July 5 (Reuters) – India’s monsoon rains have advanced into the country’s key grain-producing states of Punjab and Haryana and is forecast to progress further, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday. (Reporting by Himangshu Watts; editing by Malini Menon)
Terrorist, criminals’ nexus in Pak Punjab posing serious security threat
June 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Lahore, Jun.11 (ANI): Pakistan intelligence agencies have revealed that there exists a dirty nexus between local criminals and terrorists in Punjab, especially in the provincial capital Lahore, which has witnessed a spate of bloody terror strikes in the recent past.
According to intelligence inputs, there was damning evidence that the terrorist were providing various logistical support to the criminals to assist them in kidnapping for ransom and robberies in order to generate funds that they eventually use in carrying out terror attacks.
“Karachi has been known in the past as a place where terrorists collaborated with criminals to raise funds for their own activities, however, terrorists are now zooming in on Lahore,” The Daily Times quoted sources, as saying.
Following the intelligence report, the top brass of the Lahore police have decided to
maintain a comprehensive database of criminals, especially those who had been involved in robberies and kidnapping for ransom.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is strengthening its position in Punjab continuously and has joined hands with local ‘jihadi’ groups, but strangely enough the provincial government is living in denial, as it has opposed the idea of a Swat like military operation in the province.
While Interior Minister Rehman Malik had clearly pointed out that Punjab based terror organisations pose a great risk and that they are planning some major attacks across the country, provincial leaders believe that the situation is under control.
“Army operations are required only where there are no-go areas and there is no such situation in any part of Punjab,” said Rana Sanaullah, Punjab Law Minister and a trusted aide of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
It is pertinent to mention here that Sanaullah had attracted wide criticism after he was seen hobnobbing with leaders of banned terror outfit Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) during a local election in Jhang a few days ago. (ANI)
Congress renominates Ambika Soni, Mohsina Kidwai for Rajya Sabha polls
June 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
New Delhi, June 4 (ANI): The Congress party has renominated Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni from Punjab and All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Mohsina Kidwai from Chhattisgarh for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha.
“Four other candidates renominated include Vijay Darda and Avinash Pandey from Maharashtra, EMS Natchiappan from Tamil Nadu and Dheeraj Prasad Sahu from Jharkhand,” an AICC release said on Friday.
Earlier on Thursday, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh was given a ticket to contest the Rajya Sabha elections from Andhra Pradesh.
The elections are being held for the 55 Rajya Sabha seats. The voting for 49 seats from 12 states will take place on June 17, while polling for six Andhra Pradesh seats will be held on June 14. (ANI)
Suspended IPL chief replies to corruption charges, CRI
May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
MUMBAI, India (AP) Suspended Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi’s official response to the corruption allegations against him was delivered in six large boxes to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Modi’s lawyer delivered the thousands of pages of documents late Saturday, meeting a deadline which had been extended by five days.
Modi followed it up with a confident posting on Twitter. “It’s best to allow my colleagues time to go thru my reply,” Modi said in a tweet late Saturday.
“We spent weeks putting it,” together. The BCCI is investigating Modi over his involvement in the initial bids for the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab at the inaugural IPL auctions in 2008, in a broadcast deal and in the awarding of two new IPL franchises last month.
Modi was the powerbroker in establishing the lucrative IPL and then turning it into a multi-billion dollar enterprise, which has led to an explosion of interest in the shortest form of international cricket. Modi’s lawyer Mehmood S. Abdi declined to elaborate on the contents of the six cartons delivered to BCCI Chief Administrator Ratnakar Shetty, but told reporters he was confident that the charges against Modi would be dropped.
“The charges were based on allegations and gossip. BCCI can never prove it.
We are confident that all the charges against Modi will be dropped,” Abdi said. He added: “The reply has been written in simple prose and BCCI president Shashank Manohar, who himself is a lawyer, will need only a few hours to go through it.
” Shetty did not comment on the documents or what the next step in the proceedings was likely to be, saying only that “there is a procedure in the BCCI and the president will follow that.” Modi was initially supposed to answer the corruption allegations by May 10, but was given additional time to reply after he asked the board for additional documents.
Modi has been barred from participating in the operation of the IPL, the BCCI or any of its committees. A vice president of the BCCI, Modi has said his running of the IPL was completely transparent and denied any corruption.
An investigation led by Shetty into IPL records had already shown “a lot of documents missing,” BCCI president Manohar said last month.
FIH Youth Coaching Course begins
May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The two-day FIH’s World Youth Challenge 2010 course being organized by the Punjab Sports Department commenced at the Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on Saturday. Sports Director Pargat Singh said that as many as 80 kids from different hockey centres under the age of 11 have been invited to attend the two-day camp.
Apart from the trainees, 20 coaches from across the state will attend the clinic. He also added that for the children emphasis would be placed on teaching the basics of hockey.
They will be put though a series of drills that will focus on stance, ball control, hitting and first touch. On the physical side a series of ABC exercises have been developed that are important for developing speed, coordination, body strengthening, importance of warming up and cooling down and flexibility.
The programme will be further implemented in the summer coaching camps to be organised by the Punjab Sports Department. For the coaches, this clinic will concentrate on making them understand the practical and tactical aspects of a system of play.
The Punjab Sports Department that had launched development programme in 2006, to bolster the hockey at the grassroots level by targeting children under the age of 14 too faces these challenges.
Bulletproof car fabrication industry in top gear following Maoist attacks
May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Jaipur, May 8 (ANI): Fabricators of bulletproof cars are doing roaring business in Jaipur following a surge in Maoist attacks.
Trade circles said the indigenous fabricators, mostly in the unorganised sector, have acquired the expertise to erect frames that can withstand a landmine blast.
The demand for such cars has increased from the Maoist-affected states in recent years.
“We supplied 50 to 55 cars to Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Otherwise, cars for VIPs have a good sale. We have sent bullet-proof cars to Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh,” said Ranjit Singh, owner of a fabricating company.
Singh said that the company is fabricating a Mitsubishi Montero car for Punjab.
The cost of overhauling a bulletproof vehicle varies with the requirements of the client, ranging from Rs 4 million to 10 millions.
“We change the whole interior of a car and it takes about one-and-a-half to two months to fabricate one car. Here, we are a team of six to seven people. We change the wheels, brakes and many other parts to make it bulletproof,” said Suneet Kumar, a fabricator of Jaipur. (ANI)
Banned terror outfits recruiting fresh ‘jihadis’ under govt’s nose in Pak
May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Karachi, May 4 (ANI): Pakistan’s blatant lie regarding taking stiff action against so called religious organisations has been laid bare as groups like the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Harkatul Mujahideen, Sipah-e-Sahaba and the dreaded 313 Brigade, which is led by Ilyas Kashmiri, continue to operate and recruit fresh cadets in Karachi and other parts of the country.
According to a Daily Times report, several such organisations , which were banned by the previous General Pervez Musharraf government for promoting extremism, have now started to unite.
These banned groups are campaigning openly and recruiting young men to carry out ‘jihad’, the report said.
It is not that the present government is unaware about the development. The Interior Ministry, through a communiqué, had warned provincial governments about the sale of video CD’s, and pro-extremism literature and other provocative materials at madrassas (religious seminaries) and mosques after Friday prayers.
The sale of such articles is rampant in most cities in Sindh, Punjab and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), but authorities seem to have turned a blind eye towards the nefarious business.
The Interior ministry had also directed the authorities to crack down on printing presses publishing terror literature, seminaries, mosques, as well as bar jihadi websites from public viewing, but little action has been taken.
Despite the government’s claims that it is taking necessary action against the war mongers, leaders of these banned ‘religious’ outfits are far from being deterred.
They said they are at war against foreign forces, and would continue to fight till the very end.
“We are at war and the material, especially the CDs showing the achievements of the mujahideen, attract Muslims toward jihad and they are encouraged by listening to the lecture before an explosion,” the newspaper quoted a top jihadi leader, as saying.
“We have completed all our missions against the infidels and their allied forces either in Pakistan or Afghanistan. We have shown the required spirit of jihad and a true Muslim would be easily convinced for jihad against the enemies of the Muslims,” he added.
He said the mujahideens and all the organisations banned in Pakistan were cooperating with the Taliban because of their similar agendas, and added that ‘jihad’ was being carried out only in Afghanistan and not in Pakistan. (ANI)
UN report on Benazir’s murder incomplete: Pak minister
May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Lahore, May 3 (ANI): The UN commission’s report on the assassination of Pakistan’s former premier Benazir Bhutto is still incomplete, according to Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar.
Talking to journalists in Gujrat, the Pakistani Defence Minister said the fact-finding commission constituted by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani would finalise its report within eight days.
He said the commission’s report would bring some new facts to light and help arrest the real culprits, the Daily Times reports.
Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman termed the UN Commission’s report as ‘ambiguous’; because it has failed to provide answers to a number of questions.
“If the UN Commission’s report satisfies the government then it is the responsibility of the latter to uncover the assassins of Ms Benazir Bhutto,” Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman said.
He said Awami National Party (ANP) has got ‘registered Khyber Pukhtoonwkwa’ name from Punjab.
Regarding the 17th amendment, the JUI Chief said only a few clauses were changed on which “I put my signature with reservations”.
“JUI wants provincial autonomy under the 18th amendment of the Constitution, renaming of the province is someone else’s agenda,” he maintained. (ANI)
We are co-operating with BCCI, other bodies: Kings XI
April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment
New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) Kings XI Punjab said Thursday that the franchisee is co-operating with Income Tax (IT) department and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in investigations over the ownerhsip details of the Chandigarh-based Indian Premier League (IPL) team.
‘The franchisee, KXIP, is co-operating completely with the BCCI and all the relevant regulatory bodies. It would be inappropriate to comment beyond this at this moment. In the interim, we request media not to resort to unsubstantiated allegations and frivolous speculation,’ Kings XI said in a statement.
IT officials Wednesday questioned officials of KPH Dreams Private Limited, which owns Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab. The questioning went on for nearly five hours.
Earlier, a team of IT officials visited the storehouse-cum-office of Kings XI Punjab in Mohali town in Punjab April 23 to verify some documents.
These moves were prompted by the recent controversies in the IPL over new Kochi franchise and questions being raised about the sources of its funds.
Kings XI Punjab under I.T. scanner over Burman”s share
April 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Mumbai, Apr 29 (ANI): The Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Kings XI Punjab, has come under the scanner of the Income Tax (IT) Department with respect to Mohit Burman”s share in the team.
“Mohit Burman”s funds came from London via Mauritius,” said IT sources.
“Kings XI Punjab incurred unexpected losses of Rs 70 crore,” sources added.
Kings XI co-owner Ness Wadia has rubbished all the charges against the team.
“Do not wish to get sucked into speculations in the media,” said Ness Wadia.
“All funds are above the Board and we are co-operating with the investigating agencies,” he added.
Preity Zinta, actor and part-owner of the Punjab team has said that there are no proxy holdings in Punjab Kings XI.
Zinta said that she is confident that suspended IPL Commsioner Lalit Modi is not a secret owner in the Punjab franchise.
Modi”s relative Mohit Burman, bought into the team at the same time as Zinta and other partners like Karan Paul. Mohit”s brother, Gaurav, invested in the team later, said Zinta, and he is not a front for Modi. (ANI)
NRI doctor killed by stalker in US
April 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
New York City, April 27 — An Indian doctor at the School of Medicine at the Ivy League Yale University was murdered outside his residence in a quiet Connecticut town apparently by a former colleague from a New York hospital who stalked him over an earlier dispute. The victim, 34-year-old Vajinder Pal Toor, lived in Branford, and was a post-doctoral fellow at Yale’s Medical School.
The suspect, 44-year-old Chinese national Lishan Wang, has been arrested by the local police and charged with murder and attempt to murder. Wang’s last known address was in an Atlanta suburb, Marietta.
He is originally from Beijing. The incident occurred at about 8 am as Dr Toor was headed towards his car at the condo complex where he lived in the suburb of New Haven, where the university is located.
The gunman shot Dr Toor multiple times but failed in his attempt to shoot his wife, Parneeta, who is five-months pregnant. The Toors have a three-year-old child.
Wang was apprehended while driving away in his red minivan about a mile from Toor’s residence. He was carrying two handguns at that time.
Dr Toor had graduated in 2001 from Guru Govind Singh Medical College in Punjab. A person who picked up the phone at Toor’s residence but did not identify herself said that his wife was “still in a state of shock but was trying to appear calm” so that the child was not upset.
The genesis of the alleged killer, Wang’s anger appears to date back to 2008 when he worked under Dr Toor’s supervision at the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Centre in Brooklyn, New York. Wang was suspended by the hospital in May 2008 and fired in July that year.
IPL franchises to support Lalit Modi
April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Mumbai, Apr 21 (ANI): Most of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises continue to support IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi despite the controversies surrounding him.
Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Shilpa Shetty have openly supported Modi.
Shilpa Shetty said the IPL is Modi’s brainchild.
“I support Lalit as someone who has been part of IPL. It is Lalit”s brainchild. Because of Lalit, IPL happened,” Shetty said.
“If there is something murky happening behind the scenes, I am unaware about it, and in that case, let the law take its own course. However, people should not jump to conclusions. Till you are not proven guilty, you are not guilty,” she added.
Shetty further said that Modi should be credited for his effort to make IPL a global event.
“We must not forget that it was Lalit who made IPL successful in the overseas market. We must give him that credit. It is all because of his efforts that the IPL has become successful across the world,” she said.
Shetty’s statement comes in the wake of recent media reports of an income tax department probe revealing Modi’s silent stake in three IPL teams – the Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab.
Shetty claimed that her team has all legal documents.
“I don”t understand what is happening. Every day, new things are coming out. As far as our (Rajasthan Royal) papers are concerned, we have all legal documents. About the remaining teams, I have no idea. I don”t know who is involved and from where has the money come,” Shetty said.
“As an Indian, I think we all should be proud of IPL. It has generated not just a lot of revenue, but also pride in the sporting space and created job opportunities. IPL has been good in a lot of ways,” she added.
The IPL franchise owners are reportedly, not too keen on the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar taking over as the league”s commissioner.
Owners believe that Manohar may not be the right choice for the post of IPL Commissioner, as matters need to be conducted professionally in the league. (ANI)
Brett Lee declares himself fit for T20 World Cup
April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Sydney, Apr 21 (ANI): Australian pacer Brett Lee, who broke his thumb during the Indian Premier League, has declared himself fit and ready to return to international action in the upcoming World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.
Training with the Australian squad in Brisbane, Lee on Wednesday had his first bowl since breaking his thumb in a forgettable four-match stint in the Indian Premier League.
The 33-year-old said he bowled without problem and felt only minor pain in his thumb in the indoor nets at the Gabba.
“There was limited pain which was good and didn”t stop me from bowling which is great,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lee, as saying.
“It has been difficult coming back, but I saw the surgeon (this week) and he cleared me to play. I’ve played with pain my whole life and a broken thumb won’t stop me from bowling,” he said.
Lee’s shortened IPL stint for the Kings XI Punjab was a short-lived comeback from elbow surgery in December.
Lee is one of four specialist fast bowlers in the 15-man Australian squad along with Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait. (ANI)
UN report on Bhutto’s assassination ‘pack of lies’: Musharraf aide
April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Islamabad, Apr.16 (ANI): Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf’s close aide, Rashid Qureshi has described the UN commission’s enquiry report on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination as a “pack of lies”.
Qureshi said the probe report, which blamed the then Musharraf government of ‘deliberately’ failing to probe the December 2007 gun and bomb attack on Bhutto, was based on rumours and that Musharraf can not be blamed for the attack.
Noting that Musharraf had himself being targeted by suicide bombers on numerous occasions, Qureshi said: “The chief UN investigator was not the relative of Sherlock Homes.”
“Benazir Bhutto and her chief security officer Rehman Malik decided to go ahead with their planned election rally. It was Bhutto who exposed herself to the attacker,” The News quoted Qureshi, as saying.
The three-member UN commission’s report said that Bhutto’s death could have been avoided if the Musharraf government had taken adequate security measures.
The enquiry commission, headed by Chilean Ambassador to the UN, Heraldo Munoz, in its 65-page report said that none of the concerned authorities from the federal government to the Punjab and the Rawalpindi district police took necessary action to prevent the terror attack on Bhutto despite having information regarding the threat posed by extremists. (ANI)
Watson treble no match for Sachin magic
April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Shane Watson has grabbed three wickets but could not stop the Rajasthan Royals being thumped by a Sachin Tendulkar-inspired Mumbai in the Indian Premier League.
The Australian all-rounder took 3 for 37 from his four overs, removing dangerman Sanath Jayasuriya (1) in his first over and then tournament finds Ambati Rayudu (0) and Saurabh Tiwary (15).
But Watson was unable to stop Tendulkar who smashed an unbeaten 89 off 59 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes off consecutive deliveries.
Tendulkar’s fifth half century of the tournament helped the Indians to a 37-run victory, ensuring them of a place in the IPL semi-finals.
Sent in to bat, Mumbai made 5 for 174 from its 20 overs before restricting Shane Warne’s fourth-placed Royals to 8 for 137.
Warne took 0 for 34 from his four overs, but was also unable to stop Tendulkar who stroked three boundaries in one over from his old sparring partner.
Watson was unable to contribute much with the bat, run out for just 1, but compatriot Adam Voges was Rajasthan’s second top scorer with 28 from 27 balls.
“I thought we had the game under control for a while but Sachin took over,” Royals captain Warne said.
“We thought 170 was a par score but credit to them. Bit of panic at the start and too many run-outs.”
Man of the match Tendulkar paid tribute to paceman Zaheer Khan, who took a miserly 2 for 17 from his four overs.
“I thought 170 was competitive, full marks to our fast bowlers, especially Zaheer,” he said.
“I better keep scoring fifties.”
In Sunday’s other match, last-placed Kings XI Punjab (3 for 112) chased down the Delhi Daredevils’ 111 to win by seven wickets.
Australian slogger Dave Warner made just 6 from 11 balls for Delhi.
Selectors take ‘leap of faith’ on Lee
April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Brett Lee will need to lift himself dramatically if he wishes to be anything more than a net bowler in Australia’s World Twenty20 campaign next month.
Three matches into his return with Indian Premier League side King’s XI Punjab and Lee’s figures read an unflattering 0-111 from 10.3 overs.
National chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch admits his panel were flying blind when they chose 33-year-old Lee for the tournament without watching him bowl, and on current form he seems likely to be on the plane only as an ageing squad player and mentor to the rest of the attack.
“That’s the risk we took when we picked him, we knew at the time of that selection that there were about five weeks to go before the World Cup, which was a lot of preparation time,” Hilditch said Wednesday.
“It would’ve been better for us when we picked him in the T20 World Cup that he’d played more cricket but it is what it is.
“He’s coming back through the IPL and we’re trusting he’s going to be right for the World Cup.
“We’re obviously watching it but we’re expecting that he’s going to take some time.
“He’s not having any elbow pain and seems to have made a good recovery from the injury, so I think it’s just a matter of getting more match practice.”
Nevertheless, Lee was named as one of CA’s 25 centrally-contracted players on Wednesday, and Hilditch said he still held out hope that the 33-year-old still had a place in the limited overs set-up.
He has already retired from Test cricket following the setback of an elbow ailment that kept him out of the whole of the home summer.
Hilditch described his perseverance with Lee as a “leap of faith” but one worth taking given the fast bowler’s decorated record in limited overs cricket and with the 2011 50-over World Cup on the horizon.
“Brett at his best is certainly still in our thoughts for 50-over and T20 cricket,” he said.
“We’re hoping he will make the recovery we expect and still playing IPL and getting back to his best.
“So I suppose it is a leap of faith, but a leap of faith in a player who’s taken 300-odd Test wickets and been one of our best, so we’re giving him that opportunity.”
Wheat arrivals cross 1 lakh tonnes in Haryana
April 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Chandigarh, April 5 (IANS) Nearly 104,000 tonnes of wheat have arrived in grain markets in Haryana in the first four days of the procurement season that began April 1.
A Haryana food and supplies department spokesman said out of the total arrival of wheat stocks, 103,850 tonnes had been procured by five state agencies and the Food Corporation of India.
Private traders had picked up only five tonnes.
In neighbouring Punjab, officials said only a few thousand tonnes had arrived in the market so far, although the procurement began on the same date.
Punjab and Haryana together contribute more than 60 per cent of food grain to the national kitty.
A bumper harvest has been forecast this year despite the warm temperature prevailing over the region in March-April.
Both states had procured over 180 million tonnes of wheat last year.
Lee, Hussey return to T20 fold
March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Australia’s selectors have erred on the side of experience for next month’s ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, naming Brett Lee and Mike Hussey after a summer of experimenting without them.
Lee has only played one match – returning an unthreatening 0 for 39 from four overs for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League – since recovering from a serious elbow injury, but the 33-year-old was nonetheless chosen ahead of Ryan Harris, who will wonder what he has done wrong.
Hussey, meanwhile, has not played a T20 match for the national side since last year’s tour of England, and selection chairman Andrew Hilditch made a point of saying he was not being rested earlier in the summer.
In his place had been Travis Birt, another curious omission from the squad after limited opportunities to press his case as a young and muscular hitter in the middle order.
The selectors’ reversion to Lee and Hussey is a conservative call, but Hilditch defended the decision as opting for two of the better international T20 performers Australia has had.
“While Brett Lee hasn’t played the amount of cricket we would’ve liked him to in preparation for this World Cup, at his best he is one of the best Twenty20 cricketers in the world,” he said.
“He also has the opportunity of continuing to play in the IPL as preparation for this tournament.
“Ryan Harris is extremely unlucky to miss selection given his strong performances in all forms of the game in recent times for Australia.
“Travis Birt is also unlucky to miss selection. He also had limited opportunity leading up to selection but we’ve gone with Mike Hussey who brings great international experience and is in fantastic form in all formats of the game right now.”
Hilditch and his panel have spent considerable time mulling over their options for a tournament the Australians are yet to win, despite its pre-eminence in the game’s other formats in recent years.
A more concerted effort to choose players on the strength of their T20 performances has seen the inclusion of the young all-rounders Daniel Christian and Steve Smith, plus Dirk Nannes, who represented the Netherlands in England last year.
“We’ve been preparing hard for this tournament since the last event and we’re pleased with the squad’s performance in recent games, under the captaincy of Michael Clarke,” said Hilditch.
“The squad has a good mix of experience and exciting young talent and is capable, at its best, of playing competitive and entertaining Twenty20 cricket.”
Australian squad: Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Dirk Nannes, Tim Paine, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, David Warner, Shane Watson.
- AAP
Pak-US civil nuke accord to remain a pipedream till terror havens eliminated : Editorial
March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Islamabad, Mar.25 (ANI): Both the Pakistani political and military leadership have been boasting of coming down hard on extremists in the country citing examples of recent arrests of several top Taliban commanders, and have, in return, been pressing the United States for more military and financial aid, but Washington is far from convinced.
An editorial in one of Pakistan’s leading English Dailies said that despite Islamabad’s claims and statements from some of the top American diplomats acknowledging its action, the trust deficit between the two countries has not been bridged.
“Washington is not entirely convinced that Pakistan is totally committed to the war against militancy,” the editorial in The News said.
It pointed out that unless Pakistan acts tough and dismantles terror safe havens based in Southern Punjab and extremists groups fighting a proxy war in Kashmir, Pakistan cannot win credibility in front of the international community.
The editorial said that there is a possible threat posed by the Taliban and other extremist groups of taking over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, which is a major cause of worry for the United States.
“The matter of groups based in southern Punjab has been raised more than once. New Delhi alleges ”jihadi” groups in Kashmir remain untouched. There is also the issue of possible terrorist acquisition of nuclear weapons. No matter how far-fetched the scenario, it lives on in US minds,” it stated.
The editorial said. that unless Islamabad acts ‘really’ tough against militant organisations thriving on its soil , it would be very hard for it to seal any nuclear deal with the US.
“This will make the task of pushing any kind of deal involving nuclear technology through US Congress all the harder. What Pakistan needs to focus on for now is filling in the gap that exists in trust,” it concluded. (ANI)
Hayden devastates Daredevils
March 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Matthew Hayden delivered a batting master class in the Indian Premier League on Friday night, thumping 93 runs off 43 balls to give Chennai Super Kings a five-wicket win over the Delhi Daredevils.
The former Australia opener hit nine fours and seven sixes as the visitors made 5 for 190 to overhaul Delhi’s 6 for 185 with five balls to spare.
Virender Sehwag top-scored for the home side with 74 from 38.
Australian former Test stars also dominated the match at Cuttack where Deccan Chargers beat Kings XI Punjab by six runs.
Man-of-the-match Andrew Symonds struck 53 runs from 38 balls and skipper Adam Gilchrist 33 from 12 as the Chargers made 7 for 170 and then restricted Punjab to 8-164.
IK Pathan top-scored for the visitors with 60 from 29.
- AAP