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Miffed Miandad, son deny marriage rumours

     Lahore: Former Pakistan cricket captain Javed Miandad and his son Junaid have categorically denied reports that the latter is to wed the daughter Mumbai mafia don Dawood Ibrahim. Reacting to a Delhi-based newspaper report that claimed that Junaid was all set to wed Dawood's daughter next week, Miandad said that he was too busy a person to comment on frivilous reports. Junaid on the other hand told The Nation that this is the third call I have received regarding my marriage. Its strange that its my marriage and I dont know it. According to the Delhi paper's website, Junaid was engaged to Dawood's daughter in January, but the event was conducted away from the media and public glare. We expect the actual ceremony to be a hush-hush one too, with not many guests being invited. We also know for sure that Dawood will not be attending, the website quoted a source as having said. Miandad had then also reacted angrily to the report. Now with fresh rumours circulating again, the former Pakistan cricket captain and coach, laughed off reports that the marriage is supposed to take place on June 24 in Dubai.

      "No I have no intentions of travelling to Dubai in the near future. I have said nothing today to anyone. At this time there is no plan for my sons marriage to anyone. When we decide to get our son married it will not be a secret, but a public announcement," The News quoted Mianadad as saying. He also said that he could not understand why this story kept on creeping up in the Indian press repeatedly. Junaid is a student of Business Administration in England and is in Pakistan these days. I don't have any marriage plans at present, he said. However, two persons close to Junaid went on to the extent of confirming the date of marriage. They were engaged last year, and due to be married on July 23, one of them claimed. The former cricketer is the son-in-law of a leading business family. Indian authorities have been pursuing Dawood for some unlawful activities in Mumbai, including his alleged involvement in the 1993 serial bomb blasts in that city that claimed close to 300 lives and left more than 2,000 injured.

Pak to renovate 6 gurudwaras, 2 temples (Go To Top)

     Lahore: Pakistan's Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) and Karsewa Trust, a local Sikh organisation, have decided to renovate six gurudwaras and two Hindu temples in Lahore. Pakistani officials said that besides the 40 Sikh families involved in the renovation work, some Muslims are also taking part in the restoration process. The six gurudwaras include, the Janamasthan Guru Ramdas gurudwara, Nankana Sahib gurudwara, Dera Sahib gurudwara, Baba Nanky Dera Chall gurudwara, Shaheed Gunj gurudwara and Path Shaki gurdwara. The temples, which are in the second phase of the renovation plan, include the Krishna Mandir and a temple at the Nilla Gumbad, reports the Daily Times. Officials said that the renovation work at the Krishna Mandir which was started with a sum of 1.2 million rupees will be completed in a couple of months, adding that the temple will have two worship halls, a guesthouse and some rooms for pilgrims.

Terrorist camps attributed to me were for refugees: Rashid  (Go To Top)

     Lahore: Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that the terrorist camps attributed to him were only refugee camps for helpless Kashmiris. I am not ashamed of what I did for my brothers because it is the duty of every Muslim to help their oppressed brothers, the Daily Times quoted him as saying in an interview to PTV. Reiterating that he would be making a "private" visit to Srinagar at the end of the month, Rashid said that even if New Delhi decided to deny him a visa, the ongoing peace process between the two countries should continue. However, he warned that if such a step is considered, it would be seen as a breach of the Sringar- Muzaffarabad bus deal inked between Pakistan and India in February. He also termed former Pakistan Army chief Mirza Aslam Baig's statement that he had visited a camp for Kashmiri jehadis run by him as very irresponsible.

     On Thursday, Rashid drew flak from the Opposition in the Pakistani Senate over his alleged involvement in running terrorist camps in Islamabad to train Kashmiri militants. The revelation initially came from JKLF chairman Yasin Malik, and, thereafter, it was supported by General Baig, besides ISI officials, armymen and politicians. Malik, however, has claimed that he has been misquoted by the media, while Rashid denying the charge said that his farmhouse at Fateh Jang Road on the outer skirts of Islamabad only served only as a refugee camp for Kashmiri migrants in 1989. Spearheading the attack, Opposition Senator Raza Khan Raza asked the federal government why action was not being taken against Sheikh Rashid Ahmed after the revelation. Khan said that on the one hand President Pervez Musharraf was championing the cause of fight against terrorism, while on the other hand the information minister have been found involved in running the militant training camp. He said the issue was of serious concern as none else but a retired army chief of Pakistan (Mirza Aslam Beg) had confirmed the existence of the Jihadi camp run by Rashid from 1989 to 1991 during the last Nawaz Sharif government. However, Rashid was not present when the Opposition Senator was attacking him.

Ambanis finally settle ownership row (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: Warring brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani on Saturday reached an amicable settlement over the ownership of the Reliance Group business empire created by their father Dhirubhai Ambani. In a note issued to the media, Dhirubhai's widow, Kokilaben announced that she had "amicably resolved the issues between my two sons, Mukesh and Anil, keeping in mind the proud legacy" left by her husband at the time of his death on July 3, 2002. According to a compnay release, Mukesh will get responsibility of Reliance Industry and IPCL, while Anil will get Reliance Infocomn, Energy and Capital. Anil has also agreed to step down as the Vice Chariman and Managing Director of RIL and will not attend the compnay's board meeting today. Anil's resignation after being on the board of RIL for over two decades is first of the series of changes that would be effected pursuant to the division of the empire.

     Earlier, Kokilaben said that she was "confident that both Mukesh and Anil will resolutely uphold the values of their father and work towards protecting and enhancing value for over three million shareholders of the Reliance Group." This, she described as the "foundational principle on which my husband built India's largest private sector enterprise." The statement precedes a meeting of the Board of flagship company RIL, chaired by Mukesh, where some high-level changes, including resignation of Anand Jain from the Board of group company IPCL, would be announced as part of the settlement. At the height of the battle between the brothers, Anil had asked Mukesh to choose between him and Anand Jain, whom he accused of conspiring to divide the family. In the absence of any favourable response, Anil quit IPCL board as its Vice Chairman and Director. Anand Jain, who is away to Goa for his daughter's marriage, could not be contacted for comments. In a marathon meeting that took place on Friday night, the two Ambani brothers put a full stop to the seven-month-old fiercest battle of corporate India over the ownership issue by finalising a deal to divide the Reliance group. The details are still withheld by both the sides. But the two brothers reportedly attended last night's meeting. It was, however, not clear whether the two sisters, Deepti and Nina, along with their husbands attended the meeting. The fight between the two brothers started in November and witnessed a spate of allegations and counter-allegations from both the sides on operations of the group companies. The feud had kept over three million share-holders desperately waiting for the settlement.

      The two brothers had met for the first time last week in connection with the settlement process. Corporate and financial honchos representing Mukesh and Anil have been working for the last four days to close a deal even ahead of earlier targetted date of July 6, the third death anniversary of Dhirubhai Ambani The Board of Directors of the flagship company RIL, chaired by Mukesh, has begun a meeting to put its seal of approval on the deal hammered out during a marathon all night meeting between the two sides that ended at 7 a.m.today.

Legendary batsman Mushtaq Ali passes away at 91 (Go To Top)

     Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Legendary Indian opening batsman Syed Mushtaq Ali died in his sleep early this morning, family sources said. He was 91. The former Indian captain and Wisden Special award winner was survived by two sons and two daughters. Born on December 17, 1914 in Indore, Ali was the first Indian to score a century away from home, a feat he achieved in England in 1936. Ali was awarded the Padma Shri in 1964 in recognition of his contribution to the game. When India gained official Test status in 1933 at Lord's, the strength of the team's batsmanship won instant notice.The credit for displaying the essence of India's batting ethos should go to C. K. Nayudu, who earned the distinction of being portrayed as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year in Wisden in 1933. Batsmen of that era were never shackled by the grammar or the theory enunciated in the book. They played with gay abandon, and enjoyed its romance. A Lala or a Mushtaq wielded the willow as though it was a weapon to destroy the bowlers, pacemen and spinners alike. If ever a knock is recalled time and again, wherever Indian cricket is discussed in any forum it is the century on debut by Lala Amarnath against England in 1933 at Bombay Gymkhana, or the 112 by Mushtaq Ali at Manchester in 1936. Long before the one-day format came into vogue these batsmen defined the dynamics of attack against any grade of bowling. Never should it be presumed that such batsmanship bordered on the reckless mode, or irreverent to science. Vijay Merchant and Syed Mushtaq Ali represented the contrast.

      The former exemplified the acme of orthodoxy, while the latter projected batting's effervescence. Ali played for India, Central India, Gujarat, Holkar, Madhya Bharat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Muslims, Uttar Pradesh A swashbuckling right-hand bat, he also used to bowl slow left- arm orthodox. An opening batsman in the Victor Trumper mould, Mushtaq loved to get after the bowling from the word go. Vijay Merchant, his opening partner, would often shake his head in despair at seeing Mushtaq come down the track in the opening overs of an innings. Those two share a part of a famous day in Test cricket: in the second Test in 1936, facing a huge first innings deficit, India reached 190 for 0 at stumps - this was after England had added 398 earlier in the day. The aggregate of 588 is still the most runs ever scored in a single Test day. Mushtaq was a stylist, sometimes compared to Ranji, and a fine sight in full flow. He was first picked as a left-arm spinner. He played 11 Tests in all for India, scoring an aggregate of 612 runs that included two hundreds and three half-centuries at an average of 32.21. His highest Test score was 112 against England at Manchester. In his overall first-class career, Mushtaq played 226 matches, scored 13,213 runs at an average of 35.90. His highest first-class score was 233. In all, he scored 30 centuries and 63 half-centuries and took 160 catches. As far as bowling was concerned, he took three wickets in Tests at an average of 67.33 and 162 in first class cricket at an average of 29.34. His best bowling figures in Tests was 1/45 and in first class cricket 7/108. He made his Test debut against England at Kolkata on January 5, 1934 and played his last Test against England at Chennai between February 6 and 10, 1952. His first class career spanned from 1934-35 to 1957-58.

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