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. Lanka's political turmoil over tsunami rahab
by N Bhadran Nair

     Colombo: Amidst growing opposition to Sri Lanka's plans for a joint mechanism with the rebel LTTE for post-tsunami rehabilitation, President Kumaratunga found an ally in India, which had endorsed its cooperation in its aftermath. External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, who arrived in the capital on Thursday (June 9) has reiterated New Delhi's commitment to Colombo's efforts to consolidate the processes of peace and to promote development in their country. Singh is in Colombo to attend the sixth Joint Commission meeting, which he will co-chair with his Sri Lankan counterpart Lakshman Kadirgamar. The domestic politics are going to be choppy for Kumaratunga, who is facing opposition from a formidable lobby of Buddhist monks, besides her own strongest ally in coalition government, the Janata Vimukti Peramunna (JVP) flexing its muscles. On her part, the President is banking on the belief that the JVP will not take an extreme step. She is also hoping to get the support of LTTE proxies in Parliament, the Tamil National Alliance, which has 19 members. Meanwhile the fast-unto-death undertaken by Dr. Ven. Omalpe Sobitha at the Sacred Temple of Tooth in Kandy against the proposed Joint Mechanism could snowball into a major political confrontation against Kumaratunga. The President is also facing the wrath of the Muslims the community most affected by the tsunami in the east. They are very suspicious of the Joint Mechanism becoming an instrument installed with the blessings of the government for the LTTE to grab power, denying them of their rights.

US Congress committee clears F-16 sale to Pakistan (Go To Top)

     Washington: A US congressional committee has approved a proposal to extend military aid to Pakistan that includes supply of F-16 fighter aircraft by a 28-14 vote. Attempts by Democrat Congressman Gary Ackerman to block the proposal until Islamabad grants access to nuclear scientist A Q Khan did not cut ice with the other members of the committee. Two senior members of the committee, Republican James Leach and Democrat Thomas Lantos played key roles in overruling Ackerman's amendment. After the session, Lantos predicted that the panel will approve the sale of fighters to Pakistan when its formally proposed. There is a recognition that Pakistan is an important ally on the global war on terrorism, he was quoted by a foreign news agency as saying.

US visa officials humiliate former Pak navy chief (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: Former Chief of the Pakistan Naval Staff Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari recently walked out of the US Embassy's visa section, in protest against the humiliating body search Pakistanis were subjected to. Adm. Bokhari who had gone to the embassy for procuring a visa to visit his daughter in the US said that he and his wife were repeatedly asked to undergo body searches by the US officials despite the fact that his official passport and documents were sent to the embassy by the Pakistan Navy's Protocol officer. "I wanted to visit my daughter, who is in America, but I don't need a US visa at the cost of the country's dignity. I possess an official passport and my documents were sent to the US Embassy by the Pakistan Navy's Protocol Officer, but even then they treated me in an insulting manner, which means that their treatment of ordinary Pakistanis must be more insulting," Daily Times quoted Adm. Bokhari as saying. "It seemed this strict security is not for the sake of security, but to humiliate Pakistanis. I must ask the US ambassador to take notice of this procedure because it is a matter of Pakistan's prestige," he said, adding that an embassy insider told him that even former Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali had to undergo this experience to get a US visa.

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