US-India relations: Pakistan looms large as Clinton lands in India

By Agencies

Published: July 19, 2011

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shakes hands with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao upon her arrival at Air Force station in New Delhi on July 18, 2011. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI:  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hopes to cement gains in ties with emerging global power India as she arrives in New Delhi on Monday but Pakistan is expected to figure extensively in the talks.

Clinton will hold “strategic dialogue” talks with leaders in New Delhi before heading south to Chennai, one of many Indian cities undergoing rapid expansion as the country’s economy opens up to foreign investment.
Her arrival in India late Monday comes after the blasts in Mumbai last week that killed 19 people and injured more than 130 in the latest reminder of the region’s struggle to crack down on terror attacks.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but relations between India and Pakistan have been undermined in the past by militant strikes in India that the government blames on Pakistan-based groups. US officials say Clinton’s trip will demonstrate the breadth of cooperation — which ranges from expanding military and intelligence work to educational exchanges and nuclear and other hi-tech energy projects.
But the pending US drawdown of forces in Afghanistan and Indian relations with traditional rival Pakistan will both be in focus as Indian security fears grow following Wednesday’s attacks on Mumbai. .
US officials and political analysts say that Clinton will urge India to stay the course and not raise tension, concerned that any overreaction by New Delhi could upset an already fragile US relationship with Islamabad.
“She will encourage India to do all it can to engage Pakistan, to find areas where they might be able to break down some of their barriers and build some kind of confidence in each other,” said Karl Inderfurth, a former senior State Department official under the Clinton administration and now at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
It will not be an easy sell — although analysts say India itself is increasingly worried over the stability of its neighbour and has its own reasons for moving cautiously.
Indian police have questioned members of a home-grown militant group, taking some of the immediate heat off Pakistan.
But both New Delhi and Washington suspect that elements of the Pakistani establishment may not be fully onboard with the US-led fight against Islamic militants, doubts underscored in May when US forces killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a compound not far from Islamabad without telling the government in advance.
Robert Hathaway, director of the Asia programme at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, said the latest attacks “will inevitably colour Secretary Clinton’s visit.”
Clinton will also put much of the focus on her three-day trip on economic ties, which have been fast improving but which many see as yet to fulfil their potential.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2011.

Indian police trawl for Mumbai blasts lead

By AFP

Published: July 15, 2011

Two suspected members of the Indian Mujahideen militant group have been quizzed. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

MUMBAI: Indian detectives have been questioning people with links to underworld gangs as they scramble for a breakthrough in the Mumbai bombings that killed 17 people, officials said on Friday.
Home secretary RK Singh told reporters in New Delhi that “people are being questioned based on our previous databases and previous known linkages” to help find those responsible for Wednesday’s deadly rush-hour blasts.
Singh’s department has said two suspected members of the Indian Mujahideen militant group, arrested in Mumbai last week on suspicion of involvement in bomb attacks in the western city of Ahmedabad in 2008, have been quizzed.
Others questioned about the three co-ordinated blasts included people with links to underworld gangs and “anti-social elements” in Mumbai, the Press Trust of India news agency said, quoting an unnamed anti-terrorism squad officer.
“We believe we are moving in the right direction,” the officer added.
Singh, meanwhile, said police had identified the owner of a scooter in which explosives were hidden at one of the three bomb sites.
Asked about possible “cross-border” involvement in the attacks the politician said detectives were following up on an email “which originated elsewhere”, without elaborating.
Investigators have been scrambling for a breakthrough in the case, amid fears torrential downpours that have hit India’s financial and entertainment capital since the blasts may have washed away vital forensic clues.
Teams of detectives are scouring hours of grainy security camera footage taken from the bomb sites in south and south central Mumbai to try to assemble a complete picture of what happened.
Forensic examination of debris has already indicated that the bombs, hidden in the crowded streets, used ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser ingredient commonly used in improvised explosive devices.
On Thursday evening, the head of the Maharashtra state Anti-Terrorist, Squad, Rakesh Maria, admitted the seasonal rainstorms had hindered the scientists.
Devices using ammonium nitrate have been used in the past by the Indian Mujahideen, which has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks across India in recent years.
Maria declined to speculate on who was responsible and struck a note of caution about reports that a severed head found at one of the scenes and a body embedded with wires suggested a suicide attack.
“We are not confining ourselves to any one group. At the moment all possibilities are being examined,” he told reporters.
“As the investigation progresses, the angles, the possibilities narrow down and we will be able to pinpoint the individuals responsible for this… All angles are being covered. It’s too early to say human bomb.”
The chief minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, was also cautious but said indications that remote-control timers were discovered “logically” ruled out the possibility of a suicide attack.
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has vowed that those responsible will face swift justice.
But Indian newspapers on Friday focused on the lack of an immediate breakthrough, amid widespread anger at the return of terror to the city after the 2008 attacks on Mumbai that left 166 people dead and more than 300 wounded.
“Intel: 0 Leads: 0″ said a front page headline on the local Daily News and Analysis, questioning Interior Minister P. Chidambaram’s assertion on Thursday that there had been no intelligence failure.
The daily said promises to improve intelligence sharing and set up fully functional rapid-reaction squads to deal with terror strikes had not been fulfilled.
India’s police, security and intelligence agencies were heavily criticised for their response to the brazen Islamist militant strike in November 2008, which hit landmark targets in the city.
In a television interview aired Friday, Chavan said accusations of intelligence failures were “harsh” and while there was a need for better security measures and wider public awareness, blanket monitoring was not possible.
“(If) simply a group of three to four people get together, the chances of generating intelligence are very much less,” he told NDTV.

Bollywood celebs react to Mumbai blasts

Published: July 14, 2011

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan mourned the deaths in Mumbai blasts by requesting viewers to observe a minute of silence. PHOTO: FILE

Unlike Pakistani celebrities who seem completely oblivious to the target killing going on in Karachi for a week now, Indian actors have been in shock since three blasts rocked Mumbai on July 13. The blasts left Bollywood celebrities mourning for those who lost their lives.

Aishwarya Rai, who was to receive an honour from the French government on Wednesday in New Delhi, requested officials to postpone the ceremony in the wake of the Mumbai blasts. Rai appeared before the media along with her actor-husband Abhishek Bachchan and observed a minute-long silence, mourning the death of the people in the blasts. She was supposed to be honoured with a “Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters”.
“Thank you all for being here. The current situation has really disturbed and shocked all of us. I thank the French embassy for being supportive and considering the sensitivity of the situation. They have been kind to consider me and my family’s request to postpone the celebration till another time. We as Indians can’t go ahead and celebrate in such a situation,” Rai told reporters at the event.
French Ambassdor Jerome Bonnafont said: “The terrible series of blast has shocked all of us. It seems the time is not right.”
Other Indian actors, film-makers and composers took to microblogging site Twitter to share their sentiments on the unforeseen tragedy that left at least 21 people dead and over 100 injured.
Hrithik Roshan
Feeling sad, angry and helpless. I pray for the families of the victims. On a resilient note, I need to believe that there are some good leaders, some good men in position of power out there in the government. Wherever you are, please come forth and fight for this city. My Mumbai needs you.
Bipasha Basu
We keep condemning acts of terrorism and that’s where the story ends every time and repeats again. It’s a shame.
Amitabh Bachchan
The bombs did not just drop from the skies. A human, like one of us, put it — one of us who breathed and lived in Indian air. Get him!
Preity Zinta
I hope that we as Indians and people of the world collectively fight terrorism to make sure this does not happen in our neighbourhood or backyard again.
Dia Mirza
Mumbai moves on not because it is resilient, but because Mumbai has no choice. Everyone has to go back to work.
Shah Rukh Khan
En route to Mumbai. I am devastated and saddened by the loss in my city. May Allah bless us, I want to be there as quickly as possible.
Priyanka Chopra
Why do we always have to accept this terrorism? Why are we always told to move on? I won’t stand for terror anymore and I will not forget.
Anupam Kher
Anger, frustration and helplessness is not the answer. Hanging the terrorists already convicted is. Prayers for all.
Neha Dhupia
Enough said and absolutely nothing done. Sick and tired of the breaking news, the media address, the false promises.
Karan Johar
Prayers are strong but they cannot replace accountability… resilience cannot be considered as a backup.
WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM IANS

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2011.

Ali Khan: A one-hit wonder?

By Rafay Mahmood

Published: July 14, 2011

Ali Khan released “Saathiya” in 2006, but it was not until 2010 that he decided to revamp his album and released “Koi Aye Na” recently. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

KARACHI: 

Pakistan’s present day pop industry is flooded with a number of one-hit wonders. One example is the rock band Azal who took the whole nation by a storm with their super-hit track “Aisi Taisi”. With the success of that, some even thought Azal had the potential to add to Junoon’s legacy. However, much to their dismay nothing worthwhile came after “Aisi Taisi”. Another rock band Raeth — who amassed a large following with their song “Bhula Do”— met the same fate.

A similar talent is Ali Khan, who set the music industry ablaze in 2006 with his single “Saathiya”, an extremely well-received song that topped the charts for several weeks. After “Saathiya”, Khan receded into the background, busying himself with just a few unplugged performances. However, after a span of almost five years, Khan made a comeback with the video of “Koi Aye Na” and has a long story to tells about what he was up to.
“I produced ‘Saathiya’ overnight, sitting in the studio at my place,” Khan told The Express Tribune. “I never thought the song would be such a hit and the positive response gave me a lot of confidence that I could create my own music.”
Fame was something new for the boy who had just stepped into the music industry and despite all the criticism regarding his very synthetic voice, electronic compositions and copied music video ideas, fans and producers had their eyes fixed on him. That is when Indian record label Tips Music approached Khan.
“They offered me a three-album contract worth INR37.5 million, which included the cost of producing the album plus music videos per album. Apart from that, they even told me that I might get an offer for one of their films as well,” said Khan.
During his visit to Mumbai in 2007, after several meetings, Khan agreed on the offered deal. However, since he wanted to produce the album himself and not with Indian producers, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tips. “I saw Atif Aslams’ talent get wasted when, in my opinion, he produced below-average music for the album Doorie with Indian producers. Therefore, I decided to sign an MOU which would allow me to take time in compiling the album for worldwide release,” said Khan.
Khan corresponded with Tips, sending them songs and was told by the recording company that, right after the publicity and release of Ahmed Jehanzaib’s album, Khan was next in line. But then, the 2008 Mumbai attacks changed the scenario.
“The MOU is only valid for three months and since Tips and I were constantly in touch, I didn’t feel the need to renew the MOU. I didn’t even sign a contract because that would have limited the time I was getting to make songs, but it all got ugly with the Mumbai attacks” said Khan.
He added that people at Tips stopped answering his calls and got back to him after a couple of months, only to tell him that they were helpless and couldn’t help Khan.
“They released Ahmed Jehanzaib’s and Atif Aslam’s albums because those were already in-process and it was relatively easier to defend their case. I believe it was an understandable move by Tips due to the volatile situation at that time, with many Pakistani artists being kicked out.”
It was 2010 when Khan decided to revamp his album. “Finally, I decided that there was no point waiting for any other lucrative deal. So I released the video of ‘Koi Aye Na’ to get back to my audience and, with more than 23,000 hits on my personal YouTube channel in five days, I was overwhelmed by the response.”
Khan, who has also been approached by some foreign labels, is now looking forward to the release of his album.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2011.

‘Mumbai blasts not to derail talks with Pakistan’

By Aditi Phadnis

Published: July 15, 2011

Indian investigators find severed head at blast site, claim attackers used heavy Mumbai monsoon to their advantage. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI:  India’s External Affairs Minister SM Krishna confirmed on Thursday that there were no changes in the meetings with Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar in the wake of Wednesday’s serial blasts in Mumbai. Similarly, Krishna said, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s India itinerary will remain unchanged.

“The talks with [Pakistan] are proceeding as scheduled,” said foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash. “There has been a heinous terrorist attack on Mumbai and we have duly noted the message of condolence from the president and prime minister of Pakistan.”
A date has yet to be finalised for the talks in New Delhi between Krishna and Khar, but Prakash said it would be in the last week of July. Clinton is scheduled to arrive in India on Monday for the second round of Indo-US strategic dialogue. She will also travel to Chennai for a public function.
Condemning the serial blasts in Mumbai, Krishna said on Thursday that it was a grim reminder that terror continued to be a threat.
“The city of Mumbai has been rocked by blasts. It’s a grim reminder that terror continues to be a threat. We need to be vigilant all the time,” Krishna said, adding that Maharashtra will do all in its power to bring the culprits to book.
Washington has also ruled out any change in Clinton’s itinerary during her upcoming trip. “Stays as planned … Nothing is going to change due to Mumbai blasts,” said US charge d’affaires Peter Burleigh when asked if any changes were being made in the travel programme of Clinton.
Severed head found
Investigators say they have found a severed head at the site of one of the blasts, indicating that it was caused by a suicide attacker. A certain ‘level of sophistication’, hitherto unseen in previous attacks, was seen in Wednesday’s three rush-hour blasts.
Using the monsoon
Sources said that the group that mounted the blasts knew better to communicate via phones or emails. It was familiar with Mumbai’s commercial areas and understood how to use the heavy Mumbai monsoon to its advantage. Security cameras at the locations of the three blasts, say Mumbai police officers, have not revealed any clues. Umbrellas conceal many faces caught on camera. A steady drizzle makes it tough to spot anything at all for large parts of the footage.
Amid this grim and unsettling scenario, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrived in the city on Thursday night and were briefed on the situation by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.
Speculate nothing, says minister
Earlier, Home Minister P Chidambaram appealed to the opinion leaders to not speculate on the identity of groups or groups that were behind the Mumbai attacks.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2011.

Obama condemns Mumbai attacks, offers support

By Reuters

Published: July 14, 2011

US President Barack Obama strongly condemned the attacks in Mumbai. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama strongly condemned the attacks in Mumbai on Wednesday and offered support to bring the perpetrators to justice, accordingto a statement read by White House spokesman Jay Carney.
“The US government continues to monitor the situation, including the safety and security of our citizens,” the statement said after three bomb blasts killed at least 20 people in Mumbai.
The blasts were the biggest attack on India’s financial capital since the 2008 assaults blamed on Pakistan-based militants.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would continue with plans to visit India next week for a regular round of high-level talks and extended her own condolences tothe Indian government and people.
“I believe it is more important then ever that we stand with India, dig deep in our partnership and reaffirm our commitment to the shared struggle against terrorism,” Clinton said in an appearance with Russia’s visiting foreign minister.

Mumbai blasts probe turns to key CCTV footage

By AFP

Published: July 14, 2011

Indian forensic officials collect evidence at the blast site at Dadar area in Mumbai on July 14, 2011. Indian investigators probed triple bomb blasts that killed 17 people in Mumbai on July 13. PHOTO: AFP

MUMBAI: Indian investigators turned to CCTV footage Thursday in their struggle to identify who was behind a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai that killed 17 people and injured more than 130.
Earlier Home Minister P. Chidambaram had said there had been no intelligence of an impending attack and, in the absence of any group claiming responsibility, the net of suspicion was flung far and wide.
“All groups hostile to India are on the radar. We are not ruling out anything, we are not ruling in anything. We are looking at everyone,” he told reporters after visiting the scene of the three blasts.
The bombs made of ammonium nitrate — an ingredient for fertiliser commonly used in improvised devices — went off in the space of 15 minutes on Wednesday evening, in two crowded commercial areas of south Mumbai and a central residential district.
Specialist forensic teams, flown in from other cities, combed the blast sites for evidence, but Rakesh Maria, head of the Maharashtra state anti-terrorism squad said monsoon rains were hampering their work.
Maria, who declined to speculate on who might be responsible for the blasts, said investigators hoped CCTV images obtained from all three locations would provide them with a lead.
Crime branch officers have been looking at the footage since last night.
“It’s quite a long-drawn process,” Maria said, while appealing for public faith and trust in the police.
“No matter where the accused are, we will identify and bring them to book,” he said.
The Home Ministry said police were interrogating suspected members of the homegrown militant group Indian Mujahideen, who had been arrested in Mumbai several days ago in connection with bomb blasts in the western state of Gujarat in 2008.
The strongest of Wednesday’s coordinated explosions hit busy jewellery trading districts in the south of the city, the same area targeted two and half years ago in the traumatic 2008 assault blamed on the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group.
The memory of that attack, 60 hours of mayhem as 10 gunmen rampaged through the main railway station and luxury hotels, killing 166, is still fresh in the minds of Mumbaikars.
Relatives of the hurt and deceased gathered at the 13 city hospitals where victims were transferred in ambulances, cars and trucks driven by locals who rushed to help.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was due to arrive in Mumbai on Thursday evening to visit some of the injured in hospital.
The blasts came before a visit to India by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton next Tuesday and ahead of peace talks between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers that are scheduled for New Delhi in the last week of July.
India’s foreign ministry spokesman had said the talks would go ahead.
While the perpetrators were not known, initial suspicions fell on two Islamist groups that have targeted India in the past: the home-grown Indian Mujahideen and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

India, Pakistan talks to go ahead: Delhi

By AFP

Published: July 14, 2011

Indian pedestrians walk past wall graffiti made after the 2008 terror attacks near the blast site at Opera house in Mumbai on July 14, 2011. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI: Talks between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan will take place as planned at the end of July despite the triple blasts in Mumbai, the Indian foreign ministry said Thursday.
India has moved to curb speculation about who was behind Wednesday’s bombings, and no group has claimed responsibility, but similar incidents in the past have led to a spike in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
New Delhi has repeatedly accused the Pakistan military and intelligence services of aiding militant groups which carry out attacks on Indian soil.
“The talks are proceeding as scheduled,” foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told AFP.
“There has been a heinous terrorist attack on Mumbai and we have duly noted the message of condolence from the president and prime minister of Pakistan.”
A date has yet to be finalised for the talks in New Delhi between Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar, but Prakash said it would be in the last week of July.
In 2008, 10 gunmen went on a near three-day rampage through Mumbai, killing 166 people.
Delhi blamed the attack on the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group and there were fears of another war between the two countries.
India broke off diplomatic relations with its neighbour in the aftermath and remains frustrated that the alleged masterminds are at large in Pakistan.
The foreign minister talks are the latest in a series of contacts between senior figures as the countries look to finalise a comprehensive peace deal that would put an end to 60 years of cross-border tension in South Asia.
Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan have fought three wars since independence in 1947.