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--- South Asian News, October 15, 2002 --- (International)

Both in Kashmir and Pakistan, political parties are engaged in efforts at creating a coalition government. In Pakistan, the rise of Islamic parties could potentially pose problems for the America's war against terror even though Musharaff assures continuing support. In Bali, the police want to question a 10 member Pakistani group regarding the bomb blast. And in other news, 10 people are killed in a boat mishap in the Indian state of Bihar.

Africa

* Poll reveals big gains in anti-US coalition (Independent Online)
* Two boats capsize in rain-swollen reservoir in India; dozens feared drowned (Canada.com)

Americas

* Indian minister quits after election reversal (Globe and Mail)

Asia-Pacific

* Infiltration bid foiled in Kashmir (Xinhuanet)
* 8 killed, 4 injured in Jammu, Kashmir (Xinhuanet)
* Pakistan to continue fight against terror despite polls outcome: Musharraf (Channel News Asia)
* Pakistan for peaceful solution of Iraq issue: Musharraf (Xinhuanet)
* U.S., Pakistan to hold joint military exercises (Japan Today) (Straits Times)
* Pakistanis may be questioned over link to bomb blasts (Australian Broadcasting)
* Pakistan parties engaged in tough coalition talks (Straits Times)
* India's minister of state for external affairs resigns (Xinhuanet) (Channel News Asia)
* 10 bodies recovered in Indian boat accident (Xinhuanet) (Daily Telegraph)
* 12 women elected to National Assembly in Pakistan (Xinhuanet)
* Dhaka: PTI report "figment of imagination" (Xinhuanet)

Europe

* Kashmir parties jockey for power (BBC)
* Coalition talks in Pakistan (BBC) (Reuters)
* Bhutto hints at deal with anti-US parties (Guardian) (Financial Times)
* Bali police may re-question Pakistani group (Swiss Info)
* Landmine kills policemen in India (BBC)
* Many missing in India boat accident (BBC) (Ananova)
* Top rebel visits Sri Lanka (BBC)
* Jail term surprises Bangladeshi author (BBC)

Middle East

* Qazi calls for US troop withdrawal (Arab News) (IRNA)
* Pakistani, U.S. troops to hold joint exercises (Gulf News) (IRNA)
* Musharraf allays fears (Gulf News)
* MMA success poses no danger to anyone: Pak politician (IRNA)
* Omar resigns from Vajpayee ministry (Gulf News)
* Players using all means to get power in Kashmir (Arab News)
* Azad calls Mufti's bluff, stakes claim (Gulf News)
* Parties seek MQM support (Gulf News)
* Fahim to meet partymen in Lahore (Gulf News)
* Colombo sets up peace panel (Gulf News)
* Pakistan terms Indian FM remarks on election as provocative (IRNA)
* Indian troop pullback from border soon (Arab News)
* Khaleda to give more powers to local government bodies (Gulf News)
* Danish grant for Dhaka rights plans (Gulf News)

Editorial

N/A

Business/Technology

* India prepares airlines for privatisation (BBC)

Africa

* Poll reveals big gains in anti-US coalition

October 14 -- Speculation intensified on Sunday over the makeup of Pakistan's new government after an election left no party with a clear mandate and a fiercely anti-American Islamic coalition showing stunning gains. The rise of the religious right has raised concern in the West that its fierce opposition to the US "war on terror" could hamper the ongoing hunt for al-Qaeda and Taliban militants along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=126&art_id=ctP235686&set_id=1

* Two boats capsize in rain-swollen reservoir in India; dozens feared drowned

October 14 -- Two boats capsized Monday in a rain-swollen reservoir in eastern India, and police said dozens of people were feared drowned. The boats were caught in a rainstorm near the Rukka dam in Jharkhand state, local Police Chief Jai Sankar Tiwary said. The site is about 1,200 kilometres southeast of the capital, New Delhi. There were about 35 to 40 people on the two boats and some managed to swim ashore, Tiwary said.

http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=883CBB8F-5BA1-4814-AEF9-4B57ABFDBEBE

Americas

* Indian minister quits after election reversal

India's junior foreign minister, Omar Abdullah, announced yesterday he has resigned from the federal cabinet after his regional party suffered a reversal in last week's state election in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr. Abdullah, 32, said he was resigning to rebuild the National Conference, which he heads, after voters handed a stinging rebuff to the party that had dominated the state's politics.

http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/TGAM/20021015/UREPOM-5/Asia/internationalAsia/internationalAsia_temp/6/6/6/

Asia-Pacific

* Infiltration bid foiled in Kashmir

Indian army Monday foiled an infiltration bid by Pakistan-backed militants, killing four of them in Kupwara sector of north Kashmir, a defense spokesman said. Troops noticed a group of heavily-armed militants trying to sneak into Kupwara from Machil area and challenged them, the spokesman said, adding in the ensuing gunfight, four Pakistani intruders were killed. Since 1989, some 30,000 people have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir, most of them civilians.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/15/content_596465.htm

* 8 killed, 4 injured in Jammu, Kashmir

October 14 -- Five militants, including a district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, and a woman were among eight persons killed and four injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since Sunday night, a Defense spokesman said Monday. Shahid Anjum Farooqi alias Nishat, district commander of Hizbulwas killed along with two of his bodyguards in an encounter in Warwan forest in Anantnag district of south Kashmir Sunday, according to the Press Trust of India.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/14/content_596331.htm

* Pakistan to continue fight against terror despite polls outcome: Musharraf

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says there will be no change to government policies despite the success of Islamic parties in the recent elections. "Pakistan is and will remain a key member of the coalition against international terror," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Central Asian leaders summit in Turkey. He added: "The coalition of religious parties has won in one of our provinces but, as far as national policies are concerned, they remain sustainable. National policies always continue and the national strategy does not change with change of governments, it continues."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/21818/1/.html

* Pakistan for peaceful solution of Iraq issue: Musharraf

Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf on Monday declared that Pakistan stood for a peaceful solution of the Iraq problem and expressed the hope that the Iraq problem would be solved amicably without resorting to any military action. He said that Pakistan believed in sovereignty and integrity of Iraq. Musharraf further stated that Iraq also must meet all conditions of the United Nations Security Council. "With these three parameters, we need to move ahead for the peaceful solution to the crisis," he said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/15/content_596464.htm

* U.S., Pakistan to hold joint military exercises

About 200 U.S. soldiers arrived Monday at the Chaklala air base, near Islamabad, for joint military exercises with Pakistani troops. The "Inspired Gambit" exercises will be the first joint drills since 1997. Washington had suspended joint exercises after Islamabad conducted nuclear tests in May 1998. The United States imposed military and economic sanctions on Pakistan after the nuclear tests but lifted the economic sanctions last year for Pakistan's cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=7&id=234428
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,149061,00.html?

* Pakistanis may be questioned over link to bomb blasts

Indonesian police say they questioned 10 Pakistanis last month about their activities in Bali and may want to question them again if the probe into the weekend's bomb blasts on the island reveals any link. Bali police spokesman Yatim Suyatmo says the 10 were questioned about a speech they made in Nusa Dua, which is close to where the weekend bombs killed more than 190 people. However, Mr. Suyatmo stresses no link has been established between the group and the bomb blasts. Police have indicated they do not know if the 10 are still on the island.

http://abc.net.au/asiapacific/news/GoAsiaPacificBNA_702089.htm

* Pakistan parties engaged in tough coalition talks

Pakistan's secular opposition and pro-government parties threw themselves into intense horse-trading yesterday in a bid to woo independents and Islamic parties and capture a majority in the hung parliament. The kingmakers in the first parliament after three years of military rule under President Pervez Musharraf are the anti-US Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Islamic party alliance with 45 seats, and 29 independents. The pro-government Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and its chief rival, the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP), are the largest in the house, having won 77 and 63 seats respectively. Both need the MMA and independents on their side to reach the 137 seats required for a majority.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,149135,00.html?

* India's minister of state for external affairs resigns

October 14 -- Omar Abdullah, whose party suffered a heavy defeat in the recent concluded assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs Monday. Omar, who is also president of the National Conference, met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and handed over his resignation. Abdullah said he had resigned from the Council of Ministers because he was needed more in Jammu and Kashmir to strengthen his party, but his party's ties with National Democratic Alliance would continue.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/14/content_596415.htm
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/21815/1/.html

* 10 bodies recovered in Indian boat accident

Local villagers and fishermen have so far recovered 10 bodies after two boats capsized Monday in a storm in the Getalsud reservoir near Ranchi in east India's Bihar state, police said Tuesday. Deputy Commissioner Jaishanker Tiwari said there were about 20 passengers in the two boats, which were tied to each other. The passengers, four of whom swam to safety, were sailing to Salhan village when they were caught in the storm near Rukka village. The authorities had sought the services of navy divers from Orissa's Rengali base who were yet to arrive, he said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/15/content_597511.htm
http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,5290079%255E401,00.html

* 12 women elected to National Assembly in Pakistan

October 14 -- Twelve women have been elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan after contesting against male candidates in the Oct. 10 general elections, the local press reported on Monday. There are 60 reserved seats for women in the National Assembly and after including these 12, there will be 72 women members in the total House of 342. This indicates that the women representation in the National Assembly will be 21 percent.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/14/content_596064.htm

* Dhaka: PTI report "figment of imagination"

October 14 -- Bangladesh Monday described a report of the Press Trust of India (PTI) as a figment of imagination which called the country a "hotbed of terrorists waging a war against India." A spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the report as "a figment of someone's wildest imagination" aimed at harming "friendly and smooth relations between India and Bangladesh." The Government of Bangladesh, he said, "vehemently denies the contents of the report."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-10/14/content_596432.htm

Europe

* Kashmir parties jockey for power

Bitter wrangling between political parties has continued in Indian-administered Kashmir after inconclusive results in state elections. Members of the Congress Party and the regional People's Democratic Party met separately in the state capital, Srinagar, on Monday after a strong showing in the polls. Both teams emerged from their talks insisting that their leaders be appointed chief minister, with no sign of a willingness to compromise.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2326179.stm

* Coalition talks in Pakistan

October 14 -- Pakistan's political parties are engaged in an intensive round of horse-trading to try to secure a majority in the hung parliament that resulted from last week's general election. At the centre of inter-party meetings is the surprise package of the elections - the fundamentalist Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal Islamic alliance (MMA), which increased its number of seats from two to 45. The pro-government Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q), which won 77 seats, and the leading opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP), with 63, were both courting the MMA on Monday. In addition to wooing the MMA, the two leading seat-winners have been approaching the 29 independent members who could yet prove to be the kingmakers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2326093.stm
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=worldnews&StoryID=1576788

* Bhutto hints at deal with anti-US parties

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto appeared last night to rule out a coalition with the country's main pro-military party and hinted that she was exploring an alliance with Islamic religious parties after their unexpected success in last week's elections. Ms Bhutto has told the Guardian that she would be prepared to do a deal with the Islamic right if it moderated its policy of closing down all US bases in Pakistan. "We can do business with anybody who reflects the spirit of the constitution," she said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,2763,811957,00.html
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=&p=

* Bali police may re-question Pakistani group

Indonesian police say they had questioned 10 Pakistanis last month about their activities in Bali and might want to question them again if the probe into weekend bomb blasts on the island threw up any link. Bali police spokesman Yatim Suyatmo said the 10 had been questioned about a speech they made in Nusa Dua, which is close to where the Saturday night bombs killed more than 180 people, but stressed there was no link to the blasts at present. Suyatmo said he did not know if the 10 were still on the island. "We questioned the Pakistanis last month...there were 10 Pakistanis doing some activities in Nusa Dua, Bali," he said.

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=1395879

* Landmine kills policemen in India

At least three policemen have been killed by a landmine explosion in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The blast occurred in the Guntur district, where the policemen were investigating an attack on a village by suspected Maoist rebels. Four policemen were killed in the same district in a similar attack in July.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2328669.stm

* Many missing in India boat accident

October 14 -- At least 20 people are missing feared drowned after two boats capsized in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, officials say. The disaster happened when the vessels collided near a dam on the Rukka river. Deputy police commissioner Jaishanker Tiwary in the state capital, Ranchi, said so far only the body of a young girl had been found. Nine people are believed to have swum ashore to safety. The boats crashed in mid-stream about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the state capital, Mr. Tiwary said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2327871.stm
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_689827.html?menu=news.latestheadlines.worldnews

* Top rebel visits Sri Lanka

The chief negotiator of the Tamil Tiger rebels has arrived in Sri Lanka ahead of the second round of peace talks with the government. Anton Balasingham was taken by Sri Lankan air force helicopter from Colombo to a rebel-controlled area in the north of the country. Peace talks between the two former enemies are due to resume in Thailand at the end of the month. The talks, the first such direct negotiations in seven years, are aimed at ending a civil war in which more than 64,000 people have been killed, and thousands more forced to flee their homes. More talks are scheduled for late December and January.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2328681.stm

* Jail term surprises Bangladeshi author

October 14 -- The Bangladeshi feminist writer, Taslima Nasreen, has expressed surprise at the news of her conviction by a court in Bangladesh. Ms Nasreen, who now lives in Sweden, told the BBC she had no idea that a case had been filed against her, or that a trial was taking place. On Sunday, a magistrate's court gave her a one-year prison sentence on a charge of writing derogatory comments about Islam in several of her books.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2327329.stm

Middle East

* Qazi calls for US troop withdrawal

The top religious alliance leader, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, fired the first shot yesterday asking the US troops to leave Pakistan and felt no need to give military basis or facility to the foreign forces for their operations in neighboring country. Addressing a crowded press conference for the first time in Islamabad after the MMA emerged one of the major component in the National Assembly by winning around 50 seats, Qazi said: "We do not need foreign troops - we can defend ourselves - and Pakistan should not join any arrangement through which our soil is used against a neighboring country." Islamic parties which have emerged as potential coalition partners said yesterday they would seek to impose Islamic law in the country and ask US troops to leave.

http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=19435
http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml

* Pakistani, U.S. troops to hold joint exercises

A 115-member U.S. Army contingent arrived at Chaklala air base near Islamabad yesterday for a two-week military exercise with the Pakistan Army, a military statement said. The exercise commencing this week is aimed at coordinating procedures of both sides while involved in operations of war, the statement said. The advance party of U.S. army contingent had arrived on Friday. General Tommy R. Franks, commander of the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan along with a high level military delegation, is scheduled to visit Pakistan from October 17-20. He will also witness the conduct of the exercise at the end of the week.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65651
http://www.irna.com/en/world/.ewo.shtml

* Musharraf allays fears

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, in Turkey for a heads of states summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation, gave assurances Pakistan will not be swayed from its frontline role in the U.S.-led war on terror by Islamic parties which swept to parliament in last week's elections. "Pakistan is and will remain a key member of the coalition against international terror," Musharraf was quoted as saying yesterday by The News daily in an address at a Turkish military ceremony in Istanbul. "Pakistan will continue to be in the forefront on war against terrorism," the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan quoted him as saying.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65668

* MMA success poses no danger to anyone: Pak politician

Pakistan's Mutahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA), an alliance of six religious parties, on Tuesday declared that no one should be afraid of the religious forces' success in the polls. During an interview with IRNA here, a senior leader of the MMA and National Assembly deputy-elect, Maulvi Hamidul Haq Haqqani, made it clear that there is no need to be skeptical about the alliance. The MMA's prime aim, he explained, is to enforce Islamic sharia which guarantees the rights of minorities. "The implementation of Islamic laws pose no danger to individuals of any faith," he remarked.

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

* Omar resigns from Vajpayee ministry

National Conference (NC) president Omar Abdullah, who led his regional party to a debacle during the recent Jammu and Kashmir elections, yesterday tendered his resignation as the country's junior foreign minister. Omar handed over his resignation to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee soon after he reached New Delhi last evening. Although he spent close to 40 minutes with Vajpayee, there is no word as yet on whether his resignation will be accepted.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65657

* Players using all means to get power in Kashmir

The Congress party is apparently hoping to engineer defections from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) by pressing ahead with its efforts to form a government in the hung assembly thrown up by the Jammu and Kashmir elections. The 20 newly elected Congress legislators yesterday unanimously chose Ghulam Nabi Azad as their chief ministerial candidate, a move that could possibly trigger a fight to the finish with the party's rivals. Ironically, the PDP that appeared set to form a coalition government with the Congress now seems to be on the losing side.

http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=19436

* Azad calls Mufti's bluff, stakes claim

The Congress party called Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's bluff yesterday after two nail-biting days of suspense. By last evening, it appeared to be well on the way to securing the support of his People's Democratic Party for a new government in Jammu and Kashmir led by state Congress party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad. The decision had not been announced but it appeared that the PDP's resolve had broken when Azad met Governor G.C. Saxena yesterday afternoon, apparently to stake a claim with support from a mixed bag of small parties and independents.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65649

* Parties seek MQM support

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement said yesterday that the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) have contacted its leaders for the formation of the government at the centre and Sindh province, but the party is keeping all options "Our options areboth at the centre and the province," Farooq Sattar, a leading MQM leader, told Gulf News. "But while making any commitment, we would have four considerations, including the assurance about provincial autonomy."

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65667

* Fahim to meet partymen in Lahore

Makhdoom Amin Fahim, leader of the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians, is expected to travel to Lahore on Thursday for a day-long meeting with party members who won last week's elections. The visit is considered symbolically significant at a time when Fahim began efforts to cobble together a coalition government in the next parliament, beginning with meetings with Qazi Hussain Ahmed of the MMA (Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal).

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65665

* Colombo sets up peace panel

Colombo -- The government yesterday appointed a Peace Committee comprising civic and religious leaders in a north eastern Sri Lankan city where there have been mob clashes and protest campaigns over the past few days leading to a strain on the current peace process. The move came as the north eastern port city of Trincomalee was returning to normal after three people died and 35 were injured in violence. The peace committee will be headed by the Government Agent of the district and will comprise religious leaders while the Scandinavians monitoring the ceasefire in the north and east will be the coordinator of the Committee.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65652

* Pakistan terms Indian FM remarks on election as provocative

October 14 -- Pakistan Monday described as provocative and ludicrous the remarks made by the Indian minister for external affairs regarding the general elections in Pakistan. The Indian minister in a BBC interview termed Pakistan future government as lame duck. "Mr. Sinha's remarks reflected his blinkered vision and empathy towards Pakistan. It was bizarre to see the Foreign Ministry of a Hindu fundamentalist regime and a prominent member of a fanatical Hindu political party holding forth about the possible rise of so-called fundamentalism elsewhere," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman said.

http://www.irna.com/en/head/.ehe.shtml

* Indian troop pullback from border soon

Mixed signals are emanating about the future relationship between India and Pakistan. On the one hand, India is likely to consider easing of tension along the border, on the other, it is still notto revival of talks with Islamabad. Despite India planning to announce new measures for de-escalation of tension along the border in Kashmir, within a day or two, there has been no laxity in its accusations against Islamabad's role in encouraging cross-border terrorism. However, India is likely to pull back some troops from Kashmir frontier with Pakistan to the north while keeping defenses high along its western desert border, analysts said yesterday.

http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=19437

* Khaleda to give more powers to local government bodies

Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said yesterday that her government will decentralise the administration, granting more powers to local government bodies in order to accelerate development. She was talking to a 10-member delegation from London's Tower Hamlets area led by the leader of its Council, Helal Uddin Abbas, when they called on her. During the meeting, the premier hoped that sharing experiences with local-tier leaders of Britain would help enrich Bangladesh's local government system.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65654

* Danish grant for Dhaka rights plans

Denmark will provide Bangladesh with a 168 million Danish Kroner (approximately Tk1.26 billion) grant for supporting human rights and good governance programmes in Bangladesh. An agreement was signed here last Sunday by Anisul Huq Chowdury, Secretary of the Economic Relations Division, and Niels Severin Munk, Ambassador of Denmark, on behalf of their respective governments, a Danish Embassy press release said.

http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=65653

Editorial

N/A

Business/Technology

* India prepares airlines for privatisation

October 14 -- Air India and Indian Airlines will be prevented from flying the same routes in the Gulf and South East Asia under new Indian government plans. Both airlines are state-owned and both are due to be privatised. Traffic in the two sectors will be split equally between the two airlines, officials said. The Gulf routes are particularly lucrative, accounting for more than 30% of the revenue of each carrier. Tom Ballantyne, chief correspondent with Orient Aviation magazine, told the BBC's World Business Report the Indian government recognises there is no benefit in the two companies competing with each other. "The Indian government and particularly the department of transportation really want to get both of those airlines into a pretty decent shape for some sort of a privatisation," he said. "The ministry is very keen to rationalise their operations and have them far more profitable."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2327631.stm

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