Home Updated on October 25, 2002  

--- South Asian News, August 06, 2002 ---(International)

Violence continues in Kashmir with the killing of eight Hindu pilgrims - India blames Pakistan for the attack. Pakistan police and army launch a massive hunt for the Christian school attackers. As the first batch of Indian election observers leave for Kashmir, Pakistan slams the election move calling for a plebiscite. The Editorial section analyses the perilous situation of religious extremism in Pakistan, and Hindu pilgrimages across the border in riot torn Kashmir. In the Business section, Pakistan's exports register a 19 percent increase over last month.

Africa

* Six die in Pakistani Christian school attack (Independent Online)
* Kashmiri pilgrims die in attack (News 24)
* Indian prime minister faces fresh scandal (Business Day)

Americas

* Eight die as Muslim militants attack Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir (Canada.com)
* Six killed at school in Pakistan (Globe and Mail) (News Mexico)
* Pakistan has condemned heinous act of rape (Canada.com)
* Death toll continues to rise in flood devastation in South Asia (News Mexico)

Asia-Pacific

* Three killed in gunbattle raging in Kashmir (Australian Broadcasting)
* Hindu pilgrims attacked in Kashmir (Xinhuanet) (Australian Broadcasting) (Channel News Asia) (Daily Telegraph) (East Day) (People Daily)
* New Delhi blames Pakistan for attack on Hindu pilgrims (Channel News Asia)
* Pakistan rejects Hindu attack accusation (Australian Broadcasting)
* India's first team of election observers leaves for Kashmir (Xinhuanet)
* Pakistan slams election move for disputed Kashmir (Channel News Asia)
* 5 killed, several hurt in attack on Christian school (Japan Today)
* Pakistan hunts killers who tried to slay schoolchildren (Bankok Post)
* Authorities on high alert after attack at missionary school (Australian Broadcasting)
* Sectarian slaughter in Pakistan (Australian Broadcasting)
* School chief to stay in Pakistan despite attack (Australian Broadcasting)
* Australians escape Pakistan school attack (Australian Broadcasting)
* Killers targetted foreign students in Pakistan (Australian Broadcasting)
* Government says Australians substantially at risk in Pakistan (Australian Broadcasting)
* Musharraf reiterates need for meaningful dialogue with India (Xinhuanet)
* Benazir Bhutto sets up vehicle for Pakistan poll (Australian Broadcasting)
* Benazir opts out of polls race (The Star)
* No foreign pressure on Pakistani electoral process: spokesman (Xinhuanet)
* Gathering of 5 or more persons banned in Islamabad (East Day)
* Armitage to visit S Lanka, India, Pakistan, China and Japan (Channel News Asia)
* Northwestern Bangladesh at risk of HIV/ AIDS (East Day)
* Ghana supports India's fight against terrorism (Xinhuanet)

Europe

* Row over US Karachi mission (BBC)
* Hindu pilgrims killed in Kashmir attack (BBC) (Independent) (The Irish Times) (Telegraph) (Sky News) (Swiss Info) (Reuters) (Times Online)
* India blames Pakistan for death of 8 Kashmir pilgrims (Bloomberg) (interactive Investor International) (BBC)
* Pakistan condemns 'cowardly' attack (BBC)
* India-Pakistan Border Shelling Escalates (Reuters)
* Nepal court paves way for polls (BBC)

Middle East

* U.S. consulate in Karachi shut indefinitely (Theran Times)
* 8 pilgrims killed, 27 injured at base camp attack in J&K (IRNA)
* Eight killed in Kashmir as shelling intensifies (Gulf Daily News)
* British plans to sell jets to India flayed (Gulf News)
* Six killed in attack on school (Gulf Daily News)(Gulf News)
* Massive hunt for school attackers (Gulf News)
* Tribesman sheltered Al Qaida fighters (Gulf News)
* Vajpayee cancels petrol pump allotments (Arab News)
* Bhutto hails party move to contest elections (Gulf Daily News)
* Shahbaz's future role dominates political scene (Gulf News)
* Benazir to return within three weeks: PPP leader (IRNA)
* Bhutto Seeks to Sidestep President in Pakistan Poll (Theran Times)
* India's northeast overdue for massive quake: seismologist (IRNA)

Editorial/Op-Ed

* Of course, Powell's visit has helped (Korean Herald)
* Pakistan's 'culture of Jihad' (BBC)
* Pilgrims brave gunmen on trek to Shiva's cave (The Age)s

Business/Technology

* Pakistan's exports register 19 percent increase (IRNA)
* View From New Delhi: Monsoon holds the key to stock market revival (Gulf News)
* Sri Lanka market drops on election fears (BBC)
* Reliance to sign major gas pipeline agreement (Gulf Daily News)

Africa

* Six die in Pakistani Christian school attack

Islamabad, August 05 -- Gunmen attacked a Christian school north of Islamabad on Monday, killing six Pakistanis, including two guards and a cook, police and interior ministry officials said. The unidentified assailants sprayed bullets on the Christian high school in Murree, a popular hill resort town 40km northeast of the capital Islamabad, at midday (06h00 GMT), local police officer Mohammad Yasin said.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=126&art_id=qwB212&set_id=1

* Kashmiri pilgrims die in attack

Srinagar, India -- Suspected Islamic militants lobbed a grenade andd fire on Tuesday on Hindu pilgrims in disputed Kashmir, killing eight of them and wounding 27, police said. The attack could exacerbate the already serious tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, who have been on a war footing for eight months due to similar attacks. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of backing the Islamic guerrillas fighting for Kashmir's independence or merger with Pakistan.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Asia/0,1113,2-10-20_1238327,00.html

* Indian prime minister faces fresh scandal

New Delhi, August 06-- Faced with a new political scandal, India's prime minister yesterday ordered the closure of about 4000 petrol stations, half of which were reportedly run by ruling party members and their relatives. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee acted after the opposition called for a federal probe into the state allotment of stations that sell kerosene and cooking gas, and demanded the resignation of Petroleum Minister Ram Naik.

http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,,00.html

Americas

* Eight die as Muslim militants attack Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir

Jammu, India -- Suspected Islamic militants lobbed a grenade andd fire on a group of Hindu pilgrims Tuesday in disputed Kashmir, killing eight of them and wounding 27, police said. Security forces returned fire and killed one of the attackers, a police officer said. Fifteen seriously wounded pilgrims were hospitalized in Srinagar, the summer capital of the Jammu and Kashmir state.

http://www.canada.com/search/site/results.asp?keywords=India

* Six killed at school in Pakistan

Six Pakistanis were killed and at least three people wounded yesterday when masked gunmen burst into a school for children of foreign missionaries that includes three Canadian students. None of the Canadians at Murree Christian School were injured when gunmen entered the mountain compound, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas about 50 kilometres north of Islamabad. The unidentified gunmen shot and killed two security guards, a cook, a carpenter and two teachers. Russell Morton, director of the school, said none of the students were injured or witnessed the raid. The English-language school has 146 students between the ages of 5 and 18.

http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/TGAM/20020806/UPAKKN/International/international/international_temp/2/2/16/
http://www.thenewsmexico.com/noticia.asp?id=32179

* Pakistan has condemned heinous act of rape

It is unfortunate that your correspondent, Chris Nuttall-Smith, has concluded that rapes are common in Pakistani society and that the local laws are ineffective to guarantee women rights. If I may put the record straight, "panchyat" is an informal ar-rangement by the community at the village level to settle disputes. The aggrieved party always has the option to refer the issue to the police and judiciary. In this particular case, the chief justice of Pakistan's highest court summoned the advocate general of the province, along with the police chief, and sought information on the investigation process. The culprits were apprehended and the trial is in progress.

http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=205893E9-B527-477B-A119-5DF4F8287533

* Death toll continues to rise in flood devastation in South Asia

Guwahati, India August 06 -- The death toll in floods ravaging parts of South Asia for more than a month continued to rise, even as water levels began to fall, officials said Monday. In Nepal more than 300 people have died and scores of others been injured since monsoon rains brought floods last month. The home ministry said 46 of the kingdom's 75 districts had been affected by floods since the monsoon began in mid-July.

http://www.thenewsmexico.com/noticia.asp?id=32182

Asia-Pacific

* Three killed in gunbattle raging in Kashmir

Two suspected Islamic militants and an Indian army soldier have been killed in a gunbattle that is still under way in a town in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The shooting came shortly after suspected militants attacked a Hindu pilgrims' camp with grenades and automatic weapons, killing eight people and wounding 23 others. In the latest incident, police said rebels began firing wildly in Handwara town, some 90 kilometres north of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Today's attacks followed India's announcement last week of State Elections in Jammu and Kashmir in September and October.

http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s641588.htm

* Hindu pilgrims attacked in Kashmir

Violence continues in Indian administered Kashmir. Police say eight people have been killed and 27 others wounded in an attack by Islamic militants on a camp along the route of the Hindu holy Armanath pilgrimage. A police spokesman says the militants hurled hand grenades and thend fire with automatic weapons on pilgrims sleeping in tents.They say one of the attackers was killed when police and soldiers returned fire.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-08/06/content_512779.htm
http://abc.net.au/asiapacific/news/GoAsiaPacificBNA_641381.htm
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/15341/1/.html
http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,4850479%255E401,00.html
http://english.eastday.com/epublish/gb/paper1/625/class000100003/hwz80631.htm
http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s641324.htm
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200208/06/eng20020806_100994.shtml

* New Delhi blames Pakistan for attack on Hindu pilgrims

India has blamed Pakistan for Tuesday's dawn attack that killed eight Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir. Militants attacked the sleeping pilgrims in their tents, throwing grenades and shooting. Over 30 others were hurt. The victims were among thousands of Hindu devotees who are observing the holy Armanath pilgrimage. It is the most serious attack against the month-long event since it began on July 19.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/15379/1/.html

* Pakistan rejects Hindu attack accusation

Pakistan has rejected "with contempt" Indian accusations that it was behind the massacre of nine Hindu pilgrims in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The pilgrims were killed as they slept in a dawn attack by suspected Islamic militants. The chief minister of Kashmir, Doctor Farooq Abdullah, gave this reaction to the killings. "They have started attacking our very basic things, our religious tolerance that we've had in this state," he said.

* India's first team of election observers leaves for Kashmir

New Delhi -- The first batch of special observers of India left Tuesday for the India-controlled Kashmir area where four-phased assembly polls will be held on Sept. 16 Sept. 24 , Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, according to the Press Trust of India. The 20 special observers, who will be staying in the area for three to four days, will monitor the progress with regard to preparation of photo identity cards, electoral polls and review other election related preparation.These special observers have been selected on the basis of their exemplary functioning as observers in difficult elections inIndia's other parts in the past, the PTI quoted the Center Election Commission sources as saying. This team of special observers would be supplemented by additional observers after the elections were notified, they said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-08/06/content_512716.htm

* Pakistan slams election move for disputed Kashmir

Pakistan has slammed the New Delhi government for its decision to hold elections in Indian Kashmir.New Delhi has pledged to hold free, fair and transparent elections in Kashmir which is at the heart of a standoff between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.New Delhi says the elections in Kashmir will be a litmus test of Pakistan's pledge to stop rebels from crossing into the Himalayan region. It also wants Pakistan to dismantle guerrilla training camps which it says exist there.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/15343/1/.html

* 5 killed, several hurt in attack on Christian school

Islamabad -- Five people were killed and several others wounded Monday when a Christian school in Murree Resort, about 40 kilometers east of Islamabad, came under attack, police officials said. Two gunmend fire at the boarding school and its affiliated church, killing five people, including three security guards, the police officials said. Reports quoted local people as saying the attackers entered the school after killing the security guards and fired shots indiscriminately.

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=7&id=225532

* Pakistan hunts killers who tried to slay schoolchildren

Pakistan's police and army launched a hunt for the attackers of a Christian school where Muslim guards were killed foiling an attempt to slay foreign pupils. "Police teams are combing the area and security has been tightened to arrest the fleeing assailants," police officer Amir Ali told AFP. He was speaking by phone from Murree, the picturesque hill-station in the lower Himalaya foothills whose tranquility was shattered Monday morning by the brazen attack, the sixth on foreign targets this year.

http://matrix.bangkokpost.co.th/afp_news/060802/pkq78tm.html

* Authorities on high alert after attack at missionary school

Pakistani police and military are reported to be on high alert in the area where a Christian missionary school for expatriates was attacked by gunmen yesterday.The Australian staff, include South Australians Barry and Anne Lock from Kimba, who are working for the Australian Church Missionary Society (ACMS) at the school, about 60 kilometres north of Islamabad.ACMS spokesman John Thew says the situation is now calm after the gunmen attacked the school killing five Pakistani teachers and a bystander.

http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s641327.htm

* Sectarian slaughter in Pakistan

An armed assault on a school for the children of foreign missionaries in Pakistan, has sent a fresh shockwave through the country's Christian and foreign communities, which are already reeling from a series of bloody attacks. South Asia correspondent Geoff Thompson reports: "The attack took place near the hill station town of Murree, north of Islamabad and left six people dead." He says, "Four gunmen, some of them masked, arrived at the Christian missionary school and battled muslim guards at the gates before entering the compound, firing indisrciminately."

http://abc.net.au/asiapacific/news/GoAsiaPacificBNA_640997.htm

* School chief to stay in Pakistan despite attack

The Australian head of a Christian missionary school in Pakistan who survived an attack by four masked gunmen says he plans to stay at the school to continue his work. Russell Morton, from Hobart, was at the school when assailants gunned down six people - two Muslim guards at the gate, three Pakistani school staff and a bystander.Mr Morton, a former head of the Middle School at Hutchins in Hobart, says the gunmen forced their way into the compound, firing indiscriminately. He said they tried to attack a building where children were locked inside

http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s641126.htm
http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s641037.htm

* Australians escape Pakistan school attack

A number of Australian children have only narrowly avoided becoming the latest victims of militant violence in Pakistan after an overnight gun attack on a Christian missionary school for foreign children. The attack took place near the hill station town of Murree, north of Islamabad, leaving six people dead. Four gunmen, some of them masked, arrived at the Christian missionary school and battled Muslim guards at the gates before entering the compound, firing indiscriminately. The schools' Australian director Russell Morton says the attackers were obviously attempting to kill the foreign nationals. "The attackers wanted to enter a room which was occupied mostly by foreigners," he said.

http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s640825.htm

* Killers targetted foreign students in Pakistan

The Australian headmaster of a school in Pakistan attacked by gunmen, says the assailants tried to get into a room full of foreign students.As South Asia correspondent Geoff Thompson reports, children from the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, Australian and New Zealand are among the 130 students. He says, "It was a narrow escape for Australian staff and children yesterday at a Christian missionary school near Murree, north of Pakistan's capital Islamabad." "Just before lunchtime, the school was attacked by four mostly masked gunmen, who entered the premises firing wildly after killing two Muslim guards at the gates."

http://abc.net.au/asiapacific/news/GoAsiaPacificBNA_641164.htm

* Government says Australians substantially at risk in Pakistan

Australia's foreign minister Alexander Downer says a gun attack on a Christian school in northern Pakistan was a clear attempt to target foreigners. He says 16 Australians were at the school when six Pakistani locals were killed and three others wounded. It is at least the third time Christian minorities in Pakistan have been targeted since the United States began its military campaign in Afghanistan.Mr Downer says he is very concerned.

http://abc.net.au/asiapacific/news/GoAsiaPacificBNA_641620.htm

* Musharraf reiterates need for meaningful dialogue with India

Islamabad -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf here on Monday underscored the need for India to enter into a meaningful dialogue so that the core issue of Kashmir couldbe resolved peacefully. Musharraf reieterated his stand while receiving visiting Omanese Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah who came here in the morning to deliver a message from Sultan Qaboos of Oman, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan. Musharraf informed Abdullah about the latest Indo-Pak situationand the steps taken by Pakistan to defuse the stand-off resulting from the massive Indian troops buildup on the borders.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-08/05/content_511477.htm

* Benazir Bhutto sets up vehicle for Pakistan poll

Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto have formed a new political party on to contest elections in October. Opposition groups have accused Pakistan's military leader Pervez Musharraf of attempting to manipulate the poll. A spokesman for Ms Bhutto says the self-exiled leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party would be the "guide" of the "PPP Parliamentarians", but she would not hold any elected office in the new group.

http://abc.net.au/asiapacific/news/GoAsiaPacificBNA_641156.htm

* Benazir opts out of polls race

Islamabad: The party of self-exiled former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto has formed a separate wing to contest October elections without her, party officials said, placing Benazir's promised political comeback in doubt. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has formed "a separate entity" called the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians which will run for election, the PPP announced after a hastily-called meeting. The new wing will be led by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, previously the PPP's senior vice- chairman.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/8/6/asia/benaz&sec=asia

* No foreign pressure on Pakistani electoral process: spokesman

Islamabad, Aug. 5 -- Pakistan on Monday said there had been no foreign pressure on its electoral process and only those qualified under rules would be allowed to contest the October polls. "There is no foreign pressure on Pakistan, it is an internal matter," Foreign Office Spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said at a news briefing here. When asked whether there was any pressure on Pakistan to allow former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to contest in the October election, Khan said the government had already announced certain rules and those who qualify under these regulations would be allowed to take part in the polls.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-08/05/content_511371.htm

* Gathering of 5 or more persons banned in Islamabad

All kinds of gatherings of five or more persons in the limits of Islamabad District are prohibited, local press reported today. Also banned are processions, rallies and demonstrations at any public place and carrying firearms in the limits of Islamabad District. Use of loudspeakers, sound amplifiers and cassette players for making all kinds of objectionable or sectarian speeches and sermons are also banned at any place within the limits of Islamabad District.The government order also prohibits the distribution of hand-bills, pamphlets, affixing of posters and wall chalking within thelimits of Islamabad District.

http://english.eastday.com/epublish/gb/paper1/625/class000100003/hwz80636.htm

* Armitage to visit S Lanka, India, Pakistan, China and Japan

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage will be heading for an Asian tour later this month.He is to visit the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on August 22 followed by trips to India, Pakistan, China and Japan. A State Department spokesman said Mr Armitage intends to build on his June visits to South Asia and review the progress between rivals India and Pakistan.Initiatives to expand US bilateral relations with both countries will also be on the agenda

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/15357/1/.html

* Northwestern Bangladesh at risk of HIV/ AIDS

People living in Bangladesh's northwestern border districts are at risk of being infected with HIV/AIDS as they are using smuggled Indian un-screened and infected blood for treatment, said a report from the Bangladesh News Agency yesterday. The report quoted a study of the Center for Development Serviceas saying that smuggling of contaminated blood bags into the country by a vested racket through the long porous border for treatment is posing a serious threat to public heath. About 260,000 unit of blood bags are required annually in Bangladesh for transfusion or treatment of patients. But only 70,000 bags can come from the donation of the patients' relatives andnon-professional donors.

http://english.eastday.com/epublish/gb/paper1/625/class000100003/hwz80599.htm

* Ghana supports India's fight against terrorism

New Dehli -- Ghana Monday extended its full support to India's fight against terrorism as the two countries signed four agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation in information technology and other fields. Visiting Ghanian President John Agyekum Kufuor said here when heheld talks with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other leaders that his country stands with India against terrorismwherever it comes from.The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in information technology and services, a bilateral investment and promotion agreement, a protocol on having regular consultations between the two foreign ministries and an accord forcultural and scientific exchange program.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-08/05/content_511484.htm

Europe

* Row over US Karachi mission

Washington says a disagreement with the Pakistani authorities over security led to the closure of the US consulate in Karachi. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said Monday's decision had been taken because a nearby road had been red to traffic, triggering security concerns. Mr Reeker said the offices would remain closed until an agreement could be reached with the local authorities over security for the building.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2175788.stm

* Hindu pilgrims killed in Kashmir attack

At least 13 people have been killed in attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir. Nine people died and 37 were injured after a camp of Hindu pilgrims at Nunwan, near the resort town of Pahalgam, was attacked by suspected Islamic militants. One of the militants was also killed. A few hours later, three people died in a gun battle north of Srinagar.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2175168.stm
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia_china/story.jsp?story=321967
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2002/0806/breaking5.htm
http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/08/06/ukash.xml&sSheet=/portal/2002/08/06/ixport.html
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,,00.html
http://www2.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&eid=1258203
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml;jsessionid=0P0JGI4VU2EJGCRBAEZSFEY?type=search&StoryID=1295242
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/TGD/tgdBreakingNewsDisplay/0,,3,00.html#0

* India blames Pakistan for death of 8 Kashmir pilgrims

New Delhi, August 06 -- India said Pakistan is encouraging violence in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, after suspected Muslim militants killed eight Hindu pilgrims and injured 28. ``It is Pakistan that's doing it,'' I.D. Swami, junior minister for home affairs, said. He linked the attack to an attempt to disrupt elections scheduled for later this year in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee met senior advisers including Defense Minister George Fernandes to discuss the attack, Agence France-Presse reported.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?mnu=news&ptitle=Top%20World%20News&tp=topworld&T=as_storypage99.ht&s=APU_L6hXJSW5kaWEg
http://www.iii.co.uk/shares/?type=news&articleid=4438488&action=article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2175775.stm

* Pakistan condemns 'cowardly' attack

Pakistan has condemned the attack on a missionary school for foreign students near Islamabad as a "cowardly act of terrorism". At least six people were killed on Monday when four gunmen fought their way into the Murree Christian School complex in the hills near the capital. The gunmen, who the government says were Islamic militants,d fire indiscriminately but were chased off after a gun battle with security guards.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2175599.stm

* India-Pakistan border shelling escalates

India, August 05 -- India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire along the disputed Kashmir border Monday and suspected rebels exploded a grenade in Indian Kashmir as it prepared for state elections in September and October. Officials said the renewed artillery duel and rising separatist violence could be linked to the elections which New Delhi hopes will boost the legitimacy of its rule but which Hardline militants have threatened to disrupt. "The firing has been intense. It is possible that there was some attempt to infiltrate, we will know soon," an army official said, referring to attempts by militants to cross from Pakistan into Indian Kashmir to join the revolt against Indian rule there.

http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1292754

* Nepal court paves way for polls

Nepal's Supreme Court delivered a crucial verdict on Tuesday, upholding caretaker Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's move to dissolve parliament. An 11-member jury headed by Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya unanimously quashed an opposition writ demanding that parliament be reconvened. The endorsement of Mr Deuba's move clears the way for general elections in November. ]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2175652.stm

Middle East

* U.S. consulate in Karachi shut indefinitely

Karachi August 06 -- The United States on Monday shut down its Consulate in Pakistan's violent port city Karachi, almost two months after a deadly car-bomb attack in front of the consular offices. "The consulate has closed all its operations for an indefinite period for security reasons," a consular official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

http:///Description.asp?Da=8/6/2002&Cat=4&Num=1

* 8 pilgrims killed, 27 injured at base camp attack in J&K

Srinagar, Aug 6, -- Unidentified assailants killed 8 Hindu Pilgrims to Amarnath and injured 27 others at 5 a.m. (local time), Tuesday morning. Police said, assailants were the militants who stormed Nunwan Base camp one kilometer ahead of Pehalgam enroute to the Hindu cave shrine of Amarnath. They used grenades and fired indiscriminately, police added. The Hindu Amarnath pilgrimage is a highly guarded affair. Reports say that fighting is still continuing and one militant has been killed so far.

http://www.irna.com/en/general/.ege.shtml

* Eight killed in Kashmir as shelling intensifies

A deaf and dumb Muslim civilian and seven Muslim militants were killed in continuing separatist-linked violence in Kashmir as Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire along the disputed line that divides the state, police said. Indian security forces yesterday shot dead two Muslim rebels, one of them a "commander", in a search operation in Pulwama, 40km south of the summer capital Srinagar.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/arc_Articles.asp?Article=29419&Sn=WORL&IssueID=25139

* British plans to sell jets to India flayed

Pakistan yesterday slammed British plans to sell warplanes to India, saying the move would trigger an arms race in the region. "This will disturb regional balance and start an arms race," foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan told a press briefing in response to a question on reports that Britain would sell 66 military jets to India. Pakistan will be compelled to "take action to increase our defence capabilities accordingly," the spokesman said.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/News.asp?ArticleID=59841

* Six killed in attack on school

Six Pakistanis were shot dead and at least three people wounded yesterday when masked gunmen burst into the compound of a school for children of foreign missionaries near the town of Murree. Two security guards, a cook, a carpenter and a receptionist were among those killed in the morning attack at Murree Christian School, said director Russell Morton.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/arc_Articles.asp?Article=29410&Sn=WORL&IssueID=25139
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/News.asp?ArticleID=59825

* Massive hunt for school attackers

A terrorist strike on a school in Murree yesterday, in which six Pakistanis were killed, was at least the third fatal strike against a Christian minority target since Pakistan began supporting the U.S.-led war on terror after the September 11 attacks. The dead included two guards, a cook, and a passer-by, police and school employees said. Four people were wounded including the Filipina mother of a student, who was the only foreigner hurt, they said.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/News.asp?ArticleID=59840

* Tribesman sheltered Al Qaida fighters

A Pakistani tribesman has confessed he sheltered several fighters linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaida militant group fleeing the U.S.-led hunt in neighbouring Afghanistan, intelligence sources said yesterday. Abdul Khaliq Sarki Khel, who surrendered in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday after authorities arrested several members of his clan, told a team of Pakistani investigators that 42 Chechens stayed in his house.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/News.asp?ArticleID=59838

* Vajpayee cancels petrol pump allotments

New Delhi, August 06 -- Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday intervened to stanch a potentially embarrassing scandal from damaging his government by canceling nearly 3,000 petrol station allotments across the country. Stunned by a newspaper exposé that revealed that relatives and associates of leaders of the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some allies cornered a bulk of these allotments, Vajpayee moved swiftly and axed all allotments from January 2000 till date. Only allotments made to families of soldiers killed in the Kargil conflict in 1999 continue to be valid.

http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=17520

* Bhutto hails party move to contest elections

Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto yesterday backed her party's decision to form a separate wing to contest Pakistan's October elections without her, after she was banned by President Pervez Musharraf from taking part in the polls. "If I can't be elected, I hope very much that my colleagues at the PPP (Pakistan People's Party) can be," she said in London after an announcement by her party in Islamabad.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/arc_Articles.asp?Article=29420&Sn=WORL&IssueID=25139

* Shahbaz's future role dominates political scene

The election of Shahbaz Sharif to the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz group), coupled with rumours that with or without government consent, he will soon return to the country, has had a huge impact on the political scenario in the country. Even the developments within the PML Quaid-e-Azam (PML-QA), now split into two factions, have been largely ignored as attention focuses on the PML-N.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/News.asp?ArticleID=59839

* Benazir to return within three weeks: PPP leader

Islamabad, August 06 -- A senior Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and former minister, Syed Qamar Abbas, on Tuesday announced that the party's chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, will return within 3 weeks. During an interview with IRNA, he said that immediately after her arrival she would unveil her future political strategy with reference to restoration of democracy and the October general elections. "The reason for her program of staging a comeback towards the end of August is to have enough time to implement her plan of action, being a popular leader across the country," he maintained.

http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml

* Bhutto Seeks to Sidestep President in Pakistan Poll

Islamabad, August 06 -- Supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto formed a new political party on Monday to contest October elections that military leader Pervez Musharraf has been accused of manipulating. The self-exiled leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would be the "guide" of the "PPP parliamentarians", but she would not hold any elected office in the new group.

http:///Description.asp?Da=8/6/2002&Cat=2&Num=22

* India's northeast overdue for massive quake: seismologist

Guwahati, August 06 -- India's northeast and neighboring Himalayan countries are overdue for one or more massive earthquakes that could imperil millions of people and cause unprecedented loss of life, a seismologist Tuesday warned. "The probability of a high magnitude earthquake hitting the north eastern states and neighboring countries is very high, with the region's history indicating occurrences of destructive tremors at the interval of about 50 to 55 years," Surya Kanta Sarmah, a noted seismologist, told IRNA.

http://www.irna.com/en/general/.ege.shtml

Editorial/Op-Ed

* Pakistan's 'culture of Jihad'

BBC Islamic affairs analyst Roger Hardy visits Pakistan in his continuing series on Islam and modernity. Of all the countries visited in this series - Iran, Turkey, Egypt - Pakistan's situation is the most perilous. Under the pressure of events since the 11 September last year, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is trying to eradicate the extremism which has taken root in his country over the last 20 years or so.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2002/islamic_world/2173818.stm

* Of course, Powell's visit has helped

The rush of high-level visitors to New Delhi over the last several months has meant intense diplomatic activity but not a great deal of public enlightenment about what has been going on. Little more than hints and oblique comments have come out, larded with numerous anonymous briefings. It is, thus, refreshing that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has been moreand direct in his remarks. What he said has raised a bit of a storm but he has provided us with a much clearer picture than we had of where the international effort in South Asia is leading.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2002/08/07/.asp

* Pilgrims brave gunmen on trek to Shiva's cave

Shouting "Hail hail, Shiva!" thousands of Hindu pilgrims crowded two narrow dirt tracks high in the Himalayan mountains of the disputed territory of Kashmir. Barefoot Hindu monks, naked to the waist and wrapped in orange cloth below, came walking, carrying tridents. Porters with legs like iron carried elderly women and corpulent businessmen in lawn chairs lashed to tree limbs. Women in pink, yellow and red saris passed walls of granite, towering pines and emerald streams. Some carried infants; others held husbands' hands.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/05/.html

Business/Technology

* Pakistan's exports register 19 percent increase

Islamabad, August 06 -- Pakistani Commerce Minister Abdul Razzak Dawood on Tuesday said the country registered a 19 percent increase in exports over the past one month. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Dawood credited the military government's "inventive" trade policy for the boost in exports. He said exports in July totaled about 816 million dollars as against 684 million dollars in the corresponding period of last year.

http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml

* View From New Delhi: Monsoon holds the key to stock market revival

It is the rain gods, not finance ministry, that holds the key to the markets but nothing seems to work. In Delhi, a litre of water costs nearly as much as a bottle of Coke. That is globalisation for you!

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/News.asp?ArticleID=59865

* Sri Lanka market drops on election fears

Sri Lanka's stock market has dropped more than 3% on fears that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe might be forced to call general elections. Political infighting between Mr Wickremesinghe and President Chandrika Kumaratunga has stoked speculation that the prime minister might call a general election in the coming months. Elections would put ongoing peace talks with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on hold. They could also delay economic reforms.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2173259.stm

* Reliance to sign major gas pipeline agreement

India's petrochemical giant Reliance Industries plans to sign an agreement with British Petr-oleum and the National Ira-nian Oil Company to bring natural gas to India by pipeline from Iran via Pakistan, it was reported yesterday. "By 2006-07, the first natural gas will be brought to India from Iran," Business Line quoted Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, as saying in an interview.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/arc_Articles.asp?Article=29375&Sn=BUSI&IssueID=25139

================================================================================================
--- South Asian News, August 06, 2002 ---(International)


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