26/11 to Echo in Indo-China Talks

Continuing to rally for an international consensus to push Pakistan into action against terror elements present on the inside of its territories, India may share crucial evidence of cross border involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks with China at a High level meeting on Monday.

The issue is expected to overshadow the talks Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is scheduled to hold with his Chinsese Vice-foreign Minister He Yafei.

Yafei, who arrives in New Delhi Sunday evening, is also to hold parleys with National Security Adviser (NSA), MK Narayanan.

Yafei is also expected to meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who leads India’s diplomatic response to cross border terrorism.

Reports say NSA Menon will share details of the Mumbai attacks which point to involvement of Lashkar-e-Tayeba and other Pakistan-based elements.

India has compiled a dossier of evidence which includes confession of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the attack, satellite phone intercepts and the logs of a ship used to ferry ten heavily armed terrorists to Mumbai on November 26.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had talked to Mukherjee over phone a week ago during which the Indian leader had told him of the evidence New Delhi held.

Yang, while agreeing that perpetrators of the attack should be brought to justice, had advised that India and Pakistan to maintain the fragile peace in the sub-continent.

Mukherjee had then urged Beijing to pressure Pakistan to initiate concrete action to end cross-border terrorism against India.

Pak Says No Extradition of Terrorists

Despite repeated demands from India to handover those responsible for the November 26 terror strikes in Mumbai, a defiant Pakistan on Sunday refused to turn in the culprits saying the two countries did not share a crucial treaty required to effectuate such an extradition.

The statement comes after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought the custody of those responsible for the macabre attack.

“The leadership of Pakistan should recognise the demand from all civilised nations that the perpetrators must be brought to book. We hope that these criminals will be handed over to us to face trial in our country,” the Prime Minister had said.

Responding to the demands Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan could not be expected to concede the demand unless “something officially from India” reaches Islamabad.

Qureshi insisted that Pakistani laws do not allow extradition of its people to India. “We have a treaty with the US, we do not have an extradition treaty with India. Please do not compare, every situation is not identical,” Qureshi said.

The statement comes on the eve of the visit of the US assistant secretary of state Richard Boucher to Pakistan. Boucher is travelling to the region to urge India and Pakistan to push forward the probe into the Mumbai attacks and for action against the perpetrators of the terrorist strike.

Qureshi claimed that tensions sparked by the Mumbai attacks had been defused due to the intervention of friends and important nations in the region and beyond. “Good relations with India will remain our policy. The Mumbai attacks caused a setback for bilateral relations.”

“There is a pause in the composite dialogue but we will endeavour to end this pause and move towards normal relations. We must emerge from the stress that has developed in our relations,” he further remarked.

Since the terror attack on Mumbai, India has said that relations with the neighbour would normalize only after Pakistan acted on its demand to rein in terrorists. It has already put on hold all important engagements with Islamabad.

Teenaged Fidayeen Kills Seven in Pak

A teenaged suicide bomber targeted a police posse in Dera Ismail Khan near the Pakistan Afghanistan border in the North Western Frontier Province on Sunday killing two civilians and five policemen as they investigated an earlier blast, no group has claimed responsibility.

The bombing was the latest in a wave of suicide and other attacks across Pakistan that have left more than 1,500 people dead in the past 18 months.

Many of those attacks have targeted police and security forces.

Bomb investigation sleuths told reporters that fragments of a suicide jacket and an unexploded hand grenade were found at the scene, adding that 10 to 15 kilos (22-33 pounds) of explosives were likely detonated.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned what he called a "cowardly act of terrorism" and expressed his condolences to the families of those killed, in a statement carried by the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency.

Dera Ismail Khan is on the edge of Pakistan's lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, where hundreds of extremists fled after the Taliban regime was ousted from power in Kabul in a US-led invasion in late 2001.

The army is battling in the tribal zones to flush out Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants, who Washington and Kabul say are using Pakistan as a staging area for cross-border attacks against foreign forces operating in Afghanistan.

Pakistani security forces working to clear the key northwest highway used by vehicles carrying supplies to foreign troops in Afghanistan on Sunday seized a truck packed with 1,000 kilos (2,200 pounds) of explosives, an official said.

The senior security official told AFP that the truck bomb could have been used to cause "many deaths".

Dera Ismail Khan is not far from South Waziristan, where eight militants were killed last week in two suspected US missile strikes.

The troubled town has also in the past been the scene of sectarian violence between Pakistan's majority Sunnis and minority Shiites.

(Agencies)

Rajnath a Great Party Worker: Advani

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial hopeful LK Advani on Sunday rubbished media repots that suggested the party leader was embroiled in a widening rift with party president Rajnath Singh, the denial came after the RSS reportedly intervened in the matter.

According to sources the RSS has made it clear that it wants Advani to have the final say in party affairs.

They add that media reports suggesting the rift threw the party into a serious brainstorming, before culminating in a well timed phone call from RSS General Secretary Mohan Bhagwat to Advani, who was touring Gujarat on Sunday.

After he spoke to Bhagwat, Advani clarified that there were no differences between him and Rajnath Singh.

"Let me tell you very frankly that there are no differences at all between us. Rajnath Singh is a great party worker and is working very hard to see BJP's victory in next parliamentary elections," Advani said in Gandhi Nagar.

Sources said that Advani also called up Singh and held a detailed discussion with him on the matter.

"A day after RSS advice of proper dialogue and coordination among the top brass, the report seemed very ironic and it urgently needed to be clarified," an RSS leader was quoted as saying by PTI.

On Friday the RSS and top BJP functionaries had met at Advani's residence for a brain-storming session to chalk out strategy for the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Passengers Stranded as Fog Plays Truant

Distraught Passengers stranded at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) continued to have a harrowing time on Sunday as some 20 flights were cancelled and nearly 100 domestic and international airlines were forced to delay flights due to a heavy blanket of fog descended over the national capital.

With the skies relatively clear, airlines strived to clear an earlier backlog of flights, pushing for the reschedule of 13 flights and diverting nearly 10 (eight domestic and two international) to Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

Similar scenes were witnessed at Amritsar, Leh, Kullu, Patna, Lucknow airports as poor visibility and bad weather forced the delay, cancellation or merger of several flights.

Airlines combined their early morning flights due to low passenger load and in anticipation of fog, which has disarrayed flight operations since Monday.

"We have combined three morning flights due to low passenger load and also to ensure availability of aircraft at the other airports for smooth operations," a spokesperson of an airline was quoted as saying by PTI.

Over 600 flights were delayed and about 100 cancelled this week due to dense fog which enveloped the national capital almost every alternate day.

Fliers to Leh, in Ladakh, were a harassed lot as their flight was continuously cancelled for the third consecutive day on Sunday due to inclement weather at Leh.

The delays, cancellations and merger of flights caused inconvenience to the passengers, who complained that reworked schedules were not communicated to them in advance.

A dense fog cover on Saturday delayed about 150 flights and resulted in the cancellation of 21 others as the runway visibility range (RVR) dipped to 500 metres for the new runway.

The Low Visiblity Procedures were finally terminated after 16 hours and three minutes at 1208 hours Sunday afternoon, when RVR improved to 1400 metres.

Track Bombing: Goods Train Derailed

A goods train was derailed after an explosion on a railway track in Assam on Sunday, said railway officials. The explosion took place near the Maibongdisa and Harangajao stations in Assam's North Cachar Hills district, about 320 km south of the state capital Guwahati, they added.

"The explosion on the track led to derailment of three wagons of the goods train carrying candles and papers," a railway official said.

There were no casualties. "The explosion caused damage to the rail track leading to disruption in services in the metre gauge section," the official said.

The police suspected the Black Widow militants triggered the explosion.

The Black Widow is a rebel group fighting for a homeland for the Dimasa tribe in southern Assam.

6.4 Quake Jolts Kashmir

With political tremors barely subsided, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake rocked Kashmir early on Sunday. Though no damage to life or property was reported the tremors jolted residents out of sleep and into paranoia of a different kind as the seismic activity may well lead up to aftershocks.

"A 6.4 quake struck the Valley at 1.53am on Sunday. The epicentre of the quake was located in the Hindukush region with latitude 36.5 degrees north and longitude 70.8 degrees east," an official of the weather office in Srinagar said.

"The tremor lasted several seconds and I was jolted out of my bed. Doors and windows produced a creaking sound," Bashir Ahmad, a resident of the old city area in the summer capital Srinagar, was quoted as saying by IANS.

A huge quake of 7.8 magnitude had rocked the two parts of divided Kashmir in October 2005 reulting in the deaths of thousands and leaving an even higher number of people homeless and stranded.

Omar Takes Oath Today, PDP Pulls out

Omar Abdullah will be sworn in as the eleventh and youngest chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday at the head of a National Conference-Congress coalition government amid indications that a six-member ministry without a deputy chief minister from the Congress would take oath with him.

Omar (38) was unanimously elected as the leader of the NC Legislature party at its meeting. Omar's name was proposed by his father and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah and seconded unanimously by the remaining 25 legislators.

The swearing in ceremony, at the General Zorawar Singh stadium in Jammu University, will be attended by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The proposed six-member ministry is expected to have three members each from the NC and the Congress who joined hands in an alliance after a gap of two decades.

"I am confident to deliver in the state and come up to the expectation of the people of the state," said Omar who arrived to a rousing welcome in Jammu on Sunday.

Hours before the NC-Congress alliance was to be formalized, the PDP pulled out of the ruling Congress-led UPA coalition with party chief Mehbooba Mufti writing a letter to UPA chairpeson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

According to media reports NC seniors AR Rather and Surjeet Salathia are expected to take oath.

On the Congresss side Tara Chand, Taj Mohideen and Nawang Rigzin Jora are front-runners for a berth in the ministry.

Israeli Invasion ‘Casts Lead’ on Gaza

Some fourteen hundred years on, the battle between the followers of Mohammad and Moses, both part of a trinity followed by a huge majority the world over, continued on Sunday as invading Israeli ground forces and Hamas fought pitched battles in Gaza after Israeli ground troops moved into the strip to follow up on the bloody airstrikes that caused hundreds of Palestinian casualties in the last eight days.

The rumble of forwarding Israeli tanks, artillery and missiles mixed with the clatter of machine-gun fire echoed through the silence of the night which was repeatedly pierced by wails of women and children after.

The rattling gunfire on the Gaza strip is a stark contrast to the studied diplomatic silence over the matter across the world, as save a few nations no serious efforts were launched to ensure the safety of civilians on the Palestinian side.

International peacemakers have repeatedly urged Israel to lift the embargo it placed the Gaza under since Hamas seized power there from forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in 2007.

Heavy fighting was reported in the north of the densely populated coastal strip around Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya.

Israel began its week-long air campaign two days after Christmas in a bid to halt rocket fire from Hamas, most of it coming from that part of Gaza.

An Israeli military spokesman said dozens of Hamas fighters were killed in the initial battles, while the Islamist group said nine Israeli soldiers had also been killed.

There was no independent confirmation of the claims, as ambulances were unable to reach casualties because of the fighting.

An army spokeswoman told reporters that 28 soldiers had been wounded, two of them seriously.

Gaza emergency services said five civilians had been killed, including one child.

Israel did not say how many men were involved in the attack, but around 9,000 reservists had been called up in advance of the assault and media reports said another 10,000 were being mobilised.

"We are facing several hubs of resistance, yet we are not dealing with massive resistance,” Israeli military officials were quoted as saying by the Ynet news website.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the army would capture sites used to fire rockets and vowed to deal a "hard blow."

Defence Minister Ehud Barak said "it will not be easy or short but we are determined."

The army had "dealt an unprecedented heavy blow to Hamas" he declared. "Our aim is to force Hamas to stop its hostile activities against Israel and Israelis from Gaza, and to bring about a significant change in the situation in southern part of Israel."

Hamas remained defiant, vowing the Israeli army would pay a "high price."

Hours before the invasion, an Israeli fighter hit the Ibrahim al-Maqdana mosque in Jabaliya, killing at least 16 people among more than 200 people at prayer, medics and witnesses said.

Four children were among the dead and dozens of wounded were dragged from the rubble.

Two Hamas military commanders were also killed in air strikes on Saturday.

Israel has staged nearly 800 air raids against Hamas leaders and targets since "Operation Cast Lead" began on December 27.

At least 463 Palestinians, including 75 children, have been killed in the strikes while another 2,300 are reported to have been wounded.

Four people have been killed in Israel by more than 500 rockets fired from Gaza over the same period.

A report on the Associated Press website on Sunday said that the United States late Saturday blocked approval of a UN Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, diplomats said.

French UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, the council president, said the 15 council members could not agree on a statement in closed discussions held after Israel launched a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

But Ripert added that there were "strong convergences" among the members to express concern about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the need for "an immediate, permanent and fully respected cease-fire."

Sound Bytes: Nations Decry Israeli Invasion

With Israeli troops vowing to engage in an all out offensive against the Hamas, The international community, concerned over the security of civilians, has voiced grave concerns over Israel's ground troops invasion against the Gaza Strip following eight days of intensive airstrikes on the region.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Saturday expressed his extreme concern and disappointment at the Israeli invasion, calling for "an immediate end" to the military operation, a UN statement said on Saturday.

It said that the UN chief "asked that Israel do all possible to ensure the protection of civilians and that humanitarian assistance is able to reach those in need."

"The secretary-general has spoken with (Israeli) Prime Minister Olmert and conveyed his extreme concern and disappointment," the statement said.

The United States is deeply concerned over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and urged Israel to avoid causing civilian casualties during its military strikes against Palestinian militants, the US State Department said.

"Any military action needs to be mindful of the potential consequences to civilians,” said Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman.

France said the military action had complicated efforts by the international community to find a truce in the region.

"France condemns the Israeli ground offensive against Gaza as it condemns the continuation of rocket firing (by Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, against Israel)," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In a presidential statement, Egypt called on Israel to stop its attacks against Gaza "immediately."

Egypt also urged the UN Security Council and the international Quartet on Mideast peace to intervene to help halt the Israeli attacks, the statement said.

Jordan's King Abdullah II called for global efforts to pressure Israel to stop aggression in the Gaza Strip, said the Royal Hashemite Court on Saturday.

Abdullah said the humanitarian situation in Gaza had deteriorated to an extent that could not be tolerated.

On Saturday, Israel's ground troops entered the Gaza Strip ruled by Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for the second phase of offensive on the militant group after a week of air strikes.

Israel vowed to destroy "terror infrastructure of Hamas as its Cast Lead operation starting last Saturday is now entering its second stage."

About 20 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, were killed Saturday evening during Israel's ground invasion in Gaza, said Hassan Khalaf, an official at Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Israel's military action, aimed at retaliating for Hamas militants' rocket attacks into Israel, has killed at least 460 Palestinians and wounded 2,750 others in the past week.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday evening that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation against Palestinian militants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip would be neither short nor easy.

He said that Israel was not eager to wage war, but could not abandon its citizens and residents in the south, who had been victimized by Hamas rockets.

"The campaign won't be easy and it won't be short," he said, noting that the operation entailed the risking of Israeli lives. "I know well the dangers that come with an offensive, and what the heavy price will be."

"I don't want to fool anyone. The residents of southern Israel will also undergo some tough times," he said.

Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement vowed on Saturday to hit back Israeli army's ground operation with heavy blow.

"The enemy will pay a high price for its operation in northern Gaza Strip," Hamas military wing Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

Riyad Mansour, permanent Palestinian observer to the United Nations, Saturday urged the UN Security Council "to send a very strong message" to Israelis and demand "an immediate ceasefire" in the Gaza conflict.

No Rotation of CMs in J&K, Omar

With the National Conference-Congress alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir slated to be sworn in on January Five, Chief Minister-designate Omar Abdullah, while thanking Congress President Sonia Gandhi, ruled out the rotation of the post while adding that his deputy would come from the Congress.

Omar announced the decision while showering praise and gratitude on Sonia Gandhi for understanding the ramifications of a rotational arrangement for the post while adding that the alliance was free of any pre-conditions.

"The rotation issue did come up during the discussion but Congress President Sonia Gandhi was kind enough to understand the point of view that rotation was damaging to the state and created uncertainty and confusion," Omar was quoted as saying.

The previous Congress-PDP government in the state had a provision for the rotation of Chief Ministers.

Omar who was in New Delhi here to phrase the fine print of the alliance in consultation with the Congress leadership said, "The Deputy Chief Minister will be from Congress."

Refusing to speculate over the name of his deputy, Omar said: "It is purely an internal matter of the Congress... and I hope that person takes oath along with me." On the strength of his cabinet, Omar said "About two leaders from my party and if Congress finds it appropriate their two ministers and deputy chief ministers will also take oath with us".

He refused to divulge any information on the portfolios the ministers woul hold by simply saying the matter was yet to be decided.

With Omar at the helm of the state, the NC is soon expected to join the UPA, the decision may well turn out to be a longevity insurance for the alliance government.
Congress insiders say Omar had written to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi expressing intent to join the UPA. The NC has two members in the Lok Sabha.

The meeting was in continuation of yesterday's 90-minute talks among leaders from NC and Congress in the capital to decide on a joint mechanism to review the performance of the government.

Omar said it was a routine meeting before the government formation to discuss core issues on which this coalition was formed.

The meeting at the South Block was attended by Union Ministers AK Antony, Saifuddin Soz, former J&K CM Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress in-charge for J&K affairs Prithviraj Chavan and Congress President's political secretary Ahmad Patel.

The NC was represented by Omar and his senior party colleagues.

Block JuD Regroup, Pranab Tells World

Following reports suggesting that the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) was attempting to regroup under a new banner, India on Friday urged the international community to take note of the development and force Pakistan to act against the outfit widely accepted to be a front for the banned Lashkar-e-Tayeba (LeT)

External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, stressing that Pakistan was responsible for acting against JuD, said the international community should initiate stringent action if Islamabad fails to comply with the ban on the outfit.

“When LeT was banned, it came up as JuD. Now it has been banned, and JuD might have taken another name. This is the pattern we have noticed in Pakistan,” Mukherjee told media persons. “It is the responsibility of Pakistan government to stop activities of these banned organisations in any form, in any name, in any shape,” he sadded.

The Lashkar-e-Tayeba, which began as the jihadi wing of the Markaz Dawa Wal-Irshad had changed its name to JuD after being banned following an attack on Indian Parliament.

According to reports, the JuD is in the process of adopting a new name -- Tehreek-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool to avoid restrictions.

Mukherjee said that the onus to “take appropriate action” if Pakistan failed to comply with the UNSC ban, was on the international community.

He added that India has asked Pakistan to fulfill these commitments and take action against terror groups.

Tigers Suffer Huge Setback as Kilinochchi Falls

A quarter of a century into a war with itself, Sri Lanka on Friday announced the capture of Kilinochchi, the administrative capital of Tamil Tiger rebels, whose aspirations for the creation of a separate homeland have suffered successive diplomatic and strategic blows in recent months.

Tamil rebels have been reiterating that the fall of Kilinochchi will not halt their fight for a separate homeland.

Within hours of the fall of the de fact capital, a Tamil suicide bomber rode his explosive laden motorcycle into the Sri Lankan Air Force headquarters in Colombo, killing two.

Kilinochchi lies some 185 miles north of Colombo and is not a particularly strategic target; the coast and narrow pathways to Jaffna peninsula to the north are more valuable.

But Kilinochchi was a symbol of Tamil resonance as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or (LTTE) collected taxes and ran a parallel legal system from the city, which houses several monuments of those killed in the 25 year battle with Majority Sinhalese in the Island nation.

The capture of Kilinochchi, however, could not be confirmed as Sri Lanka bans journalists from entering the battle-zone, where Tamil rebels say Lankan troops blister international laws and human rights with impunity.

A report on the pro-rebel website www.Tamilnet.com, says government troops entered a virtual ghost town.

Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has vowed to crush the guerrillas’ quarter-century campaign, described the town’s capture as “an unparalleled victory.”

“For the last time, I call upon the LTTE to lay down their arms and surrender,” he said in a nationally televised speech, according to an Associated Press report from Colombo.

Government officials say they will return to peace talks only if the Tigers agree to lay down their arms.

Lankan troops have made steady progress into the rebel held territory in recent months, pushing the LTTE into the northeast from their earlier strongholds in the northwestern coast.

With guns on both sides blazing, thousands of civilians have been forced out of their homes and into rebel-held areas, where they must sleep in temples and schools and some only in makeshift shacks in paddy fields.

The United Nations has been allowed to send food rations to what it estimates to be more than 200,000 civilians displaced by the war.

The ‘decisive’ Lankan war effort has been accompanied by a spate of disappearances and abductions, bringing the Rajapaksa administration under sustained international criticism.

The biggest challenge facing the government now is to deliver a political solution acceptable to its Tamil minority.

India has repeatedly said that only a power sharing agreement with the ethnic Tamil minority can muffle the gun shots that continue to blaze through the island nation.

Missing Money: BJP Treasurer Resigns

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday asked its national treasurer Ramdas Agarwal to tender his resignation to party president Rajnath Singh. Caught in an ongoing feud between party stalwarts, Agarwal was asked to quit after Rupees 2.6 crores went missing from the party’s national coffers.

Media reports say the action was taken at the insistence of NDA prime ministerial hopeful LK Advani, who is pushing for the ouster of party president Rajnath Singh by proving him incapable of managing party affairs.

Since the amount was discovered to b missing Advani has been pressing for the resignations of Ramdas Agarwal and Nalin Tandon.

Advani is of the view that the list of party candidates for the Lok Sabha polls should be declared by January end. Rajnath however feels that task is nearly impossible to perform. The contention has soured the ‘working relationship between the two leadrs, forcing the party to reschedule its national executive from January 23 in Nagpur to February 6.

“The national executive has been shifted because of the Republic Day,” says Rajnath Singh.

The party had earlier found funds amounting to the tume of Rupees 2.6 crores missng fro its national headquarters.

The BJP however is yet to file a police complaint into the matter, giving rivals, Congress an opportunity to lampoon the saffron outfit.

“This may be the cash for some future sting operation like the cash for vote conspiracy,” commented Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi.

Reacting to Singhvi’s comment BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said those dwelling in lass houses should refrain from casting stones.

With the Lok Sabha elections looming large, the Sangh is expected to initiate fire fighting measures over the next few days, failing which the BJP may suffer bigger losses in the months to come.

NIA May Not Take Over Mumbai Terror Probe

The newly-constituted National Investigation Agency (NIA) that came into force on Thursday is unlikely to conduct the probe the Mumbai terror attacks, say Home ministry officials while lauding the investigations into the macabre terror attack being conducted by the Mumbai Police.

"At this point when investigations are progressing smoothly under Mumbai's crime branch and a lot of evidence has come out, we do not want to change horses midstream," an unnamed home ministry functionary was quoted as saying by IANS.

The identities of the 10 attackers and their handlers have been established and with the help of international agencies evidence has been gathered on the coordinates of the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls made to the terrorists during the attacks.

"The probe so far seems to be heading in the right direction and at this point there will not be any difficulty in filing the charge sheet within the stipulated time," the bureaucrat said.

The NIA, according to sources, is expected to take over some terror related cases including the Samjhauta Express train bombing in 2007; the April 2006 twin blasts at New Delhi's Jama Masjid and at the Ajmer shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in October 2007, which still continue to baffle terror investigation agencies.

Home Minister P Chidambaram says the NIA director-general would be named in a few days. The minister is expected to share his idea on the functioning of the NIA with chief ministers and state Directors General of Police at a meeting in New Delhi next week and allay any doubts over functioning of the agency.

Other issues, including the presence of NIA units in states will also be discussed during the meeting.

Since taking over the Home Ministry, Chidambaram has stressed on the need to fix accountability and on an effective feedback system every time threat perceptions are relayed to relevant quarters.

He was instrumental in the large-scale changes in the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which will collate intelligence inputs, assess them and disseminate intelligence reports to security forces.

Bandh like situation in Kurseong

A bandh like situation prevailed in the Kurseong region of in Darjeeling hills on Friday following a clash at Rohini in which a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader was killed and 26 houses including a tourist bungalow were set afire in the ensuing violence between the Morcha activists and members of the DGHC.

Anticipating trouble, business owners downed shutters despite no bandh call had been issued, said Kurseong SDO Dibyendu Das.

GJM leader Subodh Pradhan was killed and few others were injured after an angry mob attacked them, in retaliation the Rohini Tourist bungalow and 25 houses in the neighbouring were torched on Thursday.

Trouble erupted when Pradhan with a few others broke into the tourist lodge run by Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), the caretaker informed villagers of the incident.

The villagers attacked the Morcha functionaries and Pradhan was lynched by the mob.

In retaliation to the killing Morcha activists soon regrouped and set the houses and buildings on fire.

Hundreds of GJM workers assembled after they were informed that five people arrested in connection with the killing were to be produced at a Kurseong court during the day.

Officials say massive security arrangements had been put in place to tackle any untoward situation. Combat commando force and Rapid Action Force were deployed both at Rohini and Kurseong town, they added.

GJM press and publicity secretary Benoy Tamang alleged that police was playing a partisan role by sheltering those arrested by keeping them at the Pradhan Nagar police station, even though Rohini falls under Kurseong police precincts.

No Hand in Blasts: ULFA

The banned ULFA on Friday denied involvement in the three serial explosions that rocked Guwahati on Thursday killing three and wounding over 50. a statement issued by the outfit's central publicity committee spokesman Anjan Borthakur claimed that the blasts were triggered by "enemies of the Assamese people."

He added that ULFA was in no way involved in the blasts.

"In the October 30 blasts too, the ULFA was initially blamed but later it was found that another outfit was behind the explosions. In yesterday's case also, the truth will soon come out", the statement read.

The outfit accused authorities of blaming ULFA for the blasts with "an ulterior motive of presenting the organisation as a terrorist outfit both in Assam and in the international arena to sabotage its cause."

"We extend our heart-felt condolences to the family members of those killed in the blasts and also pray for the speedy recovery of those injured", the communiqué added.

Torture Killing: MLA Owns up

Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday said that Shekhar Tiwari, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA arrested in connection with the killing of a senior Public Works Department (PWD) engineer, has confessed to his crime. A senior Police official added that Tiwari’s wife was also being questioned.

Reports attributing the information to Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Law & Order, Crime and Special Task Force (STF) Brij Lal said Tiwari’s wife was being questioned in connection with the brutal killing.

The MLA was arrested from the Rania area of Akbarpur police station of Kanpur Dehat district for his role in the murder of Executive Engineer MK Gupta, who was brutally thrashed to death allegedly by the MLA and two of his supporters after he refused to part with a "huge sum" the MLA demanded as donation.

The autopsy report confirmed that Gupta was subjected to electric shocks and brutally beaten up before dying of brain haemorrhage.