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Wednesday,
November 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Benazir’s father-in-law freed from jail RUSSIAN DIARY Controversy on planned dinner for PM US mission in Russia gets anthrax Pak offers USA 3 more airbases |
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‘Pak next US target’ ‘No Arabs in our ranks’ 1 lakh Afghan kids face death: Unicef
Nepali with knives held
in Chicago Trimble voted back to post
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Benazir’s father-in-law freed from jail Islamabad, November 6 Vice-chairman of Pakistan People’s Party Makdhoom Amin Fahim, who met Musharraf yesterday and held talks with him on the current political and military situation, told newsmen here today that Hakim Zardari, who was in prison for the past few years in connection with various corruption cases, has been released by officials in Karachi from the jail but kept under house arrest. Though Fahim declined to divulge the details of his discussions, PPP sources said chances are that a number of party leaders including Benazir’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who are in prison facing corruption charges, could be released on bail. “It appears that the government is not going to oppose their bail petitions.” While declining to confirm this, Fahim, however, denied reports that Musharraf has agreed to permit Benazir to return from exile. “No such assurances have been given. However, I appealed to
Musharraf to permit Benazir to return and release Asif Zardari and other PPP leaders as they have not been convicted by any court,” he pointed out. Musharraf’s meeting with PPP leaders come amid fears of likely political instability in Pakistan due to the current situation, which has caused deep anxiety in the West, specially about the safety of the country’s nuclear weapons. Fahim’s meeting with Musharraf is seen as a prelude to easing of curbs on political leaders to counter the pro-Taliban religious parties, sources said. According to IANS, the PPP struck a deal with President Musharraf to secure the release of its jailed leaders in return for supporting his military regime. Sources in the PPP told SADA news agency that the pact was finalised when a four-member PPP delegation called on Musharraf yesterday. Under the deal, the PPP has promised to go “soft” on the regime in return for a gradual release of its leaders held on corruption charges. Bhutto’s husband Asif Ali Zardari has been jailed without being convicted on corruption charges. He has been refused bail in a dozen civil and criminal cases. He can get bail at least in some cases if the government does not oppose his application. A party source said there was strong opposition to the idea of meeting Musharraf as the party would be perceived as an ally of the regime that is under fire from religious and other political parties in Pakistan for backing the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. An official announcement said the PPP leaders and Musharraf exchanged views on a number of issues, including Afghanistan. Bhutto has in recent weeks softened her opposition to Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in October 1999 after ousting the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, her arch-rival.
PTI, IANS |
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RUSSIAN DIARY Irrespective of the cold and muggy day with heavy snowfall in Moscow, the atmosphere in the imposing Kremlin was warm and friendly reminiscent of the strong bonds between the two countries as evidenced in the seventies. Due to inclement weather, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee cancelled the symbolic wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier. At the same time there was no change in the official welcome ceremony at St George’s Hall in the Kremlin followed by the one-on-one talks between Mr Vajpayee and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders were later joined by their respective delegations. * * * Mr Vajpayee has made it clear that India is concerned about the post-Taliban arrangement in Kabul and the reconstruction of Afghanistan. He told mediapersons after his meeting with the Chairman of the State Duma Gennady Seleznyov that he proposed taking up with President George Bush in Washington the future set-up in Afghanistan. He emphasised that India and Russia wanted terrorism in Afghanistan to be crushed so that the people of that country could live in peace. In response to a question, the Prime Minister acknowledged that the Kashmir issue was also discussed with Seleznyov and said that Russia had always supported India on it. He regretted that while India and Russia had been talking about the dangers of international terrorism for years now, nobody took note of it. Unfortunately it was only after the horrendous September 11 airborne terrorist strikes in New York and Washington that everyone had woken up to what India had been saying all along. * * * Skinheads, Neo-Nazis or call them what you want are singling out coloured people or those of Asian and African origin for attacks. This was non-existent in the past during the Communist dispensation but had begun rearing its ugly head after the advent of the democratic system of governance. Indian students in Moscow university as well as others from Africa have been roughed up recently. Some Indians studying in Moscow said that the whites were beginning to ape their counterparts in the West by targeting non-Whites. This had led to racial tension not only in Moscow but also in St Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia. * * * During his stay of 20-odd hours in St Petersburg, Mr Vajpayee went round the Russian Museum and inaugurated an exhibition by Soltikov. Evincing keen interest in the exhibits, the Prime Minister felt that the paintings provided a sympathetic view of a bygone era. These paintings date back to the period of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. * * * During his interface with intellectuals and Indologists in St Petersburg, the Prime Minister was informed that democracy in Russia was still evolving. Obviously, they were a trifle concerned about the democratic system of governance and its impact on allround development. The assemblage wanted to know from Mr Vajpayee how democracy in India was so vibrant more than 50 years down the road. They also evinced interest in the work of the Constitution Review Commission constituted by the NDA government. |
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Controversy on planned dinner for PM New York, November 6 Though over two dozen organisations are co-sponsoring the event with Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP), those left out are complaining that the BJP has “hijacked” the dinner and packed the reception with its own supporters. Among the most vocal critics is President of the Indian National Overseas Congress Surinder Singh Malhotra who charged the BJP with “hijacking” the event. “Is Mr Vajpayee the Prime Minister of India or the BJP?” he asked and said “The loss will be his, not ours”. He also criticised the Consulate here for allowing a “group of organisations” to organise the reception for the visiting Prime Minister instead of doing so itself. But the consulate denied any wrongdoing, saying Mr Vajpayee was visiting Washington first where the Embassy was organising a reception. Had he come to New York first, the Embassy and the Consulate would have organised the reception here.
PTI |
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US mission in Russia gets anthrax Yekaterinburg (Russia), November 6 “The State Center for Medical-Epidemiological Control in Yekaterinburg informed the consulate this morning that one of six unclassified diplomatic mailbags received from Washington D.C. and opened on October 25 had tested positive for anthrax spores,” the consulate said in a statement. “The source of the anthrax is not established, although the center told us the spores were found inside the bag.” The incident in Yekaterinburg was the first of its kind in Russia since the spate of poisoned mail attacks. Fears of germ warfare have already spread beyond U.S. borders. A white powder from a letter delivered to the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, (Pakistan), was sent to the USA for further testing after an initial test showed positive. New York: Preliminary tests on two female employees of the Indian Consulate here who had handled a suspect envelope containing white powder have come out negative for
anthrax. Reuters |
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Pak offers USA 3 more airbases Washington, November 6 A report published in The Washinton Post said the offer meant to provide the US forces with logistical operations, search-and-rescue missions, medical facilities and other ground support efforts in fighting terrorism inside Afghanistan. Quoting Pakistani sources, the report said General Musharraf “privately” made the offer to Mr Rumsfeld. However, a senior US official involved in the talks informed the newspaper the offer did not come up during the formal session between Mr Rumsfeld and General Musharraf, but that “the two leaders, or some of their aides, could have discussed it separately.” It was not clear which four bases had been offered. Islamabad has already provided access to its four airbases and airfields to the US forces. Though the bases had been given for “logistical operations, media reports suggest they have also been used for ground operations. The addition of four more bases signals a considerable extension of the US campaign from the Pakistani soil. Local media, including the Washington Post, also reported that General Musharraf toned down his call to halt the bombing of Afghanistan during Ramzan. The general interpretation of his meeting with Mr Rumsfeld was that he had mellowed down his rhetoric about Ramzan to a mere “caution” that continued air strikes could cause negative political fallout throughout the Muslim world. The report further said Mr Musharraf, who was flanked by four of his most senior military and intelligence officers, noted that the re-organisation of those services on the night the US bombing began “sidelined some of the most recalcitrant and hard-line officers.” Going a step further, The New York Times was quick to write an ode to “Musharraf-the Indispensable Ally.” The report said the decision by General Musharraf to leave Pakistan this week for the first time since the start of the war to address the United Nations General Assembly showed that his hold on the regime had tightened.
ANI |
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‘Pak next US target’ Sydney, November 6 “When the USA finishes with its war against Afghanistan, it will target Pakistan. It will also make Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia a part of its campaign against Islam,” Hamid Gul, a former head of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence, told Australia’s SBS Radio. Gul, believed to be one of the principal architects in the creation of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban militia, has been a vociferous opponent of US attacks. “America has not clarified what their objectives are in this campaign and I do not have any doubt their target is Islam,” he said. “Others may be unaware of this, but as I take keen interest in the way Americans think, I am sure it is a campaign against the Muslim world. “They (US) are saying they will fight a 50-year war. You do not need 50 years to conquer a country or to stop a particular activity emanating from it, but you may need 50 years to finish an ideology or a way of thinking”, he added. IANS |
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‘No Arabs in our ranks’ Islamabad, November 6 “This is a baseless and ridiculous propaganda by the Western media,” said Mr Sohail Shaheen, Taliban’s Deputy Ambassador here. “It is regrettable that the Pakistani media has also started saying that Arabs are fighting in Afghanistan.” A report in The News daily said today that these Arabs were controlling important parts of the country and fighting major battles on frontlines. KABUL: A Taliban minister today criticised Afghanistan’s neighbours for letting the USA use airbases in their countries for the US-led attacks.
IANS, AFP |
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1 lakh Afghan kids face death: Unicef Islamabad, November 6 Representative Eric Laroche said money was needed to meet the situation as on an average one in every two Afghan children was malnourished and one in three displaced Afghan children under the age of five died from preventable causes. “The Unicef has struggled to open up corridors inside Afghanistan from neighbouring countries for the supply of relief goods. We have succeeded to some extent despite bombings in Afghanistan,” Mr Laroche said. He said the Unicef was facing difficulties in the supply, distribution and safety of the organisation’s staff, and in reaching out to Afghans who had migrated to rural areas and crossed over to neighbouring countries. “We are doing all this work with the help of the Taliban as the Unicef has taken care of Taliban members when they were children as well,” he observed. Mr Laroche said commitments had been made for cash by donor agencies but so far they had not materialised. “Starving children and women are waiting for help as winter is fast approaching. “The Unicef has successfully negotiated with authorities in Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to open up more corridors in Afghanistan for relief supply,” Mr Laroche said. He said the fund was also looking at long-term plans for Afghanistan. Mr Laroche said 55,000 blankets had been distributed among 110,000 children, with 250,000 blankets in the pipeline as an in-kind donation from the US Government. “Over 47,000 sweaters/jackets have been distributed and 200,000 more are in the pipeline,” he said. Around 3.7 million doses of oral polio vaccine and basic supplies had reportedly been delivered to Afghanistan, besides 17 airlifts of Unicef supplies, he added.
IANS |
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Nepali with knives held
in Chicago Washington, November 6 Subash Gurung was charged yesterday with trying to carry weapons on an aircraft, a federal felony following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the USA, officials said. Gurung, 27, who is living in the USA on an expired student visa, was arrested and released on a $ 1000 bail. He was rearrested when he came to claim his checked-in baggage. Gurung told authorities that the weapons — which included seven lock-blade knives, a sten gun without a battery and a container of tear-gas in the carry-on baggage, as well as two larger knives — were for his own protection, federal law enforcement officials said. Gurung had packed them in a plastic bag rather than his check-in luggage by mistake, he told the authorities. Spokesman for US Attorney’s office, Randall Samborn, however, said: “the investigation does not seem to reveal an illicit, suspicious or nefarious intent.”
PTI |
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Trimble voted back to post Belfast, November 6 Mr Trimble’s election as First Minister, and that of Roman Catholic nationalist Mark Durkan as Deputy First Minister, marked full-scale resumption of power sharing and eases pressure on the landmark 1998 Good Friday peace agreement. According to the Assembly tally, 70 unionists and nationalists voted for Trimble and Durkan, 29 unionists voted against. Hardline Protestants had tried to delay the vote for a second successive day so as to undermine Mr Trimble but Lord John Alderdice, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, refused their demands. Mr Trimble won after a tactical voting manoeuvre by the small centrist Alliance Party which came to his aid to ensure he got the level of support by pro-British unionists demanded by the Assembly’s intricate voting rules.
Reuters |
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SAARC meet in Jan Kathmandu,
November 6 |
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