Will the government speak up please?

By A Staff Reporter

There has been a growing glamour in some sections of the media about the whereabouts of two prisoners, who were considered sympathetic to the Maoists. One is Suresh Ale Magar, a lecturer by profession, but an active worker for communal rights. And the other is a high ranking leader of Manka Khala, the organisation affiliated to the Newar community.

According to reports, these two have vanished from police custody and their family and friends are very anxious about their well-being. The two were at the Central Jail in Kathmandu till they were taken away by the police to some other destination.

If the two are guilty of any crime, they should be punished according to the law of the land, but still, the government must answer as to where they are. At a time when the people are losing faith in the credibility of the law and order authorities, the eerie silence when two well known personalities are made to vanish, is something which is unacceptable. At least the Home Minister should have some answers to the growing doubts of the people.

Maoists loot bank, attack police camp

By A Staff Reporter

Maoists insurgents looted a bank at Khanigaon village of Parbat district and also attacked a police camp at Rara Lima village of Jumla district.

According to reports, the insurgents made off with cash and goods worth Rs. 4.5 million a from the Rastriya Banijya Bank at Parbat. In Jumla, a group of 60 Maoists attacked with bombs the camp of the Police strike Force.

Hijack crisis over, but questions remain

By A Staff Reporter

The crisis at hand caused by the hijacked Indian plane blew over on Friday after all the passengers and the crew members of the plane were freed in exchange of three Kashmiri militants kept in Indian jails. But how the hijacking occurred is yet to determined and the fall out of the incident evaluated.

BACK HOME :Former hostages of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane Sanjay Dhital and Rojina Pathak Dhital taking a ride home after being released on New Year's eve.

Most importantly, this unfortunate incident should serve as a big lesson for Nepalese officials as the hijacking showed this country can no longer afford to close its eyes and remain indifferent to terrorist activities which has been going almost continuously in several other parts of the sub-continent.

The country had long been assuming that as it has enmity with no one, it would be left alone, and cross-border terrorism, like hijacking, will not take place from here. This no longer holds true.

After the present hijacking, India, which had several times accused Nepal of remaining oblivious to the possible terrorists activities from its soil, has now been able to say, ‘we told you so’.

Although it is yet to be proved that the hijacking occurred because of faults and lapses here, it can be presumed that the hijackers got on the aircraft with their arms from TIA. That would be the case if a hijack occurred from any other airport of the world. Yet, the Nepalese government and officials have denied any security lapse here, but this hijacking has brought forth a stark reality that Nepal’s hospitality and peaceful image could be misused by terrorists and others with such nefarious intentions.

It is now urgent that Nepal must take precautionary steps immediately because once such a thing has happened it can happen again.

Roshan Dahal, one of the Nepali hostages, said when he innocuously asked a hijacker when he would visit Nepal, the reply he got was, “when there was another plane to be hijacked”.

Although he may have been joking, such bravado indicates that hijackers and terrorists may already have Nepal in their minds as a potential launching site for terrorist activities in other areas and countries.

Thus, Nepal must also take concern of India, which has been saying that the terrorists might be tempted to use the Nepalese soil for their nefarious intentions.

Meanwhile, this hijacking saw a “war of words” between the media of the two countries. The Indian media even falsely accused a Nepali passenger Gajendra Man Tamrakar, of being one of the hijackers. Tamrakar after his release has said he will file a defamation suit against Zee News channel of India, which aired such information first.

Tamrakar expressed anguish that he had thus been linked up in a dastardly crime, which he came to know of only after he was released on December 31st.

Although Nepalese officials and ministers are claiming that security arrangements are compatible with the international standard, there is little reason to be contented with such assurances only. Incidents like hijacking have occurred from even the most secure airports and complacency has no place if a scourge like terrorism is to be fought against. 

In fact, one of the hostages after his release said that he found security very loose when he got aboard that fateful day. “They did not even check my handbag,” he said.

So, Nepal must further strengthen security at its airport both technically and in terms of human skill. The current practice of deputing persons based on nepotism and favouratism must be stopped.

Likewise, turning ablind eye to other illegal activities like smuggling of drugs, guns and explosives running also needs to be fought head on. It is encouraging that after the hijacking, the government has formed a high-level committee to look into the security aspects.

The committee must look into all possible aspects of the hijacking and the security measures, and suggest for appropriate steps to counter such activities. The government too must implement them fully and effectively.

In a way, it is for Nepal to act. If we fail we might lose our peaceful image and also the trust of our friends, which could cost us dearly both economically and even politically.  

Meanwhile, after their ordeal was over, all the passengers, minus one Rupin Katwal, who was murdered by the hijackers, returned from Afghanistan and probably have reached their homes and countries as well.

Among the eight Nepalese, who were among the hostages, five returned home on Saturday and the others will return later.

Although the individual identities of the hijackers are not known, it is believed that they are Kashmiri militants. The freed passengers also said during their captivity they were fed with an overdose of anti-Indian rhetorics, and that they were fighting for the separation of Kashmir from India.

The hijackers, after escaping from Kandahar, Afghanistan, after the Taliban authorities ordered them to leave their country, are believed to have entered Pakistan. The Pakistani authorities have also expressed their inability to prevent them from entering their country through the 2,200 km long porous border. Very soon they may find themselves in Kashmir, fighting their separatist war.

However, a press release of the Pakistani Embassy here in kathmandu says, “The (Pakistani) government has issued immediate instruction to all immigration checkpoints in the provinces of Baluchistan and NWFP, on December 31st when the hijacking ended, to arrest persons bearing the names of the hijackers announced by the Indian government if they sought entry into Pakistan. So far no such persons has presented himself at any such checkpoints.”

The press release further adds, “ The Indian government has so far given no details as to the profiles of the hijackers. In the absence of such details, it would be difficult to apprehend the culprits if they enter Pakistan through unauthorised routes”.

Meanwhile, in India, Prime Minister Vajpayee has been criticised by other political parties for bowing down to the hijackers and cowering before the threat. But the Indian government’s decision to release the three militants was in the best interest of the passengers’ safety. That was the only way the Indian government could have protected the innocent civilians in such a circumstance. But, this must be taken as the fight against terrorism has been lost.

Pakistan embarrassed by fake currency scandal

By A Staff Reporter

India’s accusation of Pakistan using Nepali territory for terrorist and other criminal activities against India gained ground after an official at the Pakistan Embassy in Kathmandu, was caught red handed in dealing with fake Indian currencies.

Asam Saboor, a Pakistani national and an Assistant Secretary at the Pakistani Embassy, was arrested by the police on Sunday for being involved in the fake IC currencies racket.

According to reports, Saboor had made a deal with a police undercover agent to exchange Rs. 50,000 worth of IC notes and he had claimed that he had even IC Rs. 20 million worth of such currencies at his home.

But the police’s attempt to arrest him immediately failed when he identified himself as being an official at the Pakistani Embassy.

But on Monday morning, when police finally searched his house, they found ashes and pieces and burnt up notes. Saboor was taken by the police for questioning.

When contacted by phone till late evening, no officials at the Pakistani Embassy was willing to talk about the incident. A Nepali who received the telephone said that the officials were in a meeting and this reporter should talk to either the Nepalese Foreign Ministry or the police.

But the police at Hanuman Dhoka, also informed that the officers were in a meeting and they were not available. It was the same story at the Foreign Ministry, where a person at the Spokesman’s office, said the Spokesman was in a meeting with Foreign Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and Secretary Murari Raj Sharma and he may not be available as the office was already closed.

But unconfirmed reports said, the Pakistani national had already been freed, as there was no way the Nepalese police could arrest him when he was accepted as a diplomat, by the Pakistani themselves.

However, his diplomatic immunity is still be debated, but it is most likely that he would simply be deported back as a persona non grata.

But this latest episode has revealed the involvement of Pakistani nationals in criminal activities. This is a big setback to Pakistan’s stance and a bloch to its image in Nepal when India has been accusing it of making Nepal one of the launching pads for terrorist activities in India. India has even accused Pakistan of corroborating or even master-minding the recent plane hijacking.

But Pakistan had always denied of being involved in any such activities.

Even in this case, a press release of the Pakistani Embassy in Kathmandu has called this as uncalled for propaganda against Pakistan. It even called the police search at Saboor’s residence a breaking into and the search as in-vain. But according to reports, there were clear and unmistable signs of ashes and pieces of the burnt currencies

The Embassy has also demanded its official to be treated according to the Vienna Convention.

‘PTV Crew detained, interrogated’

By A Staff Reporter

A Pakistan Television (PTV) team, which had arrived in Kathmandu recently in connection with the coverage of safety arrangement at the Tribhuvan International Airport after the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane was detained and interrogated by police, says a press release of the Pakistan Embassy.

The press release says the hotel room of the TV crew was also thoroughly searched between 19:00 and 21:00 yesterday (Monday).

Recently, Zee News, an Indian television channel, was subjected to much criticism by media here about some items of its reporting about the hijacking.

The Zee News was especially criticised for its reporting about security at the Tribhuvan International Airport and about the involvement of a Nepali passenger in the hijacking.