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Sikhs start signature campaign against Modi
by Ravinder Singh Robin

     Amritsar: A US based Sikh organization started a signature campaign to ban entry of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in America. The Voices For Freedom (VFF) opined that whosoever indulged in 'serious violation of religious freedom' should not be given entry in the US. It stated that it had started a signature campaign in the US to urge the Department of State to reject Modi's visa under Section 604 of the US International Religious Freedom Act which makes any foreign official who has engaged in "particularly severe violations of religious freedom" inadmissible to the United States. Within two days, more than twenty Sikh Gurdwaras, including the Sikh Gurdwara of Fremont (CA), San Jose (CA), Sacramento (CA), Stockton (CA), Washington DC, New York, Detroit (MI), Dallas (Tx) endorsed the signature campaign. Other Sikh organizations that supported the campaign were Khalistan Affairs Center (Washington DC), Sikh Youth Of America, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and ENSAAF that endorsed the letter to deny Modi the visa. Twenty US Congressmen, led by Joseph Pitts, also supported the signature campaign said the release.

Musharraf's son Bilal calls for new era in Indo-Pak ties (Go To Top)

     Lucknow: Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's son Bilal has called for a new era in Indo-Pak ties as people from both the countries wanted peace and good neighbourly relations and said that he had felt 'genuine warmth' in India. "I think that people from India and Pakistan want that a new era should begin, leaving the past behind...There is a sincerity on both the sides," said Bilal on his arrival here for a day's visit to the city of Nawabs. He further said that people-to-people contact must be facilitated and both sides need paradigm shift in their attitude towards each other. Musharraf's mother Zarin skipped the visit to the city as she was not feeling well. Zarin had studied history at the Lucknow University 60 years back during the 1940s and had stayed at the Kailash hostel. She, however, asked her grandson Bilal to bring photographs of her ex-university, two of the Imambaras and streets of Lucknow. The Pakistan president's brother Javed and High Commission officials accompanied Bilal on his tour around the city.

Jaitley rules out change of guard in MP (Go To Top)

     Bhopal: Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Arun Jaitley has ruled out any change of guard in Madhya Pradesh and said that the party followed a defined mechanism of accommodating different views. "There is no truth in news items making rounds about change of leadership. These are just media speculations. Every party member has a right to express his views. But there is a process followed by the party to consider them," he said reacting to the reports that some BJP MLAs were demanding the removal of present Chief Minister Babulal Gaur.

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