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Talks on with Pak on Kargil-Skardu road: PM

     Kargil: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said that talks were on with Pakistan for opening of roadline between Kargil and Skardu in Pakistan controlled northern areas. While laying foundation stone for a 44 Mega Watt power project, the PM said converting the Srinagar-Leh road into National Highway was under consideration and plans were contemplated to make this road an all weathered route. For Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council(KAHDC) Mr. Singh anounced a grant of worth rupees 10 crore. The Kargil project is the second small scale power capacity to have been introduced to the remote region, where power is rationed and residents often don't get more than six to seven hours of supply a day. While mentioning about the Pakistani aggression of Kargil in 1999 Singh said it had caused a lot of problems for the people of this region. "A huge chunk of Ladakh, Aksai Chin is under control of foreign forces...similarly on Baltistan( in the West part of Ladakh) side there is a presence of foreign forces. We will talk to the governments of Pakistan and China and are resolute on finding a solution to these issues," Mr.Singh said.

      A final settlement between India and China could still be years away, but they appear to move slowly towards the recognition of the status quo, with perhaps a few minor modifications. In essence, analysts say, that would mean China relinquishing its claim to 90,000 square km (35,000 square miles) of territory in India's northeast, but retaining control of Aksai Chin, a barren, icy and uninhabited slice of land on the Tibetan plateau which Beijing seized from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1962. Ties between New Delhi and Beijing were frosty for decades after the bitter war but since the late 1990s the rising Asian economic powers have gone about transforming it and found common ground on trade. Singh said his efforts would be to take forward the momentum and facilitate easier access and newer trade route via their Himalayan border. He also promised to take up with Beijing a new much shorter pilgrimage route via Ladakh to the Kailash Mansarovar Lake in Tibet. "My efforts will be that we improve our relations with China and find new ways of trade and cooperation. Mansarovar is a very holy spot and many people have for years yearned to go for a pilgrimage there. We know that by taking the Ladakh route we can greatly reduce the travel time to Mansarovar...we will take this issue also with China," Singh said. He further added, " I assure you we are all committed to ensure that the development and progress work of Kashmir is taken ahead as fast as possible. Roads, electricity, tourism, fruit and horticulture.... I want to assure to that the federal government will work shoulder to shoulder with the provincial government to ensure that the developmental goals are achieved."

NCP demands cabinet berth in Goa (Go To Top)

     Panaji: Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday insisted that its MLA Mikky Pacheco be inducted into the council of ministers in Goa headed by Pratapsinh Rane. NCP observers Tariq Anwar and Chhagan Bhujbal who had arrived here this morning to assess the views of their state party unit, are believed to conveyed the view that "coalition dharma has to be understood by both partners" -- the NCP and the Congress. This was view was conveyed even as Deputy CM Wilfred D'souza refused to assume office till his party's demand was met. The NCP had threatened to withdraw support to the Rane government on Thursday, but this move was discouraged by Pawar in during the party's National Convention in Surat. Pawar, however, urged the Congress leadership to honour the 'coalition dharma' of the United Legislature Party (ULP) government under which coalition partner NCP was assured of a cabinet berth to Pascheco. Rumblings of discontent also emanated from the Congress ranks with supporters of the lone woman legislator Victoria Fernandes from Santa Cruz constituency in the 40-member House, expressing their displeasure over the denial of a cabinet berth to her. He supporters felt that raised doubts about the Congress commitment to one-third reservation for the fair sex in elected bodies. On Friday, Governor S C Jamir administered the oath of office and secrecy to former BJP member Digambar Kamat, Atanasio Monserrate (Babush), Pandurang Madkaikar, former Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro. former Deputy Chief Minister Dayanand Narvekar, Joaquim Braz Alemao and Subhash Shirodkar. The induction of seven ministers has raised the ministry's strength to ten. Rane, along with Dr Wilfred de Souza (NCP) and Ramakrishna Dhavlikar (MGP), took oath on June 7 to form the United Legislature Party government, ending the President's rule in force since March 4.

BJP cadres felicitate resurrected Advani (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Activists and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) felicitated L K Advani a day after he agreed to take back his resignation from the post of BJP president. Addressing the party's central office bearers, Advani said the celebrations could go on after the Bihar elections. "Now is not the time to celebrate. We will do so after winning the Bihar elections. What the President will do and what the court will decide is of the future. But when Bihar goes to the polls, people of the state will cast their vote for the NDA," Advani said. Saturday's felicitation came after four days of political drama, which ended when Advani withdrew his resignation and accepted the terms of a new compromise resolution that was passed on Friday. The crisis in the party was caused by the rank and file's reluctance to acknowledge or accept Advani's stand on Pakistan's Founding Father Mohammad Ali Jinnah and on his negative comments about the demolition of the Babri Mosque in December 1992. Without accepting that Jinnah had secular credential, Friday's resolution explained the context in which Advani made his remarks on Jinnah. The resolution strongly condemned the Partition of the Indian subcontinent, blaming the event on Jinnah. It described Pakistan as a non-secular state and stressed that Jinnah had led a communal movement.

Tamil Nadu, next venue of BJP National Executive (Go To Top)

     Chennai: The Bharatiya Janata Party has announced it will hold its National Executive meeting in Tamil Nadu next month. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Office Bearers presided over by BJP President L K Advani, party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said. The exact location is being worked out by the state unit, she added. The meeting also took stock of the political situation in the states where elections are scheduled to be held in 2006. The states which will go to elections are Assam, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, West Bengal and Kerala.

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