Wednesday, July 14, 1999
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N A T I O N |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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India's pre-conditions
for talks |
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Gen Malik awards citation ‘Navy equipped to repulse
N-attack’ Dilip rues overdose of sex Stand vindicated, says Sukh Ram SAD honours families of martyrs J&K told to pay rent to
migrants CBI told to chargesheet JMM
leaders Singla on Cong media panel Plea for abolishing death penalty |
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India's pre-conditions for talks NEW DELHI, July 13 — India today said Pakistan’s abandoning of the path of terrorism and dismantling the entire network in its territory for the purpose was an important "pre-determinant" for the resumption of the composite dialogue process with Islamabad. Responding to a question on the Pakistan Prime Minister’s call for a dialogue, the spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr R.S. Jassal, today said that "our future dealings with Pakistan will be governed by the sequence of steps" which Islamabad would have to take. Till the total clearing up of remnants of the armed intrusion and aggression which Delhi expected to be completed by the first light of July 16, no other steps would be taken, Mr Jassal said. After the complete withdrawal, Pakistan would then need to reaffirm the inviolability and sanctity of the Line of Control (LoC) the spokesman said, adding that "in this regard, we hold that the sponsorship of cross-border terrorism is a violation of the LoC". "The gruesome incident this morning in Bandipur in Jammu and Kashmir is yet another reminder of Pakistan’s brazen and continuing sponsorship of terrorism", he pointed out. Reiterating India’s commitment to the Lahore process and the composite dialogue, the spokesman said that India would like to renew the dialogue process and expected that Pakistan would take the steps needed for that to become possible. Describing Pakistan’s armed intrusion and aggression in Kargil as a "betrayal of trust", the spokesman said it had also revealed an "abiding hostility". "It would,
therefore, be idle to pretend that this experience has
not hit India-Pakistan relations. This damage has been
further compounded by Pakistan’s continuing fiction
that its regular troops were not involved in
Kargil", Mr Jassal said, adding that "this is
an entirely untenable assertion which flies in the face
of facts". |
Cong issues first set of
posers on Kargil NEW DELHI, July 13 — The Congress today asked the Prime Minister to state the agency which was responsible for the failure of vigilance on the border resulting in the Kargil conflict. Releasing the first set of questions, the party spokesperson, Mr Ajit Jogi, said: "the Congress intended to pose these questions to the government in the Rajya Sabha and now that the government has refused to convene it, the party has no alternative but to pose them through the media which the nation is asking and has a right to know." The Congress wanted to know when did the Prime Minister personally learn of Pakistani violation of the LoC?, who, in the Prime Minister’s view was responsible for this failure — he himself? his government or some other minister. Mr Jogi stated that the nation wanted to know on which date, exactly, did the government learn of the infiltration — on May 6, as indicated by officials sources; as early as April, as assessed by leading defence analysts like Maj-Gen Afsar Karim; even earlier, in January itself, as told to the Congress delegation which recently visited Leh-Kargil by a large number of local villagers or on December 27, 1998, as reported in a Hindi paper, when the BSF passed on to the government the revelations of Col Shams of Al-Badr, a Pakistan terrorist organisation, regarding the capture of the Kargil heights by Pakistani militants. The BSF report, as stated in media, circulated without any action being taken between the Home Ministry, the Defence Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office till some "shikaris" in the Kargil sector reconfirmed this intelligence on May 3, the party spokesperson said. Mr Jogi asked why did the government not get alerted to what was happening when Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah informed the state Assembly in December, 1998, of such intrusions; or all of a month earlier, in November, when it was learnt, state intelligence agencies of Jammu and Kashmir alerted the Centre; or back in August-September when, according to the former Foreign Secretary, Mr J N Dixit, who was associated with the National Security Council, first reports had already been received of preparations of massive infiltration? The party spokesperson
said the Congress did not intend to politicise the issue
but would continue to ask those questions which the
nation felt must be answered by the government. |
Sharif’s Address to Nation NEW DELHI, July 13 — The BJP today described the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Nawaz Sharif's address to the Nation as an exercise in duplicity. Briefing newspersons here today, party spokesperson Venkaiah Naidu said while on the one hand, Mr Sharif had welcomed the Mujahideen, on the other hand, he was talking of peace. "The two cannot go together," he remarked. Mr Naidu said Pakistan owed the world an explanation as to why it had sent intruders into the Indian territory. "Pakistan is solely responsible for the loss of lives in the Kargil conflict. It has disturbed mutual trust in the region", he said. A meaningful dialogue with Pakistan was possible only after the last intruder was flushed out and Pakistan stopped aiding and abetting terrorism and interfering in our internal affairs. Replying to a question, Mr Naidu said the party shared the popular apprehension that Pakistan might go back on its word to ask intruders to vacate the Indian side of the LoC. He said: "We know Pakistan's intentions. We have seen it earlier. We have not taken its statement on its face value. We respect the sentiments of people. That is why we have not called off the Army action. We have not declared a ceasefire. We don't have a tradition of firing people on the back". Mr Naidu said it remained to be seen whether Pakistan had realised the power of the Indian military and how they read the message of the international community. Criticising the role of the Congress during the Kargil conflict, Mr Naidu said; "In the first week of the conflict, it asked for the head of the Defence Minister. India's diplomatic initiative of the Lahore visit was ridiculed by it. Mr Vajpayee could shake a hand in Lahore and crush the evil hand in Kargil," he said. The party spokesperson said the party was confident, optimistic and positive. He said the campaign committee of the party would meet daily till the voting. The party's Chief Whip in the Rajya Sabha, Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra, criticised the Opposition for demanding a Rajya Sabha session. "Would asking irrelevant questions and casting aspersions during the Rajya Sabha session be more helpful to our Army and Air Force who are fulfilling the most arduous task at the risk of their lives?" he asked. Mr Malhotra said in the
past, a Rajya Sabha session was convened only twice when
the Lok Sabha stood dissolved. "But that was just to
meet the constitutional obligation of extending
President's rule in two states. There is no such
constitutional requirement now. |
Gen Malik awards citation NEW DELHI, July 13 — The Chief of Army staff awarded unit citation to 141 Field Regiment and Ist Battalion, the Bihar Regiment, for their valour and indomitable resolve during Operation Vijay. The over all performance of the unit has been exemplary and professionalism displayed by all ranks of the unit in the face of the enemy fire is highly commendable in the highest tradition of the Gunners and the Indian Army, the official release said. The 141 Field Regiment was raised on July 1, 1971, at Talbhet and participated in Operation Rakshak in 1995 in Jammu and Kashmir. The unit also has an Army Commander’s commendation card to its credit. The Ist Battalion, Bihar
Regiment, was awarded citation for its meritorious and
gallant performance during the battles of Point 4268,
Jubar, Point 4927 and Tharu in the Batalik sector. |
‘Navy equipped to repulse N-attack’ CALCUTTA, July 13 (UNI) — The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sushil Kumar, today categorically stated that the Indian Navy was fully capable of repulsing any nuclear or biological attacks from Pakistan or any other country. Speaking to reporters, on board the Indian Navy’s new fleet tanker “Aditya,’’ being built by the public sector Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) here, Admiral Kumar said the Kargil conflict had however underscored the necessity of further upgradation of the striking power of the entire armed forces, and all out efforts were being made presently in that direction. Reiterating that the morale of the Indian Naval Forces was very high and it continued to remain on full alert for some more time to monitor the latest situation on the Western Coast, the Naval Chief said even as the present conflict had possibly come to an end “we are not withdrawing our forces from the Arabian Sea. The boys are always ready to meet any eventuality,’’ he said. He said apart from building its new and fully indigenous aircraft carrier during the next few years, the country was also looking into the scope of acquiring nuclear-powered submarine to counter the threats from Pakistan. He, however, refused to make any comment on whether India currently possessed any nuclear submarine on lease from Russia. After receiving the go-ahead signal from the Centre the work for building the first indigenously built aircraft carrier had started at the Cochin shipyard and it might take another six to seven years before commissioning for the Navy, Admiral Kumar said. He said the nation was behind us and fully supported the role of the armed forces, including the Navy, in thwarting Pakistan’s misadventure. He lauded the role of Eastern Naval Command for quickly responding to the necessity of increasing the fleet’s strength in the Western sector. With continuous
improvement of its capabilities with the induction of
state-of-the-art weaponry, the Indian Navy would be one
of the largest and strongest in the world in the next
millennium, he said, adding if necessary the number of
fleets would also be increased. |
Dilip rues overdose of sex NEW DELHI, July 13 (PTI) — Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar is of the view that the Censor Board is not being responsible enough in curbing an overdose of sex and violence in Indian films which was having an adverse impact on the younger generation. “There is too much violence and sex in today’s films affecting the minds of the people, especially the young. The Censor Board should be responsible to the society... it is the sole body answerable for everything that passes through, but nowadays even crude and vulgar depictions are cleared by the board,” the thespian said during an interaction with PTI journalists here. Dilip Kumar, who was in the Capital to meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee over the controversy on the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s second-highest civilian award which the Shiv Sena had asked the actor to return to Islamabad, recalled films of the earlier era and said film-makers used to exercise restraint even while depicting most romantic scenes. “I used to keep some distance with the heroines even in the most intimate scenes, but now things on silver screen cross all limits,” he lamented. “The Censor Board takes its job either too seriously or too lightly,” he said, giving the example of his own film “Ganga Jamuna” for which the board recommended 230 cuts and asked him to finally settle for at least 140. “I was adamant not to have any cuts and was vindicated when Morarji Desai, then a minister in the Nehru Cabinet, saw the film with rapt attention and came out with the verdict that it did not require a single cut,” he said. The actor also urged film-makers to have a self-imposed code of behaviour and said, “There should be some constructive limitations as far as creative work is concerned.” Asked about the controversy over the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, which he said he would not return to Pakistan following a meeting with the Prime Minister, Dilip Kumar said, “I am tired of answering this question. They (Shiv Sena) allege I am a Pakistani, but when I was born in Peshawar it was part of Hindustan, which is my motherland.” “India gave me everything. I am grateful to this country’s soil for what I am today. What credentials do these people have to question my patriotism?”, he queried. “What have they done for the country? They have divided the people and caused bloodshed. It is very ironic that they have asked me to prove my loyalty to the country,” a visibly hurt Dilip Kumar said. “I received the award after taking the permission of the Prime Minister and I can throw away many such awards for the integrity of the country if there is a need,” he said. “This (Kargil) war
will be over one day and then you will need somebody who
can act as a via media to initiate the peace process. At
that time, persons like me can help initiating the
dialogue,” he said. |
Stand vindicated, says Sukh
Ram NEW DELHI, July 13 — The President of the Himachal Vikas Congress, Mr Sukh Ram, today said the exoneration of his son, Mr Anil Sharma, a Rajya Sabha MP, by a special CBI court in a “disproportionate” assets case had vindicated his stand that the cases against him and his family members were the result of “political vendetta”. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Sukh Ram said “a central Congress leader had hatched a conspiracy in collusion with two CBI officials to politically finish me and my son.” A multinational had also played a vital role in it, he alleged. He alleged that the two CBI officials, inquiring into the cases against him, were “biased and prejudiced” which could be proved from the fact that they evaluated the cost of his Kaushambi house in Ghaziabad at Rs 1 crore, while the engineering wing of the agency put it at Rs 29 lakh. Mr Sukh Ram said an American multinational was “involved in my character assassination and tarnishing my image because I refused to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with it for a pilot project providing for basic telephone services in Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu during my tenure as Communications minister.” Had the contract
materialised, the Department of Telecom would have
suffered a loss of Rs 15,000 crore, he explained. |
SAD honours families of
martyrs NEW DELHI, July 13 — Families of the Kargil martyrs hailing from Delhi were today honoured by the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The families of the martyrs were honoured at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib after bhog of Guru Granth Sahib in the memory of those who laid down their lives while fighting Pakistan-backed infiltrators in the Kargil sector, the Secretary-General of the Delhi unit of the SAD, Mr Kuldeep Singh Bhogal, said. He said the families of Capt Sumeet Roy, Capt Anuj Nayyar and Lieut Haneefuddin were honoured with siropa, shawl, kirpan, shield and Rs 31,000 each. Mr Onkar Singh Thapar, General Secretary of the SAD said: “We are always with our brave soldiers and we will try and extend suitable support to the family members of the Kargil martyrs.” He said Mrs Hema Aziz,
mother of Lieut Haneefuddin, Mr S. K. Roy, father of Capt
Sumeet Roy, and Mr S. K. Nayyar, father of Capt Anuj
Nayyar, were among those present. |
J&K told to pay rent to migrants NEW DELHI, July 13 (UNI) — The Union Home Ministry has asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to pay rent to Kashmiri migrants for their properties which have been occupied by the central security forces in the valley. Residential premises of many Kashmiri migrants were occupied by security force personnel after the owners fled the valley since 1989-90. While some migrants have been getting rent from the security forces regularly, some have complained that the rent had not been paid. The move comes following
a reference made by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
Director General Gautam Kaul to the Central Government. |
CBI told to chargesheet JMM leaders NEW DELHI, July 13 (PTI) — A city court today directed the CBI to file fresh chargesheet against three Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leaders, who were earlier discharged by it from the allegation of corruption, in an “appropriate court” for their alleged offence of “fabrication of evidence”. The Special Judge Mr Ajit Bharihoke, in his order said his court was not an appropriate forum to try the offences alleged against the JMM leaders — Mr Shibu Soren, Mr Suraj Mandal and Mr Simon Marandi — and accepted the contention of both prosecution and defence that they could be tried by a magistrate. The court rejected the defence plea that consequent to the discharge of six former MPs, who had allegedly received bribe to vote in favour of P.V. Narasimha Rao’s government during the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha in July 1993. No case could be made out against other accused persons, including Mr Rao. The court had earlier
discharged six former MPs in view of the Supreme Court
ruling that they enjoyed “immunity” from
prosecution under Section105 (2) of the Constitution for
an act done in Parliament. |
Singla on Cong media panel NEW DELHI, July 13 — Former Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, Surinder Singla has been nominated to the AICC national media committee. Mr Singla was a
spokesperson of the AICC during the last Lok Sabha
elections. In the 1996 general election, he had been
appointed AICC’s special observer in Madhya Pradesh,
with the task of handling breakaway groups led by Mr
Arjun Singh and Mr Madhavrao Scindia, respectively. |
Plea for abolishing death penalty NEW DELHI, July 13 (UNI) — UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor has called for the abolition of death penalty to mark the dawn of a new century and a new millennium, saying that such a measure would send “A strong signal of our confidence in a better future and a more fraternal world.’’ In a statement, Mr Mayor
said “The world needed to start anew with fatter and
more binding foundations,’’ calling for the
outlawing of barbarity that this century has seen,
including wars, massacres of civilians and terrorism, Mr
Mayor insisted particularly on the abolition of that
“Archaic form of punishment that is the death
penalty.’’ |
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| 8 killed as jeep falls
into gorge GANGTOK: Eight persons were killed, six on-the-spot and three injured in an accident in western part of the district, about 110 km from here,on Sunday last, the police said on Tuesday. The accident occurred when the driver of the jeep carrying passengers, on the Soren-Jorethang route lost control over the vehicle which fell into a 300-metre deep gorge. — PTI Professor held in
abduction case 3 ISI agents
arrested ‘Bhanu
purashkar’ presented ‘Vijay
rally’ flagged off Paper plane
flying record Lightning kills
four in TN |
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