World Cup bosses seek Interpol”s help to probe bid corruption claims

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21 (ANI): World Cup bosses have sought the help of Interpol to investigate Lord Triesman”s allegations of corruption.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke revealed football”s governing body is working with the international police agency to see if there is any substance to the claims.

The allegations cost Lord Triesman his role as head of England”s 2018 bid and new chairman Geoff Thompson will today meet FIFA President Sepp Blatter for the first time since the scandal broke, The Mirror reports.

Thompson, the former FA chairman who is a FIFA vice-chairman and also a senior member of the UEFA High Command, plans to meet the other European members of the world body”s ruling executive committee over the next 48 hours.

His meeting with FIFA president Sepp Blatter, however, will be crucial in helping bid chief executive Andy Anson and the rest of his team get to grips with the challenge they face in persuading a majority of the 24 ex-co members to vote for England in Zurich on December 2.

The bid team believe Thompson”s status within the FIFA family will help soothe the anger felt by Triesman”s comments, dismissed as lacking credibility by FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke. (ANI)

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No wiggle room in whereabouts rule, says WADA

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The World Anti-Doping Agency said on Sunday it will distribute more user-friendly guidelines for drug-testing under its whereabouts rule but stressed there would be no easing of the controversial policy.

The whereabouts rule, which requires athletes to give three months’ notice of where they will be for an hour each day, has become a major source of tension between the doping agency and international sports federations, including soccer’s world governing body FIFA.

“The rules aren’t going to change, there is no suggestion that there is a need to change those rules,” WADA president John Fahey told reporters after weekend meetings with the agency’s executive committee and foundation board. “Maybe we could have been better with our guidelines … There has been some evidence of some strange interpretations.”

WADA promised a review of the rule after one year and found it to be an important weapon in the fight against doping.

But the anti-doping agency also admitted it could have done a better job explaining the rule and said a motion was endorsed this weekend to circulate more user-friendly guidelines as soon as possible.

“A review was undertaken, that review was reported back to us this weekend and again it showed there was a successful implementation of the program,” said Fahey. “But there were different interpretations by different sports, different countries that clearer guidelines might assist.”

A report delivered by the international police agency Interpol also provided WADA with a sobering wake-up call.

While WADA has focused on testing and catching drug cheats, Interpol warned the front line in the war had shifted to supply and trafficking of performance enhancing drugs.

According to Fahey, evidence from Interpol suggests there is almost as much money, if not more, coming out of performance enhancing drugs as there is in the illegal drug trade.

“There is a problem of mammoth proportions out there,” warned Fahey. “If we were of the view that the problem was going away that was not the advice we were given by Interpol.

“I don’t think it was shocking but sometimes when we’re all working as hard as we can on the particular issue of getting rid of the cheats in sport you don’t stop to take stock what the proportions of the problem are.”

(Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Purulia arms drop case: CBI Director hopeful about Danish national”s extradition

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Apr 27 (ANI): Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Ashwani Kumar has said he is hopeful about securing the extradition of Danish national Kim Davy, the prime accused in the 1995 Purulia arms drop case.

Kumar noted that certain legal formalities are to be completed for the custody of Kim Davy.

“We are trying for his (Kim Davy”s) extradition since 2002 and Denmark government has agreed for it. Diplomacy has also agreed. Only the legal process remains since Kim Davy has filed an application in a court there that he doesn”t want to be extradited. India has given them all the guarantees but now we”ll have to fight the case because Kim Davy also has his rights and he doesn”t want the extradition,” said Ashwani Kumar.

“Thus, we will have to fight the case and hire a lawyer. We”ll fight the case and we have good evidence and government of Denmark is with us and I am sure we”ll be able to get him soon,” he added.

The Interpol had recently informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that the Denmark authorities have decided to extradite Purulia arms drop case mastermind Kim Davy aka Neils Holck to India.

CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal had said the Interpol would facilitate the extradition of Davy to India after receipt of documents formally from the Danish authorities though diplomatic channels.

The CBI accused Davy as the person behind arms drop near Anand Marg ashram in West Bengal”s Purulia District.

On April 9, the Danish Police apprehended Davy.

The CBI said Davy has demanded that the legality of the decision should be tried by the Danish courts.

The CBI also accused Davy for conspiring to procure a huge quantity of arms and ammunition and to traffic it illegally into Indian territory for the purpose of waging war against India.

In course of investigation, the CBI had revealed that the aircraft AN-26 having call sign YLLDB had flown over the sky at West Bengal”s Jhalda Police Station on the night of 17 and 18 December 1995, while it was coming from Varanasi to Calcutta and dropped huge quantity of arms and ammunition.

The immigration authorities at the Sahara International Airport in Mumbai, where it was forcefully landed on 22 December 1995, detained the crewmembers of the aircraft– Peter Bleach and five other Latavian citizens– Alexender Klichin, Igor Moskvitine, Oleg Gaidach, Evgueni Antimenko and Igor Timmerman.

Davy, who was said to be in the aircraft managed to escape from the airport.

The investigators recovered several articles such as arms, ammunition, laptop and brief case of Davy, G.P.S. flight data recorder, Cockpit Voice Recorder, Velocity height gravity recorder from the aircraft.

On conclusion of trial, all the six accused persons were sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 25,000/- each under section 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and for violating Explosives Substances Act, 1908. (ANI)

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Interpol alert issued for Captain Dragan

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Interpol has released an alert for the arrest of an alleged war criminal who went missing in Australia last week.

Former Serb paramilitary commander Dragan Vasiljkovic, also known as Captain Dragan and Daniel Snedden, is wanted for war crimes allegedly committed during his role in the Balkans in the 1990s.

Vasiljkovic went on the run late last month after the High Court quashed an appeal and paved the way for him to be extradited to Croatia.

Vasiljkovic had appealed against the 2006 extradition request, arguing his political beliefs would mean he would be dealt with unfairly in Croatia.

Now international policing agency Interpol has released a red notice for his arrest.

A spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor says the Australian Federal Police has used a number of resources in its attempt to capture the alleged fugitive.

If found in Australia, Vasiljkovic will be detained in custody until Mr O’Connor decides whether to approve the extradition.

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US Ambassador meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Update- US Ambassador)

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sept 18 (ANI): The United States Ambassador to India, Timothy J Roemer, today met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at his residence.

The meeting took place after Roemer met Union Home Minister P. hidambaram.

Speaking to reporters, after a meeting with Chidambaram, Roemer said bringing the culprits to justice and going after Saeed were important to both India and the United States.

“Swift and mighty punishment for the six Mumbai suspects in Islamabad, is important for United States and is important for India. And going after Saeed is very important and dismantling the infrastructure of LeT in that region is extremely important to the United States and to India,” said Roemer.

The meeting took after reports of two FIR’s against Saeed came late last night.

He has been charged under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for making anti-state speeches where he urged activists of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the frontline organisation for LeT that he heads, to wage a ‘jehad’.

Saeed has also been charged for heading a charity collection drive during the Ramazan month according to the police.

Earlier, Roemer had called on Pakistan to take action against Saeed.

“There are five, probably six, suspects currently being held in Islamabad in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. It is extremely important that these six people be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world,” a news channel quoted Roemer, as saying

“I hope that in future the action on 26/11 includes people like Hafiz Saeed. Recently he was put into an Interpol red flag list,” he added.

The remarks follows Chidambaram’s visit to US, where he had briefed several ministers under the Barack Obama administration about Islamabad’s inaction against perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage.

The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308. Among the dead were 28 foreign nationals from 10 countries.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, has disclosed that the attackers were members of LeT, which is considered a terrorist organization by the Government of India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.

Interpol has also issued a Red Corner Notice against Saeed, and Zaki -ur- Rehman Lakhvi (another mastermind of the 26/11 attacks). The notice was issued after a Mumbai court issued non-bailable warrants against both terrorists. (ANI)

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US Ambassador Roemer calls for action against Hafiz Saeed

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sept 18 (ANI): Pressurising Pakistan, the United States said it wanted swift and mighty punishment against the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Speaking to reporters, after a meeting with Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, the United States Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer said, bringing the culprits to justice and going after Saeed were important to both India and the United States.

“Swift and mighty punishment for the six Mumbai suspects in Islamabad, is important for United States and is important for India. And going after Saeed is very important and dismantling the infrastructure of LeT in that region is extremely important to the United States and to India,” said Roemer.

The meeting took after reports of two FIR’s against Saeed came late last night.

He has been charged under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for making anti-state speeches where he urged activists of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the frontline organisation for LeT that he heads, to wage a ‘jehad’.

Saeed has also been charged for heading a charity collection drive during the Ramazan month according to the police.

Earlier, Roemer had called on Pakistan to take action against Saeed.

“There are five, probably six, suspects currently being held in Islamabad in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. It is extremely important that these six people be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world,” a news channel quoted Roemer, as saying

“I hope that in future the action on 26/11 includes people like Hafiz Saeed. Recently he was put into an Interpol red flag list,” he added.

The remarks follows Chidambaram’s visit to US, where he had briefed several ministers under the Barack Obama administration about Islamabad’s inaction against perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage.

The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308. Among the dead were 28 foreign nationals from 10 countries.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, has disclosed that the attackers were members of LeT, which is considered a terrorist organization by the Government of India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.

Interpol has also issued a Red Corner Notice against Saeed, and Zaki -ur- Rehman Lakhvi (another mastermind of the 26/11 attacks). The notice was issued after a Mumbai court issued non-bailable warrants against both terrorists. (ANI)

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Delhi Court to hear Bofors pay-off case today

September 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 8 (ANI): A Delhi court will hear the Bofors payoffs case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi today. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) may reveal its course of action following the withdrawal of Interpol’s Red Corner Notice against him.

The matter is to come up for hearing before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja.

During the brief hearing on April 30, Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra, appearing for CBI, had informed the court that the Red Corner Notice issued against Quattrocchi was withdrawn in November last year.

The ASG had also sought two months time to decide on the future course of action in the politically-sensitive case on the court’s query as to what options were left with the probe agency following the withdrawal of the Red Corner Notice.

The Bofors scandal was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s, when the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply the Indian Army with 155 mm howitzer guns.

The court had on February 10, 1997, sent letters to Malaysia and the UAE seeking the arrest and extradition of Quattrocchi.

The CBI had registered the FIR in the Bofors case on January 22, 1990, three years after Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, claimed that A B Bofors, the makers of the 155 mm howitzers, had paid kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials to secure the Rs 1,437 crore gun deal.The contract between the Indian government and the Swedish Company for the supply of 400 field guns was signed on March, 24, 1986. (ANI)

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Pak is losing ground on ‘insufficient evidence’ claim

September 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep. 7 (ANI): Even as Pakistan continues to claim that India has not provided enough evidence in the Mumbai terror attack case, Interpol has suggested otherwise by issuing an arrest warrant against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed.

The world agrees with India that Pakistan is not showing seriousness in the matter of punishing the perpetrators of the 26/11, the Daily Times reports.

And Interpol’s arrest warrant is the latest proof of the fact that Pakistan is losing ground.

Does it mean that the evidence Pakistan considers inadequate has been accepted as valid by Interpol, the report questions.

In this case, Interpol seems to have agreed with India on the definition of what is credible evidence?

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said “a delay in the resumption of Indo-Pak talks will only benefits the terrorists.”

However, Indian Foreign Minister S M Krishna has said that Pakistan must “satisfy” India first by taking action against the terrorists it has caught.

The paper notes, “let us not kid ourselves that the terrorists’ gain because of lack of dialogue will be equally harmful to India and Pakistan.”

“All in all, any balanced assessment would be that Pakistan may lose more if the dialogue with India doesn’t resume on a new basis,” the paper concludes. (ANI)

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Indo-Pak foreign secretary talks not on the cards

September 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep.4 (ANI): Talks between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan-Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir-are not going to be held in the forseeable future in the wake of the latest statements emerging from Islamabad with regard to the 26/11 probe and its less than acceptable reactions to the six dossiers provided to it by the Indian Government.

According to sources, while the meeting between the Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later this month, any hopes of a limited dialogue taking place at lesser levels is remote.

Incessant ceasefire violations at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s consistent non-compliance to the six dossiers provided by India and the inaction against 26/11 mastermind Hafeez Saeed are proving to be a recipe for a new face off between the two neighbours.

Dismayed by Pakistan’s double speak and its refusal to accept the evidence provided by India in the sixth dossier, sources said “It is up to Pakistan to decide what relation they want with India”.

Hafeez Saeed and his organization are banned under UN resolution 1267 and he should be brought to books, the sources added.

Interpol has already issued Red corner notices against Hafeez Saeed and Lakhvi, the key suspects who masterminded the Mumbai terror attacks.

But Pakistan is still asking for concrete evidence from India.

The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has already indicated that India may not respond to further demands from the Pakistan Government for information on the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai.

The apparent bitterness between the two neighbours is evident from the fact that the meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries is not yet finalized.

Sources have told ANI that no dates are fixed for the meetings so far.

It was decided between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Yusuf Raza Gilani at Sharm-al-Sheikh last month that foreign secretaries of both countries should meet more often and it was also decided that Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao should meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir before the ministers of both countries meet in New York.

The Pakistan Foreign office has also reportedly invited the Indian Foreign Secretary for talks in Islamabad, but no decision has been taken regarding her visit as if now, sources have told ANI.

India is also alarmed by the recent US reports about Pakistan’s increasing nuclear capabilities. The Indian Army chief has also expressed apprehensions over the development and has said that Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile is going beyond nuclear deterrence. He has also cautioned Pakistan over the rising ceasefire violations. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

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Iran’s ‘wanted’ defence minister warns Israel not to attack its N-facilities

September 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Jerusalem, Sep. 4 (ANI): Iran’s controversial new Defence Minister Ahmad Vahid has warned Israel not to attack the country’s nuclear facilities.

“Every move from the Zionist entity against Iran will be met with a harsh and powerful response from Iran,” The Jerusalem Post quoted him, Vahidi saying.

Vahidi also said that the overwhelming support he had garnered in the parliamentary vote on his appointment “attested to the anti-Zionist spirit of the Iranian parliament and people.”

Vahidi is a wanted by Interpol for masterminding the Buenos Aires Jewish centre bomb blast in 1994 that claimed 85 lives.

Buenos Aires has called General Vahidi’s inclusion in Ahmadinejad’s new Cabinet “an affront to Argentine justice and to the victims of the brutal terrorist attack”.

US President Barack Obama has termed Vahidi’s inclusion in the Cabinet as “disturbing”.

Vahidi gained support earlier this week when lawmakers said they would not bow to foreign pressures to reject him.

The chairman of the Iranian foreign policy committee, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said the allegations “will not have any negative impact on the assessment” of General Vahidi’s suitability for the job.

“Rather, it may increase his vote,” he noted.

Ahmadinejad has faced questions about the experience and expertise of some of the choices for his 21-seat cabinet. But on Thursday, he managed to win approval for many key posts that included the foreign, interior, intelligence ministries and Ahmad Vahidi as defense minister.

The parliament also backed Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi as health minister, making her the Islamic republic’s first female minister since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (ANI)

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Defiant Pak says ‘it is not obliged’ to arrest Hafiz Saeed

September 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Dubai, Sep.3 (ANI): Notwithstanding Interpol’s Red Corner notice issued against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, the alleged 26/11 mastermind, Pakistan has once again refused to take action against him, saying the government is not ‘obliged to immediately arrest him’.

Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said there are not have enough evidence to establish the LeT kingpin’s involvement in the terror attacks.

In an interview to a Saudi Arab daily, Malik said that dossiers provided by India were not sufficient to prove Saeed’s involvement in the 26/11 carnage.

“Pakistan needs to examine the evidence provided by India on the basis of which Interpol issued a Red Corner notice against Hafiz Saeed. Certain procedures are required to pursue the notice,” Malik said.

“We are free to make our own investigations against the man, and then take steps accordingly,” he added.

Malik said Pakistani intelligence agencies were studying the Indian dossiers, but they were not sufficient to ‘link Saeed to the Mumbai attack and to punish those who are guilty.’

He reiterated that India could have prevented the November 26, 2008 attacks by sharing prior information with Islamabad after the arrest of two terrorists – Fahim Ansari and Sabah Uddin earlier that year.

“We appeal to India to share information with us, and also to keep faith in our legal system and judiciary,” The Dawn quoted Malik, as saying. (ANI)

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CBI to question LTTE financer Padmanathan about Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination

August 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 30 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is all set to question the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam’s (LTTE) financer Kumaran Padmanathan alias ‘KP’ in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The questioning is expected to throw light on the events that led to Rajiv Gandhi’s killing.

The CBI has collected data to question Padmanathan on the basis of decade-old findings of Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), which has been investigating the conspiracy behind Rajiv’s killing.

The MDMA, which has been granted another extension by the Union Government, has begun the work to assist Lankan security officials, who will question Padmanathan in Sri Lanka.

The term of MDMA, headed by a CBI official and comprises officers from Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Revenue Intelligence, ended on May 31,but the Centre gave a post-facto approval.

Padmanathan, the alleged financier and an accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was arrested in a Southeast Asian country and brought to Sri Lanka.

Padmanathan who was a one of the most-wanted terrorists by Interpol, he is suspected to be chief of LTTE’s Overseas Department for clandestine operations.

According to a review published by London based premier defence magazine Jane’s Defence Intelligence Review, LTTE had two international wings-KP Department and Aiyanna Group-that were engaged in global terrorist activities.

The CBI had been following Padmanathan’s trail since a decade and its team had travelled to New Zealand in 2002 and also questioned some Tamil speaking Lankan nationals, after securing permission from authorities in that country.

The MDMA has also been focusing on bank transactions of Padmanathan. India has taken up the matter with Germany to get the bank details of KP.

The Jain Commission, which probed the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, had come across various leads including bank transactions of the LTTE’s frontal outfits before and after the assassination and on movement of arms meant for LTTE during that period.

The MDMA is keen to know the bank details of KP and some of his associates, including some Indian nationals who were alleged to have hatched the conspiracy to kill Rajiv.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991 when an LTTE suicide bomber Dhanu blew herself up at an election rally in Tamil Nadu.

The CBI had approached over 20 countries for Padmanathan. (ANI)

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Pak yet to receive Interpol’s Red Corner notice against Saeed : Malik

August 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Aug.27 (ANI): Pakistan has said that it has not received any ‘Red Corner’ notice from Interpol against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed.

Interacting with media persons after a meeting with his British counterpart, Allen Johnson, here, Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said Islamabad is yet to receive any red warrant against Saeed .

“If we get any red warrants, we shall look into the matter,” The Nation quoted Malik, as saying.

On Tuesday, Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice against Saeed, and Zaki -ur- Rehman Lakhvi who are considered the masterminds of 26/11.

The notice was issued after a Mumbai court issued non-bailable warrants against both terrorists.

He reiterated that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud has been killed in US drone attack and claimed that he has ‘unconfirmed’ reports that Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman Mehsud too have been killed in the infighting for Taliban leadership.

When asked about the row between the PML-N and MQM, he said it was their own problem, however, he is ready to sort out issues if both parties ask him for help.

“The PPP can’t give its stance unless something comes to light. The party is impartial in this matter,” Malik said. (ANI)

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India should not ‘misinterpret’ Pak’s intention regarding 26/11 probe: Qureshi

August 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Aug.27 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that India should not ‘misinterpret’ Islamabad’s intentions regarding the Mumbai terror attack probe.

In an interview with a private television channel, Qureshi said Pakistan is analyzing the dossier handed over to it by New Delhi and would comment on it only after examining it thoroughly.

“I think we should not be impatient. Pakistan will issue a statement at an appropriate time,” The Daily Times quoted Qureshi, as saying.

He urged the Indian leadership to stay calm and composed over the issue, as Pakistan knows and is sincere about its responsibilities.

“Pakistan is in a cooperative mood. We want to help, we understand the challenges facing the region,” Qureshi said.

On Wednesday, India reiterated that Pakistan’s response regarding the 26/11 probe was unsatisfactory.

Talking to reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of a function Home Minister P Chidambaram said enough evidence has been given to Pakistan to prosecute terrorists responsible for Mumbai terror attacks in November last year.

He said that the information provided by India is more than enough to bring to justice the mastermind behind the attack Hafiz Saeed and others.

External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna also criticised Pakistan’s go-slow policy on 26/11 perpetrators and asked Islamabad to immediately act against Lashkar-e- Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed.

He said Interpol’s Red Corner Notice on Saeed vindicates India’s stance.

“Interpol’s Red Corner Notice on Saeed is the vindication of what India says. The perpetrators of Mumbai attack will have to be brought to be justice. We have painstakingly collected evidence to convey the involvement of the persons,” Krishna said.

He termed Pakistan’s rejection of India’s fifth dossier as unfortunate.

“It is very unfortunate that the Pakistan has rejected the dossier, but at the same time Interpol has given a Red Corner notice. I think the world should take note of these developments and come to their own conclusion,” Krishna said. (ANI)

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Krishna to Pakistan: Shun go -slow policy against 26/11 perpetrators

August 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 26 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna on Wednesday criticised Pakistan’s go-slow policy on 26/11 perpetrators and asked Islamabad to immediately act against Lashkar-e- Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed.

On Tuesday Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice against Saeed, and Zaki -ur- Rehman Lakhvi who are considered the masterminds of 26/11.

The notice was issued after a Mumbai court issued non-bailable warrants against both terrorists. peaking to newsmen here Krishna said, “Interpol’s Red Corner Notice on Saeed is the vindication of what India says. The perpetrators of Mumbai attack will have to be brought to be justice. We have painstakingly collected evidence to convey the involvement of the persons.”

He termed Pakistan’s rejection of India’s fifth dossier as unfortunate.

“It is very unfortunate that the Pakistan has rejected the dossier, but at the same time Interpol has given a Red Corner notice. I think the world should take note of these developments and come to their own conclusion,” Krishna said.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Tuesday that if India does not provide tangible information on the 26/11 attacks and the Samjhauta Express tragedy, Islamabad would not be responsible for any future terrorist attacks in India.

Krishna, however, added that India would continue to impress on Pakistan to act on terrorist organizations.

India had also sent proof and request for issuing Red Corner notice against Lashkar commander Zarar Shah and Abu Al Qama. Interpol said that it was analyzing the evidence against them. (ANI)

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Interpol to assist Indian Government, set to issue notice against Hafiz Saeed

August 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug.23 (ANI): The Indian Government has reportedly approached Interpol and requested it to issue a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Sources said that they expect the RCN to be issued some time next week, possibly by Tuesday.

The request from New Delhi is reported to have been made in the wake of a Pakistan court ordering the release of Saeed from nine months of house arrest on grounds that there was insufficient evidence to detain him in connection with his role in the 26/11 massacre in Mumbai that claimed nearly 170 lives and maimed more than 300.

Officials in New Delhi are reportedly of the view that Saeed should be chargesheeted and prosecuted for masterminding the Mumbai carnage on the basis of the six documents of evidence that they have handed over to the Pakistan Government through diplomatic channels.

Government sources said that the CBI, which acts as the nodal agency for all dealings with Interpol, has already written to the world police body, based on the 26/11 chargesheet, to get an RCN issued against Saeed who was let off by the Lahore High Court as Islamabad didn’t press charges against him.

Interpol issues an RCN against any accused after it receives all information and evidence against him from the country in which the crime has been committed.

The RCN will be issued on the basis of the non-bailable warrant issued against Saeed by a Mumbai court earlier and also all the evidences gathered against him by the Mumbai police.

According to the Mumbai police, Saeed is among the 35 people who provided training to all the terrorists who executed 26/11.

Pakistan has defended its refusal to act against Saeed by saying that India has not given evidence against him. (ANI)

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Pak Govt. launches crackdown against text, email propaganda

July 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, July 13 (ANI): The Pakistan Government has launched a crackdown against those involved in spreading “propaganda” against senior government officials through emails and text messages.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Sunday announced that the new government campaign aims at limiting the growing number of emails and text messages questioning the government, the Daily Times reports.

According to an interior ministry press release, a similar crackdown has been initiated against a banned organisation, which is spreading malicious propaganda against the Pak Army.

The crackdown requires the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to keep a check on propaganda material, and take necessary action. Under the Cyber Crimes Act, violators can be imprisoned for up to 14 years.

The government has also requested Interpol to identify the owners of any email addresses and websites registered abroad that spread such messages. (ANI)

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US initiates historic shift in Afghan counter-narcotics policy

July 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, July 1 (ANI): The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) today hailed the monumental move by the US to stop the failed policy of poppy crop eradication in Afghanistan.

It also called on the US, UK and the international community to back its “Poppy for Medicine” proposal in the war-torn country.

On Saturday, the US announced that it would withdraw its support for efforts to eradicate opium cultivation in Afghanistan.

Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said that eradication “didn’t reduce the amount of money the Taliban got by one dollar.”

Shortly after the Taliban fell in 2001, the US-led international community in Afghanistan adopted eradication as part of their counter-narcotics policy in an attempt to curtail the opium crisis.

Since then, eradication policies have been inefficient and counter-productive in winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.

“Eradication provides the Taliban insurgency with an even more valuable currency than money, and that is loyalty,” said Emmanuel Reinert, Executive Director of ICOS.

“Farmers have turned against the US and ISAF military when their livelihoods were destroyed; with the US stopping its own eradication policies, the West has a real opportunity to turn the situation around and build trust with the Afghan people.”

“This move by the US represents a ‘historic shift’ in its counter-narcotics policy, yet it won’t go far enough to alleviate the opium crisis in Afghanistan,” said Reinert.

“In addition to ending poppy eradication programs, our Poppy for Medicine proposal is a crucial step to successfully cutting off Taliban supplies and provide sustainable and viable livelihoods to Afghan farmers.”

After the US announcement, the UK government spoke out against the new stance by the US and vowed to continue its own eradication efforts.

“I would urge the UK and the entire international community to eliminate poppy crop eradication from their counter-narcotics policy in Afghanistan, and to support a truly viable alternative based on scientific study, namely, Poppy for Medicine,” said Raymond Kendall, Former Secretary-General of Interpol and a Member of the ICOS Advisory Board.

The Council called on the US to implement its proposed Poppy for Medicine programme to license the growing of the poppy crop in Afghanistan for localised, tightly controlled production of morphine, currently unavailable to 80 percent of the world’s population.

Since 2005, ICOS has conducted intense research on its Poppy for Medicine initiative. The European Parliament endorsed the proposal in October 2007, yet was rejected on several occasions by the Bush Administration since005.

“The Poppy for Medicine programme, if implemented, would function as a counter-insurgency initiative which would end Taliban funding through drugs trafficking and drive a wedge between insurgents and poppy farmers.

Changing Afghanistan’s counter-narcotics policy is a first bid to win back the hearts and minds of Afghanistan´s 2.4 million farmers currently dependent on illegal poppy cultivation,” he added.(ANI)

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Bank-mistake millionaires not as rich as was thought

May 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Wellington – Fugitives who fled New Zealand after a bank mistakenly gave them a 10-million-New-Zealand-dollar (6.1-million-US- dollar) overdraft are not as rich as they might have thought, according to news reports on Saturday.

And there appears to be more people to share their ill-gotten gains than the two people police have said are at the centre of a manhunt, which is centred on Hong Kong.

The drama began when the Westpac Bank accidentally gave Leo Gao, part owner of a struggling auto service station in Rotorua access to 10 million New Zealand dollars when formalizing a temporary overdraft of 100,000 dollars.

He tried to withdraw 6.7 million dollars, but the bank blocked access to 2.9 million, leaving him with 3.8 million.

Cutting its losses, the bank has since seized mortgaged properties owned by Gao and his business partner Huan Di Zhang worth more than 1.9 million dollars, the Weekend Herald reported.

Police and the bank have not named the suspects who are now being sought by Interpol, but the mother of Gao’s girlfriend, Kara, or Cara, Young, told the TV3 channel on Friday that she knew her daughter was “somewhere in Asia”.

Suzanne Hurring said Young was with Gao and had taken her 7-year- old daughter, Lena, with her.

News reports said Young’s sister Aroha was also with them and the Weekend Herald said Gao’s mother and brother had disappeared.

It reported that Gao’s rundown utility vehicle was found in the long-term parking at Auckland International Airport and the whereabouts of Huan Di Zhang, who owned 60 per cent of the service station, were also unknown.

Hurring appealed to her daughter to come home, saying, “This was the craziest thing she’s ever done. She’s never pinched a thing in her life – probably when she was a little girl, yes. She’s honest, so honest.”

She said Leo Gao was an “OK guy” but she would like to wring his neck and he could stay away. (dpa)

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