Thursday, January 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Kolkata attack: no breakthrough yet
61 detained, motor cycle recovered
Kolkata, January 23
The police failed to make any breakthrough in the yesterday’s dastardly terrorist attack on Kolkata’s US center even after 36 hours today. They appear to be groping in the dark about the identity and whereabouts of those involved. In the attack, five police constables were killed and 20 injured.
In video (28k, 56k)

• World page: Bush assails attack; not sure of target
  

• Editorial: Meet the challenge head-on

Is ISI behind attack?
USA believes so, India not sceptical
New Delhi, January 23
Washington believes and the Vajpayee government is “not sceptical” that yesterday’s incident at American Centre in Kolkata was the handiwork of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence but the Pervez Musharraf regime was apparently aware of what the ISI was up to.

Mauritius President to be chief guest at R-Day parade The Agni-II missile on display during the full-dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade at Rajpath in the Capital on Wednesday.  — Tribune photo Mukesh Aggarwal

USA allowed use of Karachi airport
Islamabad, January 23
Amidst reports that the USA was pushing Pakistan to permit the long-term presence of American forces on its soil, Islamabad has agreed to provide Washington and its allies full operational facilities at Karachi International Airport to make it the hub of the US-led peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan.

Pak ready to sign no-war pact
Washington, January 23
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said today that he was prepared to accept denuclearisation of South Asia and would sign a no-war pact with India. In an interview to NBC-TV, he, however, said he would not reciprocate India’s no first use of nuclear weapons pledge.