Gyuanese kids allowed to leave as NGO, hospital reach pact

Chennai, Jun 27 (PTI) Ten children from Guyana, who have
not been permitted to leave a hospital here for non-settlement
of bills for their heart surgeries, were allowed to return
home after an NGO, which sponsored them, and the hospital
reached an agreement on Saturday.

The Guyana-based NGO, Kids First Fund, run by Varshnie
Singh, former First Lady of the Carribean Republic, had agreed
to settle the bills within six months for surgeries performed
at Frontier Lifeline Hospital, sources in the hospital said.

Singh, who made a vain bid to take the children Friday,
confirmed that a settlement has been reached and they would
leave either on Saturday or Sunday depending on availability
of air tickets.

The children and two adults brought by Singh were about
to leave the hospital late Friday night on completion of
treatment, but hospital officials insisted she settle the
bills for the surgeries, performed earlier this month, before
they left.

The NGO had been sending children to the hospital for
heart surgeries for the last four years and used to settle
bills after their return by raising funds, Varshnie had said.

Before reaching Guyana, the children would visit London
for a fund raising event, she said.

Prior to the settlement, hospital Chief Administrative
Officer Jose Manavalan had said the NGO owed USD 13,000 on
account of surgeries performed during the last visit, but the
hospital waived it. PTI SR
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India has never been a threat to Pak: Gen Kapoor

Hyderabad, Jun 27 (PTI) Chief of Army Staff Gen.
Deepak Kapoor on Saturday sought to allay Pakistan's
apprehensions over the positioning of troops along its border
by asserting that India was never a threat to its neighbour.

"It's their own perception of threat, but India has
never been a threat to Pakistan despite having superior
forces," the Army Chief said, reacting to a statement made by
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on troop deployment along
the border.

"We on our side like to live as peaceful neighbours,"
he told newsmen at the Combined Graduation Parade of the
Indian Air Force cadets at the Air Force Academy at Dindigul
near here on Saturday. Gen. Kapoor was the reviewing officer
at the parade.

Replying to a question, the Army Chief said adequate
troops were positioned along the border with Pakistan.

"We will be happy if Pakistan fights terror not only
on its western borders but also on the eastern border (India),
Gen. Kapoor added.

To a question on China, the Army Chief said, "We have
reasonably good relations with that country and there is no
question of any kind of threat".

Gen. Kapoor pointed out that there were some problems
in terms of the unsettled border dispute.

A mechanism has been put in place with top leaders on
both sides trying to settle the border dispute with China.
Hopefully, it gets resolved soon, the top Army official added.

Referring to the shortage of officers in the Indian
Army, the Chief said there were plans to increase the tenure
of short service commission officers to fill the gap to an
extent. Plans are afoot to open a second training academy for
Army officers. It will materialise soon, Gen. Kapoor said.

However, he did not specify where the academy would be
set up.

Commandant of the Air Force Academy, Dindigul, Air
Vice-Marshal K J Mathews was also present. PTI DBV
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Nepalese Maoists slam ban on Indian Maoists

Kathmandu, June 27 (PTI) Though claiming they have no
links with their Indian counterparts, Nepalese Maoists have
slammed the ban imposed on the Maoist in India, saying that
the confrontation should be solved politically and not
militarily.

"The Maoist problem in India is a political problem
and I think it should be resolved politically and no military
solution should be sought to resolve the issue," Unified
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) Foreign Relations
Department chief C P Gajurel said, as he denied any "working
relation" with them.

"As a political organisation we cannot support the
move to ban the Maoist organisation, which is a political
group," he said.

"We did not have any working relation with the Indian
Maoists in the past and also we will not establish such links
in future," he clarified. But as a political organisation we
have our own views and we cannot buy the idea of banning that
organization, said Gajurel.

The Maoists of India have their own ideology, their
political organisation, their aim and ideology. The group
which is aimed at bringing total transformation in the society
cannot be termed as terrorist and should not be banned, he
said. PTI SBP
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Security forces capture Maoist stronghold of Ramgarh

Amitava Roy
Ramgarh (WB), June 27 (PTI) Security forces on
Saturday captured key Maoist stronghold of Ramgarh as they
launched a two-pronged attack to reclaim areas in West
Midnapore district under control of Left-wing ultras who
offered stiff resistance by detonating landmines and opening
gunfire, in India's eastern state of West Bengal.

Maoists also torched an office of the Leftist trade
union All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) when they were
refused sanctuary in the building shortly before the security
forces entered Ramgarh.

Security forces headed from Lalgarh in the south and
Kadasole, which was secured Friday, in the north towards
Ramgarh this morning, a senior Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) officer said.

"We have secured Ramgarh. We will establish a police
outpost and a camp. The police will retore normalcy. The
operations will continue," IG CID (Special Operations Group)
Siddhinath Gupta said.

Three landmines exploded as 10 companies comprising
1000 men of the CRPF, the India Reserve Battalion and Rapid
Action Force set out from Kadasole, braving heavy rains and
reached Mohultol, with the Maoists also firing at them.

The security forces retaliated with AK-47s, mortars
and rocket propelled grenade launchers overcoming the
resistance swiftly, the officer said.

In the south, 11 CRPF companies comprising 1100 men
reached Boropelia village, the home of the agitating People's
Committee Against Police Atrocities leader Chhatradhar Mahato.
They were attacked by Maoists at Pathardanga where two
landmines were detected. But the naxals retreated after
retaliatory action.

People came out in droves to greet security forces as
they arrived. The locals offered drinking water to the
fatigued troops.

"We are smiling after many months. We were waiting for
the security forces to arrive. They must have faced great
difficulty in reaching our village," a resident said.

A woman said that at around noon a group of 25 to 30
armed Maoists knocked on her door seeking shelter.

"When I refused, they threatened to open fire but soon
retreated," she said.

The Maoists while fleeing set ablaze an office of the
AITUC, she said.

Agitating tribals of West Midnapore, under the banner
of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, backed by
Maoists had launched a violent agitation since November
against alleged police "atrocities" on them following a
landmine blast at Salboni in which Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee and two Union ministers had a narrow escape.

The Maoists went on the rampage targeting ruling
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) cadres and offices
and virtually took control of a large area after driving away
the police and paramilitary forces.

The security forces began a crackdown on June 18 and
secured Lalgarh two days later. The troops Friday took
control of Kadasole, where the Maoists fled after a 45-minute
gunbattle. PTI AMR
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Oz reassures India of efforts to improve students safety

New Delhi, June 27 (PTI) Amid continuing concerns over
attacks on Indian students, Australia on Saturday reassured
New Delhi that it would make all efforts to improve their
safety.

Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy said Canberra
is "appalled" by the "disgraceful" incidents of crime against
Indian students and all efforts are being made to ensure that
the attacks are not repeated.

In a letter to Non-Aligned Students and Youth Movement
(NASYM) chairman Subhash Chowdhary, McCarthy said the response
of the Australian government to these attacks is being managed
by a taskforce headed by the National Security Adviser.

Chowdhary had led a demonstration on June 18 against the
brutal attacks on Indian students in Australia.

Police patrols have been increased in relevant areas, the
High Commissioner said and added that Victorian authorities
have established a hotline to assist Indian students there,
employing people who are fluent in Hindi and English. PTI MPB
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Sarbjit gets a new lawyer, to file fresh review petition

Amritsar/Islamabad, June 27 (PTI) Indian death row
prisoner Sarbjit Singh, who is languishing in a Pakistani jail
for the last 18 years, has got a new lawyer, days after the
Supreme Court in Islamabad dismissed his appeal against
capital punishment.

Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur on Saturday said she "no
longer had faith" in Rana Abdul Hamid, who was representing
him till now, questioning the lawyer's non-appearance during
the two recent hearings of the review petition challenging the
death sentence handed out to the Indian in 1991 for alleged
involvement in four blasts in Pakistan.

Sarabjit's new lawyer Owis Sheikh said it was due to
Hamid's "negligence" that the review petition was dismissed
ex-parte and said he will file a fresh petition in the court.

"I'm filing a review petition --his restoration
application before the Supreme Court. This is one remedy
available. If this is rejected, then the only remedy available
is to file a mercy petition before the President of Pakistan,"
Sheikh said in Islamabad.

The lawyer said carrying out the death sentence will
"badly affect" relations between Pakistan and India.

"It will create a good atmosphere if he is pardoned.
This is a very crucial case, internationally known.... The
President is keen to create good atmosphere and promote peace
with India," Sheikh said, adding he was optimistic that the
capital punishment will not be carried out.

Hamid, however, claimed that he was still Sarabjit's
lawyer. He said as his tenure as Additional Advocate General
of Punjab province ended on June 26 and he was again
epresenting the Indian prisoner.

Hamid also appealed to Pakistan President Asif Ali
Zardari to act on several mercy petitions that were pending
with him.

But Kaur told PTI that she had spoken to Sheikh over
phone this morning and he was ready to represent Sarabjit
"without charging a penny" while Hamid had been demanding a
hefty fee.

"Hamid demanded Rs six lakh to pursue the case but
here in India the entire family is struggling for two square
meals and it is next to impossible to arrange such an amount,"
she claimed.

"I have no more faith in Rana Abdul Hamid as he did not
tell us the reason as to why did not appear in the Supreme
Court of Pakistan when the mercy petition of my brother was
being heard," she said over phone.

Kaur said that new lawyer met her during a visit to
Amritsar in December last year and had promised "to provide
his services to save Sarabjit from the gallows".

She said that the Sheikh had informed her that he would
urge the court to commute the death sentence of 43-year-old
Sarbjit into life imprisonment. Sheikh, who is also a human
rights activist would launch a campaign to save the life of
Sarabjit with the help other NGOs in Pakistan.

Kaur said she also received a call from Pakistani Human
Right activist Ansar Burney, who has played a major role in
getting Indian prisoners released, that he had got an
appointment with Zardari on the issue of unconditional
clemency for Sarabjit.

A three-member bench on June 24 dismissed the review
petition and upheld Sarabjit's death sentence for his alleged
involvement in four bomb blasts at Lahore in 1990 that killed
14 people.

The judges also said they studied the case and found
"no ground" to review the death sentence.

Sarabjit, lodged in Kot-Lakhpat jail in Lahore, was set
to be hanged on April one last year though Pakistani
authorities put off his execution indefinitely after Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani intervened in the matter.

Following an appeal by Sarabjit, the Lahore High Court
had upheld his death sentence in 2003. The apex court too had
upheld his death sentence in August 2005. Former President
Pervez Musharraf dismissed Sarabjit's mercy petition last
year.

Sarabjit's execution was initially deferred for 30
days by Musharraf last year. This was done so that the
Pakistan People's Party-led government, which had just assumed
power at the time, could review his case following India's
appeal for clemency.

In October last year, then Law Minister Farooq Naek
met Sarabjit at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore to examine his case
so that President Zardari could decide whether to pardon him.
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