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Updated on March 10, 2003 |
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--- South Asian News, August 30, 2002 --- (International)
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says that Bin Laden is definitely not in Pakistan and "Most likely he's dead." Pakistani election officials on Friday rejected former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's nomination to stand in October 10 national elections.
In editorial news, read about the future of All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference and the Democratic Freedom Party led by Shabir Shah in the light of its decision to boycott election in Kashmir.
Africa
N/A
America
N/A
Asia-Pacific
* Bin Laden definitely not in Pakistan: Musharraf (Xinhuanet)
* Musharraf denies power bid (Australian News)
* Bangladeshi FM to visit China (Xinhuanet)
* Tensions rise in Gujarat over planned BJP march (Channelnews Asia)
* Bhutto's election papers rejected by Pakistan commission (Channelnews Asia) (Australian Broadcasting)
* Indian gas disaster link found, Greenpeace says (Australian Broadcasting)
* Indian police arrest founder of upper caste militia (Channelnews Asia)
* Bomb explodes in municipal building in Nepal (Japan Today)
Middle East
* 12 hurt as Congress, BJP activists clash (Gulf News)
* Preliminary nod for Nawaz to contest poll (Gulf News) (IRNA)
* UNF sets deadline for Chandrika (Gulf News)
* Troops kill 16 rebels in Kashmir (Gulf Daily News)
* Kashmir elections takes an unusual turn (IRNA)
* India flays Musharraf's statement on infiltration (IRNA)
* Jammu and Kashmir talks to continue after elections: Vajpayee (IRNA)
Europe
* Pakistan rejects Bhutto election bid (Guardian) (Ananova) (BBC)
* Kashmir separatist in poll concession (BBC)
* Regional police for South Asia (BBC)
Editorial
* Stay-away Hurriyat risks being sidelined (Asia Times)
* Sackings expose rifts in Tiger camp (Asia Times)
* In Kashmir, a peacemaker makes war (Asia Times)
Business/Technology
* Indian steel industry hails US anti-dumping ruling (Asia Times)
* Pakistan stocks reach new high (Gulf Daily News)
* Intel vows $130m funds for design centre in Bangalore (Gulf Daily News)
* India's stocks firms up at early stages at BSE (IRNA)
* $600m for Railway (Asia Times)
* Pakistan's current account balance soars (Asia Times)
Africa
N/A
Americas
N/A
Asia-Pacific
* Bin Laden definitely not in Pakistan: Musharraf
Islamabad -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said that Bin Laden was definitely not in Pakistan and "Most likely he's dead." Musharraf made the remarks in a press interview. He said that the al-Qaeda leader's large contingent of bodyguards and the priceon his head would certainly have led to the alarm being raised as soon as he crossed the border, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported on Thursday. He said that the al-Qaeda itself had been dealt a mortal blow. "I don't think they can develop an infrastructure of the kind thatexisted before, especially, if there is stability in Afghanistan,"he added.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-08/29/content_543529.htm
* Musharraf denies power bid
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has denied recent constitutional changes were made to strengthen his position ahead of general elections in October. This is a total misperception of whatever I am trying to do," he said in an interview with the BBC yesterday. "I know the politicians say that but nothing could be further from the truth." The military ruler, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and named himself President last year, said he was not trying to take power for himself.
http://theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,4998302%255E2703,00.html
* Bangladeshi FM to visit China
Dhaka -- Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Morshed Khan will pay an official visit to China from Sept. 1 to 6 at theinvitation of his Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan, a foreign ministry spokesman announced here Thursday. Morshed Khan's first visit to China, as foreign minister, will take place in the backdrop of "steady, smooth and excellent development" of bilateral relations between the two countries, thespokesman said. The foreign minister's visit will make a "significant contribution" to further strengthening and consolidating friendship, understanding and cooperation between the two countries in all fields, the spokesman added.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-08/29/content_543519.htm
* Tensions rise in Gujarat over planned BJP march
Tension continues to rise in the riot-torn Indian state of Gujarat, this time its over a political march planned by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Muslims, many of whom are living in relief camps, fear fresh religious clashes will break out if the proposed rally goes ahead. Led by chief minister Narendra Modi, the march is slated to kick-off on a statewide tour on September 3. The BJP says the rally is an effort to spread the message of peace, trust and cooperation.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/17576/1/.html
* Bhutto's election papers rejected by Pakistan commission
Pakistani election officials on Friday rejected former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's nomination to stand in October elections. They cited her conviction and failure to answer corruption charges, as reasons for the rejection. However, a lawyer for Mrs Bhutto accused the election authorities of "double standards" and said he would challenge the decision before an election tribunal. Mrs Bhutto, who is living in self-imposed exile in London, was sentenced last month to three years in prison by a special court, for failing to appear before it to answer corruption charges.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/17599/1/.html
http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s663360.htm
* Indian gas disaster link found, Greenpeace says
Greenpeace says it has tracked down a former head of the company responsible for the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster in India that killed thousands of people. The environmental group says the former chairman of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson, is living in New York. It has called on both India and the United States to begin formal extradition proceedings immediately. Mr Anderson has been the subject of an 11-year-old Indian arrest warrant for culpable homicide. But his extradition has never been sought - partly because the Indian authorities said his address was unknown.
http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s662905.htm
* Indian police arrest founder of upper caste militia
Indian police have arrested a man alleged to have masterminded more than 500 killings in eastern Bihar state since the mid-1980s. Brahmeshwar Singh Mukhiya is a founder of the Ranvir Sena, a private army of upper caste Hindu landlords. He is being held in the state's maximum-security Beur prison in the state capital Patna. Mukhiya is the prime accused in the 1996 Laxmanpur Bathe massacre, in which 61 low-caste Hindus were killed. He was also involved in the killings in Miapur in 1998, which saw 34 people dead.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/17584/1/.html
* Bomb explodes in municipal building in Nepal
Kathmandu -- A bomb exploded in the premises of the Lalitpur municipality building in Nepal's city of Patan on Friday morning, but no casualties were reported, police said. The bomb was concealed in a plastic sanitation bag, the police said, adding the blast damaged some windows in the building. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police suspect Maoist rebels are behind it.
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=7&id=228354
Middle East
* 12 hurt as Congress, BJP activists clash
In a high voltage drama yesterday, workers of the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party clashed twice in the metropolis leaving at least 12 persons of the two parties injured andng a floodgate of accusations. Ambika Sonia, the national general secretary of the Congress party, and the BJP women's wing president Kanta Nalwade were among the 12 who sustained injuries in the melee outside the Congress party President Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence. In a retaliatory action, workers of the Youth Congress stormed the BJP national central office at Ashoka Road and pelted stones while causing some damage there.
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=61867
* Preliminary nod for Nawaz to contest poll
Local election administrators in Lahore have given preliminary approval to ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif to contest Pakistan's October elections, his party said yesterday. However, Sharif's candidacy still requires approval from the national Election Commission following an objection and appeals process lasting until September 12, election officials said. President General Pervez Musharraf has said Sharif and another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, would be arrested if they tried to return from exile for the October 10 elections.
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=61868
http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml
* UNF sets deadline for Chandrika
The ruling United National Front (UNF) government has set a deadline for President Chandrika Kumaratunga to give her consent for proposed constitutional amendments further deepening the crisis between the two sides. The cabinet of ministers at the meeting presided over by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday gave their approval for the proposed amendment and set September 3 as the deadline for the president to give her proposals on the amendment.
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=61869
* Troops kill 16 rebels in Kashmir
Indian troops shot dead 16 Islamic guerillas in separate overnight clashes in Kashmir, a police spokesman said yesterday. In Jammu, Kashmir's winter capital, an Indian army spokesman reported the slaying of six Muslim guerillas in three separate gunbattles between soldiers and rebels in the southern districts of Doda, Rajouri and Poonch.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Articles.asp?Article=31284&Sn=WORL
* Kashmir elections takes an unusual turn
Srinagar, Aug 29, IRNA -- Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir have taken an unusual turn as several prominent persons with a history of activating within separatist political parties have entered the fray in defiance of the call for poll boycott. Those who have filed nomination papers in the first phase of four-phased election included Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi and Abdul Haq Vakeel. Both belonged to Peoples Conference of late Abdul Ghani Lone.
http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml
* India flays Musharraf's statement on infiltration
New Delhi, Aug 30, IRNA -- India reacted to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for his assertion that he had not given any time frame to the international community on stopping infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), saying this meant that Islamabad would continue to use infiltration as an instrument of state policy. India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Nirupama Rao told reporters Thursday evening, "Musharraf's latest statement suggests that he will end infiltration only when he finds it opportune."
http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml
* Jammu and Kashmir talks to continue after elections: Vajpayee
New Delhi, Aug 30, IRNA -- India's Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Thursday assured the Kashmir Committee, led by former law minister Ram Jethmalani, that "the government will talk to every representative of Kashmir, including the elected representative, even after the elections", reported local media on Friday. After an hour-long meeting with Indian Premier at his residence, the Kashmir Committee chairman Jethmalani told reporters that "Vajpayee said efforts to resolve the decade-old Kashmir dispute would continue even after the assembly elections".
http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml
Europe
* Pakistan rejects Bhutto election bid
Larkana, Pakistan -- Election officials on Friday rejected a bid from former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to run in parliamentary elections, a setback for the twice-deposed leader's efforts to return to power in a new civilian government. Officials in Bhutto's hometown of Larkana, in southern Pakistan, rejected Bhutto's petition for a seat on the National Assembly, saying she is prohibited from running under national laws that ban from elections those who have been convicted of a crime.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-1979990,00.html
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_660422.html?menu=news.latestheadlines.worldnews
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2225132.stm
* Kashmir separatist in poll concession
A leading Kashmiri separatist has agreed "in principle" to contest elections in the Indian part of the disputed state next month. Shabir Shah has, however, placed several conditions in exchange for his participation. These include the release of illegal detainees and an end to deaths of prisoners in custody. But Mr Shah has not insisted the polls be held under international supervision - seen as a significant departure from his previously held position.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2221614.stm
* Regional police for South Asia
August 28 -- Police chiefs from seven South Asian countries have agreed to establish a regional police force aimed at fostering closer co-operation to fight terrorism and other crimes. The decision was taken at a meeting in Kathmandu by police chiefs from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan and the Maldives - all members of a regional grouping SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2223833.stm
Editorial
* Sackings expose rifts in Tiger camp
Bangalore -- Differences within the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) erupted into thelate last month when its chief, Velupillai Prabakaran, sacked three senior leaders from the Eastern province. The sackings were not expected, although reports of the differences that triggered off the expulsion have been around for some time. The three leaders who were sacked with effect from July 31 were Special Political Authority for the Batticaloa-Amparai region, Karikalan; Political Authority, Visu; and Deputy Political Authority, Thurai. Karikalan is a close associate of Prabakaran - they have worked together for over two decades - and his sacking, in particular, has jolted the Tigers and Tamil people. The three leaders are said to have been fired for acting in defiance of the top leadership with regard to the treatment of Muslims in the Eastern province.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DH30Df02.html
* In Kashmir, a peacemaker makes war
Conventional wisdom has it that the United States' energetic diplomatic activity in South Asia helps ensure that nuclear-armed India and Pakistan do not go to war. Recent events along the Line of Control (LoC) have once again underlined the impression, however, that United States' peacemaking may in practice be encouraging sub-conventional aggression by Pakistan - and protecting that country from a proportionate response by India. Speaking in Islamabad on August 23, military spokesperson Major-General Rashid Qureshi - known for his obfuscation and more than occasional dishonesty on the role of his force during and since the 1999 Kargil war - claimed that Pakistani troops had beaten back a air-supported Indian military offensive in the Gultari area, facing Drass and Kargil on the Indian side of the LoC. Scores of Indian soldiers, he claimed, had been killed in the Pakistani military response to "Indian aggression".
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DH30Df01.html
* Stay-away Hurriyat risks being sidelined
With elections having been announced for Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir state in September and October, political posturing has also begun. The All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference and the Democratic Freedom Party led by Shabir Shah - the key political outfits among the separatist ranks - have branded the polls an "irrelevant exercise" and refused to participate. The administration of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has rightly been criticized for its flip-flop policy that lacks a clear, coherent and consistent strategy for resolving the Kashmir imbroglio. But it is not clear, however, whether the Hurriyat, too, has correctly calculated the political costs of not participating in the elections. Over the years, separatist leaders in Kashmir have lost their advantage vis-a-vis New Delhi, and they need to be conscious of their strengths and weaknesses while devising a negotiating strategy.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DH30Df08.html
Business/Technology
* Indian steel industry hails US anti-dumping ruling
New Delhi - The Indian steel industry yesterday welcomed the US decision not to levy anti-dumping duties on Indian cold rolled steel, terming it as a "positive step" towards boosting exports. A US federal panel Wednesday had rejected a request by American industry to impose new dumping duties on CR products from India and four other countries. Steel industry sources said the move would throwAmerican markets for further exports, to the tune of nearly 70,000 tonnes annually.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DH30Df06.html
* Pakistan stocks reach new high
Pakistani share prices closed 0.8 per cent higher yesterday at a 28-month high after a road-map of the country's privatisation plans encouraged investors, analysts said. The benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange KSE-100 index rose by 14.78 points to finish at 1,950.80 points. "The gradual rise in stocks over the last two weeks sparked sentiment further this week after news of the privatisation of oil, telecommunication and banking giants pushed the index up," InvestCap Securities head of research Mohammed Sohail said.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Articles.asp?Article=31223&Sn=BUSI
* Intel vows $130m funds for design centre in Bangalore
The world's largest computer chip maker Intel Corp said yesterday that it will invest $130 million to expand its chip design centre in India over three to five years. "The $130m fresh fund infusion will be used to increase the number of engineers at our facility in southern India (Bangalore) to 3,000 in three to five years from about 900 employees at present," Intel chief executive Craig Barrett said.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Articles.asp?Article=31226&Sn=BUSI
* India's stocks firms up at early stages at BSE
New Delhi -- India's stocks firmed up at early stages afterng marginally lower in an otherwise dull activity on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Friday. Mirroring the upturn, the BSE Sensitive Indexd weak at 3110.98 as against Friday's close of 3114.16 and later rallied smartly to a high of 3128.36 before being quoted at 3127.74 Friday morning.
http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml
* $600m for Railway
New Delhi - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to extend US$600 million to Indian Railway during 2002-05, but it has attached preconditions such as confining the loans to those areas where the public utility has a "clear competitive edge" over other modes of transport. "We have asked Indian Railway to develop a route map on the basis of which we will process our railway sector loan of $300 million, followed by a second loan of $300 million in 2005 for railway improvement," a top ADB official said.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DH30Df10.html
* Pakistan's current account balance soars
Karachi -- Pakistan's current account balance in the year ending June 30, 2002, showed a surplus of US$2.7 billion, up from US$300 million the previous financial year. This rise was due to a significant improvement in overseas remittances, along with an increase in grants or aid from multilateral agencies. This sudden improvement was by no means unexpected, given the sudden change in global geopolitics, a shift that has lifted Pakistan's importance on the world stage.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DH30Df05.html
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--- South Asian News, August 30, 2002 --- (International)
The Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA) is a national non-profit organization committed to the political empowerment of the Indian American community. For additional information on IACPA, please visit www. .
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