Islamabad, June 03: The United States on Wednesday chose to stay mum on the issue of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed’s release from house arrest, with its special envoy for Af-Pak describing it as a Pakistani government issue.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, along with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Richard Holbrooke refused to respond to a reporter’s query on JuD chief’s release Tuesday. “Pakistan has its own laws… it is a Pakistani government issue,” Holbrooke said.
The Lahore High Court had on Tuesday freed Mumbai terror attacks’ prime accused Hafiz Saeed from house arrest, saying there was no concrete evidence to corroborate his involvement in the 26/11 attacks. Within hours of the Lahore HC decision, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had linked peace in the region to the resolution of the Kashmir issue.
Reports today claimed that the Pakistani government was unlikely to challenge Hafiz Saeed’s release in the Supreme Court.
Holbrooke had earlier in the day commented on the JuD chief’s release by saying, “It has disturbed us all.”
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan arrived in Islamabad today to review relief work for refugees displaced by ongoing offensive by Pakistani authorities against Taliban forces in the Swat Valley.
He announced that President Barack Obama has asked the US Congress to approve another USD 200 million in humanitarian assistance for refugees Pakistan’s northwest.
“President Obama sent me here to show our concern for the people of Pakistan… to show our concern for the refugees,” the envoy told reporters. “I came here to see the situation on the ground… to see what more assistance can be given,” he added.
If the US Congress approves fresh demand for USD 200 million, the assistance the United States would have given for the humanitarian crisis in Swat so far would total USD 300 million.
“This is more than half the assistance Pakistan has received from the international community to tackle the crisis,” Holbrooke said. He further called on the European Union and Gulf countries to do more.
He also reiterated the US’ commitment of assisting Pakistan in combating the Taliban militants, saying Washington would continue to work closely with Islamabad.
“We are committed to help you fight militants… to support democracy,” he stated, adding “instability in Pakistan was not good for any country in the region”.
Pakistan and the US both have same perception of the threat (from the Taliban and al Qaeda), he said further.
Zardari on his part said that the fight against the Taliban was a war of ideology, adding the extremists were trying to take off the flag of Pakistan from the Swat Valley.
“To say the war has been won or is going well, it’s too soon,” he stated.
Osama bin Laden threatens US in new tape over action in Pakistan
Cairo, June 03, 2009:Members of a political party bribed army officers in a blatant bid to rig postal ballots during last month's general elections in India, according to Election Commissioner SY Quraishi. He did not identify the party.
The visiting Indian official, who was giving a presentation on the just-concluded elections at the House of Commons on Tuesday, said the malpractice came to light during the polls in Punjab.
He said Punjab Police personnel found that army soldiers were being corralled into voting for particular candidates by their commanding officers.
"We realised that the commanding officers of these forces were being approached by a political party and they were being bribed. And these soldiers had been told to just say 'yes sir.'
"There is no other word in their dictionary. So if a commanding officer says 'just vote for this man', all the soldiers will vote for that man," Quraishi said, answering a question about whether India - like Britain - faced problems with postal ballot fraud.
Six Pakistani-origin men were jailed for a total of more than 13 years last month after a major police investigation into an attempt to rig local council elections by fixing ballot papers in the London suburb of Slough.
The malpractice was described by the British judge as a "serious criminal offence... that attacks, affects and corrodes the roots of our democracy".
Quraishi said he was not aware of the British scandal but added that India was trying to address the problem of postal ballot fraud by strengthening the secret ballot. He said every ballot in India has to be posted separately and by registered post, the cost of which is borne by the Election Commission.
Osama bin Laden threatens US in new tape over action in Pakistan
Americans in a new audio tape on Wednesday, saying President Barack Obama inflamed hatred toward the US by ordering Pakistan to crack down on militants in Swat Valley and block Islamic law there.
Bin Laden claimed US pressure led to a campaign of "killing, fighting, bombing and destruction" that prompted the exodus of a million Muslims from Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan. The message was broadcast for the first time on pan-Arab Al-Jazeera Television around the same time Obama touched down in Saudi Arabia at the start of a Mideast visit. He is trying repair relations with the Muslim world frayed under the previous Bush administration.
"Elderly people, children and women fled their homes and lived in tents as refugees after they have lived in dignity in their homes," bin Laden said. "Let the American people be ready to reap what the White House leaders have sown," he added.
"Obama and his administration have sown new seeds to increase hatred and revenge on America," bin Laden said. "The number of these seeds is equal to the number of displaced people from Swat Valley."
Pakistan's military offensive to expel the Taliban from Swat Valley was launched in late April after the militants abandoned a peace deal with the government that gave them control of the region. The offensive, strongly backed by Washington, is seen as a test of Pakistan's resolve against militants in the northwestern border region near Afghanistan.
Pakistanis tired of militant attacks in the country that have killed hundreds of civilians have also supported the campaign. But the fighting has uprooted some 3 million people. Bin Laden focused entirely on Pakistan, claiming President Asif Ali Zardari was paid by the White House to start the crackdown. Al-Jazeera aired excerpts of the tape and did not say how it was obtained.
Bin Laden, whose last message was released in mid-March, has been sparing in his criticism of Obama in the past. In January, he said only that the US president had received a "heavy inheritance" from prhis habams.
Jaitley to lead BJP in RS, Sushma to be Advani's deputy in LS
New Delhi:The BJP appointed its senior leader Arun Jaitley as the Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House and Sushma Swaraj deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
S S Ahluwalia would be deputy leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
L K Advani, who had reluctantly accepted the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha after the party's dismal performance in Lok Sabha poll, was given the responsibility of choosing the leaders for these posts last Sunday.
Advani had met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday and was reportedly authorised to take the decisions.
M Venkaiah Naidu was also in the race for the post of Leader of Opposition in the Upper House. Swaraj will assist Advani as his deputy in the Lok Sabha and is likely to be replace him in a few months, BJP sources said.
Ramesh Bais, the senior party leader from Chhattisgarh, and Maya Singh, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, will be the Chief Whips of the party in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively.
Indian Business News|Business News
No great impact of GM bankruptcy: Wipro
Mumbai:Wipro Ltd, India's No.3 software services firm, said on Wednesday accounts receivable from General Motors was less than $8 million and does not expect to be hit by the US automaker's bankruptcy filing.
GM accounts for less than 1 per cent of Wipro's IT services segment revenue, and our assessment is that a substantial portion is expected to continue, the outsourcer said in a statement.
Wipro said it was in constant talks with GM to "monitor and assess the situation".
Inflation seen at 0.56 pct on May 23
Mumbai:The annual inflation rate is forecast to have eased marginally in the third week of May and could head towards zero by the middle of this month, analysts said on Wednesday.
The wholesale price index should have climbed 0.56 per cent in the 12 months to May 23, compared with a 0.61 per cent rise in each of the first two weeks of the month, the median forecast of 14 analysts polled by Reuters showed.
The data will be released by midday (0630 GMT) on Thursday.
Annual inflation had been ticking up since early April when it fell to 0.18 per cent, a record low since annual data started in 1977/78.
Despite rising prices in many sectors, the annual inflation rate eased slightly due to sharper increases in the wholesale price index last year, analysts said.
"Going forward, the inflation rate will slip into negative territory, probably in mid-June, and will stay there till end-August," said Saugata Bhattacharya, economist at Axis Bank.
Indian cricket news| Indian Sports News|French Open
UK's Oval on high alert for India-Pakistan cricket match
London:Security around the Oval cricket ground here has been stepped up in view of the India-Pakistan Twenty20 warm-up match to be held on Wednesday with extra night watchmen and sniffer dogs pressed into services around the venue.
It will be the first Indian-Pakistan cricket encounter since the November Mumbai attacks, and officials are taking no chances to ensure that the match passes off peacefully. Tournament director Steve Elworthy said, "The sporting landscape has changed hugely since the tragedies in Mumbai and Lahore. We need to be confident we're on top of the situation, which we are."
Security has also been stepped up in venues where the Sri Lanka team is scheduled to play, given the recent events in the island nation and demonstrations in London against the Sri Lanka government's offensive against the Tamil Tigers. A dedicated Police Intelligence Cell headed by the former chief constable Sir John Evans, has been set with the mandate to supervise security arrangements for the whole Twenty20 World Cup tournament.
Last week, the Sri Lanka team cancelled a speaking engagement at the Oxford Union because of security concerns. As many as 23,000 tickets for the Tuesday match were sold out within 48 hours, and the proceeds will be forwarded to the International Cricket Council's charitable initiative "Catch the Spirit".
The beneficiaries will include the families of those killed in the Lahore terror attacks, as well as various educational schemes across the subcontinent. Haroon Lorgat, ICC chief executive, played down security concerns, "I don't see any tensions here. I see a hugely exciting occasion, and one that will help the victims of the Lahore incident."
Safina survives, Murray bows out
Paris:Dinara Safina woke up from a first-set snooze to keep alive her dreams of a maiden grand slam title but Andy Murray paid for his mid-match doze and slid out of the French Open on Tuesday.
World number one Safina soaked up the full force of Belarussian teenager Victoria Azarenka's armoury to reach the semi-finals for the second year running with a see-saw 1-6 6-4 6-2 win. She will face Slovak Dominika Cibulkova next.
British third seed Murray had seen the draw open up wide for him following the shock defeat of four-times champion Rafael Nadal but he will not be able to capitalise on the Spaniard's downfall after being outwitted 6-3 3-6 6-0 6-4 by swashbuckling Chilean world number 12 Fernando Gonzalez.
Murray's demise meant Roger Federer was the only top-four player left in Paris since Serbia's Novak Djokovic has also been ushered out of Roland Garros.
The Scot's hopes of ending Britain's 73-year wait for a men's grand slam champion ended in a flurry of dashing forehands and delectable lobs that flew off Gonzalez's racket.
"No one's hit the ball that big. He was hitting it huge. If that happens, you've got to say too good," said Murray, who before this event had never strung together four wins on clay.
Gonzalez will next take on Robin Soderling.
The Swedish giant-killer proved his win over Nadal was no fluke as he ruined 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko's birthday celebrations with a 6-1 6-3 6-1 walloping.
The 23rd seed is enjoying his moment in the spotlight and has acquired some famous fans along the way.
Nadal slayer Soderling strikes again
Paris:Robin Soderling’s big forehand didn’t let him down on Tuesday at the French Open, and it didn’t let Nikolay Davydenko into the match. The 24-year-old Swede advanced to the semi-finals by following up his upset over Rafael Nadal with a 6-1 6-3 6-1 win over Nikolay Davydenko.
“I was a little bit lucky in the beginning,” said Soderling, who will be playing in his first major semi-final against 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez has made his maiden Roland Garros semi-finals by beating third-seeded Andy Murray 6-3 3-6 6-0 6-4. The Chilean was broken serving for the match at 5-4 in the final set, but he broke back at love for the victory.
At the start, it looked as if Soderling’s huge win on Sunday could have taken too much out of him. Serving to open the match against the 10th-seeded Davydenko, Soderling faced his only two break points. He saved them both, though, and went on the win five straight games — including taking 11 straight points from the third to fifth games.
Soderling also had a break point in the first game of the second set, and three in the fifth, but Davydenko saved them all. At 3-3, however, the Russian committed four unforced errors to give Soderling the decisive break.
After breaking Davydenko two more times in the third set, Soderling served for the match and used two more big forehands to give him three match points. The Swede wasted the first with a forehand that went long, but then he hit his fourth ace of the match to end it.
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