SOUTH ASIA
Andhra’s Jagan To Launch New Political Party In 45 Days
Taking a leaf out of TDP founder NTR’s book(NTR’s fledgling party vanquished the Congress party in 1983 by harping on injured Telugu Atma Gauravam or Telugu Self respect),YSR’s son and Congress’ bete noire YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided to make people’s self respect the raison d’etre of his new party.
“The new party will be formed in next 45 days. It will work to protect the self-respect of the people” he declared at a meeting at his native Pulivendula in Kadapa district on Tuesday.
Jagan, who resigned from the Congress party and his Lok sabha seat on Nov 29, declared that the by-elections to Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and Pulivendula assembly, would be the semi-finals before the finals be played out in the assembly elections
in 2014.
“The next three years are very difficult times for the state and people. We have to work hard for these three years and then there will be golden rule for 30 years,” he said amid loud cheers by his followers.
Jagan reiterated that the Congress hatched a conspiracy to throw him out by dividing his family.
He claimed that the Congress was in power in New Delhi due to his father YSR, who secured 33 Lok Sabha seats from the state, giving the Congress necessary edge to form the UPA 2.He charged that every attempt was being made to wipe out the memory of YSR.
Jagan camp sources said that the pary could be launched much earlier. There is a buzz that it could be launched on Sankranti, which falls on January 14, considered an auspicious day and big festival for Telugu speaking people.
“We are at discussion stage. We are getting inputs from districts, thereafter we will sit down to discuss the agenda, the name, the flag etc,” said Ambati Rambabu, Chief Spokesperson of Jagan camp, when asked to explain why 45 days.
Some reports said that the party could be called YSR Congress Party or YSR Rashtriya Congress Party. But Rambabu refused to confirm or deny them.
Meanwhile, Cogress circles said that Jagan’s uncle Vivekananda Reddy, who has joined the state cabinet, could be fielded from Pulivendula seat so as to help him to come to Assembly.
Vivekananda was popular in the constituency and was elected to Lok Sabha twice before he was forced to quit in favour of Jagan and made to be happy with a seat in the Legislative Council.
Another Kadapa MLA and state Health minister DL Ravindra Reddy has expressed his readiness to contest against Jagan in the byelections if the high command asked him to.
-HT
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistani Anti-graft body wants travel ban on Nawaz Sharif, kin
Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog has asked authorities to place ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law on the Exit Control List to prevent them from leaving the country.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sent a formal request to the ministry of interior. The interior ministry officials confirmed that the NAB wrote that names of Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar should be put on the Exit Control List (ECL), which listed individuals not allowed to leave Pakistan.
The NAB argued that as the trial of the three nears its conclusion, it is feared that they would leave the country.
Earlier, a similar request to place name of finance minister Ishaq Dar on ECL was not accepted, allowing him to go to London and never return.
Sharif, 68, and his family this week filed an application with the accountability court seeking a fortnight’s exemption from personal appearance from February 19 onwards to let them go to London to see Sharif’s ailing wife. Three cases were filed against Sharif and his family last year, including Avenfield properties, Azizia & Hill Metal Establishment, and Flagship Investments.
Maryam and Safdar are accused only in Avenfield properties case. The NAB had filed two supplementary references against Sharif, his sons Hasan and Hussain regarding Al-Azizia Steel Mills & Hill Metal Establishment and Flagship Investment cases.
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistan “breaches obligations’ on nuclear arms reduction, UN court told
The Hague: Pakistan is violating its “obligations” to the international community by failing to reduce its nuclear arsenal, the Marshall Islands told the UN’s highest court on Tuesday.
The small Pacific Island nation is this week launching three unusual cases against India, Pakistan and Britain before the International Court of Justice.
Majuro wants to put a new spotlight on the global nuclear threat, its lawyers said yesterday, by using its own experience with massive US-led nuclear tests in the 1940s and 1950s.
“Pakistan is in breach of its obligations owed to the international community as a whole,” when it comes to reducing its nuclear stockpile, said Nicholas Grief, one of the island nation’s lawyers.
DeBrum warned that even a “limited nuclear war” involving the two countries would “threaten the existence” of his island nation people.
Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
In 1998, the rival neighbours both demonstrated nuclear weapons capability.
The ICJ’s judges are holding hearings for the next week and a half to decide whether it is competent to hear the lawsuits brought against India and Pakistan — neither of which have signed the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
A third hearing against Britain — which has signed the NPT — scheduled to start on Wednesday will be devoted to “preliminary objections” raised by London.
The Marshalls initially sought to bring a case against nine countries it said possessed nuclear arms: Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.
Israel has never admitted to having nuclear weapons.
But the Hague-based ICJ, set up in 1945 to rule in disputes between states, has only admitted three cases against Britain, India and Pakistan, because they have accepted the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction.
Pakistan’s lawyers did not attend Tuesday’s hearings.
It did however file a counter-claim against Majuro’s allegations saying “the court has no jurisdiction to deal with the application” and insisting that the case is “not admissible”, said ICJ President Ronny Abraham.
SOUTH ASIA
Bangladesh to drop Islam as official religion following attacks on Hindus
New Delhi: Bangladesh is likely to drop Islam as its official religion following a series of attacks on people from other faiths in the country. The country’s Supreme Court is hearing a plea challenging the status of the official religion of the country to Islam.
Bangladesh, which was declared a secular country after its formation in 1971, was declared an Islamic country following a constitutional amendment in 1988.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the plea has challenged the declaration of Islam as the national religion of the country.
The move is being supported by leaders from the minority communities like Hindus, Christians and Muslim minority Shiites.
Bangladesh has 90 per cent of Muslims, 8 per cent Hindus and remaining constitutes Christians and Muslim minority Shiites.
In last month, a Hindu priest was hacked to death following an attack on a temple in Panchgarh district. Two others were seriously injured in the attack. There have been several lethal attacks on writers and bloggers.
According to a report in the Independent, Islamist groups Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team are believed to have carried out at least seven attacks on foreign and minority people in Bangladesh in the past year.
