US against Pak govt talking to Mehsud,but not to tribal elders

Islamabad, July 2 (DNS) The US does not approve of Pakistan government's negotiations with the country's top Taliban commander but supports talks with tribal elders near the Afghan border, a top American official said here today।
"We don't support making concessions to Taliban leaders like Baitullah Mehsud," US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said, adding, the US backed the government's policy of negotiating "with tribesmen not militants"।
Appreciating the action taken by Pakistani security forces against militants in the northwestern tribal belt, Boucher said "the operation around Peshawar is very welcome"।
"All (the) people up there have had enough of the harassment by these groups, the threats to Peshawar," he said। "But it's a reminder of how much of a problem there is up there." Pakistani paramilitary forces launched a crackdown on three militant groups in the Khyber Agency near the northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday. The troops have destroyed several militant bases and arrested over two dozen people during the operation.
The main supply route for NATO and US forces in Afghanistan also passes through the Khyber Agency।
Replying to a question about a recent strike inside Pakistan by NATO forces based in Afghanistan, Boucher said the US is aware of the sensitivities of Pakistan and a joint investigation had been launched into the incident. DNS

India set Pakistan 309 to win

Karachi, July 2 (DNS) Electing to bat, India made 308 for seven against Pakistan in their crucial Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup at National stadium here today।
India need just one win to book a berth in the final of the tournament।
Brief scores: India 308 for 7 in 50 overs (MS Dhoni 76, Rohit Sharma 58, Virender Sehwag 49; Iftikhar Rao Anjum 3/51, Abdur Rauf 2/66). DNS

Markets regain gaining ways, Sensex up 703 pts

Mumbai, July 2 (DNS) After a three-day long string of big losses, the markets staged a dramatic reversal today with benchmark Sensex notching up a massive over 700-point gain, the fifth biggest rise this year, on return of aggressive buying support across-the-board।

The 30-share bellwether Sensex on the Bombay Stock Exchange settled the day above 13,664।62, a rise of 702.94 points, or 5.42 per cent.

Reatly and bank stocks where were hammered in the past three days made a strong come-back and their sectoral indices closed higher by 12।22 per cent and 6.02 per cent, respectively. Metal, consumer goods and IT indices were the other top gainers in the range of 5-6 per cent.

The 50-share S&P CNX Nifty on the National Stock Exchange also scored an impressive gain of 196।60 points, or 5.05 per cent, to close at 4,093.35.

Marketmen said the sudden come-back was a surprise considering a host of negative factors, including high crude oil prices and bearish Asian markets।

Global oil prices traded above USD 141 per barrel in Asian trade today।

They said investors continued to be concerned over inflation, higher interest rates and fears of lower-than- expected corporate earnings।

Marketmen credited the strong surge to sudden entry of Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), which were believed to be heavy buyers in equity in the latter part of day।

Analysts termed today's upswing as a technical bounce as the market had fallen by a huge 1,460 points, or 10 per cent, in the past three days. The Sensex had lost about 3,600 points, or 22 per cent, from June 1 till today. DNS

BJP: Amar Singh's claim on Prime Ministership 'day-dreaming'

New Delhi, Jul 2 (DNS) BJP today termed SP leader Amar Singh's claim that party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was offered Prime Minister's post as "day-dreaming"।

"It is nothing but a case of day-dreaming। It is pure fiction and is the product of his imagination," party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said here today.

"During the presidential campaign of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, we had approached every party and Samajwadi Party and its leaders were one among them। There was no further offer or request," he added.

Amar Singh had claimed that Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was offered the post of Prime Minister in 2007 by BJP।

Reacting to Singh's other claim that the biggest challenge for the country today was communalism and not the Indo-US nuclear deal, Javedekar said, "Amar Singh is not worthy enough to be taken seriously on his comments." Meanwhile, party leader Jaswant Singh today had a meeting with Amar Singh at his residence after which the latter claimed that the "BJP have approached his party again for coordination." Javadekar said "the party has not approached anyone for any talks or coordination." DNS

Timing of withdrawing support, Left parties appear divided

New Delhi, Jul 2 (DNS) The Left parties today appeared divided over the timing of withdrawal of support to the UPA coalition, with CPI differing with CPI(M)'s view that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh going to G-8 summit should be seen as an indication of going ahead with the nuclear deal।

The Left would make a "fool of ourselves" if it withdraws support before a formal statement from the government that it intended to go ahead with the deal, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said, suggesting that Left's stand should be delinked from the Prime Minister's forthcoming visit।

"If the government says they have not gone ahead with the deal, we will make a fool of ourselves," he told reporters after a meeting with his CPI(M) counterpart Prakash Karat।

"I do not see any link between the G-8 summit and the nuclear deal," he said।

When pointed to Karat's statement in this regard, he shot back, "if you want to get more clarifications on that statement, ask Karat।" Bardhan suggested that Left parties will wait till Singh's return to withdraw support on the issue.

"When the PM is abroad, it (withdrawing support) is not proper। He is there (Japan) and we withdrawing support...We may wait. It is a matter of courtesy," he said.

However, earlier in the day, Bardhan appeared aggressive when he said that there was no point in waiting to withdraw support to the government as it appeared all set to go ahead with the agreement. DNS

Maya lashes out at UPA, calls N-deal anti-Muslim

New Delhi: Coming out against the Indo-US nuclear deal for the first time, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday termed the UPA's proposed deal with the US as 'anti-Muslim.'

She added that UPA would not be able to find support for it.

Mayawati, who had recently withdrawn support from the UPA government at the Centre, said, ‘‘the deal is being made at the cost of cheaper gas from Iran and the Muslims are vehemently opposed to it.”

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, she said in the apprehension of losing Muslim support, both the parties were spreading a canard against the BSP of going for an electoral understanding with the BJP.

''Obviously, the propaganda against the BSP is to create confusion in the minds of people of Uttar Pradesh, especially the Muslims,'' she told a luncheon-press conference at her official residence.

Ruling out possibility of any pre-poll alliance of BSP with BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati said the Congress and Samajwadi Party were spreading rumours in this regard as the current scanario had upset their political plans.

'' These parties are also perturbed over the growing popularity of BSP and spreading rumours of non-existent BSP-BJP alliance in order to misguide the people of the state especially the Muslim community which would never forgive the Congress and allies if N-deal is signed,'' she said।

Terming any insinuation in this regard 'baseless', 'confusing' and 'part of political conspiracy', the UP Chief Minister said her party was opposed to the nuclear deal and the SP had to support it as part of the bargain to negate the various inquiries against Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, his relatives and friends.

15 hurt in Jammu violence

Jammu, Jul 1 (DNS) Pitched battles broke out between protesters and police who opened fire to quell violence in which 15 people were injured as the BJP-Shiv Sena sponsored shutdown in the city over the Amarnath Shrine land row entered the second day today.

Demonstrators also blocked traffic and burnt tyres demanding removal of Governor N N Vohra over his decision to hand over affairs of the Amarnath Shrine Board to the Jammu and Kashmir government.

Effigies of Vohra, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed were torched at many places in the city, official sources said.

Staging a massive protest at Muthi on the outskirts of the city, Kashmiri migrants clashed with police who swung batons and burst teargas shells to quell violence in which 12 people were injured.

When this proved ineffective, police fired 3O to 40 rounds in the air in an attempt to disperse them, the sources said.

Later, an SPO fired at the protesters critically wounding two youths, they said.

Enraged over this, the mob took the SPO and another policeman, a trainee recruit, as hostages, thrashed them and threw their weapons into a river.
The two were rescued by the army and were hospitalised.
A child was injured when some persons stoned vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims at Banihal, some 187 kms from here.DNS