A former CIA official has said Pakistan was “nearly placed” on the list of state sponsors of terrorism during 1993 to 1994.
“At the start of the (Bill) Clinton administration, in 1993 and 1994, I was a special assistant to the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, on loan from CIA, deeply involved in an annual terrorism review which nearly resulted in Pakistan’s being placed on the formal list of state sponsors of terrorism,” Robert L Grenier, a former CIA official told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing on Pakistan.
Grenier said that over the past five decades, the US has been willing, episodically to overlook its concerns with aspects of Pakistani behaviour and to subordinate those concerns in the face of what have appeared, at the time, to be overriding national security priorities only to revert to a more contentious relationship when those interests no longer pertained.
“Thus, in the 1980s, the US was willing not only to overlook growing evidence of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme in deference to joint US-Pak support to the anti- Soviet Afghan Mujahiddin, but also to provide Pakistan with generous economic and military rewards in the bargain,” he said.
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 attacks, needing a platform for operations in Afghanistan and a partner to intercept al-Qaeda militants fleeing that country, the US was again willing to subordinate its broader concerns with Pakistani-based militancy in Kashmir and with Pakistan’s ambivalent attitude toward the Afghan Taliban, he said.
Pakistan has clung stubbornly to its own perceptions of national interest, and refused to compromise them even when it seemed irrational or self-defeating to US eyes, he said.
He also said the same has happened in the context of nuclear weapons doctrine, in its assessment of the threat from India, or in its calculus regarding both foreign and domestic militant groups.
Pakistani adherence to its perceived interests, in fact, has persisted, irrespective of US-administered punishments or inducements, Greiner said.
However, the former CIA station chief in Islamabad, warned the lawmakers against taking any punitive action or sanctions against Pakistan. In fact he encouraged that the US should help Pakistan maintain a large conventional armed forces.
“Pakistan’s conventional military forces will need to be maintained if we are to avoid quick recourse to nuclear weapons at a time when Kashmir remains a social and political tinderbox, and the threat of Indo-Pak war still hangs like an incubus across the region,” he said.
“The US dares not turn its back on Pakistan as it seeks to protect its serious national security interests in South-Central Asia,” Grenier said.PTI
The Reserve Bank of India today fixed the reference rate of the rupee at 66.4483 against the US dollar and 74.7676 for the euro.
These rates were at 66.3618 and 74.6902 respectively, yesterday.
According to an RBI statement, the exchange rates for the pound and the yen against the rupee were quoted at 88.6088 and 65.33 per 100 yens respectively, based on reference rates for the dollar and cross-currency quotes at noon.
The SDR-rupee figure will be based on this rate, the statement added.PTI
Italy today made a fresh plea in the Supreme Court for modification of bail conditions of marine Massimiliano Latorre to enable him remain in Italy till an international tribunal decides on which country has the right to try the case of killing of Indian fishermen.
The apex court agreed to hear on September 20 the plea in which Latorre has sought imposition of same bail conditions that were made applicable to marine Salvatore Girone, his co- accused in killing of two fishermen off Kerala coast in 2012.
A bench comprising Justices A R Dave and L Nageswara Rao decided to hear the plea filed by Italy on behalf of Latorre after a batch of senior lawyers, including K T S Tulsi, mentioned the matter and sought an urgent hearing on the ground that an earlier apex court order in the matter was valid till September 30 this year.
“Modify the bail conditions of chief master sergeant Massimiliano Latorre in the same terms as those prescribed for sergeant major Salvator Girone by this court’s order dated May 26 this year… to enable Latorre to remain in Italy until a final decision by the Annex VIII Arbitral Tribunal on the merits of the case that finds India may exercise jurisdiction over him in respect of the Enrica Lexie incident,” the plea said.
While relaxing Girone’s bail conditions on May 26, the apex court had allowed him to go to his country till the jurisdictional issue between India and Italy was decided in an international arbitral tribunal.
The apex court had imposed four conditions on Girone including that he has to report to police station in Italy on first Wednesday of every month and the Italian authorities have to inform the Indian Embassy in Rome about it.
The second condition was that he will not tamper with any evidence, nor influence any witness in the case.
The third condition was that Girone will give an undertaking that he will remain under the jurisdiction of Supreme Court and lastly, if found violating any of the conditions, his bail will be cancelled, the court had said.
The marines, who were on board ship ‘Enrica Lexie’, are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012.
The complaint against the marines was lodged by Freddy, the owner of fishing boat ‘St Antony’, in which the two Indian fishermen were killed when the marines opened fire on them allegedly under the misconception that they were pirates.PTI..
Chikungunya is refusing to let go of its grip on Delhi with patients swamping the hospitals including AIIMS which itself has tested nearly 890 blood test samples positive for the vector-borne disease in the last two months.
Several hospitals in the national capital are reporting increasing cases of chikungunya, including at Safdarjung Hospital where three deaths due to dengue and one due to malaria have taken place this season.
Cases are likely to rise further as the season peaks in September. At AIIMS here, which gets blood test samples from several cities, including from Delhi and neighbouring regions, hundreds of chikungunya samples have been tested positive.
“At our AIIMS laboratories, 885 chikungunya blood test samples have tested positive in the last two months (July- August). Cases are rising and more and more people are getting affected,” Lalit Dar of Department of Microbiology at AIIMS told PTI.
The sudden spike in chikungunya cases in Delhi and other parts of north India, has come nearly ten years after a big outbreak of this mosquito-borne disease across the country.
Besides, the city is also battling spiralling cases of dengue which has claimed at least nine lives in Delhi while two people have also died due to malaria this season.
“At our hospital till September 6, 480 cases of chikungunya and 316 cases of dengue have been reported this year. The numbers are likely to rise with the peak of the season this month,” Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital A K Rai said.
However, civic bodies have kept the chikungunya cases count at 560 till September 3.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) which compiles the vector-borne disease cases report on behalf of all civic bodies, has pegged the total number of dengue cases this season at over 770.
The 128 fresh chikungunya cases, reported by the SDMC in the last one week, measures too little compared to the cases being reported at hospitals, on an average close to 200 per week.
Chikungunya is a viral illness and its symptoms are similar to those of dengue, which include high-grade fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain and headache and joint swelling.
It also causes rashes in patients but is not a threat like dengue in which there is a risk of bleeding due to abrupt fall in platelet count.
Meanwhile, cardiologist and IMA President-elect K K Aggarwal has cautioned about chikungunya virus (CHIKV) that can cause CHIKV-associated encephalitis.
“Children younger than one year and adults aged 65 years or older have the highest incidence of CHIKV-associated encephalitis,” he said, while claiming such cases are occurring in Delhi.
Faced with inordinate delay in closing down sick CPSEs, the government has come out with timelines for disposal of movable assets, sale of land and retrenchment of employees not opting for voluntary retirement.
Issuing the guidelines, the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) said the government is concerned about the inordinate delays and extended time taken for closing down sick or loss-making central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) where decisions for closure were taken a long time ago.
For such CPSEs, the government has been providing budgetary support, thus straining its scarce resources.
“The government would now like to ensure the decisions taken by the competent authority are implemented by ensuring payment of financial compensation, discharging of liabilities, legal responsibilities, disposal/monetisation of land and movable assets in a time-bound manner,” DPE said.
Land management and auctioning agencies will be entrusted with the job to dispose of movable and immovable assets.
Government’s premier think-tank Niti Aayog has identified 74 loss-making public sector undertakings. Of these, sources said 26 have been recommended for closure.
As per the timelines laid down by DPE, the retrenchment of employees of such CPSEs who have not opted for VRS has to be completed within four months from the ‘Zero Date’, the date of issue of minutes of approval for closure of sick or loss-making CPSEs by the Cabinet or Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs.
The wages, salaries and other statutory dues have to settled within three months from the Zero Date.
The VRS package will be as per the 2007 notional pay scale, irrespective of the grade in which the CPSE operates “for release of employees”.
Settlement of statutory dues and liabilities towards revenue and tax department has to be completed within three months while payment to secured creditors has to be done in two months.
The sale of leasehold or freehold land needs to be complete within six months. Central government departments will get priority if these want to purchase land, followed by central government bodies or CPSEs, state government departments and state government bodies or state PSEs.
In case no offer is received within six months from the Zero Date, the disposal of immovable asset will be done through an auctioning agency to any entity. Land would be sold as per the approved land use.
In case the land is not sold, the property will be used for the public purpose, including affordable housing or other central government flagship programmes. PTI
Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar gave her blessings to younger sister Asha Bhosle as she turned 82 today.
The 86-year-old veteran singer shared a sweet post on Twitter, wishing Bhosle on her birthday.
“Namaskar. Aaj meri choti behen Asha Bhosle ka Janamdin hai. Main usko shubh aashirwad deti hun. Ishwar usko hamesha khush rakhe (Today is my younger sister Asha Bhosle’s birthday.
I give my blessings to her. May God always keep her happy),” she wrote.
In another post, Mangeshkar shared a video of Bhosle’s track “O Haseena Zulfonwali” from the 1966 film “Teesri Manzil”.
“Asha aur (Mohammad) Rafi sahab ka gaya hua meri pasand ka ye geet aap sabke liye (Sung by Asha and Rafi, That’s my favourite track for all of you),” she wrote.
Actor Rishi Kapoor also wished Bhosle on the micro- blogging site along with a picture of himself from the 1975 film “Rafoo Chakkar” in which he even sang a song.
“Happy Birthday Asha Bhonsle ji. Few know I too have sung in her voice in the film “Rafoo Chakkar”(1975),” he wrote.
Mika posted a clip by captioning it “Happy birthday to the legend and music guru @ashabhosle ji… May you live long blessed life… God bless you.”
Director Madhur Bhandarkar wrote, “Happy birthday to @ashabhosle Tai You continue to inspire generations just like your songs… #Livinglegend.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was today heckled by activists from BJP, its ally Akali Dal and Congress, who staged protests at railway stations over allegations of misconduct against AAP leaders, as he started his four-day visit to Punjab to give a push to the party’s poll campaign in the state.
Activists led by Delhi BJP women’s wing president Kamaljeet Sehrawat and party spokesman Praveen Kapoor raised slogans and waved bangles towards Kejriwal, who arrived at platform number 1 at New Delhi railway station to board a train for Punjab at around 7 AM.
Some protesters jostled with the policemen and Kejriwal was caught in the melee. They demanded that Kejriwal speak on the alleged “misconduct” of his MLAs and expel Ashutosh for his controversial blog defending Sandeep Kumar, who was sacked as minister over an alleged sex scandal.
Blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Delhi Police for the alleged manhandling of the Chief Minister at the hands of women protesters of the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party said the law enforcement agency was a “mute spectator” during the “pre-planned” episode.
BJP, however, denied any manhandling and said party activists resorted to political protest.
“It is sad and shameful that the those who once talked of daily dialogue with people today term political protest as an attack,” Kapoor said.
As Kejriwal got down from the Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar Shatabdi express at Ludhiana railway station, he was again greeted by protesters from the ruling SAD’s youth wing and opposition Congress’ women’s wing
Youth Akali Dal leader Gurpreet Singh Gosha led by other party activists tried to give bangles to Kejriwal, claiming his government had failed on all fronts.
Congress women wing’s Ludhiana district president Leena Tapria, who also led a group of party activists, raised slogans like “Kejriwal Go Back”.
As Kejriwal stepped out of the railway station, he faced another group of protesters, who claimed to be from a Hindu outfit. However, the Punjab police did not allow any protester to come near the Delhi Chief Minister.
Police here said that they had deputed two Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police rank officers at the railway station besides deputing police personnel in strength to ensure there was no untoward incident.
Kejriwal’s visit today also coincides with the launch of a fourth front in the state by cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu ahead of 2017 assembly polls.
Sidhu is set to launch ‘Awaaz-e-Punjab’ front along with MLA Pargat Singh and two Ludhiana MLA brothers Simarjit Singh Bains and Balwinder Bains. The AAP has been taken aback by the development as there was speculation that Sidhu could join the party after he parted ways with BJP and resigned from his Rajya Sabha membership.
The AAP, which has been projecting itself as a viable alternative to Congress and SAD-BJP in the state, has faced setbacks in the state including sacking of Sucha Singh Chhotepur as Punjab Convenor and Kejriwal’s visit is aimed at hearing the grievances of partymen and bringing the campaign back on track.PTI
With a year left before her term expires, Textile Minister Smriti Irani has curiously made some tweets expressing gratitude to the people of Gujarat, the state she represents in Rajya Sabha.
Irani, who was recently shifted from the high-profile HRD portfolio, said that in the last five years as an MP, she has been “fortunate” to have got immense support from BJP leaders and people across the country.
The minister, who was elected five years ago, started a series of tweets but gave no indication what prompted her to take to the micro-blogging site on her tenure in the Rajya Sabha.
“On August 19, 2011 I got the opportunity to serve the nation in my capacity as Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from the Gujarat state.
“It has been my privilege to have been able to reach out to the people of Anand & resolve their problems in whatever capacity I could,” Irani wrote.
“I specially express my gratitude to people of Gujarat, particularly Anand which is my nodal district as Rajya Sabha MP from the state,” she said.
In the tweets, Irani shared snapshots of the welfare and civic work undertaken by her in Anand district during her tenure.
“Providing water and conserving the same along with ensuring clean surroundings has been the top priority in Anand,” she tweeted.
Irani had unsuccessfully fought against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Flooding following heavy rain has killed 60 people and left over 44,000 homeless in North Korea, the United Nations said today, after the country reported that a northeastern river suffered its worst-ever flood.
Pyongyang said the Tumen river, which partially marks the border with China and Russia, experienced the biggest flood ever recorded due to a rainstorm that began four days earlier.
Nearby areas including Musan and Hoeryong were hard hit, with 60 dead and five percent of the population homeless, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.
It cited data from the North’s government.
“Communication with and access to affected areas remains a challenge… immediate needs have been identified as emergency shelter, food, medication, water and sanitary items,” it said.
Nearly 9,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged with 10,000 hectares (24,711 acres) of farmland flooded, it said, adding joint relief efforts involving the UN and the North were underway.
The North’s state media said Friday that 15 people were missing after over 17,000 houses were destroyed or damaged.
The impoverished nation is vulnerable to natural disasters, especially floods. At least 169 were killed by a massive rainstorm in the summer of 2012.
Its territory is largely composed of mountains and hills that have long been deforested for fuel or turned into terraced rice fields. This allows rainwater to flow downhill unchecked.
A series of floods and droughts was partially responsible for a famine that killed hundreds of thousands between 1994-98, with economic mismanagement and the loss of Soviet support exacerbating the situation.
Apple’s latest smartphones iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus would be available in India from October 7 at a starting price of Rs 60,000, the US-based technology giant has said, while for the first time confirming the India pricing of the gadgets at the launch event itself.
The highly-anticipated latest iPhones with advancements such as stereo speakers, water and dust resistance technology and wireless headphones were launched by Apple CEO Tim Cook at a packed event in San Francisco yesterday.
The California-headquartered company also unveiled the next generation Apple Watch and updates to its App Store and operating system iOS10.
As widely speculated, Apple also introduced ‘AirPods’, wireless headphones for the new phone, eliminating the traditional headphone jack.
“iPhone is the industry gold standard, the phone by which all other smartphones are compared. The iPhone has become a truly a cultural phenomenon,” Cook, dressed casually for the mega-event, said.
He said Apple has now sold over a billion iPhones, making it the “best selling product of its kind in the history of the world”.
Announcing the new phone, Cook described the iPhone 7 as the “best iPhone that we have ever created”.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in more than 25 countries beginning September 16 and the products will be “available to customers in India beginning October 7”.
The iPhone 7, with a 4.7 inch display, will cost USD 649 while the 5.5 inch iPhone7 Plus will come at a price tag of USD 769. The models will be available in silver, gold, rose gold and the new black finish in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB configurations.
The starting price would be Rs 60,000 for the 32GB iPhone model in India.
“iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus dramatically improve every aspect of the iPhone experience, reaching a new level of innovation and precision to make this the best iPhone we have ever made,” Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller said in his presentation.
He said Apple has inculcated the advanced ‘A10 Fusion’ chip in the new phones, “the most powerful chip on any smartphone while delivering the best battery life ever in an iPhone, and an entirely new stereo speaker system provides twice the sound, all within the first water and dust resistant iPhone”.
The phones will also have an improved home button that lets users perform different tasks by varying how hard they press it, the company said.