These news clips are sponsored by the Indian American Center for Political Awareness.

--- South Asian News, October 24, 2002 --- (International)

India says it has started its troop withdrawal from the border while in Pakistan, the main Islamic party says it will not push for USA to withdraw its troops from Pakistan immediately. In a setback for President Musharaff, a key reformer in his governement resigns. And in Sri Lanka, the President cancels her scheduled meeting with Norwegian delegates which is considered a setback for the peace process.

Africa


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Americas


* Indian commanders work out troops pullout from Pakistan border (The News Mexico)
* Al-Qaeda suspect nabbed in Peshawar house raid (Globe and Mail)

Asia-Pacific


* Pakistan committed to UN Charter: Musharraf (Xinhuanet)
* Government formation is privilege of Parliamentarians: Musharraf (Xinhuanet)
* Afghanistan, Pakistan agree on refugee repatriation (Japan Today)
* Bomb blast at second Pakistan market (Channel News Asia)
* India urges developing nations to eradicate poverty (Xinhuanet)
* Sri Lankan president snubs Norwegian peace brokers (Japan Today)
* 21 anti-gov't guerrillas killed in Nepal (Xinhuanet) (Japan Today)
* 9 wounded in bomb explosion in Nepal's capital (Xinhuanet) (Japan Today)

Europe


* Pakistan president loses key reformer (BBC)
* Islamists seek to reassure west (BBC)
* Pakistan arrests militant suspects (BBC)
* India Says Begins Withdrawing Troops from Border (Reuters)
* Five killed in Kashmir clash (Times Online)
* Pakistan blast wounds five (Swiss Info)
* Pakistan attack suspect freed (BBC)
* Seven injured in Kathmandu blast (Independent)
* Bangladesh defends crackdown (BBC)
* Sri Lanka refugees flood home (BBC)

Middle East


* Pakistani Islamic leader softens stance on US (Arab News)
* Pakistan rights group serves legal notice on US for Guantanamo (IRNA)
* Pakistan slams India on Saarc summit dates (Gulf News)
* Afghanistan, Pakistan, UNHCR agree on voluntary repatriation plan (IRNA)
* Congress heat, internal pressure melt PDP (Arab News) (Gulf News)
* MMA divided over top post (Gulf News)
* PPP leader denies move to replace Fahim (Gulf News)
* Bomb blast injures 7 in Pakistan (IRNA)
* Massacre suspect resurfaces (Gulf News)
* Peace envoy meets Tamil Tiger chief (Gulf News)

Editorial


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Business/Technology


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Africa


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Americas


* Indian commanders work out troops pullout from Pakistan border

An Indian military commanders' meeting Wednesday discussed the mammoth task of pulling back some half a million troops, armor and heavy artillery from Pakistan's borders, officials here said. The Press Trust of India (PTI) said the meeting finalized a time-frame and that troops would be first withdrawn from the borders of Rajasthan and Gujarat states, followed by a pull-back from Punjab. The pullout from the international borders of southern Kashmir will be conducted in a final phase, it said, without giving the dates for the start of the much-awaited Indian redeployment. The meeting came as Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee cancelled a scheduled address to commanders from the army, navy and air force.

http://www.thenewsmexico.com/noticia.asp?id=38240

* Al-Qaeda suspect nabbed in Peshawar house raid

Peshawar, Pakistan -- Pakistani police accompanied by FBI agents arrested a suspected al-Qaeda militant yesterday in a raid on a house in Peshawar, a police official said. The arrested man gave his name as Abdul Wahid and said he was a resident of Jalalabad.

http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/TGAM/20021024/UREPON-3/Asia/internationalAsia/internationalAsia_temp/6/6/6/

Asia-Pacific


* Pakistan committed to UN Charter: Musharraf

President Pervez Musharraf has reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the UN Charter in his message on the occasion of the 57th N Day being celebrated on Thursday. In his message, Musharraf said, "We would continue to extend our wholehearted support and cooperation to the United Nations in its efforts for the realization of the noble objectives of the UN Charter." He said it is only through collective efforts of the nations that the world can progress towards economic growth and prosperity.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/24/content_606675.htm

* Government formation is privilege of Parliamentarians: Musharraf

October 23 -- Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday said that government formation was the privilege and the responsibility of the Parliamentarians. Musharraf made the remarks while chairing the meeting of the Federal Cabinet in Islamabad, according to the Associated Press ofPakistan. He expressed the confidence that the elected Parliamentarians would act in the best interest of Pakistan. He also expressed his confidence in the ability of the newly elected members of the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies to decide the formation of the governments at the Federal and Provincial levels as required under the constitution and in the best traditions of parliamentary democracy.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/23/content_605977.htm

* Afghanistan, Pakistan agree on refugee repatriation

Pakistan and Afghanistan, along with the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), have agreed in principal on the framework for voluntary repatriation of an estimated 1.8 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan within next three years, the UNHCR said Wednesday. The agency said in a statement that the trilateral agreement, expected to be signed shortly, was the fruit of nine months of negotiations and would be fourth in the series following similar agreements reached with Britain, France and Iran.

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

* Bomb blast at second Pakistan market

At least six people were wounded when a car bomb went off in a market in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. Local police said the bomb had been placed by unknown terrorists. It is the second blast near Islamabad this week. Rawalpindi police said that about 2kg of explosives, hidden in a push cart, were used in the blast. He said Wednesday's explosion could be "one of this series of blasts" and that police are taking measures to prevent more from occurring. Two days ago, an explosion ripped through an outdoor market in a town west of the capital. It killed a young girl and wounded at least 16 people.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/22695/1/.html

* India urges developing nations to eradicate poverty

Indian Environment Minister T R Baalu Wednesday urged developing countries to work for eradicationof poverty and take a lead role in promoting sustainable development while addressing the issues of climate change. "Poverty eradication is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development," Baalu said while addressing the 10-day UN Conference on Climate Change, which began here amidst tight security. "The linkages between climate change and sustainable developmentrecognize the problems of poverty, land degradation, access to water and food and human health," he said. Energy has a central role in alleviating poverty and action is needed for dissemination of innovative technologies in the key sectors of development, he said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/23/content_605775.htm

* Sri Lankan president snubs Norwegian peace brokers

President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Wednesday snubbed Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen by an eleventh-hour cancellation of a previously scheduled meeting with a delegation he headed to Sri Lanka to finalize a second round of peace talks in Thailand between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels. "The president is not happy with the way that the Norwegians are handling the peace process," said a source close to her, who asked not to be identified.

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=7&page=2

* 21 anti-gov't guerrillas killed in Nepal

October 23 -- At least 21 anti-government guerrillas were killed Tuesday by government security forces in western Nepal, according to a press release issued by the Nepali Defense Ministry Wednesday. At least 15 anti-government guerrillas were gunned down on the spot in Bardiya district, four others were killed in Rolpa district, all located in western Nepal, and one each in the eastern districts of Panchthar and Siraha respectively, the press release said. The guerrillas were killed when they exchanged fire with the government security forces and the government security forces alsoseized some arms, ammunition and explosive materials from the guerrillas during their cordon and search operations in these districts, it added.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/23/content_605916.htm
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=7&id=235712

* 9 wounded in bomb explosion in Nepal's capital

At least nine people were wounded when a powerful explosive device went off in Kathmandu Wednesday evening, a police officer said. "Nine persons were wounded, four of them in serious condition, in a bomb explosion set off by the anti-government insurgents in a showroom at Teku in the downtown Kathmandu city," the police officer said. "Most of the injured were passers-by," he said, adding that the injured are undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/23/content_606089.htm
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=7&id=235714

Europe


* Pakistan president loses key reformer

The man in charge of the Pakistani military government's main policy-making body has resigned. Tanwir Naqvi, a retired general, stepped down as chairman of the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) to spend more time with his family, a press release said. The sudden decision comes at a critical time in Pakistan, when there is uncertainty about the future relationship between the military ruler, President Musharraf, and the recently-elected parliament. Mr Naqvi's departure from the think-tank responsible for drawing up political and constitutional reforms marks the beginning of the transition from a military regime to an elected government.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2356627.stm

* Islamists seek to reassure west

Religious parties in Pakistan say the international community should not be frightened of their success in the recent elections. MMA leaders have told diplomats from Western and other countries that they are a democratic force and believe in the rule of law. They say they would honour all international commitments made by previous Pakistani governments, but would like to have a balanced foreign policy. The alliance has remained an enigma for many Western diplomats.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2356069.stm

* Pakistan arrests militant suspects

Police in Pakistan say they have arrested two suspected members of the al-Qaeda network in the north-western city of Peshawar. A senior police official said one man was arrested during a joint Pakistani-FBI raid on a house where detonators, radio equipment and floppy discs were seized. He said the man, named as Abdul Wahid, could be an important member of al-Qaeda. A separate operation by the Pakistani police led to the arrest of another suspect believed to be from Afghanistan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2356131.stm

* India Says Begins Withdrawing Troops from Border

India said on Thursday it had begun pulling back soldiers from its border with Pakistan and the withdrawal would take about six weeks. "The process has begun. This will take about one-and-a-half months. We are trying to do it faster," Defense Minister George Fernandes told reporters after addressing a conference of coast guard commanders. The withdrawal will end the longest and biggest peacetime deployment in India's history. Pakistan has also announced it would withdraw its forces in response to the Indian decision.

http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=worldnews&StoryID=1626034

* Five killed in Kashmir clash

Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir say security forces have killed five militants in three clashes in the disputed Himalayan region. A soldier was killed when suspected rebels in a van fired on an army patrol in Nihalpora, north of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu-Kashmir state. Two militants were killed in reply along with three more in incidents south and south-west of of Srinigar. Militants want Indian rule to end.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,3,00.html

* Pakistan blast wounds five

October 23 -- Five people have been wounded in a bomb blast in a market in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, a senior police official said. It was the second blast near Islamabad this week. A child was killed and 21 people wounded on Sunday when an explosion ripped through a market near the country's main aeronautical complex about 75 km (50 miles) northwest of the capital. "I think it is one of this series of blasts. We expect more but we are taking measures to prevent them," Rawalpindi police chief Marwat Shah told Reuters of Wednesday's explosion. He said about 2 kg (4.5 lb) of explosives, hidden in a push cart, were used in the blast.

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=1413479

* Pakistan attack suspect freed

October 23 -- A man suspected of involvement in an attack on a Christian charity in the Pakistani city of Karachi has been released by police - but will remain under surveillance. Robin Peradatta, who is himself a Christian, was formally arrested by the police on Tuesday. But police said they later released him. He was one of two people who survived an attack on a Christian charity last month, in which seven people died.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2352485.stm

* Seven injured in Kathmandu blast

The Nepalese capital of Kathmandu was shaken by a large bomb yesterday, fraying the nerves of its regional neighbours, who have been growing increasingly uneasy about the violence and political upheaval. Seven people were injured in the blast, the second since King Gyanendra dismissed the government just over a fortnight ago and installed a royalist cabinet in its place. Security officials were in no doubt that the Maoist rebels, who have been seeking to overthrow the monarchy for six years, were behind the attack, which was in an area of the city usually packed with shoppers and workers.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia_china/story.jsp?story=345322

* Bangladesh defends crackdown

October 23 -- The Bangladesh Government has rejected allegations that the massive army drive to stamp out crime is a form of "state terrorism" against the opposition. A senior Home Ministry official, M Kamaluddin, told a news conference in Dhaka that the campaign had turned into "state terrorism, but against the terrorists". His remarks came as the opposition called a half-day strike on Thursday to step up its protest against the drive.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2354313.stm

* Sri Lanka refugees flood home

October 23 -- More than 213,000 internally-displaced people in Sri Lanka have returned home so far this year, the UN refugee agency says. Officials say a time lag in collecting information may well mean the real figure is much higher. This means a quarter of Sri Lankan refugees have spontaneously gone home despite the lack of a proper programme to facilitate their return.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2353117.stm

Middle East


* Pakistani Islamic leader softens stance on US

One of Pakistan's main Islamist political leaders said yesterday he was willing to give the United States time to withdraw its bases from the country, marking a softening of his stance on the issue. Fazlur Rehman is the prime ministerial candidate for the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) religious alliance, which exploited anger over Pakistan's cooperation in the US-led war on terror to emerge as a political force after this month's general election. The MMA campaigned for the immediate withdrawal of US bases from Pakistan and the imposition of Islamic law in the country. But it appears to be softening its stance slightly as it vies for a place in a future coalition government.

http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=19726

* Pakistan rights group serves legal notice on US for Guantanamo

October 23 -- A Pakistani human rights group has sent a legal notice to the United States declaring that the continued detention of Pakistanis, Afghans, Saudis and other Arab nationals in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba without charges was illegal. Ansar Burney, chairman of the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust has urged the US to produce those "prisoners of cage" in anycourt of law or release all of them within the next 30 days without fail. The prisoners have never been produced in any court of law for
almost one year and have been confined in solitary confinement without giving them a chance to even meet their lawyers.

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

* Pakistan slams India on Saarc summit dates

Pakistan yesterday hit back at Indian external affairs minister's remarks accusing Islamabad of repeatedly obstructing meetings of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in the past. A foreign office statement here said that Yashwant Sinha's diatribe "violates" Saarc spirit and was totally unmerited and unfounded. "It was India's unreasonableness and intransigence that ground Saarc to a halt for over two years after October 1999," the statement said. The statement said dates of January 11-13 for the summit as well as for the preparatory meetings of ministers and senior officials had been duly conveyed to Indian external affairs ministry bilaterally and to all members states through Saarc secretariat.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=66551

* Afghanistan, Pakistan, UNHCR agree on voluntary repatriation plan

October 23 -- The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have agreed in principle, on an important framework for the voluntary repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan after a nine-month-long negotiation, UNHCR said Wednesday. During a two-day meeting held in Kabul this week, Afghanistan's Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Enayatullah Nazari, Pakistan's Secretary of the Ministry States and Frontier Regions Mohammad Javed Ashraf Hussain and UNHCR's representatives from the two countries and the agency headquarters agreed on all details of the tri-partite agreement. The final agreement will be presented to the respective cabinets for adoption before the official signature.

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

* Congress heat, internal pressure melt PDP

With its chief accepting an invitation to retalks with the Congress party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) is hopeful the last hurdles to sharing power in Jammu and Kashmir will be removed by the weekend. "The talks are back on the rails and the deadlock is likely to break within two days," a party source close to PDP chief Mufti Muhammad Sayeed said here yesterday. The negotiations almost collapsed Tuesday because neither party was willing to concede the chief minister's post. The Congress, which has 20 legislators in the 87-member assembly, had then hinted it would bid for power with the help of independent legislators and small parties.

http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=19721
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=66542

* MMA divided over top post

Serious differences have emerged within the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal ranks over the nomination of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam's candidate Akram Khan Durrani to head the next government in the NWFP although the Jamaat-e-Islami is still hopeful they will resolve their differences and keep the alliance intact. The anger within the Jamaat's fold is over the nomination of Durrani, who has been elected from the MMA platform from Bannu district. The party's provincial shoora (council) has already approved his name for the chief minister post.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=66552

* PPP leader denies move to replace Fahim

The Pakistan People's Party said yesterday that it is ready to work with any political force, which supports the objectives of curtailing the sweeping powers given to the president through controversial constitutional amendments and limit the military's role in politics, while scotching speculation its parliamentary party leader was to be replaced. "No political party would want the sword of presidential powers to dismiss the parliament hanging on its head," Taj Haider, information secretary of the PPP, told Gulf News by telephone from Islamabad. All political parties would also want that the idea of the national security council, which formalises military's role in politics, be scrapped, he said.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=66553

* Bomb blast injures 7 in Pakistan

October 23 -- At least 7 people were injured when a car bomb rocked Rawalpindi city in Punjab province on Wednesday evening, a senior police official said. The car, parked at Bohar bazaar locality in Rawalpindi, exploded with a big bang at 7:45 pm, injuring seven passersby, Israr Ahmed, Deputy Inspector General Police told reporters at the blast site. The blast destroyed two other cars and caused damage to several nearby shops. It was the second blast in Punjab.

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

* Massacre suspect resurfaces

Karachi, Pakistan -- The main witness to last month's slaying of seven Christians, who was arrested by the police in the court premises resurfaced yesterday after his wife and lawyer accused police of "kidnapping" him. Robin Piranditta told reporters that police had freed him yesterday evening. "I am fine. I am happy to return home at last," said a visibly shaken Piranditta, a father of four children. "I am okay and with my mother, but I don't want to talk about the incident," Piranditta told reporters at his small house in a slum area in the south of the city. "I am tired, I am disturbed and I want some rest," Piranditta, one of only two surviving witnesses to the execution-style massacre, said.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=66541

* Peace envoy meets Tamil Tiger chief

Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen yesterday met Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran for discussions on the next round of peace talks, but President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who has been critical of the Norwegians, skipped a scheduled meeting on the grounds that she had a "busy schedule". During three hours of talks in the northern Wanni region, the Norwegian delegation and Prabhakaran discussed a wide range of issues, including the recent disturbances in the eastern province and the resettlement of refugees. The Norwegian delegation, which met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe earlier, had obtained an appointment with the president.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=66543

Editorial


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Business/Technology



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--- South Asian News, October 24, 2002 --- (International)

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