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ASSEMBLY POLL '98
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August 22 Captain, JCO among 7 killed in Kashmir Three Rashtriya Rifles personnel and two terrorists from Pakistan were among seven persons killed in the Kashmir valley. Nuke document won't hit Indo-US ties: PM Vajpayee said he did not see anything wrong in coming out with the draft nuclear policy. IB suspects Dawood-Osama tie-up Gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his man Friday Chhota Shakeel, who are currently living in Karachi under ISI's protection, were bin Laden's guests for several days at his palatial hideout near Kabul. Pak to get Chinese F-7 MG fighter planes According to a NNI report, by the end of this month, Pakistan is also expected to receive from France eight (of a total 40) upgraded Mirage aircraft equipped with the latest avionics. 3 ISI-backed militants killed in Uttar Pradesh The encounter was a follow-up to the arrest of three militants in New Delhi yesterday. KLF kidnapping ring busted The three men arrested by the Jalandhar police were involved in the abduction of Romanian diplomat R A Radu, industrialists Rahul Khaitan and Mukesh Jain, besides Rajinder Mirdha, son of late Congress leader Ram Nivas Mirdha. PWG extremists gun down 4 in Bihar Deputy Superintendent of Police Masaurhi, Kumar Ravishanker, said the banned extremists took the four outside the village and shot them. Ashwin Naik brought to Bombay The dreaded gangster arrived from New Delhi by the Rajdhani Express along with a special police team. Americans' murder: Pak court convicts two Those convicted are MQM activists and claim they are being framed. ULFA condemns Mungro murder 'The cowardly assassination of Mungro is sure to lead the process of talks to a rough terrain,' ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said. Declare Pakistan a terrorist state: Joshi The minister said the recent intrusion in Kargil, the bloodbath in the Valley and the training camps operated by the ISI across the border were all indicators that Pakistan had a long-term interest in fanning trouble in India. THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS Who admitted Arun Nehru to the BJP? It wasn't L K Advani, but Murli Manohar Joshi! The HRD minister and Nehru, high caste brahmins both, have been rather close for some years now. Disappointment, elections, and fat ladies singing 'Congressmen are not sticking with Madame Gandhi out of any loyalty to the Nehru dynasty; they are doing it only because they believe she can deliver votes. It will only be after the election that this belief will be put to the acid test,' says Rajeev Srinivasan. Be human. That's enough 'Human rights are, above all, a purely pragmatic device,' says Dilip D'Souza. THE WEATHER Rains continue in the Andamans Southwest monsoon active in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim and east Madhya. August 21 Three arrested in Delhi, record quantity of RDX seized Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir police foiled an ISI plan to trigger large-scale subversion by arresting 11 persons. Three KLF terrorists held in Punjab A large quantity of arms, including 4.5 kg of RDX and three rocket-launchers, were recovered. Security beefed up in Kutch An alert has been sounded following reports that Pakistan has sent Afghan terrorists to infiltrate the district. Final Bofors papers coming: PM "Congress leaders should make public their relation with the Italian businessman Quattrocchi," Vajpayee said. India seeks to alleviate US fears An external affairs spokesman emphasised that the recent US outburst against the Indian nuclear doctrine had not affected Indo-US ties. Nuke doctrine is not final: PM "No other conclusion should be drawn from this doctrine," Vajpayee said. Indo-US interests are converging: Pallone "Our goal should be to make India a partner in the American foreign policy goal of minimising the threat of nuclear war," the Democratic congressman said. Pak threatens to 'operationalise' weapons Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed also hinted that Pakistan might now renege on its commitment to sign the CTBT. Aziz asks world to restrain India Before the Indian government has a chance to finalise its nuclear doctrine, the international community should exert pressure to restrain it, he said. NSCN (I-M) kills rival leader The Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) claimed responsibility for killing Dally Mungro, general secretary of the Khaplang faction. 7 get life terms for helping gangster escape Firoze Kokani, accused in the murder of a BJP MLA from Bombay, escaped while being taken to hospital on May 6 last year. THE REDIFF SPECIAL Barking up the wrong tree 'Domestically, nuclear artefacts could serve as symbols of modernity... Externally, they would convey India's formal rejection of nuclear apartheid and resolve to become accepted as a great power. But beyond that, nuclear weapons would serve no purpose.' Gaurav Kampani calls the Indian security establishment's bluff on a credible nuclear deterrent. THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS Sonia's poodles 'The CPI-M politburo is willing to sit in the kennel, but the mistress of 10, Janpath isn't sure about her potential pets' pedigree,' says T V R Shenoy. Tell us 'madam', what stuff are you made of? 'Don't tell us your husband had no experience to begin with. That is precisely why he was such a failure, Signora Sonia,' says Virendra Kapoor. THE WEATHER Rains continue in the Andamans The south-west monsoon was also active in Rayalaseema. August 20 Five soldiers killed in attack on brigade HQ In the encounter that continued through the night, four terrorists were also killed even as heavy army reinforcements were rushed to Chowkibal in Kupwara district. 5 CRPF men hurt in mine blast Terrorists detonated a powerful IED in Nehalpora on Thursday afternoon, injuring five personnel. Two of them are in bad shape. India, Pak clash at UN arms talks Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram told the Conference on Disarmament that India is "about to embark on a further and even more dangerous escalation in the nuclear and conventional arms build-up". His speech drew immediate fire from Savitri Kunadi, India's envoy. Pak used Gilgit people as cannon fodder: Amanullah "I am well aware of what all was done to the people in Gilgit in the name of jehad, making Kargil the excuse, but I will not delve into it because this will not be in the interests of Pakistan," the JKLF chief said. 2 girls killed in Pak shelling Official sources said a woman was also injured in the shelling targeted at civilian and military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. Congress intensifies attack on government's handling of Kargil The party released more evidence about the government's laxity, saying it had credible intelligence inputs about the armed infiltration by Pakistanis even before the Lok Sabha was dissolved in April. US sharpens attack on India State Department spokesman James Rubin said the proposed nuclear doctrine "is something that we think is not in the security interests of India, the subcontinent, or the United States or the world". ICHR to reissue banned book Towards Freedom by Dr P N Chopra makes some unsavoury allegations about National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra's father D P Mishra, a senior Congress politician from Madhya Pradesh. ULFA may lose unconditional talks offer "We may not even invite them for any talks if they do not show some positive response now," Joint Secretary (home ministry) Gopal K Pillai said. ULFA media centre busted At least six persons, including five extremists, were killed in separate incidents in Assam. THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS The idea of apocalypse 'When it comes to patronising, to taking on the role of "delivering" people from their real and imagined troubles, Arundhati Roy and her ilk can be worse than the powerful elite she so reviles,' says Anil Nair. If you can't play the game, change the rules 'The prospect of having to face the electorate again is just about the only thing that keeps politicians on their toes. That we should be talking about "fixed tenures" at a time when we should be discussing legislation to "call back" our representatives shows how the BJP is taking us for a ride,' says Krishna Prasad. THE WEATHER Andamans registers heavy rains And heavy showers are likely at isolated places in West Bengal and Sikkim in the next 48 hours. August 19 US reacts sharply to nuke doctrine The US may take up this 'apparently destabilising development' with Jaswant Singh during the UN General Assembly session next month in New York. Two IAF jets crash, one pilot killed The pilot in the aircraft right behind ejected because the closeness of the aircraft left him with no option, officials said. Pope's visit might be restricted to Delhi The Vatican has requested the government to allow the Pope to visit Calcutta, Bombay and south India as well. Extremists abduct 3 engineers in Assam The driver of the vehicle in which they were travelling was asked by the militants to report to the authorities to arrange a ransom for their release. India should pay compensation: Aziz The foreign minister's statement follows one by Information Minister Mushahid Hussain yesterday in which he said, 'Pakistan has every right to demand compensation [for the shooting down of its Atlantique naval aircraft] under international law.' PoK PM supports opening of LoC "If there is any proposal for opening the LoC for the free movement of Kashmiri people across it, we will fully support it," Chaudhry Sultan Mahmood said. THE REDIFF SPECIALS Tragic tales of women and wanton cruelty 'In 1997, the Bangalore-based activist group Vimochana began a study of the unnatural deaths of women within marriage.' M D Riti on the stunning results. 'India will not be the first to initiate a nuclear strike' The complete text of the draft Indian Nuclear Doctrine. THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS The method followed at Siachen is irrelevant in Kargil 'The cost of defending Kargil has been erroneously estimated at Rs 4 crore a day. This has been compounded by mis-assessing the cost of Kargil as three times Siachen,' says Major General (retd) Ashok K Mehta. Sack Asha Parekh! 'Parekh, incandescent as she may be in her stupidity, must be persuaded to step down from an office she has no business to occupy in the first place. For she does not understand cinema and her tastes are not exactly contemporary,' says Pritish Nandy. THE WEATHER Rains continue in parts of N-E Heavy showers are likely at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. August 18 It will be PM's finger on the nuclear trigger The nuclear doctrine prepared by the National Security Advisory Board calls for an assured capability to shift from peacetime deployment to full employable forces in the shortest possible time, and the ability to retaliate effectively after absorbing a first strike. Army orders inquiry into PVC blunder What has surprised the army top brass and military observers is how the grave mistake crept into one of the toughest selection procedures for any award anywhere in the world. Stay on execution in Rajiv case extended The Supreme Court bench said that since one of its judges is busy on a constitution bench, it will not be possible to give a definite date for the next hearing. India to face Kashmir pressure after poll: Pak "I think they [the international community] are waiting for the new government. The tempo will build up," Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz said. The Malayalee's El Dorado recedes The official confirmation of a freeze on visas for unskilled workers from India and Pakistan by the United Arab Emirates has triggered panic among job-seekers and those in the recruiting business. THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS Let the games begin! 'My vote for battle of the century, if not the millennium, goes to Gandhinagar, where the BJP's mascot L K Advani is pitted against Tirunellai Narayanaiyar Seshan who has, surprisingly, come in to bat for the Congress. But then, I have always held that the man had flexible principles,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy. Kashmir's accession: a Pandora's Box 'It would interest the Americans to note that the accession of Kashmir to India is analogous to the annexation of Texas by the USA in 1845,' argues Arvind Lavakare. THE REDIFF DIARY Ah, elections! 'It is not the polling per se that is so arresting. I, and I suspect this holds for most of my brother journalists, like the part that comes after the candidates are decided.' A reporter's diary. 
Assam: Bombs defused, catastrophe averted THE WEATHER Wet weather in Andamans Rain or thundershowers occurred at many places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Meghalaya, Orissa and east Uttar Pradesh. August 17 Terrorist landmine kills 7 in Kupwara Among those killed was Shreen Khan, a pro-government militant. In Srinagar, one civilian was killed and five were injured when terrorists hurled a grenade near the Durga Nag temple in Sonwar. Militants ambush CRPF convoy, kill 3 The CRPF men were on patrol duty on Independence Day in Manipur's Bishnupur district when the militants attacked them with sophisticated weapons from both sides of a state highway. ISI agents reveal comprehensive game plan A top police officer said the RDX recovered in Bangladesh across the West Bengal border was meant for terrorists in Assam and Kashmir. 20kg of RDX recovered in Bengal Nearly 15kg and a remote control device were recovered from Sealdah railway station in Calcutta, while 5kg were seized from Jalpaiguri district. Meeting ground must to solve Kashmir: PM He said a national consensus has to be evolved on the CTBT and a final decision on signing the treaty would be taken after the general election. One killed in Pak shelling Two others were injured in unprovoked artillery and mortar fire by Pakistani troops in the Teetwal, Gurez and Uri sectors of Jammu and Kashmir. 205 militants lay down arms in Assam Of the surrendered militants, 178 belong to ULFA. Floods, Bihar's fount of misery Even as the problem lies elsewhere, the state government merrily states that deforestation in Nepal is the root cause of the flood problem in the Indo-Gangetic plains. THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS Will she, won't she? 'The turning point was when Sonia stopped trusting her own instincts and bought the working committee's line that the Vajpayee government had to be brought down,' says Vir Sanghvi. Burden of proof 'If all Hindutvawadis are responsible for Graham Staines's murder -- why isn't the Jamait a terrorist organisation bent on destroying India, in collaboration with Pakistan...? If Hindutva is to blame for Dara, why isn't Islam untouchable now? Why does the burden of proof always rest on Hindus?' says Varsha Bhosle. THE REDIFF DIARY Prayer room in an airport? 'I find four passengers sitting on the carpet. Their eyes are closed. One is a Christian priest. It is a plain room with no statues and no religious symbols. There is no Bible, Bhagwad Gita or Koran. There are no pictures of god, any god, here.' THE WEATHER Monsoon showers on in the North-East Rain or thundershowers occurred at many places in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim. Archives |
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