The situation in Kashmir has improved dramatically. Pakistan has done as much as possible to ask the militants not to create trouble for India. India on the other hand had promised concrete measures one the violence goes down. As before, India has reneged on her promises and does not want to make any changes in the status quo.

Now the "Do More" mantra continues.

ISI-backed outfits still a problem, says India

By Jawed Naqvi

NEW DELHI, March 30: Pakistan-based terror camps continue to worry India’s security establishment, which feels that ISI-sponsored outfits like Jaish-i-Mohammed, Lashkar-i-Taiba and Al-Badr are responsible for carrying out attacks in different parts of the country, India’s home ministry has claimed in a report.
“Terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK remains largely intact and continues to be used by Pak-based and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-sponsored outfits like Jaish-i-Mohammed, Lashkar-i-Taiba and Al Badr for carrying out acts of terror in different parts of the country,” Zeenews said on Sunday quoting the report.
It follows comments last week by India’s National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan who said one of the greatest dangers India faced was terror camps being run on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border by the Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Zeenews said.
According to the latest Status Paper on Internal Security, brought out by the ministry, these groups are “well organised, interlinked, and have the latest hardware and communication equipment”.
The “current strategy” of terrorist groups is to recruit and train local modules and activate them when required, maintain flow of finances to sustain terror network and supply hardware through land and sea routes.
Their strategy is also to target vital installations, economic infrastructure, VIPs and political leaders, attack soft targets like market places, mass transit system, places of worship and congregations, and also provoke communal tension to create a wedge between communities, the news channel said.

The more hatred and bigotry is faced by Muslims and Islam, the more the religion grows. It is the fastest growing religion in the world, and the fastest growing religion in Europe, the fastest growing religion in America.

The growth is via birth and conversion. Four out of five converts are women.

Catholicism overtaken by Islam: Vatican

VATICAN CITY, March 30: Islam has overtaken Roman Catholicism as the biggest single religious denomination in the world, the Vatican said on Sunday.

Monsignor Vittorio Formenti, who compiled the Vatican’s newly-released 2008 yearbook of statistics, said Muslims made up 19.2 per cent of the world’s population and Catholics 17.4 per cent.—Reuters

US support long on promise short on equipment. Frontier corps needs 80,000 M16s and MASH hospitals

The American support for the Pakistani forces has largely been theoretical. America has not supplied the Frontier corps with any weapons and has not helped them establish medical evacuation teams, helicopters, drones, night vision binoculars, all terrain vehicles, helmets. How can they expect the Fronter Corp to fight when the roads leading to the areas are not paved. The US needs to pave the roads, build new airports, and hospitals in the region so that the Frontier Corps is a functional body. 

Culture, politics hinder US effort to bolster FC

Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: Cultural and political fault lines within the Frontier Corps (FC) and Pakistan itself could undo the United States’ plan to train and equip the 80,000-strong force, according to the Washington Post.
The newspaper quoted US officials as saying that 21 American advisers had been tasked with training a cadre of FC officers in counterinsurgency and intelligence-gathering tactics “as early as this summer”.
It said the bulk of the force’s rank-and-file troops were ethnic Pashtuns, with many wary of going into battle against a Pashtun-dominated insurgent force. Commanders, meanwhile, were regular army officers who often had little in common with their subordinates, the Post added.
Major General Muhammad Alam Khattak, the FC’s top commander, expressed frustration with a “slow-moving military bureaucracy that has left his troops to fight an insurgency with World War II-era rifles”. “It’s very difficult, but our force is an old force ... We are on a global geopolitical fault line,” Khattak told the Post.
The newspaper said that FC units, which were poorly equipped and lacked support from the army, had suffered devastating defeats by the Taliban over the past six years. About 300 troops have been killed since 2001, it said.
Low salaries and inconsistent medical evacuation services for wounded troops have also dimmed morale, Khattak said. “Many of our casualties were not warranted. If we had been better equipped, we would not have seen so many casualties,” he added.
“When you have a position that is only manned by five or six [FC] men and it’s confronted by a contingent of dozens of Taliban militants, there’s not a lot of incentive to stay and fight,” a Western military official said, adding, “As far as some of these FC guys go, they think: What’s the point in resisting these guys? If I don’t fight, I live to see another day.”
“These guys are Pashtuns, so they know the local areas. But there are problems. There’s been this kind of historical stepchild relationship with the army,” said a Western diplomat.
“They’ve got different levels of equipment, different levels of medevac services than the army. One of the concerns we’ve heard about is: What happens if we get killed? What happens to our families?”
Sadiq Ali, a former member of the corps, told the Post that he had joined the FC to help his family financially. But the meagre wages were hardly enough to persuade him to stay.
“No parents would risk their children’s lives just for a few thousand rupees a month,” Ali said.
According to the Post, FC soldiers earn an average of $60 to $70 a month – a little more than half what their counterparts in the regular Pakistani army make, and a third less than what Afghan army troops get.
“I didn’t know why we were fighting this war ... It was all about following the orders of my senior officers, and that’s it,” said Zeeshan, a 21-year-old FC deserter, who gave only his first name for fear of reprisals.

Foreign hands behind terrorism: FATA MNA

PESHAWAR: Zafar Baig, Member National Assembly from Federally Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA) has said that foreign elements are involved in the acts of terrorism and suicide attacks in the country.

Talking to mews persons on Sunday he accused that Indian spies were involved in the acts of terrorism in the garb of Taliban, adding they were trying to damage the country.

He said that real Taliban expressed their grief and sorrow over the death of Lt. General Mushtaq Baig, Surgeon General of Pakistan.

Zafar Baig told that there were four types of Taliban in Federally Administrative Tribal Areas and tribal areas.

He said that first type of Taliban was a true ideological one and they wanted to expel US from Afghanistan.

They have no agenda about Pakistan, he added.

The second type, he said was the local Taliban, they wanted to implement Islamic system in their areas.

He said that the third group of Taliban was that of those who formed an organised group to achieve their vested interests.

"They have nothing to do with Islam or Taliban", he added.

"The fourth group or type of Taliban is that which is using the name of Taliban, he added.

He said that US and India trained them in Jihadi madaris of Khurasan and Hirat provinces of Afghanistan. These trained elements were injected into tribal areas of Pakistan, he added.

He said that these foreign elements in the garb of Taliban were involved in the acts of terrorism in different cities of Pakistan, asking the government to trace the facts so that terrorism could be eradicated and peace be restored. - PPI

The Smart Way Out of a Foolish War

By Zbigniew Brzezinski, Sunday, March 30, 2008; B03

Both Democratic presidential candidates agree that the United States should end its combat mission in Iraq within 12 to 16 months of their possible inauguration. The Republican candidate has spoken of continuing the war, even for a hundred years, until "victory." The core issue of this campaign is thus a basic disagreement over the merits of the war and the benefits and costs of continuing it.

The case for U.S. disengagement from combat is compelling in its own right. But it must be matched by a comprehensive political and diplomatic effort to mitigate the destabilizing regional consequences of a war that the outgoing Bush administration started deliberately, justified demagogically and waged badly. (I write, of course, as a Democrat; while I prefer Sen. Barack Obama, I speak here for myself.)

The contrast between the Democratic argument for ending the war and the Republican argument for continuing is sharp and dramatic. The case for terminating the war is based on its prohibitive and tangible costs, while the case for "staying the course" draws heavily on shadowy fears of the unknown and relies on worst-case scenarios. President Bush's and Sen. John McCain's forecasts of regional catastrophe are quite reminiscent of the predictions of "falling dominoes" that were used to justify continued U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Neither has provided any real evidence that ending the war would mean disaster, but their fear-mongering makes prolonging it easier.

Nonetheless, if the American people had been asked more than five years ago whether Bush's obsession with the removal of Saddam Hussein was worth 4,000 American lives, almost 30,000 wounded Americans and several trillion dollars -- not to mention the less precisely measurable damage to the United States' world-wide credibility, legitimacy and moral standing -- the answer almost certainly would have been an unequivocal "no."

Nor do the costs of this fiasco end there. The war has inflamed anti-American passions in the Middle East and South Asia while fragmenting Iraqi society and increasing the influence of Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent visit to Baghdad offers ample testimony that even the U.S.-installed government in Iraq is becoming susceptible to Iranian blandishments.

In brief, the war has become a national tragedy, an economic catastrophe, a regional disaster and a global boomerang for the United States. Ending it is thus in the highest national interest.

Terminating U.S. combat operations will take more than a military decision. It will require arrangements with Iraqi leaders for a continued, residual U.S. capacity to provide emergency assistance in the event of an external threat (e.g., from Iran); it will also mean finding ways to provide continued U.S. support for the Iraqi armed forces as they cope with the remnants of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The decision to militarily disengage will also have to be accompanied by political and regional initiatives designed to guard against potential risks. We should fully discuss our decisions with Iraqi leaders, including those not residing in Baghdad's Green Zone, and we should hold talks on regional stability with all of Iraq's neighbors, including Iran.

Contrary to Republican claims that our departure will mean calamity, a sensibly conducted disengagement will actually make Iraq more stable over the long term. The impasse in Shiite-Sunni relations is in large part the sour byproduct of the destructive U.S. occupation, which breeds Iraqi dependency even as it shatters Iraqi society. In this context, so highly reminiscent of the British colonial era, the longer we stay in Iraq, the less incentive various contending groups will have to compromise and the more reason simply to sit back. A serious dialogue with the Iraqi leaders about the forthcoming U.S. disengagement would shake them out of their stupor.

Ending the U.S. war effort entails some risks, of course, but they are inescapable at this late date. Parts of Iraq are already self-governing, including Kurdistan, part of the Shiite south and some tribal areas in the Sunni center. U.S. military disengagement will accelerate Iraqi competition to more effectively control their territory, which may produce a phase of intensified inter-Iraqi conflicts. But that hazard is the unavoidable consequence of the prolonged U.S. occupation. The longer it lasts, the more difficult it will be for a viable Iraqi state ever to reemerge.

It is also important to recognize that most of the anti-U.S. insurgency in Iraq has not been inspired by al-Qaeda. Locally based jihadist groups have gained strength only insofar as they have been able to identify themselves with the fight against a hated foreign occupier. As the occupation winds down and Iraqis take responsibility for internal security, al-Qaeda in Iraq will be left more isolated and less able to sustain itself. The end of the occupation will thus be a boon for the war on al-Qaeda, bringing to an end a misguided adventure that not only precipitated the appearance of al-Qaeda in Iraq but also diverted the United States from Afghanistan, where the original al-Qaeda threat grew and still persists.

Bringing the U.S. military effort to a close would also smooth the way for a broad U.S. initiative addressed to all of Iraq's neighbors. Some will remain reluctant to engage in any discussion as long as Washington appears determined to maintain its occupation of Iraq indefinitely. Therefore, at some stage next year, after the decision to disengage has been announced, a regional conference should be convened to promote regional stability, border control and other security arrangements, as well as regional economic development -- all of which would help mitigate the unavoidable risks connected with U.S. disengagement.

Since Iraq's neighbors are vulnerable to intensified ethnic and religious conflicts spilling over from Iraq, all of them -- albeit for different reasons -- are likely to be interested. More distant Arab states such as Egypt, Morocco or Algeria might also take part, and some of them might be willing to provide peacekeeping forces to Iraq once it is free of foreign occupation. In addition, we should consider a regional rehabilitation program designed to help Iraq recover and to relieve the burdens that Jordan and Syria, in particular, have shouldered by hosting more than 2 million Iraqi refugees.

The overall goal of a comprehensive U.S. strategy to undo the errors of recent years should be cooling down the Middle East, instead of heating it up. The "unipolar moment" that the Bush administration's zealots touted after the collapse of the Soviet Union has been squandered to generate a policy based on the unilateral use of force, military threats and occupation masquerading as democratization -- all of which has pointlessly heated up tensions, fueled anti-colonial resentments and bred religious fanaticism. The long-range stability of the Middle East has been placed in increasing jeopardy.

Terminating the war in Iraq is the necessary first step to calming the Middle East, but other measures will be needed. It is in the U.S. interest to engage Iran in serious negotiations -- on both regional security and the nuclear challenge it poses. But such negotiations are unlikely as long as Washington's price of participation is unreciprocated concessions from Tehran. Threats to use force on Iran are also counterproductive because they tend to fuse Iranian nationalism with religious fanaticism.

Real progress in the badly stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process would also help soothe the region's religious and nationalist passions. But for such progress to take place, the United States must vigorously help the two sides start making the mutual concessions without which a historic compromise cannot be achieved. Peace between Israel and Palestine would be a giant step toward greater regional stability, and it would finally let both Israelis and Palestinians benefit from the Middle East's growing wealth.

We started this war rashly, but we must end our involvement responsibly. And end it we must. The alternative is a fear-driven policy paralysis that perpetuates the war -- to America's historic detriment.

Zbigniew Brzezinski was national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter. His most recent book is "Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower."

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Quote

The French First Lady Nude: Carla Bruni nude picture auctioned at Christie's

The image, by photographer Michel Comte, shows a younger Miss Bruni facing the camera wearing no more than a thoughtful expression, her hands crossed at waist height to cover her modesty.

The photo of Carla Bruni is expected to fetch around £2,000 at auction next month

It is expected to fetch around £2,000 when it goes under the hammer on April 10. The couple are to arrive in the UK on Wednesday for the start of their two-day state visit, and will be meeting the Queen and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
Mr Sarkozy has faced criticism that his flashy, Rolex-wearing image belies a lack of substance, and he had hoped that the visit would add some much-needed gravitas to his public persona.
Meanwhile Mr Sarkozy is said to be concerned about his English-speaking ability ahead of his visit. While the Italian Miss Bruni, who has also appeared naked in the pages of this month's GQ magazine, is fluent in both French and English as well as her native tongue, Mr Sarkozy is rarely heard to speak English in public.

It has emerged that he has been taking intensive English lessons in order to impress his hosts during his UK visit.

A video clip from his time as finance minister has become popular on the internet showing him speaking in a barely-comprehensible Inspector Clouseau-esque twang.

Carla Bruni 'cashing in' on Queen visit

By Emma Henry and Tom Chivers

Last Updated: 1:45pm GMT 26/03/2008

Carla Bruni, France's first lady, has been accused of cashing in on her status after stickers appeared on her new CD advertising her stay with the Queen at Windsor Castle.

Nicolas Sarkozy calls for closer friendship with Britain

Sarkozys to get a taste of the best of British

The supermodel turned singer has just finished her new album, No Promises.

 

The photo of Carla Bruni is expected to fetch around £2,000 at auction next month

A diplomatic source in France said: "Stickers [in English] making clear that Carla is now the French first lady who will be staying with the Queen at Windsor Castle have been placed on all the new CDs.
"It has to be said that a lot of people think this is a very unfortunate precedent.
"The aim of the state visit is to further French/British cooperation, not to sell pop songs. It will appear to many that this is an attempt to cash in on what should be a dignified state visit."

News of the stickers comes stickers follows a nude photo of Miss Bruni being put up for auction at Christie's New York, just hours ahead of the state visit to Britain.

The portrait, by photographer Michel Comte, shows a younger Miss Bruni gazing thoughtfully into the camera with nothing but her crossed hands to cover her modesty.

The pose, apparently in reference to the paintings of French neo-impressionist artist Georges Seurat depicting models, is expected to fetch around £2,000 when it goes under the hammer on April 10.
Miss Bruni and her husband, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, arrived in the UK today for the start of their two-day state visit, and will be meeting the Queen and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
Mr Sarkozy has faced criticism that his flashy, Rolex-wearing image is not in keeping with his function, and he had hoped that the visit would add some much-needed gravitas to his public persona.

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According to aides, Mr Sarkozy is relying on the refinement of his 40-year-old Italian wife to wow the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

Pakistan is being connected by Wi-Max and DSL.

PTCL, a unit of Etisalat Telecommunication Corp, has already laid an fibre-optic network in major cities in Pakistan and is upgrading its local loop from copper to optical network. Alcatel-Lucent has won an order from Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) to supply DSL line equipment for broadband services across Pakistan. Under the 'multi-year' deal Lucent-Alcatel it will deploy 100,000 IP DSLAM lines throughout the country, including rural regions and outlying districts of urban centers.

The image, by photographer Michel Comte, shows a younger Miss Bruni facing the camera wearing no more than a thoughtful expression, her hands crossed at waist height to cover her modesty.

The photo of Carla Bruni is expected to fetch around £2,000 at auction next month

It is expected to fetch around £2,000 when it goes under the hammer on April 10. The couple are to arrive in the UK on Wednesday for the start of their two-day state visit, and will be meeting the Queen and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
Mr Sarkozy has faced criticism that his flashy, Rolex-wearing image belies a lack of substance, and he had hoped that the visit would add some much-needed gravitas to his public persona.
Meanwhile Mr Sarkozy is said to be concerned about his English-speaking ability ahead of his visit. While the Italian Miss Bruni, who has also appeared naked in the pages of this month's GQ magazine, is fluent in both French and English as well as her native tongue, Mr Sarkozy is rarely heard to speak English in public.

It has emerged that he has been taking intensive English lessons in order to impress his hosts during his UK visit.

A video clip from his time as finance minister has become popular on the internet showing him speaking in a barely-comprehensible Inspector Clouseau-esque twang.

Carla Bruni 'cashing in' on Queen visit

Last Updated: 1:45pm GMT 26/03/2008

Carla Bruni, France's first lady, has been accused of cashing in on her status after stickers appeared on her new CD advertising her stay with the Queen at Windsor Castle.

This year, President Bush has waived a restriction on aid to Pakistan. Next year the new American president McCain, Ombam or Hillary may not be conducive to signing the waiver. Surely they will press for more concessions from the the Zardari-Sharif government that on the surface at least seem to presenting a facade of standing up to the US government.

It may all end up like the Pressler Amendment where all aid to Pakistan was stopped right after the USSR withdrew from Afghanistan. Pakistan an ally was dropped like a hot potato and sanctioned for about a decade. It was at this time that the extremists in Pakistan became a nuisance.

Pakistan: Bush waives law to fund anti-terror activities

Washington, 26 March (AKI) - Pakistan is poised to receive millions of dollars in anti-terrorist funding after American president George W. Bush waived restrictions on security assistance on Tuesday.
Bush has exempted Pakistan from a law that limits funding to countries where the head of state was deposed by a military coup, as President Pervez Musharraf had done in Pakistan.
The White House released a copy of a memorandum sent by Bush to US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, entitled "a determination to waive military coup-related" provision.
While it does not reveal any details of appropriations, Bush has asked the US congress to approve 300 million dollars in security assistance for Pakistan.
Bush granted Pakistan the waiver although Musharraf came to power in a military coup in 1999.
"I hereby determine and certify, with respect to Pakistan, that a waiver .. would facilitate the transition to democratic rule in Pakistan and it is important to US efforts to respond to deter, or prevent acts of international terrorism," said Bush in the memorandum.
Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman said the Bush administration wanted to support Pakistan's fight against terrorist groups and to bring terrorists to justice.
The White House announcement came as Yousaf Raza Gillani was being sworn in as Pakistan's new prime minister.
Deputy secretary of state John D. Negroponte and the assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs, Richard A. Boucher, were in Pakistan for top-level talks on Tuesday.
In a sign of continuing US support for the Musharraf regime, the officials met the president and other senior officials.
Johndroe told reporters that the US still had concerns about "fundamental civil and political rights" in Pakistan, referring to the state of emergency imposed there in November.

The new government in Pakistan is making the right noises.

Promoting polyarchy in Pakistan (see http://www.rupeenews.com) has been a huge success. US officials insist that the ground realities will not change despite the new nuances out of Islamabad.

The new government has suggested that Pakistan and the United States will hold their third round of strategic dialogue in June in Washington. The third round of talks will held in June in Washington as the on the U.S. US insistence on early dialogue.  U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher are visiting the country to indoctrinate the new government on the issues that need to be discussed.

The New York Times says

The A.N.P., a Pashtun nationalist party, and Pakistan’s militants speak the same language. Talks between them have already begun quietly, as some militant groups and their supporters send messages and emissaries to the newly elected parties, said Afrasiab Khattak, A.N.P.’s secretary general here. “They saw a government coming with a new paradigm, with a plan that is not just bombarding,” he said.

The A.N.P. says its priority is ending the violence. Like its partners in the national government — the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N — it backs relying less on the military to cut civilian casualties, which have soured Pakistanis on the war. To do so, it proposes development in the tribal areas and a sustained dialogue that, it hopes, will answer many grievances with the government that have pushed ethnic groups toward the militants.

The military must work with the new political forces in the government and with the United States, NATO and other international players, Mr. Khattak said.

“Only if there is a triangle with us, the army and the international community will it work,” he said. “If it works, then there is some hope.”

Test for Pakistan alliance with US Danny Kemp and Isambard Wilkinson, Islamabad, March 27, 2008

PAKISTAN'S new Government will review the country's role in the US-led war on terror, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said after talks with American officials.

Deputy US Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher flew into Islamabad on Tuesday for talks focusing on Pakistan's co-operation in efforts against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

They met President Pervez Musharraf and Mr Sharif, and were due to see new Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, a senior aide of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

Mr Sharif, whose party is in the governing coalition, said he had told Mr Negroponte that Mr Musharraf should quit and that a parliamentary committee would examine his policies since he backed the US campaign in 2001.

"We discussed terrorism. We informed them our point of view is that since 9/11 all decisions were made by one man," Mr Sharif, ousted by Musharraf in a coup in 1999, told reporters in Islamabad.

"Now the situation has changed, a truly representative parliament has come into being … Every decision will be presented before the parliament. They will review Musharraf's policy in the past six years."

Mr Sharif said a lack of public support for Mr Musharraf and his policies, coupled with the deaths of civilians in anti-militant operations, had harmed efforts to curb extremism.

"We want to see peace in every corner of the world and we want to see peace in Pakistan also," he said. "We do not want that in order to give peace to others we turn our own country into a murder house."

Mr Sharif's comments came as a senior former Musharraf ally said the US and Britain's "failure" in Afghanistan had sparked a wave of violence in Pakistan.

Lieutenant-General Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai resigned earlier this year as governor of the restive North-West Frontier Province on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

General Orakzai said US demands for Pakistan "to do more, more and more" had led to the military bombing its own citizens in the border areas, prompting a "war of resistance".

He said the West had "greatly exaggerated" the threat posed by al-Qaeda in the tribal areas.

General Orakzai, a Pashtun from the tribal areas, was reportedly asked to resign as governor after brokering a controversial peace agreement in North Waziristan. US officials said the deal had led to a threefold increase in cross-border infiltration of militants from Pakistan to Afghanistan and allegedly leant on Mr Musharraf to remove him.

AFP, TELEGRAPH

Will consumers buy Curry Jaguars and Lanb Rogan Rovers?

Champagne was flowing in the Tata and Ford boardrooms. Both board of directors were celebrating for different reasons. Tata of course was celebrating because a junkyarder was able to reach the big house and negotiate with Ford. Ford was celebrating because in a brilliant business moves it has tangled Tata as a recipient of major parts of the cars that they were unable to sell. The most important part of the deal is reported by Forbes. "Tata may have had to negotiate dozens of long-term supply contracts with Ford, including one that will see Ford continue to supply powertrain and stamping components." This aspect of the deal ensures that Tata will have to purchase parts from Ford and Tier one suppliers for years to come. Tata does not have the technological knowhow.

Tata Takeover:-Treasure to Trash. Jaguar joins Junk. Rover renamed Rubble.The product life-cycle complete. Jaguar joins Junk. Rover renamed Rubble.Treasure transformed to trash as Tata takes over of brands that used be premium brands.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. Ford stock rises.

Acquisition of junk with a $3 Billion loan.  Tata stock goes down.

What started out as luxury brands hard-crafted for only the richest of the elite has been taken over by former junkyarders Tata of India. Tata started out as junk collectors in India. They monopolized the junk trade and moved on up the life-cycle into steel imports. During the Socialistic policies of Nehru, Tata was able to monopolize the automobile trade in India. They purchased an old discarded Morris plant and manufactured the car from 1947 all the way up to the 80s. For about 4 decades they monopolized the automobile trade in India and were almost the sole manufacturers of Ambassador and Hindus brands of automobiles. For forty years, while Toyota moved from almost nothing to the largest manufacturer of the world Tata kept on doling out the same model of Hindustan and Ambassador brands without any significant improvement of the product or design.

This monopoly of the automobile business, allowed Tata to venture into other monopolies like Tea and enabled Tat to purchase Tetley Tea in England. It also made a small acquisition of part of Daewoo

In half a century, Tata was unable to come up with any product that the world wanted to purchase.

The Tata monopoly was hit hard with the opening up of the Indian market in the 80s. Guess what, Tata was the biggest importer of automobiles into India, brining in Suzuki and other brands. Recently Tata introduced a new car called Tata Nano which may become a reality sometime in the future. According to the Economic times of India"For years, critics termed Tata's vehicle business as a millstone around the neck."

Ford purchased several brands and has been unable to transform any of them or to use them for any significant value. Fords acquisition of Volvo has not achieved the results that Ford wanted. Ford was unable to capitalize on the failing brands called Jaguar and Land Rover.

The reason Ford acquired Jaguar and Land Rover was because the companies were failing and the consumers were not interested in unreliable cars. Jaguar had acquired a reputation of being the second car, because one always needed another car to make sure one could get to work or school.

Bloomberg reprots the following:

``These are vanity products and probably these brands will have a tough time in a weak economy..Tata ``will have trouble doing well in this sort of environment,'''' Edwin Merner, who oversees $2 billion as president of Atlantis Investment Research Corp. in Tokyo.  

``Turning around Jaguar will be a major challenge,'' said Ashvin Chotai, an independent London-based analyst specializing in Asian automakers. ``Tata will need to tread carefully and ensure there is no negative impact on these brands.''

According to analysts, the pessimism goes beyond the cyclical issues. There are inherent problems with Land Rover and Jaguar. These brands failed decades ago. Acura, Infinity, Kia and Hyundai luxury models drove these automobile manufacturers to bankruptcy.

From a business point of view acquisition of either Land Rover or Jaguar does not make any sense at all. Tata paid about $2.3 Billion for the two brand names. According to automobile analysts it paid $2.3 Billion too much. From a technology perspective, neither Land Rover nor Jaguar offer any substantive gain to the purchaser. That is the reason why none of the Korean or Chinese companies were interested in acquiring these archaic brands. It would be logical for the brands to be sold to a company that has nothing to lose. Surely not its reputation.

"Jaguar has been nothing but a financial millstone.'' Peter Schmidt, managing director of U.K. consulting firm Automotive Industry Data.

According to the Guardian "Few remember that Tata's first car 10 years ago, the Indica, was little more than a noisy box on wheels. It was instantly dubbed "Ratan's folly." Guardian also says "Tata and Jaguar are worlds apart – a premier brand bought by an aggressive upstart. Dealerships in North America made clear that customers might balk at buying a Jaguar that was made under Indian ownership.Similarly when Tata's hotels division offered to buy Orient-Express Hotels, a global luxury chain, the British-run company responded by saying "any association of our properties with your brands would result in a reduction of the value of our brands and our business".

The two billion Dollar investment was hardly made on a return on investment (ROI) measurements. There is no ROI on these acquisitions. This was probably an emotional deal that tries to place Tata on the automobile manufacturing map. The Jaguar and Land Rover plants require massive investments which Tata will be unable to to. The Tata management announced that it will not interfere with the management of the companies.

British Trade Unionist are in for a rude awakening. The fine print will create resentment among British workers working for an Indian company. This is a total labor union disaster in the making. British Textile Industries laid of thousands of South Asian when the market conditions were bad. Will Tata be forced to keep these non-productive employees on the rolls? Obviously not. It will also be a foreign policy fiasco as the British government tries to straighten out the labor relations between Britain and India. Bloomberg reports that "Britain's Unite trade union said it had secured written guarantees for all five U.K. plants involved in the Jaguar and Land Rover deal, covering worker numbers, pensions, conditions and sourcing agreements."That may be true for the next few weeks, but it is inevitable that the manufacturing will be transported to India and the parts will be outsourced to parts manufacturers in Korea and China. 

Tata is an inefficient  bloating bureaucracy brewed on monopolies acquired by bribing the right government contacts. Tata has great marketing directors who say the right things. According to the Guardian

No member of the Tata clan, who are Parsees - a Zoroastrian sect living in India for over a thousand years, can be found on the world's rich lists and the company remains a family firm with a public-spirited tradition. It is well known for refusing to pay bribes. Tata refuses to enter the drinks business or the movie industry – sectors that have shadowy undercurrents, it says.

Owned by charitable trusts that have access to a third of the group's $3bn profits, philanthropy plays a big role in the company's thinking. Tata has built hospitals, research institutes, still schools 7,000 schoolchildren in Jamshedpur – and even gave a scholarship to Clement Attlee to lecture at the London School of Economics before he became prime minister

According to Bloomberg "Tata has obtained $3 billion of loans to use for the purchase, according to people familiar with the situation". This is about 7% of the Groups annual claimed revenues of $40bn (£20bn). The three businesses account for most of the group's profits: Tata Steel, which bought Corus; Tata Consultancy Services,  and Tata Motors, the new owners of Jaguar and Land Rove

If Tata is unable to transform the two companies and make them profitable, Tata's own viability will be at stake. Tata is responsible for more than 3% of Indian GDP growth. If Tata fails the entire Indian economy will be impacted. With so much leverage, Tata like Chrysler in the 80s may bank on huge Indian government subsidies or loans to bail them out. This in effect will get the Indian government subsidizing British jobs for Land Rover and Jaguar workers in England. It remains to be see if this is a sound business decision?

Among much fanfare Tata purchased Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus Steel for about $13 Billion. According to the Guardian"Corus remains unproductive". It also adds "the Indian company is making big bets at a risky time, when the world appears to be heading into a recession"

According to Bloomberg "Tata will have to resuscitate demand after Jaguar sales in the U.S. and Europe dropped 33 percent so far this year." With fuel costs rising and demand for luxury models in a downward spiral, Tata will have an uphill task in resurrecting or even stabilizing the sales of the failed brands. Gas guzzling Land Rover offers gas mileage of less than 10 miles a gallon, and Jaguar is internationally known as an unreliable car. Backed by Ford some consumers purchased the car. Now they have to trust a Tata backing!

According to the Canadian Press "Tata said Ford will continue to supply engines, transmissions and other components 'for differing periods.' Ford also will provide environmental and other technologies as well as engineering support." Analysts wonder if Ford has any technology to offer. It itself may be on the chopping block if this latest restructuring is unable to bring it back into the black.

Ford purchased the brand names for more than $4 Billion, was unable to transform the sales numbers and sold the names as junk for about half that amount. BMW which was also in the running for the Land Rover brand name is laughing itself to the bank. BMW could have transformed the Land Rover brand and taken it to new heights.

Forbes reports: "They made bad investment decisions, and they are paying for it right now," said Michael Ward, analyst with Soleil-Ward Transportation. Ford is attempting to cut costs, jobs and operations in a bid to salvage its North American operations, much like rival General Motors

Ford stock rose probably under the banner "Good riddance to bad rubbish". Bloomberg reports that the Indian stock market was pessimistic about the purchase of these name brands by Tata.

Ford gained 11 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $6.11 at 8:55 a.m. before regular New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Tata Motors fell 0.1 percent to 679.4 rupees in Mumbai. The stock has dropped 14.5 percent since Ford named Tata preferred bidder on Jan. 3, while Ford has lost 7 percent in the same period.

For now, consumers will have to make a choice. Will they trust Tata to resurrect Jaguar and Land Rover. They didn't trust the original manufacturer and the consumers rejected Fords version of Jaguar.

Mexico eyes boosting trade ties with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Mexican government is keen to accelerate the trade and investment activities with Pakistan considering it an important market for its various products, said Ambassador of Mexico, Arturo Hernandez Basave here Monday.
During a meeting with President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) Muhammad Ijaz Abbasi, the Mexican envoy said after 50 years of diplomatic relations with Pakistan, his country has recently opened its Embassy at Islamabad to enhance the trade between the two countries. Ambassador informed that Pakistan had established its Embassy in Mexico 40 years ago, whereas since 1981 Consulate General of Mexico has been working in Karachi. Mr Basave said Pakistan and Mexico formed Political Committee and Committee for Trade and Cooperation in 2006 for strengthening political and economic relations with each other. This committee meets twice a year to discuss various political and economic issues and review the progress.
The envoy said that Mexico would also open a Consulate General in Lahore in near future. Mexico has restricted visa policy for all the countries around the world, which involves certain documentation for grant of visa. He said 84 percent of Mexican trade is with the USA and it is an export-oriented economy, dominated by a mixture of industries and agriculture. Mexico is the biggest exporter in Latin America with overall exports of $267 billion in 2007.
The ICCI President, welcoming the Mexican envoy said that the overall trade between Pakistan and Mexico was very low, which remained below $100 million in 2006-07. Balance of trade is in favour of Pakistan as the exporters export textiles, rice, sports goods, surgical instruments, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, leather garments, jewellery, gems and jewellery to Mexico to boost exports.
He said private sectors of both the countries should come forward and interact more frequently to realize existing potential between Pakistan and Mexico. He said there was enormous scope for expanding and developing cooperation in mutually beneficial fields. staff report

Pakistan to invite bids for power plant in 2 to 3 months

Pakistan has the 4th largest coal reserves in the world.

The News reported that Pakistan will use international competitive bidding to generate power from its coal reserves, estimated at 185 billion tons. Dr Akhtar Awan member of Planning Commission said that bids for setting up coal fired power plants will be invited after 2 to 3 months, by which time the prerequisite procedure is expected to be completed.

Mr Awan said that previous plans to produce electricity using vast coal reserves available in Pakistan did not materialize due to the involvement of high costs, which require a similarly higher tariff. He added that "We should not worry about the cost now and Thar Coal Mining Company has been established to undertake production of 1000 MW."

Mr Awan said that China Machinery Import Export Corporation wants to mine coal from Sonda Jerrukh in Sindh for producing power. They have submitted a feasibility study and negotiations will soon start with NEPRA for determination of the tariff. He added that "CMC has asked for 9.7 cents per kWh, but I will make sure that the final tariff remains between 8.5 to 9 cents."
Mr Sayed Abbas Ali Shah former director general of Sindh Coal Authority said that Pakistan will have the first mechanized coal mining project, if the deal with CMC goes through. He added that the real costs lay with the excavation of coal.

Pakistan: Improving production of dry fruits

The Northern Areas are rich in natural resources with lower pest and disease pressure. The climate is dry and the land fertile. With these advantages and characteristics, the area produces varieties of fruits and vegetables, which is the major source of income of the people. Adoption of modern techniques can further augment production of these fruits and substantially increase the income of the farmers alleviating their poverty.
The poor infrastructure and absence of farm-to-market roads are the obstacles in the way of the farmers to gain advantages of the natural potential of their area. The produce gets spoiled before reaching the markets, and hence has to be sold in local markets which cannot absorb the production.
Thus farmers are deprived of the actual benefits and are compelled to take little interest in fruit production.

The product: The farmers of the area have been producing fruits, especially dried fruits, for centuries. The climatic condition is so favourable that almost every household has plants and trees of various fruits scattered all over the fields.

One of the major produce of the area is apricot. Trees of apricot are found everywhere, especially on marginal land which cannot sustain cash crops. Small communities in villages produce large quantities of apricot, but cannot get a good price of their produce to improve their lot.

According to an independent survey carried out some 10 years back, the estimated production of dry apricot was about 8,000 metric tons and apricot kernel 600 MT.
Fresh apricot has a limited shelf-life and is easily spoiled. The fruit needs to be dried to increase its shelf-life, reduce losses and improve its access to markets. The traditional method is to spread out apricot on dry flat space in open air and allow it to dry. This method results in contamination of apricot which is not readily sellable in the market.

According to buyers, if hygienic method is adopted and contamination-free apricot is available, it could fetch as much as Rs100 per kg at the farm which at present is sold at Rs40 per kg.
The Project: Small farmers cooperatives in different rural areas have identified a technology based on drying tunnel at a cost of around Rs300,000 per unit. The drying tunnel (20 by 60 feet) comprises iron, glass fibre and parachute material. It has two exhaust fans to re-circulate air inside the tunnel. The tunnel has six foot high iron racks, with space for 250 wooden trays. The trays with sorted, graded and treated apricots are placed inside the tunnel for five days to dry and then kept in the open for eight days.

Benefits of a tunnel: The tunnel reduces wastage of fresh fruits from rain and moisture; drying is better due to optimum temperature; incidence of contamination is reduced; treatment of fruits (sulphuring) adds taste to the produce.

But the groups did not have the required financial resources to set up the project on their own and needed support to convert the idea into reality. To meet the need for funding, the small farmers groups approached a non-profit company Agribusiness Support Fund (ASF) for funding. The ASF was requested for a grant of 25 to 40 per cent of the cost of the project. The rest was to be financed by the groups themselves.

The ASF was created under the auspices of the Rs4.1 billion ADDP (Agribusiness Development & Diversification Project of MINFAL) with the support of ADB. The aim of the ASF is to develop the agribusiness sector in the country supporting economic growth and generating employment. The ASF has been assigned the task of promoting the private sector agribusiness enterprises by providing matching grants for purchase of “Business Development Services” and also providing capacity building support to BDS providers.

The ASF appraisal panel approved maximum grants of Rs120,000 per group and supported around 15 groups each comprising a minimum of 10 farmers in setting up such tunnels.

Long-term Impact: The tunnels were set up which lead to a 250 per cent increase in revenues. A group has already started exporting its product of dried apricots, which he earlier used to throw away.
However, if many tunnels are set up, the prices of the product would considerably drop depriving the group of the benefits as supply of good quality apricots will meet or even exceed demand. The group, to overcome this problem, has plans to setting up enterprises, which will produce value- added apricot-based products like oil, chocolates, jellies, and juices etc.

Diplomatic Corps: Pakistan — Belgian ambassador’s darling

* Goffin says he loves Pakistani music, Islamabad’s greenery
* Refuses to include Musharraf in list of ‘dictators’
By Sajjad Malik
ISLAMABAD: Belgian Ambassador Michel Goffin arrived here two years ago and immediately fell in love with Pakistan, its capital and music.
“I love Pakistani music,” Goffin told Daily Times during an interview the other day. But his interest in local music is more than just amateurish pursuit, because he earlier studied musicology and philosophy without having any idea of ending up in the world of diplomacy in 1988. “I played piano and moved around the world with it,” he said, adding that the world of music and philosophy was very different from diplomatic missions and conferences.
Greenest: For Goffin the Pakistani capital is one of the greenest cities in the world that should be maintained at every cost. He is not worried about chopping of trees in the name of development if more trees were planted on a regular basis and says there should be a national campaign that every Pakistani plants a tree.
He is admirer of Pakistan’s potential in tourism sector, but like many others Goffin says that without developing proper infrastructure and addressing the security issues, it cannot be tapped. “People are getting older and richer in Europe and elsewhere and they want good time. Pakistan can be a destination for many of them,” he said.
Dictators: After joining the Corps of Diplomats, Goffin served in Iraq, USA, Australia and Indonesia. He remembers seeing some of the dictators like Saddam Hussain and Suharto from close quarters. However, he refuses to include Pervez Musharraf in the list of ‘dictators’.
“Musharraf introduced a number of changes such as the passage of women protection bill, reserved seats for women in elected bodies and freedom to media,” says the ambassador. He also gives Musharraf credit for holding free and fair election.
Tough times: He spoke with a lot of excitement about the outcome of Feb 18 elections, saying democracy augured well for Pakistan. But, he sees huge challenges and real tough times ahead for the new government.
“I, too, had fears that fundamentalists would win the elections, but the results had surprised me,” the ambassador said.
Asked if Musharraf should leave after the outcome of the elections, he said Musharraf was elected president of Pakistan, but certain people were saying that election results demanded a change.
He cautioned that smooth transition was best for Pakistan. He said the new legislature should avoid confrontation otherwise it would lose sight of real issues confronting Pakistan.
Goffin has already visited Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Peshawar, and plans to go up north to Skardu and Gilgit to see the mountainous part of the country. He has also been to Gwadar and praised it, but said without proper road and rail link it would not serve the purpose. On bilateral relations between Pakistan and Belgium, Ambassador Goffin said the relations had improved a lot since Sept 2006 when Musharraf visited the country. “It was the first visit by any president of Pakistan and Musharraf also visited Belgium in January 2008,” he said.

India has already taken of big and small portions of Pakistan. Now in the guise of "bet relations" it wants to get more. Every few years, India takes over a few more parts of Pakistan. When will it end. When will Paksitanis realize that appeasement will not do anything.

"Best ever relations" . After Junagarh, Manvadar, Kashmir, East Pakistan Siachin, Sir Creek and continued terror in Baluchistan and Sarhad 

OK! Release these and other prisoners:

Abdul Sharif, s/o Gulam Ahmed, r/o Balochistan, Altaf-ur-Rehman, s/o Muhammed Adris, r/o Karachi, Muhammed Aslam Khan, s/o Abdul Reheem, r/o Lahore, Akbar Ali, s/o Rehmat Ali, r/o Lahore, Gulzar Ahmad, s/o Jharru Khan, r/o Pannu Akal, Shukla Ghosh, (Women) r/o unknown, Muhammed Bilal, s/o Rehmat Ali, r/o Karachi, Nadeem Sarwar s/o Akras r/o Kasoor, Goongabola r/o unknown, Iqbal Saddique, s/o Muhammed Saddique, r/o Gujjaranwala, Mukhtar Ahmad s/o Khushu Mohammad r/o Kasur district, Moosa Kazim, s/o Hameed Khan, r/o Multan, Harun Rashid, s/o Sikandar r/o Jarrial, The Master, Girgtam, Shah Niwaz, s/o Muhammed Saddique, Okara, Asgar s/o Muhammed Ali r/o Distt. Narowal, Shingar Ali s/o Baba Hussain Ali r/o PS Central Jail, Hydrabad, Riasar Singh, Jasrullah s/o Guffar r/o Gujranwala, Nakeeb-ur-Rehman s/o Safan Ijat r/o Okarra city, Muhammed Musleen s/o WahidBakash r/o Dera Gazi Khan, Afzal s/o Basir, r/o Distt Narowal, Javed Khan s/o Blunad Shah, r/o Chowk Khappa, Abhi Saloom s/o Mukhtar Masih r/o Lahore, Khadam s/o Salaudin Karim r/o Peta, Rameej Raja Abad s/o Abad Shah Noor Hussain r/o Abotabad, Fakir Hussain s/o Roshan Din r/o Narowal, Muhammed Aurangzeb s/o Muhammed Khan r/o PS Jalalabad, Akbar Ali s/o Nawab Ali r/o Sialkot, Liyaqat Ali s/o Jalaldeen r/o Shahpur, Kasoor, Muhammed Abbas s/o Suleman Khan r/o Distt Sialkot, Aasak Achiove s/o Asmat Ullah, Muhammed Azmal s/o Taz Gul r/o Mardan, Sakeel s/o Babu Khan r/o Lahore, Farzeena Sareen (women) w/o Idria r/o Lahore, Muhammed Niam s/o Muhammed Sarwar Khan r/o Narowal, Goonga Bola r/o Pakistan, Muhammed Irfan s/o Zir Khan r/o unknown. Asif s/o Muhammed Asif r/o Distt. Narowal, Batru Bafru s/o Bakhu r/o Mankot, Ahmed s/o Sadiq r/o Karachi, Seema w/o Ahmed r/o Karachi, Faisal Nazam s/o Khadam r/o Distt. Shekupura, Noosar-ullah s/o Dinullah Benjoo r/o Jhabgharr (Sangalkoti), Zahir Abbas s/o Muhammed Safdar r/o Lahore, Gulzar s/o Malkaman r/o Mardan, Maqbool Hussain s/o Ayat Ullah r/o Distt. Lahore, Muhammed Imran s/o Mohd. Anwar r/o Distt. Shekhupura.

Burney releases list of Pakistanis interned in Indian jails

Updated at: 2125 PST, Wednesday, March 26, 2008  

KARACHI: Ansar Burney Trust has released a list of46 Pakistani prisoners including women, languishing in Indian jails and who have even completed their sentences.
A former Federal Minister for human rights, Ansar Burney said that his Trust has received a list of Pakistani prisoners in the Indian Punjab jails and those who have completed their sentences and waiting to be released.
A noted HR lawyer and member of International Bar Association (UK) and American Bar Association (USA), Ansar Burney said he is in contact with the Indian authorities to get these Pakistanis out from the prisons on humanitarian grounds and in the greater interest of justice.
"We have started search of the families of such prisoners in Pakistan and are also in contact with the authorities in India to get the release of these Pakistanis soon," he said.
He asked families of all such prisoners to contact the Trust to confirm the nationality and family relationship with the prisoners.
The list of prisoners issued by Ansar Burney Trust is as under:

Abdul Sharif, s/o Gulam Ahmed, r/o Balochistan, Altaf-ur-Rehman, s/o Muhammed Adris, r/o Karachi, Muhammed Aslam Khan, s/o Abdul Reheem, r/o Lahore, Akbar Ali, s/o Rehmat Ali, r/o Lahore, Gulzar Ahmad, s/o Jharru Khan, r/o Pannu Akal, Shukla Ghosh, (Women) r/o unknown, Muhammed Bilal, s/o Rehmat Ali, r/o Karachi, Nadeem Sarwar s/o Akras r/o Kasoor, Goongabola r/o unknown, Iqbal Saddique, s/o Muhammed Saddique, r/o Gujjaranwala, Mukhtar Ahmad s/o Khushu Mohammad r/o Kasur district, Moosa Kazim, s/o Hameed Khan, r/o Multan, Harun Rashid, s/o Sikandar r/o Jarrial, The Master, Girgtam, Shah Niwaz, s/o Muhammed Saddique, Okara, Asgar s/o Muhammed Ali r/o Distt. Narowal, Shingar Ali s/o Baba Hussain Ali r/o PS Central Jail, Hydrabad, Riasar Singh, Jasrullah s/o Guffar r/o Gujranwala, Nakeeb-ur-Rehman s/o Safan Ijat r/o Okarra city, Muhammed Musleen s/o WahidBakash r/o Dera Gazi Khan, Afzal s/o Basir, r/o Distt Narowal, Javed Khan s/o Blunad Shah, r/o Chowk Khappa, Abhi Saloom s/o Mukhtar Masih r/o Lahore, Khadam s/o Salaudin Karim r/o Peta, Rameej Raja Abad s/o Abad Shah Noor Hussain r/o Abotabad, Fakir Hussain s/o Roshan Din r/o Narowal, Muhammed Aurangzeb s/o Muhammed Khan r/o PS Jalalabad, Akbar Ali s/o Nawab Ali r/o Sialkot, Liyaqat Ali s/o Jalaldeen r/o Shahpur, Kasoor, Muhammed Abbas s/o Suleman Khan r/o Distt Sialkot, Aasak Achiove s/o Asmat Ullah, Muhammed Azmal s/o Taz Gul r/o Mardan, Sakeel s/o Babu Khan r/o Lahore, Farzeena Sareen (women) w/o Idria r/o Lahore, Muhammed Niam s/o Muhammed Sarwar Khan r/o Narowal, Goonga Bola r/o Pakistan, Muhammed Irfan s/o Zir Khan r/o unknown. Asif s/o Muhammed Asif r/o Distt. Narowal, Batru Bafru s/o Bakhu r/o Mankot, Ahmed s/o Sadiq r/o Karachi, Seema w/o Ahmed r/o Karachi, Faisal Nazam s/o Khadam r/o Distt. Shekupura, Noosar-ullah s/o Dinullah Benjoo r/o Jhabgharr (Sangalkoti), Zahir Abbas s/o Muhammed Safdar r/o Lahore, Gulzar s/o Malkaman r/o Mardan, Maqbool Hussain s/o Ayat Ullah r/o Distt. Lahore, Muhammed Imran s/o Mohd. Anwar r/o Distt. Shekhupura.

Ansar Burney said he is trying his best to bring back all such Pakistani prisoners who have already completed their sentences in Indian Jails to rehabilitate them in Pakistan on humanitarian grounds.

Indian PM greets Gillani, hopes for ‘best ever’ Indo-Pak relations

* Manmohan Singh says he hopes to work with new Pak government ‘expeditiously towards agreed solutions of pending issues’ By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday greeted Pakistan’s new premier Yousuf Raza Gillani on assuming office in Islamabad and said he hoped that, under a democratically elected government, relations between India and Pakistan would become the "best ever".
Singh also asked the new prime minister to take a queue from his predecessors and President Pervez Musharraf to build on the peace process. He said that he hoped to work with the new government "expeditiously towards agreed solutions of pending issues".

A Prime Minister Office (PMO) spokesman said both leaders talked on telephone. "Dr Singh expressed the hope that India-Pakistan relations can evolve to become the ‘best ever’ and he also hoped Mr Gillani would build on the initiatives taken by his predecessors, former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif and also that of President Pervez Musharraf, to improve bilateral relations," he said.
Earlier, Singh also wrote a letter to Gillani. Affirming his government's commitment to strengthening friendship and cooperation with Pakistan, Singh wrote that a stable, prosperous and democratic Pakistan was in the interest of India and the region.

He said strong public sentiment in both countries demands accelerating the peace process and establishing a cooperative framework for bilateral relations. "There is a common desire to establish a neighbourhood of peace and progress based on greater linkages between our two people, trust and mutual understanding," he wrote.

The Indian prime minister acknowledged the contribution of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders towards the peace process. "Leading personalities of the coalition that will form your government have been strong advocates of friendly ties between our two countries and have made important contributions to the peace process," wrote Singh.

He said both countries could build on the progress already achieved and work expeditiously, through the dialogue process, towards agreed solutions of pending issues. "We have an opportunity to transform our relationship into the close, cooperative and mutually beneficial partnership that should be normal between neighbours like India and Pakistan. I look forward to working closely with you towards an objective that I am confident you share."

Why has Pakistan still not recognized Kosovo? This is atrocious and incomprehensible.

Pakistan should accept Kosov0: Bosnian defense minister

Updated at: 0425 PST, Wednesday, March 26, 2008  

MUZAFFARABAD: Bosnian defense minister Selmo Cikotic said that Pakistan should accept new independent state of Kosova.
He said this while talking with journalists after visiting a high school and a center of basic health, which are being constructed with the help of Bosnia in Chattar Class, an area near to Muzaffarabad.
Present on the occasion were former chairman IRA Saleem Altaf and Azad Kashmir’s health minister Dr Najeeb Naqi.
The Bosnian defense minister was briefed about the works of rehabilitation and reconstruction in Azad Kashmir.
Later, Saleem Altaf told media that only those construction companies have been included in the reconstruction work who have a wide experience of construction work.
“We invite those firms to work in the earthquake-affected areas, who have rich construction experience and we do not compromise on quality”, he said.
He further said that the great nation of Pakistan fought against the calamity and Bosnia along with the world community took part in the reconstruction work.