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Zardari to hold talks with Musharraf on April 16: Benazir

     New Delhi: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who accompanied by her husband Asif Ali Zardari arrived in India on a two-day private visit today, said they held a 'fruitful' meeting with Pakstan President Pervez Musharraf recently in Jeddah and her husband would hold another round of talks in Islamabad on April 16. Expressing hope that democracy would soon be restored in Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto told reporters that Indo-Pak dialogue would be more meaningful if Islamabad was represented by "elected" leaders, TV channel reported.

Benazir, Asif Zardari arrive in Jaipur, head for Ajmer Sharief (Go To Top)

     Jaipur: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari arrived in the Pink City today on a two-day private visit. The two leaders will offer prayers at the Ajmer Sharief dargah in Rajasthan later today for Zardari's release from prison. Benazir also hailed the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus link between the two countries. "Bus diplomacy is a good confidence building measure. Building democracy is an important step in the peace process so that the whole process can get legitimacy. Cricket match and the bus diplomacy are good steps and we want that like the bus service which will begin to connect Srinagar and Muzzafarbad, a bus service for the divided Punjab should also be started",said Benazir Bhutto, Former Pakistani Prime Minister. Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari also reiterated the same thing that people should work towards building democracy in Pakistan. "Political developments have not moved, they are there where we left them. We want democracy rule in true sense in Pakistan",said Asif Ali Zardari. The two leaders came in from Dubai to Jaipur from where they will travel by road to the Ajmer Sharief dargah. Expressing hope that democracy would soon be restored in Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto today said that Indo-Pak dialogue would be more meaningful if Islamabad was represented by "elected" leaders. The two are not yet scheduled to meet any Indian leaders during their visit.

Dance bar owners, NCP activists clash in Mumbai (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: Several dance bar owners and the supporters of a local NCP legislator clashed on Thursday night after the NCP leader along with his supporters attacked a bar late on Thursday. Maharashtra state government had banned the dance-cum-liquor bars earlier this week in all of the state's provinces barring Mumbai Mumbai, on pretext of "entertainment centres" had become breeding grounds for prostitution and crime. Furious bar owners have slammed the move and alleged that a senior government minister had victimised them for not meeting a bribery demand. The ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supporters, reportedly, wanted the Mumbai bar owners, who have come out in support of their provincial brothers, to apologise to the leader and violence broke out after they refused to do the same. Manjit Singh Sethi, president of the Mumbai Bar Owners Association, said the move has left thousands of girls, many of them supporting entire families, jobless and the government must accept the responsibility of those being victimised. "We will stop cars of ministers, our girls will talk. We will ask them why have they done this to us? And even if you have done this then give us alternative jobs. All we want is 5,000 rupees per month salary job for my girls, if they can do this I assure you that we will permanently close the bars but if you cannot give us jobs then they have no right to take them away from us either," Sethi said.

     The NCP, meanwhile, claims that the dance bars are employing illegal immigrants and using their premises for flesh trade. "They should hold an enquiry on these women who work here. None of these women are Indian; they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. There should be an enquiry into this. All these bars and this ladies service that they provide, they must be forced to shut down," said Reena Khurana, joint secretary of the NCP'S Mumbai region. Maharashtra has thousands of bar girls, as they are known locally, entertaining their clients with liquor and dance on the latest Bollywood tunes. Dressed in shimmering skirts, spaghetti-strap blouses and loads of jewellery, the young women ape the song-and-dance movements of Bollywood movies and have been the subject of an award-winning film detailing their lives. Over the past few years, authorities have cracked down on bars in response to complaints of indecent or obscene behaviour. A wave of police raids this year forced some bars to close down. Dance bars are unique to Mumbai. They do thrive in many other Indian cities too, but Mumbai is known and famous for its bars. There are hundreds of them in this city, but many of them operate in a way, which makes them invisible to all but the experienced eye. Politicians from the interiors of Maharashtra have frequently protested against the mushrooming of dance bars. The Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) has held agitations in Raigad district to protest against dance bars in the region.

`Man of steel' cremated in Hisar (Go To Top)

     Hisar: The last remains of Haryana Power Minister and noted industrialist Om Prakash Jindal, who earned the sobriquet 'man of steel' due to his unique steel business acumen, were consigned to flames with full state honours at the Jindal Industrial Complex in Hisar today. His eldest son Prithvi Raj Jindal lit the pyre amid slogans "O.P. Jindal Amar Rahen". Several heart-rending scenes could be seen as Jindal's bodily remains were carried in an open van decorated with flowers to the Jindal Industrial Complex. The funeral procession passed through the Jindal Chowk, Dabra Chowk, Tosham Road and ITI chowk even as people showered petals on the vehicle carrying the Jindal's body. Earlier, Jindal's body was kept at the Jindal House to enable the people pay their last tributes to the departed leader. Thousands of people visited Jindal House to pay their last respects to their leader. Jindal had lost his life along with Haryana Revenue Minister Surender Singh in a helicopter crash yesterday. The pilot of the helicopter had also died. All the shops in the town remained closed today as a mark of respect to the departed leader. Among the prominent personalities who were present during the cremation included Union Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil, Union Minister of State for Urban Employment, Kumari Selja, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, State Speaker Harminder Singh Chatha, Excise and Taxation Minister Venod Sharma, State Finance Minister Berender Singh, Health Minister Kartar Devi, Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, Irrigation Minister Capt. Ajay Singh, Education Minister Phool Chand Mullana, former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijay Singh, former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, Haryana Pradesh Congress president Bhajan Lal, Congress leader Janardhan Pujari, former Haryana CM Banarsi Dass, besides many MPs and MLAs.

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