NEW DELHI, Oct 5 (UNI): The Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) today condemned the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), saying the government had not so far provided any concrete proof to establish its links with Al Qaida and other terrorist organisations.
"The imposition of the ban on SIMI is specious and politically motivated as the Home Ministrys allegation against the students body has not yet been substantiated by proofs," PUDR secretary Deepika Tandon said in a statement.
If the government had evidence on illegal activities of SIMI activists, then there was a due process of law by which the guilty could be criminally prosecuted, she said.
"However, the government is not entitled to ban any organisation simply because its political views may be different from that of the government." Tandon said the ban on SIMI was particulary suspect because it was selective and blatantly partisan.
"The VHP has reportedly said it will start temple construction regardless of the Constitution or Courts, and the Shiv Senas involvement in communal violence has been clearly proved by the Srikrishna Commission.
Yet no action has been taken against the guilty.
The widespread arrests of simi activists point to the sectarian and communal politics implicit in the present ban." The PUDR secretary said bans had been justified in the past on grounds of national security though it was violative of Constitution Guaranteed Rights under Art.
"Fundamental Rights cannot be wished away simple because of government displeasure...In the present instance, one does not have to be a supporter of SIMIs policies in order to oppose the ban.
To oppose the ban is an assertion of the Fundamental Rights that all citizens enjoy regardless of religion or creed," she held and called upon all democratic forces in the country to protest against the ban.
Hijacked IA plane case Cong asks for Hussains resignation New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) The Congress today demanded immediate resignation of civil aviation minister Shahnawaz Hussain, saying he had no right to continue in the office in view of the handling of the reported "hijack of alliance air flight CD 744 from Mumbai to Delhi on Wednesday night, which finally turned out to be a false alarm after triggering a four-hour-long drama at the delhi airport.
Speaking to mediapersons, chief spokesman for the all india congress committee (aicc) s jaipal reddy said mr hussain should have double checked the facts before announcing that the aircraft had been hijacked, and pointed out that the incident once again proved this governemnts incompetence in dealing with any major problem.
"The incident was clumsily handled by the government, he charged.
The congress was also critical of the government, particularly its intelligence, for their failure to prevent the attack by a suicide bomber on the jammu and kashmir legislative assembly in srinagar.
This was a major terrorist attack in india after the september 11 strikes in new york and washigton, he observed, and opined that the government should have been more careful about security measures in the state.
Further, mr reddy pointed out that jaise-e-mohammed, the outfit that claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack, was headed by dreaded terrorist masood azhar, who was released by this government, in exchange for the hijacked passengers of the indian airlines plane from kathmandu in december 1999.
Jaswant questions Paks role in fight against terrorism New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) External affairs and defence minister jaswant singh said today that pakistan cannot be a part of the us-led global coalition as it is the epicentre of terrorism.
However, he said, india will not do anything to complicate an already complex situation following the september 11 terrorist attacks on new york and washington.
Mr singh said the united states also recognises ground realities in pakistan.
In an interview on bbcs hardtalk programme, the minister declined to agree that there was any secret deal between the united states and pakistan.
"Pakistan is a part of the problem and the united states has backed indias position during our recent meetings.
mr singh said india has been battling the menace of terrorism for over a decade now.
Its fight against terrorism did not start on september 11.
"When the united states put together a global coalition, we were among the first to support it.
echoing prime minister atal bihari vajpayees recent statement, mr singh said india has been patient so far as it adopts a total approach to terrorism.
"But there is a limit to our patience.
We have exercised extreme patience so far.
On the kashmir issue, the minister said india continues to consider it an internal matter and no international body can intervene even in the changed global scenario.
Mr singh said there are no plans to put indian armed forces on extra alert due to risk from pakistans nuclear forces.
"We are concerned as much as international community and the pakistans government is.
on the recent hijack drama aboard alliance air flight from mumbai to delhi, he said there is anxiety and preparedness at national airports, but not nervousness.
Mr singh dismissed western concern about human rights abuses and said india has nothing to be embarrassed about.
There are enough internal checks like the courts, parliament, the national human rights commission and the press to curb incidents of widespread torture and deaths in police custody.
US ties with Pak not at expense of India: Blackwill New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) The United States today assured India that Washingtons friendship with Islamabad would not undermine New Delhis security interests.
Talking to newsmen here US ambassador Robert Blackwill said the US would not take any step which would be against Indias security interests.
He gave the assurance when asked whether human resource development minister murli mahnohar joshi had conveyed to him new delhis concern that any military assistance to pakistan could be used against india.
Describing india as a frontline state in the fight against global terrorism, he said incidents like the recent terrorist attack on jammu and kashmir assembly in srinagar had to be fought against by the international community.
While admitting that many countries including the us had made a mistake in judging terrorism earlier, he said now the entire international community should unitedly fight the scourge.
He said the us understood indias concern about terrorism in jammu and kashmir but said the us wanted to see pakistan as a strong opponent of terriorism.
Pakistan had extended unconditional assistance to the us in the current fight against terrorism and the us believed that pakistan had an important role to play in the current fight.
No threat to Rabri govt: Laloo PATNA, Ooct 5 (UNI) Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav today said transfer of the fodder scam cases to Jharkhand did not imply that he had lost the legal battle and claimed that there would be no threat to the Rabri Devi government in Bihar even if he was sent to jail in Jharkhand.
Reacting to todays judgement delivered by the Supreme Court in a case related to the transfer of the multi-crore rupees fodder scam cases to Jharkhand, Mr Yadav told newsmen here that the BJPs dream to topple the state government would remain unfulfilled.
He ruled out any danger to the state government and said the Supreme Court had only fixed the jurisdiction of the cases which did not signify his legal defeat.
"The judgement does not mean that I am at all guilty," Mr Yadav said and added that he was ready to go to a jail in Jharkhand.
Yesterday to a query, Mr Yadav said he did not regret the division of Bihar as almost all leaders, were in favour of a separate state.
He further maintained that his party was had strong hold in Jharkhand.
Bukkhari, others criticised for condemning Indian support to US BANGALORE, Oct 5 (UNI) Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Imam of the Jama Masjid in New Delhi and some other organisations were today criticised for condemning Indias support to the United States in the fight against global terrorism.
Social activist Mumtaz Ali Khan, ex-MP P Kodanda Ramaiah and former deputy chairman of the legislative council B R Patil said here that Bukhari and other organisations had failed to distinguish between terrorism and the Taliban.
"The Imam should realise that nation came before religion," they noted at a press conference, observing that the same organisations had remained silent when Taliban forces destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas.
The leaders supported the statement made by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah against Pakistan.
Mr Mumtaz Ali Khan alleged that Bukhari had been changing his stand frequently and misusing the mosque to issue "Fatwas".
However, he objected to the ban on Students Islamic Movement of India "without any conclusive proof that they were indulging in anti-national activities." Released JeM terrorist was involved in US attacks NEW DELHI, Oct 5(UNI) Sheikh Umer, one of the terrorists released by India in exchange of the passengers of the hijacked IC-814 plane at Kandahar, was also involved in the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Sheikh Umer, second year B.Sc at the London school of Economic, was arrested by the Indian security forces in 1994.He was taken by external affairs minister Jaswant Singh to Kandahar in Afghanistan along with Maulana Azhar Masood of Jaish-E-Mohammed and Mushtaq Zargar of Ul-Omer to seek release of the passeangers from the hijackers of the aircraft.
The FBI sources revealed to CNN that Sheikh Umer sent 100,000 dollars to Mohammed Atta,prime accused in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre, which claimed lives of more than 5000 people.
Once he was released in Kandhar,Sheikh Umer fled to Karachi and stayed their for several weeks.In India he was lodged in Tihar jail for years.
He joined the Islamic society in London in October 1992 and visited Pakistan in March 1993 where he frequently interacted with the Jamait Islami leaders.
Later, he joined Hizbul-Tehreer, but subsequently came under the influence of Harkat-Ul-Ansar.
The Harkat-Ul-Ansar was allegedly involved in kidnapping of five foreigners from tourist resort of Phalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian sources said that Sheikh Umer underwent arms training at Miransar in Afghanistan.In March 1994, he planned to disrupt visit of prime minister Narasimha Rao in Britain.
Later he came to New Delhi on July 24,1994 from Lahore by PIA flight and quickly moved to Jammu and Kashmir to get actively involved in the subversive actvities.He is also believed to have masterminded the kidnapping of five foreigner.
After his release in December 1999, he along with Maulana Azhar Masood came to Pakistan.Later he joined Jaish-E-Mohammed.
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