Andhranews

New Delhi, Sept. 26: October 20 has been fixed as the day when the prime accused of the Parliament Attack case of December 13, 2001, Mohammed Afzal, will be hanged to death. A Delhi court has passed an order in this regard. The special Judge Ravinder Kaur based on the conviction of Mohammed Afzal by the apex court decided that he will be hanged till death at 6 am on October 20. Afzal was convicted by a special Pota court on December 18, 2002.

The court had held Mohammed Afzal-a former militant who belonged to the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and laid down arms in 1995, Delhi University Professor S.A.R. Geelani and Shaukat Guru, guilty of conspiring to “capture the Parliament House and kill the Prime Minister and home minister and to make hostage all the MPs and the VIPs present.”

Afzal, Shaukat and Geelani were convicted under Sections 121, 121 A and 122 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with collecting arms with the intention of waging a war against the state, and conspiring to commit offence against the state. They were also found guilty under Section 302 (for murder), 307 (for attempt to murder) and 120B (for criminal conspiracy) and Section 3, Subsections 2 and 5, of Pota for committing a terrorist act by attacking government institutions, besides Section 3,4 of Explosive Substances Act.

The court also sentenced Navjot Sandhu alias Afsan Guru, wife of Shaukat Guru for five years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 123 of the Indian Penal Code for not informing the police of the conspiracy. The prosecution examined 80 out of the 185 witnesses in its favour, while the accused produced 10 witnesses at the trial, which began on July 8, 2002.

According to the police investigations, Afzal was the starting point of the conspiracy, whose mobile number was found with one of the terrorists. When arrested Afzal’s disclosure led the police to Shaukat. Geelani was arrested when his mobile number was found in Afzal’s mobile phone.

Hyderabad, Sept. 26: Protector-General of Emigrants Ranbir Singh has urged Director-General of Police Swaranjit Sen to take action against unlicensed overseas recruitment agents in the city.
Meanwhile, Protector of Emigrants (Hyderabad) J.K. Jha also lodged complaints against certain illegal recruiting agents with the commissioner of police and Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar police.

Mr Singh had written a letter to the DGP on September 20 after getting a complaint from Y. Lakshmi Narayana of Hyderabad, who was cheated by one of the recruiting agents. In his letter, the PGE stated that sub-agents and overseas recruiting agents without valid licences should be punished under Emigration Act 1983. Mr Singh also asked the police to submit an action taken report.

The police now have no option but to move against the illegal recruiting agents of the city. It is common knowledge that illegal recruiting agencies and sub-agents are thriving in the city.The local Protector of Emigrants had asked police to book cases against recruiting agents such as Al-Saba at Ameerpet and SAM tours at Abids.

The overseas recruiting agents are claiming that they have authorisation from Mumbai-based companies which have valid licence. This, however, is against the rules. Mr Singh had earlier written to the Nizamabad police to book a case against an illegal agent named Rajaram. However, police were unable to trace him.

None of the local recruiting agents have ever approached the office of the Protector of Emigrants seeking permission to issue advertisements. This is mandatory under the rules. Ironically, the local office of the PGE does not even have a phone connection of its own. It is located in the labour department office at Chandravihar in Nampally and is awaiting financial clearance to get office premises of its own.Mr Jha refused to divulge details about his letter when contacted by this correspondent.

Hyderabad, Sept. 26: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) continued their raids on Amway offices and godowns for the second day on Tuesday at Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Kurnool and other parts of the State. Two of the accused who were arrested on Monday were produced at the Nampally criminal courts and remanded to judicial custody till October 10.

CID economic offences wing SP V.C. Sajjanar said, “Our men conducted searches and seized valuable documents at Erramanzil. The property seized so far would account to Rs 4 to Rs 5 crore.” Mr Sajjanar said, “The Prize Chits and Money Circulation Scheme (Banning) Act 1978 itself clearly states that whatever name by which the scheme is called it is money circulation.

The claims of Amway that the Madras High Court division bench stayed the judgment of the single judge is not true. The stay is not applicable to the entire judgment. It is only for not interfering with the business of the petitioner’s company.” Amway denies the charges. S. Viswanath and Rajat Banerji of Amway said, “The Ministry of Consumer Affairs clearly stated that the Act is not applicable to MLM’s quoting Supreme Court judgement. Police claims are not correct. When the member feel that the business is not meant for him during he 90-day trial period he can return the business kit and claim 100 per cent money back from Amway. No commissions or incentives paid for enrolling more members into the network. Incentives or commissions are paid only for sale of products.”

New Delhi, Sept. 26: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy put Union Finance Minister P. Chidambram in a spot in the recently-concluded Congress Chief Ministers’ conference in Nainital when he asked the finance minister to extend the ambit of his budget offering for farmers loans to cooperative banks too.

The focus of the participants, including 14 Chief Ministers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her AICC team and a host of Central ministers, during the course of discussion on agriculture was naturally the unabated trend of suicide by farmers, in spite of measures taken by the UPA Government.

In the last budget speech Mr Chidambram had offered a sop to the farmers by announcing that the nationalised public sector banks shall charge a lower interest rate of seven per cent on farm loans.However as was evident this is limited to only nationalised public sector banks.

But Dr Reddy argued that this would not suffice because at least 40 per cent of the farmers borrow not from nationalised public sector banks but from their local cooperative banks. Therefore unless this concession is extended to the local cooperative banks it would really not percolate lower down to benefit the small and medium farmers.

sUnited Nations, Sept. 26: Pakistan has asked India to respond positively to “bold” and “out-of-box proposals” of Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf to resolve the Kashmir issue which would help bring durable peace to South Asia. “We are happy with the revival of the peace process after the talks between Gen. Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Havana last week, Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said at the annual coordination meeting of OIC foreign ministers on the sidelines of the 61st session of the UN General Assembly on Monday.

“We hope that the Indian leadership will respond positively to the bold and out-of-box proposals made by Gen. Musharraf to resolve the chronic dispute of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. A durable and lasting peace in South Asia, he stressed can only be established by resolving the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the “aspiration of the Kashmiri people.”

Expressing Pakistan’s commitment to the resolution through dialogue, taking into account the “aspirations” of the Kashmiri people, he said “with goodwill on all sides, a solution is possible”. Pakistan, he said, is “grateful” for the continued OIC support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards achieving their “inalienable right to self-determination”.

“We are confident that the Islamic world would continue its valued support for the just cause of Kashmiris,” he added. Pakistan condemns terrorism committed by whomever and wherever, he said, adding, “we are a frontline state in the fight against terrorism and have committed huge resources in the fight,” he said.

Tokyo, Sept. 26: Outspoken conservative Shinzo Abe took office on Tuesday as Japan’s youngest Prime Minister with a mission to repair strained ties with Asian neighbours led by China and advance the alliance with the United States.

With a reputation as a foreign policy hawk but vague on the economy, Mr Abe, 52, filled his first Cabinet with trusted stalwarts of the Liberal Democratic Party after the departure of veteran Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Mr Abe, whose victory was assured after being selected by his party last week, bowed four times to his fellow legislators after he was voted into office in a party-line vote of Parliament.

“Now the new era of Mr Abe begins,” said Hidenao Nakagawa, the ruling party’s new secretary general. “Under Prime Minister Abe, we will unite to deliver the policy promises we made to the Japanese people,” he told public broadcaster NHK. The first Japanese Premier to be born after World War II, Mr Abe has vowed to rewrite the US-imposed 1947 Constitution, under which Tokyo renounced the right to a military, and has been outspoken in his reading of the nation’s past.

Washington, Sept. 26: Afghanistan’s President is urging Pakistan to close extremist schools and seeking support from President George W. Bush in a campaign against “places that teach terror.” “There will not be an end to terrorism unless we remove the sources of hatred in madrassas and the training grounds,” President Hamid Karzai said on Monday.

The Afghan leader, who meets with Mr Bush on Tuesday, distinguished between madrassas, or schools, that teach extremism to young people and those that provide education in Islam. “We need preachers in our religion,” he said. Rising violence from a resurgent Taliban militia and an unprecedented narcotics trade also were on the agenda for the White House meeting, possibly along with a request for more US money to stabilise Afghanistan. Mr Karzai said on Sunday his country would be “heaven in less than a year” if it could have received the $300 billion the United States had spent in Iraq.

Lashkar Gah (Afghanistan), Sept. 26: A suicide bomber struck outside the compound of a southern Afghan provincial governor on Tuesday, killing 18 people, including several Muslim pilgrims seeking paperwork to travel to Mecca, officials said.

The attacker was stopped by Afghan soldiers at the compound’s security gate where the bomber detonated his suicide vest, said Ghulam Muhiddin, spokesperson for the Helmand provincial governor. Nine Afghan soldiers and nine civilians were killed, said Rahmatullah Mohammdi, director of the hospital in Lashkar Gah. The governor, Mohammed Daoud Safi, was inside the compound and was not injured in the attack.

Bangkok, Sept. 26: Thailand’s military rulers said on Tuesday they wrote a temporary Constitution appointing themselves advisers to any interim government, and hinted they might replace ousted Premier Thaksin Shinawatra with an ex-military man. Coup leader General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin told reporters the draft Constitution will be reviewed by academics and submitted to the King for a royal endorsement by Sunday, at which point a new leader can be named.

The ruling military council hopes to install a new civilian Prime Minister “as soon as possible,” but is still narrowing down its candidates for the job, Gen. Sondhi said. He did not rule out a former soldier for the temporary role. “When you say ‘civilian Prime Minister,’ you will see that soldiers after they retire can be called civilians,” Gen. Sondhi said in a response to a question during a nationally televised press conference.

Gen. Sondhi led a coup that ousted Mr Thaksin on September 19 and said at the time that a civilian leader would be installed within two weeks — or by October 4. His comments on Tuesday were the first indication that the military rulers do not plan to withdraw entirely from the political process. He said the military council will stay on in an advisory role after it hands over power to a civilian government.

Bangkok, Sept. 26: Thailand’s military leaders said on Monday they would unveil a temporary Constitution within days, name a new Prime Minister by early next week and would soon approve a long-delayed government budget. “The drafting of an interim Constitution is finished,” said General Winai Phattiyakul, the junta’s secretary-general. “It is under consideration by experts.”

With Parliament dissolved and fresh elections a far-off prospect, key decisions were being made behind closed doors by Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the leader of last week’s coup, and the five other men on the ruling council of the junta. Despite scant background in economics, General Sonthi and his fellow officers received the country’s civilian budget experts at military headquarters on Monday to discuss how to allocate the 2007 budget, which will likely be more than $40 billion.

The budget exercise is a crucial test of whether Thailand’s military leaders, who so effortlessly took power last week, are equally adept at overseeing a dynamic and complex economy. The Constitution and Parliament were voided and annulled when the coupmakers took over. Financial analysts predicted that the budget would be approved swiftly and with less haggling than usual.

“I think they know that they need to get this budget out in the economy to stop it from slowing down,” said Supavud Saicheua, managing director of Phatra Securities, which conducts research in Thailand for Merrill Lynch. But a small vocal minority of democracy activists complained of a secretive process with no oversight.

“There’s absolutely no system of checking and control now and so we’re very concerned that they will line their pockets and spend our money in the way they want,” said Ji Giles Ungpakorn, associate professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University. “Military regimes in the past have been incredibly corrupt.”

Monday’s meeting between the generals and the civilian budget experts ended with vows to speedily announce a new budget and a military officer reading an anodyne statement about helping support Thailand’s economy. “It was agreed that it is possible to set up a deficit budget for 2007 within a sustainable scope and to focus on the development of human resources and society by boosting economic growth,” said Lt. Gen. Palangkoon Klaharn.

The Nation newspaper reported on Monday that the budget would have a planned deficit of more than $2.66 billion, the equivalent to about 1.5 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, a level that most economists rate as a moderate deficit. In theory the lack of parliamentary oversight gives the military rulers wide-ranging powers to allocate money by fiat. In fact, they have limited room for manoeuvre: about three-quarters of the budget is tied up in fixed expenses like interest payments.

Chandigarh, Sept. 26: Describing Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf as a “timid general”, former Indian Army Chief Gen. V.P. Malik on Tuesday said there was a “lot of fabrication” about the Kargil conflict in his book In the Line of Fire. “The book is stingy on truth. From the accounts I have read, it appears to be a narration with no references and there appears to be a lot of fabrication about facts,” Gen. Malik, who was the Army Chief during the 1999 conflict said.

On Gen. Musharraf’s claims that the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had decided to withdraw troops from strategic features in Kargil sector, Gen. Malik said, “In his book, Gen. Musharraf comes across as a timid general and seems to be passing the buck on to Mr Sharif. Though Gen. Musharraf ordered the operation in mid-January 1999 and seems to take credit for it, yet he does not spare opportunity in passing the buck.”

Dismissing claims of Hizbul Mujahideen carrying out the Kargil operation, he said that Gen. Musharraf in his book had admitted to the participation of the Northern Light Infantry in the fighting, supported by other regular troops.

New Delhi, Sept. 26: Refuting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s claim that both he and then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was “humiliated at the Agra Summit”, Mr Vajpayee, while expressing surprise, said, “No one insulted the General and certainly no one insulted me.”

Mr Vajpayee firmly rejected Gen. Musharraf’s comments made in his book In the Line of Fire, where the Pakistani President had said that some “power” was responsible for the collapse of the Agra Summit. Instead, the veteran BJP leader claimed that the talks failed because of the Gen. Musharraf’s refusal to describe the violence in Jammu and Kashmir as terrorism.

Mr Vajpayee said, “During our talks, he (Gen. Musharraf) took a stand that the violence that was taking place in Jammu and Kashmir could not be described as ‘terrorism’.” President Musharraf further claimed that the bloodshed in Kashmir was nothing but the people’s battle for freedom, Mr Vajpayee commented.

“It was this stand of Gen. Musharraf that India just could not accept and this was responsible for the failure of the Agra Summit,” Mr Vajapayee emphasised. He pointed out that Pakistan accepted the Indian viewpoint on terrorism in 2004, when the two sides issued a joint statement in which Gen. Musharraf promised not to allow Pakistani territory to be used for terror acts against India.

“If Gen. Musharraf had been willing to accept our position in 2001, the Agra Summit would have been successful, and the three subsequent years may have proved very valuable,” Mr Vajpayee said. Recalling his meeting with Mr Vajpayee in Agra, Gen. Musharraf said in his book, “I told him bluntly that there seems to be someone above the two of us who had the power to overrule us. I also said that today both of us had been humiliated.” However, this was contradicted by Mr Vajpayee, who said he has not seen Gen. Musharraf’s book and had only read press reports about it.

New Delhi, Sept. 26: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf may claim military victory in the Kargil conflict with India. But a less publicised biography of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exposes Gen. Musharraf’s claims as a “pack of lies”. Written in Urdu by senior Pakistani journalist Suhail Warraich, “Ghadaar Kaun? Nawaz Sharif Ki Kahani, Unki Zubani (Who is the Traitor? Nawaz Sharif’s Story in his Own Words)”, has been around in Pakistan for almost three months but has not generated the kind of high-tonnage publicity the President’s book has done.

The first official biography of Mr Sharif, “Gaddar Kaun” deflates Gen. Musharraf’s paean to the Pakistani military prowess and says that the then Pakistani Prime Minister got to know about the “Kargil misadventure” from then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when the latter telephoned him.

Mr Sharif is quoted as saying in this book that Gen. Musharraf “literally begged” him to involve America after 2,700 soldiers of the Pakistani Northern Light Infantry were killed during the Kargil operation. It was only after President Musharraf came to him to seek his help to save the Army that he contacted then US President Bill Clinton, the book quotes Mr Sharif as saying.

In another revelation, Mr Sharif contends that Gen. Musharraf moved nuclear warheads for use against India without his approval and he, despite being the Prime Minister of Pakistan, came to know about this only from the then US President Bill Clinton. Mr Sharif’s version of the 1999 Kargil military standoff between India and Pakistan starkly contrasts with what Gen. Musharraf has to say in his memoirs In the Line of Fire: A Memoir, which was launched with much fanfare in Washington on Monday night. In his book, Gen. Musharraf admits in a chapter on Kargil that Pakistani soldiers were involved in the military operation.

New Delhi, Sept. 26: The country’s nuclear establishment has rubbished President Pervez Musharraf’s claim that India’s uranium enrichment programme could have its roots in Dr A.Q. Khan’s clandestine network and former diplomats describe it as a “sick joke”.

Rejecting President Mus-harraf’s charge that New Delhi’s uranium enrichment technology “could be a copy” of Islamabad’s centrifuge design, chairman of Department of Atomic Energy, Mr Anil Kakodkar, asserted that nuclear technology has been developed indigenously. “Our technology is based on our indigenous research and development and action consistent with responsible behaviour,” he said.

Putting the entire blame of Pakistan’s record of nuclear proliferation on disgraced nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, Gen. Musharraf, in his book In the Line of Fire has alleged that several Indians worked for Dr Khan’s network in Dubai and India’s uranium enrichment technology could be a copy of Pakistani centrifuge design. Former foreign secretary Shashank felt Gen. Musharraf’s attempt was more to sully India’s reputation.