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Bofors: V P Singh rules out apology
by Ramesh Ranjan

     New Delhi: Rejecting the demand of the Congress for an apology in the Bofors payoff case, former Prime Minister VP Singh has said that his stand regarding corruption in the deal has been vindicated as the charges have been quashed on mere technical grounds. He feels that the CBI could not handle the high-profile case in a proper manner and is incompetent. " It has been established that corruption took place in the deal. The charges against accused have been quashed on technical grounds. Why didn't the CBI get Swiss documents certified as required in the Indian legal system? The CBI is totally incompetent and has always failed in cases due to lack of proper evidence," said Singh. He further demanded that a Parliamentary Committee should probe the functioning of the CBI and suggest measures to improve its working style. The CPI (M) also questioned the efficiency of CBI and asked for the revival of the case again through appropriate legal process. "Neither the CBI nor the judicial process in our country has been able to produce a verdict in all high-level corruption cases. This has eroded the people's faith that the system is incapable of bringing to book those who misuse public funds", the party Polit Bureau said in a statement. "It is surprising that after such a long investigation, such infirmities and elementary errors existed in preparing the case. The CBI should remove the infirmities in the case material and revive the case through appropriate legal process," the statement added. Meanwhile, the BJP has also demanded that the CBI should appeal in the Supreme Court. " We demand an appeal in the Supreme Court on two judgments of the High Court in the Bofors case. The decisions should be challenged, and vigorous efforts to bring Quatrochi back," said BJP Spokesperson Prakash Javadekar. The BJP observed that the Delhi High Court quashed the proceedings against the Hinduja brothers and the Bofors company on the technical grounds citing that the documents and materials produced by CBI were not original or authenticated copies as prescribed in the Indian legal system.

Shabir Shah denied permission to visit PoK (Go To Top)

     Srinagar: While nine Kashmiri leaders today left for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Centre denied permission to Shabir Shah, Chairman of Democratic Freeom Party to join the group. Shah had to cool his heels in Srinagar, after the Regional Passport Office (RPO) rejected his application for a passport. Shah said he was promised by the Regional Passport Office in Srinagar to give the travel documents and passport by 8.00 pm on Wednesday (June 1), but later came to know that his application was rejected for giving his nationality as "Kashmiri". He had claimed yesterday that the RPO had indeed issued a passport with his nationality as "Kashmiri". "All along they (RPO) promised that my travel documents were being given but it seems after television channels flashed the news that I am getting a passport with an endorsement in the nationality column as "Kashmiri", they withdrew the same," said Shah. Shah however decided to send Mohammad Yusaf Tari, Secretary General of his party alongwith other Kashmiri leaders as he did not want to be seen as left out in the "political process".

ISI knows about Osama: CIA  (Go To Top)

     Washington: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf may not be knowing about al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's presence within Pakistan's territorial limits, but ISI officials are very well aware about his whereabouts, CIA officer Gary Schroen, who spearheaded US' search for Osama in Afghanistan, has said. He said that Musharraf was so afraid of the internal political consequences of finding Osama that he doesn't even want to know his whereabouts. That's because Pakistan's northern tribal areas would explode upon news of the death or capture of Bin Laden, the CIA veteran said adding "I think the philosophy of the Taliban, this fundamentalist view, is popular there. So Bin Laden, I think, strikes them as heroic. He fought a jihad against the Russians, and he's bloodied America's nose time and again." The veteran CIA officer said that regardless of how much reward money America offers, "Bin Laden would not be captured and handed in. He claimed that Musharraf was not allowing the US forces to seriously crackdown on the Qaeda chief, who is hiding along the international border with Afghanistan. "He's hiding in Pakistan in the northern tribal areas above Peshawar - an area that is rugged, hilly, heavily forested. The US government and the US military are not authorised by the Musharraf government to enter there unilaterally. As long as he stays in place, it is going to be almost impossible to find him," the Daily Times quoted Schroen as saying.

     When Tora Bora was attacked, Bin Laden fled to Pakistan, he added. Schroen, who has just published a book on his exploits in Afghanistan, claims to have developed two plans to capture or kill Osama (in 1998 and then a year later), but both were turned down by CIA and the White House. According to the paper, he said: "I can only speculate, but it is based on almost 20 years of dealing with the Pakistani military and ISI officers. I think at some level, probably the colonel level, there are officers probably in ISI who know where Bin Laden is at." He added: "A man of that caliber (Bin Laden) could not be hidden out for that many years without word getting out in the community. So, I think some people probably know within ISI and the military."

No support from Kashmiris in 65 war: Gohar (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Gohar Ayub Khan is perhaps the first Pakistan dignitary to accept that the 4000-odd commandos sent by President Ayub Khan received little support from the people of Kashmir in 1965. Many of them were "butchered and hundreds arrested by Indian forces", Gohar Ayub said in an interview with the News. The plan to send the commandos to the Kashmir Valley was implemented on "doctored" reports from "Kashmiri leaders across the border that painted a rosy picture that the entire population of the Valley was ready to fight Indian forces and they would help the commandos occupy the target territory in the valley with armed struggle of local masses." When the Pakistani commandos sneaked into the Valley, they came to know that only four Muslim majority districts were fighting and rest of the Valley was in no mood of any revolt against the Indian forces as disclosed by the `reports', The News quoted Gohar Ayub Khan, the son of former Pakistani military dictator Ayub Khan, as saying. Gohar is presently writing a book based on his father's numerous personal diaries, which according to him, unfold many secret aspects of Pakistani history from 1958 to 1974. The book is likely to hit markets by December.

     According to Gohar Ayub Khan , the `reports' were obtained by the then Pakistan foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto from the Kashmiri leadership. Gohar told the paper that the reports were found to be doctored when Indian troops captured and killed the Pakistani commandos after blocking all the major entry and exit points like Kargil, Pirsahab and Nemil. He added that while many commandos were killed or captured by Indians, some managed to escape and return to Pakistan. He said that the Chamb-Jaurian front was opened to force India to ease pressure on the besieged commandos. President Ayub Khan realised that the 'reports' were doctored after some of the captured commandos managed to escape and disclosed the mistake. As a corrective measure, the Pakistani Army opened up other fronts to force the Indian forces to divert their attention from the places where the commandos were kept, The News quoted Gohar as saying. In the book Gohar mentions that after Bhutto presented this report to Ayub, the latter approved the "Operation Gibraltar". But, when the commandos entered the Valley, they sent horrifying reports back home as the earlier assurances and information of Kashmiri leaders turned out to be "doctored" and commandos were trapped.

     According to the book, every commando sent to Kashmir was given two rifles and additional ammunition. Each commando was supposed to keep one rifle with him and distribute the other in the local population to fan a massive indigenous war against Indian occupation. According to Gohar, Kashmiri leaders had told Pakistan through secret communications that although they would not be able to publicly declare their support for Pakistani soldiers, once the Pakistani commandos entered Kashmir and started their fight against Indian troops, they would stage a revolt against India. The reports claimed that armed struggle had already started inside the valley. He said at that time cease-fire appeared as the most prudent option, and it would be unkind to criticise his father's decision taken then. Pakistan was meeting its defence needs from external resources while India was manufacturing it locally and they could afford a long battle. A long war could go against Pakistan, Gohar said adding that there was no point in continuing the war after Pakistan had failed to achieve its targets within first seven days of war.

State reception for separatist Kashmiri leaders (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: Pakistan is giving a red-carpet welcome to the separatist Kashmiri leaders from India, which matches the kind of reception to heads of states or leaders of that stature. The Hurriyat delegation is being extended audience with the President of Pakistan, the Prime Minister and given an opportunity to address the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Assembly. They will also pay their respects to Mohammad Ali Jinnah at his musoleum in Karachi. For their travel inside Pakistan, special aircraft has been arranged by the government. State banquets are being hosted in their honour by President Musharraf himself and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. They were received by Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at Chakothi and taken to Muzaffarabad in a procession. The Kashmiri leaders will depart for Islamabad by helicopter and bus and will hold a meeting with minister for Kashmir and Northern Areas Affairs.

BCCI puts stamp on Chappell's appointment as coach (Go To Top)

     Thiruvananthapuram: The Working Committee of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) today ratified the appointment of Australian cricket legend Greg Chappell as the Indian team coach. BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla told reporters that the committee at the first session of its two-day meet being held at Kovalam beach resort also gave a green signal to Sri Lanka- Zimbabwe tour. South Africa will take India tour in December to play five one-day internationals. Shukla added that the Committee has authorised the BCCI President to take final decision in Moraraka-Modi controversy. BCCI vice- president Kamal Morarkha has been demanding disqualification of Rajasthan Cricket Association president Lalit Modi for his alleged conviction in USA 20 years ago.

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