Nation & States   

Saarc looks in new directions
thanks to India-Pak thaw 

What is India News Service, July 20, 2004, 2200 hrs IST

The improvement in ties between India and Pakistan lent the meeting of the Saarc Council of Ministers a sense of purpose and optimism seldom seen in the history of the 24-year-old regional union.

For the first time, India-Pakistan relations that had invariably overshadowed the meetings of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in the past did not detract attention from the larger goal of regional economic co-operation. 

The change in the atmospherics was evident as Pakistan prime minister Shujaat Hussain inaugurated the two-day meeting, calling for transforming Saarc into a "symbol of peace and progress."

Foreign ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are attending the meeting.

India's External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh, who had a breakfast meeting with the Pakistani prime minister, said he was satisfied with the progress of the peace talks with Pakistan.

5 killed in Kashmir: At least five persons were killed and 50 sustained injuries when militants carried out a grenade attack on Monday at Kapran village in Anantnag district. Those killed in the blast include a chief engineer, the private secretary to the power minister, and two women.

Panel for flood relief: Describing the Assam flood situation as "very serious and grave", Prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday announced formation of a high-powered team to report to the centre.

Teens win NASA contest:  The 14-member group of aspiring scientists from Punjab won a prestigious space settlement contest, beating seven US teams.

IT sector gets raw deal: The Karnataka budget has steeply hiked taxes on hardware, electronic goods and software services, leaving the industry worried about investment migration. 

Kohli may be Swiss diplomat's rapist:  Police are probing striking similarities between computer sketch of Swiss diplomat's rapist and Maninder Pal Singh Kohli.

No objection if India meditates: Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapakse said he has no objection if India plays a pivotal role in the peace talks between his government and LTTE.

Indo-Pak love story: Hafsa is expecting her first baby on August 13. The trouble is, she is married to a Pakistani, and faces deportation to India if the couple loses a legal battle in Peshawar.

Proxy student: Keen to see his daughter get into a medical college, an engineer hired a girl from Bihar for Rs 1 lakh to take the common entrance test as a proxy for his daughter.

Overall:

Saarc meeting took off: Optimism was in the air, thanks to India and Pakistan putting aside their old rivalry.

Militants killed five: A grenade attack in Kashmir claimed the lives of a chief engineer and two women.

Lanka looked towards India: Prime minister Rajapakse said he wasn't against India mediating between his government and the LTTE.

PM announced a panel: Manmohan Singh said a team would look into how flood damage could be controlled and minimised.