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Monday, September 26, 2011
FABRICATION OF AFFIDAVITS Gujarat moves HC against Teesta bail—23.9.11
RATHIN DAS
AHMEDABAD
Mumbai-based social activist Teesta Setalvad is heading for fresh trouble as the Gujarat Government has moved the High Court challenging a lower court's verdict granting her anticipatory bail in the case relating to the fabrication of affidavits filed on behalf of victims and witnesses of the 2002 Naroda Gam massacre in which 11 people were killed during the post-Godhra riots.
The City Civil & Sessions Court had last month granted conditional anticipatory bail to Setalvad who was facing charges of fabricating the affidavits filed by the witnesses of the Naroda Gam massacre case after the killing of 58 kar sewaks in the Sabarmati Express fire at Godhra on February 27, 2002.
Setalvad had sought the
anticipatory bail following allegations made by her former associate Rais Khan Pathan that she had fabricated the affidavits in Mumbai and sent them to him through e-mail.
He had only taken the printouts of the affidavits and got them signed by the witnesses before submitting them to various trial courts, probe agencies and the Nanavati Commission, Rais Khan had stated in his complaint against Setalvad.
The Government petition in the High Court said that the Sessions Court has not considered the evidence placed against Setalvad while granting her the anticipatory bail last month.The petition has been admitted and listed for hearing next week.
AHMEDABAD
Mumbai-based social activist Teesta Setalvad is heading for fresh trouble as the Gujarat Government has moved the High Court challenging a lower court's verdict granting her anticipatory bail in the case relating to the fabrication of affidavits filed on behalf of victims and witnesses of the 2002 Naroda Gam massacre in which 11 people were killed during the post-Godhra riots.
The City Civil & Sessions Court had last month granted conditional anticipatory bail to Setalvad who was facing charges of fabricating the affidavits filed by the witnesses of the Naroda Gam massacre case after the killing of 58 kar sewaks in the Sabarmati Express fire at Godhra on February 27, 2002.
Setalvad had sought the
anticipatory bail following allegations made by her former associate Rais Khan Pathan that she had fabricated the affidavits in Mumbai and sent them to him through e-mail.
He had only taken the printouts of the affidavits and got them signed by the witnesses before submitting them to various trial courts, probe agencies and the Nanavati Commission, Rais Khan had stated in his complaint against Setalvad.
The Government petition in the High Court said that the Sessions Court has not considered the evidence placed against Setalvad while granting her the anticipatory bail last month.The petition has been admitted and listed for hearing next week.
Student stabbed for resisting seniors' ragging attempt –23.9.11
RAVINDER SAINI
ROHTAK
Afirst-year student of an engineering college located at Matloda village in Panipat district was allegedly stabbed by his seniors outside the college gate on Wednesday evening after he resisted their attempt to rag him. The victim, identified as Deepak, has suffered injuries in stomach and legs and has been admitted to Civil Hospital where his condition is stated to be out of danger.
Taking a swift action on the incident, the college authorities have not only directed its antiragging committee to investigate the matter thoroughly but also warned that a strong action would be taken against those found guilty into the case.
The incident took place when Deepak was waylaid and assaulted with knives by over 10 students as he stepped out of the college premises. The assailants fled from the spot when some villagers, working on the nearby fields, rushed to the spot after hearing the sound of his screaming. They took Deepak to the Civil Hospital after finding him lying in a pool of blood, according to the reports.
Though the police was informed about the incident after some time, it did not turn up till late at night to record Deepak’s statement by going to hospital where he was undergoing medical treatment.
ROHTAK
Afirst-year student of an engineering college located at Matloda village in Panipat district was allegedly stabbed by his seniors outside the college gate on Wednesday evening after he resisted their attempt to rag him. The victim, identified as Deepak, has suffered injuries in stomach and legs and has been admitted to Civil Hospital where his condition is stated to be out of danger.
Taking a swift action on the incident, the college authorities have not only directed its antiragging committee to investigate the matter thoroughly but also warned that a strong action would be taken against those found guilty into the case.
The incident took place when Deepak was waylaid and assaulted with knives by over 10 students as he stepped out of the college premises. The assailants fled from the spot when some villagers, working on the nearby fields, rushed to the spot after hearing the sound of his screaming. They took Deepak to the Civil Hospital after finding him lying in a pool of blood, according to the reports.
Though the police was informed about the incident after some time, it did not turn up till late at night to record Deepak’s statement by going to hospital where he was undergoing medical treatment.
Govt, Hindu outfits decry Marxists' take on temple wealth –21.9.11
VR JAYARAJ
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
The Kerala Government, the Congress party and Hindu organisations have rejected the CPI(M) theory that the amazing collection of treasures found in the secret cellars of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram are public wealth that should be managed by a committee containing nominees of political parties.
According to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the treasures belonged to the temple itself. State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said that atheists, “who could say anything“, need not bother about management of wealth belonging to places of worship.
Hindu outfits complained that the CPI(M) theory amounted to humiliation of believers.
On Monday, State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the party view on the temple treasures saying that they were public wealth and there should be a panel constituted on the lines of the Devaswom committee administering the Lord Krishna temple of Guruvayur for their democratic management.
After a meeting of the State Cabinet in Thiruvanan thapuram on Tuesday, Chief Minister Chandy said, “I am of the view that the treasures found in the vaults of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple are assets of the temple itself. ”
He said that he was not in agreement with the idea of a Guruvayur-model committee for the Thiruvananthapuram shrine. However, Chandy said the decision of the Supreme Court, which was presently looking into the matter, would be final in this issue. “Pinarayi can express his opinions just as I can. The Supreme Court, which is the last word in the country with regard to laws, is not going to block anyone from expressing personal opinions, ” he said.
“Pinarayi is saying that the treasure found in the temple is public wealth. After all, what right does he have to speak of public wealth when his party is indulging in destruction of public property?” he asked referring to the ongoing Leftist agitations in Thiruvananthapuram and elsewhere in which Government vehicles and offices were being damaged.
According to State Congress chief Chennithala, his party wanted priority to be given to the wish of the believers and worshippers while taking decisions on the treasures found at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple.
He said atheists need not look into matters over which they had no interest or say.
“In a general sense, one may argue that the wealth found in the temple is public property. But there are certain regulations in this country as far as its management is con
cerned. In that matter, the sentiment of the worshippers should be safeguarded,” Chennithala said. The value of the treasures found in the temple cellars is put roughly at over `1,00,000 crore.
Reiterating that the treasures belonged to the temple alone, Hindu Aikya Vedi general secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan said that Pinarayi’s statement was in effect an infringement on the rights of the believers as well as a humiliation to them. He said there should be permanent treasures to protect the treasures as temple property.
“The bid by Pinarayi and company to (make the Government) take over the temple wealth to be annexed to the Exchequer is violation of religious freedom as guaranteed in the Constitution. To hand over the rights of administration of this wealth to a Devaswom committee is equivalent to giving total authority on it to nominees of political parties, ” Kummanam alleged.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
The Kerala Government, the Congress party and Hindu organisations have rejected the CPI(M) theory that the amazing collection of treasures found in the secret cellars of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram are public wealth that should be managed by a committee containing nominees of political parties.
According to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the treasures belonged to the temple itself. State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said that atheists, “who could say anything“, need not bother about management of wealth belonging to places of worship.
Hindu outfits complained that the CPI(M) theory amounted to humiliation of believers.
On Monday, State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the party view on the temple treasures saying that they were public wealth and there should be a panel constituted on the lines of the Devaswom committee administering the Lord Krishna temple of Guruvayur for their democratic management.
After a meeting of the State Cabinet in Thiruvanan thapuram on Tuesday, Chief Minister Chandy said, “I am of the view that the treasures found in the vaults of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple are assets of the temple itself. ”
He said that he was not in agreement with the idea of a Guruvayur-model committee for the Thiruvananthapuram shrine. However, Chandy said the decision of the Supreme Court, which was presently looking into the matter, would be final in this issue. “Pinarayi can express his opinions just as I can. The Supreme Court, which is the last word in the country with regard to laws, is not going to block anyone from expressing personal opinions, ” he said.
“Pinarayi is saying that the treasure found in the temple is public wealth. After all, what right does he have to speak of public wealth when his party is indulging in destruction of public property?” he asked referring to the ongoing Leftist agitations in Thiruvananthapuram and elsewhere in which Government vehicles and offices were being damaged.
According to State Congress chief Chennithala, his party wanted priority to be given to the wish of the believers and worshippers while taking decisions on the treasures found at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple.
He said atheists need not look into matters over which they had no interest or say.
“In a general sense, one may argue that the wealth found in the temple is public property. But there are certain regulations in this country as far as its management is con
cerned. In that matter, the sentiment of the worshippers should be safeguarded,” Chennithala said. The value of the treasures found in the temple cellars is put roughly at over `1,00,000 crore.
Reiterating that the treasures belonged to the temple alone, Hindu Aikya Vedi general secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan said that Pinarayi’s statement was in effect an infringement on the rights of the believers as well as a humiliation to them. He said there should be permanent treasures to protect the treasures as temple property.
“The bid by Pinarayi and company to (make the Government) take over the temple wealth to be annexed to the Exchequer is violation of religious freedom as guaranteed in the Constitution. To hand over the rights of administration of this wealth to a Devaswom committee is equivalent to giving total authority on it to nominees of political parties, ” Kummanam alleged.
Box makes idiots of kids in minutes! –– The pioneer --21.9.11
ARCHANA JYOTI
NEW DELHI
Too much TV is bad for a child's T health -this is the worst fear of any parent. However, a new study has warned that even nine minutes of viewing a popular fast-paced tele-show is enough to immediately impair mental functioning of four-year-olds.
“This is a fact about which parents of young children should be aware,“ cautions the study, which is published in the latest edition of Pediatrics, official journal of American Academy of Pediatrics.
Researchers Angeline S Lillard and Jennifer Peterson from Department of Psychology, University of Virginia in Virginia had conducted study on 60 four-year-olds who were randomly assigned to watch a fast-paced television cartoon or an educational cartoon or draw for nine minutes.
The subjects were then given four tasks tapping executive function, including the classic delay-of-gratification and Tower of Hanoi (a puzzle game) tasks.
Researchers found that children who watched the fast-paced television cartoon performed significantly worse on the executive function tasks than children in the other two groups when controlling for child attention, age, and television exposure.
“Just nine minutes of viewing a fastpaced television cartoon had immediate negative effects on four-year-olds’ executive function. Parents should be aware that fast-paced television shows could at least temporarily impair young children’s executive function, ” said a researcher.
Within the realm of entertainment television, fast-paced shows seem particularly likely to have a negative impact on attention, one reason for this being that rapidly presented events capture attention in a bottom-up fashion, involving the sensory rather than prefrontal cortices, the authors noted.
Thus, fast-paced television would do nothing to train internally controlled (pre-frontal) attention over the longterm. In the short-term, the effort to encode rapidly presented events could tax children’s executive resources.
In contrast, the researchers noted, when adults are presented with televised events in more rapid succession, more resources are allocated to encoding those events, presumably depleting resources that could otherwise be available for other aspects of attention.
For the fast-paced show, the scene completely changed on average every 11
d re seconds; even within the scene, char g acters were almost constantly rapidly g moving through space. The educational ltelevision show had a complete scene change every 34 seconds on an average.
e “In addition to the pacing, we 1 speculate that the onslaught of fantas tical events that was also present in the fast-paced show might have further exacerbated executive function.
Moreover, watching a full fast-paced cartoon programme could be more detrimental,“ said the researchers seeking further study in the matter.
NEW DELHI
Too much TV is bad for a child's T health -this is the worst fear of any parent. However, a new study has warned that even nine minutes of viewing a popular fast-paced tele-show is enough to immediately impair mental functioning of four-year-olds.
“This is a fact about which parents of young children should be aware,“ cautions the study, which is published in the latest edition of Pediatrics, official journal of American Academy of Pediatrics.
Researchers Angeline S Lillard and Jennifer Peterson from Department of Psychology, University of Virginia in Virginia had conducted study on 60 four-year-olds who were randomly assigned to watch a fast-paced television cartoon or an educational cartoon or draw for nine minutes.
The subjects were then given four tasks tapping executive function, including the classic delay-of-gratification and Tower of Hanoi (a puzzle game) tasks.
Researchers found that children who watched the fast-paced television cartoon performed significantly worse on the executive function tasks than children in the other two groups when controlling for child attention, age, and television exposure.
“Just nine minutes of viewing a fastpaced television cartoon had immediate negative effects on four-year-olds’ executive function. Parents should be aware that fast-paced television shows could at least temporarily impair young children’s executive function, ” said a researcher.
Within the realm of entertainment television, fast-paced shows seem particularly likely to have a negative impact on attention, one reason for this being that rapidly presented events capture attention in a bottom-up fashion, involving the sensory rather than prefrontal cortices, the authors noted.
Thus, fast-paced television would do nothing to train internally controlled (pre-frontal) attention over the longterm. In the short-term, the effort to encode rapidly presented events could tax children’s executive resources.
In contrast, the researchers noted, when adults are presented with televised events in more rapid succession, more resources are allocated to encoding those events, presumably depleting resources that could otherwise be available for other aspects of attention.
For the fast-paced show, the scene completely changed on average every 11
d re seconds; even within the scene, char g acters were almost constantly rapidly g moving through space. The educational ltelevision show had a complete scene change every 34 seconds on an average.
e “In addition to the pacing, we 1 speculate that the onslaught of fantas tical events that was also present in the fast-paced show might have further exacerbated executive function.
Moreover, watching a full fast-paced cartoon programme could be more detrimental,“ said the researchers seeking further study in the matter.
2G scam PIONEER EXCLUSIVE Govt lied on PC-Raja meet -– The pioneer --21.9.11
J GOPIKRISHNAN
NEW DELHI
The Government's claim that minutes of the meeting between former Telecom Minister A Raja and then Finance Minister P Chidambaram on January 30, 2008 were not maintained has turned out to be totally misleading.
Documents in possession of The Pioneer show that the minutes of the meeting were prepared and signed by none other than then Finance Secretary D Subbarao. The meeting, which took place 20 days after the controversial allotment of spectrum by Raja, reveals that Chidambaram said that there was no need to “revisit“ the mode adopted by Raja for spectrum allotment.
“FM (Finance Minister) said that for now we are not seeking to revisit the current regimes for entry fee or revenue share,“ said point No: 5 of the `hushed up' minutes of the meeting between Raja and Chidambaram.
This obser vation of Chidambaram clearly shows that he had overruled the then Finance Secretary who had issued directions to stay the allotment of telecom licences and spectrum at the entry fee of `1,658 crore, a price fixed seven years ago. The Finance Secretary had directed the stay on the spectrum allocation on November 22, 2007. November 22, 2 Incidentally, on January 15, 2008 Chidambaram wrote to PM Manmohan Singh to treat Raja's dubious spectrum allotment as a “closed chapter“.
On several occasions and even in Parliament, the Prime Minister said that “there were initial differences between two Ministers“ (Telecom and Finance) on the spectrum pricing, and “later they were on the same page.“
Singh even disclosed the dates of the meeting between Raja and Chidambaram, but Government managers, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister PK Bansal, said there were no minutes of the meeting.
The Government also justified the non-prepam ration of the minutes, saying that it was not for always possible the Finance Minister to record what transpired with other Ministers.
The then Telecom Secretary, Siddharth Behura, currently in jail along with Raja, and Advisor (Wireless) PK Garg, who is a prosecution witness in the CBI case, were also present in the meeting.
As per the minutes, following are the gist of the discussion -the FM suggested that keeping in view of lessons of experience, allotment of licences and allocation of spectrum must be based on solid legal grounds.
It was agreed that the optimum number of operators per circle would be about seven...
It was noted that there is a mismatch in the demand and supply of spectrum across circles.
Redressing this mismatch will be another policy imperative, said the details of the minutes of the meeting which took place after 20 days after the scam.
The meeting also discussed the changing of merger and acquisition rules in the telecom sector. “We also need to check the current rules and regulations governing withdrawal of spectrum in the event of: a) not rolling over, b) merger and acquisition, and c) trading away spectrum,“ said the last point of discussion between Raja and Chidambaram.
Incidentally, after three months of this meeting, on April 2008, Raja dubiously issued an order changing the merger and acquisition rules, diluting the existing lock in period condition of three years. This new order facilitated the windfall gain to Swan and Unitech, who offloaded their shares to multinational telecom companies Etisalat and Telenor.
The minutes also disclose that Telecom Secretary would attend a meeting with Finance Ministry officials, scheduled for next day -January 31, 2008.
The `hushed up' minutes between Raja and Chidambaram showed that the jailed former Telecom Minister had discussed the matter in details with his counter part in the Finance Ministry.
According to the October 2003, Cabinet decision, the Finance Ministry is the ultimate authority in the spectrum pricing. But when controversies raged, Chidambaram always claimed that he argued for auction. The minutes exposes his claim.
On deposing before the Public Accounts Committee, the then Finance Secretary Subbarao said that he had informed Chidambaram, before issuing directive to stay the spectrum allocation. The minutes of the meeting between Raja and Chidambaram shows that Finance Secretary's objections were overruled by Chidambaram. Perhaps that is why the Government always claimed no minutes was prepared at all.
NEW DELHI
The Government's claim that minutes of the meeting between former Telecom Minister A Raja and then Finance Minister P Chidambaram on January 30, 2008 were not maintained has turned out to be totally misleading.
Documents in possession of The Pioneer show that the minutes of the meeting were prepared and signed by none other than then Finance Secretary D Subbarao. The meeting, which took place 20 days after the controversial allotment of spectrum by Raja, reveals that Chidambaram said that there was no need to “revisit“ the mode adopted by Raja for spectrum allotment.
“FM (Finance Minister) said that for now we are not seeking to revisit the current regimes for entry fee or revenue share,“ said point No: 5 of the `hushed up' minutes of the meeting between Raja and Chidambaram.
This obser vation of Chidambaram clearly shows that he had overruled the then Finance Secretary who had issued directions to stay the allotment of telecom licences and spectrum at the entry fee of `1,658 crore, a price fixed seven years ago. The Finance Secretary had directed the stay on the spectrum allocation on November 22, 2007. November 22, 2 Incidentally, on January 15, 2008 Chidambaram wrote to PM Manmohan Singh to treat Raja's dubious spectrum allotment as a “closed chapter“.
On several occasions and even in Parliament, the Prime Minister said that “there were initial differences between two Ministers“ (Telecom and Finance) on the spectrum pricing, and “later they were on the same page.“
Singh even disclosed the dates of the meeting between Raja and Chidambaram, but Government managers, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister PK Bansal, said there were no minutes of the meeting.
The Government also justified the non-prepam ration of the minutes, saying that it was not for always possible the Finance Minister to record what transpired with other Ministers.
The then Telecom Secretary, Siddharth Behura, currently in jail along with Raja, and Advisor (Wireless) PK Garg, who is a prosecution witness in the CBI case, were also present in the meeting.
As per the minutes, following are the gist of the discussion -the FM suggested that keeping in view of lessons of experience, allotment of licences and allocation of spectrum must be based on solid legal grounds.
It was agreed that the optimum number of operators per circle would be about seven...
It was noted that there is a mismatch in the demand and supply of spectrum across circles.
Redressing this mismatch will be another policy imperative, said the details of the minutes of the meeting which took place after 20 days after the scam.
The meeting also discussed the changing of merger and acquisition rules in the telecom sector. “We also need to check the current rules and regulations governing withdrawal of spectrum in the event of: a) not rolling over, b) merger and acquisition, and c) trading away spectrum,“ said the last point of discussion between Raja and Chidambaram.
Incidentally, after three months of this meeting, on April 2008, Raja dubiously issued an order changing the merger and acquisition rules, diluting the existing lock in period condition of three years. This new order facilitated the windfall gain to Swan and Unitech, who offloaded their shares to multinational telecom companies Etisalat and Telenor.
The minutes also disclose that Telecom Secretary would attend a meeting with Finance Ministry officials, scheduled for next day -January 31, 2008.
The `hushed up' minutes between Raja and Chidambaram showed that the jailed former Telecom Minister had discussed the matter in details with his counter part in the Finance Ministry.
According to the October 2003, Cabinet decision, the Finance Ministry is the ultimate authority in the spectrum pricing. But when controversies raged, Chidambaram always claimed that he argued for auction. The minutes exposes his claim.
On deposing before the Public Accounts Committee, the then Finance Secretary Subbarao said that he had informed Chidambaram, before issuing directive to stay the spectrum allocation. The minutes of the meeting between Raja and Chidambaram shows that Finance Secretary's objections were overruled by Chidambaram. Perhaps that is why the Government always claimed no minutes was prepared at all.
Oz play on Lord Ganesha criticised – The pioneer – 20.9.11
NATASHA CHAKU
MELBOURNE
Australian play depicting God Ganesha being tortured and interrogated by infamous Nazi Secret Service has raised the shackles of a Hindu community activist who has objected saying the deity should not be made a “laughing stock on stage“.
The play `The Ganesha versus the Third Reich', by Australiabased Back to Back Theatre, is having a world premiere at Melbourne Festival in Australia on September 29.
US-based Hindu activist Rajan Zed said the play is creating irrele Zed said the play is creating irrelevant imaginary imagery, like depicting Ganesha being tortured and interrogated by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Secret Service.
“The Lord Ganesha was meant to be worshipped in temples and home shrines and not to be made a laughing stock on theatre stages,“ he said. “Creating irrelevant imaginary imagery, like reportedly depicting him being tortured and interrogated by Nazi SS, hurt the devotees,“ he said.
However, the theatre group's executive producer Alice Nash said the play went into difficult territory but was not offensive to Hindus.
“There's certainly no intent to present something that's disrespectful, far from it,“ she said.
“We've thought very carefully about how he's being represented on stage and what's being said,“ she said.
Recently, depiction of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi on a swim-wear at a fashion event held in Sydney resulted in worldwide protests.
The Australian swim-wear company, later apologised after the protests. PTI
MELBOURNE
Australian play depicting God Ganesha being tortured and interrogated by infamous Nazi Secret Service has raised the shackles of a Hindu community activist who has objected saying the deity should not be made a “laughing stock on stage“.
The play `The Ganesha versus the Third Reich', by Australiabased Back to Back Theatre, is having a world premiere at Melbourne Festival in Australia on September 29.
US-based Hindu activist Rajan Zed said the play is creating irrele Zed said the play is creating irrelevant imaginary imagery, like depicting Ganesha being tortured and interrogated by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Secret Service.
“The Lord Ganesha was meant to be worshipped in temples and home shrines and not to be made a laughing stock on theatre stages,“ he said. “Creating irrelevant imaginary imagery, like reportedly depicting him being tortured and interrogated by Nazi SS, hurt the devotees,“ he said.
However, the theatre group's executive producer Alice Nash said the play went into difficult territory but was not offensive to Hindus.
“There's certainly no intent to present something that's disrespectful, far from it,“ she said.
“We've thought very carefully about how he's being represented on stage and what's being said,“ she said.
Recently, depiction of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi on a swim-wear at a fashion event held in Sydney resulted in worldwide protests.
The Australian swim-wear company, later apologised after the protests. PTI
Terror camps active as ever across LoC: Army –– The pioneer -- 20.9.11
MOHIT KANDHARI
JAMMU
THE ARMY OFFICER WAS REACTING TO FRESH REPORTS AND THE RECENT STATEMENT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THAT TERROR CAMPS HAVE BEEN REACTIVATED ALONG THE LOC TO PUSH FRESH BATCHES OF INFILTRATORS
A senior officer of the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir said that terror camps were active as ever across the Line of Control and that the infiltration bids had risen in recent times.
Lt Gen JP Nehra, GOC of the Nagrotra-based 16 Corps headquarters on Monday, said that the terror training camps were never deactivated along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K. He said at least 250-500 militants were still camping across 42 terror camps in PoK and waiting for the right opportunity to infiltrate.
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of a seminar, `Crises of Nation Building in Pakistan' in Jammu University, Lt Gen Nehra said, “The terror camps in PoK have always remained active and kept imparting training to recruits before sending them inside the Indian territory through the LoC.“
The Army officer was reacting to fresh reports and the recent statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that terror camps have been reactivated along the LoC to push fresh batches of infiltrators.
Commenting on the prevailing security situation under his area of command, Lt Gen Nehra said, “Overall the number of infiltration bids has recorded a marginal increase in the last five to six weeks.“
On the recent incidents of ceasefire violations, he said these were taking place out of a “sense of desperation“ from across the border. Alert troops guarding the frontiers have thwarted all major attempts at infiltration in the recent months. He said the jawans and the senior officers deployed along the LoC were motivated and ready to face any situation.
When asked whether militant groups, feeling the pinch of dwindling cadre, had begun recruiting youth and luring them away with the help of some propaganda material, the Army officer said the militant outfits have always preferred youngsters but there were no definite inputs to suggest that a large-scale recruitment had taken place in recent times.
On the role of HuJI in the Delhi High Court blast and the presence of its cadre in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army officer said, “It is for the investigating agencies to tell whether HuJI, Indian Mujahideen or any other outfit masterminded the blast. Let us wait for the investigation to get over.“
JAMMU
THE ARMY OFFICER WAS REACTING TO FRESH REPORTS AND THE RECENT STATEMENT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THAT TERROR CAMPS HAVE BEEN REACTIVATED ALONG THE LOC TO PUSH FRESH BATCHES OF INFILTRATORS
A senior officer of the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir said that terror camps were active as ever across the Line of Control and that the infiltration bids had risen in recent times.
Lt Gen JP Nehra, GOC of the Nagrotra-based 16 Corps headquarters on Monday, said that the terror training camps were never deactivated along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K. He said at least 250-500 militants were still camping across 42 terror camps in PoK and waiting for the right opportunity to infiltrate.
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of a seminar, `Crises of Nation Building in Pakistan' in Jammu University, Lt Gen Nehra said, “The terror camps in PoK have always remained active and kept imparting training to recruits before sending them inside the Indian territory through the LoC.“
The Army officer was reacting to fresh reports and the recent statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that terror camps have been reactivated along the LoC to push fresh batches of infiltrators.
Commenting on the prevailing security situation under his area of command, Lt Gen Nehra said, “Overall the number of infiltration bids has recorded a marginal increase in the last five to six weeks.“
On the recent incidents of ceasefire violations, he said these were taking place out of a “sense of desperation“ from across the border. Alert troops guarding the frontiers have thwarted all major attempts at infiltration in the recent months. He said the jawans and the senior officers deployed along the LoC were motivated and ready to face any situation.
When asked whether militant groups, feeling the pinch of dwindling cadre, had begun recruiting youth and luring them away with the help of some propaganda material, the Army officer said the militant outfits have always preferred youngsters but there were no definite inputs to suggest that a large-scale recruitment had taken place in recent times.
On the role of HuJI in the Delhi High Court blast and the presence of its cadre in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army officer said, “It is for the investigating agencies to tell whether HuJI, Indian Mujahideen or any other outfit masterminded the blast. Let us wait for the investigation to get over.“
2G scam CBI changing probe line to save PC – The pioneer --20.9.11
Agency says need for questioning Jaswant Singh, but gives clean chit to Chidambaram
It seems to be a case of applyI ing two yardsticks for two former Finance Ministers. The CBI, which has announced the need for questioning Jaswant Singh -the Finance Minister during the NDA regime -has apparently given a clean chit to P Chidambaram, who was the Finance Minister when the 2G spectrum scam occurred.
The investigating agency has admitted to lapses by the Finance Ministr y under Chidambaram in 2G spectrum allocation and pricing but has asserted there's “no criminal misconduct“. The agency has squarely blamed former Telecom Minister A Raja for the entire scam.
“Investigation in the matter so far has not disclosed criminal misconduct on the part of any public servant of the Ministry of Finance,“ summed up CBI joint director Hitesh C Awasthy in his two-page response to Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy.
Chidambaram's lawyer PP Rao had insisted before the Supreme Court that the CBI's letter should be produced. The matter will come up before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, when it will consider Swamy's petition seeking a CBI probe into Chidambaram's role.
Swamy has in his petition alleged that Chidambaram “colluded with Raja“ in fixing the spectrum pricing at lower level. It was after the Prime Minister rejected his petition to grant sanction for prosecution and the CBI tur petition that S w a m y approached Supreme Court. Objecting to Swamy's arguments against Chidambaram on September 8 in the Supreme Court, the Government hired private lawyer Rao, who pressed for the production of these observations by the CBI.
Explaining the lapses of the Finance Ministry, the CBI said, “The Secretary, Finance (D Subbarao) took up this issue (spectrum pricing) with the Secretary, Department of Telecom and stressed the need to include spectrum pricing in the terms of teference of the GoM. This matter was again taken up by Secretary of Finance with Secretary, DoT, on November 22, 2007.“
It added, “However, DoT had by that time issued in-principle approval to three firms (Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and Shyam ices and Shyam Telelink) for dual technolo gy spectrum at prices deter mined in 2001. The Secretary, Finance, asked DoT to stay further implementation of the matter till the Ministry of Finance was consulted and a decision taken. The matter was taken up by Ministry of Finance with DoT on further occasions as well.“
Putting the entire blame on Raja, the CBI noted, “On January 10, 2008, DoT allocated 120 new licences at 2001 prices. Investigations has revealed that A Raja deliberately ignored advice of the Finance Ministry and other high offices for revision of entry fee or auction of spectrum, etc.“
Swamy challenged the rationale of the CBI in adopting different yardsticks in declaring to question Jaswant Singh and avoiding questioning of Chidambaram.
While telling the Supreme Court how far the probe had progressed, the CBI recently said that during the NDA regime, spectrum pricing was fixed by the GoM headed by the then Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and that it needed to question him for arriving at a final conclusion.
But in case of Chidambaram, Finance Minister during the tenure of Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran and Raja, the CBI took a different yardstick. As things stand, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has had on different occasions, including in Parliament, said, “Though there were difference of opinion between the two ministers (Chidambaram and Raja) in the initial stage, later they were on the same page.“
He even cited the meetings between the duo on the spectrum pricing. However, the Finance Ministry, now says, no minutes were prepared on the said meetings between Raja and Chidambaram.
Swamy in his petition also alleged that the controversial company Telenor, which is also operating in Pakistan and Bangladesh, got clear ance from the Home Ministry, when Chidambaram assumed office. Demanding the intervention of the Supreme Court, he accused the CBI of going soft on Chidambaram, who cleared the sale of shares of the major scam beneficiaries Swan and Unitech to multinational companies at a whopping price.
It seems to be a case of applyI ing two yardsticks for two former Finance Ministers. The CBI, which has announced the need for questioning Jaswant Singh -the Finance Minister during the NDA regime -has apparently given a clean chit to P Chidambaram, who was the Finance Minister when the 2G spectrum scam occurred.
The investigating agency has admitted to lapses by the Finance Ministr y under Chidambaram in 2G spectrum allocation and pricing but has asserted there's “no criminal misconduct“. The agency has squarely blamed former Telecom Minister A Raja for the entire scam.
“Investigation in the matter so far has not disclosed criminal misconduct on the part of any public servant of the Ministry of Finance,“ summed up CBI joint director Hitesh C Awasthy in his two-page response to Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy.
Chidambaram's lawyer PP Rao had insisted before the Supreme Court that the CBI's letter should be produced. The matter will come up before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, when it will consider Swamy's petition seeking a CBI probe into Chidambaram's role.
Swamy has in his petition alleged that Chidambaram “colluded with Raja“ in fixing the spectrum pricing at lower level. It was after the Prime Minister rejected his petition to grant sanction for prosecution and the CBI tur petition that S w a m y approached Supreme Court. Objecting to Swamy's arguments against Chidambaram on September 8 in the Supreme Court, the Government hired private lawyer Rao, who pressed for the production of these observations by the CBI.
Explaining the lapses of the Finance Ministry, the CBI said, “The Secretary, Finance (D Subbarao) took up this issue (spectrum pricing) with the Secretary, Department of Telecom and stressed the need to include spectrum pricing in the terms of teference of the GoM. This matter was again taken up by Secretary of Finance with Secretary, DoT, on November 22, 2007.“
It added, “However, DoT had by that time issued in-principle approval to three firms (Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and Shyam ices and Shyam Telelink) for dual technolo gy spectrum at prices deter mined in 2001. The Secretary, Finance, asked DoT to stay further implementation of the matter till the Ministry of Finance was consulted and a decision taken. The matter was taken up by Ministry of Finance with DoT on further occasions as well.“
Putting the entire blame on Raja, the CBI noted, “On January 10, 2008, DoT allocated 120 new licences at 2001 prices. Investigations has revealed that A Raja deliberately ignored advice of the Finance Ministry and other high offices for revision of entry fee or auction of spectrum, etc.“
Swamy challenged the rationale of the CBI in adopting different yardsticks in declaring to question Jaswant Singh and avoiding questioning of Chidambaram.
While telling the Supreme Court how far the probe had progressed, the CBI recently said that during the NDA regime, spectrum pricing was fixed by the GoM headed by the then Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and that it needed to question him for arriving at a final conclusion.
But in case of Chidambaram, Finance Minister during the tenure of Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran and Raja, the CBI took a different yardstick. As things stand, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has had on different occasions, including in Parliament, said, “Though there were difference of opinion between the two ministers (Chidambaram and Raja) in the initial stage, later they were on the same page.“
He even cited the meetings between the duo on the spectrum pricing. However, the Finance Ministry, now says, no minutes were prepared on the said meetings between Raja and Chidambaram.
Swamy in his petition also alleged that the controversial company Telenor, which is also operating in Pakistan and Bangladesh, got clear ance from the Home Ministry, when Chidambaram assumed office. Demanding the intervention of the Supreme Court, he accused the CBI of going soft on Chidambaram, who cleared the sale of shares of the major scam beneficiaries Swan and Unitech to multinational companies at a whopping price.
Faster-than-light particles to prove Einstein wrong? –ToI—24.9.11
Neutrinos Breaking Cosmic Speed Limit Detected, Says Cern
Dennis Overbye
Roll over, Einstein? The physics world is abuzz with news that a group of European physicists plan to announce on Friday that it has clocked a burst of subatomic particles known as neutrinos breaking the cosmic speed limit — the speed of light — that was set by Albert Einstein in 1905.
If true, it is a result that would change the world. But that “if ” is enormous.
Even before the European physicists had presented their results — in a paper that appeared on the physics Web site arXiv.org on Thursday night and in a seminar at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, on Friday — a chorus of physicists had risen up on blogs and elsewhere arguing that it was way too soon to give up on Einstein and that there was probably some experimental error. Incredible claims require incredible evidence.
“These guys have done their level best, but before throwing Einstein on the bonfire, you would like to see an independent experiment,” said John Ellis, a CERN theorist who has published work on the speeds of the ghostly particles known as neutrinos.
According to scientists familiar with the paper, the neutrinos raced from a particle accelerator at CERN outside Geneva, where they were created, to a cavern underneath Gran Sasso in Italy, a distance of about 724kms , about 60 nanoseconds faster than it would take a light beam. That amounts to a speed greater than light by about 0.0025% (2.5 parts in a hundred thousand).
Even this small deviation would open up the possibility of time travel and play havoc with longstanding notions of cause and effect. Einstein himself — the author of modern physics, whose theory of relativity established the speed of light as the ultimate limit — said that if you could send a message faster than light, “You could send a telegram to the past.” Alvaro de Rujula, a theorist at CERN, called the claim “flabbergasting.”
“If it is true, then we truly haven’t understood anything about anything,” he said, adding: “It looks too big to be true. The correct attitude is to ask oneself what went wrong.”
The group that is reporting the results is known as Opera, for Oscillation Project with Emulsion-Tracking Apparatus. Antonio Ereditato, the physicist at University of Bern who leads the group, agreed with Dr de Rujula and others. He told the BBC that Opera — after much internal discussion — had decided to put its results out there in order to get them scrutinized. NYT NEWS SERVICE
Dennis Overbye
Roll over, Einstein? The physics world is abuzz with news that a group of European physicists plan to announce on Friday that it has clocked a burst of subatomic particles known as neutrinos breaking the cosmic speed limit — the speed of light — that was set by Albert Einstein in 1905.
If true, it is a result that would change the world. But that “if ” is enormous.
Even before the European physicists had presented their results — in a paper that appeared on the physics Web site arXiv.org on Thursday night and in a seminar at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, on Friday — a chorus of physicists had risen up on blogs and elsewhere arguing that it was way too soon to give up on Einstein and that there was probably some experimental error. Incredible claims require incredible evidence.
“These guys have done their level best, but before throwing Einstein on the bonfire, you would like to see an independent experiment,” said John Ellis, a CERN theorist who has published work on the speeds of the ghostly particles known as neutrinos.
According to scientists familiar with the paper, the neutrinos raced from a particle accelerator at CERN outside Geneva, where they were created, to a cavern underneath Gran Sasso in Italy, a distance of about 724kms , about 60 nanoseconds faster than it would take a light beam. That amounts to a speed greater than light by about 0.0025% (2.5 parts in a hundred thousand).
Even this small deviation would open up the possibility of time travel and play havoc with longstanding notions of cause and effect. Einstein himself — the author of modern physics, whose theory of relativity established the speed of light as the ultimate limit — said that if you could send a message faster than light, “You could send a telegram to the past.” Alvaro de Rujula, a theorist at CERN, called the claim “flabbergasting.”
“If it is true, then we truly haven’t understood anything about anything,” he said, adding: “It looks too big to be true. The correct attitude is to ask oneself what went wrong.”
The group that is reporting the results is known as Opera, for Oscillation Project with Emulsion-Tracking Apparatus. Antonio Ereditato, the physicist at University of Bern who leads the group, agreed with Dr de Rujula and others. He told the BBC that Opera — after much internal discussion — had decided to put its results out there in order to get them scrutinized. NYT NEWS SERVICE
First prize for a child in Somalia: An AK-47---ToI-22.9.11
Jeffery Gettleman
Nairobi: A typical prize for a children’s contest might be a backpack, a lunchbox or maybe some toys. But not in Somalia.
Over the weekend, a Somali radio station run by the Shabab, the most powerful Islamist militant group in the war-ravaged country, held an awards ceremony to honor children who were experts at Shabab trivia and at reciting the Koran. The prizes? Fully automatic assault rifles and live hand grenades.
The contest itself was held during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, and featured questions that the Shabab seemed to think every child should know, like which war was Sheik Timajilic (a famous Shabab warrior) killed in?
Contestants in the Shabab quiz included children from all across Shabab-controlled areas of Somalia, most of the southern third of the country. The children competed live on air from the many radio stations nationwide that the Shabab control.
On Sunday, the awards were handed out at the Andalus radio station in Elasha Biyaha, a small town near Mogadishu. The first- and second-place winners won AK-47 assault rifles, some money and Islamic books. The third-place winner got grenades. NYT NEWS SERVICE
Nairobi: A typical prize for a children’s contest might be a backpack, a lunchbox or maybe some toys. But not in Somalia.
Over the weekend, a Somali radio station run by the Shabab, the most powerful Islamist militant group in the war-ravaged country, held an awards ceremony to honor children who were experts at Shabab trivia and at reciting the Koran. The prizes? Fully automatic assault rifles and live hand grenades.
The contest itself was held during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, and featured questions that the Shabab seemed to think every child should know, like which war was Sheik Timajilic (a famous Shabab warrior) killed in?
Contestants in the Shabab quiz included children from all across Shabab-controlled areas of Somalia, most of the southern third of the country. The children competed live on air from the many radio stations nationwide that the Shabab control.
On Sunday, the awards were handed out at the Andalus radio station in Elasha Biyaha, a small town near Mogadishu. The first- and second-place winners won AK-47 assault rifles, some money and Islamic books. The third-place winner got grenades. NYT NEWS SERVICE
Stop terror aid or face action: US to Pak-ToI-22.9.11
Warning To Islamabad: Can’t Let Haqqanis Attack Our Forces And Return To Safe Havens
Chidanand Rajghatta TNN
Washington:A three and half hour tutorial for Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Four hours of talks with the military-dominated country’s obdurate army chief Pervez Ashfaq Kayani. An under the radar visit to Washington by Pakistan spy chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha for more discussions.
The Obama administration is going full court press on Pakistan, warning the chaotic country that it must give up its policy of using terrorism, or face US wrath. “If you are against terrorism, you have to be against all forms of terrorism,” defence secretary Leon Panetta said at the Pentagon on Tuesday in some of the bluntest language used against Pakistan.
“You cannot have the Haqqanis coming across the border attacking our forces and (Afghans) and disappearing back into a safe haven. That is not tolerable, and we have urged them to take steps.”
Separately, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday that “In what amounts to an ultimatum, administration officials have indicated that the US will act unilaterally if Pakistan does not comply.” Washington pundits mused at length about how the Obama Administration has moved much of its supply routes to Afghanistan to the Northern Distribution Network, reducing its dependence on Pakistan so that it can have greater leverage on the country increasingly seen as having gone rogue.
Panetta, referring to last week’s attacks in Afghanistan on US assets in Afghanistan attributed to the ISI-backed Haqqani group, was more circumspect in public, saying “I’m not going to talk about how we’re going to respond,” but adding, “We’re not going to allow these types of attacks to go on.” The bluntest comment on the incident came from the US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Hunter, who said, “There is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government.”
If true, the US would have little reason not to declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism, but for now the Obama administration is making one last effort to walk Pakistan back from its dangerous strategy.
The exercise began with a lesson in regional history by secretary of state Hillary Clinton to Khar, 34, who would have been in high school when the former visited Pakistan as First Lady. The duration of the talks — three and a half hours — was seen as an effort by Clinton to engage Pakistan’s future leadership, although currently, she, like most of the country’s civilian leadership, is regarded as a mouthpiece for the military.
US officials later disclosed that the issue of counter-terrorism was “both the first issue and the last issue on their agenda”, even as Khar insisted in New York that they had discussed a broad swath of topics, and made light of the US warning.
Meanwhile, a more weighty meeting was taking place in Seville, Spain, on the sidelines of a Nato meeting where the top US military official, Admiral Mike Mullen, engaged Pakistan’s army chief Kayani, who he describes as his personal friend, in four hours of talks aimed at salvaging ties. But Mullen’s remarks at a think-tank meeting in Washington suggested he had made little headway.
“The ISI has to make this decision to strategically disengage. They have been supporting proxies for an extended period of time,” Mullen said at a Carnegie Endowment talks in language that is increasingly starting to resemble New Delhi’s.
Chidanand Rajghatta TNN
Washington:A three and half hour tutorial for Pakistan’s foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Four hours of talks with the military-dominated country’s obdurate army chief Pervez Ashfaq Kayani. An under the radar visit to Washington by Pakistan spy chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha for more discussions.
The Obama administration is going full court press on Pakistan, warning the chaotic country that it must give up its policy of using terrorism, or face US wrath. “If you are against terrorism, you have to be against all forms of terrorism,” defence secretary Leon Panetta said at the Pentagon on Tuesday in some of the bluntest language used against Pakistan.
“You cannot have the Haqqanis coming across the border attacking our forces and (Afghans) and disappearing back into a safe haven. That is not tolerable, and we have urged them to take steps.”
Separately, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday that “In what amounts to an ultimatum, administration officials have indicated that the US will act unilaterally if Pakistan does not comply.” Washington pundits mused at length about how the Obama Administration has moved much of its supply routes to Afghanistan to the Northern Distribution Network, reducing its dependence on Pakistan so that it can have greater leverage on the country increasingly seen as having gone rogue.
Panetta, referring to last week’s attacks in Afghanistan on US assets in Afghanistan attributed to the ISI-backed Haqqani group, was more circumspect in public, saying “I’m not going to talk about how we’re going to respond,” but adding, “We’re not going to allow these types of attacks to go on.” The bluntest comment on the incident came from the US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Hunter, who said, “There is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government.”
If true, the US would have little reason not to declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism, but for now the Obama administration is making one last effort to walk Pakistan back from its dangerous strategy.
The exercise began with a lesson in regional history by secretary of state Hillary Clinton to Khar, 34, who would have been in high school when the former visited Pakistan as First Lady. The duration of the talks — three and a half hours — was seen as an effort by Clinton to engage Pakistan’s future leadership, although currently, she, like most of the country’s civilian leadership, is regarded as a mouthpiece for the military.
US officials later disclosed that the issue of counter-terrorism was “both the first issue and the last issue on their agenda”, even as Khar insisted in New York that they had discussed a broad swath of topics, and made light of the US warning.
Meanwhile, a more weighty meeting was taking place in Seville, Spain, on the sidelines of a Nato meeting where the top US military official, Admiral Mike Mullen, engaged Pakistan’s army chief Kayani, who he describes as his personal friend, in four hours of talks aimed at salvaging ties. But Mullen’s remarks at a think-tank meeting in Washington suggested he had made little headway.
“The ISI has to make this decision to strategically disengage. They have been supporting proxies for an extended period of time,” Mullen said at a Carnegie Endowment talks in language that is increasingly starting to resemble New Delhi’s.
Bhutan’s shock absorber: 74% forest cover -ToI-21.9.11
Sikkim’s Himalayan Twin Saved By Its Ecology Upkeep
Nirmalya Banerjee TNN
Kolkata: The Himalayan twins couldn’t have thrown up more contrasting pictures — one buried in the brown rubble of devastation, the other with nothing on its thick green skin.
Sunday’s 6.8 earthquake had its epicenter at Mangan, north Sikkim, and caused widespread devastation across the state, but Bhutan — which shares a border with east Sikkim and is barely 150km from Mangan — escaped major loss, thanks to its large forest cover. The country did report a death and injuries to four people but its homes and roads were mostly intact unlike Sikkim, where landslides devoured vast chunks of roads and the death toll touched 41 by Monday afternoon.
Sources in the Bhutanese government said on Monday the sole death in the earthquake was caused by a loose boulder rolling downhill and hitting a woman carrying water home in the upper reaches of Phuentsholling. Four villagers in Haa district bordering Sikkim sustained injuries from roof and wall collapses.
Experts said the impact of the earthquake could have been much worse in Bhutan had it not been for its 74% forest cover. In Sikkim, most deaths were caused by mudslides that wiped out the ground beneath houses and blocked key roads, including the NH-31, in several areas. But in a naturally green Bhutan, forests helped bind the soil together in the hill slopes, preventing mudslides.
In Sikkim, the forest cover was about 48% in 2009, according to a recent report from the Raj Bhavan in Gangtok. In Darjeeling, according to a West Bengal forest department report of 2006-07, the forest cover was about 38%.
There has been a loss of forest cover in Sikkim in recent years because of the ongoing construction of a series of hydel projects on the Teesta and its tributaries, making it more vulnerable to quakes. Assuming the green cover of Darjeeling has stayed the same for over five years, the Queen of the Hills, too, is a sitting duck to a quake.
The proposal for the construction of hydel projects in the Lepcha Reserve in Sikkim’s Dzongu had led to widespread protests from Lepchas because their habitat would be disturbed. The epicenter of the quake, Mangan, isn’t far from the Lepcha Reserve Area, highlighting the concerns of the community. The capital city of Gangtok, too, has witnessed frenetic construction activity over the years.
Hydel projects are being constructed in Bhutan, too, but steps have been taken to complete the projects early so that forest cover can be restored in these areas to prevent damage to the ecology, officials said. In Sikkim and Darjeeling, on the other hand, the construction work of some of the projects has been going on for years, leading to a loose top soil and increased vulnerability to a natural calamity like a landslide, or worse, an earthquake.
Nirmalya Banerjee TNN
Kolkata: The Himalayan twins couldn’t have thrown up more contrasting pictures — one buried in the brown rubble of devastation, the other with nothing on its thick green skin.
Sunday’s 6.8 earthquake had its epicenter at Mangan, north Sikkim, and caused widespread devastation across the state, but Bhutan — which shares a border with east Sikkim and is barely 150km from Mangan — escaped major loss, thanks to its large forest cover. The country did report a death and injuries to four people but its homes and roads were mostly intact unlike Sikkim, where landslides devoured vast chunks of roads and the death toll touched 41 by Monday afternoon.
Sources in the Bhutanese government said on Monday the sole death in the earthquake was caused by a loose boulder rolling downhill and hitting a woman carrying water home in the upper reaches of Phuentsholling. Four villagers in Haa district bordering Sikkim sustained injuries from roof and wall collapses.
Experts said the impact of the earthquake could have been much worse in Bhutan had it not been for its 74% forest cover. In Sikkim, most deaths were caused by mudslides that wiped out the ground beneath houses and blocked key roads, including the NH-31, in several areas. But in a naturally green Bhutan, forests helped bind the soil together in the hill slopes, preventing mudslides.
In Sikkim, the forest cover was about 48% in 2009, according to a recent report from the Raj Bhavan in Gangtok. In Darjeeling, according to a West Bengal forest department report of 2006-07, the forest cover was about 38%.
There has been a loss of forest cover in Sikkim in recent years because of the ongoing construction of a series of hydel projects on the Teesta and its tributaries, making it more vulnerable to quakes. Assuming the green cover of Darjeeling has stayed the same for over five years, the Queen of the Hills, too, is a sitting duck to a quake.
The proposal for the construction of hydel projects in the Lepcha Reserve in Sikkim’s Dzongu had led to widespread protests from Lepchas because their habitat would be disturbed. The epicenter of the quake, Mangan, isn’t far from the Lepcha Reserve Area, highlighting the concerns of the community. The capital city of Gangtok, too, has witnessed frenetic construction activity over the years.
Hydel projects are being constructed in Bhutan, too, but steps have been taken to complete the projects early so that forest cover can be restored in these areas to prevent damage to the ecology, officials said. In Sikkim and Darjeeling, on the other hand, the construction work of some of the projects has been going on for years, leading to a loose top soil and increased vulnerability to a natural calamity like a landslide, or worse, an earthquake.
Ex-Afghan prez Rabbani killed by Taliban-ToI-21.9.11
Kabul: Former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, head of the council tasked with trying to negotiate a political end to the war in Afghanistan, was killed at his home on Tuesday by a suicide bomber, in a major blow to peace efforts.
It was the most high-profile killing in Afghanistan since the younger half-brother of President Hamid Karzai, Ahmad Wali Karzai, was
killed at his home in July by a highly trusted guard.
“Rabbani has been martyred,” said Mohammed Zahir, head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Kabul Police. He had no further details. AGENCIES Taliban ally Haqqanis behind killing of Rabbani?
Kabul: Former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated at his residence in Kabul’s heavily guarded diplomatic enclave. A police source said Masoom Stanekzai, a senior adviser to Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, was also badly injured in the attack.
The attack is believed to be the work of the Haqqani network, a Taliban-allied insurgent faction, based along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
One senior diplomat in Kabul said the death of Rabbani, head of the High Peace Council, dealt a blow to the attempts by Karzai’s government to work towards a political end to the war. “The killing of Rabbani is a serious blow against president Karzai and the government’s peace and reconciliations efforts. It also underscores the inability of government to protect even the most prominent Afghan politicians,” the diplomat said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack outside the residence of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani. “Yes, we carried out the attack on Rabbani but will provide you other details shortly,” he said.
The assassination comes a week after a 20-hour gun and grenade attack on Kabul’s diplomatic enclave by insurgents, and three suicide bomb attacks on other parts of the city, the longest-lasting assault on the city. AGENCIES
It was the most high-profile killing in Afghanistan since the younger half-brother of President Hamid Karzai, Ahmad Wali Karzai, was
killed at his home in July by a highly trusted guard.
“Rabbani has been martyred,” said Mohammed Zahir, head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Kabul Police. He had no further details. AGENCIES Taliban ally Haqqanis behind killing of Rabbani?
Kabul: Former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated at his residence in Kabul’s heavily guarded diplomatic enclave. A police source said Masoom Stanekzai, a senior adviser to Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, was also badly injured in the attack.
The attack is believed to be the work of the Haqqani network, a Taliban-allied insurgent faction, based along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
One senior diplomat in Kabul said the death of Rabbani, head of the High Peace Council, dealt a blow to the attempts by Karzai’s government to work towards a political end to the war. “The killing of Rabbani is a serious blow against president Karzai and the government’s peace and reconciliations efforts. It also underscores the inability of government to protect even the most prominent Afghan politicians,” the diplomat said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack outside the residence of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani. “Yes, we carried out the attack on Rabbani but will provide you other details shortly,” he said.
The assassination comes a week after a 20-hour gun and grenade attack on Kabul’s diplomatic enclave by insurgents, and three suicide bomb attacks on other parts of the city, the longest-lasting assault on the city. AGENCIES
Taliban hit Pak top cop house, 8 die
Bomber Rams Explosives-Laden Vehicle Into Building In Karachi; Officer Unhurt
Omer Farooq Khan TNN
Islamabad: At least eight people were killed, including six police guards, when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the house of a senior police officer in Karachi on Monday.
The police officer targeted in the bombing, Chaudary Aslam, was not harmed and appeared on local television shortly after the attack to blame the Pakistani Taliban for the attack.
Aslam, who is with the police’s counter-terrorism branch, had been tasked with cracking down on Taliban and other militant groups in the city. He has led many highprofile raids on suspected al-Qaida and Taliban cells in some of the cities volatile neighbourhoods.
“I was sleeping when they carried out the attack. I had been receiving threatening letters from militant groups and Pakistani Taliban, but I didn’t know these cowards will target my children. This s not going to deter me from action against them,” Aslam said.
Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Aslam had arrested and killed many of its fighters. “We will continue attacks against those officials who are taking action against our people,” said Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan from an undisclosed location.
The explosion occurred early in the morning when children were going to a school located near Aslam’s home in Karachi’s defence area, an upscale residential locality similar to Delhi’s Jor Bagh and Mumbai’s Malabar Hill localities.
The city’s police chief Saud Mirza visited the terror site and said that 300kg of explosives were used in the attack.
4 killed, 30 injured in Peshawar blast
Apowerful explosion ripped through a market in Peshawar in Pakistan on Monday, killing at least four persons. The explosion targeted a shop selling CDs in Nishatarbad area, officials said. A woman was among the dead. More than 30 people were injured by the blast, which triggered a massive fire that engulfed several buildings, shops and cars. The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle. PTI
Omer Farooq Khan TNN
Islamabad: At least eight people were killed, including six police guards, when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the house of a senior police officer in Karachi on Monday.
The police officer targeted in the bombing, Chaudary Aslam, was not harmed and appeared on local television shortly after the attack to blame the Pakistani Taliban for the attack.
Aslam, who is with the police’s counter-terrorism branch, had been tasked with cracking down on Taliban and other militant groups in the city. He has led many highprofile raids on suspected al-Qaida and Taliban cells in some of the cities volatile neighbourhoods.
“I was sleeping when they carried out the attack. I had been receiving threatening letters from militant groups and Pakistani Taliban, but I didn’t know these cowards will target my children. This s not going to deter me from action against them,” Aslam said.
Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Aslam had arrested and killed many of its fighters. “We will continue attacks against those officials who are taking action against our people,” said Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan from an undisclosed location.
The explosion occurred early in the morning when children were going to a school located near Aslam’s home in Karachi’s defence area, an upscale residential locality similar to Delhi’s Jor Bagh and Mumbai’s Malabar Hill localities.
The city’s police chief Saud Mirza visited the terror site and said that 300kg of explosives were used in the attack.
4 killed, 30 injured in Peshawar blast
Apowerful explosion ripped through a market in Peshawar in Pakistan on Monday, killing at least four persons. The explosion targeted a shop selling CDs in Nishatarbad area, officials said. A woman was among the dead. More than 30 people were injured by the blast, which triggered a massive fire that engulfed several buildings, shops and cars. The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle. PTI
Modi dodges cleric’s skullcap -- ToI – 20.9.11
Maulana’s Team Fumes Over The Insult; BJP Plays Down The Incident
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Ahmedabad: During his three-day fast, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was seen in an array of traditional headgear – except one. Despite trying to woo the Muslim community with his ‘Sadbhavna’ rhetoric, not once was he seen in a Muslim skullcap. In fact, on Sunday, when a maulana offered him the skull cap, he rejected it, leaving the cleric and his supporters fuming.
“The refusal is not an just insult to me but an insult to Islam,” maulana Hazrat Sufi Iman Sahi Sayeed Mehendi Husain said on Monday. “I wanted to felicitate Modi after hearing about the Sadbhavna Mission fast. I offered him the cap, but he said he would not wear it. I think he feared wearing a skullcap may dent his image,” added the man who is also known as Pirana Baba.
The maulana’s son Samsul Arafin told TOI that Modi had insulted his father. “My dad and I had gone to meet Modi,” he said. “Par bahut beizzat huve (we were humiliated). First, the security made us run from one gate to another. Finally, babaji admonished one of the organizers and only then did they allow us access to the stage. However, only Baba and I could make it to the stage, other supporters were denied access.”
The moment the maulana took out a cap from his pocket, Modi raised his hand and said, “I do not wear a cap.” As Baba was about to step down from the stage, Modi asked him about the shawl he was carrying. Baba put the shawl around Modi’s shoulders.
“Why is he adverse to the cap,” Arafin asked. “If he can put a pagdi on his head, why not a cap?”
The BJP pooh-poohed the incident, describing it as a non-issue. “Narendra Modi has clearly said his policy is not of appeasement of a section of society unlike other parties. Our approach is development for all and treating everyone equal,’’ party spokesman Vijay Rupani was quoted by PTI as saying. “Thousands of members of the minority community have come here but nobody insisted that Modi put on a skull cap. This is a non-issue which is being turned into a big one by our opponents.”
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Ahmedabad: During his three-day fast, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi was seen in an array of traditional headgear – except one. Despite trying to woo the Muslim community with his ‘Sadbhavna’ rhetoric, not once was he seen in a Muslim skullcap. In fact, on Sunday, when a maulana offered him the skull cap, he rejected it, leaving the cleric and his supporters fuming.
“The refusal is not an just insult to me but an insult to Islam,” maulana Hazrat Sufi Iman Sahi Sayeed Mehendi Husain said on Monday. “I wanted to felicitate Modi after hearing about the Sadbhavna Mission fast. I offered him the cap, but he said he would not wear it. I think he feared wearing a skullcap may dent his image,” added the man who is also known as Pirana Baba.
The maulana’s son Samsul Arafin told TOI that Modi had insulted his father. “My dad and I had gone to meet Modi,” he said. “Par bahut beizzat huve (we were humiliated). First, the security made us run from one gate to another. Finally, babaji admonished one of the organizers and only then did they allow us access to the stage. However, only Baba and I could make it to the stage, other supporters were denied access.”
The moment the maulana took out a cap from his pocket, Modi raised his hand and said, “I do not wear a cap.” As Baba was about to step down from the stage, Modi asked him about the shawl he was carrying. Baba put the shawl around Modi’s shoulders.
“Why is he adverse to the cap,” Arafin asked. “If he can put a pagdi on his head, why not a cap?”
The BJP pooh-poohed the incident, describing it as a non-issue. “Narendra Modi has clearly said his policy is not of appeasement of a section of society unlike other parties. Our approach is development for all and treating everyone equal,’’ party spokesman Vijay Rupani was quoted by PTI as saying. “Thousands of members of the minority community have come here but nobody insisted that Modi put on a skull cap. This is a non-issue which is being turned into a big one by our opponents.”
Cong delivered bribe money –ToI—19.9.11
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: A week after he sought bail for Amar Singh by claiming that money meant to bribe opposition MPs during the 2008 trust vote was “likely” to have come from the BJP, noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani changedhistracktosaythatthe illicitcashcamefrom Congress.
Resuming his argument for Singh’s bail, Jethmalani told special judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal that Congress had arrangedfor thebribetobe paid to the BJP MPs at Le Meridien hotel. Cash-for-vote conspirator a Cong MP, says Jethmalani
“The place of receipt of the bribe was not Amar Singh's home, but Le Meridien hotel,” Ram Jethmalani said, alleging that the money was supposed to be brought there by “an MP and influential member of the party whose government was to be saved”.
Thecharge marked a deviation from the argument Jethmalani had put forward just a week ago. On September 12, the lawyer, citing L K Advani’s statement taking responsibility for the “sting operation”, had claimed that the source of bribe was “likely to be from the BJP”. The thrust of Jethmalani’s argument was that the “originator of the conspiracy” was not Singh but the person whose government was to be saved on July 22, 2008.
“Nowitis quiteclear thattheobjectofwhosoever was the conspirator on that day was to save the government during the motion of confidence. The motive to secure other parties' votes was to save the government. It was therefore quite natural that this conspiracy originated with those who wanted to save the government on that day,” he said.
Jethmalani focused on the alleged role of a senior Congress MP, although he claimed that he was not implicating anyone. His argument was that since the MP was trying to influence the opposition MPs, he had to be the bribe giver. He disputed the statement of three BJP MPs--AshokArgal,Faggan SinghKulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora -- that they had gone to meet Singh athisLodhiRoad residencetofinalize details of the “cash-for-vote” deal. “Before the alleged visit (of the MPs) to Amar Singh's house, a very significant event occurred when the MPs went to Le Meridien hotel with hidden cameras installed on their body,” the senior counsel said.
Jethmalani also said that while Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh met the three BJP MPs, there was no evidence that Amar Singh met them. “Amar Singh is not even in the picture. It was another Samajwadi Party chap who turns up and suggests to go to Amar Singh. There is no face of Amar Singh, no voice in evidence to show that he met the MPs,” he said.
Public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan vehemently opposed Singh's plea saying thatthedefence counsel could not say at the initial stage that there was no prima facie case against the accused. “We are at the stage of bail. It is not the case where defence can say there is no prima facie case,” he said.
Regarding Singh's role in the case, the prosecutor said whatever transpired inside the house of Amar Singh was put before the parliamentary inquiry committee by Faggan Singh Kulaste. “Kulaste had told the parliamentary inquiry committee that Sanjeev Saxena (co-accused in the case) got the three MPs in touch with Amar Singh and that Singh offered Rs 1 crore as token money,” he said.
He said the committee recorded the statement of all the concerned persons who had anything to do with the case. To this, Singh’s counsel objected asking how could the prosecution rely on the statement of one accused to indict another accused.
With arguments on the regular bail remaining inconclusive, the court granted Singh interim bail till September 27. While extending Singh's interim bail which was to expire on Monday, special judge Sehgal also asked Sudheendra Kulkarni, a co-accused in the case, to appear before it on September 27 without fail.
While extending time for Kulkarni, who failed to attend the court on Monday despite his September 6 undertaking to the court, the court said no further extension would be granted to him.
New Delhi: A week after he sought bail for Amar Singh by claiming that money meant to bribe opposition MPs during the 2008 trust vote was “likely” to have come from the BJP, noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani changedhistracktosaythatthe illicitcashcamefrom Congress.
Resuming his argument for Singh’s bail, Jethmalani told special judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal that Congress had arrangedfor thebribetobe paid to the BJP MPs at Le Meridien hotel. Cash-for-vote conspirator a Cong MP, says Jethmalani
“The place of receipt of the bribe was not Amar Singh's home, but Le Meridien hotel,” Ram Jethmalani said, alleging that the money was supposed to be brought there by “an MP and influential member of the party whose government was to be saved”.
Thecharge marked a deviation from the argument Jethmalani had put forward just a week ago. On September 12, the lawyer, citing L K Advani’s statement taking responsibility for the “sting operation”, had claimed that the source of bribe was “likely to be from the BJP”. The thrust of Jethmalani’s argument was that the “originator of the conspiracy” was not Singh but the person whose government was to be saved on July 22, 2008.
“Nowitis quiteclear thattheobjectofwhosoever was the conspirator on that day was to save the government during the motion of confidence. The motive to secure other parties' votes was to save the government. It was therefore quite natural that this conspiracy originated with those who wanted to save the government on that day,” he said.
Jethmalani focused on the alleged role of a senior Congress MP, although he claimed that he was not implicating anyone. His argument was that since the MP was trying to influence the opposition MPs, he had to be the bribe giver. He disputed the statement of three BJP MPs--AshokArgal,Faggan SinghKulaste and Mahabir Singh Bhagora -- that they had gone to meet Singh athisLodhiRoad residencetofinalize details of the “cash-for-vote” deal. “Before the alleged visit (of the MPs) to Amar Singh's house, a very significant event occurred when the MPs went to Le Meridien hotel with hidden cameras installed on their body,” the senior counsel said.
Jethmalani also said that while Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh met the three BJP MPs, there was no evidence that Amar Singh met them. “Amar Singh is not even in the picture. It was another Samajwadi Party chap who turns up and suggests to go to Amar Singh. There is no face of Amar Singh, no voice in evidence to show that he met the MPs,” he said.
Public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan vehemently opposed Singh's plea saying thatthedefence counsel could not say at the initial stage that there was no prima facie case against the accused. “We are at the stage of bail. It is not the case where defence can say there is no prima facie case,” he said.
Regarding Singh's role in the case, the prosecutor said whatever transpired inside the house of Amar Singh was put before the parliamentary inquiry committee by Faggan Singh Kulaste. “Kulaste had told the parliamentary inquiry committee that Sanjeev Saxena (co-accused in the case) got the three MPs in touch with Amar Singh and that Singh offered Rs 1 crore as token money,” he said.
He said the committee recorded the statement of all the concerned persons who had anything to do with the case. To this, Singh’s counsel objected asking how could the prosecution rely on the statement of one accused to indict another accused.
With arguments on the regular bail remaining inconclusive, the court granted Singh interim bail till September 27. While extending Singh's interim bail which was to expire on Monday, special judge Sehgal also asked Sudheendra Kulkarni, a co-accused in the case, to appear before it on September 27 without fail.
While extending time for Kulkarni, who failed to attend the court on Monday despite his September 6 undertaking to the court, the court said no further extension would be granted to him.
Maya now wants quota for poor upper castes—ToI-19.9.11 TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Lucknow: A day after demanding constitutional amendment for introducing reservation for Muslims in government jobs and educational institutions, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Sunday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking quota for the poor among the upper castes.
Mayawati also requested the PM to incorporate the reservation policy in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to ensure that it is not challenged legally. She said reservation was necessary to help those living below the poverty line, irrespective of their caste and class, and demanded that the backlog of vacancies in reserved category be filled immediately. Reservation should be implemented in private sector and other government or semi-government services as well, Mayawati added.
Maya’s letter on Sunday is being seen as an effort to strike a balance in her 'Sarvjan vote bank', which comprises dalits, Muslims, Brahmins and most backward classes. The CM reminded the prime minister that she had raised the issue of quota for upper castes on financial grounds in 2007 as well, soon after coming to power. She had also requested Singh to sanction financial packages for UP’s backward regions.
Muslims are 20% of UP's population and upper castes comprise around 12%. While Muslims can tilt the balance in one-third of 403 assembly seats, upper castes are crucial in around 100 seats. Brahmins can make a difference in around 60 seats. Maya had successfully wooed a section of Brahmins in 2007 by demanding 10% quota for poor upper castes.
Samajwadi Party leader Ahmad Hasan accused Mayawati of not fulfilling any of the promises she made in July 2007 in a meeting with Muslim Ulema. Although the opposition criticised Mayawati, all political parties barring the Bharatiya Janata Party supported Muslim quota as recommended by the Sachar Committee and Rangnath Commission. Union law minister Salman Khurshid is said to be preparing a legislation for Muslim reservation.
The SP has already demanded quota for Muslims. Muslim organisations have welcomed Maya's demand saying reservation for socially and financially backward Muslims should be implemented at the earliest.
Mayawati also requested the PM to incorporate the reservation policy in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to ensure that it is not challenged legally. She said reservation was necessary to help those living below the poverty line, irrespective of their caste and class, and demanded that the backlog of vacancies in reserved category be filled immediately. Reservation should be implemented in private sector and other government or semi-government services as well, Mayawati added.
Maya’s letter on Sunday is being seen as an effort to strike a balance in her 'Sarvjan vote bank', which comprises dalits, Muslims, Brahmins and most backward classes. The CM reminded the prime minister that she had raised the issue of quota for upper castes on financial grounds in 2007 as well, soon after coming to power. She had also requested Singh to sanction financial packages for UP’s backward regions.
Muslims are 20% of UP's population and upper castes comprise around 12%. While Muslims can tilt the balance in one-third of 403 assembly seats, upper castes are crucial in around 100 seats. Brahmins can make a difference in around 60 seats. Maya had successfully wooed a section of Brahmins in 2007 by demanding 10% quota for poor upper castes.
Samajwadi Party leader Ahmad Hasan accused Mayawati of not fulfilling any of the promises she made in July 2007 in a meeting with Muslim Ulema. Although the opposition criticised Mayawati, all political parties barring the Bharatiya Janata Party supported Muslim quota as recommended by the Sachar Committee and Rangnath Commission. Union law minister Salman Khurshid is said to be preparing a legislation for Muslim reservation.
The SP has already demanded quota for Muslims. Muslim organisations have welcomed Maya's demand saying reservation for socially and financially backward Muslims should be implemented at the earliest.
Maha wants Sanatan Sanstha, Abhinav Bharat in terror list—ToI-19.9.11
Vishwa Mohan TNN
New Delhi: Maharashtra Police has recommended to the state government that two right wing radical groups – Sanatan Sanstha and Abhinav Bharat – be included in the category of banned terrorist outfits under anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The name of Sanatan Sanstha had come up in the Goa blast case of 2009 while Abhinav Bharat figured in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
Some members of Abhinav Bharat including Lt Col Srikant Purihit, Ajay Rahirkar, Ramesh Upadhyay and Sammer Kulkarni were charged by the ATS and CBI in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Similarly, the National Investigation Agency had charged 11 members of Sanatan Sanstha in the Goa blast case.
As many as 35 terror outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohamed, al-Qaida, Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) and Indian Mujahideen, are in the category of banned terror outfits under UAPA, 1967.
Maharashtra Police’s move was disclosed by the Union home ministry in response to a Parliament question during the monsoon session early this month.
Minister of state for home affairs Jitendra Singh had said, “The matters are still under investigation. However, with reference to ‘Sanatan Sanstha’ and ‘Abhinav Bharat’, as per available information, Maharashtra Police has recommended to the government of Maharashtra to include these organizations in the schedule of terrorist organizations under Section 35 of the UAPA, 1967.”
The question was asked specifically on action being taken by the government against organizations whose names figured in bomb blast cases, and whether such outfits would be banned.
The minister, at the same time, said that the name no specific organization was yet confirmed in investigations into the Samjhauta, Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad) and Ajmer Sharif bomb blast cases. He said, “However, among the accused persons in these cases like Swami Aseemanand, Devendra Gupta and Lokesh Sharma, who have been arrested and chargesheeted, were reportedly earlier involved in the activities of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).”
The NIA has already filed chargesheets in these three cases. In case of the 2006 Malegaon blast, the Mumbai ATS and CBI had charged SIMI activists for the terror act.
New Delhi: Maharashtra Police has recommended to the state government that two right wing radical groups – Sanatan Sanstha and Abhinav Bharat – be included in the category of banned terrorist outfits under anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The name of Sanatan Sanstha had come up in the Goa blast case of 2009 while Abhinav Bharat figured in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
Some members of Abhinav Bharat including Lt Col Srikant Purihit, Ajay Rahirkar, Ramesh Upadhyay and Sammer Kulkarni were charged by the ATS and CBI in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Similarly, the National Investigation Agency had charged 11 members of Sanatan Sanstha in the Goa blast case.
As many as 35 terror outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohamed, al-Qaida, Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) and Indian Mujahideen, are in the category of banned terror outfits under UAPA, 1967.
Maharashtra Police’s move was disclosed by the Union home ministry in response to a Parliament question during the monsoon session early this month.
Minister of state for home affairs Jitendra Singh had said, “The matters are still under investigation. However, with reference to ‘Sanatan Sanstha’ and ‘Abhinav Bharat’, as per available information, Maharashtra Police has recommended to the government of Maharashtra to include these organizations in the schedule of terrorist organizations under Section 35 of the UAPA, 1967.”
The question was asked specifically on action being taken by the government against organizations whose names figured in bomb blast cases, and whether such outfits would be banned.
The minister, at the same time, said that the name no specific organization was yet confirmed in investigations into the Samjhauta, Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad) and Ajmer Sharif bomb blast cases. He said, “However, among the accused persons in these cases like Swami Aseemanand, Devendra Gupta and Lokesh Sharma, who have been arrested and chargesheeted, were reportedly earlier involved in the activities of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).”
The NIA has already filed chargesheets in these three cases. In case of the 2006 Malegaon blast, the Mumbai ATS and CBI had charged SIMI activists for the terror act.
Haqqanis have links with Pak govt: US –TOI--18.9.11
America Has Proof Of Tie-Up, Says Ambassador To Pakistan
Islamabad/Washington:
The United States has evidence linking the Pakistan government to the Haqqani network, which was behind this week’s attack on the American embassy in Kabul, US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter has said.
A “lot of work” is needed to put Pakistan-US ties back on track and Islamabad must sever its links with militant groups like the Haqqani network, Munter said in an interview with ‘Radio Pakistan’.
“Let me tell you that the attack that took place in Kabul a few days ago, that was the work of the Haqqani network. And the facts, that we have said in the past, that there are problems, there is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government,” he said in response to a question about the current state of bilateral ties. He did not give details about the evidence.
“This is something that must stop. We have to make sure that we work together to fight terrorism. We have to make sure that the efforts that we are making to build the ties between our intelligence services bring about results,” he said.
The US has to talk with the Pakistan government “very openly and clearly about how we can make sure” that attacks like the one in Kabul do not happen in future, he said.
Efforts are being made to recognise the “common enemy” of the US and Pakistan who attack people of both countries and their allies, the envoy noted.
“We have to fight these people. We cannot let events like that happened in Kabul to take place,” he said. Munter’s remarks came close on the heels of a warning from defense secretary Leon Panetta that the US would retaliate against attacks on its forces in Afghanistan by Pakistan based militants. PTI
Islamabad/Washington:
The United States has evidence linking the Pakistan government to the Haqqani network, which was behind this week’s attack on the American embassy in Kabul, US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter has said.
A “lot of work” is needed to put Pakistan-US ties back on track and Islamabad must sever its links with militant groups like the Haqqani network, Munter said in an interview with ‘Radio Pakistan’.
“Let me tell you that the attack that took place in Kabul a few days ago, that was the work of the Haqqani network. And the facts, that we have said in the past, that there are problems, there is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government,” he said in response to a question about the current state of bilateral ties. He did not give details about the evidence.
“This is something that must stop. We have to make sure that we work together to fight terrorism. We have to make sure that the efforts that we are making to build the ties between our intelligence services bring about results,” he said.
The US has to talk with the Pakistan government “very openly and clearly about how we can make sure” that attacks like the one in Kabul do not happen in future, he said.
Efforts are being made to recognise the “common enemy” of the US and Pakistan who attack people of both countries and their allies, the envoy noted.
“We have to fight these people. We cannot let events like that happened in Kabul to take place,” he said. Munter’s remarks came close on the heels of a warning from defense secretary Leon Panetta that the US would retaliate against attacks on its forces in Afghanistan by Pakistan based militants. PTI
2 detained in Finland for financing terror—ToI—18.9.11
A man and a woman with foreign backgrounds have been detained in Finland on suspicion of financing terrorism and recruiting people for terror attacks on another country, police said. “There is a reason to believe these actions are related to such an organization which is suspected of terrorism actions,” Detective Inspector Kaj Bjorkqvist from the National Bureau of Investigation said. The two suspects had been under surveillance by the security intelligence service before their arrest on Sept. 7. They appeared at a district court a week ago and were remanded into custody. REUTERS
Protest over FBI criticizing Islam during training —ToI—18.9.11
Erica Goode
Arab-American and Muslim groups deplored the FBI’s use of training material that characterized the Prophet Muhammad as a “cult leader” and linked Muslims’ religious devotion to a potential for violence.
“It’s really troubling,” said Abed Ayoub, the legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Ayoub said the use of the material in counterterrorism training — first reported in a blog post on Wired.com — was only one of numerous cases in which training materials for law enforcement agencies have portrayed Islam or Arabs in a negative light.
“The bigger question is how did this material get in there in the first place?” he said. “Do you not have rules or guidelines that will prevent this from happening?”
In a training segment called “Militancy Considerations,” posted on Wired’s Web site, a chart correlated a steady level of violence with “adherence by pious and devout” to the Quran. In contrast, the chart showed violence decreasing with “adherence by pious and devout” to the Bible or to the Torah.
A PowerPoint presentation titled “Strategic Themes and Drivers in Islamic Law” described Muhammad as a “businessman,” a “cult leader for a small inner circle” and a “religious leader with political ambitions.”
The Prophet, the presentation said, “ordered the assassinations and executions of critics” and “employed torture to extract information.”
In a statement posted on its website on Friday, the FBI said the training material “does not reflect the views of the FBI and is not consistent with the overall instruction provided to FBI personnel.” NYT NEWS SERVICE
Arab-American and Muslim groups deplored the FBI’s use of training material that characterized the Prophet Muhammad as a “cult leader” and linked Muslims’ religious devotion to a potential for violence.
“It’s really troubling,” said Abed Ayoub, the legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Ayoub said the use of the material in counterterrorism training — first reported in a blog post on Wired.com — was only one of numerous cases in which training materials for law enforcement agencies have portrayed Islam or Arabs in a negative light.
“The bigger question is how did this material get in there in the first place?” he said. “Do you not have rules or guidelines that will prevent this from happening?”
In a training segment called “Militancy Considerations,” posted on Wired’s Web site, a chart correlated a steady level of violence with “adherence by pious and devout” to the Quran. In contrast, the chart showed violence decreasing with “adherence by pious and devout” to the Bible or to the Torah.
A PowerPoint presentation titled “Strategic Themes and Drivers in Islamic Law” described Muhammad as a “businessman,” a “cult leader for a small inner circle” and a “religious leader with political ambitions.”
The Prophet, the presentation said, “ordered the assassinations and executions of critics” and “employed torture to extract information.”
In a statement posted on its website on Friday, the FBI said the training material “does not reflect the views of the FBI and is not consistent with the overall instruction provided to FBI personnel.” NYT NEWS SERVICE
J&K House lists Guru clemency resolution for discussion, vote —ToI—18.9.11
M Saleem Pandit TNN
Srinagar:Jammu & Kashmir assembly has listed a resolution seeking clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru for discussion and voting on September 29.
Independent north Kashmir legislator Abdul Rashid Sheikh had submitted the resolution to speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone on September 1. “The resolution is listed in the assembly business at serial number 2,” Sheikh said.
The speaker’s office did not respond to queries about the resolution.
Sources said the Congress high command has asked its legislators to oppose the resolution. The BJP and Jammu-based Panthers Party would follow suit.
Observers say it would be interesting to see how the ruling National Conference deals with the resolution. The party has its base largely in the Valley and would influence its preference over the issue.
Sheikh is hoping to have opposition People’s Democratic Party on his side. He met former chief minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to garner support.
“The saner political quarters in the state have to join hands to ensure that Guru’s hanging should not happen. (It) will set the state on fire,’’ said Sheikh
“Criminals need reformation and correction and I want the state assembly to pass the resolution for Guru with this spirit,’’ he had said. “It is merely a human problem and should be dealt with humanely.”
Chief minister Omar Abdullah had stirred a hornet’s nest with his tweet that a Jammu & Kashmir assembly resolution seeking clemency for Guru on the lines of Tamil Nadu legislature’s mercy plea for Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins would have created an uproar. Omar’s comment on twitter came a day after the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a resolution urging President Pratibha Patil to reconsider the mercy plea of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers facing death sentence last month.
“If J&K assembly had passed a similar resolution for Afzal Guru, would the reaction have been as muted? I think not,” Omar tweeted. The chief minister had earlier conveyed his reservations about Guru’s execution to the Centre saying he was worried about its fallout in the Valley.
Omar’s apprehension of a political furore appeared justified when the BJP reacted sharply and asked him to refrain from commenting on the issue.
Omar responded saying he would not be bullied a day later and attacked BJP after Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal wrote to the president asking her to re-examine convicted terrorist Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar’s mercy plea. “I’m curious to see what Shahnawaz Hussain & the other BJP chaps are gonna say now,” Omar tweeted. “This is their (coalition) government in Punjab.”
Srinagar:Jammu & Kashmir assembly has listed a resolution seeking clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru for discussion and voting on September 29.
Independent north Kashmir legislator Abdul Rashid Sheikh had submitted the resolution to speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone on September 1. “The resolution is listed in the assembly business at serial number 2,” Sheikh said.
The speaker’s office did not respond to queries about the resolution.
Sources said the Congress high command has asked its legislators to oppose the resolution. The BJP and Jammu-based Panthers Party would follow suit.
Observers say it would be interesting to see how the ruling National Conference deals with the resolution. The party has its base largely in the Valley and would influence its preference over the issue.
Sheikh is hoping to have opposition People’s Democratic Party on his side. He met former chief minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to garner support.
“The saner political quarters in the state have to join hands to ensure that Guru’s hanging should not happen. (It) will set the state on fire,’’ said Sheikh
“Criminals need reformation and correction and I want the state assembly to pass the resolution for Guru with this spirit,’’ he had said. “It is merely a human problem and should be dealt with humanely.”
Chief minister Omar Abdullah had stirred a hornet’s nest with his tweet that a Jammu & Kashmir assembly resolution seeking clemency for Guru on the lines of Tamil Nadu legislature’s mercy plea for Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins would have created an uproar. Omar’s comment on twitter came a day after the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a resolution urging President Pratibha Patil to reconsider the mercy plea of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers facing death sentence last month.
“If J&K assembly had passed a similar resolution for Afzal Guru, would the reaction have been as muted? I think not,” Omar tweeted. The chief minister had earlier conveyed his reservations about Guru’s execution to the Centre saying he was worried about its fallout in the Valley.
Omar’s apprehension of a political furore appeared justified when the BJP reacted sharply and asked him to refrain from commenting on the issue.
Omar responded saying he would not be bullied a day later and attacked BJP after Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal wrote to the president asking her to re-examine convicted terrorist Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar’s mercy plea. “I’m curious to see what Shahnawaz Hussain & the other BJP chaps are gonna say now,” Omar tweeted. “This is their (coalition) government in Punjab.”
Monday, September 12, 2011
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