Karzai Stands by India, Says Terror Dossiers Credible

A day after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari vowed to stand up to the diplomatic initiatives launched by New Delhi in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror strikes, visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday expressed solidarity and unconditional support to India saying the Mumbai attack evidence was “credible” and needed “to be acted upon quickly.”

A joint statement issued after President Karzai held a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in an ostensible hint towards Pakistan said countries were responsible for weeding out their backyards as “terrorism emanates from the sanctuaries and training camps and the sustenance and support received by the terrorist groups.”

The Ministry of External Affairs described Karzai’s visit, the second in less than six months, as symbolic of the solidarity the country expressed with India after the Mumbai terror carnage.

The leaders called for the “full compliance with bilateral, multilateral and international obligations of States to prevent terrorism in any manner originating from territories under their control.”

The leaders expressed satisfaction at the progress in bilateral development and reconstruction projects in all parts of Afghanistan.

Singh informed Karza that after the completion of the road from Zaranj to Delaram in south-western Afghanistan, a second major infrastructure project, the Pul-e-Khumri-Kabul transmission line and the sub-station at Chimtala in northern Afghanistan will soon be handed over to the Afghan government.

While expressed satisfaction over the construction of the Afghan Parliament, Singh announced that India would gift 2,50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Kabul and the shipment would be made as soon as Afghanistan worked transportation arrangements.

Karzai invited Singh for a visit to Afghanistan, though, the invitation was accepted, the dates would later be finalized through diplomatic channels.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrives in New Delhi on Tuesday, as a mark of solidarity with India.

Secretary Miliband will address meetings at Mumbai’s Hotel Taj Mahal and Hotel Trident, which bore the brunt of the terror strikes.

In New Delhi, he will meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and may call on Premier Singh to discuss issues ranging from security concerns to climate change.
Britain has maintained that Islamabad must se its house in order, especially as a series of terror plots uncovered by British security agencies were traced to sanctuaries in Pakistan.

UNSC Meet over Gaza Strife Today

As civilian casualties continue to mount in the Israeli invasion of Gaza, the UN Security Council is expected to meet behind closed doors on Tuesday morning to hear the briefing by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his upcoming Middle East tour, diplomats said on Monday.

A Libyan diplomat said here that the Security Council is scheduled to meet early on Tuesday, when Ban will brief the council on his upcoming visit to region, currently a hotspot where both Israelis and Hamas ignored a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire.

The council meeting will take place shortly before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon kicks off his Middle East tour to press for the implementation of the resolution.

Over 900 Palestinians were killed and 4,000 others injured as the fighting entered its 17th day on Monday.

Earlier Monday, Ban told his first press conference in 2009 that he is scheduled to leave Tuesday for a visit to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait to strengthen the joint diplomatic efforts to strive for an early end to the fighting.
Also at the press conference, Ban demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, saying "both sides must stop the fighting now" because "too many people have died."

SP Hammers Congress’ Alliance Hopes

The Samajwadi Party on Monday slighted the Congress by unilaterally announcing another five Lok Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh but stopped short of driving in the final nail in the alliance coffin by refraining from picking candidates for the Amethi, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, Farrukhabad and Pratapgarh LS constituencies.

The five candidates declared by SP on Monday take the total tally of hopefuls declared by the party to 51, media reports attributing the information to credible sources say the 51 seats are non negotiable.

The announcement leaves the Congress with a final ask of 29 as Uttar Pradesh, arguably the country’s most important electoral battleground is drawn into a total of 80 parliamentary constituencies.

The SP action may be viewed as a repartee to similar ploys initiated by the Congress ahead of elections to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly where several SP legislators quit the party to join the Congress on virtually the election eve.

The Congress, caught in a corner between the irreverent SP and an advancing Bahujan Samaj Party, attempted to play down the ignominy hoping that better sense would prevail and the SP would pull nominees out of constituencies where the Congress had “stronger” claims.

Uttar Pradesh is definitely the deepest wrinkle on the Congress brow in the run up to the LS elections as the party, with help from allies SP, must put up a brave show to halt not just BSP czarina Mayawati but also the ‘main opposition’ BJP if it plans on returning to power on the other side of the hustings.

The inability of the Congress and SP to strike a reasonable association ahead of the polls is sure to fillip BSP chances as a quadrangular contest is almost certain to polarize votes in an equation that pundits suggest will throw the primary contest between BSP and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Having set her sights on the top office in the country, BSP watchers say Mayawati riding on a ‘socially engineered’ wave is almost sure to put up a lion hearted fight for all the 80 seats in UP and a victory in 50 is what is sure to catapult her to a new address at Race Course Road n New Delhi.

Sore Guruji Snooks UPA Allies

Leaving the Congress to mull over Hobson’s choice JMM boss Shibu Soren Monday finally quit as Chief Minister of Jharkhand while saying that his party was ready to go to polls if Soren’s party colleague MLA Champai Soren was not nominated his successor.

Soren's deputy Stephen Marandi also resigned saying the chief minister should have quit long back.

Soren’s resignation was due for the last five days since he lost a must-win Assembly by-poll from the Tamar constituency.

Meanwhile, UPA leaders are scheduled to meet in Ranchi on Tuesday to decide the course of action to be adopted by the Alliance.

Opposition parties have upped demands calling for the imposition of President's Rule and fresh elections in the state.

Soren drove to Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to Governor Syed Sibte Razi.

"As per democratic tradition, I have put in the papers," said Soren after coming out of ghe Governor’s residence.

Accepting Soren's resignation, Razi said he would look into the possibilities for an alternative after going through constitutional and legal norms and conventions.

Soren said JMM, of which he is the chief, would not back out from projecting party MLA Champai Soren as his successor. "We have decided Champai Soren as our (chief ministerial) candidate. Yesterday I informed the central UPA leaders...I also called a meeting inviting state UPA allies but none came...The JMM will not change its decision on its candidate," he said.
Soren said it was up to the UPA to decide on the JMM's nominee. "We are ready to go for elections, if Champai Soren's candidature is rejected."

Lankan Jets Pound LTTE Hideouts

Lankan fighter jets on Monday pounded a jungle base used by the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Velupillai Prabhakaran. Government troops continued to push forth in decisive action against Tiger rebels after capturing its political base earlier this month.

Prabhakaran is “running short of safe houses and escape routes,” the Defense Ministry said on its Web site. Soldiers are closing in on the last LTTE bastions, it said.

The air force targeted the hideout frequented by Prabhakaran in raids on jungle bases, said the ministry.

LTTE fighters moved into jungle areas of Mullaitivu after losing control of their headquarters at Kilinochchi on Jan. 2. While the military estimates the group has between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters left, some analysts say there may be as many as 10,000 who will now conduct a guerrilla war.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government last year scrapped a six-year truce with the LTTE and vowed military victory in the 26-year conflict that has killed at least 70,000 people. The Tamil Tigers, who are fighting for a separate homeland in the north and east of the country, lost control of the eastern region 18 months ago and were driven from territory in the northwest by army advances last year.

Over 230 civilians in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu liberated by the army are seeking refuge in centers for displaced people, the ministry said on its Web site.

Meanwhile some 200 civilians trying to escape the fighting by sea were detained by the navy.

The LTTE’s Peace Secretariat, in a statement issued yesterday, accused the army of shelling civilian areas in the north, saying the artillery fire on Jan. 11 was the “worst in recent times.”
The LTTE is fighting for a separate homeland in the north and east of Sri Lanka.

Gilani Suffers Amnesia Asks for Evidence

Continuing to follow up on every diplomatic flip with a subsequent flop, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said the dossier provided by New Delhi was clearly not enough and yet again asked India for "evidence" that indicted the use of Pakistani soil by terrorists against India.

He added that Pakistan will conduct its own investigation and take action under its own laws.

"We will react like a responsible country and as I said yesterday, if they (India) have some evidence or identify that Pakistani soil was used by any terrorist, we will conduct an inquiry and investigation," Gilani said.

Sources here said there were a few things Pakistan could investigate easily, just based on the dossier. Thus far, Pakistan has only admitted that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the captured terrorist, is Pakistani.

According to reports the evidence provided by India includes several IP addresses linking Pak nationals to terror activities in India, Cell Phone details and the proof of Pakistani origin of the boat used to ferry terror perpetrators to Mumbai on 26/11.

Indian security sources said all the evidences and information provided to Pakistan is easy to check and investigate.

Gilani on Monday said, "If (the charges) are proved, we will punish the persons concerned according to our own laws because we can't allow Pakistan's soil to be used for terrorism. We are totally clear on this."

Pakistan, he said, would conduct its own investigation into evidence provided by India on the Mumbai attacks and punish any person found involved under its own laws.
Responding to queries on statements issued by Indian leaders calling on Pakistan to do more against elements linked to the Mumbai attacks, "We are a responsible and strong country, we are not acting on anyone's pressure. We know how to defend the country. We don't want to make any irresponsible statement," Gilani said.

Victorious Karuna Raises Sri Lankan Issue

On a day when his party tasted victory in the Thirumangalam Assembly by polls, DMK boss and Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi on Monday said he will ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to intervene on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue and ensure a ceasefire.

”The killing of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka has afflicted our collective conscience. I will again take up the matter with Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting them to speed up efforts to solve the problem,” Mr Karunanidhi told reporters in Chennai.

His statement came after a meeting with political leaders, including PMK founder S Ramadoss, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol Thirumavalavan and Dravida Kazhagam president Veeramani at his Gopalapuram residence over the Lankan Tamils issue.

Ramadoss said countries like America, Japan and Norway had urged the Sri Lankan government to bring about a ceasefire and wanted to know why the Indian government did not come forward to issue such a statement. “The UPA has violated the CMP. This is a sore issue for us as Tamils,” he said.

Thirumavalavan said the UPA stands to lose “a considerable percentage of votes in Tamil Nadu if it continued to ignore the Tamils’ cry for freedom”.

The Tamil Nadu government had made a “tearful appeal” to the Centre and suggested that external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee travel to Colombo to press for a halt of hostilities in Sri Lanka.

Karunanidhi, who had lead an all party delegation to Delhi last month to meet the Prime Minister on the Lankan Tamils issue, took pot shots at his opponents saying some forces were dragging the name of the LTTE to “divert our voice.”

The DMK on Monday won a crucial Assembly by poll that sealed approval on the 30 month Karunanidhi government, as DMK candidate Latha Adhiyaman defeated AIADMK’s M Muthuramalingam by a whopping 39,266 vote margin.

Deposits of all other candidates, including that of the third-placed Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, were forfeited.

26/11 Recce Accused in Police Custody

The Mumbai Metropolitan Magistrate court on Monday handed over the custody of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed to Crime Branch till January 23, the two are accused of conducting recces and selecting targets attacked during the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai.

Police say Ansari and Ahmed were aware of the terror conspiracy, and the map prepared by Ansari was used by the attackers.

“The police need to interrogate if both the accused had any prior information about the attacks and if they aided the terror strike,” Public Prosecutor Eknath Dhamal was quoted as saying.

According to the police, the accused had allegedly conducted a recce of the city and submitted information of possible targets to Lashkar-e-Tayeba (LeT) operators before the attacks.

Ansari and Ahmed were arrested last February in connection with a terror attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Uttar Pradesh. Both the accused were brought to Mumbai from Lucknow on December 18, 2008.
Meanwhile, the duo was sent to judicial custody in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus firing case. Both the accused allegedly knew about the plan to attack Mumbai and had aided the terrorists who carried out the attack with information on their targets.

Rahman Tops, Slumdog Sweeps Golden Globes

The incredibly gifted AR Rahman on Monday became the first Indian to win the prestigious Golden Globe Award and dedicated it to the "billion people of India," as British film maker Danny Boyle's Mumbai-based saga 'Slumdog Millionaire,' swept the ceremony with successful nominations in four categories.

A Mumbai underdog's rags-to-riches story, 'Slumdog Millionaire', swept all the four categories it was nominated for, winning the best director award for Boyle, the best music score for Rahman, best screenplay for Simon Beaufoy and also in the category of best drama.

Rahman won the award for his score 'Jai Ho'. He thanked the director and his fellow musicians in Mumbai and Chennai, besides the "billion people from India".

"Unbelievable..! I thought, I would not win, so anyway thanks to the almighty God for bringing me here... Danny Boyle, Fox pictures, all my musicians in Chennai, Mumbai, and the billion people from India," he said while accepting the award.

Director Danny Boyle bagged the best director award, while Simon Beaufoy won the best screenplay award for the film that starred Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and British Indian Dev Patel.

Govt. for Stringent Anti ULFA Action

Deciding to intensify its campaign against the ULFA in wake of a recent spike in terror related incidents in Assam, the Centre at a high-level security review meeting on Assam chaired by Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram in New Delhi Monday uncovered plans to go after the ULFA.

The meeting was attended by National Security Adviser, MK Narayanan, Union Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Director, Intelligence Bureau, Directors General of Border Security Force (BSF) and CRPF.

Inspectors General (IGs) of various Central Forces operating in Assam were also present on the occasion.

Stung by the series of blasts in Assam, Chidambaram left none in doubt that gone are the days of soft approach to ULFA. The militant outfit is now likely to face renewed heat from security forces. The officials were told that violence in Assam leading to losses of life and property was totally unacceptable.

The meeting finetuned the strategy to be adopted by the operations group to take on the insurgents who have been threatening the country’s integrity and sovereignty, sources said.

On border fencing in Assam, the home minister suggested expeditious raising of riverine police as a 20-km riverine stretch was difficult to fence.

The meeting also discussed the Assam government’s proposal to set up a specialised body on the lines of the National Security Guards to deal with explosive devices.

Chidambaram has developed a 150-day plan to meet the requirements of the para-military forces deployed along the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangaldesh borders which are facing trouble from militants.

According to sources the North-east has been accorded top priority, the Home Minister proposes to visit all States in the Region to understand the problems of each of the eight States.