Times of India
Myanmar refugees want India to step in
30 Sep 2007, 0000 hrs IST
Ashish Sinha
NEW DELHI: Huddled up in a corner near Jantar Mantar, a small group of pro-democracy activists and Buddhist monks from Myanmar did raise clenched fists to protest the reign of terror let loose by the military junta.
But they were dazed by the stand taken by New Delhi. It was easy for them to identify the factors that have impacted the Indian response. A young woman listed oil, market, China, North-East insurgency and Myanmar’s strategic location as the reasons why India was reluctant to douse the fire.
"The crackdown is more severe than before. I was 20 and leading a wild college life when the 1988 repression changed it all. I fled to India through Mizoram with a group of students, leaving my family behind," recalled Thin Thin Aung, now an activist of Women’s League of Burma in India.
Aung was at a refugee camp in Mizoram for two years before she moved to Delhi in 1990. "Enthused by our leader Aung San Suu Kyi, we were demanding a multi-party system when the military cracked down. I saw my friends being shot on the streets and decided to plunge myself in the movement," she said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Myanmar_refugees_want_India_to_step_in/articleshow/2415079.cms
US imposes visa ban on several Myanmar leaders
29 Sep 2007, 0858 hrs IST
WASHINGTON: The US administration slapped visa bans on more than 30 members of the Myanmar junta and their families, the State Department has said.
"In response to the Burmese regime's continued crackdown, the State Department has designated more than three dozen additional government and military officials and their families as ineligible to receive visas to travel to the United States," department spokesman Tom Casey said on Friday in a statement.
Casey warned the department would add to the list "others who bear responsibility for the ongoing attacks on innocent civilians and other human rights abuses."
A department official said US laws protecting personal visa information, including for those blacklisted, prevented the department from revealing the names on the list.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/US_imposes_visa_ban_on_several_Myanmar_leaders/articleshow/2413664.cms
Military tightens grip over Myanmar
29 Sep 2007, 1130 hrs IST
YANGON: Residents are worried that pro-democracy protests could be weakening after soldiers and police in Myanmar
took control of the streets, firing tear gas and warning shots to scatter demonstrators who ventured out and sealing off Buddhist monasteries.
The streets were quiet on early Saturday and monks, who have provided the backbone of recent rallies calling for an end to 45 years of military rule, were locked behind temple gates in the two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay.
Additional troops arrived overnight, consolidating the government's control of urban areas. Internet links have been cut.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Military_tightens_grip_over_Myanmar/articleshow/2413869.cms
RSS team visits Ram Setu, offers prayers
29 Sep 2007, 2216 hrs IST
RAMESWARAM: Amid the raging controversy over Ram Setu, a group of RSS members, led by its Tamil Nadu state organiser Vaikuntan, on Saturday visited the site off the coast here and offered pooja for the victory of the VHP-supported Ram Setu Protection Committee in its mission.
The RSS members, numbering around 25 and including ten women, travelled by a private boat to the Ram Sethu, officials said.
The government did not allow any person belonging to Hindu organisations or any other political party which opposed causing damage to the Ram Setu to the site since work on the Sethusamudran Ship Canal Project started.
The dredging work in the Ram Setu area had been stopped recently in the wake of the Supreme Court on August 31 putting on hold demolition of the mythical bridge situated south-east off this pilgrim town.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/RSS_team_visits_Ram_Setu_offers_prayers/articleshow/2414999.cms
Karnataka BJP minister B Sriramulu resigns
29 Sep 2007, 2115 hrs IST
BANGALORE: In a visible attempt to lower the temperature, Karnataka Tourism Minister and BJP leader B Sriramulu on Saturday resigned from the JD(S)-BJP coalition ministry.
Sriramulu handed over his resignation letter, addressed to the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, to Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
He denied he was quitting following pressure from the party to ease the tension between the coalition partners after his action in filing a criminal complaint against Kumaraswamy threatened to cast its shadow on the October 3 power transfer.
"I am doing it on my own volition and not under any pressure", Sriramulu told reporters.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Karnataka_BJP_minister_B_Sriramulu_resigns/articleshow/2414926.cms
Should Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt be spared the rod?
29 Sep 2007, 2052 hrs IST
Vasundhara Sanger
MUMBAI: Bollywood actors Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan, currently out on bail, stand convicted in two separate cases and face incarceration. After the judgment was passed on the two popular actors, few eminent people had expressed a desire to explore an alternative form of punishment, which they argued was not to spare the heartthrobs chastisement but to accord the benefit of greater public welfare to the society at large.
By saying so, no doubt, an attempt has been made to understand the philosophy behind punishments handed down to convicts that is not too clear in the present Indian criminal justice system.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Should_Salman_Khan_and_Sanjay_Dutt_be_spared_the_rod/articleshow/2414886.cms
HIV+ mother gets child's custody
29 Sep 2007, 0234 hrs IST
JAIPUR: A woman who was infected by her HIV positive husband and punished by a lower court which wrenched away her 9-year-old daughter from her saying she was unfit to be a mother, on Friday got custody of the girl thanks to a sessions court in Jaipur.
The woman was married in 1995 and contracted the deadly disease from her husband, a soldier in the army. When he died in 2003, her in-laws threw her out of the house because she was HIV positive and refused to let her daughter go with her.
Hoping that the legal system would be sympathetic and less blinkered than her community and peers, the woman filed an application in the court of an additional civil judge seeking custody of her daughter. That, however, was not to be.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HIV_mother_gets_childs_custody/articleshow/2413129.cms
IAS officers find greener pastures without quitting
29 Sep 2007, 0237 hrs IST
Ashish Sinha
NEW DELHI: Just eight officers from the elite IAS have quit in the last four years. No, government jobs haven't become more attractive.
It's just that more and more officers are using a rule meant to be invoked only in 'exceptional circumstances' to enjoy the best of two worlds — being in service while taking up lucrative assignments with NGOs, private sector and international organisations.
A parliamentary committee had noted that Section 6(2) of the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954, which allows officers to take up assignments outside government, was to be used sparingly. It was meant to give officers the experience which would make their contributions to government more useful in the long run.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/IAS_officers_find_greener_pastures_without_quitting/articleshow/2413135.cms
The British-Indian who travels on behalf of Indian kids
29 Sep 2007, 1833 hrs IST
Rashmee Roshan Lall
LONDON: Of 1.3 million British-Indians, Bharat Parmar may be the one man who best qualifies for the description 'short-haired hippie'. A middle-aged civil engineer from Mumbai, with two grown daughters and a pronounced Indian accent, Parmar seems an unlikely candidate to live and breathe the ultimate English hippie dream – travelling overland from Britain to India on a shoestring budget.
What's more, Parmar's passage to India is always about that other adultescent white man's bug – good causes, specifically to raise money to build schools in disparate parts of India. On Monday (October 1), Parmar begins his newest overland journey to India, travelling 7,760 miles from London to Kullu Manali exclusively using trains and buses, with the occasional foray on foot.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/The_British-Indian_who_travels_on_behalf_of_Indian_kids/articleshow/2414651.cms
Maid takes refuge at Embassy in Qatar
28 Sep 2007, 1309 hrs IST
DUBAI: An Indian housemaid in Qatar has taken refuge at the Indian Embassy after alleged physical and mental harassment by her sponsor.
Talking to media at the premises of the Embassy on Thursday, the maid alleged that she was subjected to physical and mental harassment by the sponsor, Peninsula Daily reported.
The maid hailing from Vayanad in Kerala had come to Qatar five years ago.
She was quoted as saying that she wanted to go home and was no more interested in working with the sponsor's family.
According to the report, the Embassy had sent her to the hospital on Thursday for medical check-ups from where she was transferred to the police.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians_Abroad/Maid_takes_refuge_at_Embassy_in_Qatar/articleshow/2411309.cms
US wants smooth transition to democracy in Pak
29 Sep 2007, 0932 hrs IST
NEW YORK: The US on Saturday said it wanted a "smooth and successful transition" to democratic civilian government Pakistan even as it termed the Supreme Court ruling allowing President Pervez Musharraf to contest in uniform as an "internal matter" of the country.
"This is the internal matter of the country for politicians and courts to decide," US Assistant Secretary of South Asian and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said when asked about Musharraf being allowed to seek re-election to the post of President while remaining as army chief.
"But the United States is interested that the process of transition to democratic civilian government should proceed smoothly and successfully," he told reporters.
Boucher also rejected suggestions that formation of a civilian government in Pakistan could adversely impact the country's fight against terrorism.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/US_wants_smooth_transition_to_democracy_in_Pak/articleshow/2413705.cms
Pak SC allows Musharraf to contest polls in uniform
28 Sep 2007, 1707 hrs IST
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday dismissed legal challenges to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's bid for a new five-year term.
"These petitions are held to be non-maintainable," presiding Judge Rana Bhagwandas told the court, drawing howls of protests from lawyers in the gallery.
"Shame, shame!" and "Go, Musharraf, go!" they said as they pumped their fists in the air in the packed, cavernous courtroom.
The 6-3 decision in favour of the military leader allows him to contest the Oct. 6 election while army chief and removes the main obstacle to his staying in office. Bhagwandas said the court would explain its reasoning later.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Court_allows_Mush_to_contest_poll_in_uniform/articleshow/2411985.cms
Pakistani police baton-charge anti-Musharraf lawyers
29 Sep 2007, 1204 hrs IST
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police used batons and teargas to disperse hundreds of lawyers protesting against President Pervez Musharraf's candidacy in next week's presidential election, officials and witnesses said.
Several lawyers were injured and around a dozen arrested during the noisy protest outside the Election Commission as Musharraf's nomination papers and those of other candidates were being scrutinised.
Around 900 lawyers gathered near the commission despite tight security and police road blocks.
Chanting "Go Musharraf, go" the lawyers tried to approach the commission building from the Supreme Court but police blocked their way and scuffles broke out.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pak_police_target_anti-Musharraf_lawyers/articleshow/2413965.cms
India warned of suspicious transactions
29 Sep 2007, 0058 hrs IST
Pradeep Thakur
NEW DELHI: The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has forwarded a list of suspicious transactions, including hundreds of cases of suspected terror financing and doubtful foreign remittances, to Intelligence Bureau and other investigating agencies.
In its first annual report released recently, the FIU identified several accounts having a common beneficiary with huge and unexplained money transfers made to them.
Tasked to keep an eye on money laundering and combating terror financing, the FIU report said many of these foreign remittances were doubtful with scant information on the source of funds and actual beneficiaries. Some such account holders were even found to be on the Interpol's watch list and were known criminals.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_warned_of_suspicious_transactions/articleshow/2412984.cms
RJ's remarks against Indian Idol triggers violence, curfew
28 Sep 2007, 2319 hrs IST
SILIGURI: A radio jockey's remarks against Indian Idol Prashant Tamnang triggered clashes between his fans and local residents and widespread violence and arson here after which curfew was imposed and Army called in to help maintain law and order.
The trouble erupted when a 2000-strong procession of fans were marching to the SDO's office to submit a memorandum in protest against the derogatory comments by a FM radio jockey in Delhi against Tamang, the police said.
An ambulance which sought to enter the Siliguri Zilla Hospital on Hospital Road at that time was obstructed by the fans. This was protested by local people and the Idol's fans in turn vandalised shops in the area.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/RJs_remarks_against_Indian_Idol_triggers_violence_/articleshow/2412829.cms
Indian Idol row: Curfew in Siliguri to be withdrawn today
29 Sep 2007, 1720 hrs IST
SILIGURI: The district administration has decided to withdraw curfew from some parts of Siliguri, which witnessed violent clashes between fans of Indian Idol Prashant Tamang and the locals, while it will continue in several sensitive areas.
"The decision was taken as the situation here was returning to normal and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere," District magistrate of Darjeeling, Rajesh Pandey said.
The curfew, however, would continue in 11 areas, including the inter-state Tenzing Norgay bus terminus, Siliguri Town railway station and Mahabirsthan till Sunday morning, when the situation would be reviewed.
He said four columns of the army and two companies of para-military forces would be engaged in peace keeping measures till Sunday morning.
However, all educational institutions in Siliguri sub-division would remain closed till Monday as a preacutionary measure, he added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Indian_Idol_row_Curfew_in_Siliguri_to_be_withdrawn_today/articleshow/2414610.cms
HIV+ mother gets child's custody
29 Sep 2007, 0234 hrs IST
JAIPUR: A woman who was infected by her HIV positive husband and punished by a lower court which wrenched away her 9-year-old daughter from her saying she was unfit to be a mother, on Friday got custody of the girl thanks to a sessions court in Jaipur.
The woman was married in 1995 and contracted the deadly disease from her husband, a soldier in the army. When he died in 2003, her in-laws threw her out of the house because she was HIV positive and refused to let her daughter go with her.
Hoping that the legal system would be sympathetic and less blinkered than her community and peers, the woman filed an application in the court of an additional civil judge seeking custody of her daughter. That, however, was not to be.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HIV_mother_gets_childs_custody/articleshow/2413129.cms
US unveils new citizenship test questions
29 Sep 2007, 0402 hrs IST
Chidanand Rajghatta
WASHINGTON: What do the 13 stars on the American flag represent? What territory did the United States buy from France in 1813? What did Susan B Anthony do? What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?
These are some of the 100 new questions made public by the U.S government for the new citizenship test that will come into effect from October 1, 2008. The new set of questions were devised following a pilot program in ten cities this spring after a raging debate lasting years over whether the old test was too easy or too tough, administration officials said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/US_unveils_new_citizenship_test_questions/articleshow/2413344.cms
Bush authorises 25 million dollar oil aid for North Korea
29 Sep 2007, 0745 hrs IST
,WASHINGTON: US President George W. Bush authorised on Friday 25 million dollars in energy aid to North Korea in response to Pyongyang's progress in complying with its denuclearisation agreement.
The move came as negotiators in Beijing closed their second day of talks on a timetable for the secretive communist regime to disable all of its nuclear programs this year.
"This action is in accordance with the principle of 'action for action' under the six-party talks and demonstrates the US commitment to the denuclearization of the DPRK (North Korea)," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe of the US aid promise.
Johndroe said the 25 million dollars was for 50,000 metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil for the impoverished state.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/Bush_authorises_25_million_dollar_oil_aid_for_North_Korea/articleshow/2413647.cms
N-deal to commence when India is ready: US
29 Sep 2007, 0817 hrs IST
,NEW YORK: In the face of Left opposition, the Bush administration has refused to set a time-line for moving the Indo-US nuclear deal forward, saying it will start work towards operationalising the agreement when New Delhi is ready.
"We will deal with it as it comes. We'll deal with it in terms of the opportunities that are there when India is ready to move forward," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher said when asked if there was any time-line for moving the deal forward.
Cautiously speaking at a briefing in New York on Friday, Boucher said the issue did come up during discussions between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in New York on Wednesday.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/N-deal_to_commence_when_India_is_ready_US/articleshow/2413650.cms
Over four lakh Indian children work as bonded labour: Report
29 Sep 2007, 1510 hrs IST
NEW YORK: More than four lakh children, mostly girls and under 18 years of age, are involved as child labour in cottonseed fields in India, a human rights report has said.
Nearly 4,16,000 children below 18 years, almost half of which are even younger than 14 years of age are working in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the report said, adding that compared to the 2003-2004 harvest season, the total number of such children has risen.
The figures only decreased in Andhra Pradesh because of local and international pressure, it said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/Over_four_lakh_Indian_children_work_as_bonded_labour_Report/articleshow/2414285.cms
Hitler's cross on bedspread collection sparks protests
30 Sep 2007, 0211 hrs IST
Hemali Chhapia
MUMBAI: Here comes chapter II of Hitler's Cross. A dealer in bedspreads has named his latest line, Nazi Collection. His booklet says Nazi stands for ‘New Arrival Zone of India', but the Fuhrer's hooked cross next to the word leaves no doubt about his intention.
Graphic designer Mehernooz Damani, a Jew, was handed the booklet when he went to Mulund's Nirmal Lifestyle mall on Thursday. "It really hurt me and I called the dealer, Kapilkumar Todi, and requested him to change the name," said Damani.
When Todi refused to do so, Damani contacted the Jewish Council of India, which is seeking legal opinion.
Last year, a restaurant in Khargar in Navi Mumbai called itself Hitler's Cross and attracted widespread condemnation. The restaurateur was forced to change the name after Jews across the world criticised it.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Hitlers_cross_on_bedspread_collection_sparks_protests/articleshow/2415388.cms
Pakistan Times
Presidential Election to be Free, Fair, says Pakistan PM
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday said presidential election will be held in a free, fair and transparent manner as envisaged by the Constitution to strengthen democratic process in the country.
The Prime Minister was talking to President PML Ch. Shujaat Hussain, PML Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani and Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid, here at the PM House.
He expressed the hope that President Pervez Musharraf will succeed in the Presidential election as PML and coalition partners have the desired strength in the assemblies to ensure his re-election.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top3.htm
Pakistan Supreme Court: Dismisses Petitions against Musharraf’s Two Offices
‘Pakistan Times’ Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Friday dismissed constitutional petitions against the holding of two offices by President General Pervez Musharraf, clearing the way for him to contest the forthcoming presidential election in uniform.
A nine-member bench ruled by majority of six to three that the petitions were not maintainable under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, which relates to matters of public importance.
The head of the bench Justice Rana Bhagwandas and two other judges, Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan and Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, dissented with the majority and held the petitions maintainable.
Six members of the bench—Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, Justice Falak Sher and Justice M.Javed Buttar—held the petitions to be “not maintainable” under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top.htm
President Respects Decision of the Supreme Court: Spokesman
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: The Spokesman for the President Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rashid Qureshi Friday said the President respects and honours the judgement of the Supreme Court.
The President’s spokesman when asked for his reaction over the Supreme Court decision told that “the President respects and honours the judgement of the Supreme Court - as always.”
The spokesman to the President when asked about his comments said “justice triumphs.”
PM greets President
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday greeted President General Pervez Musharraf on Supreme Court’s landmark decision on the constitutional petition regarding holding of two offices.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top1.htm
Review Petition against SC Decision to be Filed on Monday
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: Review petition against Supreme Court larger bench’s decision validating president to contest presidential election while holding dual offices will be filed on Monday.
Senior Advocate Supreme Court Akram Sheikh said; “I have been directed to prepare review petition and we will file it on Monday. This struggle would continue till the rule of law and independence of judiciary in the country.”
Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Munir A Malik said, “we will file the review petition on Monday to the full bench of the Supreme Court. We will continue the fight till its logical end.”
He said that the people would now have to come out and join hands with lawyers for the bright future of coming generation.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top2.htm
Pakistan Cabinet Welcomes SC Decision
By Aziz Malik 'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau Chief
ISLAMABAD: The federal Cabinet, which met under Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here Friday, welcomed the Supreme Court verdict that cleared the way for re-election of President General Pervez Musharraf for a second term as head of state.
The informal meeting of the cabinet was called by the Prime Minister at the PM House soon after the announcement of the landmark judgement by the Supreme Court.
The Cabinet expressed profound happiness at the decision and endorsed that Pakistan needs the vision and leadership of President General Pervez Musharraf to continue its march towards peace and prosperity.
The Cabinet was of the view that the judgement given by the Supreme Court removes any uncertainty about the future developments and has put the country firmly on the path of growth and development.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top5.htm
SC Issues Notices to Federation over Nawaz Sharif Deportation
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court here Friday issued notices to 13 respondents of the Federation over a petition against the recent deportation of Nawaz Sharif to Jeddah.
The four-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Naser ul Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz and Justice Jamshaid Ali heard the petition.
Fakhar u Din G Ibrahim, counsel for Nawaz Sharif, appeared before the apex court and sought initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the Federation.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top4.htm
Nawaz Sharif to Return after Eid: Hamza Sharif
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: The former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would return soon after the Eid-ul-Fitr, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif said here while talking to media persons outside Supreme Court building.
When asked about the exact date, he was reluctant to give any, however, he said, the nation would listen a good news soon after Eid-ul-Fitr.
He condemned the way Mian Nawaz Sharif was deported on September 10 saying, Nawaz Sharif was returned on the verdict of Supreme Court.
He said the Supreme Court would listen the next hearing on October 17 and after that the party would finalize the future strategy.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top8.htm
US appreciates Pakistan’s Effort to Make Country Poppy-Free
By Fatima Raza 'Pakistan Times' AJK Bureau Chief
ISLAMABAD: Administrator U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Karen P. Tandy Friday appreciating Pakistan’s efforts to make the country “poppy free” emphasized the need to have better cooperation to fight the Afghan opium trade, terming it a threat to Pakistan, America and the world.
Addressing a select gathering of anti-narcotics and law enforcement officials here at local hotel, Tandy who came from Afghanistan today said Pakistan is itself a success story in the global war on drugs.
She said, “Once a heroin supply country, Pakistan now is nearly poppy free.” She described Pakistan as “a success story in the global war on drugs” and observed that Pakistan is “America’s vital ally on anti-drug-efforts.”
Tandy appreciated the performance of law enforcement officers of Pakistan in the Anti Narcotics Force and the Frontier Corps.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top6.htm
Pakistan to Continue Support for Elimination of Global Terrorism: Sherpao
By Sarah Kamal 'Pakistan Times' Staff Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao Firday said that Pakistan was fully determined to continue its support for elimination of global terrorism and drug trafficking.
This he said during a meeting with US delegation headed by Taren P. Tandy, Drug Enforcement Administrator here.Secretary Interior Kamal Shah and US ambassador to the country were attended the meeting.
The meeting was held in cordial atmosphere and various matters of mutual interests came under discussion.
Aftab Sherpao said that the two countries are supporting each other in various fields and these ties would be further strengthen in future.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top7.htm
India Remains Indifferent to IPI Gas Pipeline Meeting
'Pakistan Times' Foreign Desk
NEW DELHI (India): India remained indifferent to the recent meeting on Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project held in Tehran on September 24 due to US pressure.
India skipped to attend the meeting taking the plea that it wants to first resolve transit fee issue with Pakistan.
Media reports here suggest that India did not attend the meeting because Washington is not happy with India to have relations of defence cooperation and Gas pipeline project with Iran.
The timing did not suit India to attend the meeting as it is engaged in serious talks with the US and other stakeholders to operationalise the Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation deal.
The other factors which also played some role in keeping India away from the meeting were changing stands of Iran in respect of gas pricing formula, the observers here said.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top10.htm
World Bank pledges $3.5 billion for Poorest Countries
Pakistan Times Wire Service
WASHINGTON: The World Bank Group will seek to contribute a record $3.5 billion from its income to provide grants and credits for the world’s poorest countries through the 15th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA).
This pledge is more than double the $1.5 billion pledged by the World Bank Group to IDA 14 in 2005.
“By boosting its IDA pledge by over 100 percent, the World Bank Group is putting its money where its mouth is,” said Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank Group.
“This should help us gain momentum as we urge donor countries to increase their commitment to help the 81 poorest countries, especially in Africa, through an ambitious IDA 15 replenishment. For example, South Africa has already pledged an increase of over 30 percent to support IDA.”
For the first time, the amount pledged to IDA is also being funded substantially from the income of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group affiliate that promotes private sector development through investment and advisory services.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top14.htm
Geneva convention adopts a working paper on Kashmir
'Pakistan Times' Kashmir Desk
GENEVA: The extraordinary two-day “Geneva Convention on Kashmir: The Making of Peace in Kashmir – Analyzing Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Right to Self-Determination” has concluded at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Politicians, academics, scholars, Jurists, human rights activists, humanitarian organizations, think tanks and other NGOs from all across the world attended the convention.
On the last day, the convention adopted a working paper stressing the need to improve existing conditions so that the peace process can eventually address and find a peaceful and acceptable solution to the Kashmir conflict.
It urged the international community to rally behind calls to involve Kashmiris in the peace process as no solution on Kashmir will be durable unless it is legitimate in the eyes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/kashmir2.htm
Pakistan Economy Strengthened due to Government Policies: Kasuri
Pakistan Times National News Desk
KASUR: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri Saturday said that national economy has strengthened significantly due to sagacious policies of the present government.
Addressing a press conference here he said that these efforts helped boost the trade with the neighbouring countries, China and India to a great extent and Pakistan has cordial relations with USA, China and other countries.
He said that Pakistan, like other countries of the world, was facing the menace of terrorism. “The bomb blasts in the country have nothing to do with the foreign policy,” Kasuri said.
He said that Pakistan is playing the role of a front line state against terrorism.
He said, without resolving Kashmir issue, a lasting peace could not be attained in the South Asian region.
Earlier, the foreign minister addressed a public meeting at Ganda Singh Wala. Tahsil nazim Agha Naveed Hashim Rizvi, Sardar Riaz Doogar, Sardar Jalal Din Doogar, Haji Muhammad Mansha also addressed the meeting.●
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/national4.htm
Mandate of the Pakistan People has to be Honoured: PM
'Pakistan Times' National News Desk
KARACHI: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said the decision by some opposition parties to resign from the National and Provincial Assemblies is a means to shirk off responsibility bestowed upon the Members of the Parliament by the Constitution.
It also reflects, he said, their commitment to democracy and respect for the mandate given to them by the people of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister stated this during his meeting with Sindh Chief Minister, Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim, at the Chief Minister House here on Saturday.
The Prime Minister said PML and its allied parties would participate whole- heartedly in the presidential election as well as the general elections.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/national5.htm
The Economic Rank
By the Editor
WITH the current political milieu, remaining intact in Pakistan – as was being envisioned – the resultant instability seems to have started taking its toll on economic and development side.
Reports indicate that foreign investment, after a long gap, has declined by 16% during the first two months of the existing fiscal year.
The figures released by the State Bank of Pakistan show that foreign investment, including foreign direct investment [FDI] and portfolio investment, declined by 60.4 million dollars during the period as compared to the same period previous year.
Time and again – we have been emphasizing that Pakistan’s nascent monetary gains could ill-afford constant confusion and uncertainty about political landscape of the country.
Incentives for investors would not work if prospective entrepreneurs were not sure about future of their investment due to political upheavals.
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/editorial.htm
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