Hyderabad: In a dramatic turn around, Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik on Wednesday divorced Ayesha Siddiqui, the local girl whom he had married seven years ago, under a compromise worked out by Muslim community leaders paving the way for his marriage with Sania Mirza on April 15.
He also said all the police cases against Shoaib, who has been maintaining that there was no valid marriage with Ayesha, will be withdrawn and they have already filed an application with the police in this regard.
Ayesha's mother Farisa and Abid Rasool Khan, General Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Congress and a well-wisher of both the families, were also present at the press conference. Shafi and Khan said negotiators worked through the night to work out a compromise between the two families because the controversy was bringing a bad name to the community and the religion.
Farisa said as decided by the elders of the community, it (compromise) has been done. I am very happy about it. All community leaders have come to him (Shoaib) to do the settlement and he has done it.
"My daughter had to pass through hardships. Finally justice has been done to my daughter. She is relieved and very happy", she said.
Farisa said the chapter is closed and that she was very very happy. "I only wanted this (divorce). It has been done. I wish them well (Sania and Shoaib)".
Khan said "divorce has been settled and done and it was done after the intervention of community leaders. After hearing all three parties we decided that divorce should happen. There was no condition and amount (money) involved.
"Whatever has been done, has been done according to our religion and sharia. After negotiations all through last night, the divorce proceedings happened around 7-8 am this morning in the presence of a Qazi," he said.
Rasool said they had been working for the last five days as the entire community was upset. "A lot of muck was thrown at each other. There were allegations and counter allegations and it was getting dirty".
"We have not taken sides and resolved it peacefully. We worked all through last night and about 10-15 people were involved in it. The end result is a happy result," he said.
Rasool said both the families have gone through a very very rough time. "Ayesha's father is a heart bypass patient and her elder sister was going through pregnancy", he said. Sadiqua Babar, a friend of Ayesha and whose father was involved in working out the compromise deal, said it was a great relief that the marriage row has ended.
"He (Shoaib) signed it (divorce papers) this morning. Everything happened in an amicable manner."
"She (Ayesha) and all of us are relieved that finally it ended.. Everyone is happy that the trauma is over," she said.
"My father (Shams) brokered the deal between the two families. There was no money involved, name was involved. Clearing of her name was very important", she said.
Pak fully qualifies for civil nuclear deal like India: Gilani
ISLAMABAD: Making a push for a civil nuclear deal similar to the one inked between India and the US, the Pakistan Prime Minister today said his country "fully qualifies" for it as it has put in place effective security and non-proliferation measures.
A "well established, foolproof safety and security culture fully qualifies Pakistan for equal participation in civil nuclear cooperation at the international level, which would help us in addressing our immediate energy problems and would bring greater stability as well," Yousuf Raza Gilani said.
Chairing a special meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security this afternoon, he said, "The objectives of nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security can only be served and promoted through a non-discriminatory paradigm for international cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy."
Gilani said that his government considers nuclear safety, security and safeguards as "vehicles for facilitating international civil nuclear cooperation".
Pakistan, as a nuclear state, was cognisant of its responsibilities and had "developed effective nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation measures underpinned by extensive legislative, regulatory and administrative framework", he underlined.
The country has over 35 years of experience in successfully operating nuclear power plants and highly trained manpower, the PPP leader said.
"Nuclear power generation offers viable solutions for energy security and addressing the challenge of climate change," he added.
As the premier is the chairman of the National Command Authority, the body that controls the nuclear arsenal, the government "fully accepts the responsibility of nuclear security", Gilani said.
Describing Pakistan as a democratic, progressive and peaceful country, Gilani said, "Our socio-economic development hinges on our ability to meet rapidly expanding energy requirements...We need to explore all options to ensure a reliable energy mix and civil nuclear power generation is therefore an essential part of our national energy security strategy."
Pakistan has been pushing the US and other Western countries to grant it a special dispensation for civil nuclear cooperation similar to the one given to India.
Pak to US: Terror bill worth $35 billion, nuke deal
WASHINGTON: Pakistan is coming up with a bill of $ 35 billion for its efforts in the war on terror and a wish-list that includes a nuclear deal similar to the US-India agreement as it prepares to engage Washington this coming week in what officials from both sides say is the most comprehensive dialogue in their bilateral history.
Turning the US mantra that Pakistan should "do more" in the war on terror, Pakistani officials, in an aggressive turnaround, have said Pakistan has done enough and it is now the United States turn to do more, as they set off to Washington for talks on the heels of what they claim is unprecedented success against the Taliban.
Pakistan has "captured" nearly half the top Taliban leadership, including the organisation's No.2 Mullah Baradar, in recent weeks in the run-up to the talks. Although U.N and Afghan officials accuse the Pakistanis, who were hosting the Taliban leadership, took them in to sabotage peace talks being held outside Islamabad's patronage, U.S officials said on Friday that they were "gratified" by the arrests.
"We are extremely gratified... he is where he belongs," the Obama administration's Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke said about Baradar's arrest by Pakistan as he previewed the upcoming talks with reporters at the State Department on Friday, adding, "And many other people have been picked up or eliminated, and this is putting much more pressure on the Taliban. And this is a good thing for the simplest of reasons: It is good for the military efforts that are underway in Afghanistan."
Holbrooke also endorsed a central role for the Pakistani military at the talks, asking "how can you have a strategic dialogue without including the military?" In a move that has caused some disquiet in Pakistan itself, the country's army chief Pervez Ashfaq Kiyani and spy chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha are members of the delegation, ostensibly led by Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Kiyani is said to have set the agenda for the talks in preparatory meetings in Pakistan.
"If we have a strategic dialogue in our country, we're going to include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or some other representative. So we are very pleased that General Kayani is part of this delegation. We think that it's one country, one government, one team. It was their decision and we welcomed it," Holbrooke said. Washington in recent weeks has noticeably cooled down its criticism of the over-arching role played by the Pakistan military in the country's affairs.
Pakistan's wish-list for the Obama administration includes not only speeding up disbursements in bilateral aid under the Kerry-Lugar package and Coalition Support Funds, both of which are audited for more precise use and claim, but enhanced support for its economy, particularly in the energy sector. Vast swathes of the country are now under 8 to 12 hour power cuts and Islamabad is presenting this as one reason why Washington should offer a civilian nuclear deal to Pakistan similar to the US-India deal, although experts say Pakistan has no capacity to absorb or implement such an agreement even if it were to pass international scrutiny.
US officials remain non-committal about the deal. "We have a very broad and complex agenda in these talks... and we're going to listen carefully to whatever the Pakistanis say," Holbrooke said cautiously when asked about a possible nuclear deal. In fact, no one in Washington takes Pakistan $ 35 billion claim as its total cost in the war on terror arrived at during internal deliberations in Islamabad last week, seriously.
But Holbrooke held out the prospect of enhanced aid in other areas and sectors, promising a few surprise announcements. "This is not a photo op, although you will have an opportunity to take a photo. This is an intense, serious dialogue bilaterally between the US. and Pakistan," he said in a hurried briefing at the state department that followed a White House meeting of principals where, Holbrooke said, -- "almost every senior person in the United States foreign policy community was in the room" to discuss US policy for the region.
Pakistan too is striving to broad-base its ties with the US on the same lines as India's expansive engagement, covering sector beyond security. Indicative of the broad agenda for the March 24 talks, the Pakistani delegation led by Foreign Miniser Qureshi includes Minister of Defense Mukhtar Ahmad, Finance Minister nominee Abdul Shaikh, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Social Issues Wazir Ali; Advisor to the Prime Minister on Agriculture and Water Majidullah; the Chief of Staff of the Army General Kayani and his delegation of military advisors; Ambassador Hussain Haqqani; Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir; and Secretaries of Information Technology, Water and Power, Finance, Agriculture, Defense, among others.
The US delegation, led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton includes Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin, National Security Council Senior Director David Lipton, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Marantis, the Administrator of USAID Raj Shah, myself, Ambassador Anne Patterson and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale, Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David Sydney, among others.
AMU professor suspended for being homosexual dies
ALIGARH: Aligarh Muslim University professor, Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was suspended after some students set up cameras to catch him having consensual sex with a rickshaw-puller in his campus home, was found dead at his residence in mysterious circumstances. Police have not ruled out suicide.
Professor Siras, 62, reader and chairman of Modern Indian Languages at AMU, was on the verge of retirement when he was suspended. Last week, the Allahabad High Court revoked the suspension and ordered his reinstatement after he filed an appeal against the university action. Siras hailed from Maharashtra and taught Marathi.
He was lying dead on the bed in his private apartment outside the university when the police broke into the house.
Siras was last seen on Monday evening. On Wednesday, alerted by a foul smell from his Marris Road house, the neighbours informed the university authorities and the police.
SSP (City) Man Singh Chauhan said prima facie it looks like it could be suicide or heart attack.
Some traces of blood were also seen on the pillow. The body has been sent for postmortem examination.
Kamal Nath summoned in anti-Sikh riots case
New York: Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath has been summoned by a US federal district court for his alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots based on a case filed by a Sikh outfit.
In the civil case filed under the Alien Torts Claims Act, the petitioners sought compensatory and punitive damages for several allegations including crimes against humanity, degrading treatment and wrongful killing.
However, Nath, who is incidentally here on a visit, said he was "surprised and appalled" as the case has been filed 25 years after the anti-Sikh riots in India.
"I really have no clue about it. I don't have a basis and I don't know the authenticity. I don't know the validity. It was for the first time that I saw it," Nath said when asked to comment on the case.
Nath has been served a notice and has to respond within 21 days failing which the court will give a default judgment on the matter. The minister said that he would have to study the matter further.
"A piece of paper was given to me. I will have to see what the piece of paper is all about," he said. Nath stressed that he had never been charged in any court and questioned why these allegations were being raised more than two decades after the tragedy and that too in a foreign land.
"Nobody has ever charged me in India. But if the United States charges me 25 years later for something that has happened in India...well it just reflects on the authenticity," he said.
"For the last 25 years I wasn't involved...suddenly in 2010 I get involved...There was nobody who stood up and said that he was a victim or that I was in any way connected. So I'm surprised and appalled."
The case has been filed by two Sikhs, Jasbir Singh and Mahinder Singh on behalf of the New York based organisation, Sikhs for Justice. Their attorney Gurpatwant Pannun claimed Jasbir lost 24 members of his family and Mahinder, who was two-years-old then, lost his father.
"In India it is impossible to hold human rights violators," Pannun said.
The Sikh group said that they are acting now because they have given up hope for action to be taken in India.
"We waited for all these years because commissions were being set up...there was hope but because of his position Kamal Nath has successfully avoided justice for 25 years," said Pannun.
Business News
Another Tata Nano car catches fire
Anand: A brand new Tata Nano car which was on its way to be delivered in Vadodara, caught fire near Boriyavi village of the district here today, police said.
The incident took place on National Highway 8, when a fleet of eleven Tata Nano cars was being driven to a dealer in Ahmadabad to be delivered in Vadodara, they said.
This is second such instance in recent days. Last month, in Mumbai, a brand new Nano was reduced to ashes while being driven to home from showroom.
According to police, one of the Nano cars, which was in the middle the fleet, caught fire in its rear portion.
The driver of the car was safe, they said.
Indian banks poach staff to fight foreign rivals
Singapore: Homegrown banks in India are raising the heat on their Western rivals by poaching top talent, as the fight for clients' wallets in the world's second-fastest growing market for millionaires intensifies.
While Standard Chartered and other foreign rivals are unveiling plans to hire hundreds of private bankers and open new offices across India to boost business, some such as Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley have lost senior executives to Indian rivals.
This is unlike other emerging markets such as Indonesia, where specialised banking for the rich is a relatively new phenomenon and local banks are often unwilling or unable to match their foreign counterparts in the salary stakes.
Foreign banks, which have demonstrated strong abilities in developing private bankers, often struggle to retain them due to aggressive hiring by leading local bank competitors, Donie Lochan, a partner at management consultancy Bain & Co, said in a reference to India.
The potential for wealth managers in India is huge.
Merrill Lynch-Capgemini, in its annual report on wealth, said the combined wealth of Asia Pacific's high net-worth individuals (HNWIs), or those with investible assets of over $1 million, is estimated to grow at an annual rate of 8.8 per cent until 2018, faster than the global average of 7.1 per cent, with China and India likely to lead HNWI growth in Asia Pacific.
Consultant Bain estimates India has around 115,000 HNWIs, less than 20 per cent of whom have financial advisers.
Recent departures from Western banks to local rivals include Nikhil Kapadia, who left Deutsche for Avendus Capital in January, and Anshu Kapoor, who joined Edelweiss Capital from HSBC.
Kapadia built Deutsche's private wealth business in India, and his last position at the German bank was chief operating officer for Asia Pacific onshore private banking.
Sutapa Banerjee, who left ABN AMRO Private Bank last year to head the wealth unit of India's Ambit Capital, said her decision was prompted by the opportunity to grow a new business and the monetary benefits that would appear if she succeeded.
The freedom that you have to be able to make decisions and be quick-to-market is far easier in a local entity, she said. You accept the challenge of creating something out of nothing, with the proviso that you partake of the riches you create.
OFFSHORE BANKING A BETTER BET?
Besides boutiques, foreign private banks also face competition in India from domestic companies such as Kotak Mahindra and ICICI Bank, which have better local knowledge and distribution networks.
But most of the world's big private banks appear undaunted so far by the competition, and Societe Generale, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley are among those that are steadily growing their onshore presence in India.
Ambit's Banerjee said casualties were inevitable, given the number of new entrants. But she added a shakeout was probably 4-5 years away as the market is growing rapidly.
Big global private banks do, however, have an advantage over Indian rivals in terms of brand recognition along with a perception that their staff are better trained.
Sanjiv Batra, who made his fortune by selling his paint business to Sherwin-Williams and now heads the U.S. firm's India operations, said he uses foreign private banks because their representatives were more polished and appeared better equiped to handle his needs.
Indian banks, especially the public limited banks, are very sloppy. Their presentations are very poor and you somehow don't give them much credence and credibility, he said.
A better near-term bet for foreign players could be the offshore market where StanChart, Barclays and other relative newcomers compete with established players such as UBS and Citigroup to serve wealthy overseas Indians from bases in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and London.
The new players are in better shape financially than the incumbents and are more able or willing to offer leverage, a key criteria used by overseas Indians when choosing a private bank, industry players say.
StanChart estimates that among the world's 22 million overseas Indians, about 7 in 1,000 are millionaires, one of the highest ratios in the world. Like other Asians, India's wealthy have relatively high appetites for risk, favouring banks with a global footprint that are more willing to extend loans.
A larger proportion of clients in Asia are entrepreneurs -- first or second generation... They are active investors and they are keen on cross-border opportunities, pan Asia or in other parts of the world, said Peter Flavel, StanChart's global head of private banking.
Sensex adds 29 pts to close at 17,970.02
Stock market benchmark Sensex tested the 18,000 level after a gap of over two years, but ended flat amid mixed global cues.
The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-share Sensex gained 28.65 points, or 0.16 per cent to end the day at 17,970.02 points.
During trade, the index touched 18,047.86 points, the highest level in more than 25 months.
The last time Sensex was at this level was on February 27, 2008.
The market has been posting gains for the past four sessions on expectations of strong earnings by corporate, who will start reporting quarterly numbers beginning next week.
But analysts said the valuations were high as the index has moved up quite fast so far in 2010.
"Upbeat investor sentiment helped market clock gains.
Positive outlook from companies would help it extend the gains," Unicon Financial CEO Gajendra Nagpal said.
After gaining nearly seven per cent in March, the Sensex has already recorded a gain of three per cent in just three trading sessions in April so far.
The National Stock Exchange's 50-share Nifty ended with a rise of 0.16 per cent to 5,374.65 points.
The market sentiment was positive in early trade but the index saw heavy profit booking towards the mid-session, which analysts said was on account of weak European markets.
"Investors were expecting that European market would open in green but it actually opened flat which triggered a profit booking here. However, final hour purchasing helped the market to settle in green with modest gains," Nagpal said.
The gain in today's market was helped by the buying in the scrip of heavyweight Reliance Industries which rose 0.70 per cent.
Also telecom major Bharti Airtel gained 1.41 per cent and diversified firm ITC which moved up 1.30 per cent.
Sports News
Jaipur: Michael Lumb butchered the Kings XI bowlers with a whirlwind 43-ball 83 as Rajasthan Royals spanked their opponents from Punjab by nine wickets in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.
Earlier, Mahela Jayawardene top-scored with a 33-ball 44 and Yuvraj Singh hit a 28-run cameo but Kings XI lost momentum and could manage only 27 runs losing two wickets in the last five overs to score a modest 153.
Lumb was at his attacking best as the English cricketer tore apart the Kings XI bowling and plundered fours and sixes at will to single-handedly take Rajathan Royals to the fastest IPL III fifty in 3.5 overs.
Sreesanth was in his firing line in the first over when Lumb slammed two fours off him before picking up four more boundaries spread over the next two overs off Ramesh Powar and Sreesanth.
But it was the fourth over when Lumb went completely berserk and plundered Juan Theron for three boundaries and a six to pick up 20 runs as Rajasthan reached 55 for no loss in 4 overs.
Bipul Sharma was then introduced into the attack but there was no respite for the 26-year-old spinner as Lumb fired two more fours, before sending Chawla out of the park in the next over.
Skipper Kumar Sangakkara then tossed the ball to Irfan Pathan but it made no difference to Lumb's plans as he went on to acculumate 17 runs off the left-arm pacer which included four fours en route to Rajasthan's 108 in nine overs.
Ravi Bopara finally brought an end to his innings when looking for a shot over mid-wicket, Lumb ended up giving a catch to Chawla. However, Ojha and Yusuf Pathan (21 not out) made sure there was no more hiccups and forged a 33-ball 48-run stand to romp home in quick time.
Earlier, Jayawardene plundered six boundaries and one six, while Yuvraj Singh (28) blasted three sixes and one four to set the tone but Kings XI kept losing wickets and couldn't accelarate in the end to post a modest 153.
Manvinder Bisla (20) gave Punjab a rollicking start, slamming a couple of fours off Aditya Dole, before welcoming Shane Watson with two more boundaries over point and mid-on. Last match hero Mehela Jayawardene also got into the act and played a lovely sweep shot off Yusuf Pathan behind square to pick up his first boundary.
However, Watson came back in the next over removing Bisla. Looking for a pull shot, Bisla's top-edge lobbed straight to Faiz Faisal at square leg as Kings XI were reduced to 29 for one in 3.3 overs.
Silent all this time, Naman Ojha then got into the act and clubbed a couple of fours off Powar. Lumb picked up another four off Piyush Chawla in the next over and then picked up a single to complete his well-deserved fifty in 28 balls.
Unfazed Jayawardene then blasted a six and a four in successive balls off Dole's second over to keep the tempo high, while new-man Kumar Sangakkara (9) picked up a four off Pathan in the next over.
Shane Warne then introduced Siddharth Trivedi into the attack and the Gujarat cricketer straight away dismissed Sangakkara off his first ball to reduce Punjab to 52 for two in 6.1 overs.
Jayawardene continued his good work and picked up two more boundaries, while Yuvraj Singh's slog-sweep earned him his first six off Warne in the ninth over. Pathan almost had Jayawardene in the ninth over but Dole dropped a sitter to give a life to the Sri Lankan.
Yuvraj (28), meanwhile, took Warne for special treatment and plundered two sixes and a four to take Punjab to 103 for two in 11 overs. However, the left-hander's innings came to an abrupt end when he bottom-edged a delivery from Dole onto his stumps. One ball later Jayawardene also perished when his leading edge flew to Warne as Punjab suddenly slipped to 109 for four in 11.5 overs.
Ravi Bopara (8) and Irfan Pathan (24 not out) then added 19 runs before a terrible mix-up cost the former his wicket. Irfan and Piyush Chawla (10) then picked up ones and twos to take Kings XI to 149 before the latter was caught by Jhunjhunwala at long-on.
For Rajasthan, Siddharth Trivedi and Aditya Dole picked up two wickets each giving away 22 and 36 runs respectively, while Shane Watson accounted for one wicket for 19 runs.
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