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Tension again on Indo-Bangla border

     Siliguri: The agreement reached between the sector commanders of India and Bangladesh during the weekend at Malda, over the construction of an embankment on the Mahananda river, which brought to an end the tension that prevailed for over two days has been short-lived. Violating the international border rules, Bangladesh has started repairing work near the zero line that has resumed the tension along the international border here, official sources said. In the meeting that had taken place near Muchia border to announce the ceasefire, it was made clear that the ongoing anti- erosion work on Indian land was justified as it was beyond 150 yards from the zero line. Bangladesh was also expected to do its construction work beyond 150 yards from the zero line. Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) overlooked the suggestion made by the Border Security Force (BSF) and began the repairing work after two days of ceasefire, which was announced after a heavy exchange of fire between the two forces on 19th and 20th August. The villagers on Indian side had welcomed the ceasefire and they were expecting some peaceful period. But the repair work on the Bangladesh side has caused panic, and they feel that this violation from the Bangladeshis might result in a fresh exchange of fire between BSF and BDR. Meanwhile, the district magistrate of Malda has informed his Bangladesh counterpart in Nababganj district about the situation on the Indian side on the issue.

Anti-Modi BJP MLAs meet Joshi, Rajnath (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) dissidents including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's main rival Keshu Bhai patel, who arrived here from Gujarat on Tuesday, met senior party leaders today. About ten rebel MLA's including Gordhan Zadafiya who refused to take oath as a minister in the Modi cabinet, Balubhai Tanti, Becharbhai Bhadani, Sidharth Parmar, senior leader Nalin Bhatt met met Murli Manohar Joshi and Pramod Mahajan and Rajnath Singh reiterated their demand for a change in the state leadership. However, it's still uncertain when they would meet party President L K Advani. Despite a strong endorsement from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief L.K. Advani, the anti-Modi campaign got a boost when a Gujarat minister resigned in protest against the Chief Minister. Patel had earlier met former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other BJP leaders and is likely to meet the BJP president this time. Between his two visits, Advani visited Gujarat and praised Modi at every public function in a discouraging signal to the dissidents. Just before Advani left for Gujarat Saturday, the BJP suspended party veteran Madan Lal Khurana for criticising Advani and demanding Modi's resignation for the 2002 Gujarat sectarian violence that many believe was abetted by the Modi-led BJP government. When it was pointed out that Advani had extolled Modi's leadership, the legislators said it was not unusual for a party president to praise the chief minister of a state ruled by the party. Zadaphia said that they would continue its battle in a disciplined manner, within the framework of the party's norms. He said that the members would not indulge in any violation of party discipline.

Manmohan Singh meets opposition on women's quota in parliament  (Go To Top)

     New Delhi/Chennai: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday chaired an all-party meeting in New Delhi in a bid to build a consensus on the Women's Reservation Bill, which has been in troubled waters since its conception. The bill, introduced a couple of times since 1996, has been stalled due to stiff protests by a strong lobby of deputies, both ruling and opposition. Though a majority of political parties, including the main opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have supported the Constitution Amendment Bill, two prominent socialist parties -- the Samajwadi party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, an ally of the ruling coalition -- oppose it in its present form. The two parties favour a specific quota for weaker sections including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, minorities and other backward classes, within the proposed 33 percent reservation for women. But this time the federal government's new formula for the Women's Reservation Bill includes a 33 per cent increase in the total capacity of the Parliament. This would mean that combined seats in the two houses will increase to 900. The two parties and the NDA have refused to accept the Bill in its present form. "We have all said that we should agree to the suggestion given by the election commission after which a consensus can be formed. As far as the new Bill is concerned, we have rejected it. It will not be feasible to increase the number of seats. In the older bill we demand that the backward and lower castes should be given reservation," Nitish Kumar, a senior leader of Janata Dal (United), an ally of the NDA told reporters after the meeting. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has already agreed in principle to the 33 per cent quota for women, while the Communists, providing critical support to the ruling United Progressive Alliance has asked for reserving 180 seats in the present Lower House. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha has called for a quick passing of the bill in parliament. "The AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazgham party) feels that reservation for women of 33 percent should be brought at the earliest. Thirty three percent should be added over to existing strength at Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and the state assemblies. This means no reservation for women within the existing strength," she told reporters in Chennai. Women across India have been lobbying intensely for the bill, which seeks to reserve one-third of seats for them in lower house of parliament and state legislatures.

Pak Rangers to 're-examine' Sarabjit's identity (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: A senior Pakistani security official at the Wagah Border today said that they would seriously "re- examine" the claims of Sarabjit Singh's family that he was actually Manjit Singh and not a RAW agent. And, if his mistaken identity is proved, he would be sent back home. Talking to reporters ahead of talks between India's BSF and Pakistan Rangers regarding the release of civilian prisoners in each other's country, Brigadier Marzan said that they would "re- examine" the claims of Sarabjit Singh. "I am sure if he is available and innocent, he will definitely be handed over," Brigadier Sakhi Marzan of the Punjab Rangers told reporters at the Wagah Border. Sarabjit's family claims that Sarabjit is a civilian, who had accidentally crossed into Pakistan's territory in 1990, and has since been languishing in its jails. BSF DIG Gurudarshan Singh is leading a 12-member delegation to the Pakistan side of the Border to hold talks with Pakistan Rangers, while Brigadier Marzan will head the Pakistani delegation. The civilian prisoners include fishermen who inadvertently cross into each other's country while fishing in each other's territorial waters. About the number of Indian civilians languishing in Pakistani jails, an MEA spokesman yesterday said, "we have sought consular access to nearly 107 Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails. We have also identified 371 fishermen and 74 prisoners and we hope that these prisoners will be released at the earliest." Sarabjit was arrested in 1990 and first convicted in 1991 for being illegally present in Pakistan shortly after a series of bomb blasts rocked Lahore and Multan.

  Indian envoy meets Pak Foreign Secretary on Sarabjit (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: India's High Commissioner to Pakistan Shiv Shanker Menon called on Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan today and discussed several issues of bilateral importance to both countries. Among the issues raised at the meeting was the impending Foreign Secretary-level talks to review the progress of the second round of the India-Pakistan composite dialogue and the request for consular access to Sarabjit Singh, the alleged Indian spy, who has been sentenced to death by Pakistan's Supreme Court. Informed sources said that the talks focussed on the agenda to be taken up by the foreign secretaries of the two countries between August 31 and September 2. It may be recalled that over the last three days, the fate of Sarabjit Singh, a resident of the Punjabi border village of Bhikiwind, has been a topic of debate both in India and Pakistan. Sarabjit's family has appealed to both the Indian and Pakistani Governments not to go ahead with the death sentence, as it is in their eyes a case of mistaken identity. Members of the family approached Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on the matter on Tuesday, and the latter assured them that he would be talking to both Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on the issue. The matter was also raised in the Indian Parliament with lawmakers appealing to the Government to intervene. In Pakistan, however, contradictory signals are emerging from the leadership. While Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri has said that an appeal for clemency can be made to President Pervez Musharraf, the country's Information and Broadcasting Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said under Islamic law that only if survivors of the Lahore bomb blasts of 1990 or family members of victims of that incident are willing to forgive Sarabjit, can the issue of clemency be considered. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Rangers have said ahead of talks with India's Border Security Force officials that they would re- examine Sarabjit's case if it merits it. Brigadier Sakhi Marzan of the Pakistani Rangers (Punjab Range) said: "I am sure if he is available and innocent, he will definitely be handed over." Pakistani lawmakers, who are currently on a visit to Delhi, however, said that it would be imprudent to interfere with the Pakistan Supreme Court's ruling in the case.

Only blast victims can pardon Sarabjit: Sheikh Rashid (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: Pakistan Information Minister Sheikh Rashid has said that under Islamic law Sarabjit Singh, the alleged Indian spy facing a death sentence in Pakistan, can only be pardoned only by the relatives of the victims of the blasts that took place in 1990. "As per the Pakistan Islamic law, only families of those who died in the bomb blasts can give him pardon and no other person. This is my understanding of the Islamic law. The President cannot pardon the accused," Rashid said. He said if the victims' families did not forgive him "nobody else can give him any relief". Rashid's comments came even as Sarabjit's family continues to plead for his clemency on the ground that his is a case of mistaken identity. Pakistan claims Sarabjit is Manjit Singh, a RAW agent involved in the 1990 bomb blasts in Lahore. Rashid'ss comments appeared to be a contradiction of Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri's statement that an appeal for clemency can be made to the President. Meanwhile, Singh's lawyer in Pakistan R A Hameed has said that "after inspecting the judgement of the Supreme Court, he will prepare the case from the legal aspects, sectional aspects and all other aspects of the case which has not been considered in the review petition so far.

Pakistan in quandary over Indian prisoner on death row  (Go To Top)

      Islamabad/Bhikhiwind/Meerut: Authorities in Pakistan appear to be in a state of confusion over whether to go ahead with the execution of an alleged Indian spy, who people in India claim is a victim of mistaken identity. While Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri said on Wednesday that it was up to President Pervez Musharraf to decide the fate of Manjit Singh, who has been accused of perpetrating the Lahore bomb blasts of 1990, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that under Islamic law only heirs of the victims or the survivors could ensure that the pardon route was pursued. "There are so many cases in Pakistan where government wants to give pardon to certain people but they can't. And as per Article 45 (of the Constitution) President has (the) right to give this pardon but in this case, especially this is supposed to be under Terrorist Act 9, the situation will be totally different. So here its going to apply the "qisas" and "diyat" law in which only the heirs of the dead persons can give this pardon; nobody else can give this pardon," Ahmed told a foreign news agency. Pakistan's Supreme Court last week upheld a death sentence imposed on Manjit Singh in 1991 for spying for India's intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, and involvement in bombings in the central province of Punjab. Singh was convicted of involvement in three bomb blasts in the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Faisalabad and a case linking him to another in Multan was still pending. Ahmed said Musharraf would have been fully authorized to pardon Singh if he was convicted only of spying, but the casualties caused by the blasts made things difficult.

Lawmakers blink first in row with judiciary (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: India's lawmakers on Wednesday backed off from a confrontation with the judiciary after the apex court thrashed their comments on a verdict banning quota for weaker sections in private institutions. A seven- member judge of the Supreme Court on August 12 had ruled that states had no right to appropriate seats as their quota in professional private colleges and those run by minority communities. The judgement drew ire of the lawmakers who held an all-party meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss a proposal to get over the verdict. However, the court said that the ruling was within its powers. "I have said that we should work in harmony and the Supreme Court is entitled to all the high respect from us..." Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, said in New Delhi. According to the judgement, colleges will be free to give admission to students of their choice in the seats that were earlier reserved for minorities. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh, said that the government should not interfere in the running of private institutions but said quota for weaker sections should be merit- based. "No state can run private educational institutes on their own resources whether it is any institution or college. For minority institutions there should be no interference. There should be quota but it should be merit-based," Singh said in Lucknow. The judgement would be effective from 2006-2007 without any interference in the ongoing academic session.

     Meanwhile, in Kolkata, the Communist backed Students Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest against the apex courts verdict saying that it would harm the prospects of underprivileged students. "That is very uncivilised. There are so many underprivileged students. Safeguarding their interest is our concern," said Satarup Ghosh, a student. In 2002, an 11-judge bench had laid down broad guidelines catering to quotas, which were interpreted differently by different high courts. In view of this, a seven-judge bench was constituted to reinterpret the earlier judgments. Reservation for scheduled castes and tribes enshrined in the Constitution has come under attack in recent decades with job opportunities shrinking and the educated unemployed numbers swelling. As per precedent, the Supreme Court can always overturn a law on the ground that it violates the Constitution.

List of Arjuna awardees announced (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The Government today announced the list of awardees for their excellence in the world of sports for the year 2004. The awards would be presented on Monday by President A P J Abdul Kalam at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. No cricketer, however, figured in any of the categories of award, and as expected, Olympic silver medalist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has been honoured with the highest sporting award -- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. The list of 14 Arjuna Awards includes tennis player Sania Mirza, golfer Jyoti Randhawa, hockey player Deepak Thakur, shooter Deepali Deshpande and atheletes J J Shobha and Anil Kumar among others. Arvind Savur (Billiards), Sunita Sharma (Women's cricket) and Cyrus Poncha (Squash) have been named for the Dronacharya Award. Players selected for the Dhyanchand Award are Manoj Kumar Kothari (Billiards and Snooker) Rajinder Singh Jr (Hockey) and Maruti Dnyanu Mane Patil (Wrestling).

References: Indo-Bangla border, Modi BJP MLAs Joshi Rajnath, Manmohan Singh women's quota in parliament, Pak Rangers re-examine Sarabjit, Indian envoy Pak foreign secretary, blast victims can pardon Sarabjit Sheikh Rashid quandary, row with judiciary, Arjuna awardees, heath ledger paparazzi eggs, nun caught dirty dancing missionary, Madonna belly button voted most incredible rock star body part, Gwyn teaches apple yoga, Harry Potter goblet of fire online, Pitt Jolie Dinos with Maddox, India, India News, Newspaper, Indian, News, Travel News, India Travel Times, Travel,Tourism, Tour, Tourist, India, Times, News, Hotels, Airlines, Ayurveda, Yoga, Hindu, Taj Mahal, Cuisine, Festival, Temple, Trekking, Hindu, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Odissi, Dance, Shimla,Varanasi, Kullu, Manali, Dehra Dun, Mussourie, Mussoorie, Haridwar, Hardwar, Rishikesh, Nainital, Delhi, Goa, Kovalam, Darjeeling, Bodh Gaya, Kancheepuram, Kanchipuram, Thekkady, Badrinath, Amar Nath,Vaishno Devi, Tirupati, Sabarimala, Guruvayoor, Kanyakumari, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Chennai,

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