Hatred among common men of two countries could jeopardize the hard earned peace

AMRITSAR: Pakistani nationals who arrived India on board Samjhauta Express on Thursday are of view that death of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah in India could jeopardize the Indo Pak peace process and expects from both governments to diffuse any tension before it snowballs into a major issue.

"There was anger among Indians after death of Sarabjit and now there is anger in Pakistani's after death of Sanaullah, it is not a good sign, things are going from bad to worse, there is need to check it at the earliest" said Pakistani national from Karachi Shehnaz while talking to TOI on Thursday.

She said at first point no prisoners should have been attacked either in Pakistan or in India. "I can understand it was an retaliatory action, if Sarabjit had not been attacked , may be Sanaullah would have also not been attacked" said she.

"Itni mushkil sae to eika hua hai, aana jana shuru hua hai isko sambhal kar rakhan chahiyee( both countries have barely come together and resumed travel , we should preserve this relation"). Bibi Sarwari from Karachi said such incident would increase bitterness among common man of two countries."

It is unfortunate that earlier Indians were burning Pak flags and now Pakistani's are burning Indian flags, this way we are not heading for any peace"she said. Another young Pakistani lady Fatima said there were certain forces which didn't want India and Pakistan to live peacefully. "Both countries should live like good neighbours and friends that will be good for us and our coming generations" she said.

Meanwhile the gesture of Pakistan Rangers were little more aggressive during daily beating the retreat ceremony even as only about 200 to 300 Pak visitors had arrived to watch the daily flag lowering ceremony. Border Security Force , Deputy Inspector General, RPS Jaswal informed that during such circumstances they ask the Jawan's to be extra cautious and advise people not to raise any provocative slogans.

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Complaint by an NGO to NHRC on Pakistan's prisoner Sanaullah's death

NEW DELHI: A NGO has complained to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the custodial death of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay demanding a judicial inquiry in the death and Rs 25 lakh as compensation for the kin.

The custodial death of Sanaullah is a shameful incident for India which had failed to ensure safety and security of Pakistani prisoners in India despite credible apprehension about the attacks on Pakistani prisons following the murderous assault on Sarabjit Singh. This incident has proven that there is no difference in the conduct of the prison officials in India and Pakistan,'' Asian Centre for Human Rights said.

ACHR demanded a judicial inquiry and make the report public within one month, register cases under the Indian Penal Code against the prison staff and prisoners who attacked Sanaullah. The NGO has also sought Rs 25 lakh as compensation to Sanaullah's next of kin.

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CAG report cannot be gospel truth on any issue: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: CAG report commands respect and cannot be brushed aside but it cannot be the final word on an issue, the Supreme Court said on Thursday while noting that the auditor's findings cannot be gospel truth as it is subject to scrutiny by Parliament.

A bench of justices KS Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said that CAG's report is always subject to parliamentary debates and it is possible that public accounts committee (PAC) can accept the objection to the report or reject it.

"The CAG's report is always subject to parliamentary debates and it is possible that PAC can accept the ministry's objection to the CAG report or reject the report of the CAG. The CAG, indisputably is an independent constitutional functionary. However, it is for Parliament to decide whether after receiving the report to make its comments on it," the court said.

The bench made the observations while rejecting CAG views on Cairn-Vedanta deal, saying that "it is factually and legally incorrect and cannot be accepted".

The bench analysed various provisions pertaining to CAG functioning and said, "We have come across several instances where considerable reliance has been placed on the CAG report projecting it as gospel truth".

The court's remarks assumes significance in the wake of the recent controversy over CAG's figure of the estimated loss to public exchequer due to coal blocks and 2G spectrum allocation scams.

"We have referred to the report of the CAG, the role of the PAC and the procedure followed in the House, only to indicate that the CAG report is always subject to scrutiny by Parliament and government can always offer its views on the report of the CAG," the bench said.

"We may, however, point out that since the report is from a constitutional functionary, it commands respect and cannot be brushed aside as such, but it is equally important to examine the comments what respective ministries have to offer on the CAG's report," the bench added.

"The ministry can always point out, if there is any mistake in the CAG's report or the CAG has inappropriately appreciated various issues," the bench said.

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NGO says recruitment of child soldiers rampant in conflict areas

NEW DELHI: An independent report has accused the Indian government of being economical with the truth and denying the recruitment of child soldiers by armed opposition groups. The shadow report by the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), submitted to the UN Committee on Rights of Child on Thursday, estimated that there are at least 3,000 child soldiers in areas of armed conflict in North-East and J&K.

The report "India's Child Soldiers" says that recruitment of child soldiers by armed groups including the Naxalites is rampant. At least 3,000 children, 500 in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir and about 2,500 in the Naxal affected States currently remain involved in armed conflicts. This estimate of child soldiers is conservative considering that the Maoists follow the policy of forcibly recruiting at least one cadre from each Adivasi family," the report said.

ACHR director Suhas Chakma accused the government of defending the records of the armed opposition groups. India in its first report on the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict to the UN Committee in 2011 stated that there is no recruitment of child soldiers including by the armed groups in India. The first periodic report of India will come for preliminary examination by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child during its 66th pre-sessional working group to be held in Geneva from 7-11 October 2013 while NGOs are required to submit their report by July.

The report includes 11 cases of forcible recruitment of child soldiers by armed groups along with other evidences like photographs of child soldiers surrendering with their arms before then Home Minister P Chidambaram and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in 2011 and 2012.

"Regrettably, the state governments of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been recruiting children below 18 years as "boy-orderlies" under Section 60 of the Madhya Pradesh Police Regulation and deploying them for combat purposes.

While hundreds of children below 18 years have been recruited as "boy orderlies" in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh over the years, the State government of Chhattisgarh on a complaint filed by Asian Centre for Human Rights before the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights admitted in June 2011 that there are approximately 300 "boy-orderlies" employed in the state police force at present and seven of them were posted with 4th Battalion of Chhattisgarh Police at Mana in Raipur. These children are not only denied the right to education but deployed with the forces who are engaged in counter insurgency," ACHR said.

Article 4 of the Optional Protocol to the UN CRC states that armed opposition groups should not under any circumstance, recruit or use in hostilities persons under the age of 18 years and the government shall take all feasible measures to prevent such recruitment and use, including the adoption of legal measures necessary to prohibit and criminalize such practices.

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MGNREGA has environmental benefits finds IISc study

NEW DELHI: The Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act has often been ridiculed as a scheme that has hardly any impact. Many say that MGNREGA workers just 'dig and fill holes,' but scientists from premier science institutions seem to think differently.

At a time when the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing flak from many quarters including the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), a study by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and other national institutions suggests that the scheme has generated environmental benefits in a number of states.

MGNREGA was in news recently for poor implementation and wastage of funds. The CAG report had found that only 30% of 129 lakh works worth over Rs 1.26 lakh crore was completed. But the IISc report commissioned by the ministry of rural development and GIZ, analyses the impact of the scheme from an environmental point of view.

The study is based on the experience of MGNREGA in five states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Sikkim. The current condition of sites chosen in each state are compared with pre-MGNREGA scenarios (2006-07) for parameters like ground water level, soil erosion, soil organic carbon, biomass and others. The parameters are also compared with 'control states' where MGNREGA is not being implemented.

The assessment found that a bulk of the works in AP, Karnataka, MP and Bhilwara in Rajasthan were linked to water conservation such as water harvesting, drought proofing, irrigation and renovation of traditional water bodies. The study concludes that ground water levels and drinking water availability had improved in these areas because of MGNREGA projects. Other works like check dams, percolation tanks, desilting of natural water tanks have also contributed to an increase in the area irrigated by borewells. This has also led to increased crop yields in 30 out of the 40 study villages according to the study.

It also found that soil organic carbon content (indicator of soil fertility) in 899 beneficiary sample plots in all the study villages, an increase in the SOC levels was recorded in 72% of the plots as compared to the control states. In three districts where land was uncultivable is now being cultivated because of land development works of MGNREGA like leveling, clearing and others claims the report. In Dhar, Madhya Pradesh agriculture was rain fed and croplands were cultivated only once a year but post MGNREGA, beneficiaries in the district also cultivate in the Rabi season.

Drought proofing activities like afforestation and horticulture development has led to improvements in the forest cover. In 31 of the 40 study villages, forest varieties like Dalbergia and Neem and fruit yielding varieties like Mango, Guava, Jackfruit, and Lemon have been planted on individual farm lands and common property resources. Authors of report have concluded that the forests have a potential to sequester carbon in the long run which can help deal with climate change impacts.

But authors avoided commenting on corruption and wastage of funds associated with the scheme. "In all the five states MGNREGA works were implemented and had resulted in a number of environmental benefits. We think that the scheme has the potential to improve ecological resilience in the area, provided the works are implemented. These works are not technical and farmers can do them very easily," says NH Ravindranath, one of the authors of the study.

MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

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India could witness reverse migration

NEW DELHI: India could witness large-scale reverse migration in the coming months as the three-month grace period given by the Saudi Arabian government for implementation of the Nitaqat law comes to an end.

Over two million Indians are currently working in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government was implementing the Nitaqat law to cut unemployment in the country mandating that one Saudi national be employed for every 10 expatriate workers.

Over 18,000 Indians have already approached the Indian embassy in Riyadh seeking "emergency certificate" to leave Saudi Arabia amid concerns about possible job losses. The Indian workers have applied for issuance of Emergency Certificate to leave the country as they had given their passports to the sponsors, overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi told Parliament on Wednesday.

The embassy had started receiving applications for issuance of EC since last week of May.

The Nitaqat law makes it mandatory for local companies to hire one Saudi national for every 10 migrant workers. There has been widespread perception that the new policy will lead to denial of job opportunities for a large number of Indians working there.

Ravi said as per the Indian Mission in Riyadh, the increase in the number of applications seeking EC was due to Saudi authorities' campaign against foreign workers staying in the country without fulfilling laid down conditions and not due to Nitaqat. "This drive affects not only illegal workers from India, but also from all countries from where immigrant workers have come to Saudi Arabia," he said.

A delegation led by Ravi had visited the Gulf nation two weeks back during which it expressed India's concern about the Nitaqat law. During the talks, both the sides had agreed to set up a joint working group to address "all immediate problems" facing the Indian community including issues related to overstaying Indian workers and the new labour law.

Ravi said Government has waived the fee of 7 Saudi Riyals for contribution to the Indian Community Welfare Fund by those who applied for EC and even asked the mission to bear processing cost of 40 Saudi Riyals (Rs 600) per application.

He said government has asked the mission to provide temporary accommodation and food to the needy Indians in Saudi Arabia.

More than 200,000 foreigners have been deported from the country over the past few months as part of labour market reforms aimed at putting more Saudi nationals into private sector jobs, where they now make up only a tenth of the workforce.

The Joint Group also discussed re-employment of those overstaying Indian workers in Saudi by availing the facilities offered by the Ministry of Labour including services of the newly set up mega-recruiting companies.

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Modi magic fails in Karnataka as BJP looks to keep up anti-Congress campaign

BANGALORE/NEW DELHI: The BJP's rout in Karnataka on Wednesday has taken some sheen off the party's poster boy Narendra Modi, who had been billed as a star vote-getter.

The Gujarat chief minister addressed only three public meetings, one each in Bangalore, Mangalore on the west coast and Belgaum in the north.

These public meetings came after days of speculation whether Modi, who led BJP to three consecutive wins in Gujarat, would take part in the campaign at all given the poor shape his party was in the state.

Official results still coming in indicate that he seems to have made no impact on the voters even in these three areas.

The Modi magic did not work even in the two coastal Karnataka districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. Mangalore, about 350km from Bangalore, is the main town of Dakshina Kannada.

The two districts had become BJP strongholds in the last decade.

In Dakshina Kannada district, the BJP lost all the eight assembly seats to Congress. In Udupi it won just one out of five. The Congress took three seats and an independent won one.

In 2008, the BJP had won eight of the 13 seats from the two districts and the Congress had secured five.

The BJP fared badly in Bangalore too, with trends indicating it may win only 12 of the 28 seats. In 2008, it had bagged 17.

In Belgaum, which has 18 seats, the BJP has taken possible winning leads in only eight seats as against the nine it won in 2008.

BJP looks to keep up anti-Congress campaign

Disappointed by the poll verdict in Karnataka, the BJP Wednesday sought to downplay the impact of the results on the momentum of its campaign against the UPA government and said it will work on correctives.

BJP leaders said that the result in Karnataka was "disappointing" and "below expectations", but asserted that the issue of corruption will hit the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government in the Lok Sabha polls due in 2014.

The BJP suffered a major jolt in Karnataka, the only southern state it ruled, with its tally expected to be just about 40 seats. It had won 110 seats in the 2008 assembly elections.

Elections were held May 5 to 223 seats of the 224-member Karnataka assembly, which has one seat reserved for the Anglo-Indian community. In the counting of votes Wednesday, the Congress coasted an easy victory.

The BJP was late afternoon staring at the ignominy of finishing third behind the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular. Its prospects were hurt in several constituencies by former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, who floated his Karnataka Janatha Paksha (KJP) after quitting the BJP.

"There is a lesson in every election. The party will sit and analyse what went wrong," BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told IANS.

He said corruption was an issue in the Karnataka polls and added that it would work against the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

He said that elections to four more state assemblies were scheduled at the end of the year and the BJP had bright prospects in all of them.

BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh said the party failed to address the issue of corruption in Karnataka and that caste calculus also did not work in favour of the party.

"The results are disappointing," he said.

Defending the party's decision to replace Yeddyurappa as the chief minister, Siddharth Nath Singh the decision was taken in the wake of Karnataka Lokayukta report.

Yeddyurappa's KJP was poised to win seven seats in the largely four-cornered contest in the state.

"We stood for fighting against corruption but failed in political management of the issue," a party leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told IANS.

The leader said Yeddyurappa's exit had dented the party's support base and that there could be realignment with the former chief minister, who belongs to the politically significant Lingayat community.

"His exit has made a difference. It (realignment or joining back) is possible before Lok Sabha polls," the BJP leader said.

He said the party was expecting to win at least 60 seats in Karnataka.

He also sought to delink Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and its other central leaders, who had campaigned in Karanataka, from the poll outcome.

"It was a state election. Modi should be judged for his peformance in Gujarat or if he is made campaign in-charge for the Lok Sabha polls," the leader said.

Political analyst Aswini K Ray said that the BJP had "goofed up" Karnataka and results were "a predictable set-back" for the party.

He said that the BJP failed to muster skills to prevent an impending defeat.

"The verdict in Karnataka would put little wind in the Congress sails after the tottering situation of scams," said Ray, a former professor of political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

He said the Karnataka results "had weakened" the BJP's campaign against the Congress-led central government on corruption, but the UPA government will continue to face the heat on scandals that had surfaced during its rule.

Ray also said that Karnataka results could spur demands in the BJP to take an unambiguous decision on the prime ministerial candidate and declare Modi for the post.

BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said that the Congress should not feel too elated over the Karanataka poll outcome.

"If the Congress feels confident, let them prepone (Lok Sabha) elections," he said.

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Parliamentary panel seeks lowering of juvenile age at 16 years

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel has recommended reduction in the age of male juvenile from 18 to 16 years observing that there had been a 10.5% increase in crimes against women committed by juveniles in a year alone. It has also asked the government to draw up a unified strategy on the creating a national database for offenders and strengthening the criminal justice system including establishment of fast track courts, augmenting helplines, improving rehabilitation processes for women of sexual violence, abandoned and vulnerable women.

Describing the increasing number of juveniles involved in various crimes against women as a dangerous trend'' the Committee on the empowerment of women on the issue of victims of sexual abuse and trafficking and their rehabilitation'' said that the Juvenile Justice act was amended in 2000 to bring the age of men and women at par to 18 years but that had not produced the desired result.''

The number of crimes in violation of the Indian Penal Code committed by juveniles in 2010 was 22,740 that had registered a 10.5% increase with the total crimes registered in 2011 going up to 25,125. The crimes against women committed by juveniles have also increased the, panel found. For instance in 2010, juveniles were involved in 858 cases of rape, 391 cases of kidnapping and abduction of women and 536 cases of molestation which rose to 1149 cases of rape, 600 of kidnapping and abduction and 573 cases of molestation in 2011. Most of these crimes had been committed by male juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years.

The reasons for juveniles getting in to various forms of crime vary from impulsive disorder, peer pressure, disturbed environment to broken families, aggression, lavish lifestyle and uncontrolled freedom from parents. The Committee would like to caution on the dangerous trend of increased involvement of juveniles in various crimes against women,'' the report said. Citing the recent cases of the December 16 gang rape and the rape of 5 year old minor, the panel said that the government must take stringent measures.

The panel acknowledged vociferous demand from various social organizations, women's groups, academicians and large body of experts seeking lowering of age for male juvenile to 16 years.

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CBI preparing letter rogatory in chopper case

NEW DELHI: The CBI is preparing letters rogatory as part of its probe into the alleged kickbacks in the VVIP helicopter deal with Augusta Westland, defence minister AK Antony said on Wednesday.

The government has received an initial set of documents from Italy in the case, he said.

He informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that his ministry has received an initial set of documents from Italy which include a copy of the search and seizure order issued by a judge in Busto Arsizio.

The ministry has also received copies of certain contracts entered by a shareholder company of Agusta Westland International Limited, UK, with various entities in Tunisia and India.

"Letter rogatories to various countries are under preparation by the Central Bureau of Investigation," he said.

Letters rogatory is a formal communication in writing sent by the court to a foreign court requesting that testimony of a witness residing within its jurisdiction may be formally taken and transmitted to the issuing court.

Antony said the ministry had sent a joint team of defence ministry and ministry of external affairs to Italy.

Answering another query, he said a decision for cancelling the contract will depend on the outcome of the CBI investigation.

The defence ministry had signed a contract with Britain-based Agusta Westland in February 2010 for procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters.

The CBI has registered a case against 19 people, including six companies to probe the alleged kickbacks in the deal.

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Remarkable decline in maternal mortality rate in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: As a result of effective implementation of maternal safety programmes in Madhya Pradesh, remarkable decline has been registered in maternal mortality rate in the state.

According of annual health survey bulletin 2011-12 released by Registrar General of India, maternal mortality rate in the state declined by 33 points in one year and 102 points in 10 years. A target has been set to under Mamta Abhiyan launched by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on National Safe Motherhood Day to further reduce maternal mortality rate to 200 points during year 2013-14.

Maternal mortality rate in Madhya Pradesh was 379 per lakh live births during year 2001-03, which has declined to 277. According to annual health survey, maternal mortality rate in the state, which stood at 310 in year 2010-11, declined by 33 points in year 2011-12.

It is noteworthy that a number of steps have been initiated in Madhya Pradesh to ensure maternal health and safety in the state. Institutional delivery has been promoted effectively. Percentage of institutional deliveries was 26 ten years ago, which has risen to over 81 per cent now.

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India destroyed bunkers in Chumar to resolve Ladakh row, Army officers confirm

SRINAGAR: India has agreed to a Chinese demand to demolish bunkers near their de facto border in the Himalayas, Indian military officers said, as part of a deal to end a stand-off that threatened to scupper slowly improving relations.

Indian and Chinese soldiers faced off 100 metres (330 feet) apart on a plateau near the Karakoram mountain range, where they fought a war 50 years ago, for three weeks until they reached a deal on Sunday for both sides to withdrew.

The tension had threatened to overshadow a visit by foreign minister to Beijing on May 9. China's Premier Li Keqiang is expected to visit India later this month.

Details of the deal have not been made public but a senior officer from the Indian Army's northern command said India had agreed to abandon and destroy bunkers in the Chumar sector, further south along the disputed border.

"The bunkers in Chumar were dismantled after we acceded to Chinese demand in the last flag meeting. These bunkers were live-in bunkers," the Army officer told Reuters on Tuesday.

India said up to 50 Chinese soldiers intruded into its territory on the western rim of the Himalayas on April 15. Some Indian officials and experts believed the incursion signalled Chinese concern about increased Indian activity in the area.

India said the Chinese soldiers were 19 km (12 miles) beyond the point it understands to be the border in the Ladakh region of Kashmir, a vaguely defined line called the line of actual control, which neither side agrees on.

China denied it had crossed into Indian territory. China won the border war they fought in 1962, which soured relations for decades, but ties between the Asian giants have been improving in recent years. China is India's top trade partner.

India has been beefing up its military presence for several years on the remote Ladakh plateau, building roads and runways to catch up with Chinese development across the border in a disputed area known as Aksai Chin.

The decision to agree to the Chinese demand and demolish the bunkers followed heavy criticism of the government over its handling of the incident by the opposition.

The Indian officer said earlier that Chinese officers demanded that India stop construction of bunkers, tunnels and huts along the line of actual control, as the vaguely defined border in place since the 1962 war is known.

They also objected to nomads crossing from India to grazing meadows on the Chinese side, the Indian Army officer said.

An official in defence ministry said on Monday the deal to end the standoff as a "quid pro quo" and said China had also demanded India take down listening and observation posts in the Chumar area, which is close to a Chinese road through Tibet.

It was not clear if India was dismantling those posts.

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No meddling in Presidency functioning, Mamata promises

KOLKATA: Assuring that there would be no political interference in the functioning of the Presidency University, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday promised action against those who had vandalised its premises earlier.

Banerjee had constituted a mentor group comprising 10 renowned academicians from across the country - including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen as its advisor - to revive the fortunes of the renowned university, and Tuesday met its chairman Sugato Bose.

"She (Banerjee) has always maintained that Presidency is her dream project and today (Tuesday) she reiterated her assurance that there will be no political interference in the functioning of the University," Bose said.

He said the chief minister also expressed her satisfaction at the mentor group's working so far and urged it to continue the good work.

The mentor group had demanded an impartial probe into the recent vandalism of the university.

Bose said Banerjee assured it that the probe initiated by the government was heading in the right direction and the miscreants will be punished.

"She assured (us) about the impartiality of the ongoing probe and said that those responsible for the vandalism will be punished," added Bose.

The April 10 vandalism in which the historic Baker Laboratory was destroyed and some girl students molested, was allegedly carried out by activists of the Trinamool Congress' students wing.

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Karnataka hopes for a stable government to push growth and development.

BANGALORE: If the exit poll trends are true, Congress is likely to form an elusive majority government in Karnataka. This has excited one and all, as a single party is expected to rule Karnataka after nearly a decade.

So people and political observers are apparently keyed up and hoping the predictions indeed come true on Wednesday so that the new government can make up for lost time. What we need is a stable functioning government and if we have that we will get our growth rate back. If the political uncertainties continues and the reform agenda is not carried forward, economic growth, jobs and wealth creation will get severely impacted,'' said G C Hiregoudar, a political science professor of Karnatak university, Dharwad.

Karnataka is surely paying the price for the fractured polity in the state since 2004. In the last nine years, the state has seen three successive coalition governments and five chief ministers. It all started with the Congress-JD (S) government headed by N Dharam Singh in 2004 followed by JD (S)-BJP coalition government led by H D Kumaraswamy in 2007. Both lasted for 20 months.

In 2008, people kept high hopes when BJP emerged as the single largest party and managed to form a government with the help of six independents under Lingayat strongman B S Yeddyurappa. Two other chief minister - D V sadanada Gowda and Jagadish Shettar took over the government. But again they were let down as their regime was marred by infighting, corruption scandals and misadministration.

So what people really expecting from the new government? Manifesto of all political parties have promised a clean and transparent administration, going by the gravity of corruption in Karnataka but people take such assurances always with a pinch of salt. The BJP offered to provide 25kg of rice for a rupee per kilogram and laptops to all pre-university and degree students, while the Congress bloated the rice offer to 30kg of rice and extended the same laptop offer! Whether practicable or not, these assurances are certainly not what people want. They all just need the basics -"Bijli, Sadak, Pani", said Prof Chandan Gowda of Azim Premji University.

The aspirations of common man are also no different. A 31-year-old salaried N Ravi Kumar said he gave his vote to a political party, which may promise better life with clear policies for the future of Karnataka. Whosoever comes into power, I hope it will provide good governance to people. Government should give a prior level to IT, automotive Industries, agriculture, besides the best of best infrastructure in state's lifeline Bangalore,'' he added.

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Karnataka assembly elections: Parties keep fingers crossed on eve of counting

BANGALORE: With Karnataka registering a record more than 71% polling on May 5 polls, all political parties are keeping their fingers crossed as the results will be out by Wednesday noon. With exit polls widely predicting a Congress victory, the party is confident of returning to power. Its leaders G Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah have assessed the party will cross 120 seats and would form the government on its own.

Polling percentage of over 71%, which has broken 35-year old record, has further boosted the confidence of Congress, which is saying that high polling is negative voting for the party in power. Chief minister Jagadish Shettar and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy have said that vote count on Wednesday would prove these polls wrong.

Most of the trends and exits polls have given Congress enough seats to form the government on its own, while couple of surveys say the party will fall short of some seats to reach magic mark of 113 seats in the 224 assembly strength and state has to be content with fractured mandate as in 2004 and 2008. Election was held to 223 seats following death of BJP candidate in Piriyapatana assembly segment, which has been put off to May 28.

The ruling-BJP and the third major political force in the state, the JD(S), have dismissed the exit poll findings that they have to be content with being a distant second and third respectively.

Though exit polls have predicted severe set back for BJP, the party is hoping to garner at least 80 seats to form government with the support of JD(S). However, BJP state president Prahalad Joshi said he was sure that party would get enough numbers to form the government on its own. Trends have predicted that BJP would not cross 50 seats and won't be surprising even if the ruling party is third spot.

The surveys have also dismissed that JD(S) would play any role in the formation of government as only 35-45 seats have been given to the party. Former chief minister Kumaraswamy is confident and said that they will get the majority. Just couple of days before elections, he stated that JD(S) would be happy to sit in opposition benches if they don't the majority.

The performance of former chief minister headed Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) and former minister B Sriramulu led BSR Congress, which are off-shoot of the BJP, is keenly watched as the more seats these parties get, more the political drama is expected in coming days. According to Yeddyurappa's own confession, his party will easily cross 50 seats as the major community Lingayats have solidly backed KJP. Sriramulu said BSR Congress will make major impact and garner large number of seats in Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Prima facie, it appears that Yeddyurappa may have accomplished his task to decimate the BJP, by chipping away a few percentage of votes.

Who ever the chief minister is, Yeddyurappa is not averse to support Congress in case of required numbers fall shot by few. Political mood inside Congress is that KJP would be the first choice for it have post-poll alliance than the JD(S). In the last elections, the BJP had secured nearly one percent votes less than Congress but still managed to bag 30 seats more than it.

Like last elections in 2008, Wednesday's result is expected to throw some surprises. While former CM N Dharam Singh and senior Congress leader R V Deshpande were defeated, six Independents played a key role in government formation.

Future of nearly 3,000 candidates for 223 assembly segments will be decided when the counting starts at 8am and is expected by know actual trend by 11 am. Counting will be held in 36 centres across the state, including 4 centres for 28 Bangalore assembly segments.

CM RACE KICK-STARTS:
While both -- Parameshwara or Siddaramaiah - are front runners, Congress leader D K Shiva Kumar is camping in New Delhi even before results are out claiming he is in the race for CM's post in the event of Congress coming to power. Kumar said that he is a 5 time MLA and will be sixth time on Wednesday and stands good chance to claim for the CM's post from Vokkaliga camp. Ever since poll predictions gave good numbers to Congress, list of CM aspirants have been growing in the party.

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Hackers pick holes in Indian cyber system, hit government websites 1030 times in three years

NEW DELHI: Government has taken a number of steps to protect its websites, but the fireballs and other measures did not prevent the hackers to hack it over 1,000 times in the last three years. A number of websites have, in fact, been hacked almost every year since 2010.

Minister of state for home affairs RPN Singh on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that a total of 303, 308, 371 and 48 government websites belonging to various ministries and departments were hacked during 2010, 2011, 2012 and up to March this year, respectively.

The numbers show that the hacking incidents have been increasing every year since 2010. Though Singh did not share the details of the locations from where these websites were hacked, it is learnt that a number of them had been hit from off-shore locations including China, Pakistan, USA, Russia and some central Asian countries.

The minister, in his written reply to a Parliament Question, however, said, "The department of information technology has taken necessary preventive actions to prevent hacking of the government websites/sensitive data".

He shared the 'hacking' data which was compiled by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), which is one of the key government agencies to work for cyber security.

Singh said the preventive action includes proper audit of all new government websites and applications in respect of cyber security prior to their hosting.

"It has been mandated that all government websites are hosted on infrastructure of National Informatics Centre (NIC), Education and Research Network (ERNET) or any other secure infrastructure service provider in the country," he said.

The minister informed the House that the NIC, which hosts the government websites, is continuously engaged in upgrading and improving the security posture of its hosting infrastructure. It has been directed not to host websites which are not audited with respect to cyber security, he added.

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Antony orders CBI probe in defence land scam in Jodhpur

NEW DELHI: Defence minister A K Antony has ordered a CBI probe into a land scam in Jodhpur allegedly involving transfer of a 4.84 acre army plot to a trust belonging to a royal family in 2007 by officials of his ministry and the service.

Defence land of 4.84 acre was allegedly transferred to the private trust belonging to a royal family of Jodhpur that year. The plot of land, located in the heart of the city, is now being developed for commercial purposes and is worth Rs 15 crore, sources said here.

The minister ordered the CBI probe recently after an additional secretary-rank officer completed the departmental inquiry into the allegations, they said.

In all the defence land scams, Antony has been of the view that there should be no cover up and no one should be protected.

In the Jodhpur land scam, sources said some top officials of the defence estate organisation are under the scanner and their roles would be looked into by the CBI in its investigations.

The alleged scam comes after Adarsh and Srinagar land scandals, which are already being probed by the CBI.

In the Srinagar land scam, officials of the DEO had allegedly sold the land on which the IAF airfield in the city has been built and civilians had even come to take possession of the piece of land.

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5 more nabbed in Bangalore blasts case: Police

BANGALORE: Five more persons have been arrested in a joint operation by the city and Tamil Nadu police in connection with the April 17 blast near BJP office here that left 16 persons injured.

With this, the number of suspects arrested in the case has risen to 11, joint commissioner of police (crime) Pranab Mohanty said.

"The five suspects, Rehmathulla, Asgar Ali, Hakeem, Tenkasi Suleman and Suleman alias Man Bhai were taken on body warrant from Coimbatore. The suspects have been produced before the First Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Court here", he said.

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Suspended railway board member Mahesh Kumar sent to CBI custody till May 9

NEW DELHI: Mahesh Kumar, suspended railway board member, who along with Union railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew is an accused in the Rs 10 crore bribery case, was today sent to CBI's custody till May 9 by a Delhi court on the ground that his custodial interrogation is necessary to unravel the entire conspiracy.

Special CBI Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma remanded Kumar, member (staff) railway board, in CBI's custody, saying he is the "main person" in the case and he is required to be confronted with other co-accused to whom he had assured that if he is posted as member (electrical) railway board, he will "abuse his official position" and grant them "undue and illegal favours".

"The police custody remand of accused Mahesh Kumar is all the more essential since as per the intercepted conversation and the disclosure statements recorded as yet, he remains the main person around whom the entire conspiracy revolves. Since accused Mahesh Kumar had allegedly assured the rest of the accused persons i.e. Narain Rao Manjunath, Rahul Yadav and Samir Sandhir that in case he is posted as member (electrical) railway board, he will abuse his official position and will grant them undue and illegal favours, he needs to be confronted with them to dig out the actual truth," the judge said.

The court said Kumar is required to be confronted with accused Sandeep Goyal, a businessman, and Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla as he was in regular touch with them and was trying to obtain posting of his liking through them only.

"In such circumstances, I grant police custody remand of accused Mahesh Kumar till May 9," the judge said.

CBI sought five days custody of Kumar saying he is the main accused in the case and his custodial interrogation was required to unearth the entire conspiracy.

It said that he is the one for whom the entire money arrangement was being made.

Besides Kumar and Singla, CBI has arrested six others for their alleged roles in the bribery case, in which a deal of Rs 10 crore was finalised between them for fixing a top-level position for Kumar in the railway board.

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Online registration for Vaishno Devi pilgrims

JAMMU: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), that looks after the famous Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, on Monday launched an online registration facility for undertaking the pilgrimage.

After launching the facility, chief executive officer of SMVDSB, Navin Choudhary, said: "This is an endeavour to improve the registration process for pilgrims visiting the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi."

He said the service would be available free of cost and those planning to visit the shrine can book their pilgrimage permit online, as early as 30 days in advance of commencing the pilgrimage.

"Pilgrims can even book online on the same day of his pilgrimage. They will get a printed registration slip with a specific number and bar-code," Choudhary said.

"Every pilgrim with the slip can start his journey to from Banganga (starting point of a 12-km trek to the shrine from base camp Katra) without queuing up at a pilgrimage registration counter at Jammu or Katra," he added.

The initiative is expected to provide convenience and comfort to pilgrims who, at times, have to wait for long hours in the queue system for getting registration slips in Katra.

Over 10 millions pilgrims visit the shrine annually.

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Ajmer priests not to help Pakistanis in prayers

JAIPUR: Khadims (priests) at the dargah (shrine) of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer have decided not to assist Pakistani pilgrims in offering prayers at the shrine.

Several groups of khadims have decided to join the increasing protests against the killing of Sarabjit.

About 640 pilgrims from Pakistan will be visiting Rajasthan's Ajmer town later this week.

The pilgrims are expected to arrive in Ajmer May 12 to participate in the 801st Urs of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti.

Ahead of the Pakistanis' visit, various organisations -- including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiv Sena and the BJP -- have been staging demonstrations in Ajmer, some 150 km from Jaipur.

The Pakistani delegation is likely to stay here for a week.

"We have decided not to assist any of the Pakistani pilgrims in offering prayers at the shrine. Prayers are not possible without khadims. We demand that the Indian government does not provide visas to any of the pilgrims," said a khadim.

He added that the visit could be a conspiracy by the Pakistani government to increase communal disharmony in India.

Another khadim, Natik Chisty, said the anger is brewing over Sarabjit's death, so visa should not be granted to Pak pilgrims.

The Shiv Sena staged a protest May 2 at the Ajmer district headquarters, demanding withdrawal of visas to the Pakistani group coming to Ajmer.

The Yuva Jat Mahasabha has also threatened to show black flags to Pakistani citizens in Ajmer.

The Urs is the annual event commemorating the death anniversary of Sufi Saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti at the dargah (shrine built over the grave). The Urs features night-long singing of qawwalis, and is held over 15 days. This time, the Urs will be held May 7 to May 22.

About five lakh devotees from different parts of the world participate in this event. This year, it is estimated that over seven lakh people will visit the city for the Urs.

The spiritual head of the 13th sanctuary shrine of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti, Diwan Sayed Zainual Adebdin Ali Khan, had condemned the brutal attack that led to the death of Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore hospital, and said such an attack went against the tenets of Islam.

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India planning two more tests of long-range Agni-5 missile

NEW DELHI: Seeking to enhance its long-range strike capabilities, India is planning to carry out two more tests of its over 5,000-km range Agni-5 ballistic missile this year after which it would be ready for operational deployment.

"We are planning to carry out two more tests of the Agni-5 missile and they are likely to be held this year after which it would be ready for induction into operational service," DRDO spokesperson Ravi Gupta said here.

India had joined the elite club of nations with such capability including the US, Russia and China when it carried out the first test of Agni-5 in April last year.

India is also planning to equip its most powerful missile with multiple warheads.

"We are working in this area. It will take time for us to develop but our work is on," DRDO chief Dr V K Saraswat said.

Known as Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV), the missile is being developed to make it capable of carrying multiple warheads to destroy several targets in one go.

Asked about the plans in that regard, he had said, "Basic vehicle (missile) will remain the same. The first three stages will also remain the same and only the kill vehicle or the payload delivery system will need changes."

Terming it as a "force multiplier", the DRDO chief had said, "If I am able to do force multiplication with this... where I was using four missiles, I may use only one missile.

"So it becomes a force multiplier given the damage potential."

Comparing Agni-V missile to the best in the world, Saraswat had said that MIRV missiles are equipped with small on-board rocket motors and computerised inertial guidance system which manoeuvres warheads to several different trajectories.

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BJP holds protest at Indo-Pak border over Sarabjit Singh's death

AMRITSAR: BJP activists today held a protest demonstration at Attari along the Indo-Pak border here, against the Pakistani government, over the death of Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore hospital following a murderous assault on him.

The party activists, led by its state unit chief Kamal Sharma, raised anti-Pak slogans and protested against the "brutal killing" of Sarabjit.

"Pakistan's action is devoid of any respect for basic human rights and we have asked the neighbouring country to stop giving shelter to the terrorists who work against India," party vice-president Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who was also present on the occasion, said.

He also blamed the UPA government for its "weakness" to deal with hostile neighbours, and asked the Centre to show that it has strong will to protect its citizens from such brutalities.

Meanwhile, police used mild force and water canons against the agitating workers as they broke the barricades and tried to run towards international border with Pakistan.

Later, over 200 workers and leaders were detained at Gharinda police station but were later released by the authorities.

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Supreme Court to decide fate of Kudankulam N-project tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is expected to pronounce its verdict on Monday on a plea seeking halt to the commissioning of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) till the implementation of key additional safety measures suggested after a nuclear accident in Japan.

The petitioner, Chennai-based IT professional G Sunderrajan, wants the government to implement 11 of the 17 additional safety measures recommended for the nuclear plant by a task force set up by the government in the wake of Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011.

The apex court bench of Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice Dipak Misra's verdict would come nearly two years from the day when residents of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu launched protests against the project.

"The judgment will come on the 630th day of the people's protest against the project," M Pushparayan, one of the key figures in the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) spearheading the anti-KNPP stir, said in Chennai.

The apex court's decision would come close to the admission by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) about four faulty valves in the first reactor of the project and also after the arrests of Russian officials over alleged corruption in sourcing sub-standard materials for the KNPP, said Pushparayan.

Sunderrajan said in Chennai that he was not seeking the scrapping of the project.

"I have requested the apex court to enhance the safety features of the KNPP by ordering NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd) to implement the 17 recommendations of the special task force formed after the accident in Fukushima," said Sundarrajan.

"Changing of the government's policy decision will have to be fought in the people's court," he said.

He asked the court to ensure that the substandard equipments from the Russian company Zio-Podolsk were not used in the KNPP and a proper mock drill was conducted for the safety of the people living within the 25-km radius of the power plant.

He challenged in the apex court the August 31, 2012 verdict of the Madras high court, which while asking the AERB to ensure that all the safeguards were complied with by the NPCIL, India's atomic power plant operator, allowed it to go ahead with the operationalisation of the plant.

The NPCIL is setting up the project in Kudankulam, around 650km from Chennai, with two Russian-made VVER 1,000-MW each reactors.

The petitioner contended that the high court had given the go-ahead to the KNPP but by the AERB's own admission some of the recommendations of the task force would take two years for implementation.

The AERB said last month that four defective valves were replaced at the first unit of the KNPP which was undergoing pre-commissioning tests.

Soon after the Fukushima tragedy, the government had constituted the task force to review, among other things, the "capability of the KNPP to withstand and mitigate earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural phenomenon".

The task force reviewed the safety measures of the KNPP in the light of inadequacies of Fukushima plant which suffered due to lack of alternative fresh water storage and want of back-up power system, and gave 17 recommendations for implementation before commissioning of units 1 and 2 of the project, the petition said.

Pushparayan said that on the apex court's judgment day, the fishermen in the Idinthakarai village on Monday will boycott fishing and school children will petition the district collector to ensure their safety.

Hinting at the continuation of the protest beyond the 630th day, Pushparayan said: "It is for the people to decide whether the protest against the project should continue or not."

The government told the Supreme Court earlier that the KNPP was a fully secured plant and the 17 additional safety steps were by way of abundant caution.

Six of 17 additional safety measure suggested by the task force had already been implemented, the court was told.

During the hearing the judges said they would examine what steps the government had taken for setting up an independent atomic energy regulatory body in view of India being a signatory to the International Convention on Nuclear Safety.

The petition contended that the convention mandated that "each contracting party shall take appropriate steps to ensure an effective separation between the functions of the regulatory body and those of any other body or organisation concerned with the promotion or utilization of nuclear energy".

Sunderrajan also questioned the validity of the environmental clearance given to the project.

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BJP holds protest at Indo-Pak border over Sarabjit Singh's death

AMRITSAR: BJP activists today held a protest demonstration at Attari along the Indo-Pak border here, against the Pakistani government, over the death of Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore hospital following a murderous assault on him.

The party activists, led by its state unit chief Kamal Sharma, raised anti-Pak slogans and protested against the "brutal killing" of Sarabjit.

"Pakistan's action is devoid of any respect for basic human rights and we have asked the neighbouring country to stop giving shelter to the terrorists who work against India," party vice-president Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who was also present on the occasion, said.

He also blamed the UPA government for its "weakness" to deal with hostile neighbours, and asked the Centre to show that it has strong will to protect its citizens from such brutalities.

Meanwhile, police used mild force and water canons against the agitating workers as they broke the barricades and tried to run towards international border with Pakistan.

Later, over 200 workers and leaders were detained at Gharinda police station but were later released by the authorities.

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42 cases of paid news in Karnataka polls: Election commission

NEW DELHI: 42 cases of paid news were detected and over Rs 21 crore in cash and liquor worth Rs 7.79 crore seized during Karnataka assembly elections, the Election Commission (EC) said here on Sunday.

The commission reviewed 76 suspected cases of paid news during the campaigning for the Karnataka elections and 61 notices were issued, a senior EC official said.

"Out of this, the commission decided that 42 cases were paid news," the official said.

The highest number of 11 cases of paid news were reported from Dakhsin Karnataka district, he said.

The commission also seized a total of Rs 21.44 crore cash during the campaigning for the elections which was held on Sunday.

Over 11 lakh litres of alcohol worth around Rs 7.79 crore was also seized.

"The polling was peaceful," said deputy election commissioner Alok Shukla.

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Mamata trying to stall CBI probe into chit fund scam: CPM

KOLKATA: The CPM on Saturday alleged that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was opposed to a CBI investigation into the chit fund scam, because it would mean the 'end' of the party.

"She is saying that the CPM is involved. If the CBI comes they will arrest us. Then why is she so worried about a CBI probe?" senior CPM leader Gautam Deb told reporters at Barasat.

"She knows what it means. She knows if the CBI comes, it will be the beginning of the end of TMC. She is trying to ensure that the CBI doesn't investigate the chit fund scam," Deb, a CPM central committee member, said.

Stating that the chief minister could not prevent the CBI from probing the scam, he said that only the central investigative agency and not any state agency would be able to unravel the scam.

Speaking about action taken by his party, Deb said that it took no time to expel Ganesh Dey, a party member who was PA to former finance minister Ashim Dasgupta, for his personal links with the Saradha group.

Deb said that the chief minister had claimed that she came to know about the chit fund scam only in mid-April, but her brother had said that he sounded an alert about it a year ago.

"She has threatened to put us in jail. We will get 2 or 3 months rest in jail. Then we will launch a movement again," he said.

"We have seen many ups and downs in the past in our long journey. We are emerging with new strength. Mamata Banerjee is only a semi-colon in between," he added.

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Salman Khurshid in Tehran; India, Iran decide to give major push to bilateral ties

TEHRAN: India and Iran today decided to give a major push to their bilateral ties in all aspects including connectivity for which New Delhi will participate in the upgradation of strategically crucial Chahbahar port.

During a meeting between external affairs minister SalmanKhurshid and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi under the framework of Joint Commission, the two sides agreed to work on a trilateral transit agreement involving India, Iran and Afghanistan.

But it was underlined that the work on the draft agreement should be started soon.

The two sides also discussed ways to enhance trade relations and people to people contact, regarding which the need was felt for liberalising the visa regime.

At the meeting, Khurshid conveyed India's decision to participate in the upgradation of Chahbahar port. He informed the Iranian side that the Indian government has given in-principle nod to this project.

As a follow up, India's Secretary, ministry of shipping, will travel to Tehran for negotiations on cost and other aspects.

The Iranian side underlined that the project is important not only for Iran and Afghanistan but for entire central Asia.

The two sides also reviewed the progress on the proposed North-South corridor which will link Russia with Iran, with Khurshid saying that any obstructions or any hurdles should be resolved.

Iran's controversial nuclear programme also came up for discussions and Salehi informed that talks with P5+1 will start in this year.

Salehi gave a detailed briefing on the subject to Khurshid who was appreciative of the decision to resume talks.

The two sides felt that the level of trade was not reflective of the close relations between the two countries and should be enhanced.

In this regard, agriculture and pharma products and aeronautics were among the areas identified where cooperation could be increased.

The two sides reiterated importance of enhancing cooperation in expanding trade and banking relations and agreed to study the prospects of joint investment in both countries.

India and Iran, while noting their capabilities in the industrial sector, agreed to diversify their cooperation in this regard.

On Afghanistan, the two countries discussed the developing situation in Afghanistan and agreed to remain in regular contact.

Iran and India expressed deep concern on the continuing and unabated violence in Syria and called upon all sides in the Arab country to abjure violence and resolve all issues peacefully through discussions taking into account the aspirations of its people.

In this regard, the two sides supported the Geneva Communique which includes the 6-Point Plan of Kofi Annan and welcomed the efforts of Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

The sides also signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), including one on water resources management.

Khurshid also inaugurated the Indian Cultural Centre in Tehran yesterday.

Khurshid also called on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and had meetings with Ali Akbar Velayati, Advisor to the Supreme Leader and Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Majlis.

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Iran offers new oil contracts to lure India

TEHRAN: As US and European sanctions cripple its economy, Iran on Saturday offered India a new production sharing regime for oil exploration in an attempt to keep its third largest buyer of oil engaged.

The offer was made by Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi during his talks with visiting external affairs minister Salman Khurshid at the India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting where energy was a subject of cooperation.

India has in the year to March 31 cut import of oil from Iran by 26.5 per cent as US and European sanctions made it difficult to ship oil from the Persian Gulf nation.

Iran traditionally offers only service contract to foreign companies, giving them a pre-fixed rate of fee for their effort in exploring and producing oil.

In contrast, a production sharing contract will give the foreign country ownership of the oil explored and produced as also the freedom to ship it wherever they want.

Indian state-run firms led by ONGC's contract for exploring the gas-rich Farsi block too is a service contract which if converted into a production sharing regime would mean that New Delhi can get close to 13 trillion cubic feet of gas.

While making the offer Salehi said Iran should be considered a reliable source of energy for India, sources said.

India imported about 13.3 million tons of crude oil from Iran in 2012-13 fiscal, down from 18.1 million tons in the previous year. It now pays Tehran only in rupee in an Indian bank after US and European sanctions blocked dollar and euro routes.

On the rupee payment issue, Iran said that the excess accumulated in India could be routed to other projects in India, including infrastructure.

In a joint statement issued after the talks, the two sides reiterated the importance of enhancing cooperation in expanding trade and banking relations.

"The two sides agreed to study the prospects of joint investment in both countries. The two sides, while noting their capabilities in the industrial sector, agreed to diversify their cooperation in this regard," it said.

Khurshid, who also met Iranian oil minister, noted that Iran is a major source of energy close to India's borders and can play an important role it meeting its energy needs.

Asserting that India is determined to continue its crude imports from Iran, Khurshid said New Delhi has worked hard to maintain its crude purchases from Tehran in spite of recent difficulties in payment mechanisms, shipping and finding suitable insurance and re-insurance cover for Iranian crude.

He said some of these issues have been resolved because of cooperation by the two sides although some of them remain unresolved.

Khurshid pointed out that payment for crude imported from Iran in the recent months had become difficult and this has to be done in local currency for the time being.

India is looking at ways to increase trade with Iran as it is concerned over the "grave" imbalance. The two-way trade is around $15 billion, out of which Indian exports account only for around $2.5 billion.

Oil is the biggest item of Indian import from Iran. India feels that there is a lot of scope for increasing exports to the Persian country particularly in pharmaceuticals and food.

Khurshid said there is a shortage of life saving drugs in Iran and offered a framework of cooperation in pharma sector.

India is the third largest producer of pharma products and has the capacity to meet Iran's urgent needs.

In the textiles sector, Khurshid suggested that Iran could have a preferential tariff arrangement on select items with India.

He announced that India will be holding international textiles exhibition in Tehran this month.

On the rupee-riyal exchange rate issue, he is understood to have said that the 3-tier exchange rate prevailing in Iran was not helping the matter and asked it to have an official rate of exchange.

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Pak prisoner Sanaullah unconscious, critical

CHANDIGARH: Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay, who was injured in a scuffle with another inmate in a Jammu jail, was on ventilator at PGIMER here and his condition was critical.

The 52-year-old prisoner was unconscious, put on ventilator and his overall condition was critical, a PGIMER spokesperson said here. Sanaullah, who was brought to PGIMER from Jammu last evening, is being looked after by a team of neurosurgeons and other doctors at PGIMER's Intensive Care Unit. Earlier, a medical bulletin said the prisoner's urine appeared to be adequate and "further treatment will depend on his stabilisation and neurological status".

A team of Pakistani High Commission officials visited Sanaullah at the PGIMER after India granted consular access to them last night. The officials again visited the hospital and were in touch with the doctors for regular update on the prisoner's condition. Sanuallah is serving a life term after being convicted under TADA provisions following his arrest in 1999.

Two prison officials, including Jail Superintendent Rajni Sehgal, had been suspended by the Jammu and Kashmir government in connection with the assault.

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Rothuama, former MP from Mizoram, passes away

AIZAWL: Former Lok Sabha member from Mizoram Dr R Rothuama died in Shillong this morning due to lung cancer, family sources said.

Rothuama, 73, is survived by his Naga wife Kaini Mao, Dr Sarah Ralte and granddaughter Rachel Laltinchhani.

Funeral service would be held at the Professor quarters in northeastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) on Sunday in Shillong.

A doctor by profession, Rothuama joined politics in mid-1970s to became one of the most popular leaders of the newly-formed People's Conference led by former chief minister Brig T Sailo and was elected as Lok Sabha member in 1977.

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Injured Pakistani prisoner stable: Govt

NEW DELHI: The condition of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay was "stable", India said today while terming as "regrettable" the incident in Jammu jail where he was injured during a scuffle with another inmate and assured the guilty will be punished even as Pakistan sought his urgent repatriation.

The Pakistan high commission also sought immediate consular access to 52-year-old Sanaullah, to which India maintained that it will grant the access after doctors treating him give the go-ahead for the same. Sanaullah was serving a life term after being convicted under TADA provisions following his arrest in 1999.

"Pakistan high commission has shown serious concern. It has taken up with ministry of external affairs the attack on Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah in Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu," the press attache in the high commission here said.

He added Pakistan had sought urgent repatriation of Sanaullah on humanitarian grounds for medical treatment there.

Pakistan has also sought airlifting of Sanaullah by an air ambulance to Pakistan and assistance in ground facilitation.

He said that apart from seeking immediate consular access, the high commission has also asked for detailed information about the incident and medical facilities for the victim and security of other Pakistani inmates.

"We are aware of the regrettable incident involving a Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah who was injured on Friday during an altercation with another inmate of the jail in Jammu. The matter is being investigated and the guilty will be punished. Safety and security of prisoners in custody lies with the jail authorities and the necessary action is being taken.

"We are in touch with the Pakistan high commission on the matter. The injured is receiving the medical treatment and once the medical arrangements are in place, the consular access will be provided," the spokesperson in the ministry of external affairs said.

He said the condition of the Pakistani prisoner was "stable but remains under medical watch".

A resident of Sialkot in Pakistan, Sanuallah was immediately shifted from high-security Kot Balwal jail to Government Medical College hospital and later rushed to PGI Chandigarh in an air ambulance after doctors said his condition was critical.

The incient involving Sanaullah comes a day after the death of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh after a murderous attack on him in a Lahore prison.

49-year-old Sarabjit had sustained severe injuries when at least six prisoners attacked him in a barrack at Kot Lakhpat Jail last week, hitting him on the head with bricks.

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BJP demands compensation of Rs 25L to family of Chamel

JAMMU: BJP today demanded compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the family of Indian prisoner Chamel Singh who was attacked and beaten to death by inmates in a Pakistani jail and said, he should be granted the status of a martyr.

"A compensation of Rs 25 lakh has been demanded for the family members of Chamel Singh who died in Kot Lakhpat Jail on January 15 this year after inmates attacked him and beat him to death," Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna, who is looking after the Jammu Kashmir affairs of the party, said today.

In his letter to President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Khanna has appreciated efforts of the government in giving a sum of Rs 25 lakh to the family of Sarabjit Singh, who was brutally beaten in Kot Lakhpat Jail and later on succumbed to his injuries on the early morning of May 2.

Khanna also expressed in his letter that Pakistan government has violated Human Rights norms.

Vital organs were removed before handing over the body of Chamel Singh to his family by Pakistani authorities after two months of his death, the MP said.

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Varun's remark comparing Rajnath with Atal, creates flutter in BJP

LUCKNOW: BJP national general secretary and Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi's comparison of national President Rajnath Singh with former Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has created a flutter in the party's UP unit. Though top leaders remained silent and reiterated that the final decision will be taken by the parliamentary board, lower-rung workers admit that Varun's assertion has again brought internal feud to the fore. Political analysts describe it as Singh's attempt to establish Varun in UP while sidelining old guards and strengthening himself nationally.

Addressing party's Swabhiman rally in Bareilly on Wednesday, Varun said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee's thoughts were so great that every child in the country remembered his rule and if there was any individual in the country which had that ability to bring together people of different religions and castes, it is Rajnath Singh. He also said that he saw a reflection of Atal in Rajnath. Singh, he said, is a son of UP and it was the duty of the people of the state to vote for him. In response, Singh said that he believed that the youth had to be given the reins of the party and that he wanted Varun to get more responsibility earlier, but he was very young then.

Singh has recently appointed Varun as party's general secretary despite opposition from the old guard and gave him the task of leading BJP's Lok Sabha election campaign in UP. Varun's statement has come when the chorus to make Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi the party's prime ministerial candidate is getting louder. However, BJP's key ally JDU has opposed Modi. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has already said that JDU joined NDA because of Vajpayee's secular image. Many feel that by comparing Vajpayee with Singh, Varun hinted that Singh could also be a prime ministerial candidate. The stand may find support among allies.

When contacted, UP BJP president Laxmikant Bajpeyi said that "The selection of Prime minister will be done by the party's parliamentary board and before that if anybody takes any name, it should be treated as personal opinion." However, another leader said "It's like 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'. Rajnathji made Varun general secretary and latter in turn is projecting him as the prime ministerial candidate. Besides Modi, we also have LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley ," he said. But young leaders did not find anything wrong in statements. "Both are dynamic leaders in comparison to others in the party," said a BJP youth leader.

While Singh later told reporters that he was not in the race to become the Prime minister and Parliamentary board would take a final decision, political analysts feel that Singh being an ambitious leader was trying to wipe out the old guard through Varun. "Singh has been at loggerheads with all the old party leaders in the state in the part. At present, he is testing waters by getting his name floated and Varun is paying back for his elevation. I don't think it will get much support within the party. But it is also true that Varun is the only hope of BJP in UP. He is Hindutava mascot and can sway young voters the way old guards like Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti cannot," said political analyst JP Shukla.

Varun will be in Lucknow on May 4 to lead party's demonstration against the UPA government. The event is part of BJP's nationwide agitation. He was recently acquitted from charges of delivering hate speeches during his campaign in 2004 Lok Sabha elections. In 2012 assembly polls, though BJP's performance was poor in UP, 14 candidates for whom Varun campaigned were elected. He is also said to be considering contesting next Lok Sabha polls from Sultanpur, near Amethi and Rae Bareli represented by his older cousin Rahul and aunt Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Varun's father Sanjay Gandhi contested for Amethi in 1977 and 1980.

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Pakistani prisoner in coma after attack in Jammu jail

JAMMU/NEW DELHI: Sanaullah Ranjay, a Pakistani in Jammu's Kot Bhalwal jail, was critically injured after being attacked by an Indian prisoner Friday. Pakistan demanded his immediate release and repatriation.

A day after India's Sarabjit Singh succumbed to grievous injuries sustained in a murderous assault on him in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, Sanaullah was attacked in the morning following an altercation.

Sanaullah, a resident of Sialkot, was attacked by a former Indian soldier convicted for murder.

He received serious head injuries and was first rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu, where doctors said he had slipped into a coma, much like Sarabjit, who was attacked in a Lahore jail on April 26 and died Thursday.

The Pakistani was later flown to Chandigarh in an air ambulance and admitted to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Friday evening, hospital sources said.

"He has been admitted to the ICU. His condition is critical," a PGIMER source said.

Police said Sanaullah was being tried for murder since the late 1990s for carrying out acts of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the attack took place around 8-8.30 am and that a probe had been ordered.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said in a tweet that Sanaullah's condition was "stable but he remains under medical watch".

India said the guilty would be punished and called the attack on Sanaullah "regrettable".

The external affairs ministry also proposed a meeting of concerned authorities from both countries to identify measures to "avoid such tragic incidents".

"We are aware of the regrettable incident involving a Pakistani prisoner, who was injured today during an altercation with another inmate of a jail in Jammu," the ministry said in a statement.

"The matter is being investigated and the guilty will be punished."

The ministry said an advisory had been issued to strengthen security for Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.

"Safety and security of prisoners in custody lies with the jail authorities and necessary action is being taken," the statement added.

"The injured is receiving medical treatment, and once the medical arrangements are in place, consular access will be provided."

According to a statement, there are 535 Indian prisoners, including 483 fishermen, in Pakistani jails and 272 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.

The Pakistan high commission here asked for repatriation of the prisoner for medical treatment and on humanitarian grounds.

It also asked for evacuation of Sanaullah by an air ambulance, including assistance in ground facilitation.

"Pakistan high commission has asked for detailed information of the incident, immediate consular access, medical facilities for the victim and security of inmates (other Pakistani prisoners)," the mission said.

New and renewable energy minister Farooq Abdullah said the case was different from Pakistan and the attacked prisoner would be taken care of.

"Unlike Pakistan, here at least there will be an inquiry and we will know what happened," said Abdullah, a former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.

Sarabjit Singh, who had spent over 20 years in jail in Pakistan, died Thursday in a Lahore hospital. He had been on death row after being convicted as a terrorist.

His body was cremated in his hometown Bhikhiwind in Punjab's frontier Tarn Taran district Friday.

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Salman Khurshid arrives in Iran

TEHRAN: External affairs minister Salman Khurshid arrived here on Friday on a three-day visit during which he will have talks with Iranian leadership on ways to increase commercial links with the sanctions-hit country to reduce huge bilateral trade imbalance.

India's participation in the upgradation of Iran's Chahbahar port, which gives access to Afghanistan, will also be among a host of issues expected to figure in the talks that Khurshid will have with his counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi and President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.

The two sides will sign three MoUs following the joint commission meeting that is taking place after a gap of two and a half years.

India is looking at ways to increase trade with Iran as it is concerned over the "grave" imbalance. The two-way trade is around $15 billion, out of which Indian exports account only for around $2.5 billion.

Oil is the biggest item of Indian import from Iran but India feels there is a lot of scope for increasing Indian exports to the Persian country particularly in pharmaceuticals and food.

However, efforts to enhance trade have been facing hurdles because of sanctions imposed by the UN and European Union, which make payment difficult.

There are also problems like re-insurance of oil refineries and transportation of consignment from Iran because of the sanctions.

Chahbahar port is strategically crucial as it gives access route to Afghanistan and India is actively involved in its upgradation with plans to infuse around 100 million dollars.

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Asian Development Bank to finance construction of India-Myanmar road

SILCHAR (ASSAM): Asian Development Bank would finance the construction of the 417km long Indo-Myanmar Road connecting Moore in Myanmar with Sutarkandi in Karimganj bordering Bangladesh.

The first phase of the road, to be laid under ADB's 'Proposed Road Consulting Mission', would be from Moore in Myanmar to Imphal in Manipur while the second phase would be from Imphal to Sutarkandi via Silchar, official sources said here on Thursday.

A high level delegation of ADB's loan consultation mission and a team from the Union surface transport ministry recently visited the proposed area and would soon submit a field study report to the Centre.

The final budget and other issues would be decided at a meeting between the Union surface ministry and ADB to be held in Delhi later.

The construction of the proposed road would lead to increased commercial ties between the two countries, sources added.

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PM is not allowed to speak in Delhi: Narendra Modi

BELGAUM: "You are fortunate that he at least came and spoke. In Delhi, the poor man is not allowed to speak anything", Gujarat chief minister told a public rally here, taunting the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "It's very difficult for him to speak in Delhi. It is because he came out of Delhi that he was able to speak.

"He has to speak only what's given to him in writing", Modi said referring to two public meetings addressed earlier this week by Singh ahead of May 5 Assembly elections in Karnataka. "What state these people have reduced the Prime Minister to. He has been under such a siege, such is the stranglehold that he becomes silent", Modi said.

Slamming the Prime Minister for raising the electricity shortage issue in Karnataka, he alleged that the Congress-led UPA was responsible for the power crisis in the country. Modi said power plants with a capacity of 30,000 MW, including more than 2000 mw in Gujarat, are shut in the country because of lack of coal supplies and "policy paralysis".

Instead of focusing on power generation, the Prime Minister was busy in building big airports, "flying aircraft" and "serving big people (industrialists)". As Gujarat is on the path of rapid development, the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre is treating the BJP government at the state level as an "enemy", he alleged. Modi charged the UPA with slapping IT notices on investors who had come to attend "Vibrant Gujarat" event aimed to wooing investment to generate employment, adding, "political untouchability has become a trait of Congress".

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Ishrat case: Court orders top Gujart IPS officer's arrest

AHMEDABAD: A special CBI court on Thursday ordered the issuance of arrest warrant against top Gujarat Police officer PP Pande, an accused in the 2004 alleged fake encounter of Mumbai teenager Ishrat Jahan and three others.

The 1980-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre is currently additional DGP (crime) and he was Ahmedabad's joint commissioner of police at the time of the encounter.

Judge Gita Gopi, while granting the prayer of issuing warrant on a revision application filed by CBI, held that "looking at the circumstances of the case, the court's interference is necessary in the interest of justice."

Setting aside the order of additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM), Ahmedabad, rejecting the CBI plea seeking arrest warrant against Pande, the judge observed, "there is apparent error in the order under revision. Observations made in the order are not in compliance with the provisions of law and that order is found (to be) illegal and incorrect."

On April 25, ACJM SH Khutwad, while rejecting the CBI plea, had held, "Investigating officer has powers to arrest, if he wishes, as offence alleged is a cognizable offence."

In its revision application praying for issuance of arrest warrant against Pande under CrPC Section 73 (warrant may be directed to any person), CBI had claimed the IPS officer has been evading CBI and it has become necessary for the agency to seek court's help to take him in custody.

"We issued two summons, on April 22 and 24 respectively, but he did not respond. When we went to his residence at Ahmedabad his adult son refused to give us information about Pande's whereabouts and his official mobile phone is also not reachable," CBI counsel LD Tiwari had argued while praying for the special court's directions to ACJM to issue arrest warrant.

Ishrat (19), a college girl from Mumbra town near Mumbai, along with Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar, was killed by Ahmedabad crime branch in an encounter near here on June 15, 2004.

Police had then claimed they were terrorists on a mission to assassinate chief minister Narendra Modi. However, relatives of the deceased had claimed they were killed by the police in a staged gunfight. Half a dozen policemen have been arrested in connection with the encounter.

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Ex-Indian spy says ISI killed Sarabjit Singh; BJP slams UPA's 'weak' foreign policy

KOLKATA/DELHI: A former Indian spy, who had spent some time with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari behind bars in a Pakistani jail, feels Sarabjit Singh may have been killed in an attack planned by the ISI.

"I don't have any doubt that the attack on Sarabjit was pre-planned and was the handiwork of ISI and jail officials though other people attacked him. Now, two prisoners are being made sacrificial goats," said Mehbood Elahi, who was Zardari's jailmate at the Karachi Central Jail for a few months between 1986-87 during the Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq regime.

Elahi claimed that in 1977 he was given a blank cheque by jail and ISI officials to assassinate a top Pakistani leader who was then in Lahore jail.

"It is impossible for other prisoners to attack Sarabjit. I myself had been in Pakistani jails for 20 years. I know very well that Pakistani prisoners never attack Indian or Bangladeshi prisoners who are kept in separate cells," Elahi told PTI in Kolkata.

Elahi, who claims to have crossed over to Pakistan in the '60s and '70s, was in jail in Pakistan from 1977-1996 on the charge of spying for India.

"Death row convicts and convicts of foreign origin are always kept separately and handcuffed when taken out of their cells. So, how is it possible for them to attack someone?" said Elahi who returned to India in the late nineties after serving his sentence.

"These jails have very high security and it is impossible to import blades and other things from outside without the knowledge of jail officials," he added.

Sarabjit died in a Lahore hospital in the early hours of Thursday after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by fellow prisoners in a high-security jail.

'India should recall envoy to Pak'

Meanwhile, BJP on Thursday demanded that India call back its high commissioner in Pakistan and scale down diplomatic relations with Islamabad in the wake of the death of Sarabjit Singh after a brutal attack.

BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters in Delhi that Sarabjit's murder is unfortunate. Condemning the incident, he said had India taken effective diplomatic steps in the past, such an incident would not have taken place.

"The Indian high commissioner in Pakistan should be called back and diplomatic relations should be scaled down till Pakistan gives full assurance that there will be no provocation or protection to any terror activities against India and full protection will be given to Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails," Singh said.

He said India should lodge a strong protest at the international fora against Pakistan on Sarabjit's murder.

Condemning the incident, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said, "It is a cold blooded murder. This is not the way civilised nations behave."

The BJP President alleged that the attack on Sarabjit in a Pakistani jail is the outcome of India's weak foreign policy.

"I consider this a diplomatic failure. It is well known what kind of anti-India activities are taking place in Pakistan. Had India taken effective diplomatic steps in the past such incidents would not have taken place," Singh said.

He referred to the earlier attack by Pakistan forces in which the heads of two Indian soldiers Hemraj and Sudhakar were smashed and Hemraj's head was taken away by them.

Singh pointed out that after this incident he had suggested that India call back its high commissioner in Islamabad and scale down diplomatic relations but the government did not pay heed to his advice.

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Sarabjit's death: Outrage in India, ex-spy says ISI killed him

DELHI/KOLKATA: India erupted in anger on Thursday over the death of Sarabjit Singh after a barbaric attack in a Lahore jail with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding justice from Pakistan and BJP calling for scaling down diplomatic ties with that country.

As an outraged government and political parties across the spectrum targeted Pakistan and showed solidarity with 49-year-old Sarabjit's family, questions were also raised on future of India-Pakistan ties. A shattered Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit, urged political parties to unite for a strong collective response to Pakistan.

Kaur wanted her brother to be declared a martyr.

Hailing Sarabjit as a "brave son of India", Singh said it was "particularly regrettable" that Pakistan did not heed pleas to take a humanitarian view of the prisoner's case. The Prime Minister underlined that the criminals responsible for "the barbaric and murderous attack must be brought to justice".

Asserting that Sarabjit's death was a killing of an Indian citizen while in the custody of Pakistan jail authorities, the external affairs ministry demanded that Pakistan conduct a thorough probe into the incident to ensure that those who are responsible were punished. BJP while condemning the death of Sarabjit as a "cold blooded murder" assumed a strident tone demanding that India call back its high commissioner in Pakistan and scale down diplomatic relations with that country.

"The Indian high commissioner in Pakistan should be called back for the time being until Pakistan gives credible assurances that it will not allow its territory to be used to promote terrorism against India and that all Indian prisoners are safe in Pakistani jails," he told reporters. External affairs minister Salman Khurshid when asked whether ties between India and Pakistan will be normal in the backdrop of Sarabjit death said, "I think it is a big question that in coming days we will have to examine and see how do we work."

Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited the distraught family of Sarabjit at the residence of Rajumar Verka, vice-chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes. Rahul hugged Dalbir while offering his condolences.

While there was unanimity in holding Pakistan responsible for Sarabjit's death, the Indian government also came under attack from BJP, Trinamool Congress and Akali Dal for its "indifference" in handling of the Sarabjit episode.

'ISI killed Sarabjit'

A former Indian spy, who had spent some time with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari behind bars in a Pakistani jail, feels Sarabjit Singh may have been killed in an attack planned by the ISI.

"I don't have any doubt that the attack on Sarabjit was pre-planned and was the handiwork of ISI and jail officials though other people attacked him. Now, two prisoners are being made sacrificial goats," said Mehbood Elahi, who was Zardari's jailmate at the Karachi Central Jail for a few months between 1986-87 during the Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq regime.

Elahi claimed that in 1977 he was given a blank cheque by jail and ISI officials to assassinate a top Pakistani leader who was then in Lahore jail.

"It is impossible for other prisoners to attack Sarabjit. I myself had been in Pakistani jails for 20 years. I know very well that Pakistani prisoners never attack Indian or Bangladeshi prisoners who are kept in separate cells," Elahi told PTI in Kolkata.

Elahi, who claims to have crossed over to Pakistan in the '60s and '70s, was in jail in Pakistan from 1977-1996 on the charge of spying for India.

"Death row convicts and convicts of foreign origin are always kept separately and handcuffed when taken out of their cells. So, how is it possible for them to attack someone?" said Elahi who returned to India in the late nineties after serving his sentence.

"These jails have very high security and it is impossible to import blades and other things from outside without the knowledge of jail officials," he added.

Sarabjit died in a Lahore hospital in the early hours of Thursday after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by fellow prisoners in a high-security jail.

'India should recall envoy to Pak'

Meanwhile, BJP on Thursday demanded that India call back its high commissioner in Pakistan and scale down diplomatic relations with Islamabad in the wake of the death of Sarabjit Singh after a brutal attack.

BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters in Delhi that Sarabjit's murder is unfortunate. Condemning the incident, he said had India taken effective diplomatic steps in the past, such an incident would not have taken place.

"The Indian high commissioner in Pakistan should be called back and diplomatic relations should be scaled down till Pakistan gives full assurance that there will be no provocation or protection to any terror activities against India and full protection will be given to Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails," Singh said.

He said India should lodge a strong protest at the international fora against Pakistan on Sarabjit's murder.

Condemning the incident, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said, "It is a cold blooded murder. This is not the way civilised nations behave."

The BJP President alleged that the attack on Sarabjit in a Pakistani jail is the outcome of India's weak foreign policy.

"I consider this a diplomatic failure. It is well known what kind of anti-India activities are taking place in Pakistan. Had India taken effective diplomatic steps in the past such incidents would not have taken place," Singh said.

He referred to the earlier attack by Pakistan forces in which the heads of two Indian soldiers Hemraj and Sudhakar were smashed and Hemraj's head was taken away by them.

Singh pointed out that after this incident he had suggested that India call back its high commissioner in Islamabad and scale down diplomatic relations but the government did not pay heed to his advice.

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Varun Gandhi sees Vajpayee's reflection in Rajnath Singh

LUCKNOW: Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) national general secretary and member of parliament (MP) from Pilibhit Varun Gandhi on Wednesday said that he sees reflection of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in BJP national president Rajnath Singh. He was addressing party's swabhiman rally in Bareilly. Singh was also present on the occasion.

Varun statement has come at a time when a section of BJP has openly demanded to make Gujrat chief minister Narendra Modi party's prime ministerial candidate in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. However, BJP's key ally Janta Dal United (JDU) has opposed Modi. JDU leader and Bihar chief minister had recently said that his party joined NDA because of Vajpayee who remained committed to coalition dharma and had secular ethics. Many feel that by comparing Rajnathi Singh with Vajpayee, Varun has dropped hint that Rajnath is also a prime ministerial candidate - the stand which may find support among BJP's allies as well.

Addressing thousands of BJP workers, Varun showered praises on Rajnath and said that under his leadership BJP will perform well in the elections. In response, Rajnath said that he believes that the youth have to be given the reins of the party. "I wanted him (Varun) to get more responsibility earlier, but he was very young," he addedd. Varun also spoke about how youth can be helped to be self employed. He criticised both the Samajwadi Party government in the state and the Congress led UPA government at the Centre. He said that people in UP can die but cannot compromise with their self respect. Rajnath, on the other hand, said that if BJP is able to win 40-50 seats in UP, nobody could stop it from coming to power at the Centre after elections. He also said that great leaders like Vajpayee and LK Advandi do not take birth twice.

Rajnath had recently appointed Varun as party's general secretary despite opposition from some old party leaders in Uttar Pradesh (UP). He has also been given charge of leading BJP's campaign in UP. In fact, he will be in Lucknow on May 4 to lead party's demonstration against UPA government. The event is part of BJP's nationwide agitation, which is also being seen as launch of campaign for Lok Sabha elections. Varun is also said to be considering to contest next Lok Sabha polls from Sultanpur, a Congress bastion. Varun's father late Sanjay Gandhi had won from Sultanpur in 1980 before he was killed in air crash.

Varun was recently acquitted from charges of delivering hate speeches during his campaign in 2004 Lok Sabha elections when he won the parliamentary seat of Pilibhit, once represented by his mother, Maneka Gandhi. If he moves to Sultanpur, he will be next door to Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by his older cousin Rahul and his aunt, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. BJP's central leadership wants to use Varun to counter Rahul and Sonia. Also, Varun's campaign in 2012 UP assembly elections was successful. While the performance of the BJP was poor in the state, all 14 candidates for whom Varun campaigned were elected. Party believes that BJP needs a young leader like Varun for success in UP.

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Cabinet approves changes in anti-graft law

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments in key laws to protect honest officials from frivolous charges and for laying down criteria for sanction of their prosecution, sources said.

The Cabinet approved amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act 1946 under which the Central Bureau of Investigation was formed. A bill to this effect will be introduced in parliament, said the sources.

The proposed changes in the laws are aimed at providing clear definition of different forms of bribery, protecting the honest officials from frivolous charges and laying down criteria for sanction of their prosecution.

The changes also provide for liability of a commercial entity for failure to prevent bribery of a public servant.

The sources added that the proposed changes in the section 6 (a) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act is aimed at protecting public servants at policy making levels from frivolous and vexatious investigations.

The proposed changes would fill in the perceived gaps in the domestic anti-corruption law and also help in meeting the country's obligations under the united nations convention against bribery more effectively, they said.

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Supreme Court questions Centre over providing security to Mukesh Ambani

NEW DELHI: Centre's decision to provide 'Z' category security to the richest Indian Mukesh Ambani on Wednesday drew flak from the Supreme Court which asked why such people are given security cover by the government when the common man is feeling unsafe.

The apex court ticked off the government for giving protection to such people when the common man in the country is unsafe because of lack of security and said that a five-year-old girl would not have been raped if there was proper security in the capital.

The bench reasoned that the rich can afford to hire private security personnel.

"We read in newspapers that ministry of home has directed providing for CISF security to an individual. Why is state providing security to such person?" a bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi said without taking the name of Ambani.

"If there is threat perception then he must engage private security personnel," the bench said adding, "Private businessmen getting security is prevalent in Punjab but that culture has gone to Mumbai."

The bench, however, said that "We are not concerned about the security of X,Y,Z persons but about the security of common man".

The bench was hearing a petition filed by a Uttar Pradesh resident on misuse security cover and red beacon provided by the government to people.

Government's decision to provide Z category security for Ambani had evoked sharp criticism from Left parties following which it was clarified that he will foot the expenses for this estimated to be Rs 15-16 lakh per month.

The business tycoon is the new entrant to the 'Z' category VIP security club after the Union home ministry had recently approved an armed commando squad following threat perceptions.

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