نئی دہلی میں مسلم کش فسادات،ہندوؤں نے بازارجلادیا،کرفیو نافذ

 

نئی دہلی: بھارتی دارالحکومت دہلی کے مشرقی علاقے ترلوک پوری میں مسلم کش فسادات کے بعد پولیس نے علاقے میں کرفیو نافذ کرتے ہوئے شرپسندوں کو دیکھتے ہی گولی مارنے کا حکم دیدیا۔
جمعرات کو دیوالی کے موقع پر شروع ہونے والے فسادات کے بعد صورتحال ابھی تک کشیدہ ہے، ہفتے کے روز حکام کے مطابق5افراد فائرنگ سے زخمی ہوئے تاہم انھیں پولیس نے گولیاں نہیں ماریں، ہنگامہ آرائی میں ملوث مزید23افراد کو گرفتار کر لیاگیا جس کے بعد گرفتاریوں کی کل تعداد33ہوگئی ہے، فسادات اس وقت شروع ہوئے جب ہندوؤں نے دیوی کا بت مسجد کے بالکل سامنے رکھ دیا، مسلمانوں نے اسے ہٹانے کا مطالبہ کیا ۔
جس کے بعد ہندوؤں نے ان پر ہلہ بول دیا اور شدید پتھراؤ کیا، مسلمانوں نے الزام عائد کیا کہ کشیدگی کا ذمے دار بی جے پی کا سابق ایم ایل اے سنیل کمار ہے جس نے کہا کہ وہ یہاں مندر بنائے گا، گزشتہ روز بھی سیکڑوں غیرمقامی انتہاپسند ہندو مسلم علاقے کے سامنے جمع ہوگئے اور شدید پتھراؤ کیا، نصف درجن سے زائد دکانیں نذرآتش کردیں اور بازار لوٹ لیا جبکہ پولیس خاموش تماشائی بنی رہی۔
 

India, Pakistan troops exchange fire again on Kashmir LoC

India, Pakistan troops exchange fire again on Kashmir LoC

English.news.cn   2014-10-11 21:04:58

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Oct. 11 (Taking covers) -- The troops of India and Pakistan Saturday again exchanged fire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir and targeted each others positions, officials said.
The two sides used light weapons and fired on each others posts in Poonch, about 180 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. The fresh exchange took place after a day's lull.
"After a brief lull there was again a cease-fire violation today and both sides exchanged heavy fire," said an official posted in Poonch. "The firing started at 1:00 p.m. (local time) and is going on."
On Thursday night border guards of the two countries exchanged heavy fire on the international border (IB), which was followed by a calm in the area.
Since the beginning of this month border guards and troops of the two countries traded heavy fire after a month-long gap.
Indian officials said Pakistani firing has so far killed eight people and wounded around 70 others, while as Pakistani media reported 12 people on their side were killed and over 50 wounded.
Reports said nearly 20,000 people living close to the border have migrated to safer places in wake of the heavy firing.
Though Friday's lull brought a temporary peace, the fresh exchange has added to the worries of migrated families.
Both New Delhi and Islamabad accuse each other of resorting to unprovoked firings and violating cease-fire agreements, while both sides maintain that their troops gave befitting reply to the other side.
The troops of India and Pakistan intermittently exchange fire on the LoC and IB, despite an agreement in 2003 to observe cease- fire. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the cease-fire remains in effect.
The LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts. The LoC on both sides is guarded by army, while the IB is guarded by border security forces on the Indian side and Pakistan Rangers on the other side.
Last year deadly skirmishes took place between Indian and Pakistani troops posted on the 720-km-long LoC and 198-km-long IB in Kashmir. Both sides suffered troop and civilian casualties during the stand-off.
Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

India plans to export gas to Pakistan

NEW DELHI: India’s plans of exporting gas to Pakistan via a pipeline from Jalandhar in Punjab to the Wagah-Attari border will soon become a reality.
In his maiden budget presented in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley exempted Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports from customs duty if it is meant for onward sale to the neighbouring nation. “Exemption from basic customs duty (of 5pc) is being granted on re-gassified LNG for supply to Pakistan,” the budget said.

This will set the stage for the state-run Gail India Ltd, which plans to build a 500-crore pipeline to export five million units per day of re-gassified-LNG to Pakistan, to start work on the ground. “It’s an important project that will help improve bilateral diplomatic and economic ties between the two neighbours,” Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of state for Petroleum, told Hindustan Times.

“Broad parameters have been agreed to and a contract will also be signed shortly between the two sides after which it will take one year to build it,” Gail CMD BC Tripathi told the newspaper.

Interestingly, citing security concerns, New Delhi has put on hold a plan to be part of a 10,000-crore pipeline originating in Iran, passing through Pakistan and terminating in India to carry gas from Iran’s South Pars Gas Fields. Security experts felt that being dependent on gas coming via Pakistan could compromise India’s energy security.

But the Gail pipeline will be built entirely on Indian territory and terminate at the border, thus, making it relatively safer.

Gail will import LNG in ships at ports on the Indian west coast and then pipe the gas to Jalandhar. The proposed 110-km pipeline will then carry the fuel to the Wagah-Attari border, from where Pakistan will supply it to Lahore.

The source added that Gail, which imports LNG at $13-14 per unit, would sell the gas to Pakistan at around $21. The cut in customs duty will bring down the cost.

India says UN has no role to play in Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: The Narendra Modi government thinks the United Nations Military Observer Group (UNMOGIP) has no longer any role to play between Pakistan and India and has ordered it to vacate the government premises where they have been located free of charge for 40 years.

The free lunch is over, the UN has been told. Indian media reports say that the UN has been clearly told that “the UNMOGIP’s role has been overtaken by the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control. New Delhi is of the view that the UNMOGIP has no relevance or role to play whatsoever.”

The Foreign Office did not want to comment on media reports but the spokesperson told The News: “Even if true, such moves do not change the reality.”Meanwhile, an Indian official was quoted as saying: “They should stay in Srinagar and do what they want. In case they want to be stationed in Delhi, they should hire premises in a private property and not occupy the government property.”

It is only Pakistan that has time and again proposed to India to involve the UNMOGIP over disputes at the LoC as they are neutral observers and the ongoing blame game that follows skirmishes could come to an end.

But a strange philosophy governs New Delhi, where officially the UNMOGIP has offices in New Delhi and Srinagar with their mandate well known, but India refuses to involve them in any manner in disputes with Pakistan saying they do not want the third party involvement.

In keeping with the hawkish line that Modi has taken on Kashmir, it will not be long before the UNMOGIP office in Srinagar is also wrapped up.INP adds: According to Indian Express, the South Block has asked the UNMOGIP to vacate the bungalow — 1AB, Purana Qila Road — which has been serving as its office for the last four decades. The government accommodation — a Type VII bungalow, about 7,000 square feet — was allotted to the UN mission “free of charge”.

The UNMOGIP, established under a UN Security Council Resolution, was meant to supervise the ceasefire line established under the Karachi Agreement of July 1949.

When contacted, UNMOGIP’s Military Information Officer Major Tomas Malm, who is based in Srinagar, confirmed that the government has asked them to vacate the premises. “UNMOGIP’s response is to relocate to another location in Delhi,” he said. Asked if they have been told the reason for this directive, he said, “The Indian authorities’ reason is unknown to UNMOGIP.”Asked if the move reflected New Delhi’s stand towards the UNMOGIP, he said, “You have to ask the Indian government regarding their attitude towards us.”

Pakistan, India swap prisoners list

ISLAMABAD: According to the Agreement on Consular Access signed between Pakistan and India on 21 May 2008, both countries are required to exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s custody twice a year on 1 January and 1 July, respectively.

Consistent with the provisions of this agreement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed over a list of 296 Indian prisoners, 47 civil, 237 fishermen and 12 youthful offenders fishermen in Pakistan to the High Commission of India in Islamabad on Tuesday.

A similar list of Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails was also handed over to the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi. (PPI)

Gas leak kills six at giant India steel plant

RAIPUR: A poisonous gas leak at one of India´s largest steel plants killed six people overnight and injured 31 others, a factory official said on Friday.

Deadly gas escaped from one of the blast furnaces at the flagship Bhilai Steel plant run by the Steel Authority of India in central Chhattisgarh state, the factory´s chief spokesman said.

"Six industrial workers have been killed and 31 others injured due to leakage of carbon monoxide gas from one of the blast furnaces," Vijay Mairal told.

Six of the injured were in a "severe condition" in hospital in the city of Bhilai, he said.

A statement from the company said the main water pump suddenly ruptured on Thursday night, resulting in a loss of pressure in the pipes supplying water to the blast furnace. As the workers were fixing the rupture, gas from the furnace entered the damaged pipes and leaked, the statement said.

Mairal said the incident will be investigated thoroughly but that the priority was to assist those affected.

The plant in Bhilai in Durg district, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of state capital Raipur, produces 3.15 million tonnes of saleable steel annually.

The plant is India´s sole producer of rails and heavy steel plates.

India

Pakistan endorses anti-rape protocol, India rejects

 

LONDON: Pakistan has endorsed the declaration to end sexual violence in conflict zones but India has refused to become part of the ‘International Protocol on the Documentation of Sexual Violence in Conflict’.
Since India didn’t endorse the declaration, it was not invited to the global summit against sexual violence in conflict, which has attracted celebrities and dignitaries like Angelina Jolie, John Kerry and several Nobel Laureates. India knew that it will have to sign the ‘International Protocol on the Documentation of Sexual Violence in Conflict’ and that it will be then asked hard questions over the widespread human rights violations in the Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Pakistan joined 115 other countries here to express its support for the international protocol against the rape of women in conflict zones.“India’s refusal to join the conference and endorse the document means that India has no intention of ending the rape and torture of women in several of its parts, particularly in Kashmir,” a Western delegate told the News here.

The conference has been hosted by the British government and according to the sources, the country tried its best to make India part of the global consensus against sexual violence against women but failed as India refused to engage on this issue. Not only in Kashmir but also in several parts of India, women come under sexual attacks including gang rape, kidnap and sexual torture on daily basis and there has been a speedy spike in cases involving Western women. Several Indian human rights groups have been campaigning against the culture of rape and called on their government to join the international consensus against rape but failed to win over their government.

Although, the mention of Kashmir has been omitted in the summit but Western diplomats and the governments understand that it’s India that is now counted amongst those countries where rape had gained almost epic proportions.

The Pakistani delegation is led by Foreign Affairs Adviser, Sartaj Aziz and Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Central Chairman Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi. Sartaj Aziz attended the event on the last day but Ashrafi attended the event for three days and delivered several speeches explaining the Islamic position on the issue of rape.

Hafiz Ashrafi said that he was pleased to represent the Muslim scholars and clerics at the summit and that no other religion had given women the honour and status that has been bestowed upon them by Islam. He further said that the religion that has prohibited the killing of women during wars could never support the violence against them.

He asked the delegates to work towards ending the conflicts because it is Muslim women who suffer the most in conflict zones. He told the delegates that the Indian held Kashmir has become a forgotten zone where the Indian Army has been raping the Kashmiri women for more than two decades without the world powers taking notice of the horrific crimes.

24 students feared drowned in India

NEW DELHI: A search resumed Monday morning for 24 students feared drowned after they were swept away by strong waters in a river near a mountainous tourist resort in northern India.

Police officer Dina Nath said a sudden discharge of water into the Beas river on Sunday from a dam upstream took the students by surprise while they were taking pictures on a river bank near Manali, 530 kilometers (330 miles) north of New Delhi.

The engineering students, including six women, had come to the tourist town in Himachal Pradesh state from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

Nath said two bodies have been recovered so far. (AP)

India stops Sikh pilgrims from boarding Pak train

LAHORE: After some unforeseen technicalities, around 1,000 Sikh pilgrims arrived on Sunday at the Wagah border via bus from India.

In anticipation of Indian Sikhs intending to perform their pilgrimage at Punjab’s historic Gurdwaras, the Pakistani government had dispatched a special train to Attari in India to transport Sikhs to the Wagah Railway Station.

But India refused sending the Sikh pilgrims on that train citing ‘security concerns’ and fear of bomb blasts.Talking to ‘The News’, Foreign Office (FO) officials in Islamabad said the Indian government had taken the decision due to fear of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Some media reports in Pakistan suggested that the move was made in advance and the pilgrims had been advised by the Indian authorities to cross the Wagah-Attari border by foot.

Representatives of Sikh pilgrims said they had come to Pakistan to practice their religious rituals at Gurdwaras, especially Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, 40 km from Rawalpindi.

They said both the Indian and Pakistan governments could not be blamed for the inconvenience they faced travelling to Lahore. They expressed their gratitude for the warm reception by a Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) officials in Pakistan. They referred to the concerns of the Indian government as a ‘misunderstanding’ and said Sikhs in Pakistan enjoyed equality in all affairs of the state.

Pak, India should continue steps to improve relations: US

WASHINGTON: Pakistan and India should continue with efforts to mend their relations as improvement in relations is vital for the South Asian neighbours, a State Department spokesperson said.

Broadly speaking we believe that India and Pakistan should continue steps to improve the relationship between the two countries, Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said.

Her comments at the daily briefing came in the backdrop of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's travel to New Delhi where he held a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi after attending the new Indian leader's inaugural ceremony.

Obviously it is incredibly important for them to do so the spokesperson said when asked about Washington's position on improvement in relations between Islamabad and New Delhi.

Harf however did not have more specifics about what that should look like or what it might entail. The spokesperson agreed with a reporter who saw hope in future relations between the two countries in view of an early meeting between their leaders and the exchange of gifts between them.

 

Five suspects in custody over India cousins gang-rape

KATRA SHAHADATGUNJ: Five men have been arrested over the gang-rape and deaths of two girls found hanging from a mango tree in a northern Indian village, police said Saturday.

The discovery of the two cousins, aged 14 and 12, in the Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday is the latest sexual violence case to have stirred national outrage.

"Rape on both the girls has been confirmed. The cause of their death was asphyxia," Budaun district police superintendent Atul Saxena told.

Saxena said preliminary cases had been filed against five men who were all being held in custody. Three are accused of rape while two policemen face charges of conniving with criminals and neglecting their duties. Two other men were also named in a police complaint filed by the victims´ families but their whereabouts were unknown, Saxena added.

The farming family of the two cousins from the lowest Dalit caste told police could have "saved" the girls but claimed they refused to help when they found they were from a lower caste.

"She was my everything, my world -- and now my world has come to an end," the grief-stricken father of one victim said. The alleged attackers were also from a higher caste.

There is a long history of women and girls from India´s lower castes -- especially those who belong to the Dalit caste who were previously known as "untouchables" -- of being sexually abused by people from higher castes.

Uttar Pradesh is deeply divided along caste lines.

"These policemen didn´t act for hours when they could have saved two young lives. Why is caste everything?" said the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Medical tests showed the victims had been sexually assaulted multiple times.

India toughened its laws on sex attacks in the wake of the December 2012 gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi which triggered nationwide protests, but the move has done little to stem the tide of sex attacks.

The father said his daughter and her cousin were attacked when they went to the fields to relieve themselves as there was no toilet in their house.

The father told his brother heard screams from the field where the girls had gone.

The brother got into a scuffle with five men, trying "to get them to leave the daughters who were being molested", but fled when they threatened to shoot him, the father said.

The family reported the crime to police who told villagers the girls were with an upper caste village man and would be back "in a couple of hours", the father said.

Then they got a call from a woman saying their daughters´ bodies were hanging from a tree.

"This was nothing but plain murder and (caste) conspiracy," he said.

Indian families forbids naming of the victims or their families.

"The cops were totally hand-in-glove in getting our daughters killed," said the father of the other victim.

Rights activists said the crimes highlighted Uttar Pradesh authorities were "not serious" about tackling sexual crime.

Amnesty International said lack of toilets across India forced women to answer the call of nature outside, "making them more vulnerable to violence.”

Hindutva outfit launches campaign to ban Fajr Azan in India

MANGALORE: In a controversial demand that may spark widespread uproar, a less popular Hindutva outfit has called for a strict ban on dawn Azan (Fajr prayer call from Masjids)across India.

Recently, dozens of Hindutva activists including a controversial swamiji, who had earlier tried to commit suicide, staged a protest in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner in Mangalore to pressurize the authorities concerned to strictly impose ban on Azan during early morning.

The protest was held under the banner of Rashtriya Hindu Andolan and some of the protesters were displaying the banner of Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, an extremist Hindutva outfit. The protest comes a day ahead of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanatan Sanstha activist Vijayalakshmi said that even though India has granted religious freedom for all the people, followers of one religion should not misuse this freedom to disturb the followers of other religions in the society.

Using a derogatory word for Azan, she said that when Muslims shout using loudspeakers every morning they should know that it would disturb sleep of a majority of people in the society.

Hindu Janajagruti Samiti activist Vivek Pai said that the right to sleep peacefully is also comes under the ambit of fundamental rights of every Indian citizen. “The use of loudspeakers should not be permitted from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The supreme court also had directed to impose ban on playing loud music or making any type of noise between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. However, this ban has not been applied to the early morning Azan,” he said adding that in some places Muslims deliberately cause noise pollution through loudspeakers in the early morning.

He said that those who use loudspeakers for Azan before 6 a.m. in the morning should be arrested and punished.

Rashtriya Hindu Andolan activist Ramesh Nayak said that many Masjids are located in the area of schools, colleges, hostels and hospitals. Loudspeakers used by such Masjids will always cause problems for students and patients, he added.

Pakistan, India agree to resume talks

 

NEW DELHI: Pakistan and India agreed to restore peace talks and enhance trade contacts in an ice-breaking meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries on Tuesday.
India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to crack down on militant groups while stressing his desire for closer economic ties, the Indian foreign ministry said.

Modi “underlined our concerns related to terrorism” to Nawaz Sharif during landmark talks in New Delhi on the first day of his term in office, said Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh.

“We want peaceful and friendly relations with Pakistan. However, for such relations to proceed it is important that terror and violence is brought to an end,” Singh told reporters after the meeting. She added that Modi conveyed the message that Islamabad must “abide by its commitment to prevent its territory and territory it controls being used to stage terror attacks on India”.

Modi also underlined his desire to improve commercial ties, Singh said.“There was discussion on trade and we noted that we were ready to fully normalise trade and economic relations. Both prime ministers expressed their interest in having this done as early as possible,” Singh said.

Modi has also accepted Nawaz Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan, but no dates have been revealed.Nawaz Sharif said he saw the talks as an “historic opportunity” to improve ties between the South Asian countries. “We should rid the region of instability and insecurity that has plagued us for decades. Consequently, it was important for us to work together for peace, progress and prosperity,” he told reporters after the meeting.But he said he also told Modi that engaging in “accusations and counter-accusations would be counter-productive.”

The prime minister said he urged his Indian counterpart for working together to change confrontation into cooperation for the good of the people of the two countries.The prime minister said he had a good and constructive meeting with Narendra Modi. It was held in a warm and cordial atmosphere.He said they agreed that the New Delhi meeting should be a historic opportunity for both the countries.

Nawaz Sharif said he pointed out to his Indian counterpart that both of them were beginning their respective tenure with a clear mandate. “This provides us an opportunity of meeting hopes and aspirations of our people.”

He hoped that the two leaders would succeed in turning a new page in bilateral relations so as to focus on wellbeing and welfare of the people.

The prime minister said he recalled to the Indian leader that he invited then Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee to Lahore in February 1999 and that he intended to pick up the threads from where it was left at that time.

He said he urged the Indian PM to work together to rid the region of instability and insecurity that has plagued the region for decades. “We should, therefore, work together for peace, progress and prosperity,” he said, adding, “We owe it to our people to overcome the legacy of mistrust and misgivings.”

Nawaz said during the meeting both the sides agreed that common objective can be facilitated by greater people to people exchanges at all levels.

He said Prime Minister Modi warmly reciprocated his sentiments and remarked that the visit of the Pakistan prime minister was seen as a special gesture by people of India.

Nawaz said he agreed with Modi that foreign secretaries of the two countries would be meeting soon to review and carry forward bilateral agenda in the spirit of New Delhi meeting of the prime ministers.

The prime minister said he also had warm and friendly exchanges during meeting with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi.

He said he was leaving New Delhi with a strong sense that the leadership and people of the two countries share desire and mutual commitment to carry forward the relationship for the larger good of people of the both countries.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at Hyderabad House. Both the leaders exchanged warm and friendly views.

During the meeting, Nawaz Sharif said the leadership and the people of Pakistan and India share desire and mutual commitment to carry forward the relationship for the larger good of our people.

The prime minister also held a meeting with former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and discussed bilateral relations with him.

Talking to Vajpayee, Nawaz Sharif said his government is reinitiating the dialogue process with India to improve its relations with its neighbours.

He said Pakistan has always stood for promoting peace, stability, progress in the region, therefore it intends to move forward the dialogue process with India with a view to resolve all outstanding issues and to live in peace and harmony with neighbours.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also paid a visit to historic Jamia Masjid of New Delhi.He was accompanied by Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit. The PM visited different parts of the mosque built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Imam of the mosque, Syed Ahmed Bukhari received the prime minister on his arrival at the mosque.

In his statement, Syed Ahmad Bukhari said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is desirous of settlement of Pak-India disputes peacefully. Syed Ahmed Bukhari said Nawaz has come to India with a positive thinking.The prime minister also visited Red Fort in Delhi and took round of different parts of the fort.

Major parties welcome Sharif’s India visit

 

ISLAMABAD: Major political parties on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s decision to accept Indian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi’s invitation to attend his swearing-in ceremony.
In their separate statements, the leaders of major political parties said Sharif’s invitation to accept Modi’s invitation was a step in the right direction that would pave the way for detente between Pakistan and India.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s decision to accept the invitation to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Indian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi.

PPP spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said the former president termed the decision “politically correct and wise”.

“Such decisions are often not easy but are necessary and need to be taken by the political leadership in the larger national interest,” he said.

In a press talk on Thursday, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah had advised Nawaz Sharif to attend the oath-taking ceremony.

Khursheed said he was a supporter of every step taken for the peace initiative, and if the prime minister attended the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi, it will ease tension between Pakistan and India.

He was of the opinion that if tension eased between the two countries then the people of both countries will heave a sigh of relief.

“When we want to keep good relations with the United States and Russia then why not with neighbours,” he added.

Agencies add: In a statement, President Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Javed Hashmi also welcomed the government’s decision saying that Sharif’s visit was in the national interest. He said there would be progress on the core issues between the two countries.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said by accepting the invitation, the Government of Pakistan had given a positive gesture to the Indian government.

Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party (ANP) said the prime minister had taken a very good decision to participate in the oath-taking ceremony of his Indian counterpart.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed said the nation, army and government should be on the same page when it came to the security of Pakistan.

Talking to media persons at the Karachi airport Saturday, Saeed did not approve of Nawaz’ visit to India and advised him to reconsider his decision. He also warned him to be very cautious during his visit to India.

Major parties welcome Sharif’s India visit

 

ISLAMABAD: Major political parties on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s decision to accept Indian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi’s invitation to attend his swearing-in ceremony.
In their separate statements, the leaders of major political parties said Sharif’s invitation to accept Modi’s invitation was a step in the right direction that would pave the way for detente between Pakistan and India.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s decision to accept the invitation to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Indian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi.

PPP spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said the former president termed the decision “politically correct and wise”.

“Such decisions are often not easy but are necessary and need to be taken by the political leadership in the larger national interest,” he said.

In a press talk on Thursday, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah had advised Nawaz Sharif to attend the oath-taking ceremony.

Khursheed said he was a supporter of every step taken for the peace initiative, and if the prime minister attended the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi, it will ease tension between Pakistan and India.

He was of the opinion that if tension eased between the two countries then the people of both countries will heave a sigh of relief.

“When we want to keep good relations with the United States and Russia then why not with neighbours,” he added.

Agencies add: In a statement, President Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Javed Hashmi also welcomed the government’s decision saying that Sharif’s visit was in the national interest. He said there would be progress on the core issues between the two countries.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said by accepting the invitation, the Government of Pakistan had given a positive gesture to the Indian government.

Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party (ANP) said the prime minister had taken a very good decision to participate in the oath-taking ceremony of his Indian counterpart.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed said the nation, army and government should be on the same page when it came to the security of Pakistan.

Talking to media persons at the Karachi airport Saturday, Saeed did not approve of Nawaz’ visit to India and advised him to reconsider his decision. He also warned him to be very cautious during his visit to India.

Pakistan issues schedule for PM Nawaz visit to India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday issued schedule of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to India, where the premier would participate in the swearing-in ceremony of India's PM-designate Narendra Modi.

According to the statement issued by the foreign office, PM Nawaz will visit India on May 26 to attend the oath-taking ceremony.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chauhdry will accompany PM Nawaz.

The statement from Sharif's office said the prime minister had been invited this week by New Delhi to attend the ceremony. Sharif already congratulated Modi over his victory in the election.

Nawaz Sharif will have a bilateral meeting with Modi on Tuesday, May 27. He will also meet the Indian President.

Pakistani PM will return home in the afternoon on May 27.

Pakistan wants good ties with India: Fazl

KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman Saturday, appreciating Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s decision to visit India, said that Pakistan would have to be cautious about the Indian new government’s move, Geo News reported.

Talking to media here, Maulana Fazlur Rahman responding to a question said that he had already expressed his reservations about the mode of talks with the Taliban.

Kashmir Committee chairman, Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that Pakistan sincerely wanted good relations with India through peaceful resolutions of all contentious issues.

Death toll hits 32 in India rebel violence: police

GUWAHATI: Police found nine more bodies Saturday after a deadly rampage by tribal separatists in India´s remote northeastern Assam state, taking the death toll to 32 following two days of violence.

The nine bodies, including those of women and children, were recovered from Narayanguri village in Baksa district, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Assam´s main city of Guwahati.

"The death toll has gone up to 32," police inspector general S. N. Singh told. "Security has been further tightened with police and paramilitary troopers deployed in strength.

"Fresh violence erupted Friday night when tribal rebels killed 12 Muslims, a day after they had killed three villagers in the same district and eight more in neighbouring Kokrajhar, opening fire on the victims as they slept in their homes.

The attacks have prompted security forces to launch a massive hunt for the guerillas and have spurred some 5,000 people to flee from their homes, Singh said.

He added that an indefinite curfew has also been imposed in the violence-torn districts, with police given shoot-on-sight orders.

The victims of the attacks were Muslim migrants who have been locked in land disputes with indigenous Bodo tribes in the tea-growing state that borders Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The attacks come as India votes in a multi-phased general election that began on April 7. Polling winds up on May 12, with results to be announced four days later.

Voting in Assam has ended, with April 24 the last day of polling.

Police blamed the attacks on the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which has been demanding a separate homeland for decades.

Seventeen people were killed in clashes in the same region in January and thousands of others fled their homes for fear of further attacks.

In 2012, ethnic clashes in the same area claimed about 100 lives and displaced more than 400,000 people.

Death toll hits 32 in India rebel violence: police

GUWAHATI: Police found nine more bodies Saturday after a deadly rampage by tribal separatists in India´s remote northeastern Assam state, taking the death toll to 32 following two days of violence.

The nine bodies, including those of women and children, were recovered from Narayanguri village in Baksa district, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Assam´s main city of Guwahati.

"The death toll has gone up to 32," police inspector general S. N. Singh told. "Security has been further tightened with police and paramilitary troopers deployed in strength.

"Fresh violence erupted Friday night when tribal rebels killed 12 Muslims, a day after they had killed three villagers in the same district and eight more in neighbouring Kokrajhar, opening fire on the victims as they slept in their homes.

The attacks have prompted security forces to launch a massive hunt for the guerillas and have spurred some 5,000 people to flee from their homes, Singh said.

He added that an indefinite curfew has also been imposed in the violence-torn districts, with police given shoot-on-sight orders.

The victims of the attacks were Muslim migrants who have been locked in land disputes with indigenous Bodo tribes in the tea-growing state that borders Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The attacks come as India votes in a multi-phased general election that began on April 7. Polling winds up on May 12, with results to be announced four days later.

Voting in Assam has ended, with April 24 the last day of polling.

Police blamed the attacks on the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which has been demanding a separate homeland for decades.

Seventeen people were killed in clashes in the same region in January and thousands of others fled their homes for fear of further attacks.

In 2012, ethnic clashes in the same area claimed about 100 lives and displaced more than 400,000 people.

Kashmir will not remain part of a ‘communal’ India: Farooq Abdullah

SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) patron and Srinagar Lok Sabha candidate Farooq Abdullah said on Sunday that Jammu & Kashmir ‘would not remain a part of India’ if the country becomes communal, while asking those who vote for Narendra Modi to “drown themselves”.

Lashing out at Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate, Abdullah told a party election rally in old city’s Khanyar area that: “Those who say that people opposing Modi should go to Pakistan must remember that if India becomes a communal country, Kashmir would not remain its part.

“Those who vote for Modi should drown themselves in a river”.Criticizing his opponents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abdullah alleged that PDP’s open support to BJP was a historic betrayal of the people of Jammu & Kashmir and its patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed should know that there is a limit to a nation’s tolerance to gimmickry, political intrigues and lies.

“Every single vote that you will cast for National Conference will be a vote against the Modi-Mufti alliance and will be a vote that will stop the march of communal forces from entering Jammu & Kashmir.

“National Conference has defended Article 370 (of the constitution) and Kashmiriyat from hundreds of intrigues and thousands of enemies and National Conference will continue to be a protection shield for Jammu & Kashmir and its people long after I am gone,” he said.

“Mufti Sayeed nurtures a grudge against Kashmiris that they have handed him embarrassing electoral defeats from his native constituency four times, a loud and clear rejection that forced his rehabilitation in Muzaffarnagar (in Uttar Pradesh) as a member of parliament from a safe seat at a time when he couldn’t garner more than 300 votes in his own state,” Abdullah said.