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Temple attackers aimed to fuel communal riots: Advani
New Delhi, Oct 16 (ANI): Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani said on Wednesday that the September 24 attack on Akshardham temple in Gujarat was an attempt to instigate communal riots in the region. Advani was addressing men of the elite National Security Guards (NSG) in the capital on the occasion of its 16th raising day. The NSG commandos played an important role in ending the temple siege after two gunmen opened fire on devotees in the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, the state capital of Gujarat, last month. The attack left 28 Hindu devotees dead, besides the two gunmen and one NSG commando. "Akshardham temple was attacked because they (militants) were looking for a soft target. But I do not think that is the only reason. There are many soft targets. It does not take much to go to a bus stop and kill women and children. The motive, according to our sources, which I would like to stress is that the militants have decided to target places where they could instigate communal riots," said Advani. Early this year, more than 1000 people- mostly Muslims- were killed in Gujarat during the country's worst ever communal riots in the recent years. The two gunmen who attacked the temple are suspected to hail from Tehrik-e-Kasas, a militant outfit set up to avenge the death of Muslims during the riots. However, the investigators believe Tehrik-e-Kasas is only a front for Pakistan-based outlawed militant outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Advani said though the network of Al Qaeda and Taliban had been destroyed in Afghanistan, the real culprit was Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) which funnels their activities. "Today some countries might not recognise this. But I do believe and I think even the rest of the world would agree with me, though they would not say so openly, that in the past few years there have been only three sources of terrorism- Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISI," said Advani. "The entire world has woken up to Taliban and Al-Qaeda, but the need is that they must now realise and recognise that ISI is also a major source of terrorism. After understanding this, they should take action against those countries that promote terrorism," he added. India blames ISI as the brain behind most of violence wrecked by terrorists across the country. Advani announced financial benefits to NSG cadres and assured recruitment to make up the shortfall. Established in 1984, the NSG is India's premier counter-terrorist force. It provides security to important dignitaries, conducts anti-sabotage checks, and is responsible for neutralising terrorist threats to vital installations in the country. NSG operations also include engaging terrorists in specific situations, responding to piracy in the air and on land and rescuing hostages in kidnap situations.(ANI) Hyderabad, Oct 16 (ANI): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad arrived in India on Wednesday on the first leg of his three-nation tour. Mohammad began his three-day India visit landing in technology capital Hyderabad where he was welcomed by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. Mohammad, who is accompanied by his wife Siti Hasmah and other delegates, will also visit New Delhi where he will meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and President APJ Abdul Kalam. Mahathir, who is openly critical of the US policy on Iraq, is expected to seek Indian support on the issue. The Malaysian Prime Minister will also address Indian industry giants at the India-Asean business summit. From New Delhi, Mohammad will travel to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. His two-day Pakistan visit begins Friday. He will travel to Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Sunday.(ANI) Oct 21 deadline set for PDP, Congress
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Srinagar, Oct 16 (ANI): Responding to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's request, Governor G C Saxena on Wednesday gave the October 21 deadline by which the parties concerned should form government. Congress and the People's Democratic Party headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed have been wrangling over a coalition after voters in the October 8 elections rejected the National Conference that dominated Kashmiri politics for five decades. Ghulam Nabi Azad said both parties were working together to formulate an alliance and had urged governor to provide them some more time to sort out differences. "Still we both feel, the PDP (People's Democratic Party) and Congress, that if we have to formulate a stable government, which should stay for six years, then we should not act in haste because whichever government is made it is not for the chief minister or any other minister but it should be for the betterment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We have to fulfill the people's dreams and wishes. So for that we have to take each step with caution. I told the Governor that our talks are still on and until we reach some consensus which is in the favour of the state and people, we require time", Azad told reporters after his meeting with the governor. Meanwhile, head of Democratic People's Front (DPF) and communist leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami said his group was in constant touch with the concerned parties to resolve the crisis. "It is not about promises. As far as our group is concerned we are in constant touch with the Congress and PDP leadership. We want that this stalemate should end and a government be formed soon. But I want to say one thing for sure that we do not want to punish our people and we want that their wishes are fulfilled and government comes to power. Whosoever comes as a hindrance in forming a government will be culprit in the eyes of people and answerable to them. So we do not want to be with culprits. We want that people should get government soon," Tarigami told reporters. DPF claims support of six legislators, including two from Communist Party of India (Marxist). The PDP, founded three years ago, won 16 seats and the Congress party got 20. The National Conference slumped from a nearly two-thirds majority in the 87-seat assembly to 28 seats.(ANI) India to pull back border troops in phases
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to top New Delhi, Oct 16 (ANI): India on Wednesday decided to pull back its troops in phases on the border with Pakistan on the recommendation of the National Security Advisory Board. Defence Minister George Fernandes told reporters after a meeting of the cabinet's security committee that there would, however, be no scale-down in military deployment in Kashmir. The National Security Advisory Board meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, recommended a phased withdrawal of some of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers deployed along the international border. The two-and-a-half hour meeting of the two bodies of top defence and intelligence officials was their first since the 1999 Kargil crisis when India fought for weeks to repel armed intruders who entered Kashmir from Pakistan. The officials briefed Vajpayee about separatist militant activity in Kashmir after last week's elections that analysts say could hold the promise of peace in the Himalayan region bloodied by 13 years of separatist revolt. The nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have a million men massed along their border in the latest confrontation over Kashmir, the trigger of two of their three wars, and came close to war in June. The deployment was triggered by a deadly December raid on India's parliament that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants fighting its rule in Muslim-majority Kashmir, spark of two of three wars between the neighbours. The two nations came close to war in June after a raid on an Indian army camp New Delhi also blamed on Pakistan-based rebels. The meeting came as the chief of the hardline Shiv Sena party, a member of the federal coalition headed by Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party, spoke out against any troop cuts and urged supporters to form suicide squads to fight "terrorism". Vajpayee recently returned from Europe, where political leaders pushed him to withdraw soldiers from the border and resume dialogue with Pakistan. Any decision on troops would not lead to a total withdrawal from either the border or the ceasefire line in Kashmir, both of which are heavily guarded even in normal times. India could also begin easing tensions with moves such as returning its diplomatic presence in Islamabad to normal and allowing Pakistan's high commissioner to return. India and Pakistan have been under heavy pressure from the United States and the European Union to lower tensions. Pakistan denies giving military backing to militants, but says it gives moral support to the Kashmiri "freedom struggle".(ANI)
Punjab govt discontinues free power to farmers Go to top Chandigarh, Oct. 16 (ANI): The Punjab Cabinet has decided to stop free supply of power to the farmers of the state since, according to it, the government's finances are in bad shape. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's decision, taken at a meeting on Wednesday, comes at a time when the farmers are already upset about the delay in procurement of paddy and the small amount of compensation given for drought. Singh declared that the state government is not in a position to generate power. "It would have been a black Diwali," he added. The ruling Congress had in its election manifesto promised to continue with free provision of electricity. Now it says that the free supply may be resumed after the exchequer is in a better position. (ANI) Salman's bail plea rejected -- for the third time Go to top Mumbai, Oct. 16 (ANI): The bail plea of Salman Khan, involved in a hit-and-kill-and-run case, was on Wednesday rejected by a sessions court on the ground that the film actor cannot be set free at this stage since the inquiry was not yet complete. The prosecution opposed his liberty because of the fear that he might tamper with evidence. Khan was arrested on October 7 after he allegedly rammed his vehicle into a shop, killing one person and injuring four others on September 28 night. This was for the third time that he appealed for liberty. The judge upheld the contention of the prosecution that this case fell within the scope and ambit of Section 304 (part 2), IPC, punishable up to 10 years in jail and a fine or both. The prosecutor argued that the film star had the knowledge that his alleged act of driving under the influence of alcohol may cause bodily harm or fatal injuries to pedestrians. According to him, he cannot be freed on bail until the chargesheet is filed. (ANI)
Saddam gets 100 percent support in referendum
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top Nicosia, Oct 16 (ANI): Iraqi President Saddam Hussein won 100 percent of votes in a referendum for a new term in office, official results showed on Wednesday. Reading out the results at a news conference in Baghdad, Saddam's top deputy Izzat Ibrahim said, "Our leader President Saddam Hussein, may God preserve him and look after him, has won 100 percent of the votes of eligible voters." As soon as Ibrahim finished reading the results, which was broadcast live on Iraqi television, soldiers and ruling Ba'ath Party members across Baghdad fired automatic rifles into the air in celebration. Meanwhile, the United States has dismissed the vote and said it lacked any credibility. "Obviously it's not a very serious day, not a very serious vote, and nobody places any credibility on it," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters in Washington on Tuesday. According to State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, "It (the referendum) is not even worthy of our ridicule." Saddam won 99.96 percent in a first referendum in 1995. (ANI)
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