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Broad agreement at PM's meeting with Hurriyat

     New Delhi: Leaders of the moderate faction of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Monday asked for an honourable, durable solution to the Kashmir issue, adding that the only way to reduce violence in the state was through dialogue. After a nearly three hour marathon meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his 7 Race Course Road official residence, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, the leader of the five-member APHC delegation, said that there was no disagreement on any point. The Press statement issued by the Government at the end of the meeting said that the Government would consider a reduction of troops in the state if the level of violence came down. It said that the Government would take all necessary steps to stop Human Rights violations in the state. The statement said that the Prime Minister assured the delegation that he was committed to peace, self- respect and dignity of the people of Kashmir. It said that the Prime Minister had also agreed to a time bound review of all arrests under POTA and the Public Safety Act (PSA).

     It further said that the Centre and the Hurriyat had agreed to carry forward the dialogue process although no dates had been fixed for the next round of talks. Earlier the second round of the talks between the Centre and the Hurriyat leaders was held on March 27 and 28, 2004. The focus of those deliberations was on the alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre's steps to curb such violations and the Hurriyat demand for the release of more political detainees. The meeting took place with the then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister LK Advani. The March 2004 meeting was preceded by the first round of talks on January 22 at which several incidents of security forces- related rights violations, including the one at Bandipora, were taken up. Advani had then issued instructions to the security forces to observe "zero level" human rights violations and deal with the violators in a strict manner. In between March 2004 and September 2005, the Hurriyat leaders met Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf during his visit to Delhi between May 16 and 18, 2005. They were then firmly told that their participation in the composite dialogue process in so far as the Kashmir issue was concerned was dependent on them getting an invitation from the Indian Government. They were also told that it was necessary for all factions espousing the Kashmiri cause to unite under one umbrella for either Pakistan or India to consider their participation in the dialogue process with any degree of seriousness. Dr. Singh has said his talks with the Hurriyat could help the wider peace process, which has seen more sporting, commercial, transport and cultural links between India and Pakistan but little forward movement on the key dispute of Kashmir.

      The last round of talks between the Hurriyat and New Delhi failed over India's insistence they must be held within the Indian Constitution, which states Kashmir as an integral part of the country. This time, the Hurriyat has said it is more optimistic. For over a year now, the Government of India has been taking slow but deliberate steps to usher in an atmosphere of both progress and peace. Prime Minister Singh has carried forward the initiatives taken by his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to promote dialogue with Kashmiri leaders- the twin aim being, to end violence and ensure economic progress in the Kashmir Valley. Following Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's visit to New Delhi between April 16 and 18 this year, and the Hurriyat leaders' subsequent visit to Pakistan in June, there has been a realization, that the Manmohan Singh led government cannot be pressurised to increase the pace of its response on the Kashmir issue. The Prime Minister has consistently maintained that he is willing to meet anyone for a dialogue on Kashmir within the framework of the Indian Constitution, and his desire to restore peace in the Valley has been reflected through his three visits to the State since October last year.

Jama Masjid Imam urges Musharraf to free Sarabjit Singh  (Go To Top)
by Maya Singh

     New Delhi: The Imam of New Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Abdullah Bukhari and his son Syed Yahaya Bukhari, who is the President of the Jama Masjid United Front, have appealed to Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf to release Indian death row inmate Sarabjit Singh on humanitarian grounds. Syed Yahaya Bukhari today met Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner in India Munawar Saeed Bhatti and handed him over a letter addressed to President Musharraf in this regard. In his letter, citing the ongoing peace process among the two countries, Bukhari said," We do not want to go in detail, whether he (Sarabjit) is guilty or not, we appeal to you to release him on the humanatarian grounds." "My father (Syed Abdullah Bukhari) also wishes you to take this kind step, which will be a proud moment for Indian Muslims," Bukhari said. Earlier, on Sunday, the prime witness in the Sarabjit case, Shaukat Ali of Lahore, turned hostile. He, admitted that he lied on the behest of the Government's advocate and blamed Sarabjit Singh, a resident of Punjab's Bhikiwind village, for being involved in a bomb blast case which took place in Lahore 15 years ago. "Fifteen years ago I was a student of ninth standard. I saw Sarabjit Singh in the Court at the first time. The lawyer asked me to recognise Sarabjit Singh as the culprit. I did just that. I don't know whether he is guilty or not," said Shaukat Ali, in a private interview given to Aaj Tak channel. Feeling guilty for his act he said, " It was later on that I regretted that it was perhaps because of my statement that a person has spent 15 long years behind bars. I feel sorry for it." "All this has proved that my brother was kept illegally in custody for 15 years. Sarabajit's innocence has come in open. Now there are no more 'ifs' and 'buts' left.Now when everything has been proved that the allegations were baseless and false, the case against my brother should be revoked," said Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit Singh's sister.

     Dalbir last week joined the BJP expressing her gratitude to the party for highlighting her brother's plight but alleged successive Governments, including the NDA, were to be equally blamed for not taking up the issue forcefully with Islamabad. Sarabjit Singh convicted of spying under the name of Manjit Singh, was accused of being involved in bombings in three Pakistani cities in 1990 that killed 14 people, and the Supreme Court earlier last month, upheld the death penalty handed to him by the Lahore High Court in 1991. Two Indian High Commission officials last week visited Sarabjit Singh in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail as officials from the two sides, ended talks to curb terrorism and drug trafficking and said they would exchange dozens of prisoners next month. Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran who arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for talks with his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan also raised the issue of Indian and Pakistani prisoners languishing in each other's jails. Singh's family members had earlier threatened to commit suicide if he was executed, saying that it was a case of mistaken identity and Sarabjit was a farmer who wandered across the border in a drunken state.

SC stays framing of charges against Kanchi pontiffs till Oct 4  (Go To Top)
by Vikram Vishal

        New Delhi: The Supreme Court today directed a trial court at Kancheepuram to hold on the charge-framing against two Kanchi seers, including Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati regarding the Sankarraman murder case till October 4. As per the Supreme Court's decision, none of the pontiffs would have to appear personally for the hearings till October 4. However, the trial court can continue with its proceedings and hearings on the question of charge against all the accused persons in the murder case. The Sankaracharya was arrested by the Tamil Nadu police at Mehboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh on November 12, 2004 on charges of colluding in the murder of Sankararaman, the manager of Sri Varadarajan Temple in Kancheepuram. Sankararaman was reported to have had differences with the Shankaracharya. He was working as the manager of the famous Vaishnavite Varadharajaperumal Temple in Kancheepuram where he was murdered on September 3, 2004. In the over 1,800-page chargesheet, the 24 accused have been charged with offences under IPC Sec 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 102(b) read with 302 (murder), 449 (criminal tresspass), 201 (suppressing of evidence), 109 (abetment) and 34 (acting with common intention).

Two suspects held in Azhar threat case (Go To Top)

     Hyderabad: Maharashtra police has arrested two persons, Rafiq Bin Shimlan and Ghouse, for allegedly issuing threats to former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin. According to the police sources, both were picked up from the Hyderabad city, on the basis of confessional statement given by an underworld conduit, arrested earlier, to the Aurangabad police, in which he revealed the plans of killing Azhar. They have been taken to Maharashtra. Police has been trying since three days to locate them. However, official sources denied any knowledge of reported presence of a four-member underworld gang in the city to chalk out a 'financial settlement' with Azharuddin, city police commissioner V Dinesh Reddy expressed his belief that Azaruddin's life was still under threat and said,"we will continue to provide him security." Four personal security officers were deployed by the police last week, to guard Azhar in shifts.

Gohana backlash in Amritsar (Go To Top)

     Amritsar: Fear of violence stalked residents and shopkeepers in Amrtisar who were forced to close down their establishments after a group of people belonging to scheduled class community marched in the city protesting against the Gohana incident. They vented their anger by pelting stones on police and damaging shops and vehicles which were parked. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesters, few of them were rounded up. Half a dozen policemen were also injured. However, security has been beefed up and extra police men have been deployed to maintain law and order in the city. Earlier on August 31, nearly 60 houses of a Dalit colony were set fire, by rowdy upper caste men seeking revenge over a murder.

 

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