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Breaking News/Newswire:


* Musharraf to hand over power by November (reuters): Pakistan's military President Pervez Musharraf said he would hand over executive power by around November 1 to a prime minister elected in Thursday's general election. "We have worked out everything," he told state-run Pakistan Television. "It is a legal process. We will go by this process...and finally roughly by November 1, I will hand over chief executive authority to a new prime minister." Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999, will remain as president after the election, with the power to sack the parliament. http://in.news.yahoo.com/021010/137/1w9go.html

* Kashmir's ruling dynasty savaged in poll, Omar defeated (reuters): The family dynasty that has ruled Indian Kashmir on-and-off for more than half a century appeared headed for defeat on Thursday after early counting showed its party being savaged in a state election. Omar Abdullah, 32-year-old leader of the ruling National Conference, failed even to win his own seat as the party founded by his grandfather suffered a string of unexpected electoral defeats across Jammu and Kashmir. http://in.news.yahoo.com/021010/137/1w9hr.html

--- South Asian News, October 10, 2002 ---

Polling began in Pakistan amidst sporadic violence. Musharaff's promise of clean election notwithstanding, polling remains slow and with no clear winner in sight. Similar situation prevails in Indian Kashmir, where the ruling dynasty loses majority in just the concluded elections. In other stories, Nepal awaits its King's decision on new government and in Srilanka, unease prevails after a clash between the rebels and government troops. The editorials across different newspapers focus on the Pakistan's elections and the future of its democracy that is tied to its military. In the business news, foreign companies want Pakistan to speeden up its reforms for them to invest there.

Top Stories

* Pakistanis head to polls, but shooting mars first election since 1999 coup (Wall Street Journal) (Houston Chronicle) (NY Times) (LA Times) (Washington Post) (USA Today) (NY Post) (South Florida News) (Voice of America) (Las Vegas Sun) (Star Tribune) (News Day) (News Day) (San Francisco Chronicle) (MSNBC) (CNN)
* Voting goes slowly as Pakistan prepares for change (Wall Street Journal) (NY Times) (Washington Post) (San Francisco Chronicle) (MSNBC) (ABC News) (Philadelphia Inquirer) (Fort Wayne News) (Mercury News) (Sun Herald) (Sanluisobispo.com) (Center Daily)
* Man killed as rival parties clash in Pakistan poll (Washington Post) (Burlington County Times) (Herald Sun) (/spacer.gif)
* Pakistan polls shootouts leave three dead, several injured (Wall Street Journal)
* Millions of Pakistanis head to polls (Seattle Times)
* Pakistani polls partially disrupted (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Pakistani death row convicts escape from prison (MSNBC)
* Pakistan says eight Indian spies arrested (Reuters Alert)
* UK urges citizens to be alert in Pakistan (Wall Street Journal) (MSNBC)
* Pakistani candidate shoots himself (NY Times) (LA Times) (USA Today) (Washington Post) (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Pakistan pushes voter turnout (Wall Street Journal) (LA Times) (Washington Post) (Burlington County Times) (Las Vegas Sun)
* No single party to emerge winner in Pakistan polls (Wall Street Journal)
* General Musharraf hails Pakistan's gains (NY Times)
* Pakistan's Musharraf to hand over power by November (Washington Post) (The State) (ABC News) (MSNBC)
* Musharraf promises 'clean' elections (CNN)
* Parliament campaign leaves no likely premier (Washington Times)
* Musharraf urges nation to partake in election (CNN)
* President slammed as Pakistanis prepare to vote (Washington Post) (Philadelphia Inquirer) (ABC News)
* Pakistan: Musharraf decrees raise doubts about legitimacy of vote (Radio Liberty)
* 'Osama' letter tells Pakistanis to oust Musharraf (NY Times) (Washington Post) (ABC News)
* 'Indian agents' held in Pakistan pre-election sweep (CNN)
* Pakistan's missile testing seen as message on Kashmir (Mercury News)
* Suspected rebels kill 9 in India (Wall Street Journal) (LA Times) (Star Tribune)
* Indian Kashmir's ruling dynasty savaged in poll (NY Times) (Washington Post) (Las Vegas Sun) (San Francisco Chronicle) (ABC News) (Sun Herald) (Star Tribune) (Sanluisobispo.com)
* Kashmir vote counting begins under heavy armed presence (Wall Street Journal)
* 830 dead in election period in Kashmir; more violence seen (Wall Street Journal)
* India ready for talks with Kashmiri militants (Voice of America)
* 80 injured in Bangladesh train derailment (NY Times)
* Five killed in worst Sri Lanka clash since truce (Wall Street Journal) (MSNBC)
* Nepal king due back in capital, parties seek action (Wall Street Journal) (MSNBC)
* Nepal politicians still awaiting announcement of new govt (Wall Street Journal) (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Nepali King postpones meeting on discussion of interim government (Voice of America)

Editorial/Op-Ed

* Elections in Pakistan (NY Times)
* Brickbats for Pakistani pols before the polls (Wall Street Journal)
* Gen. Musharraf can't lose, voters can't win (Wall Street Journal)
* Musharraf's hubris (Wall Street Journal)
* Pakistanis fear: Musharraf preparing for trouble (Wall Street Journal)
* Democracies ostracize Pakistan (Wall Street Journal)
* Kashmir's psychic toll (MSNBC)
* Pakistan in the balance (Washington Times)

Business/Technology

* India - MTNL issues tender for CDMA WLL 2000 1x deployment (Wireless Week)
* Infosys aims to shift overseas work to India (Wall Street Journal)
* Foreign cos want Pakistan to speed reforms (Wall Street Journal)

Other Stories

* Key contenders to be Pakistan's next Prime Minister (Wall Street Journal)


Top Stories


* Pakistanis head to polls, but shooting mars first election since 1999 coup

Taxila, Pakistan -- A shootout at a polling station in southern Pakistan killed one person and injured two others on Thursday, a government official said, as the country held its first election since a 1999 coup ended democratic rule. Loyalists of rival political parties exchanged fire at the polling station in Nawabshah, Sindh province, Home Secretary Brig. Mukhtar Ahmed said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB-search,00.html
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/world/1611653
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Pakistan-Elections.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-elections1010oct10,0,5866248.story
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4979-2002Oct10.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/-pakistan-violence_x.htm
http://www.nypost.com/apstories/V3855.htm
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-elections1010oct10,0,7251511.story
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=8ED8E25C-9704-46BB-867B33A6C1A1A38E
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-asia/2002/oct/10/101003855.html
http://www.startribune.com/stories/670/3356418.html
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-elections1010oct10.story
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-elections1010oct09,0,2968816.story
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/10/09/international0232EDT0454.DTL
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap.asp?reg=ASIA
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/10/10/musharraf.election/index.html


* Voting goes slowly as Pakistan prepares for change

Islamabad -- Pakistanis voted on Thursday in the first general election since General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup, but critics said that despite pledges to restore civilian rule he would retain ultimate control. Voting began slowly in the country's main cities in a poll contested by 83 parties -- including one widely seen as supporting Musharraf -- but from which the exiled leaders of the political mainstream have been excluded.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB-search,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-pakistan-election.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4603-2002Oct10.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/10/09/international2311EDT0887.DTL
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20021010_33.html
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/4250176.htm
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/4250176.htm
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/4250176.htm
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/4250176.htm
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/4250176.htm
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/4250176.htm


* Man killed as rival parties clash in Pakistan poll

Karachi, Pakistan -- One man was killed and two others wounded when rival party supporters clashed at a polling station in southern Pakistan on Thursday during elections meant to return the country to civilian rule, police said. Supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party of exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the small National Peoples Party clashed in the town of Moro, around 300 km (200 miles) north of the southern port city of Karachi.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4485-2002Oct10.html
http://www.phillyburbs.com/%2E%2E/apNews/apstory.asp%3FArticleNo%3D75576
http://www.herald-sun.com/firstnews/37-275204.html
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA


* Pakistan polls shootouts leave three dead, several injured

Islamabad -- Shootouts between political rivals at three polling stations in Pakistan Thursday left three people dead and several injured, police and officials said. A gunbattle at a polling station in Naushoro in Pakistan's southern Sindh province between loyalists of rival political parties killed two people and injured several others, Sindh Home Secretary Brig. Mukhtar Ahmed said. The second person died of his injuries in hospital.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021010_001341-search,00.html


* Millions of Pakistanis head to polls

Islamabad -- From the rugged northern frontier to the teeming port city of Karachi and in thousands of villages and towns in between, Pakistanis began voting yesterday in the first election since a 1999 coup ended democratic rule. Nearly 100 political parties are taking part in the vote to select a national parliament and four provincial legislatures. Whoever wins will have to find a way to work with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the army leader who has ensured he will remain Pakistan's pre-eminent power no matter what the election brings.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/134552028_pakivote10.html


*Pakistani polls partially disrupted

Islamabad -- Voting was briefly suspended at several polling stations in Karachi because the ballot boxes were damaged or had not yet arrived or the presiding officers were not present.Throughout the country, security was tight for fear of attacks, mainly by violent groups opposed to Musharraf's decision to ally the country with the United States in its war on terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities have also arrested several suspected intelligence agents accused of working for rival India to disrupt the vote.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/10/09/international0242EDT0458.DTL


* Pakistani death row convicts escape from prison

Quetta, Pakistan -- Nine men on death row escaped from prison in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday but one of the convicts was captured soon after, a jail official said. The nine broke out of their cell, overpowered a guard in a watch tower at the jail in Baluchistan province and descended a prison wall using a rope tied together from pieces of cloth, deputy superintendent Mashooq Hussain told Reuters.

http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA


* Pakistan says eight Indian spies arrested

Islamabad -- Pakistani police arrested eight alleged Indian terrorists in Punjab and Sindh just one day ahead of Thursday's elections, thwarting plans to blow up polling stations, officials said. Senior Superintendent of Police Sialkot Tahir Abbas Qureshi told a hurriedly called news conference Wednesday that the eight were trained by the Indian Research and Analysis Wing and were equipped with large quantities of explosives when captured.

http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=CpAoPWbebCgfRAxn0yw4TyxjYzxn0lxnWB3q


* UK urges citizens to be alert in Pakistan

Islamabad -- Britain has advised its citizens to be extra vigilant in Pakistan ahead of Thursday's general election amid fears of an escalation in violence, particularly aimed at Western targets, during the voting. A spokesman for the Foreign Office told Reuters Britain had for the past several months advised its citizens not to travel to Pakistan unless there was a ''compelling reason'' to do so and where the traveller ''has confidence in the security arrangements for the entire visit.''

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_004660,00.html
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA


* Pakistani candidate shoots himself

Peshawar, Pakistan -- A candidate in parliamentary elections shot himself in the hand at a news conference Wednesday after promising photographers and journalists that he was about to give them a surprise. The man, Khurshid Khan, was upset because of a decision by local members of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, or PPPP, not to field a candidate for Thursday's vote in this northwestern border city.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Pakistan-Candidate-Shooting.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-candidate-shooting1009oct09,0,1702802.story
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/-pakistan-shooting_x.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AOct9.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/10/09/international0908EDT0530.DTL


* Pakistan pushes voter turnout

Taxila, Pakistan -- Sitting in a grimy shop churning out traditional rope beds, Amjad Charpay says he will vote Thursday in the first elections since the military seized power in Pakistan in 1999. But his expectations are low. "People are not interested. No one in the past has done anything for anyone, but when they send the transportation to take us (to the polls) we'll go. Why not?"

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_004605,00.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pakistan-elections1009oct09,0,2453791.story
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1289-2002Oct9.html
http://www.phillyburbs.com/%2E%2E/apNews/apstory.asp%3FArticleNo%3D75515
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-asia/2002/oct/09/100903509.html


* No single party to emerge winner in Pakistan polls

Islamabad -- Pakistanis go to the polls Thursday to elect its first Parliament in three years amid charges that the vote is stacked in favor of candidates loyal to President Pervez Musharraf. However, financial markets are hoping a victory for pro-Musharraf groups will ensure continuity in economic policy and a return to democracy will help attract foreign investment.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_001298,00.html


* General Musharraf hails Pakistan's gains

Islamabad -- Extolling the achievements of his government and urging Pakistanis interested in reform to vote for "new faces," Gen. Pervez Musharraf delivered a nationwide address tonight on the eve of the first legislative elections since he seized power in a bloodless coup three years ago. Pakistani voters will elect members of a new national Parliament on Thursday, followed by elections for four provincial assemblies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/10/international/asia/10MUSH.html


* Pakistan's Musharraf to hand over power by November

Islamabad -- Pakistan's military President Pervez Musharraf said he would hand over executive power by around November 1 to a prime minister elected in Thursday's general election. "We have worked out everything," he told state-run Pakistan Television. "It is a legal process. We will go by this process...and finally roughly by November 1, I will hand over chief executive authority to a new prime minister."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4912-2002Oct10.html
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/4250176.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20021010_78.html
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA


* Musharraf promises 'clean' elections

Islamabad -- Polls haved in Pakistan and President Pervez Musharraf has assured voters that the elections will not be tainted by corruption. In a televised address on the eve of the vote, General Musharraf said he is prepared to hand over power to the elected prime minister and that election monitors will ensure the fairness of the vote.

http://asia.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/10/09/musharraf.election/index.html


* Parliament campaign leaves no likely premier

Islamabad -- More than five weeks of lackluster campaigning culminates today in the first parliamentary elections in Pakistan since a military coup three years ago, but no obvious candidate for prime minister has emerged. President Pervez Musharraf, who has promised to return the country to democracy before the third anniversary of the military takeover on Oct. 12, has eliminated two former prime ministers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, from the contest.

http://www.washtimes.com/world/.htm


* Musharraf urges nation to partake in election

Islamabad -- President Gen. Pervez Musharraf urged Pakistanis on Wednesday to participate in the country's upcoming election, calling the vote a crucial first step toward returning the nation to democracy. In a nationally televised address on the eve of the election, Musharraf vowed the elections would be free and transparent, saying he wanted to ensure an eventual and successful transfer of power.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/10/09/musharraf.election.ap/index.html


* President slammed as Pakistanis prepare to vote

Islamabad -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf prepared to hand over formal powers to a civilian government after Thursday's general election amid fresh allegations that he has manipulated the poll in his favor. In an address to the nation broadcast on state television and radio on the eve of the vote, the general said Pakistan stood on the threshold of a "new democratic era" and urged the country of 140 million to "vote diligently."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2444-2002Oct9.html
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/breaking_news/4243116.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20021009_624.html


* Pakistan: Musharraf decrees raise doubts about legitimacy of vote

Voters in Pakistan are preparing for parliamentary elections on 10 October, the first legislative election since General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a military coup three years ago. The vote is meant to mark a handover from military to civilian rule. But human rights groups, opposition parties, and some Western diplomats say the military regime in Islamabad has done almost everything in its power to ensure a pro-Musharraf coalition government emerges.

http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2002/10/.asp


* 'Osama' letter tells Pakistanis to oust Musharraf

Peshawar, Pakistan -- A letter said to have been written by Islamic militant Osama bin Laden called on Wednesday for the overthrow of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the Afghan military campaign. The letter, distributed in some Afghan refugee camps in the northwestern city of Peshawar, close to the Afghan border, also appealed to Pakistan's Islamic clerics to lead their people into ``jihad (holy struggle) against crusaders and their allies.''

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-pakistan-osama-letter.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/AOct9.html
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20021009_150.html


* 'Indian agents' held in Pakistan pre-election sweep

Karachi, Pakistan -- Pakistani police say they have arrested a man trained by Indian intelligence to carry out bomb attacks to disrupt this week's parliamentary election -- the ninth such arrest in the last 10 days. Syed Kamal Shah, police chief of the southern province of Sindh province, told reporters on Wednesday that the suspect, Saalim alias Sallu, was detained Tuesday in the port city of Karachi.

http://asia.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/10/09/pakistan.terrorsweep.reut/index.html


* Pakistan's missile testing seen as message on Kashmir

Islamabad -- Most world leaders probably wouldn't consider testing nuclear-capable missiles as a constructive way to stir up political enthusiasm ahead of national elections. But in Pakistan, two recent missile tests illuminate multiple political goals. In a poor country where most people are uneducated and also staunchly proud of their nuclear weapons program, rattling the saber at archrival India is always a good way to bring out the voters.

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/4243739.htm


* Suspected rebels kill 9 in India

Gauhati, India -- Suspected tribal separatists ambushed army soldiers Wednesday in India's remote northeast, killing nine and critically wounding three, police said. The heavily armed militants attacked the soldiers as they escorted road workers near Eskapara village, 125 miles south of Agartala, the capital of Tripura state, said N.S. Bali, the state police inspector-general.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_003657,00.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-india-ambush1009oct09,0,1600703.story
http://www.startribune.com/stories/670/3354668.html


* Indian Kashmir's ruling dynasty savaged in poll

New Delhi/Srinagar -- The family dynasty that has ruled Indian Kashmir on-and-off for more than half a century appeared headed for defeat on Thursday after early counting showed its party being savaged in a state election. Omar Abdullah, 32-year-old leader of the ruling National Conference, failed even to win his own seat as the party founded by his grandfather suffered a string of unexpected electoral defeats across Jammu and Kashmir state.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-kashmir.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5008-2002Oct10.html
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-asia/2002/oct/10/101004045.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/10/10/international0604EDT0514.DTL
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20021010_50.html
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/4252220.htm
http://www.startribune.com/stories/670/3356612.html
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/4252220.htm


* Kashmir vote counting begins under heavy armed presence

Srinagar, India -- Armed soldiers and tanks surrounded the convention center where officials began a count Thursday of ballots for state elections in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where 830 people were killed during campaigning and voting in the disputed Himalayan province. Counting began at 14 district headquarters in India's northern Jammu-Kashmir state.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB-search,00.html


* 830 dead in election period in Kashmir; more violence seen

Srinagar, India -- About 830 people were killed during campaigning and voting in just-finished elections in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said Wednesday. A top state politician said he expects the violence to continue regardless of who wins the polls."Until India and Pakistan address their disagreements, I don't think any state government can control the violence," said Omar Abdullah, president of the pro-India National Conference party, which governs Jammu-Kashmir state.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_004236,00.html


* India ready for talks with Kashmiri militants

India's Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani says New Delhi is willing to hold talks with Kashmiri militant groups if they lay down their arms. Speaking one day after assembly elections ended in Indian Kashmir, Mr. Advani said India had at times resolved conflicts in its troubled northeast by talking to rebels.

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=A623391A-E342-472A-BD9C7D8CE108D62B


* 80 injured in Bangladesh train derailment

Dhaka -- At least 80 people were injured, several seriously, when a Bangladesh passenger train jumped the tracks near the capital Dhaka on Thursday, police said. Nine of 12 coaches of the Jamuna Express derailed in the morning rush-hour accident between Dhaka and Jamalpur, 125 miles north of the capital.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-crash-bangladesh.html


* Five killed in worst Sri Lanka clash since truce

Colombo -- At least five people were killed in a clash between government forces and suspected Tamil rebels in eastern Sri Lanka on Wednesday, the bloodiest such incident since a truce was signed eight months ago. Officials said another 16 were wounded when up to 1,000 people, including a small number of rebel cadres, attacked a camp of the paramilitary Special Task Force in retaliation for an assault on two rebels earlier in the day.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_008187,00.html
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA


* Nepal king due back in capital, parties seek action

Kathmandu -- Nepal's King Gyanendra was due back in the capital Kathmandu on Thursday where politicians were eager to meet him and begin returning the country to civilian rule nearly a week after he sacked the prime minister. Gyanendra spent Wednesday night at his ancestral home in Gorkha, west of Kathmandu, to celebrate a Hindu festival.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_002612,00.html
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters.asp?reg=ASIA


* Nepal politicians still awaiting announcement of new govt

Kathmandu -- Nepal's political stalemate continued Thursday as top politicians waited for a fourth day for a meeting with King Gyanendra to discuss formation of an interim government to replace the Cabinet dismissed by the king last week. The monarch, who has yet to agree to a meeting, was scheduled to fly back to Katmandu later Thursday from his ancestral home in Gorkha, about 120 kilometers west of the capital.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021010_000463-search,00.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/10/09/international1057EDT0568.DTL


* Nepali King postpones meeting on discussion of interim government

Nepal's King Gyanendra has postponed yet another meeting with top politicians to discuss the formation of a new interim government to replace the one he dismissed last week. The monarch left the capital Wednesday for his remote ancestral home and is not expected to return before Thursday afternoon local time.

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=CC997A65-BBF8-46FF-9BCEFE


Editorial/Op-Ed


* Elections in Pakistan

The people of Pakistan not only deserve fair elections and a democratically elected government, but they also want and need these governments and elected officials to be accountable for their actions. The United States should impress upon President Pervez Musharraf the importance of democracy but at the same time take a principled stand denouncing looters and plunderers in politics, even if the culprit happens to be a former prime minister.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/10/opinion/L10STAN.html


* Brickbats for Pakistani pols before the polls

Karachi -- This metropolis of 14 million people is, in effect, a microcosm of Pakistan, harboring people from all over the country who come to its commercial and industrial hub in search of employment. Election time is usually marked by a charged atmosphere and heightened tensions as all major political parties compete for votes. In times past, campaigning has taken on an almost festive appearance as thousands of slogan-chanting, flag-waving and drum-beating supporters are ferried to election rallies aboard huge,trucks festooned with banners.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB-search,00.html


* Gen. Musharraf can't lose, voters can't win

Parliamentary elections are being held today in Pakistan. But while they will not lead to the restoration of democracy, they could well lead to civil unrest and confrontation between Pakistan's powerful military and its civilian politicians. Continued military influence is likely to increase hostility between Pakistan and India and undercut efforts to root out Islamic extremists, who have been the armed forces' political allies in the past.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB-search,00.html


* Musharraf's hubris

Pakistan is holding parliamentary elections today, but it's not clear what purpose they serve. The country's military dictator Gen. Pervez Musharraf will no doubt herald the result as a fulfillment of his promises to restore democracy and civilian rule. The reality is that the polls are a sham.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB-search,00.html


* Pakistanis fear: Musharraf preparing for trouble

However it is Musharraf's unilateral move to change the constitution that has aroused the most anger. On August 21, he issued the Legal Framework Order, which validated all acts and decrees of his military regime and endorsed his five-year presidential term and continuation as army chief. It also legalized amendments to the 1973 constitution giving the army a permanent political role and created a military-civilian National Security Council, headed by Musharraf, to oversee the government.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_007550,00.html


* Democracies ostracize Pakistan

Despite lobbying by the United States, Pakistan probably will not be invited as an observer to a meeting of delegates from the world's democracies in Seoul on November 10. According to foreign diplomats and U.S. congressional aides in Washington, the convening countries -- including South Korea, India, Chile, the Czech Republic, Mali, Mexico, Poland, Portugal and South Africa -- deemed it inappropriate for military-ruled Pakistan to send observers to the second ministerial meeting of the Community of Democracies, a loose grouping of more than 100 nations formed two years ago to support democratic principles.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_007532,00.html


* Kashmir's psychic toll

Zohur Ahmed Dar had no reason to fear when he went to his neighborhood mosque one night late last year. But after an evening of prayer and ritual to celebrate the day the prophet Mohammed received revelations from God, Dar never made it back home. Riding his scooter through the dark streets of Srinagar-the summer capital of the disputed, Indian-ruled region of Kashmir-Dar was attacked by "unidentified gunmen" wearing masks.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/819414.asp


* Pakistan in the balance

As Pakistanis vote today for new legislators and provincial governments, the Bush administration faces a delicate balancing act. Even before the election, Gen. Pervez Musharraf was fairly criticized for undermining the integrity of the vote in a number of ways. And problems with the election could reflect back on the United States, since Pakistan's leader has become so close to President Bush that he is jokingly referred to as "Busharraf" in Pakistan and beyond.

http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/.htm


Business/Technology


* India - MTNL issues tender for CDMA WLL 2000 1x deployment

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) has invited bids for a turnkey contract to install four-lakh CDMA WLL 2000 1x lines in Mumbai and four-lakh more in Delhi, both India. The move comes after a period of nearly no activity despite the company's first-mover potential advantage in this area. The company has been prompted by the possibility of Reliance entering this segment soon and the announcement by Tata TeleServices that it would deploy CDMA-WLL services in the state of Maharashtra, India, including Mumbai.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=story&articleId=NEa1009380.8iw&verticalID=223&vertical=Technology


* Infosys aims to shift overseas work to India

Bombay -- Infosys Technologies Ltd. (INFY), India's largest listed software exporter, will seek to improve profit margins by moving more work from clients' sites abroad to India, the company said Thursday. "The management's focus is to ensure customers move more work to India. We improve our (operating profit) margins if more projects are completed here," Infosys' Chief Operating Officer S. Gopalakrishnan told Dow Jones Newswires after announcing the company's second quarter earnings.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021010_001181-search,00.html


* Foreign cos want Pakistan to speed reforms

Karachi, Pakistan -- Foreign companies investing in Pakistan want the new government to accelerate economic reforms and improve security, said the head of the country's main foreign business organization Wednesday. "If the new government goes for populist policies that reverse some of the corrective economic measures taken by the current government then that would be a wrong signal," Kamran Mirza, president of the Overseas Chambers of Commerce & Industry, or OCCI, told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021009_001689,00.html


Other Stories


* Key contenders to be Pakistan's next Prime Minister

Thursday's parliamentary election in Pakistan will mark the first time voters cast ballots in general elections and elect a prime minister since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf came to office in a bloodless 1999 military coup. A series of decrees assure Musharraf's grip on power, despite promises to grant the new prime minister free reign. Here is a look at several of the top contenders for the job of prime minister, who will be decided by the majority party.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,BT_CO_20021010_000944-search,00.html


* Deplorable schools angering Pakistanis

Chakrah, Pakistan -- Each morning, the 94 young students who attend this village's government-run girls' school pack into the small courtyard, arrange torn, dirty plastic sheets on the ground and sit down for their daily lessons. Once, students sat on the floors in the school's two rooms, but years of neglect have left the building nothing more than a crumbling shell.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2002/10/10/MN155006.DTL

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