Govt to repeal POTA, enact law to deal with communal violence
New Delhi, June 7 (PTI) Pledging to enforce the law without fear or favour to deal with all "obscurantist and fundamentalist elements", the Congress-led UPA government today announced repeal of the dreaded POTA and enactment of a model law to deal with communal violence.
In a virtual indictment of the previous BJP-led NDA government, the coalition said it would take steps to remove "communalisation" of the school syllabus that has taken place in recent years.
In its first major policy statement, contained in the address to the joint sitting of Parliament President A P J Abdul Kalam said the government would ensure 7 to 8 per cent economic growth rate and implement economic reforms with a human face focusing on farmers, farm labour and workers and generate more employment and income.
On the foreign front, the President said the government would strive to have closer relations with all the neighbours, including Pakistan with which dialogue on all outstanding issued will be persued within the framework of Simla Agreement and all subsequent accords between the two governments. This included the joint statement issued on January six during the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Islamabad. PTI
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Institutes of higher learning to get back autonomy: Kalam
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Amid the controversy over the fee cut and autonomy in IIMs, the Government today said all institutions of higher learning and professional education would get back the autonomy and institutional mechanisms would be put in place to provide loans at affordable rates for higher education.
Apparently referring to the state of affairs in the institutions during the BJP-led NDA rule, President A P J Abdul Kalam said "my government is aware of the systematic erosion of autonomy of our institutions of repute in recent years." "My Government will ensure that all institutions of higher learning and professional education get back autonomy that they enjoyed earlier," he said addressing a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.
At the same time, he said, the government would ensure that nobody was denied professional education because he or she was poor.
Apart from increasing the supply of loan scholarships and refinance through banks, the government would put in place institutional mechanisms to provide loans at affordable rates to those who cannot afford the costs of college and university education in science, engineering, medicine and management studies. PTI
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Armyman says he participated in fake encounters on Siachen
Jodhpur, June 7 (PTI) An armyman today told a military court, hearing the fake Siachen killing case, that at the behest of Major Surinder Singh, he demolished a fake "enemy taget" and later posed as enemy casualty in August and repeated the episode in September last year.
Deposing before the court, rifleman Shyam Bahadur Thapa narrated the sequence of alleged fake encounter staged on August 24 last year.
Corraborating deposition by other witnesses he said company commander Major Singh, a day before the enactment of fake encounter, made everybody involved in the operation swear before Lord Hanuman not to reveal the truth to anyone.
"Earlier on August 20 the officer called me and asked me if I could operate a video camera. When I said I did not know how to operate camera Major Singh taught me its operation," he said.
When the fake encounter was being enacted, Singh allegedly asked him to go near the rubble of the "enemy target", constructed and later destroyed by opening fire, and lie there along the wall.
"He asked me to remove my jacket and cap before going to the demolished fake target and lie there. But when I started moving with my jacket and cap on and Major Singh abused me in foul language," Thapa said.
"I was also asked by Major Singh to report technical snag in first two shot and fire with rocket launcher to demolish the fake target later".
"The drama was re-enacted on September 21 last year," he said. PTI
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Pak ready to provide intl guarantees for pipeline project
Islamabad, June 7 (PTI) Pakistan today said it was ready to provide international guarantees afresh to India to lay the gas pipeline from Iran to Gujarat via its territory provided there were no "extraneous conditionalities" attached to it.
"These guarantees have been given in the past and we are ready to give them again afresh. There is no problem. This is not an obstacle and a hurdle," Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan told a media briefing.
He was reacting to Singh's reported remarks that India would consider the pipeline project if Pakistan provides guarantees.
Khan said such a project would boost relations and cooperation between India, Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian Republics. "There is a collective benefit involvement here and we must pursue it".
However, he said "there should not be any extraneous conditionalities attached to it." "I think we can do business. International guarantees let met reiterate are not a problem," he said.
For over two years Pakistan has been pursuing two gasline projects for India, one involving a pipeline project from Iran to India through Pakistan and another through Central Asia to India. PTI
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Kalam unveils govt agenda assuring eco reforms with human face
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Assuring economic reforms with a human face, President A P J Abdul Kalam today unveiled the new government's agenda aimed at stepping up public investment, selective privatisation, far-reaching tax reforms, cess for education and changes in labour laws to attain 7-8 per cent growth.
Addressing a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament, Kalam said the Common Minimum Programme will be implemented during the next five years and agriculture, industry and services would be reformed to hasten social and economic development.
To root out corruption, black money will be tackled, he said adding major tax reforms with stable rates will significantly widen the tax base, increase compliance and make tax administration more friendly.
VAT will be implemented, revenue deficit wiped off by 2009 to release more resources for investments in social and physical infrastructure, he said.
Subsidies would be targeted, prices controlled and hoarders kept under check besides considering privatisation on a case-by-case basis. Loss-making PSUs would be sold or shut.
For boosting GDP growth and reviving the industry, the rate of investment will be pushed up by rejuvenating capital markets, deepening financial markets, encouraging FII and FDI and announcing a package for SSI sector soon, he said.
Kalam said India's negotiations at WTO will fully protect the interests and livelihood of farmers, textiles industry will be geared to meet post-quota regime challenges and measures will be taken to boost exports. PTI
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Budget after July two: Chidambaram
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said the General Budget for 2004-05 will be presented anytime after July two.
"I am ready after July second," the Minister told reporters when asked about the presentation of the Union Budget, after the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.
PTI
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Misgivings removed over continuation of Indo-Pak peace process
K J M Varma
Islamabad, June 7 (PTI) Asserting that all "misgivings" have been removed over the continuation of the Indo-Pak peace process with telephone conversations between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Pakistan today said that it has no "anxiety and self doubt" about furthering the dialogue process starting later this month.
"We are not worried about statements coming from Delh in the recent past. Statements have been made and we responded to them. Since the Foreign Ministers have spoken to each other twice in the past week the misgivings have been removed," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan told a media briefing.
Elaborating further he said, Pakistan Foreign Miister, Kurhsid M. Kasuri has proposed rhetoric restraint regime and it has been observed by the two sides.
"As far as Pakistan is concerned we are ready to invest time and energy in the peace process and the dialogue process. We do not have any anxiety or self doubt and we are sure footed and are approaching the process and the dialogue starting later this month with self confidence," he added. PTI
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Working group should be set up to resolve Kashmir issue: Pak
K J M Varma
Islamabad, June 7 (PTI) Maintaining that the approach to resolve the Kashmir issue would be critical in the Indo-Pak peace process, Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK Maleeha Lodhi has said the two countries should set up a working group to find a solution to the vexed issue.
"Being the problem, the status quo cannot be the solution - as the search for a final settlement is likely to be an intensive process, consideration should be given to the creation of a working group to examine the issue," Lodhi told a seminar on 'Prospects of Peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia' here today.
She said the current peace process has to move beyond confidence building measures, which she believed were only a means towards an end, and said the approach to resolve the Kashmir issue will be critical in Pakistan-India dialogue.
The process requires both sides respecting the agreements and the CBMs and maintain political contact at high level in order to take it forward, she said.
The journalist-turned-diplomat said a problem-solving approach should mark the negotiating objectives of the two sides and added that the principle of reciprocity should be guiding principle to the negotiations and the two sides should pursue a steady and patient course to avert a breakdown or reversal of the process.
"The stakes are high for Pakistan and India in the bilateral dialogue - the lessons of the past must be learnt - the history of false starts and breakdown must be averted," she said. PTI
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Two BBC journalists shot in Saudi capital
London, June 7 (PTI) BBC cameraman Simon Cumbers has been killed and correspondent Frank Gardner injured after gunmen opened fire near the Saudi capital, Riyadh yesterday.
Thirtysix-year-old Cumbers was a freelance journalist and cameraman working for the BBC, the BBC said in a statement.
Frank Gardner, 42, is the BBC's security correspondent and a leading expert on al-Qaeda, the statement said. Gardner is being treated in hospital in Riyadh.
Riyadh's police chief said the attack was carried out by "unknown elements".
According to the statement, the two men had travelled to Saudi Arabia last week following terrorist attacks in the city of Khobar and have been reporting from the country for BBC News since then.
BBC Director of News Richard Sambrook said that Gardner "suffered, I gather, a number of gunshot wounds".
"Our thoughts are with the families of Simon and Frank tonight. We are in touch with them and offering them all the support that we can," Sambrook said in the statement issued last night. PTI
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Third round of 6-party talks on N Korean nuke set for June 23
Beijing, June 7 (PTI) The third round of six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue is set for June 23 in the Chinese capital, the state-run media reported today.
The date for discussions is "almost set" and that diplomats from China, the US, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Russia will hold a smaller working-level dialogue on June 21-22 to lay the stage for plenary talks, 'China Daily' quoted Japanese and South Korean media.
China has not yet confirmed the exact date, but on Saturday the Chinese Foreign Ministry said diplomats would be sent to the related countries for consultations before the third round of six-party talks scheduled for later this month.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said that Ning Fukui, Ambassador on Korean Peninsula Affairs, will visit Russia, the US and North Korea "soon" for working consultations related to the third round of talks.
Cui tiankai, Director General of the Ministry's Asian Affairs department, will also exchange views with Japanese and South Korean officials during his upcoming visit to the two countries, Liu said.
At the first working group meeting on the six-party talks in Beijing last month, negotiators from the six countries agreed the third round of talks would be held in Beijing before the end of June after one more working-level discussion. PTI
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Dasmunshi named Chef de Mission for Athens
New Delhi, June 7 (PTI) All India Football Federation President and Union Minister for Water Resources Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi was today named the Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent for the Athens Olympic Games.
Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi, while announcing Dasmunshi's appointment, also released the list of 62 sportspersons who have qualified so far for the quadrennial event to be held in August.
The 62 sportspersons include among others the 16-member hockey team, six archers, nine athletes, eight shooters, seven wrestlers and four weightlifters and as many boxers. PTI
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Pak pacer Shoaib Akhtar bowls for Durham despite PCB advice
Islamabad, Jun 7 (PTI) Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar is almost certain to run into rough weather with the authorities yet again as he chose to go full throttle for his county team Durham, ignoring medical advice and suggestions of his Cricket Board alike.
Shoaib baffled one and all when he opted to bowl for the English county yesterday, contrary to his own statements earlier that he would only bat in the National League Division Two limited overs match against Scotland to avoid stress and exertion.
"I will not be bowling at all in the one-day games... I will play as a batsman. They (Durham) wanted me to rest but I was very keen to play so they said okay 'you don't bowl but you play as a batsman'. I look at this new role as a real challenge in these two games," he had said.
Media reports here said that Shoaib did come in to bat at number three for Durham in yesterday's match against Scotland, but managed only 15 runs in a total of 203-9 in 45 overs. He stayed at the wicket for 33 minutes, faced 25 balls and hit one four.
He opened the bowling as well, with a first spell of five overs, one wicket and seven runs. His final figures read 9-2-30-2.
Shoaib has already been ruled out of next month's Asia Cup competition to be held in Sri Lanka. So far, the bowler has appeared in one first-class and three one-day matches - including the one against Scotland - for his English county. PTI
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