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India, Pak make progress on nuke reduction proposals
Natwar Singh urges Koreas not to go nuclear
Kashmiris’ consent necessary: Pak alliance
US missile defence test fails
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Six Maoists, 13 security personnel killed
Chemical Ali to be tried first
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India, Pak make progress on nuke reduction proposals
Islamabad, December 15 A joint statement issued after the two-day expert-level talks on Nuclear Confidence Building Measures here said that both sides expressed their desire to keep working towards elaboration and implementation of nuclear CBMs within the agreed framework. Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Meera Shankar led the Indian delegation, while her counterpart Tariq Osman Hyder headed the Pakistani side at the talks. The statement said the two sides held detailed consultations, especially on the upgradation of the existing hotlines between the DGMOs and establishment of a dedicated and secure hotline between Foreign Secretaries of the two countries. These measures inter alia, are intended to prevent misunderstanding and reduce risks relevant to nuclear issues, it said. They agreed that the future periodic expert-level talks on nuclear CBMs would discuss, review and monitor the implementation of nuclear CBMs as called for by the Lahore MoU of 1999, the statement said. Addressing a joint press conference after the talks, the officials said they had made progress on some proposals on nuclear risk reduction. They also hoped that the hotline between the Foreign Secretaries would be operationalised soon. Asked why there was no announcement on the draft agreement on the notification of missile tests, both sides said the issues involved were very complex and required careful consideration. “There are no hurdles” in reaching the agreement and both sides are hopeful, Me Shankar said. The two sides would report the progress made during the talks to the respective Foreign Secretaries who are scheduled to meet here on December
27 and 28. “We will report the progress made in the talks to the Foreign Secretaries,” Mr Hyder said. The two delegations also exchanged views on various proposals on Conventional Confidence Building Measures and decided to report the outcome to the Foreign Secretaries.
— PTI |
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Natwar Singh urges Koreas not to go nuclear
Seoul, December 15 “Even though we are ourselves a nuclear power, we support complete nuclear disarmament for Korea,” External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh said in an interview to the newspaper. India’s previous government was responsible for the decision to enter the nuclear standoff with neighbouring Pakistan, Mr Natwar Singh, was quoted as saying. “But regret would be futile. You cannot put it back in the tube, it is out,” he said. Mr Natwar Singh said he believed that the ongoing six-party nuclear talks on the North Korean nuclear dispute still offered an opportunity to prevent a similar situation from emerging on the peninsula. “I hope the talks progress and there is some kind of an agreement,” the paper quoted Mr Natwar Singh as saying. The External Affairs Minister said India believed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was discriminatory in allowing countries that already possessed nuclear weapons to keep them while barring others from developing the same. But, he said, as North Korea had signed the pact, it should honour its obligations. Mr Natwar Singh is here on a three-day visit during which he will attend the India-South Korea Joint Commission Meeting with his Korean counterpart Ban Ki-moon. The two sides are expected to discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, maritime and defence. Mr Natwar Singh is scheduled to pay a courtesy call tomorrow on President Roh Moo-hyun, who visited India in October. He will also meet National Assembly Speaker Kim Won-ki, considered to be the number two in the Korean
hierarchy.
— PTI |
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Kashmiris’ consent necessary: Pak alliance
Muzaffarabad, December 15 “Unless India and Pakistan involve Kashmiris from both sides and seek their opinion, any decision on Kashmir will be unacceptable,” he said while addressing a large public meeting organised by the People’s Party Azad Jammu and Kashmir
(PPAJK), here. The public meeting, part of the ARD’s mass mobilisation campaign, was held at the Club Hall Ground, which had been decorated with PPP flags and colourful banners inscribed with slogans welcoming the ARD leaders and demanding restoration of “true democracy” and return of popular leaders, Ms Benazir Bhutto and Mr Nawaz Sharif. Any decision on Kashmir, Mr Fahim said, should be in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. “Let me tell you only an elected government in Pakistan will resolve the issue in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiris in collaboration with the elected government in India.” The chief said the days of dictatorship were numbered and there would soon be people’s government which would restore the 1973 Constitution in its original shape by striking down the 17th amendment. He said the people of Pakistan were not against the army, but against those who ruled the country unlawfully by toppling democratic governments and imposing dictatorships. Mr Fahim rejected what he called the government’s propaganda that there were differences in the ranks of the opposition. He said ARD leaders were fully united and had already sought the nation’s forgiveness for their past mistakes. He demanded the release of ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, PPP leader Syed Yousaf Raza
Gillani, MQM (H) leader Afaq Ahmed and PPAJK leader Mian Ikhlaqur Rasool. |
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US initiative to explain turbans
AMERICANS are being asked by their Justice Department to get acquainted with the turbans and other head coverings like patkas and
hijabs. Post 9/11, there have been a number of attacks against people of colour, especially those who wear distinctive ethnic clothing. The Sikhs have also faced attacks, especially those who wear turbans.
An “Initiative to Combat Post-9/11 Discriminatory Backlash,” by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to actively work to “combat violations of civil rights laws against Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South-Asian Americans, and those perceived to be members of these groups.” The department has also brought out a similar poster on common Muslim American head coverings, which shows Muslim women wearing scarves and
hijabs. The Justice Department admits that since 9/11, “members of these groups, and those perceived to be members of these groups have been the victims of increased number of bias-related assaults, threats, vandalism and arson. Reducing the incidence of such attacks, and ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to justice, is a Civil Rights Division priority. The Division has also placed a priority on cases involving discrimination against Arab, Sikh, Muslim, and South-Asian Americans in employment, housing, education, access to public accommodations and facilities, and other areas within the Civil Rights Division’s jurisdiction.” The poster on the Sikhs describes Sikhism as “a religion that originated in South Asia during the 15th Century and is distinct from both Islam and Hinduism. For religious reasons, practicing Sikhs do not cut their hair. Sikh men wrap their long hair with a turban or
pagri, a practice that typically takes 10-15 minutes. Sikh boys tie their hair in a smaller under-turban or
patka, with their hair knotted on top of their head. Some Sikh women also wear a turban; however, many opt for a cloth or chunni to cover their head. Primarily meant for law enforcement agents, the posters have “points to keep in mind when searching someone wearing a Sikh head covering, which are:
(i) show respect, (ii) explain why they need to conduct the search, (iii) offer private room for search, if available. It also says that searches should be done by members of the same sex.
— TNS
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US missile defence test fails
Washington, December 15 About 16 minutes earlier, a target missile carrying a mock warhead had been successfully launched from Kodiak Island, Alaska, the Pentagon’s Missile Defence Agency said in a statement. The aborted mission appeared likely to set back plans for activation of the rudimentary bulwark against ballistic missiles that could be fired by countries like North Korea. The system is a scaled-down version of a ballistic missile shield first outlined in March 1983 by President Ronald Reagan and derided by critics as “Star Wars.”
— Reuters |
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Six Maoists, 13 security personnel killed
Kathmandu, December 15 The incident occurred after the security forces retaliated when the Maoists attacked a joint patrol at Mathura Danda of Arghakachi district, 450 km west of Kathmandu, this morning. The fighting took place in the morning and continued for several hours. A private television channel, quoting Maoist sources, said six rebels were killed in the retaliatory operation. Reinforcement of security forces has reached the area after the cross-firing.
— PTI |
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Chemical Ali to be tried first
Baghdad, December 15 He said the trial could start next week and would definitely take place by mid-January.
— Reuters |
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In video: Two-day conference of SAARC information ministers begins
in Islamabad. (
Noting that it supported nuclear disarmament, India has urged North and South Korea not to follow its example and become a nuclear power, the ‘Korea Times’ daily reported today.
