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:: Ground Zero - News from conflict zones |
Sarabjit's family returns from Pakistan with fresh hope
Attari Border (Punjab), April 29: The family of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian on death row in Pakistan on terrorism charges, Tuesday returned to India with the hope that he would be pardoned by the Pakistan government.
Tibetan exiles asks China to release Panchen Lama
Dharamsala, April 26: A day after the 11th Panchen Lama turned nineteen, Tibetan exiles have demanded his immediate release from Chinese captivity, a spokesman of the Tibetan government-in-exile said here Saturday.
Everest climber kicked out for carrying 'Free Tibet' banner
Kathmandu, April 23 (IANS): An American who had enrolled in a much-hyped research expedition to Mt Everest has been kicked out by Nepal's security forces after searches unearthed a pro-Tibet banner in his luggage, media reported Wednesday.
Pakistanis, Bangladeshis blamed for British vote-rigging
London, April 29 (IANS): The use of Biraderis - extended clan or tribal systems - by first generation Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims as well as their political masters is helping fuel widespread rigging of postal votes and other electoral malpractices in Britain, a report said.
With Indian origin woman envoy, Uganda makes a point
New Delhi, April 23: Women ambassadors are not an unusual sight in the Indian capital; there are normally about half a dozen women envoys based here at any given time. But Uganda's current high commissioner to India comes as a surprise.
Pakistani pro-Taliban militant leader shuns violence after release
Islamabad, April 22 (DPA): A pro-Taliban militant leader who was freed as part of peace talks with militants in Pakistan's restive north-west valley of Swat renounced violence hours after his release from prison, media reports said on Tuesday.
I fell in love with Musharraf: Miss Pakistan World
Toronto, April 21 (IANS): Toronto-based Mahleej Sarkari, crowned Miss Pakistan World in 2007, created quite a stir when she called Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf "a hunk". The beauty now adds that she finds him "sexy" and would actually love to go for long "romantic" walks with him.
Sri Lanka's economic downturn hits realty market
Colombo, April 22 (IANS): Although the real estate market is up and vibrant in Sri Lanka, property developers have complained that the industry has been badly hit due to "the downturn in the economy", a media report said Tuesday.
Sarabjit's daughters appeal to 'uncle' Bush
Amritsar, April 21: Two daughters of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner facing death penalty in Pakistan on terrorism charges, have written a letter to US President George W. Bush, addressing him as "uncle" and urging him to intervene and save their father from the gallows.
Indian, Afghan asylum seekers languish in Swedish prison
Stockholm, April 20 (IANS): Two asylum seekers from South Asia - one a Kashmiri Hindu and the other an Afghan Sikh - are languishing in a Swedish migrant detention centre outside Stockholm.
Crimes against women on rise in Pakistan
Karachi, April 18 (IANS): Over 4,000 cases of crimes against women were reported in Pakistan last year - more than double the figure in 2006. But rights organisations say this is just the tip of the iceberg and many more violations go unreported or are hushed up.
Internet shapes global Tibet protests
New Delhi, April 17: The emergence of social networking sites has come as a boon for cyber-dissidents who use these internet tools not just to create a buzz on the web but also as a platform to organise protests and flash strikes.
Indian Army soldiers rescue Congo crash victims
New Delhi, April 17: A timely rescue operation mounted by Indian Army troops serving on a UN peacekeeping mission saved the lives of a number of passengers injured in a plane crash in the Congo.
Journalists welcome 'new era' for media in Pakistan
Brussels, April 12: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the world's biggest journalist's group, has welcomed actions by Pakistan's new government to withdraw restrictions on the media that were imposed by President Pervez Musharraf last year.
Sikhs throng Pakistan shrine for Baisakhi
Hasanabdal (Pakistan), April 12 (IANS): More than 20,000 Sikh pilgrims from all over the world, including India, have started arriving at Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal, some 60 km from Islamabad, to celebrate the annual Baisakhi Mela (spring festival).
India's Kashmiri general inspires youth from state
Srinagar, April 4 (IANS): Mohammed Amin Naik, the second Kashmiri Muslim to reach the rank of major general of the Indian Army, has become a source of inspiration and pride for many youths here for his rewarding military career.
Slipping and sliding down the snowy slopes of Kashmir
The hills of India's Kashmir Valley are alive with the sound of fun and laughter this winter. When the snowflakes fall and the leafy green slopes are painted white, thousands head to Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg area for skiing, heliskiing and for sheer pleasure.
Tourists throng Srinagar's tulip garden
Srinagar, April 10: Thousands of tulips of various hues at the foothills of the Zabarwan hills on the banks of Dal Lake here are drawing tourists and local Kashmiris alike these days.
400-year Mary statue moved from war hit shrine in Lanka
Colombo, April 4 (IANS): As fighting rages in Sri Lanka's north, a famous statue of the Virgin Mary has been removed from a Catholic shrine and taken to a safer place - the first time in 400 years that it has moved.
NIIT, CII join hands to help build Africa's IT capacity
NIIT and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will join hands to "help develop ICT (information and communication technology) capacity in the African continent", the Mumbai-based technology training and software solutions company has announced on the eve of the India-Africa Forum Summit.
Kashmiris retrieving their woollens to avoid April chill
Srinagar, April 8: With rain and snow lashing Kashmir for the past two days, people here are retrieving the woollens that they had packed away after fairly warm weather in March.
Reliving history amid almond blossoms in Kashmir
Srinagar, March 31 (IANS): As almond branches laden with purple white flowers spread their faint fragrance, Kashmiris are trying to relive history in this city's Badam Wari or almond garden.
Frontier Gandhi's grandson to head NWFP government
Islamabad, March 31 (IANS): Amir Haider Khan Hoti, grandson of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, was Monday unanimously elected the chief minister of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan.
Indian veterans endorse 'trial for war crimes' in Bangladesh
Dhaka, March 31: Thirty-seven years after they helped the emergence of an independent Bangladesh, visiting Indian war veterans endorsed a demand here for the trial of those who collaborated with the Pakistani authorities, committing atrocities on civilians.
The fading flavours of Pakistan's 'Little Hyderabad'
Karachi, March 30: Tailor Shafi Ahmed peers disdainfully from behind his glasses. Specialising in stitching sherwanis, the Karachi resident bemoans the loss of Hyderabadi culture that has meant fewer footfalls at his shop.
Niazi forced to surrender 'before people of Dhaka': JFR Jacob
Dhaka, March 29: The Pakistani general whose surrender signalled the liberation of Bangladesh, did so, much against his wishes, "before the people of Dhaka", says the Indian officer who organised in 1971 modern history's only public surrender by a vanquished force.
Bhutan refugees bid tearful farewell to Nepal
Kathmandu, March 10: Twenty Bhutanese refugees, including a one-year-old child, Monday bid a tearful farewell to Nepal and the hope of ever being able to return home, as they headed for the US to start a new life after languishing for 17 years in closed camps.
From Pakistan to Paris in Punjab, Kashmir takes in his new life
Nangal Choran (Punjab), March 7: Marking the days in a dark cell, time may have stood still for Kashmir Singh - but life has moved on. The former soldier who has just returned home after 35 years in a Pakistan prison is coming to terms not only with his children, now grown up, his wife, now wizened with age, but also his village that he says excitedly has become like Paris.
When Indian 'parampara' becomes Pakistani wordspeak
Islamabad, March 6 (IANS): Indian television serials, populated by bejewelled women and large joint families, are part of everyday life in Pakistan and slowly changing everyday vocabulary with words like 'parivar', 'prarthana' and 'parivartan' creeping in.
Corporate tea estates in Sri Lanka are withering
Colombo, March 5 (IANS): Sri Lanka exported $1.3 billion worth of tea in 2007, the highest in the 141-year history of the crop in the island country. This has brought cheer to Sri Lankans, but tea industry experts see it as a flash in the pan.
Pakistan's new rulers will inherit economic mess
Karachi, March 6: Working as a maid on a salary of Rs.4,000 a month, Perveen Riaz, 45, supplements her husband's Rs.5,000. "We're barely able to make ends meet," said the mother of seven children of whom five go to school.
Ladakh - 'unheard sufferer of India-Pakistan partition'
New Delhi, February 25: Ladakh has suffered considerably due to the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and the plight of people there is overlooked in the larger spectrum of the Kashmir conflict, says a former Harvard professor.
Story of a Hindu party worker for the Pakistan Muslim League
Rawalpindi, February 24: The elections are over, the results are out, and sitting in his wall-papered drawing room in Rawalpindi, 52-year-old Saroop Chand is juggling with two incessantly ringing mobile phones.
More women in Pakistan polls signals 'political freedom'
Islamabad, February 23 (IANS): For the first time in Pakistan's history, an increasing number of women stood for elections in Monday's polls that also saw women coming out to vote in larger numbers - an encouraging trend signalling "freedom for women in politics".
After polls, Pakistani youth cautiously hopeful of nation's future
Islamabad, February 23 (IANS): Two days after the two largest political parties announced their plans for a coalition government, Pakistani youngsters, most of whom voted for the first time, are clear-eyed that while the elections herald new hope, past history makes them wary of being too optimistic.
Forget about clothes, hair most important for Lankan women
Beauty-conscious Sri Lankan women attach more importance to their hair than to clothes or make up and often judge others by the way they have dressed their tresses, a new survey has revealed.
How a phone rouses crowds in Pakistan
Islamabad, February 22: Pakistan's deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who is under house arrest, was most effective when he reached out to lawyers in Karachi and Lahore over a phone line broadcast live. But he isn't the first one to use the simple tactic.
Tale of two cities in Pakistan
Islamabad and Rawalpindi are known as twin cities, but they certainly were not identical in their response to the election day. The capital city was deserted, as most of its residents, being government officers, had left for their home towns to enjoy a four-day holiday from Friday, thanks to the poll.
Bilawal studies in Oxford as Pakistan votes
London, February 18: As a nervous Pakistan went to the polls Monday, young Bilawal Zardari Bhutto - son of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto - spent the day hard at work, his guardian said.
I want to have dinner with my kids just once: Samjhauta survivor
Rana Shaukat Ali from Pakistan cannot hold back his tears as he talks about wanting to have dinner "at least once" with five of his children who died in the Samjhauta Express terror blast exactly a year back.
Anatomy of a Pakistani election rally
Rawalpindi, February 17 (IANS): In India, it would be like a small neighbourhood corner meeting. But security concerns in Pakistan turn even a small rally into a major headache for the local police.
A year on, Samjhauta terror probe heads nowhere
Karachi, February 13: In the elite drawing rooms of Pakistan's largest city, they are whispering to each other to stock up on kitchen items in case the situation gets "really ugly" in these days ahead of elections in the country.
Pakistani voters, fearful of safety, urged to vote
Karachi, February 13: In the elite drawing rooms of Pakistan's largest city, they are whispering to each other to stock up on kitchen items in case the situation gets "really ugly" in these days ahead of elections in the country.
Fear is palpable, as Pakistanis prepare for elections
Karachi, February 13: In the elite drawing rooms of Pakistan's largest city, they are whispering to each other to stock up on kitchen items in case the situation gets "really ugly" in these days ahead of elections in the country.
After 35 years in jail, Indian shifted to Pakistani hospital
Islamabad, February 12 (IANS): An Indian national languishing in a Pakistani jail for 35 years has been shifted to a hospital after he was spotted by a minister, an official here said Tuesday.
Is Kashmir finally breathing an air of peace?
Srinagar, February 3: With a steep fall in violent incidents and militants on the run, peace may be finally descending on the Kashmir valley. But after years of bloodshed, people are wary though hopeful.
Remembering BB, 'who in death has become bigger than life'
"In her death she's become bigger than her father ever was, even bigger than when she was alive," said well known Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi, a slight tremor noticeable in his voice as he remembered former prime minister Benazir Bhutto at a memorial reference.
'Pakistan Army suffering significant defections'
Washington, January 20: The Pakistan Army is for the first time suffering "significant numbers of defections", with soldiers reluctant to fight in tribal areas, says the International Herald Tribune.
'Jackpot awaits overseas businessmen of Indian origin'
Colombo, January 21 (IANS): The sky is the limit for businessmen of Indian origin spread across the globe if they establish links and strike deals with each other, says a Sri Lankan tea tycoon with roots in Tamil Nadu.
Does Hurriyat unity indicate yearning for elections?
Srinagar, January 17 (IANS): By getting two high profile leaders to rejoin, the moderate faction of Jammu and Kashmir's Hurriyat Conference has got a shot in the arm. It is a significant move any way you look at it - whether the separatist amalgam is preparing for assembly polls due this year or whether it is firming up resistance against it.
English litterateurs defy bombs to rendezvous in Sri Lanka
Colombo, January 17 (IANS): Ignoring the bombs going off in the vicinity, leading lights of English literature from across the globe are meeting in the quaint Dutch-built city of Galle in south Sri Lanka for a four-day bonanza of lectures, readings, panel discussions and book launches.
Indian soldiers fighting in Afghanistan
This news comes as a shock to me because I had never heard that Indian soldiers were being involved in Afghanistan. But last week, the Hindustan Times reported that two Indian soldiers were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Razai village, in the southwest province of Nimroz.
India policy towards Burma should change, suggests HRW researcher
A lot has been written about India's military policy towards neighboring country of Pakistan. But in a recent article published in Open Democracy, Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch (and former Time South Asia correspondent for many years), says that doing the right thing in Burma, could be the beginning for India to take leadership role in global politics.
Pakistan's 'disappeared' still remain an unfinished business
Karachi, January 13 (IANS): Emergency has been lifted and a brand new apex court set up in Pakistan, but the bench still refuses to entertain cases of human rights violations, specially those of enforced disappearances, says former law minister Iqbal Haider.
Bohras brave bomb blasts to congregate in Colombo
Undeterred by the series of bomb blasts and terror attacks in and around the Sri Lankan capital over the past few days, over 30,000 Dawoodi Bohras from various parts of the world have congregated in Colombo for a 10-day religious ceremony.
Of green colour and salt politics in Kashmir
Waving a green handkerchief, showing a piece of rock salt - both symbolic references to Pakistan - and questioning Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India, sometimes even openly. These have become potent tools for leaders, who otherwise claim to be secular, to exploit the religious leanings of gullible Kashmiris.
Indian diaspora should be bridge between ethnic groups
Colombo, December 26: Overseas Indians should venture beyond fighting for their ethnic rights and become a bridge between various ethnic groups among whom they live, says P.P. Devaraj, a Sri Lankan of Indian origin who has been elected president of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO).
When a Pakistani sought forgiveness for Kargil
New Delhi, December 26: The 1999 Kargil intrusion that brought India and Pakistan on the brink of a nuclear clash may no longer be such a thorn in the relationship between the two countries. But it continues to be an issue at the people-to-people level with some Pakistanis still seeking "forgiveness".
Adivasi insurgency creates new terror front in Assam
Guwahati, December 26: A shadowy Adivasi insurgent group in Assam with definite links with some of northeastern India's frontline separatist groups and a possible nexus with the Maoists could well turn out to be the new terror front in the state, security officials said Wednesday.
Marrying English education with militant Tamil nationalism
Colombo, December 24: While in the rest of Sri Lanka nationalism means rejection of the English language, in the areas controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels, virulent Tamil nationalism coexists with an eagerness to promote English education.
'Ramchand Pakistani' espouses values of 'peace, trust'
Angry Ramchand Kohli, a Pakistani Dalit boy, sprints away too far. His father tries to stop him but both end up crossing the border. They land in an Indian jail, are interrogated as suspected spies and the mother back home fights the consequences.
Dying Dal gives livelihood to its destroyers
Srinagar, November 25: Every dawn, the Dal Lake in the heart of the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir jostles with business activity. A serpentine queue of boats loaded with fresh green vegetables makes its way to a floating market there.
Two bakers and how human rights went wrong in Kashmir
As Kashmiri leaders across the political spectrum vociferously condemned - and rightly so - last week's killing of a baker allegedly by the Indian Army, four days later another baker in the same area fell to bullets - this time from suspected militants. But the second incident attracted no political or public outcry.
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