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Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Kylie thrilled at Bollywood experience
MUMBAI: Pop star Kylie Minogue on Friday said she was thrilled to work with India’s double Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, after recording one of his songs for a star-studded Bollywood movie.
‘It was an incredible experience to work with A.R. Rahman,’ the 40-year-old singer told a packed news conference at a Mumbai hotel to publicise her work in the film ‘Blue’ which is due for release later this year.
‘I met A.R. Rahman at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards (in London last month). I couldn’t believe I was doing a song with him in Bollywood so soon after.’
Blue, an underwater extravaganza that was partly shot in the Caribbean, also stars Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta and Zayed Khan.
The big-budget movie is about a sunken treasure ship and is said to have been inspired by the Hollywood production ‘The Deep.’
But those involved in the project are keeping the plot close to their chests, including Minogue, who has sold more than 60 million records worldwide.
She said only: ‘I saw the footage of the film. It looks very good.’
Indian media reports since her arrival in the country’s entertainment capital late last month have said the former soap opera star plays herself, acting one scene with Kumar and performs a set-piece song-and-dance routine.
Rahman, once dubbed ‘The Mozart of Madras,’ had been due to appear alongside Minogue but pulled out due to illness, organisers said.
The 43-year-old composer was already Bollywood’s leading music director even before he scooped two Academy Awards for his work on the hit film ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’
Asked if she would consider future offers from Bollywood, Minogue said: ‘I got a lot of love here. Right now this feeling is just sinking in but certainly in the future I will do more if I get the chance.‘I didn’t know much of Hindi but it does not matter because everyone was very cooperative and I had fun and joy. I wanted to be part of Bollywood for a while and it was great opportunity that came by.’
‘It was an incredible experience to work with A.R. Rahman,’ the 40-year-old singer told a packed news conference at a Mumbai hotel to publicise her work in the film ‘Blue’ which is due for release later this year.
‘I met A.R. Rahman at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards (in London last month). I couldn’t believe I was doing a song with him in Bollywood so soon after.’
Blue, an underwater extravaganza that was partly shot in the Caribbean, also stars Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta and Zayed Khan.
The big-budget movie is about a sunken treasure ship and is said to have been inspired by the Hollywood production ‘The Deep.’
But those involved in the project are keeping the plot close to their chests, including Minogue, who has sold more than 60 million records worldwide.
She said only: ‘I saw the footage of the film. It looks very good.’
Indian media reports since her arrival in the country’s entertainment capital late last month have said the former soap opera star plays herself, acting one scene with Kumar and performs a set-piece song-and-dance routine.
Rahman, once dubbed ‘The Mozart of Madras,’ had been due to appear alongside Minogue but pulled out due to illness, organisers said.
The 43-year-old composer was already Bollywood’s leading music director even before he scooped two Academy Awards for his work on the hit film ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’
Asked if she would consider future offers from Bollywood, Minogue said: ‘I got a lot of love here. Right now this feeling is just sinking in but certainly in the future I will do more if I get the chance.‘I didn’t know much of Hindi but it does not matter because everyone was very cooperative and I had fun and joy. I wanted to be part of Bollywood for a while and it was great opportunity that came by.’
Illuminations, rallies to celebrate Milad today
ISLAMABAD- Eid Milad-un-Nabi is being observed across the country with religious enthusiasm today (Tuesday).The government has declared public holiday to celebrate the event. Religious and social organisations have organised different programmes to celebrate the event. Seerat conferences are being arranged besides Na’at and Quran reciting competitions. Different rallies and gatherings will also take place on the occasion.
Four militants killed in India’s northeast
GUWAHATI: Security forces killed four militants in India's restive northeastern state of Manipur, police said on Saturday.
A police spokesman said militants belonging to the outlawed People's United Liberation Front (PULF) started shooting at a team of police commandos and paramilitary forces, who returned fire, killing four men.
‘Based on specific inputs that a group of militants were taking shelter at a thickly forested area, security forces led an operation in which four PULF rebels were gunned down,’ a police official said, requesting anonymity.
The exchange took place near the village of Irilbung, some 15km east of Manipur's state capital Imphal.
Police said they recovered two AK56 rifles, several hand grenades and some rocket-propelled grenades from the dead militants.
The PULF is a militant group formed in Manipur in 1993 to fight for the cause of Muslims in the state, which borders Myanmar.
There are about 200,000 Muslims in Manipur, a state of 2.3 million people.
There are around 19 militant groups active in Manipur with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy.
More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Manipur during the past two decades.
A police spokesman said militants belonging to the outlawed People's United Liberation Front (PULF) started shooting at a team of police commandos and paramilitary forces, who returned fire, killing four men.
‘Based on specific inputs that a group of militants were taking shelter at a thickly forested area, security forces led an operation in which four PULF rebels were gunned down,’ a police official said, requesting anonymity.
The exchange took place near the village of Irilbung, some 15km east of Manipur's state capital Imphal.
Police said they recovered two AK56 rifles, several hand grenades and some rocket-propelled grenades from the dead militants.
The PULF is a militant group formed in Manipur in 1993 to fight for the cause of Muslims in the state, which borders Myanmar.
There are about 200,000 Muslims in Manipur, a state of 2.3 million people.
There are around 19 militant groups active in Manipur with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy.
More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Manipur during the past two decades.
India goes online to tackle apathetic middle class voters
Mumbai- Hot on the heels of a US presidential election that saw Barack Obama sweep to victory with the help of a high-tech campaign, India is also turning to the Internet as general elections approach.
But it is not political parties or the main candidates in the world's biggest democracy that are embracing the likes of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube to swell coffers and boost support.
While the ruling Congress and main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party stick to largely traditional campaigning for now, tech-savvy groups are targeting the growing and potentially influential middle classes on the worldwide web.
‘A lot of people have seen the change in the US since the elections and made them realize that they can actually do something,’ said Shridhar Jagannathan, a 30-year-old copywriter.
‘It was the literate middle class that brought the change. What happened in the US has inspired people in India to go out and make a difference.’ India has some 714 million eligible voters, including 170 million under 35, but unlike in developed countries, it is the marginalized rural poor who vote in the biggest numbers, often along caste, regional or religious lines.
In contrast, many of the English-speaking middle and upper classes readily admit to having never voted, yet still complain loudly about standards of leadership and governance.
Most Indians 83 percent feel lawmakers are corrupt and 59 percent think their main motivation is money, according to a recent Times of India survey.
Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) believe politicians are inefficient and 60 percent blame them for all the country's ills.
‘Bad politicians are chosen by good people, who fail to vote,’ says Vote India. Its message is echoed by others. All Indians need to take responsibility for their elected representatives.
But it is not political parties or the main candidates in the world's biggest democracy that are embracing the likes of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube to swell coffers and boost support.
While the ruling Congress and main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party stick to largely traditional campaigning for now, tech-savvy groups are targeting the growing and potentially influential middle classes on the worldwide web.
‘A lot of people have seen the change in the US since the elections and made them realize that they can actually do something,’ said Shridhar Jagannathan, a 30-year-old copywriter.
‘It was the literate middle class that brought the change. What happened in the US has inspired people in India to go out and make a difference.’ India has some 714 million eligible voters, including 170 million under 35, but unlike in developed countries, it is the marginalized rural poor who vote in the biggest numbers, often along caste, regional or religious lines.
In contrast, many of the English-speaking middle and upper classes readily admit to having never voted, yet still complain loudly about standards of leadership and governance.
Most Indians 83 percent feel lawmakers are corrupt and 59 percent think their main motivation is money, according to a recent Times of India survey.
Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) believe politicians are inefficient and 60 percent blame them for all the country's ills.
‘Bad politicians are chosen by good people, who fail to vote,’ says Vote India. Its message is echoed by others. All Indians need to take responsibility for their elected representatives.
Tanzara to exhibit Jalal’s paintings from March 11
ISLAMABAD: The works of Shahid Jalal entitled the Pool Garden Series will be exhibited at the Tanzara Art Gallery from March 11 to 17th.The twenty-two paintings, which will be on display, depict the half-a-century old pool garden of Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan in Raiwind near Lahore, which of late got political importance for other reasons. Each painting captures various scenes of the same garden from different angles. The paintings are like different pieces of the same puzzle that work together magically, however each one possesses its own distinct beauty. The exhibits are oil paintings created on fairly large canvases. Shahid Jalal, a renowned artist from Lahore has exhibited in many countries and was awarded the Pride of Performance in the field of painting by the Government of Pakistan in 1994. He has been creating paintings put in this display for the last three years. The paintings will be auctioned for the Citizens Foundation as a fund-raiser and the proceeds will be used to benefit the charity schools set up by the Foundation.The paintings assimilate natural scenes with such splendour and skill that works come to life like three-dimensional objects. The paintings show vibrant colours beautifully but meticulously merged together to depict the landscapes as naturally as possible. Green colour is dominant in the creations because of the trees which can be seen standing proudly by the pool-side, with inter-woven creepers ascending up their trunks; and shrubs with their branches drooping over the pool, their reflections adding a greenish tinge to the pool-water. Different shades of yellow and red are shaped with dots and dashes to create meaningful images of flowers among the plants. One of the paintings shows a Bougainvillea creeper peeking at its reflection in the water, another shows a monument surrounded by dense undergrowth, while a different scene shows the view of the shrubbery in the lawn as seen through the large windows of the house. One cannot miss presence of bulbous amaryllis in red and orange. Same is the case with arucaria and date-palm. The self-contained paintings speak of the skillfully mastered brush strokes by which the creator gives a sincere portrayal of the beauty of nature and this universe. The different paintings seem like small parts of a whole. One may find a mystic link between parts and the whole in the creations which has been used for a noble cause.
CM Hoti signs Nizam-i-Adl summary for Malakand
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister NWFP Amir Haider Khan Hoti signed the summary of ‘Nizam-i-Adl’ on Monday. The signed summary has been sent to the provincial governor for approval.
It will be forwarded to the president after the governor’s approval. Nizam-i-Adl will be implemented in the Malakand division after the president’s approval.
Sufi Mohammad’s Tehreek-i-Nafaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi has been pressurizing the government for Nizam-i-Adl’s implementation by March 15.
It will be forwarded to the president after the governor’s approval. Nizam-i-Adl will be implemented in the Malakand division after the president’s approval.
Sufi Mohammad’s Tehreek-i-Nafaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi has been pressurizing the government for Nizam-i-Adl’s implementation by March 15.
Democracy restored
HYDERABAD: Sindh Minister for Local Government, Agha Siraj Durrani has said that democracy has been restored in the country because of the great sacrifices of the leaders and workers of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) adding that the undemocratic forces have once again become active to derail the democratic system.PPP founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and its assassinated chairperon Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the great leaders of the world set the trend to struggle for the restoration of democracy by giving their blood and the PPP leaders and workers would not compromise on the principles. They are ready to sacrifice their lives as rendered by their great leaders, he added.The Minister expressed these views while talking to newsmen after presiding over the 18th meeting of the Board of Governors of Sehwan Development Authority at Gulshan-e- Shahbaz, Jamshoro on Monday afternoon. The Minister said the Governor’s Rule has been imposed in the Punjab as no party showed majority in the assembly. President Asif Ali Zardari has imposed Governor’s Rule within the limits of Constitution and will it be removed when any political party will show majority for formation of the government in the province.He said that the PPP fully believed in democratic norms and the present policy of “politics of reconciliation and understanding” clearly indicated that despite having majority in the assemblies, the PPP wanted a coalition government with other political parties in order to bring the country out of national and international crisis. He said the vested interests do not want that democracy should flourish and the people’s issues could be addressed therefore efforts have been geared up to destabilize the democratic government.
Revised IPL dates to be out on March 10
Amidst all the speculation, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off as per schedule, with minor changes in dates as the IPL Chairman Lalit Modi will announce the much awaited reworked schedule for season 2 on Tuesday (March 10).
Meanwhile, sources said that the Home Ministry gives an okay to the revised schedule and suggests minor tinkering in the dates. The announcement definitely gives the franchisees a much-awaited relief after all the rampant confusion and speculation threatened to derail the cricket extravaganza.
The owners of the franchise cash-rich league IPL are happy with the new schedule. TIMES NOW spoke to co-owner of the Rajasthan Royal franchise, Shilpa Shetty, who said, “I am happy that the schedule has finally been decided. Cricket schedule is packed as of now. I really hope some matches can be held in Jaipur.”
Kings XI Punjab’s co-promoter Ness Wadia added, “Everyone is relieved and happy that the schedule has been worked out. We need to ensure that security is reviewed after every game. So far no foreign players have raised concern in King’s XI.”
The IPL coincides with the general elections in the country and the league organisers have been forced to revamp the schedule to avoid matches on polling days in the host cities. The IPL bosses have not set any matches on the vote counting date and have changed the schedule to avoid a clash with polling dates in the states. The rescheduling follows after the intervention from the Home Ministry and apprehensions of the various state governments over the dates clashing with the general elections.
IPL revised dates to be sent to state governments: Home Ministry
Meanwhile, IPL’s revised schedule, expected to be submitted to the Home Ministry tomorrow (March 10), will be sent to the concerned state governments for their feedback before a final decision is taken. “Any revised schedule received from the IPL will be sent to the concerned state governments for their comments,” a Home Ministry spokesman said.
Home Minister P Chidambaram had earlier stated that some re-scheduling of IPL matches “seems unavoidable”, as he was trying his best to ensure that the second edition of the event is held smoothly. The 45-day extravaganza begins on April 10 and the 60 matches to be played among eight teams and spread over eight cities will end on May 24. The IPL organisers have conveyed to the Home Ministry that they do not require any central forces for the security.
Meanwhile, sources said that the Home Ministry gives an okay to the revised schedule and suggests minor tinkering in the dates. The announcement definitely gives the franchisees a much-awaited relief after all the rampant confusion and speculation threatened to derail the cricket extravaganza.
The owners of the franchise cash-rich league IPL are happy with the new schedule. TIMES NOW spoke to co-owner of the Rajasthan Royal franchise, Shilpa Shetty, who said, “I am happy that the schedule has finally been decided. Cricket schedule is packed as of now. I really hope some matches can be held in Jaipur.”
Kings XI Punjab’s co-promoter Ness Wadia added, “Everyone is relieved and happy that the schedule has been worked out. We need to ensure that security is reviewed after every game. So far no foreign players have raised concern in King’s XI.”
The IPL coincides with the general elections in the country and the league organisers have been forced to revamp the schedule to avoid matches on polling days in the host cities. The IPL bosses have not set any matches on the vote counting date and have changed the schedule to avoid a clash with polling dates in the states. The rescheduling follows after the intervention from the Home Ministry and apprehensions of the various state governments over the dates clashing with the general elections.
IPL revised dates to be sent to state governments: Home Ministry
Meanwhile, IPL’s revised schedule, expected to be submitted to the Home Ministry tomorrow (March 10), will be sent to the concerned state governments for their feedback before a final decision is taken. “Any revised schedule received from the IPL will be sent to the concerned state governments for their comments,” a Home Ministry spokesman said.
Home Minister P Chidambaram had earlier stated that some re-scheduling of IPL matches “seems unavoidable”, as he was trying his best to ensure that the second edition of the event is held smoothly. The 45-day extravaganza begins on April 10 and the 60 matches to be played among eight teams and spread over eight cities will end on May 24. The IPL organisers have conveyed to the Home Ministry that they do not require any central forces for the security.
Illuminations, rallies to celebrate Milad today
ISLAMABAD- Eid Milad-un-Nabi is being observed across the country with religious enthusiasm today (Tuesday).The government has declared public holiday to celebrate the event. Religious and social organisations have organised different programmes to celebrate the event. Seerat conferences are being arranged besides Na’at and Quran reciting competitions. Different rallies and gatherings will also take place on the occasion.The Ministry of Religious Affairs has planned a one-day National Seerat Conference in the federal capital, which would be chaired by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. Eminent Ulema and scholars across the country would attend the conference and present their articles and thoughts on the Seerat of the Holy Prophet (SAW). Milad committees and other factions of the society would play active role in the connection to make the event historic. Special Seerat banners and illuminations on public buildings throughout the country would be arranged. Alternative traffic plan in big cities of the country has prepared to avoid any inconvenience.Meanwhile, the capital police have finalised security arrangements in the federal capital for Eid Milad-un-Nabi(SAW) procession being taken out today (Tuesday).
Confrontation harmful for democracy
TUSSLE between the PML (N) and the PPP is seemingly pushing the country towards the brink of another bout of political instability, which the country can ill-afford now when it is facing social, economic, political and security dangers, internally and externally. This situation has developed when the Sharif brothers were disqualified of by the apex court and they reacted to the imposition of gubernatorial rule in Punjab, the province given to them by Gen Zia, with the design to weaken the PPP after the assassination of ZAB. The Sharifs are allegedly accusing President Zardari of pressuring the apex court to get them disqualified and, thereby, ostracise them from the current political process. To protest against their disqualification and imposition of the governor’s rule, they have been calling people for mass protests in central Punjab, considered to be the bastion of their support and power base. So far, according to some reports (Dawn, Feb 28), they are not receiving the response they were expecting to bring out people in the millions on the streets to bring major cities of Punjab to a standstill. In democracies, however, every individual has a right to protest and express his views in a peaceful manner, but the way the Sharifs are conducting themselves contradicts the democratic values and norms. At the Shaikhupura rally, the language used by Nawaz Sharif for the PPP co-chairman was unbecoming, and he openly called for civil disobedience. This is unfortunate. Such attitude is reminiscent of the time when the Sharifs were in confrontation with the PPP at the centre in the 1990s, which brought down the democratic system. This time too such an attitude will be harmful not only for democracy but also for the national unity and integrity. Nawaz Sharif should show maturity as a national leader. Consolidation of democracy is dependent on the political leadership. It has to be honest and public-spirited. It must have initiative, imagination and courage to see and foresee the needs of the people and problems of their country. John Stuart Mill has rightly said in his book Representative Government that democracy cannot flourish where sectional and parochial interests are stronger than national interest. Mill sounds relevant in our context where our national political leadership is pursuing its own petty agenda at the cost of national interest which, otherwise, requires all political parties to be one and show national unity in the face of internal and external challenges the nation is facing today. Today our society stands politically polarised, and each party is trying to outsmart the other in the political race. Having difference of opinion is a good thing and this is the beauty of democracy, but uprooting a democratically-elected government in the name of independent judiciary by riding on the shoulders of the lawyers’ movement is not a healthy sign. I have been a supporter of the lawyers’ movement right from the beginning and have been writing in these pages, but now the lawyers’ movement is losing the semblance of its neutrality, especially after the meeting of Ali Ahmed Kurd with political parties and seeking their support. There are no two opinions about the independence of the judiciary and restoration of deposed justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He must be restored but if his restoration does not take place for any reason, democracy should not be harmed and scuttled. The process of democratisation must move on and this way democracy can only remove its imperfections and grow as a strong force for survival and progress of the country. So, instead of indulging in confrontation, we should go for national reconciliation to defend and promote democracy in the country where it has been bleeding for more than 61 years. Hope, sanity will prevail and our politicians will find solutions through democratic means to heal the wounds of bleeding democracy, instead of uprooting it.
Dalai Lama Blasts China on 50th Uprising Anniversary
Dharmsala: The Dalai Lama on Tuesday blasted China by saying it has launched a “brutal crackdown” in Tibet since protests shook the Himalayan region last year.
Tibetan culture and identity are “nearing extinction,” he says in a speech, according to an advance copy released by his aides. “The Tibetan people are regarded like criminals, deserving to be put to death.”
He was giving the speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the failed uprising that sent him into exile.
Following protests last year in Tibet, China has stepped up its campaign to vilify the Dalai Lama, accusing him of leading a campaign to split the region from the rest of the country.
The Dalai Lama has denied the allegations, saying he is only seeking greater autonomy for the region to protect its unique Buddhist culture
Tibetan culture and identity are “nearing extinction,” he says in a speech, according to an advance copy released by his aides. “The Tibetan people are regarded like criminals, deserving to be put to death.”
He was giving the speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the failed uprising that sent him into exile.
Following protests last year in Tibet, China has stepped up its campaign to vilify the Dalai Lama, accusing him of leading a campaign to split the region from the rest of the country.
The Dalai Lama has denied the allegations, saying he is only seeking greater autonomy for the region to protect its unique Buddhist culture
Three-Tier Security For Ajmal Kasab
Mumbai: The Arthur Road Jail here is being fortified with three security rings to keep Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab, the sole 26/11 terrorist captured alive, safe from potential attackers, Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Naseem Khan said Tuesday.
“A crack team of the Mumbai Police will guard the outer periphery of the jail while the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) will guard the precincts inside. The core area where Kasab is lodged will be guarded by the jail’s own security set-up.
All parts of the jail will be monitored by cameras, some of which will be hidden. The images will be relayed to a central control room being manned by security officials, he added.Barriers of different types, including reinforced steel-concrete walls that can resist bombs, grenades and rapid fire weapons, are being erected for the first time inside the 84-year-old jail, making it among the most secure prisons in the country, a police official said.
Kasab, along with nine other terrorists, embarked on a killing spree here Nov 26, 2008 that lasted nearly 60 hours. Over 170 people lost their lives in the carnage.
He is lodged in the famous “anda cell” - called so because it is oval in shape - which is usually reserved for the most notorious criminals
“A crack team of the Mumbai Police will guard the outer periphery of the jail while the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) will guard the precincts inside. The core area where Kasab is lodged will be guarded by the jail’s own security set-up.
All parts of the jail will be monitored by cameras, some of which will be hidden. The images will be relayed to a central control room being manned by security officials, he added.Barriers of different types, including reinforced steel-concrete walls that can resist bombs, grenades and rapid fire weapons, are being erected for the first time inside the 84-year-old jail, making it among the most secure prisons in the country, a police official said.
Kasab, along with nine other terrorists, embarked on a killing spree here Nov 26, 2008 that lasted nearly 60 hours. Over 170 people lost their lives in the carnage.
He is lodged in the famous “anda cell” - called so because it is oval in shape - which is usually reserved for the most notorious criminals
Kyrgyz Opp leader detained over shooting
BISHKEK (AFP) - Kyrgyz authorities on Monday said they had arrested an opposition leader and former govt minister for alleged involvement in the shooting death of a Turkish citizen in 2007.The arrest followed several previous criminal cases launched against opponents of the Central Asian state’s government.Kyrgyzstan’s interior ministry said ex-foreign minister Alikbek Dzhekshenkulov, now leader of opposition movement For Justice, had been arrested after a gun belonging to him was found to have been used in the murder of a Turkish citizen.“A bullet recovered during a survey of the scene of the murder of Turkish citizen Servet Chetin was fired from a pistol belonging to Alikbek Dzhekshenkulov,” the ministry said in a statement.Two shell casings and a gun were found at the crime scene in the northwestern city of Talas and analysis proved the gun belonged to the ex-minister, the statement said.But opposition leaders said that the arrest of Dzhekshenkulov, an outspoken critic of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was politically motivated and linked to other recent government attempts to silence dissent.The ex-minister has been harassed by the government, they said, adding that this had led his son to seek political asylum in the United States.“Dzhekshenkulov was never involved in business at all and on that day was not even in Talas,” his party said in a press release.Two prominent opposition journalists have been severely attacked recently and the Kyrgyz government last week barred a prominent Russian human rights worker from entering the country.Vitaly Ponamaryov, regional head of Russian human rights group Memorial, was turned away at Manas airport and declared persona non grata after the group published a report critical of the government.
Discovery set to soar to space station
WASHINGTON (AFP) - After a month of delays, the US space shuttle Discovery is on Wednesday to head to the International Space Station to complete an overhaul of the power-generating systems on the orbital outpost.Weather permitting, Discovery will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, at about 9:18 pm (0118 GMT Thursday).Discovery’s seven astronauts, including Japan’s Koichi Wakata, are to deliver the fourth and last pair of power-generating solar panels to the ISS.Discovery’s launch date was announced following Friday’s flight readiness review, during which top NASA managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle’s equipment, support systems and procedures were ready for flight.The launch, originally set for February 12, had been delayed four times due to problems with control valves, which channel gaseous hydrogen from the shuttle’s three main engines. Three of the valves were replaced with newer ones, and NASA engineers said the delays were implemented as a precaution to test the valves, which had come under close scrutiny after a valve aboard space shuttle Endeavour was found to be damaged during its mission to the space station in November.At a news conference on Friday, Bill Gerstenmaier, an associate NASA administrator, said the review was a very thorough, but “the team came through, worked hard and was efficient.”Space Shuttle Program manager John Shannon said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration now had “definitive data to prove” that the upcoming launch was safe.“It feels good to be here with a firm launch date,” said Mike Leinbach, the space shuttle launch director. “I saw a lot of people after the meeting and the mood is really upbeat.”
250 Lankan rebels killed over weekend
COLOMBO (AFP) - The Sri Lankan military said Monday its troops had killed at least 250 Tamil Tigers during a weekend of fierce fighting around the rebels’ shrinking fiefdom in the northeast of the island.Army spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said the Tigers, boxed into an area of less than 50 square kilometres (19 square miles), had launched a series of counter-attacks against advancing troops in the district of Mullaittivu.The military said it had killed 100 rebels in clashes on Friday and Saturday. On Monday it said it found another 80 bodies from Sunday’s fighting.But Nanayakkara said at least 150 Tigers had been killed, calling it the bloodiest day for the guerrillas in the latest military campaign aimed at completely defeating them.“We have killed over 150 Tigers on Sunday and that is the biggest loss for them in a single battle,” Nanayakkara said adding that troops used special forces, artillery guns and aircraft to pound rebel strong points.“Security forces also lost a few soldiers... and a few (were) wounded,” he said, without giving precise figures for government casualties. He added that a large haul of guns and ammunition were found.The Sri Lankan government bars most journalists and aid workers from the north of the island, meaning the claims cannot be verified.
Gunmen kill two Shias in Quetta
QUETTA: Gunmen on a motorbike Monday killed two Shia Muslims in an apparent sectarian attack in Quetta, police said.
The victims were shot in their car on Kirani road, on the outskirts of Quetta which is in the grip of a tribal insurgency and violence linked to Taliban militants.
‘Two men from the Shiite community were shot dead by unknown gunmen who were on a motorbike,’ police official Shah Jahan told AFP.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the killings.
The attack came a week after five Shias were killed in another drive-by shooting in Quetta, which has a history of sectarian attacks involving Sunni and Shia Muslim extremists.
The victims were shot in their car on Kirani road, on the outskirts of Quetta which is in the grip of a tribal insurgency and violence linked to Taliban militants.
‘Two men from the Shiite community were shot dead by unknown gunmen who were on a motorbike,’ police official Shah Jahan told AFP.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the killings.
The attack came a week after five Shias were killed in another drive-by shooting in Quetta, which has a history of sectarian attacks involving Sunni and Shia Muslim extremists.
Oil Hovers Around $47 on OPEC
SINGAPORE: Oil edged down below $47 a barrel on Tuesday, as dealers mulled OPEC output options at a meeting this weekend and ahead of weekly US stocks data expected to show another fall in crude inventories.
OPEC’s largest member, Saudi Arabia, notified its Asian customers of largely steady cuts in supplies for April from March, traders said on Tuesday, a day after a Saudi-owned newspaper reported that the world’s top exporter wanted stricter compliance with existing curbs before considering more cuts.
U.S. light crude for April delivery fell 9 cents a barrel to $46.98 by 4:31 a.m. British time, having gained more than 3 percent on Monday, on OPEC’s hints of further cuts and after a naval incident between the United States and China.
London Brent crude was up 26 cents at $44.39 after settling 72 cents lower on Monday at $44.13.
“A lot of people were expecting Saudi Arabia to deepen the cuts ahead of the meeting. It looks like demand is going to fall further and OPEC will have to cut again,” said Tony Nunan, risk management manager at Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Corp.
Saudi Arabia planned to lower supplies to at least one European oil company in April, a trading source said on Monday.
OPEC will meet on Sunday to discuss more curbs to add to its current 4.2 million barrel per day (bpd) cuts agreed since September as oil prices have lost $100 from record highs over $147 a barrel hit in July as the economic crisis crimps demand.
OPEC Secretary-General Abdullah al-Badri said on Monday the 12-member producer group would consider reducing output again at the meeting. OPEC will slash its 2009 demand forecast by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in a monthly report due on Friday, Badri also said.
OPEC’s largest member, Saudi Arabia, notified its Asian customers of largely steady cuts in supplies for April from March, traders said on Tuesday, a day after a Saudi-owned newspaper reported that the world’s top exporter wanted stricter compliance with existing curbs before considering more cuts.
U.S. light crude for April delivery fell 9 cents a barrel to $46.98 by 4:31 a.m. British time, having gained more than 3 percent on Monday, on OPEC’s hints of further cuts and after a naval incident between the United States and China.
London Brent crude was up 26 cents at $44.39 after settling 72 cents lower on Monday at $44.13.
“A lot of people were expecting Saudi Arabia to deepen the cuts ahead of the meeting. It looks like demand is going to fall further and OPEC will have to cut again,” said Tony Nunan, risk management manager at Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Corp.
Saudi Arabia planned to lower supplies to at least one European oil company in April, a trading source said on Monday.
OPEC will meet on Sunday to discuss more curbs to add to its current 4.2 million barrel per day (bpd) cuts agreed since September as oil prices have lost $100 from record highs over $147 a barrel hit in July as the economic crisis crimps demand.
OPEC Secretary-General Abdullah al-Badri said on Monday the 12-member producer group would consider reducing output again at the meeting. OPEC will slash its 2009 demand forecast by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in a monthly report due on Friday, Badri also said.
Obama reverses Bush limits on stem cell research
WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Barack Obama Monday lifted his predecessor George W Bush’s curbs on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, promising a “new frontier” for US science free of political ideology.The Democratic president signed an executive order reversing a policy that critics say has hampered the fight into finding treatments for grave diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes.Warning that scientists were deserting the United States for other nations, Obama said “medical miracles” come about only through painstaking research and rejected the “false choice” between sound science and moral values.“When government fails to make these investments, opportunities are missed. Promising avenues go unexplored,” he said at the White House, lauding the potential to help victims of debilitating illnesses and catastrophic injury.“Ultimately, I cannot guarantee that we will find the treatments and cures we seek. No president can promise that,” Obama said.“But I can promise that we will seek them — actively, responsibly, and with the urgency required to make up for lost ground,” he said, paying tribute to advocates of the research such as late Superman actor Christopher Reeve.“Not just by opening up this new frontier of research today, but by supporting promising research of all kinds, including groundbreaking work to convert ordinary human cells into ones that resemble embryonic stem cells.” Obama directed the National Institutes of Health to formulate guidelines within 120 days on how to proceed with federal research on lines of stem cells procured from private laboratories such as fertility clinics.His order cannot affect a congressional ban on federal money being used directly to create new stem cells, which are primitive cells from early-stage embryos capable of developing into almost every tissue of the body.Addressing an audience of US lawmakers, scientists including three Nobel laureates and religious leaders, Obama also issued a presidential memorandum “restoring scientific integrity to government decision making.” The memorandum marked another break from claims that Bush intervened for partisan political reasons in federal science in areas such as climate change, endangered species and family planning.
Security in Karachi Beefed Up
KARACHI: Strict security measures have been taken in Karachi in connection with Eid Milad-un-Nabi (S.A.W.W) while provincial government claimed; it has put police and rangers on high alert besides deploying additional troops in major areas in metropolis.
According to SSP Security Maqsood Ahmed more than 10,000 police and rangers personnel have been deployed around various rallies, gatherings and processions on the eve of Eid Milad here.
Walk through security gates have been installed at both entrances of Nishtar Park besides covering it from all around where the massive public rally is expected to gather on Monday evening, he added.
“Many CCTV cameras have also been installed on which people will remain under constant monitoring. Plain clothed police personnel have been placed throughout park while all and sundry will be allowed to enter after a thorough search by latest search equipments”, he maintained.
Maqsood Ahmed underscored that the city government will assist police in security efforts via its Command and Control rooms and added, “The rallies will get bomb disposable squads and spy dogs’ clearance”.
According to SSP Security Maqsood Ahmed more than 10,000 police and rangers personnel have been deployed around various rallies, gatherings and processions on the eve of Eid Milad here.
Walk through security gates have been installed at both entrances of Nishtar Park besides covering it from all around where the massive public rally is expected to gather on Monday evening, he added.
“Many CCTV cameras have also been installed on which people will remain under constant monitoring. Plain clothed police personnel have been placed throughout park while all and sundry will be allowed to enter after a thorough search by latest search equipments”, he maintained.
Maqsood Ahmed underscored that the city government will assist police in security efforts via its Command and Control rooms and added, “The rallies will get bomb disposable squads and spy dogs’ clearance”.
US failing in Afghanistan: Iran
TEHERAN - Iran said on Monday the United States was failing in Afghanistan and that a new approach was needed, four days after Washington said it would invite Tehran to an international conference to discuss its neighbour, according to the Khaleej Times.Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki did not say whether Iran would accept the US invitation to this month’s planned meeting on Afghanistan, a swift overture toward Tehran by the new administration of US President Barack Obama.Iran’s government spokesman said on Saturday the Islamic Republic would consider such an invitation and that it was ready to help Afghanistan as it battles a growing Taliban insurgency.Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic ties for three decades and are now embroiled in a dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme, which the West suspects is aimed at making bombs. Iran says it is for peaceful power purposes. But the two foes share an interest in ensuring a stable Afghanistan, analysts say.Mottaki said the United States came to Afghanistan saying it would root out extremism, restore security and fight drugs. “All indicators in regard to these three areas show that the conditions have deteriorated sharply,” he told state television.Washington had indicated it needed a new direction but Tehran did not know how US policies in Afghanistan would change, he said.
Goodbye cricket, hello gulli danda
First off, what did the poor, gentle, Sri Lankans do to deserve the treatment they got in Lahore at our hands?
I ask this question in the manner I do because right-wing pundits and the authorities can bury their heads in the sand and say that this country and its own people had nothing to do with the atrocity; I believe it was no one but Pakistanis who planned, trained for, and did the dastardly deed.
They were quite obviously cousins to the beheading brigade who have recently taken over Swat after defeating the much-vaunted Pakistan Army and the craven government of the ANP which did not stand its ground.
What was the Sri Lankans’ crime, anyway? The fact that their country was the only country in the whole wide world that came to Pakistan’s aid when West Pakistani forces were fighting that ill-fated and cruel battle to prevent East Pakistan’s secession so many tragic years ago? This question is asked specifically because our security establishment, even today, insists that the mindlessly cruel militants who rule almost all of the Frontier today are ‘patriots’ who will come to Pakistan’s aid if there is need to ward off Indian aggression!
What, more specially, was the Sri Lankan cricket team’s fault? That they were the only cricket team in the whole wide world who were foolish enough to venture into the Land of the Pure, the frightening and horrendous place it has become? Really! We have more than proved the fact that we are a bunch of incompetents who have allowed yahoos to run riot in our country. ‘Yahoo’ is used here in the worst sense, described by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels as a race of wild beings who are half beast and half man, and who have none of the finer instincts of (even) beasts.
And what of the security lapses that are so apparent from the CCTV and TV footage as filmed by a private TV station that overlooks Liberty Chowk, where the attack on our guests took place? Twelve or 14 terrorists, carrying huge backpacks, saunter on to the Liberty roundabout, before the team was to pass along there, and no one finds them before the team’s bus arrives? Governor Taseer talks about SOPs being followed: is physically searching behind cover along a secured route, especially where a vehicle carrying a VVIP target has to slow down, not one of the most important SOPs ever?
The specifics now: The firing goes on for more than 25 minutes according to every report, yet not one terrorist is killed, not one disabled and captured. The Gulberg police station is located barely one hundred yards from the scene, yet not one policeman bestirs himself to saunter over and see what all the commotion is about, and in the process perhaps apprehend just one of the murderers? And the governor has the gall to say that Shahbaz Sharif himself did not tell him about the warning issued by the Punjab home department re: a possible attack on the Sri Lankans? I ask you!
It was nothing but a huge failure on the part of the present government, which failure will see Pakistan cricket die a quick and well-deserved death in this country. For look at the arrogant way in which the sport has been/is being run in the country. Just look at the ill-worded attack that the president of the PCB launched on Chris Broad, for God’s sake!
We are a very unique people; and for reasons best known only to ourselves we think the light shines out of our left ears and right nostrils. We are egotistical and conceited and simply will not face up to reality. Simply spoken, we do not deserve to play that game of gentlemen. It’s gulli danda for us, friends.
And other such sports that are the rage in the Land of the Pure; the Citadel of Islam; the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Sports such as hanging recently slaughtered corpses from electric poles and learning which is the exact place in the human solar plexus where the notice ordering passers-by not to take down the dead body before such and such a time in the morning can be affixed with a dagger.
Sports such as dragging women teachers (who insist on teaching girl pupils) from their homes in the dead of night by the hair after putting dancing-girl bells on their ankles (to announce them as nautch girls) to the nearest square and then slaughtering them and hanging their bodies in the manner stated above. Who wants boring old cricket, when we have all of the above?
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Security Czar Rehman Malik tells us Pakistan is in a state of war. Truer words were not spoken, but Malik did not tell us who we were at war with. He did not tell us that we were at war with ourselves, destroying what little is left of our country because of self-service and sheer incompetence. He did not tell us that our failed security establishment is mainly to blame for the extremely dire straits we are in: witness the debacle in Swat and much of Fata where the Taliban now rule supreme.
On the very day that Czar Malik pronounced that Pakistan was at war, the GOP told us the Mobile Courts Ordinance was issued during the sitting of parliament because neither the president, nor the law minister, nor the parliamentary affairs minister was aware that the National Assembly was in session! I ask you.
And amidst all of this, the PPP is doing to the PML-N in the Punjab in 2009 what Musharraf did to the PPP in Sindh in 2002: steal its majority in the provincial assembly and form its own government made up of odds and ends, even the ‘Qatil’ League. In an article of a few weeks ago I had asked to what avail had the PPP allowed the loud and in-your-face and adolescent Salman Taseer his shenanigans? For they will only bring grief to the party, and to those that sail in her.
I end with quoting from Taseer’s promoter, the Commando, who during his present visit to India has said he is quite willing to take over Pakistan’s presidency once more, if he is asked nicely. The man has brass of a very special kind, indeed.
I ask this question in the manner I do because right-wing pundits and the authorities can bury their heads in the sand and say that this country and its own people had nothing to do with the atrocity; I believe it was no one but Pakistanis who planned, trained for, and did the dastardly deed.
They were quite obviously cousins to the beheading brigade who have recently taken over Swat after defeating the much-vaunted Pakistan Army and the craven government of the ANP which did not stand its ground.
What was the Sri Lankans’ crime, anyway? The fact that their country was the only country in the whole wide world that came to Pakistan’s aid when West Pakistani forces were fighting that ill-fated and cruel battle to prevent East Pakistan’s secession so many tragic years ago? This question is asked specifically because our security establishment, even today, insists that the mindlessly cruel militants who rule almost all of the Frontier today are ‘patriots’ who will come to Pakistan’s aid if there is need to ward off Indian aggression!
What, more specially, was the Sri Lankan cricket team’s fault? That they were the only cricket team in the whole wide world who were foolish enough to venture into the Land of the Pure, the frightening and horrendous place it has become? Really! We have more than proved the fact that we are a bunch of incompetents who have allowed yahoos to run riot in our country. ‘Yahoo’ is used here in the worst sense, described by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels as a race of wild beings who are half beast and half man, and who have none of the finer instincts of (even) beasts.
And what of the security lapses that are so apparent from the CCTV and TV footage as filmed by a private TV station that overlooks Liberty Chowk, where the attack on our guests took place? Twelve or 14 terrorists, carrying huge backpacks, saunter on to the Liberty roundabout, before the team was to pass along there, and no one finds them before the team’s bus arrives? Governor Taseer talks about SOPs being followed: is physically searching behind cover along a secured route, especially where a vehicle carrying a VVIP target has to slow down, not one of the most important SOPs ever?
The specifics now: The firing goes on for more than 25 minutes according to every report, yet not one terrorist is killed, not one disabled and captured. The Gulberg police station is located barely one hundred yards from the scene, yet not one policeman bestirs himself to saunter over and see what all the commotion is about, and in the process perhaps apprehend just one of the murderers? And the governor has the gall to say that Shahbaz Sharif himself did not tell him about the warning issued by the Punjab home department re: a possible attack on the Sri Lankans? I ask you!
It was nothing but a huge failure on the part of the present government, which failure will see Pakistan cricket die a quick and well-deserved death in this country. For look at the arrogant way in which the sport has been/is being run in the country. Just look at the ill-worded attack that the president of the PCB launched on Chris Broad, for God’s sake!
We are a very unique people; and for reasons best known only to ourselves we think the light shines out of our left ears and right nostrils. We are egotistical and conceited and simply will not face up to reality. Simply spoken, we do not deserve to play that game of gentlemen. It’s gulli danda for us, friends.
And other such sports that are the rage in the Land of the Pure; the Citadel of Islam; the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Sports such as hanging recently slaughtered corpses from electric poles and learning which is the exact place in the human solar plexus where the notice ordering passers-by not to take down the dead body before such and such a time in the morning can be affixed with a dagger.
Sports such as dragging women teachers (who insist on teaching girl pupils) from their homes in the dead of night by the hair after putting dancing-girl bells on their ankles (to announce them as nautch girls) to the nearest square and then slaughtering them and hanging their bodies in the manner stated above. Who wants boring old cricket, when we have all of the above?
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Security Czar Rehman Malik tells us Pakistan is in a state of war. Truer words were not spoken, but Malik did not tell us who we were at war with. He did not tell us that we were at war with ourselves, destroying what little is left of our country because of self-service and sheer incompetence. He did not tell us that our failed security establishment is mainly to blame for the extremely dire straits we are in: witness the debacle in Swat and much of Fata where the Taliban now rule supreme.
On the very day that Czar Malik pronounced that Pakistan was at war, the GOP told us the Mobile Courts Ordinance was issued during the sitting of parliament because neither the president, nor the law minister, nor the parliamentary affairs minister was aware that the National Assembly was in session! I ask you.
And amidst all of this, the PPP is doing to the PML-N in the Punjab in 2009 what Musharraf did to the PPP in Sindh in 2002: steal its majority in the provincial assembly and form its own government made up of odds and ends, even the ‘Qatil’ League. In an article of a few weeks ago I had asked to what avail had the PPP allowed the loud and in-your-face and adolescent Salman Taseer his shenanigans? For they will only bring grief to the party, and to those that sail in her.
I end with quoting from Taseer’s promoter, the Commando, who during his present visit to India has said he is quite willing to take over Pakistan’s presidency once more, if he is asked nicely. The man has brass of a very special kind, indeed.
Aniston house-hunts in New York
JENNIFER Aniston could be moving to the Big Apple. The actress was spotted looking at luxury apartments in New York last week.Jennifer, 40, is currently dating musician John Mayer, 31.Her new movie Marley & Me is out now. - NOW
Dhaka Mutiny Was Pre-Planned, Reveals Investigation
Dhaka: The investigation into the Bangladesh Rifles troopers’ mutiny last month has shown that the carnage could be “pre-planned” and around 450 border guards were involved in the massacre in which 74 people were killed.
The investigation into the BDR mutiny revealed that “some outsiders” had knowledge about the rebellion, a top official of a law enforcement agency said.
“We have found involvement of around 450 BDR officials and jawans in the mutiny after scrutinising the video footages and photographs,” The Daily Tuesday quoted an investigator as saying.
The official said they are now trying to get details about the 450-odd mutineers by interrogating those who were arrested.
The border guards revolted Feb 25-26 over low wages and poor working conditions.
“We have so far identified 10 to 12 BDR members who led several groups of mutineers during the 33-hour-long bloody mutiny,” said the official.
Another investigator said: “The investigation found that it was done in a planned way. When a group of mutineers attacked and killed BDR Director General Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed at the Darbar Hall, another group simultaneously attacked his residence and injured two guards there.”
After killing army officers at the BDR headquarters, the rebels dumped the bodies in the sewer and mass graves in such a way that the rescuers found it difficult to trace those, the report said Tuesday.
Investigators said they are finding it hard to identify the BDR personnel who were on duty at the BDR gates and five armouries inside the BDR headquarters as the duty rosters had either been burnt or torn up.
“This suggests that it was a pre-planned act and we are trying to find the mastermind behind it,” said an investigator.
The mutiny by the BDR troopers broke out Feb 25 when they took control of their headquarters in the capital. The troopers revolted over low wages and poor working conditions.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina offered general amnesty to them, but the troopers were defiant and refused to lay down arms.
The government held talks with a delegation of the mutineers Feb 26 and an agreement was reached but by that time, the mutiny spread to other BDR camps around the country.
The revolt ended in the face of an imminent attack by the Bangladesh Army which moved tanks into position outside the BDR headquarters. The mutineers then laid down their arms.
The investigation into the BDR mutiny revealed that “some outsiders” had knowledge about the rebellion, a top official of a law enforcement agency said.
“We have found involvement of around 450 BDR officials and jawans in the mutiny after scrutinising the video footages and photographs,” The Daily Tuesday quoted an investigator as saying.
The official said they are now trying to get details about the 450-odd mutineers by interrogating those who were arrested.
The border guards revolted Feb 25-26 over low wages and poor working conditions.
“We have so far identified 10 to 12 BDR members who led several groups of mutineers during the 33-hour-long bloody mutiny,” said the official.
Another investigator said: “The investigation found that it was done in a planned way. When a group of mutineers attacked and killed BDR Director General Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed at the Darbar Hall, another group simultaneously attacked his residence and injured two guards there.”
After killing army officers at the BDR headquarters, the rebels dumped the bodies in the sewer and mass graves in such a way that the rescuers found it difficult to trace those, the report said Tuesday.
Investigators said they are finding it hard to identify the BDR personnel who were on duty at the BDR gates and five armouries inside the BDR headquarters as the duty rosters had either been burnt or torn up.
“This suggests that it was a pre-planned act and we are trying to find the mastermind behind it,” said an investigator.
The mutiny by the BDR troopers broke out Feb 25 when they took control of their headquarters in the capital. The troopers revolted over low wages and poor working conditions.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina offered general amnesty to them, but the troopers were defiant and refused to lay down arms.
The government held talks with a delegation of the mutineers Feb 26 and an agreement was reached but by that time, the mutiny spread to other BDR camps around the country.
The revolt ended in the face of an imminent attack by the Bangladesh Army which moved tanks into position outside the BDR headquarters. The mutineers then laid down their arms.
Millions flock to India’s hugging guru
AMRITAPURI (India): The droves who come here leave with no souvenirs, no memories of posh hotels, nothing more than they brought. All they came for was a hug. The woman offering the soft embrace is considered a guru, and her tender approach and simple message have galvanised followers to amass in crowds thousands deep at stops around the globe. Part of the appeal of Mata Amritanandamayi, or Amma, as she is universally known, are teachings she says transcend any single faith, let alone simply her Hindu upbringing. “My message is not unique,” she says through an interpreter. “There will ever only be one message capable of purifying man, nature, the atmosphere, the earth we live on and life itself. That message is: Act with compassion and love for all our fellow beings.” The masses aren’t coming for Amma’s eloquence, though. Far more than any oratory, any dogma, any writings, people are drawn here by her touch, and so they line up and wait in marathon hugging sessions that can stretch 20 hours and more. The guru’s aides say she sleeps little, sometimes just an hour a night, but is as eager to hug her first visitor as her last. Here, on these lush banks of the Arabian Sea near India’s southern tip, along backwaters dotted with coconut and cashew trees, Amma has built the capital of hugs. Her ashram, or spiritual centre, is a maze of buildings reached by boat or a footbridge over a river. Eventually, visitors find a large open-air auditorium with a group of men playing music and chanting, and lines of plastic chairs full of people awaiting their turn to walk up the ramp at stage right. When they finally make it, they enter a space so full of people it is hard to move. Amma is finally in sight. She is wrapped in a sheer white sari. Her dark hair is tinged with grey and pulled back, her face round, her features soft. Her ears and nose are pierced, and a red and gold dot is worn between her eyebrows. Her smile is beaming but imperfect. She looks older than her 55 years. She offers hugs as aides come to her with varied questions about her multimillion-dollar charity network of hospitals and orphanages; she gesticulates frequently as she talks. When the time comes, the visitor is nudged to sink to his knees before Amma’s makeshift throne covered in gold fabric. And, in an instant, it happens. She holds the visitor’s head tightly between her shoulder and face, uttering in Malayalam what is unintelligible to the non-speaker. Some, she simply holds, others she gently strokes or pats their backs. Some are brief encounters; others last several minutes. Some sob. Others can’t help but to break into a gaping smile of their own. Some tremble, believing they have been given a divine touch. Nearly everyone seems moved. When it is over, Amma offers her visitor a small gift often a hard candy or piece of fruit and the line moves on. All told, her aides claim she has done this more than 25 million times. “Her hugs are really like a sermon,” said Vasudha Narayanan, the director of the Centre for the Study of Hindu Traditions at the University of Florida. “In her touch, in her hugs are the greatest teachings.” The experience so moves some that they give up their lives to follow the guru. Dante Sawyer was editing a jazz magazine in New York when he first met Amma in 1998. He had never felt anything like it. “You really experience a love that’s given completely, selflessly – it’s just like sunlight pouring out,” said 35-year-old Sawyer, who is known at the ashram simply as Sachin. “It’s a love that doesn’t have demands of you.” Two years after first meeting Amma a name that means mother in Malayalam he moved here to dedicate his life to her work. Countless others have similar stories to tell. Amma was named Sudhamani when born to a relatively poor family here and from childhood was said to have spent a great deal of time meditating, singing and chanting, fixing her eyes on a picture of Krishna. As her followers tell it, she felt compassion for others from an early age, even to untouchables, and was driven to tears by others’ suffering. Her own family viewed her with disdain, even wondering if she was mentally ill, those who tell her story say, and she was beaten and treated as a servant. She even pondered suicide. All sorts of lore surrounds her story, including miraculous claims of turning water to milk and allowing a poisonous cobra to flick its tongue against her own. However it happened, though, as a young woman she attracted a following. Some ridiculed her and deemed her a fraud, but the number of devotees grew, and people began to journey to her in the 1970s. She became regarded as a guru, but unlike other Hindu spiritual masters, she allowed herself to be more than just seen, offering her touch to anyone who wanted it. Amma’s touch is seen as having the potential to ignite one’s spiritual power. Critics remain, charging Amma’s movement amounts to a personality cult. They question the finances of her organisation or even claim it is linked to radical groups. Amma and her followers reject such accusations. Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, considered Amma’s most senior disciple, says the guru has attracted so many followers because she is accessible to anyone and allows people to feel the presence of God. “She is humble but firm as the earth,” he writes. “She is simple yet beautiful like the full moon. She is love, she is truth, she is the embodiment of renunciation and self-sacrifice.” Today, her spiritual star power drives not only her popularity, but the success of international humanitarian efforts fuelled by millions in donations. A visitor to her ashram is not asked to give anything, but many around the world do, funding her many Indian charitable endeavours, as well as massive relief for those affected by events such as the Asian tsunami. She has a sleek website. Her movements are tracked on Twitter. She even has a logo. At the end of her exceptionally long days, Amma climbs the steps to a simple studio apartment in a small peach-coloured walk-up at the ashram. She will go to bed alone, having refuted her parents’ numerous attempts to arrange a marriage. Amma received no formal education beyond the age of 10, and on this day, like every other, she has steered away from scriptural specifics. But her message is clear. It is about taking as little as possible and giving the maximum, about embracing the core of faith. It is, in essence, about a hug.—AP
Musharraf for politics of reconciliation
KARACHI-Former President Pervez Musharraf on Monday said that only the politics of reconciliation can bring in harmony in the country, as we are facing hard times.He said this while addressing a Press conference held after his arrival from India in Karachi at a house in DHA.Musharraf said that the country cannot afford politics of confrontation, and the govt of PPP should complete its term if it gives the people of the country relief and solve their problems.On the threats from India for the surgical strikes on Pakistan, he expressed his concern that it might lead to a war between both the countries. He urged that we should form a think tank and must organise different forums to abandon the prevailing tense situation between Pakistan and India without keeping the past in mind. Musharraf said that he is not interested in joining any political party, however, he avoided to comment on the Long March of lawyers fraternity.On the current politics of PML (N), he said Sharif brothers are themselves responsible for whatever is happening with them. He said extremist elements exist in our society but he ruled out success in war on terror only through use of force.Musharraf said he went to India as a common citizen for delivering lecture where he was provided security protocol of a former President. This kind of visits help remove misunderstandings, he added.The scholars with whom I interacted during the visit questioned me with an open mind and also listened attentively to what I had to say, he said.He said he felt that India had more misperceptions.He said good progress was being made on Kashmir issue during his regime.
KARACHI: Major anomalies found in KU accounts
KARACHI, March 8: Irregularities costing the government over Rs157.89 million were detected in the accounts of the University of Karachi by auditors in their report for 2005-06. These anomalies came to the fore in the form of a difference in the bank balance and cash book, non-adjustment of advances, payment without sanction, payment of medical allowances to non-gazetted officials, grant of honorarium, house rent, non-accountal of receipts and non-deduction of income tax. The biggest amount of Rs105.74 million pertains to negligence as on June 30, 2005, the closing balance of Rs106.71 million was shown in the cash book against the bank balance of Rs9.71m on the same day, revealing a huge difference of Rs105.74m between the cash book and the bank balance. During the DCA meeting on Feb 20, 2007, the university authorities stated that the difference in the balance of the cash book and the bank account would be cleared when the reconciliation process was completed. The university was asked to produce bank reconciliation statements for financial years 2002-03 to 2004-05 to the auditors for verification, but the same were not provided till the finalisation of the audit report. The report – which was sent to the Sindh governor and is now awaiting scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee of the Sindh Assembly – also shows non-adjustment of advances of Rs28.08m in violation of Rule 668 of the Central Treasury Rules. The university had granted Rs29.38m in advances under the heads of general, medical and engineering to various employees. But only Rs1.29m adjustment in respect of general advances were verified. At the DAC meeting held on Feb 20, 07, the university sated that Rs6.36m was already adjusted, but the adjustment of vouchers in some cases was still in process. The university was asked to provide the record of the sanction for the medical advance and civil work, but by the time of finalisation of the report, they were not provided. Cooperative teachers Another irregularity detected pertains to the payment of Rs16.71m made in the absence of sanctioned strength in violation of Para 108 of the General Financial Rules, Volume 1, as it was noticed that 164 cooperative teachers were appointed for various departments during 2004-05, who were drawing salaries regularly and Rs16.71m was paid to cooperative teachers, while the post of cooperative teachers was neither sanctioned nor approved by the syndicate. However, at the DAC meeting, the university authorities stated that cooperative teachers were always appointed against vacant budgeted posts for limited periods and with the approval of the vice-chancellor. The university was asked why the posts of cooperative teachers were not published to provide an equal opportunity to aspirants and why all teachers continued even after the expiry of six months. Another anomaly pertains to unjustified payment of Rs3.08m medical allowance to 426 gazetted officers who were not entitled to it. The university took the plea that the allowance was granted by a syndicate resolution dated Sept 18, 1999. The university was asked to refer the matter to the Higher Education Commission but the authorities failed to do so. During the audit, it was found that the university had granted an honorarium of Rs2.06m to cooperative teachers and other staff of the university during 2004-05. The honorarium was not admissible to cooperative teachers as their remuneration was fixed. The record of acknowledgement receipts was also not produced. In the university accounts, it was noticed that Rs1.32m was realised on account of a CSS preparation programme, but the same was not accounted for in the cash book, neither was this income shown in the annual financial statements for 2004-05. The university incurred an expenditure of Rs16.636m on account of remuneration to invigilators, but income tax at 3.5 per cent – amounting to over Rs0.582m – was not deducted at source. At the DAC meeting, the university authorities stated that after consultation with the income tax department, income tax at six per cent was being deducted from the bills of invigilators, but no proof was produced in its support. Likewise, the university paid over Rs0.325m house rent allowance to various officers despite the fact that they were allotted university accommodations. At the DAC meeting, the authorities stated that the house rent allowance was being deducted from the pay of employees, but no record was produced in its support.
Eating fish improves teens’ IQ, says study
STOCKHOLM, March 9: Your mother was right: Eating fish makes you smarter, according to a Swedish study released on Monday which shows that eating enough of the aquatic vertebrates clearly enhances teenage boys’ IQ levels. “We discovered a clear connection between frequently eating fish and higher (teenage IQ) scores,” Prof Kjell Toren, who supervised the study at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, said in a statement. The study, published in the March issue of child health journal Acta Paediatrica, examined the general IQ scores, verbal abilities and spatial understanding of 3,972 Swedish boys in 2000 when they were 15 years old and again when they were conscripted in the military three years later. Boys who at the age of 15 ate fish at least once a week on average scored seven per cent better on the general IQ test three years later, while those who ate fish more than once a week scored 12 per cent higher, the study showed. “There was a clear connection between regular consumption of fish at the age of 15 and improved cognitive abilities at the age of 18,” Maria Aaberg, who co-authored the report, said in the statement. When it came to verbal abilities, 15-year-olds who ate fish once a week scored four per cent better than their peers in tests three years later, while those who ate fish more than once a week did nine per cent better. As for spatial understanding, 15-year-old fish eaters did seven and 11 per cent better respectively in tests at the age of 18. Fish are a direct source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to be essential for cognitive development and normal brain functioning, and a number of international studies have shown that eating fish during pregnancy improves foetal intellectual development. Other studies have revealed that fish consumption can help slow cognitive decline in elderly people. “It now appears that fish in the diet in a valuable way contributes to improving mental achievements in male teenagers,” Ms Aaberg said, pointing out that the Swedish study had taken into account a number of variables, including ethnicity, exercise and the education levels of the boys’ parents. The researchers have now begun examining if consumption of particular types of fish has an impact on intellectual development.—AFP
Elders sign peace deal
KHAR (Agencies) - Tribesmen signed a deal with authorities Monday, promising not to shelter militants in a tribal area on the Afghan border where the military said the Taliban had been defeated.
The 28-point deal came as Taliban fighters released five soldiers who were kidnapped when the military launched a massive operation in Bajaur six months ago and after five rebels were killed in clashes with troops.
Government launched the offensive last August to stop militants attacking foreign troops in Afghanistan from safe havens over the border.
Residents say reconstruction and basic services such as water and electricity are desperately important if peace efforts are to last in Bajaur.
The blueprint was signed by tribal elders from Mamoun, the most populous district in the semi-autonomous tribal region of Bajaur, and government officials in Khar, the main town in the area.
“Tribal elders assured the government that militants will lay down arms and live peacefully in Mamoun under the deal,” local administration official, Shafirullah Khan, told reporters after the signing ceremony.
He said that all militant organisations would be disbanded in the area and that the writ of government would be restored.
“Foreign militants will not be harboured by anyone in Mamoun and rebels will not set up any training camps,” Khan added.
The 28-point deal came as Taliban fighters released five soldiers who were kidnapped when the military launched a massive operation in Bajaur six months ago and after five rebels were killed in clashes with troops.
Government launched the offensive last August to stop militants attacking foreign troops in Afghanistan from safe havens over the border.
Residents say reconstruction and basic services such as water and electricity are desperately important if peace efforts are to last in Bajaur.
The blueprint was signed by tribal elders from Mamoun, the most populous district in the semi-autonomous tribal region of Bajaur, and government officials in Khar, the main town in the area.
“Tribal elders assured the government that militants will lay down arms and live peacefully in Mamoun under the deal,” local administration official, Shafirullah Khan, told reporters after the signing ceremony.
He said that all militant organisations would be disbanded in the area and that the writ of government would be restored.
“Foreign militants will not be harboured by anyone in Mamoun and rebels will not set up any training camps,” Khan added.
Musharraf Was Ready to Name Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister
Lahore: Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed has claimed that former president Pervez Musharraf was ready to name Benazir Bhutto the Prime Minister for the third time.
According to a private TV channel, Rasheed said that Benazir was in contact with Musharraf prior to the signing of the Charter of Democracy.
“The long march does not remain in the lawyers’ hand now, as the politicians have joined the show,” the Daily Times quoted him, as saying.
Rashid also criticised Nawaz Sharif’s decision to take to the streets, which would provide extra time to Zardari, but “the third force” would overthrow both of them if the confrontation continued.
According to a private TV channel, Rasheed said that Benazir was in contact with Musharraf prior to the signing of the Charter of Democracy.
“The long march does not remain in the lawyers’ hand now, as the politicians have joined the show,” the Daily Times quoted him, as saying.
Rashid also criticised Nawaz Sharif’s decision to take to the streets, which would provide extra time to Zardari, but “the third force” would overthrow both of them if the confrontation continued.
PCB vows to host 2011 WC despite international boycott call: Ijaz
LAHORE: A week after terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said that he expects teams to tour Pakistan in "six to nine months". He was also confident that Pakistan would remain a co-host of the 2011 World Cup. "I'd expect tours to start again as soon as possible. I'd give it six to nine months," Butt told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I definitely think that we will stage part of the World Cup in 2011." Butt, however, said that he would expect the Pakistan government to guarantee visiting teams' security. "I would want us to get security to a level that would be a guarantee from my government that no such incident like this could happen again, or I will not invite anybody," he said. "Once I have this assurance I may then invite people to come here. But this can happen anywhere. I cannot give that guarantee, but my government can. If they cannot then we will not have cricket in Pakistan at all." ICC president David Morgan had said earlier that "it would seem the level of security was not as expected" at the time of the terrorist attack. The security measures were also criticised by the match referee Chris Broad and umpire Simon Taufel who were among those attacked.—Agency
Watchmen conquers US box office
SUPERHERO film Watchmen has stormed to the top of the North American box office in its opening weekend. The comic book adaptation about a team of retired, flawed superheroes took $55.7m (ú39.8m) - the biggest opening weekend of 2009 so far. However it fell short of the $60m-plus (ú42.8m) range expected by Warner Bros. With no other new releases to compete against, it easily surpassed last week’s number one, Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, which took $8.8m (£6.3m). Dan Fellman, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Warner Bros, said the film’s 161-minute running time inevitably affected business, restricting cinemas to one main evening screening. Male moviegoers accounted for about two-thirds of the audience, with the “sweet spot” aged between 17 and 35, Fellman said. Many Watchmen enthusiasts also raced to Imax cinemas to see the film on the bigger screens. Greg Foster, chairman and president of Imax Filmed Entertainment, said the movie sold out on all 124 Imax screens it was playing on during the weekend and was the second largest opening in the company’s history behind 2008’s The Dark Knight. Fans of the comic book series by writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons waited two decades for the film to come to the big-screen. The anticipation was complicated last year when Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox fought over who owned rights to the movie. The studios eventually settled in January, keeping the 6 March opening intact. Elsewhere on the box office chart, Liam Neeson thriller Taken rose one place to number three on the chart bringing its six week total to $118m (£84.7m). – BBCThe biggest casualty in the top 10 was Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, which fell from number two to nine.
Expatriates demand Iftikhar reinstatement
NEW YORK - A group of Pakistani-Americans belonging to various political parties and organisations on Monday afternoon staged a token hunger strike near the Pakistani Consulate General in New York demanding restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and the end of Governor Rule in Punjab.Ringed by a dozen police officers, some 35 to 40 people shouted slogans of “We want democracy, not dictatorship,” “We want justice”. Representatives of Tehrik-i-Insaf, PML-N, Pakistan Freedom Forum, Pakistan-US Lawyers Forum, and Pukhtunkhwa Movement were among those who staged the hunger strike from 10 am to 7 pm. Slogans were also raised against President Zardari and former President Musharraf.
Rocket attack at UK Army Base in Basra
LONDON: A “foreign civilian” was killed in a rocket attack on a military base at the Basra airport, southern Iraq, the U.K’s Ministry of Defence said Monday.
A ministry spokesman said he couldn’t identify the nationality of the victim. The spokesman also said he didn’t know how many rockets were fired. News reports indicated at least three rockets were fired.
The U.K. has around 4,100 troops in southern Iraq, who are due to leave by the end of July. They are training the Iraqi army.
Basra airport is the main military base in the south. At the start of the year, U.K. forces handed control of the base to Iraq. The attack is reportedly the first at the base since December last year.
A ministry spokesman said he couldn’t identify the nationality of the victim. The spokesman also said he didn’t know how many rockets were fired. News reports indicated at least three rockets were fired.
The U.K. has around 4,100 troops in southern Iraq, who are due to leave by the end of July. They are training the Iraqi army.
Basra airport is the main military base in the south. At the start of the year, U.K. forces handed control of the base to Iraq. The attack is reportedly the first at the base since December last year.
PA session after any alliance shows majority, says Governor
LAHORE (APP) - Governor Punjab Salman Taseer Monday said that Punjab Assembly session would be convened only when two of the Parliamentary parties after making an alliance, submit requisition to him for the purpose.Talking to eight-member media delegation of Bangladesh at his camp office here, the Governor said that there were three major political parties in PA i.e. PML-N, PPP and PML-Q and no political party had simple majority in PA.“ None of them can show majority until the two parties enter into an alliance as the Constitution barred floor-crossing of members. He said that the Governor Rule was purely of democratic nature as all basic human rights are intact as no emergency or Section 144 is imposed in the province and Press is free, while Punjab Assembly is still intact.“ The Governor Rule is only imposed to fulfil the Constitutional vacuum created after the disqualification of Sharif brother. About the disqualification of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, the Governor said that the disqualification of Sharif brothers was purely a court’s decision and PPP has nothing to do with it.“ PPP has reinstated all deposed judges except the two,” he said adding PML-N has politicised the judges’ issue.To a question, Taseer said that political parties were allowed to hold public meetings but nobody would be permitted to create law and order situation in the province.The Governor also stressed the need for promoting people to people contact to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.“ Bangladesh is our brotherly Muslim country and we have to forget the bitter experience of the past,” he added. The delegation headed by Chairamn Free Thinkers Forum, Bangladesh, Ch Jehangir thanked the Governor for bestowing good hospitality.
Pakistan Women score World Cup win against Sri Lankans
CANBERRA: The Pakistan Women’s cricket team bounced back in the ICC Women’s World Cup with a 57-run win against Sri Lanka Women on Monday.
Urooj Mumtaz, Pakistan captain won the toss and elected to bat first at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, despite skittling out for 51 in the first match against India. This time, however, Pakistan got off to a good start with openers Nain Abidi and Bismah Maroof adding 47 runs for the first wicket. The other batters also chipped in with useful knocks of 20, 21 and 22 from Sajida Shah, Urooj Mumtaz and Sana Mir. Pakistan ended up with a total of 161 off their allotted 50 overs, a big improvement from their previous total against India.
When the Sri Lankan team came in to bat, they were put under pressure straight away with three quick wickets from pacer Qanita Jalil, who removed openers Chamari Kumariham and Hiruka Fernando in the third over. The Sri Lankan captain, Shashikala Siriwardene played a solid knock and tried to hold the innings together but wickets kept falling around her and when Siriwardene got out for 58 in the 36th over, there was no way back for the Lankans.
The players of the match award went to Qanita Jalil for her brilliant opening spell and useful 19 runs at the end of Pakistan’s innings.
This was a much improved performance from the girls in green after a thrashing at the hands of India and they will now play their final group match against England Women on Thursday (March 12).
The two groups comprise four teams each and the top three teams from both groups will advance to the Super Six stage that will get underway on Saturday (March 14). As things stand, Pakistan, India and England have all won a match each. If Sri Lanka lose their last match against Sri Lanka, Pakistan will proceed to the Super Sixes, which will be a great achievement for a team that is participating in the World Cup for the first time.
Urooj Mumtaz, Pakistan captain won the toss and elected to bat first at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, despite skittling out for 51 in the first match against India. This time, however, Pakistan got off to a good start with openers Nain Abidi and Bismah Maroof adding 47 runs for the first wicket. The other batters also chipped in with useful knocks of 20, 21 and 22 from Sajida Shah, Urooj Mumtaz and Sana Mir. Pakistan ended up with a total of 161 off their allotted 50 overs, a big improvement from their previous total against India.
When the Sri Lankan team came in to bat, they were put under pressure straight away with three quick wickets from pacer Qanita Jalil, who removed openers Chamari Kumariham and Hiruka Fernando in the third over. The Sri Lankan captain, Shashikala Siriwardene played a solid knock and tried to hold the innings together but wickets kept falling around her and when Siriwardene got out for 58 in the 36th over, there was no way back for the Lankans.
The players of the match award went to Qanita Jalil for her brilliant opening spell and useful 19 runs at the end of Pakistan’s innings.
This was a much improved performance from the girls in green after a thrashing at the hands of India and they will now play their final group match against England Women on Thursday (March 12).
The two groups comprise four teams each and the top three teams from both groups will advance to the Super Six stage that will get underway on Saturday (March 14). As things stand, Pakistan, India and England have all won a match each. If Sri Lanka lose their last match against Sri Lanka, Pakistan will proceed to the Super Sixes, which will be a great achievement for a team that is participating in the World Cup for the first time.
Islam Has no link With Sectarianism: PM Gilani
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said Islam has no link with the sectarianism. Addressing National Seerat Conference in Islamabad Gilani called for introduction of Islamic universal teachings to the world.
The Muslims around the world are victims of educational, economic and political backwardness, the prime minister said. “All negative tendencies like sectarianism, terrorism and extremism are being attributed to the Muslims.”
“The Muslims would have to prove with practice that Islam is the religion of peace and harmony,” he added.
The Muslims around the world are victims of educational, economic and political backwardness, the prime minister said. “All negative tendencies like sectarianism, terrorism and extremism are being attributed to the Muslims.”
“The Muslims would have to prove with practice that Islam is the religion of peace and harmony,” he added.
Lanka doesn't see India hand in 3/3 attack
COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka on Monday rejected reports that neighbouring India may have been involved in the terrorist attack against the island’s national cricket team in Pakistan. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said Pakistan has promised an interim report on last Tuesday’s Lahore assault. “From our point of view, there is no Indian involvement,” he said in response to media speculation that New Delhi had links to the ambush in an attempt to discredit its nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan. “India has helped us in our counter-terrorist efforts. I don’t see a need for India to target the Sri Lankan cricket team,” Bogollagama said.Media reports had speculated that India’s external intelligence agency may have had a hand in the Lahore attacks in a tit-for-tat retaliation for the November siege in Mumbai. Bogollagama said Pakistan was investigating the Lahore incident where unknown gunmen fired automatic weapons, grenades and a rocket launcher on the team bus, officials and coaches on their way to the second Test in Lahore.The Australian and United States governments have also offered their support in tracking down those responsible for the deadly ambush, said Bogollagama, who held talks with Pakistani leaders shortly after the incident. Sri Lanka, which has been battling the separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) since 1972, remains deeply suspicious that the rebels may have had a hand in the attacks.“We are not ruling out links with the LTTE. The LTTE are known to have links with international terrorist groups. Our initial suspicions are on the LTTE,” Bogollagama said. Three Sri Lankan players and their British assistant coach Paul Farbrace remained in hospital on Monday, while the other four were discharged last week after the squad was flown home following the shooting, a doctor said.
A possible Kashmir solution
It appears that the two countries were about to reach an understanding on creating a new legal and political entity covering the entire state of Kashmir, the parts being currently administered by both Pakistan and India. The state would have been given a fair degree of autonomy and would have been governed by a body with membership drawn from both India and Pakistan. A sort of Kashmir Commission would have been created to manage the state.
The Line of Control, the current border between the Indian-occupied Kashmir and the Pakistani-held Kashmir, would have been turned into a soft border, open to unconstrained trade. The movement of people across this quasi-border would have been free. People’s movement beyond the established borders of the two countries would have been regulated according to the laws of the two states. Although the press reports did not indicate what kind of passports and citizenship the Kashmiri people would have carried, I presume that a separate national identity would have been created.
This near-agreement collapsed after President Pervez Musharraf was forced to leave office. The terrorist attacks on Mumbai last November dealt another blow to the developing understanding. It is presumably lying on a shelf in diplomatic cold storage in New Delhi. Will it ever see the light of day?
The current political turmoil in Pakistan has contributed if not to the demise of the agreement then at least to a considerable delay in its possible adoption. Pakistan today is politically and economically a much weaker state than it was in the early 2000s. It was then that much of the backchannel negotiations were conducted. Especially when long-enduring disputes are being looked at for finding possible solutions, progress can not take place when one side has been considerably weakened compared to the other. This has happened to Pakistan.
A government that does not have a sense of a security cannot negotiate when the workable agreement involves moving back from the positions that have been taken for a long time. The solution of the Kashmir problem of the type revealed by the American press would have resulted in Pakistan giving up its long-standing claim to the entire state of Kashmir. Not only that, it would have also agreed to Azad Kashmir to be governed by a joint commission. Only a strong and secure administration could sell this change in posture to the population which continues to be emotionally involved in the Kashmir issue.
India, too, has been weakened by the Mumbai attacks. The government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come under heavy criticism for not being able to defend its borders. That a small group of men could penetrate the defence perimeters of such a well-protected city as Mumbai was seen a sign of weakness, particularly on the part of a country that claims superpower status.
That it took so long for the members of the special forces to reach the scene of carnage did not provide comfort to a population that was being fed the slogan of ‘incredible India’. Weak governments don’t settle old and difficult disputes. This does not augur well for the settlement of the Kashmir problem anytime soon. That said, it gives some hope that at least at the official level the contours of a possible settlement have begun to take shape.
A couple of years ago I was commissioned to do a study on Kashmir by the Washington-based United States Institute of Peace. The study was published by the USIP and became the subject of a conference hosted by Pugwash in Colombo in 2007. The conference was well attended by non-government representatives from both India and Pakistan as well as by some functionaries from the US think-tank industry.
The conclusions I had reached in the study were similar to those that formed the basis of the informal dialogue between the governments of India and Pakistan. I had suggested that open trade and free movement of the people of Kashmir could be the basis of an agreement since both sides had paid a heavy economic cost keeping the issue on the front burner for so long. This was the case especially for Pakistan.
Using a simple economic model I estimated the economic costs for Pakistan of the continuing dispute, arguing that the country’s economy would have been a couple of times larger had so much not been invested in the Kashmir dispute. It was an economist’s way of arguing that letting Kashmir go unresolved was a tenable proposition for the people of Pakistan.
The costs incurred came not only in the form of large military expenditures that a country at Pakistan’s stage of development could not afford. They also resulted from smaller flow of foreign capital, the closure of large Indian markets for Pakistan’s exports, and periodic troop mobilisations that were costly. Pakistan also allowed Kashmir to become a cause célèbre for Islamic extremism.
Once equilibrium has been restored to Pakistani politics and once general elections in India have produced a new government in New Delhi, the two countries may be able to revisit the problem of Kashmir, continuing the dialogue where they left it when Pervez Musharraf departed from the political scene. A nudge may be needed by both capitals to get back to the table, formally or informally, and begin to lay the ground for moving forward.
The nudge may come from Richard Holbrooke, President Barack Obama’s special representative to the region. Although India was able to exclude Kashmir from the Holbrooke mission at New Delhi’s insistence, this may not prevent the emissary from informally pressing the two governments to move ahead towards resolving the dispute. If further evidence is needed about the way various conflicts around Pakistan are destabilising the country, it was provided by the terrorist attacks on Lahore on March 3.
The Americans must be concerned that unless progress is made in removing the causes that motivate the jihadi groups, this part of Asia will not be stabilised. Wise leadership on both sides of the border should recognise that persistence on Kashmir and the reluctance to move away from established positions comes with very high costs.
The Line of Control, the current border between the Indian-occupied Kashmir and the Pakistani-held Kashmir, would have been turned into a soft border, open to unconstrained trade. The movement of people across this quasi-border would have been free. People’s movement beyond the established borders of the two countries would have been regulated according to the laws of the two states. Although the press reports did not indicate what kind of passports and citizenship the Kashmiri people would have carried, I presume that a separate national identity would have been created.
This near-agreement collapsed after President Pervez Musharraf was forced to leave office. The terrorist attacks on Mumbai last November dealt another blow to the developing understanding. It is presumably lying on a shelf in diplomatic cold storage in New Delhi. Will it ever see the light of day?
The current political turmoil in Pakistan has contributed if not to the demise of the agreement then at least to a considerable delay in its possible adoption. Pakistan today is politically and economically a much weaker state than it was in the early 2000s. It was then that much of the backchannel negotiations were conducted. Especially when long-enduring disputes are being looked at for finding possible solutions, progress can not take place when one side has been considerably weakened compared to the other. This has happened to Pakistan.
A government that does not have a sense of a security cannot negotiate when the workable agreement involves moving back from the positions that have been taken for a long time. The solution of the Kashmir problem of the type revealed by the American press would have resulted in Pakistan giving up its long-standing claim to the entire state of Kashmir. Not only that, it would have also agreed to Azad Kashmir to be governed by a joint commission. Only a strong and secure administration could sell this change in posture to the population which continues to be emotionally involved in the Kashmir issue.
India, too, has been weakened by the Mumbai attacks. The government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come under heavy criticism for not being able to defend its borders. That a small group of men could penetrate the defence perimeters of such a well-protected city as Mumbai was seen a sign of weakness, particularly on the part of a country that claims superpower status.
That it took so long for the members of the special forces to reach the scene of carnage did not provide comfort to a population that was being fed the slogan of ‘incredible India’. Weak governments don’t settle old and difficult disputes. This does not augur well for the settlement of the Kashmir problem anytime soon. That said, it gives some hope that at least at the official level the contours of a possible settlement have begun to take shape.
A couple of years ago I was commissioned to do a study on Kashmir by the Washington-based United States Institute of Peace. The study was published by the USIP and became the subject of a conference hosted by Pugwash in Colombo in 2007. The conference was well attended by non-government representatives from both India and Pakistan as well as by some functionaries from the US think-tank industry.
The conclusions I had reached in the study were similar to those that formed the basis of the informal dialogue between the governments of India and Pakistan. I had suggested that open trade and free movement of the people of Kashmir could be the basis of an agreement since both sides had paid a heavy economic cost keeping the issue on the front burner for so long. This was the case especially for Pakistan.
Using a simple economic model I estimated the economic costs for Pakistan of the continuing dispute, arguing that the country’s economy would have been a couple of times larger had so much not been invested in the Kashmir dispute. It was an economist’s way of arguing that letting Kashmir go unresolved was a tenable proposition for the people of Pakistan.
The costs incurred came not only in the form of large military expenditures that a country at Pakistan’s stage of development could not afford. They also resulted from smaller flow of foreign capital, the closure of large Indian markets for Pakistan’s exports, and periodic troop mobilisations that were costly. Pakistan also allowed Kashmir to become a cause célèbre for Islamic extremism.
Once equilibrium has been restored to Pakistani politics and once general elections in India have produced a new government in New Delhi, the two countries may be able to revisit the problem of Kashmir, continuing the dialogue where they left it when Pervez Musharraf departed from the political scene. A nudge may be needed by both capitals to get back to the table, formally or informally, and begin to lay the ground for moving forward.
The nudge may come from Richard Holbrooke, President Barack Obama’s special representative to the region. Although India was able to exclude Kashmir from the Holbrooke mission at New Delhi’s insistence, this may not prevent the emissary from informally pressing the two governments to move ahead towards resolving the dispute. If further evidence is needed about the way various conflicts around Pakistan are destabilising the country, it was provided by the terrorist attacks on Lahore on March 3.
The Americans must be concerned that unless progress is made in removing the causes that motivate the jihadi groups, this part of Asia will not be stabilised. Wise leadership on both sides of the border should recognise that persistence on Kashmir and the reluctance to move away from established positions comes with very high costs.
N-bomb prevented attack: Gen Shankar
KOLKATA (Agencies) - Pakistan’s possession of nuclear weapons prevented India from attacking that country after the terror strikes in Mumbai and the attack on Parliament, India’s former army chief Gen Shankar Roychowdhury has said.“Do nuclear weapons deter? Of course, they do. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons deterred India from attacking that country after the Mumbai strikes,” he told a seminar in Kolkata on ‘Nuclear Risk Reduction and Conflict Resolve’, according to NDTV report.It was due to Pakistan’s possession of nuclear weapons that India stopped short of a military retaliation following the attack on Parliament in 2001, Roychowdhury said. Stressing the need for nuclear disarmament, he said in 1988 the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had proposed a 20-year plan for it.Commissioner in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC) Lt-Gen VR Raghavan said Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were in safe hands. “By all indications, Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, are in safe hands and under tight control. But nobody can say what will happen if the system breaks down. There is concern in the West about whether the system in Pakistan can be sustained only through aid,” Raghavan said.
ZARDARI UNDER PRESSURE
Two developments indicated that the president’s political gamble of recent weeks may well backfire rather than pay dividends as his decision to nominate Law Minister Farooq Naek as the Pakistan People’s Party candidate to run for the Senate chairman to replace the retiring Mohammedian Soomro irked a key party leader.
Raza Rabbani, a party loyalist and one of the most trusted lieutenants of the slain leader Benazir Bhutto, is understood to have resigned both as the leader of the upper house and as the minister of inter-provincial coordination to protest against the decision to nominate Mr Naek.
Farooq Naek was Mr Zardari’s counsel and defended him over the course of nearly a decade in multiple cases, including those involving corruption charges, and thus came close to the president.
It is said he is the key adviser to President Zardari in all matters concerning the judiciary now.
It was not just Mr Rabbani’s unhappiness that was threatening to become a major headache for the president as senators belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which the PPP has been wooing in order to have some hope of forming a government in Punjab, unanimously said they wanted their leader Chaudhry Shujaat Husain to run for the Senate chairmanship.
It wasn’t clear if they were seeking the governing party’s support for their leader as a quid pro quo for supporting the formation of a PPP-led government in that ultimate prize, the province of Punjab — where the PML-N administration was dislodged through some controversial means — or were just testing the political waters.
But political circles were quick to point out that Shujaat Husain still enjoyed good relations with the military establishment and that his sudden candidature to a position that is second in line to the most powerful office in the country may not be without meaning and could hint at the army’s growing unease at the political instability.
The PML-Q’s late announcement came after heated exchanges between the PPP and the PML-N that saw the interior adviser and top presidential aide Rehman Malik virtually calling the Sharif brothers’ politics seditious. Ousted Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif accused Mr Malik of using state funds to try and ‘steal the popular mandate in Punjab’.
Given the daunting challenges facing the country, including rampant militancy and the downturn in the economy, the current round of political wrestling that is now threatening to spill on to the streets, poses a serious threat to peace in the country.
With the lawyers’ movement gaining the support of diverse yet powerful political parties and elements in the country and a planned march on to the capital within a week to seek a return to office of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and a government equally determined to stop this march, the fate of the final showdown was proving very difficult to call.
Raza Rabbani, a party loyalist and one of the most trusted lieutenants of the slain leader Benazir Bhutto, is understood to have resigned both as the leader of the upper house and as the minister of inter-provincial coordination to protest against the decision to nominate Mr Naek.
Farooq Naek was Mr Zardari’s counsel and defended him over the course of nearly a decade in multiple cases, including those involving corruption charges, and thus came close to the president.
It is said he is the key adviser to President Zardari in all matters concerning the judiciary now.
It was not just Mr Rabbani’s unhappiness that was threatening to become a major headache for the president as senators belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which the PPP has been wooing in order to have some hope of forming a government in Punjab, unanimously said they wanted their leader Chaudhry Shujaat Husain to run for the Senate chairmanship.
It wasn’t clear if they were seeking the governing party’s support for their leader as a quid pro quo for supporting the formation of a PPP-led government in that ultimate prize, the province of Punjab — where the PML-N administration was dislodged through some controversial means — or were just testing the political waters.
But political circles were quick to point out that Shujaat Husain still enjoyed good relations with the military establishment and that his sudden candidature to a position that is second in line to the most powerful office in the country may not be without meaning and could hint at the army’s growing unease at the political instability.
The PML-Q’s late announcement came after heated exchanges between the PPP and the PML-N that saw the interior adviser and top presidential aide Rehman Malik virtually calling the Sharif brothers’ politics seditious. Ousted Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif accused Mr Malik of using state funds to try and ‘steal the popular mandate in Punjab’.
Given the daunting challenges facing the country, including rampant militancy and the downturn in the economy, the current round of political wrestling that is now threatening to spill on to the streets, poses a serious threat to peace in the country.
With the lawyers’ movement gaining the support of diverse yet powerful political parties and elements in the country and a planned march on to the capital within a week to seek a return to office of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and a government equally determined to stop this march, the fate of the final showdown was proving very difficult to call.
Country not Zardari's fiefdom: Nawaz
ISLAMABAD (Agencies) - Chief of PML-N Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that President Asif Ali Zardari has deceived them in the name of reconciliation.Addressing a massive gathering at Jehlum, he said President Zardari has sent Asfandyar Wali Khan and Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman for creating the atmosphere of reconciliation between the government and PML-N, but ultimately he spoiled the efforts and announced that PPP would fight against them.He told the President Zardari that neither Pakistan was his own property nor the judiciary belonged to him. He said, “Pakistan is not a fiefdom of Asif Zardari and it is country of 160 million people and the country cannot be left at the mercy of Asif Zardari”, adding that not only President Zardari but also the whole nation who had the rights, which were to be respected.Nawaz also said they would not leave Pakistan at the mercy of President Zardari.He said there is bloodshed and bombing everywhere in the country while President Zardari has no time except dissolving assemblies, which is not a good sign for democracy.Pointing out to a recent survey, he claimed that 58 percent workers of PPP showed their opposition to the Supreme Court decision and also termed the Governor Rule as unlawful. “When your own people oppose you then what would you say about 160 million people of the country”, he exclaimed.He said the verdict against them had given by a fake judiciary, which enjoyed no respect. He said the people would throw the PCO judges out of the court by force.
PRESIDENT ZARDARI LEFT FOR TEHRAN
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari left for Tehran Tuesday to hold bilateral talks with Iranian leaders and to attend the Economic Cooperation Organization summit in Tehran.
President Zardari will discuss with the Iranian leaders cooperation in energy sector especially the IPI gas pipeline project.
President Zardari will discuss with the Iranian leaders cooperation in energy sector especially the IPI gas pipeline project.
During meeting with President Ahmadinejad in September 2008 in New York, President Zardari had proposed to proceed with the project bilaterally to avoid further delay.
At the sidelines of the ECO summit the President is also likely to have bilateral meetings with leaders of the ECO nations. The 10-member ECO consists of Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Matters pertaining to energy cooperation, trade promotion and fighting militancy are likely to come under discussion in these meetings.
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