he had to attend rally organised by Banerjee while the Trinamool chief had been told it was Anna Hazare's rally. "When I came to Delhi, by 12 noon I found out there were only 2000 or 2,500 people in the rally. I thought that something is amiss as the Ramlila ground had not even 4000 people even though it was teeming with people when he had staged protests there. This was the mistake, this was the dhokhadhadi (deceit)," he said, while naming one of the organisers for it.

Earlier, his aides had claimed that he could not attend the rally because he was "unwell". His absence at the rally had left Banerjee embarrassed as the event to mark her arrival on the national scene had turned out to be a damp squib.

On whom he would endorse, the anti-graft crusader said he would not support any party because the country had not become a real democracy because of the party system. At the same time, he endorsed Banerjee individually because he wanted a stable government to be formed in the country.

"I have respect for Mamata. Of all the Chief Ministers in the country, she is the best. Her sacrifice, her character, her ideology. I supported her and not the party," Hazare told reporters here.

Hazare said he did not approve of any of those currently in race for the Prime Ministership. -PTI 

MUMBAI: Aamir Khan is guarded about sharing his views on any political party and when it comes to the new Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) the actor-filmmaker prefers to wait and watch. Meanwhile, he has urged the youth to step out and vote intelligently in the polls.

At a press conference at his residence on his 49th birthday Friday, Aamir was asked which party he is favouring and he said: "I am not supporting any political party's campaign, nor do I support any political party." 

"It's a democratic country and I believe each person should take their own decision and must go out and vote intelligently and every person of voting age should vote," he added.

Looking fit as a fiddle, the "3 Idiots" and "Dhoom 3" actor believes the youth especially must cast their vote. Asked to comment on Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, Aamir said: "AAP is a new party. Let's see what they do. As I said, I don't support any political party, but if there's an important cause, we all come forward."

True to his word, he is raising various issues on his well-researched chat show "Satyamev Jayate". Aamir had earlier lent support to Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement. - IANS

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Friday in a mosque near Kuala Lumpur International Airport prayed for the passengers and crew of a Malaysia Airlines plane that went missing March 8.

About a thousand Muslims living nearby came to the mosque for their regular prayer before Najib and other citizens prayed for the passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 777-200 jetliner seven days after it lost contact in the early hours March 8, Xinhua reported.

Najib did not make any comment on the futile search efforts for the missing plane involving aircraft and vessels from a dozen countries. Mohammad Hafiz, who hosted the prayer, said he prayed for the 239 people on board everyday since last Saturday, and he would continue to do so until the plane was found.

Shamsani, a citizen who participated in the prayer, said he hoped that all of the passengers and crew members could come home soon. 

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 passengers and crew on board vanished without any trace about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur early March 8. The Boeing 777-200ER was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast in the South China Sea.

The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 a.m. March 8 and was due to land in Beijing at 6.30 a.m. the same day. The 227 passengers on the flight included five Indians, 154 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

Contact with the plane was lost along with its radar signal at 1.40 a.m. March 8 when it was flying over the Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control area in Vietnam. - IANS

ISLAMABAD: A special court in Pakistan formed to try former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him on Friday after he failed to appear in court again.

The three-member bench of the court had summoned the former military ruler to formally indict him with high treason charges for abrogating the constitution. The court ordered Musharraf to appear March 31.

"Arrest the accused if he refuses to appear before the court," Xinhua quoted the short order as saying. Musharraf has been accused of committing high treason when he suspended the constitution and imposed emergency in November 2007.

Musharraf's defence lawyer, Anwar Mansoor, earlier told the court that the former president cannot appear because of dangers to his life. "We cannot take the risk to bring Musharraf to the court," Mansoor had told the court when head of the three-member bench, Justice Faisal Arab of the Singh High Court, asked him why the accused had not been presented in court. 

Mansoor referred to a recent threat alert by the security agencies, saying the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants have planned an assassination attempt on Musharraf.

According to the alert, the militants have planned to target Musharraf inside or outside the court. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has denied they have issued threats to Musharraf and said they would not attack him due to a month-long ceasefire announced March 1.

Prosecutor Akram Sheikh insisted that the court issue a non-bailable arrest warrant for Musharraf as he avoided court appearance. He also suggested that if Musharraf does not want to appear, then the proceedings could be held inside a prison.

The court was informed that over 2,000 security personnel are deployed for Musharraf's security on every hearing. However Musharraf's defence team was dissatisfied with measures against security threats.

Musharraf is Pakistan's first military ruler in 66 years to face high treason charges. Legal experts said that, if found guilty, Musharraf could either face death penalty or life imprisonment under Pakistani laws.

He had already got bail in three high profile cases, including the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack and gunshots during Musharraf's rule in Rawalpindi.

Musharraf, who had resigned in 2008 as president and had gone into exile, returned to Pakistan last March to contest parliament elections in May. However, a court disqualified him from standing in the May elections.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose previous government was dislodged by Musharraf, announced in June last year the opening of the high treason case against the former military president for suspension of the constitution. 

In January, Musharraf was taken to a military hospital in the nearby Rawalpindi city for medical check-up, when he was on way to the court.

He is still under treatment in the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and doctors said he wanted treatment abroad. The court has, however, rejected his request and ruled that all facilities are available in Pakistan. - IANS
MUZAFFARPUR: Armed Maoists torched a petrol pump owned by a BJP MLA, hurled bombs and opened fire at his residence late Thursday night in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, police said on Friday.

Around 15-20 armed Maoists swooped on the petrol pump of BJP MLA Ram Surat Rai in Ahiapur police station area, around 10-km from district headquarters, SSP Saurabh Kumar said, adding, the ultras took the staff hostage and set on fire an oil tanker and portion of the petrol pump.

They mercilessly beat up the petrol pump staff before vandalising the petrol pump and setting it on fire, the SSP said. After plundering the petrol pump, the Maoists went to Rai’s residence in Bocha police station area and opened fire besides hurling bombs, the SSP said.

The legislator from Aurai was neither at the petrol pump nor at his home during the attack. His wife and children, present at home, however, were unhurt, he added.

The Maoists, against whom the locals put up a brave resistance, escaped as soon the SSP along with a police force reached the spot. A case has been registered in the Ahiapur police station as well as in the Bocha police station in this connection, the SSP said. - PTI