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Kashmir can be divided into seven parts, says Musharraf

    Islamabad: In an interview to the CNN, President General Pervez Musharraf has said that there is a scope to divide Kashmir into seven parts. The parts of Kashmir held by Pakistan and India separately can be divided geographically into seven parts, The News quoted him as saying in Jakarta on the sidelines of the 50th Afro-Asian summit. Either any specific portion of Kashmir or its entire area could be declared a non-military zone and later changing its status afterwards, he added. He said that whatever the portion be for this purpose, it must be made with consensus between India and Pakistan and he hoped the masses of both countries could accept it. Deployment of heavy troops on both sides of Line of Control (LoC) is creating problem for the people, he said.

     Friday's statement assumes significance in the light of an earlier staement made by him on October 25, 2004, when he told select journalists at an Iftar dinner that India and Pakistan should consider the option of identifying some "regions" of Kashmir on both sides of Line of Control, demilitarise them and grant them the status of independence or joint control or under UN mandate. The statement created a controversy and there was a response from India that there would no redrawing of the boundaries. After his talks in New Delhi, President Musharraf stated that there are three main elements as far as the Kashmir issue is concerned -- India's position that there would be no redrawing of the boundaries, Pakistan's position that the LoC cannot be a permanent border and third that the softening of the borders will help, but is not a final solution. It is also bennreiterated that the people of Kashmir will be involved in any final solution. The present statement of General Musharraf may revive the controversy.

     He has now stated a solution must be made with consensus between India and Pakistan. He had also said that no solution was possible by converting the existing Line of Control into a permanent international border.He had then proposed a three-point formula for the solution of Kashmir issue-first of all the regions in Kashmir must be pointed out. Secondly, it should be declared a non-militarized zone. Thirdly, its status should be changed. The Pakistani President's then suggestion evoked a mixed response.

Rolls-Royce rolls back to India, 50 years on (Go To Top)

    London: Heavy import duties notwithstanding, Rolls- Royce, once the favourite car-maker of India's maharajas, has decided to make a comeback in the country after a gap of almost 50 years. Now owned by the German car giant BMW, Rolls Royce had to move its operations out of India in the 1960s because of prohibitive import restrictions. With the Indian automobile market experiencing a boom since 2000, the import duties are now not being seen as much of an impediment. The company recently announced that it had sold a Rolls-Royce Phantom to Yohan Poonawalla,a 33-year-old stud farm owner, who coughed up the required 435,000 pounds for the vehicle. Poonawalla said that paying the 103 percent import duty for the vehicle was not an issue for him, as "The first Rolls-Royce came into our family before I was born. It was a Silver Shadow. I have always been partial to the Rolls-Royce. It has such tremendous road presence." The Daily Telegraph quoted Colin Kelly, the director for Rolls- Royce in the Asia-Pacific region, said that the target was to sell up to "seven or eight" Phantoms in the next 12 months.

India's forex reserves up by 88 million dollars (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: According to the weekly statistical supplement of Reserve Bank of India, released here on Saturday, India's foreign exchange reserves rose marginally by 88 million dollars in the week ended April 15, 2005. The country's foreign exchange reserves now stand at 1,41,545 million dollars, an increase of 88 million dollars over the last week's reserves of 1,41,457 million dollars. The foreign currency assets reached to 1,35,610 million dollars up by 86 million for the reporting week. Gold reserves and SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) remained static at 4,500 million dollars and five million dollars respectively. The country's reserve tranche position in the IMF was up by two million dollars to 1,430 million dollars. Loans and advances to the state government were up by Rs 2,519 crore to Rs 4,220 crore while that to the central government showed a nil balance.

Sania eyes French Open, WTA rankings (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Latest Indian female Tennis sensation, who is presently struggling with her ankle injury, Sania Mirza has said that her immediate aim is to clear the first round in the upcoming French Open next month, besides she wants to see herself in the top 20 within a couple of years. Addressing the press in the capital, Sania -- currently 73rd in the latest WTA ranking said, "I am aware of the expectations but just because I made it to the third round in the Australian Open, people should not expect me to win the French Open. I'll be an underdog there and will try to clear the first round.'' Asked where she looks herself five years down the line, the Hyderabad girl said that five years is too long a time and she is not a fortune-teller. But she hopes to be in the top 20 by the next two years and anything can happen once she reaches there. Talking about French Open, Sania said that clay is definitely not her favourite surface, because that does not suit her style of game as she hits the ball hard. But she has not been that bad on clay either and has won a couple of titles on such surface. Above all, playing in clay won't aggravate her injury. Upset at missing the Fed Cup, due to her ankle injury, Sania said, ''I was looking forward to it. Shikha (Uberoi) was here and we could have been a great team. Though they lost to China, all the players tried their best and China was here with their best team. Playing this time would have been a risk. Doctors have advised rest, otherwise the injury can become chronic. Many more Fed Cups will follow,'' she said. An ardent Steffi Graf fan, Sania also said that she would play less doubles matches and will rather concentrate on singles.

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