News » National

Bihar: inmates of Gopalganj jail kill doctor

May 30, 2011-New Delhi: In a shocking incident in Bihar, a doctor was beaten to death by prisoners inside Gopalganj jail for refusing to give them a fake certificate.

The incident occured on Sunday afternoon when Dr BD Singh went to the Gopalganj jail to treat a prisoner complaining of illness. Upon entering the jail, he was pushed down a flight of stairs and then mercilessly beaten up by a gang of prisoners. He died on the way to hospital.

The charge was allegedly led by Rajan Yadav who was recently given a life term in a kidnapping case. Yadav and two others wanted the doctor to issue them fake medical certificates to avoid being shifted to another jail.

Sources have told CNN-IBN that Yadav forced the doctor to issue him a medical certificate as he did not want to be moved to Buxar. The doctor was killed for refusing to give in to three prisoners' demand.

"I saw the doctor bleeding. The doctor went inside the jail as he was told someone was ill. I wasn't on duty," said Kundan Dev, Police Inspector, Gopalganj.

An FIR has been registered in the case and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe but doctors in Gopalganj have threatened to go on strike.

"FIR has been registered against the prisoners who are involved in the killing of the doctor. We cannot rule out whether there was a personal reason behind the killing of the doctor. They are convicted criminals and we will try to chargesheet them as soon as possible. We will ensure a speedy trail in the case and see to it that the criminals are brought to justices," said KS Anupam, SP, Gopalganj.

"The prisoners are already in jail so they don't have to be arrested, but a case will be filed and they will be tried again in this case. A speedy trial will be held," said Bihar Home Secretary Amir Subhani.

The victim's colleagues and members of the Indian Medical Association have threatened to go on strike in protest.

"The doctor was called inside a room by the prisoners and was thrashed to death," said Dr Baidyanath Singh.

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2G scam: Delhi high court to hear Kanimozhi's bail plea today

May 30, 2011-The Delhi high court will pronounce its verdict on the bail plea of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) lawmaker Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum case.

In her petition, Kanimozhi had earlier, challenged the trial court's order calling for her to be sent to custody.

She was arrested on May 20 after her bail plea was dismissed by a special Delhi court.

The CBI had claimed that Kanimozhi lobbied for Raja to become a Union cabinet minister.

The CBI also argued that Asif Balwa, who is the director of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd was the front man in the entire scam.

The agency presented before the court, details of the Rs 200 crore transactions by the Kalaignar TV.

The CBI said that a total number of 16 bank accounts were used in the transactions. The money first came from DB Realty to Kusegaon. It then went to Cineyug Film Company from where it was routed to Kalaignar TV.

She has been named as co-conspirator in CBI's second chargesheet in the scam.

Kanimozhi has been charged under Sections 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The charge sheet said the investigation into the case disclosed that money had travelled from DB Realty to Kalaignar TV.

The supplementary charge sheet filed by the investigating agency has also named as co-accused Sharad Kumar, Karim Morani of Cineyug Films, and Asif Balwa and Rajiv B Agarwal of Kusegaon Realty.

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Minor earthquake jolts Kashmir valley

May 30, 2011-Srinagar: A low intensity earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was recorded in Kashmir. However, there were no reports of any damage.

"Earthquake of 4.4 magnitude occurred today at 9.15 am," an official of the Disaster Management said.
He said the epicenter of the quake was in Pakistan with coordinates of 32.07 north latitude and 70.11 east longitude. He said there was no report of any damage due to the quake.
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Gurmeet Singh Bajwa, an MBA from Derbyshire and now a sarpanch in Jammu and Kashmir village

May 30, 2011-JAMMU: He earned a masters in business administration ( MBA )) in Derbyshire and was flooded with job offers. But Gurmeet Singh Bajwa had other dreams. He has just been elected a sarpanch of a small village close to the Pakistan border. At age 28, Bajwa says this is what he is committed to: serve village folks still steeped in poverty and corruption. "At one point, my promise was to live up to the dream of my family who wanted me to make a mark abroad," Bajwa told IANS, speaking in a mixture of Punjabi, Engish and Hindi. "Now it is to serve my people." He added: "Individual excellence is nothing to working for society." 

The ongoing panchayat elections have produced another icon in Jammu and Kashmir in Bajwa, whose Kang village in the Ranbirsingh Pora belt lies on the international border with Pakistan.


The young Sikh belongs to one of the most affluent and influential families of the region.


His father is Trilok Singh Bajwa, a senior Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP )) leader and a former Rajya Sabha member.


On May 17, voters decided they would give the younger Bajwa a chance to preside over their destinies. He polled 735 votes compared to his nearest rival, Karmajeet Singh, who got just 140 votes.


Kang village has a mixed population of Sikhs and non-Sikhs, the majority of whom are Jats, a community spread over both Punjab and in the adjoining belt of Jammu.


Before he contested the panchayat elections, Bajwa lived in the village, located only three kilometers from the Pakistan border.


After early education in the Jammu region, he went to Britain in 2004.


He returned to India in 2008 to help his father in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. The elder Bajwa, however, lost.


But why contest panchayat elections when Bajwa could have aimed high with his father's connections?


"It's always a small step that paves way for a big one," Bajwa said. "I want to work for my people, serve them. And if I can serve them effectively, that would be a big step in itself."


The villages in the border belt of Jammu and Kashmir have several peculiar problems: shortage of water to irrigate the fields, and recurring fights over water and land.


The villagers on the border are also victims of the uneasy India-Pakistan relations.


If and when guns boom, they have to retreat to their homes or even migrate to safe places, far away from their village, leaving their fields untended.


Bajwa has already uncovered a huge problem: corruption.


"The biggest problem I face here today is that almost 90 percent of the landlords have registered themselves as those belonging to BPL (Below Poverty Line) families," he said. "As a result, the deserving cases are suffering."


He wants to reverse this and get justice done.


"I shall work for the social uplift and justice to all sections; that's my aim," Bajwa said.


"As of now my aim is to work for the people at the local level. Tomorrow, if there is an opportunity to serve at a bigger scale, I may do that. But that's all in the realm of tomorrow.


"As of now, I want to work for the people in the village to make their tomorrow better."


Said father Bajwa: "The people of the area compelled him, and he was more than willing to contest elections and work for the people."

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Moily flays BJP for slamming Centre’s advisory to Karnataka government

Karkala, May 28, 2011-Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily slammed the BJP for criticising the advisory sent by the Centre to the B.S. Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka, saying the party should have taken it in the right spirit.

“The Centre acted in a responsible manner, despite the BJP being engaged in a malicious campaign against the Congress to gain sympathy from the people after Governor H.R. Bhardwaj sent in his report to the Centre. But the BJP’s attempts failed,” he said.

The BJP should have taken the Centre’s advisory in the right spirit, Mr. Moily said.

Allegations of corruption and illegal mining faced by the Yeddyurappa government were not created by Congress, he told reporters here.

It was the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee which brought to light the menace of illegal mining going on in Karnataka, after which the Yeddyurappa government has come under the cloud of corruption charges, he said.

It was on the basis of these allegations that the Centre had sent the advisory, he added.

Mr. Yeddyurappa had said he has sent the copy of the advisory to BJP President Nitin Gadkari, seeking advice on future steps the state should take on the issue. Mr. Yeddyurappa and the BJP’s top brass have been highly critical of the advisory.

The Centre had sent the advisory after rejecting the Governor’s report recommending imposition of President’s rule.

Criticising the BJP, Mr. Moily claimed the party would be decimated in the next General Elections to be held in 2013.

The BJP, which was routed in the recent assembly polls held in five states, including Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, would face similar poll prospects in 2013 elections, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Antony said that anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare has not set any deadline over the Jan Lokpal Bill, the draft of which would be ready by June 30.

The Government will introduce the bill in the coming Parliament session and it was left to the Parliament to decide on its passage, he said.

Keywords: Veerappa Moily, Karnataka crisis
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Pranab promises all help to West Bengal

KOLKATA, May 30, 2011-The Centre will provide all help to the West Bengal government to overcome its financial difficulties, Union Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Mr. Mukherjee at his residence here to discuss the State's finances and the possibility of the Centre releasing funds. State Finance Minister Amit Mitra and Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee were present.

“I have promised that all sorts of help will be provided to the State to overcome the difficult situation,” Mr. Mukherjee told journalists after the meeting, describing the State's financial condition as a “difficult situation.”

“Whatever short-term assistance is required will be provided, and after discussions, a long-term plan for the State's financial recovery will be worked out,” he said.

However, neither of them provided any detail of a special economic package. “The details will be worked out in Delhi in consultation with officials of the State and the Central governments,” Mr. Mukherjee said.

Describing the State's financial position as “almost an Emergency” and a “disaster worse than Aila,” Ms. Banerjee said she had the faith that the State and Central governments would together be able to overcome the crisis. Short-term, medium-term and long-term measures were required to revive the State's financial health and further discussions would be held in New Delhi.

“The treasury was absolutely closed since November last year. This is a very serious situation. Embargoes had been placed on certain social sectors and no money was given out,” Ms. Banerjee said.

Keywords: West Bengal financial position, Pranab-Mamata meeting, Amit Mitra, Partha Chatterjee
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News » International

Nepal’s Constituent Assembly term extended for 3 months 

Kathmandu, May 29, 2011-Nepal’s major political parties amended the interim constitution and extended the term of the Constituent Assembly by three months early on Sunday morning. A five-point agreement between the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) was the basis for the consensus.

The deal includes a commitment to complete the fundamentals of the peace process, and prepare a first draft of the new constitution within three months. It states that Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal would resign to make way for a national unity government. In accordance with past agreements with Madhesi parties, the Nepal Army would be given an ‘inclusive’ character.

The agreement was concluded after almost 15 hours of intra and inter-party meetings, with NC, Maoists, UML and the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) engaged in hectic negotiations through Saturday. NC and Maoists initially discussed the details of the peace process, including numbers to be integrated, modality of integration, and end of dual security provided to Maoist leaders. NC also proposed a limited term extension to finish the tasks related to the peace process and another extension, if necessary, to complete the constitution. While the final agreement did not go into specifics of the peace process, NC’s proposal for limited extension prevailed.

In negotiations with the Maoists, the UDMF asked for group recruitment of 10,000 Madhesis into the Nepal Army, and the government’s immediate resignation as precondition for supporting term extension. But the Maoists said that they could, at best, put in a commitment of the Prime Minister to resign for national consensus after extension. UDMF however stuck to its original stance, and was not part to the agreement. As mark of protest, it did not participate in the house session.

But just as the house got extended, differing interpretations began emerging on the deal. NC general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula said his party’s understanding was that the Prime Minister would resign very soon, while PM Khanal said that he would resign only when there is an alternative national unity framework in place. The parties will also struggle to arrive at a common view on the details of integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.

Keywords: Nepal political crisis, Constituent Assembly, Jhalanath Khanal

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Syrian tanks attack two central towns

BEIRUT, May 29, 2011 - Syrian activists say government troops backed by tanks are attacking two central towns that have seen intense protests against President Bashar Assad’s regime.

The activists say the attack on Rastan and Talbiseh in the central province of Homs started early on Sunday.

The activists say all roads leading to the two towns have been closed off by security forces and soldiers. The activist spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing government reprisals.

Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been killed since the revolt erupted in Syria in mid-March, a toll that has both enraged and motivated the protesters.

The 10-week-old protests have evolved from a disparate movement demanding reforms to a resilient uprising that is now seeking Mr. Assad’s ouster.

Keywords: Syria unrest, Bashar Assad
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NATO airstrike kills 14 civilians in southern Afghanistan

Kandahar, Afghanistan, May 29, 2011-A NATO airstrike in southern Afghan province of Helmand killed 14 civilians including women and children, a government spokesman said Sunday.

The raid in Nawzad district was initiated after U.S. Marines came under Taliban fire, a spokesman for the provincial governor said.

“The foreign forces called for air support and NATO aircraft bombed two civilian homes,” Daud Ahmadi said.

“Five girls, seven boys and two women were martyred and three children, a woman and two men were injured in the bombardment,” Mr. Ahmadi said.

Tim James, spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the alliance “is aware of alleged civilian casualties” and the southern regional command was investigating.

Civilian casualties at the hands of international forces have been the most delicate issue between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO military officials.

On Saturday, Mr. Karzai ordered the Defence Ministry to prevent foreign troops from uncoordinated operations and to take control of all night raids.

The directive is likely to create tension between his government and NATO, as alliance commander U.S. General David Petraeus has hailed such operations.

NATO said dozens of insurgents are killed and detained each month in night raids, which have often resulted in civilian deaths.

Keywords: NATO airstrike, Afghanistan
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Yemen president, tribal chief agree to end clashes

SANAA, Yemen, May 29, 2011-Yemen’s embattled president and the country’s most powerful tribal leader have agreed to end five days of gunbattles that killed 124 people and pushed the country’s political crisis closer to civil war.

The fighting between forces loyal to both men made the past week the deadliest since mass street protests for an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule broke out three months ago. Although it could prevent bloodshed, Saturday’s agreement will do little to solve the wider crisis, with Mr. Saleh rejecting efforts to negotiate his exit.

The week’s battles began when Mr. Saleh’s security forces attacked the home of Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar, head of the powerful Hashid tribal confederation and an uneasy ally who abandoned the president and joined his opponents. Tribal fighters came to al-Ahmar’s defense and seized a number of government buildings in the Hassaba neighborhood of the capital, Sanaa, during intense clashes.

Fighting then spread outside the capital when tribal fighters seized two army posts north of the city on Friday.

A member the committee of tribal leaders who brokered Saturday’s deal said the sides had agreed to withdraw their forces from the neighbourhood starting Sunday morning.

The mediation committee will take control of the government buildings seized by tribal fighters so civilians can return to the area, the mediator said.

An aide to Mr. al-Ahmar confirmed the agreement’s details.

“The committee reached an agreement, and we will abide by it,” he said.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The agreement late Saturday followed steps by both sides to undermine the other, with Mr. al-Ahmar calling on security forces to desert the president and Yemeni authorities issuing an arrest warrant for the tribal leader.

In a letter to security forces, Mr. al-Ahmar called on the Republican Guard and other security forces to help “get rid of this regime and be among the makers of the change that the people are calling for.”

Experts say the uprising’s future will be determined by the number of tribes and security forces that turn against Mr. Saleh. Many already have, including the Hashid confederation, to which Mr. Saleh’s tribe belongs. Some army units have also left Mr. Saleh to back the protesters, though they did not join the fight against his forces.

The wave of defections picked up after Mr. Saleh intensified a crackdown on the protesters that has killed more than 150 demonstrators.

Mr. Al-Ahmar’s letter, published online and read aloud and distributed at meetings with tribal leaders, called on others to leave Mr. Saleh.

“The enemy of all these people is Saleh, who has weighed heavily upon our people for all these years and confiscated the simplest of Yemeni citizens’ rights to serve the interests of Saleh, his sons and his family,” he wrote.

He called on soldiers not to “sacrifice themselves for one individual or family” and to stand with the people in choosing “change and the dream of a better future.”

It remains unclear if Mr. al-Ahmar’s letter will have any effect. Much of Mr. Saleh’s power base is made up of childhood friends and family members he placed in high-level security posts, decreasing the chances of defection. Yemen’s powerful Republican Guard, which Mr. al-Ahmar called on specifically, is commanded by one of Mr. Saleh’s sons and has remained loyal to the president as other military units have defected.

The week’s clashes followed a breakdown in efforts by Yemen’s Gulf Arab neighbours to negotiate an end to the crisis. The deal would have required Mr. Saleh to step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution, but he balked at signing.

The Hashid turned against Mr. Saleh two months ago, throwing its weight behind the protesters. But before this week, it had kept its well-armed fighters on the sidelines.

The United States, which once considered Mr. Saleh a necessary ally in fighting an active al-Qaeda branch in Yemen, has turned away from the Yemeni ruler, calling on him to peacefully transfer power.

Keywords: Yemen unreast, Yemen ceasefire

News » National

Punishment for top corrupt officials on agenda in Lokpal Bill committee meet

New Delhi, May 29-Civil society members are expected to make a strong pitch for graver punishment, including life imprisonment for high ranking officials in cases of corruption, when the joint committee to draft the Lokpal Bill meets in New Delhi on Monday.

They will also demand that a corrupt government official serve a minimum of one year rigorous imprisonment and a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

“Punishment shall be higher if the status or rank of the accused is higher,” reads a recommendation of the civil society members led by Anna Hazare.

These issues were discussed by the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill chaired by Pranab Mukherjee during a meeting last week.

Mr. Hazare’s team also wants to bring within the purview of the Lokpal, conduct of MPs inside Parliament, if it is an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

A proposal to this effect was made during the meeting of the joint drafting committee on May 23.

The joint committee had agreed in principle on a provision to attach the properties of corrupt government officials on completion of investigation of charges against them.

They also agreed on recovering the losses caused by the corrupt officials by auctioning the properties acquired by using ‘ill gotten’ wealth.

However, there were differences on when to issue the notification on the list of assets of an official. The proposal states that the assets cannot be transferred after issuance of the notification.

Meanwhile, the civil society members appear to have raised the pitch for early enactment of the Lokpal Act, saying Mr. Hazare would return to Jantar Mantar on August 16 if the Bill is not passed by Parliament.

The setting up of the joint drafting committee was a key demand of Mr. Hazare and his supporters as part of their agitation for strong measures to tackle corruption in government and public life.

The Committee was constituted through a government notification on April 9 after Mr. Hazare ended his 97-hour fast on the issue.

The Committee is chaired by Mr. Mukherjee and has Union ministers Kapil Sibal, Veerappa Moily, Salman Khurshid and P. Chidambaram as members. Besides Mr. Hazare, the civil society members are Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, advocate Prashant Bhushan, former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr. Hazare’s team has voiced concern over the slow progress of the bill drafting process following which it was agreed to hold meetings more frequently.

Keywords: India against corruption, Lokpal Bill, joint committee, anti-corruption

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Antony warns Pakistan ahead of Defence Secretary-level talks

Mr Antony's comments came just a day before the start of the two-day Defence Secretary-level talks in New Delhi.

May 29, 2011-Kannur:  Just a day ahead of the meeting of the Defence Secretaries of both nations, India indulged in some tough posturing, once again raising the terror bogey with Pakistan.

Claiming that about 42 terrorist camps were still functioning in Pakistan, Defence Minister A K Antony said that "co-operation" between the two nations wasn't possible if the terror tap continued to flow from across the border.

"Without destroying these terrorist camps, it would be difficult to have permanent cooperation in Indo-Pak relations," he said.

However, the minister said that the government was keen to continue the dialogue process as India wanted to good relations with Pakistan.

"Dialogue is an important factor. Without dialogue nothing can be achieved," he said.

Mr Antony's comments came just a day before the start of the two-day Defence Secretary-level talks in New Delhi.

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UPA failed to protect farmers: Mayawati

May 29, 2011-CHANDIGARH: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who attacked the central government for its failure to protect farmers' interests, Sunday urged the Bahujan Samaj Party (BJP) workers to prepare for the Punjab assembly elections next year. 

At a massive party rally here, one of the most high-tech public rallies the city saw in recent times, the BSP supremo said: "The UPA government has failed to shield the interests of farmers while drafting their land acquisition policies. They have failed to formulate a common policy for all states and farmers are forced to come out on roads to protest."

Her attack came in the wake of recent protests launched by the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in support of the agitation by farmers in Greater Noida over land acquisition.

The violent agitation had led to the killing of four people in Bhatta Parsoul village, an incident that the opposition parties made good use of to take on the Mayawati government.

The chief minister added: "This government has also failed to bring the black money deposited in foreign banks. We appeal them to pass a bill in the parliament to bring this money to India."

The BJP had also failed to bring back the black money during their six-year tenure, she charged.

Despite of the scorching heat, thousands of BSP supporters from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir had gathered at the rally ground.

Mayawati addressed the of people, who had come in large numbers from different parts of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, from an eight-foot high and 30-foot wide stage.

Six air-conditioners kept the an 8 ft by 30 ft stage cool. The make-shift toilet behind the stage had its own air-conditioners.

Mayawati said the BSP will launch countrywide protest against recent petrol price hike.

"The BSP will launch country-wide protest against it from May 31. We will stage a one-day protest demonstration in all districts of Uttar Pradesh Tuesday," the chief minister said.

"Our party is ready for the Punjab elections (in February 2011). We will fight it alone and I am sure that we will come out victorious," she added.

"Our leader Kanshi Ram belonged to Punjab and BSP's victory in this state was his dream. We will put in all effort to fulfill his dream," Mayawati said.

Six wide-screens were set-up at the rally venue, where dozens of fans and water sprinklers comforted the party workers.        

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Hospital director suspended after Mamata visit

KOLKATA, May 27-Corporate heads based in West Bengal want Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to send a strong signal to investors that the strategically located state will be a "trend-setter" and "not a spent force" in the country's industrial landscape.

"We hope to see a turnaround in economic fortunes of the state with newer investments and most importantly, a change in perception in the minds of the investors," the Chairman of the Electronics and Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), S Radhakrishnan, said.
He said that a perception change is required among investors that West Bengal "is not a spent force, but a trend-setter of development and growth".

Radhakrishnan, who runs an engineering consultancy firm from Kolkata, said the new Trinamool Congress-led government has shown a "great deal of energy and confidence". The challenge for the Banerjee government is is to address the problem of huge debt and achieve some easy deliverables in the short-term.
According to Reserve Bank data, the state has a debt of Rs 2 lakh crore.
Sanjay Budhia, the managing director of Rs 200 crore engineering export house Patton, said the initial signals are positive, but problems of perception need to be addressed first through an image uplift.
The state suffered an image setback in the eyes of industry after Tata Motors pulled out its Nano project from Singur in 2008.
"Also, within the state, there is a negative mindset and mental block... We have to create an environment to bring the talent of the state back to West Bengal," he said, adding that the state can be a gateway to the north-eastern states -- Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Mynamar.
Budhia, who is also chairman of the CII National Committee on exports, said the trade unions should be led by people within the organisation and not by outsiders.
Asked about the issue of land and farmers' protests against acquisition, he said the sites locked in sick and closed industries should be released and the land banks should be created.
He suggested "some kind of ownership" for land losers in industrial projects. Besides, the land valuation should be proper and justified.
They also expressed confidence that with industry-friendly ministers like Partha Chatterjee (Industry) and Amit Mitra (Finance), the new government will be able to win back the confidence of investors.
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Manmohan: nothing new in Headley trial

 May 28, 2011-Self-confessed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist David Coleman Headley's ongoing court testimony — in which he has implicated individuals allegedly connected to Pakistan's intelligence agency in the November 2008 terror attack on Mumbai — has not brought out anything India did not already know, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday.

He also said he would continue to use the bilateral dialogue process to press home the demand that Islamabad take action to curb the activities of jihadi groups and would also mobilise world opinion to ensure the “terror machinery” in Pakistan was effectively controlled.

Speaking to journalists on his way back from a week-long visit to Africa, Dr. Singh said that even though the Headley trial had not brought out anything new, his government would study the proceedings once it was over. But he gave no indication that a rethink of the current dialogue-based policy towards Pakistan was on the cards. “It goes without saying that we must use every possible opportunity to talk to Pakistan and convince them that terror as an instrument of state policy is simply not acceptable to people in the civilised world as a whole. And as Pakistan's neighbour, we have great worries about the terror machine that is still intact [there].”

The Prime Minister said India had to work on two fronts. “One is the bilateral negotiations with Pakistan. We must convince the Pakistani leadership that it is in their own interest that they must help us in tackling the problem of terror in our region, and that those jihadi groups who target India [are] ... effectively curbed and dealt with.” This was an ongoing process and India must use every opportunity it gets to drive home this point, he said.

The second front was global: “The world has seen as never before that the epicentre of terror is in our neighbourhood, they appreciate India's worry, and it should be our effort to mobilise world opinion to ensure that this terror machine, which operates in our neighbourhood in Pakistan, is brought under effective control.”

In the wake of the recent terrorist attack on a naval base in Karachi, Dr. Singh said he hoped that Pakistan would now recognise that “the monster of terrorism which they unleashed at one time is hurting them as much as it can hurt our country.” The more he saw what was happening there, he added, the more convinced he was that Pakistan's leaders “must now wake up and recognise that that the terror machine that they, or at least some elements of that country, have patronised is not working to anybody's advantage.”

Asked whether he was considering making a visit to Pakistan this year, the Prime Minister said he had not made up his mind on that yet. “But I have always believed that good relations between India and all its neighbours are very desirable and essential for us in South Asia to realise our development ambitions.”

Keywords: Mumbai terror attacks, David Coleman Headley, Manmohan's Africa visit
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