• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

HEAD LINES:

1- THERE HAS BEEN NO PROGRESS AT THE SECRETARY-LEVEL TALKS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN, IN COLOMBO.
2- INDIA UNDERMINED THE LITTLE CHANCE OF SUCCESS THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN COLOMBO BY RESORTING TO UNPROVOKED FIRING ALONG THE LINE OF CONTROL KILLING 26 INNOCENT CIVILIANS.
3- THE 10TH SAARC SUMMIT CONCLUDED TODAY AFTER ADOPTING THE COLOMBO DECLARATION.

NEWS IN DETAIL:

THERE HAS BEEN NO PROGRESS AT THE SECRETARY LEVEL TALKS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN IN COLOMBO. A PAKISTAN FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN SAID IN COLOMBO TODAY THAT INDIA-PAKISTAN DIALOGUE REMAINS STALEMATED DUE TO RIGID AND INFLEXIBLE INDIAN POSITION. THE SPOKESMAN, IN A STATEMENT, AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE THREE-DAY SAARC SUMMIT SAID, AT THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM LIES THE RIGID AND INFLEXIBLE POSITION WHICH INDIA CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN IN ITS REFUSAL TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF PEACE AND SECURITY AND JAMMU AND KASHMIR DISPUTE. THE FOREIGN SECRETARIES OF PAKISTAN AND INDIA MET TWICE ON 29TH AND 30TH OF THIS MONTH IN COLOMBO TO OVERCOME THE PROCEDURAL AS WELL AS SUBSTANTIVE IMPEDIMENTS TO THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. HOWEVER, NO AGREEMENT COULD BE REACHED DURING THESE TALKS. THE SPOKESMAN MADE IT CLEAR THAT PAKISTAN DESIRES TO HOLD MEANINGFUL AND RESULT-ORIENTED DIALOGUE WITH INDIA.  IT WILL REMAIN READY TO ENTER INTO SUCH NEGOTIATIONS WHENEVER INDIA IS WILLING TO DO SO. THE SPOKESMAN EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE TWO SIDES WILL REMAIN IN TOUCH THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES AND RESUMPTION OF DIALOGUE.
 
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH SRILANKAN DAILY "THE ISLAND" IN COLOMBO THE PRIME MINISTER MR. MOHAMMAD NAWAZ SHARIF SAID THE OUTCOME OF HIS TALKS WITH HIS INDIAN COUNTERPART WAS ZERO. AFTER HIS RETURN FROM THE HOLIDAY RESORT BENTOTA YESTERDAY WHERE HE HAD TALKS WITH INDIAN PREMIER ATAL BEHARI VAJPAYEE MR. MOHAMMAD NAWAZ SHARIF SAID HE TOLD HIS INDIAN COUNTERPART THAT PAKISTAN WANTED TALKS TO BE RESUMED JUST AS MUCH INDIA WANTED THE TALKS SO LET US RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF KASHMIR IN A SERIOUS AND SUBSTANTIVE MANNER SO THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS. HOWEVER THE INDIAN PRIME MINISTER WAS NOT WILLING TO FOCUS ON KASHMIR PROMINENTLY OR WANTED KASHMIR FIGURE PROMINENTLY IN A JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ. REPLYING TO A QUESTION THE PRIME MINISTER DESCRIBED THE OUTCOME OF HIS FORMAL TALKS AS A STALEMATE.
 
INDIA UNDERMINED THE LITTLE CHANCE OF SUCCESS WHICH THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS HOPED TO ACHIEVE IN COLOMBO, AS ITS TRIGGER-HAPPY TROOPS UNLEASHED A REIGN OF TERROR BY RESORTING TO UNPROVOKED FIRING ALL ALONG THE LINE OF CONTROL, KILLING 26 INNOCENT CIVILIANS AND INJURING OVER ONE HUNDRED. IN RETALIATORY ACTION BY THE PAKISTAN ARMY, AT LEAST TWENTY INDIAN SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN REPORTED KILLED AND SCORES OF OTHERS SEVERELY INJURED. ACCORDING TO AN ISPR PRESS RELEASE, THE INDIAN ARMY, THIS MORNING BEGAN POUNDING THE CIVILIAN AREAS ALONG THE LINE OF CONTROL IN AZAD KASHMIR IN THE SMALL HOURS OF THURSDAY MORNING AND USED MEDIUM AND FIELD ARTILLERY, MORTARS, GUIDED MISSILES AND AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, AS A RESULT OF WHICH HEAVY LOSSES IN TERMS OF BOTH LIVES AND PROPERTY WERE INCURRED. THE WORST HIT AREAS INCLUDED ATHMAQAM, SHAHKOT, DHUDNIAL, NAUSERI, CHAKHOTI, PANDU, CHIRIKOT, SATWAL, BATTAL, NIKIAL AND HOT SPRING. THE INDIANS FIRED OVER TEN-THOUSAND ROUNDS OF ARTILLERY AND MORTARS DURING THE PAST FEW DAYS. THOSE WHO EMBRACED SHAHADAT ALSO INCLUDED WOMEN AND CHILDREN. PAKISTAN ARMY EFFECTIVELY RESPONDED TO THE INDIAN BELLIGERENCE AND INFLICTED HEAVY CASUALTIES ON ENEMY TROOPS AND THEIR POSITIONS.
 
ATLEAST TWENTY INDIAN SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN REPORTED KILLED, SCORES OF OTHER SEVERELY INJURED. A FILED AND MEDIUM ARTILLERY BATTERY, LADEN WITH BOFORS GUNS AND NUMBER OF VEHICLES AND BUNKERS WERE DESTROYED. ISPR SOURCES ALSO CONFIRMED INJURIES TO THIRTEEN OF PAKISTANI TROOPS, FIVE OF WHOM WERE STATED TO BE IN SERIOUS CONDITION. OFFICIAL SOURCES STATED THAT PAK TROOPS ARE GIVING MEASURED RESPONSE TO THE INDISCRIMINATE AND UNPROVOKED INDIAN FIRING TARGETING THEIR BUNKERS AND GUN POSITIONS. DIPLOMATIC OBSERVERS IN ISLAMABAD WERE DISMAYED OVER THE RECENT ESCALATION ON THE LINE OF CONTROL AND SAID THAT IT FOLLOWED A PERSISTENT INDIAN PATTERN OF SABOTAGING ANY HOPE OF RESUMING A MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE TO NORMALISE RELATIONS BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND INDIA AND THE POSSIBILITY OF NON-PROLIFERATION IN SOUTH ASIA IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THEY OBSERVED THAT THE UNPROVOKED FIRING BY INDIA WAS BASICALLY AIMED AT RAISING THE TEMPERATURE SO AS TO SERVE ITS MOTIVES TO CONDITION ANY EFFORTS FOR PEACE IN THE POST-COLOMBO SCENARIO. SOME ANALYSTS WONDERED WHETHER THE INDIAN ARMY WAS FOLLOWING A SEPARATE AGENDA THAN THAT OF HER POLITICAL LEADERSHIP, POINTING TO A CONSISTENT PATTERN OF UNPROVOKED, MASSIVE VIOLATIONS OF THE L.O.C. ON THE EVE OF BILATERAL TALKS. OTHERS, HOWEVER, ATTRIBUTE THIS FAMILIAR PATTERN TO A DELIBERATE INDIAN DESIGN OF DOUBLE-SPEAK - A SOFT DIPLOMATIC STANCE TO SMOKE-SCREEN A HARD MILITARY POSTURE ON THE GROUND.
 
THE 10TH SAARC SUMMIT CONCLUDED IN THE SRILANKAN CAPITAL TODAY, AFTER ADOPTING THE "COLOMBO DECLARATION" WHICH REFLECTS THE ASPIRATIONS OF SAARC STATES PROVIDING AGENDA FOR DEVELOPMENT BEYOND THE YEAR 2000. THE CONCLUDING SESSION WAS HELD AT THE PRESIDENT SECRETARIAT. ON ARRIVAL AT THE CONFERENCE VENUE, THE SRILANKAN FOREIGN MINISTER MR.LAKSHMAN KADIRGAMAR RECEIVED THE PRIME MINISTER, MR.MOHAMMAD NAWAZ SHARIF. THE HEADS OF STATE OR GOVERNMENT RECOGNISED IN THE DECLARATION THAT THE RICH POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCTIVE, EQUITABLE REGIONAL COOPERATION AMONG THE GOVERNMENTS AND PEOPLES OF SOUTH ASIA WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR A FIFTH OF HUMANITY SHOULD BE FULLY REALISED. THEY REAFFIRMED THEIR FIRM COMMITMENT TO THE OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPLES AND PROVISIONS OF THE SAARC CHARTER AND TO PERSUIT OF REGIONAL COOPERATION ON THE BASIS OF THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRINCIPLES OF SOVEREIGN EQUALITY, TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF STATE, POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE, NON-INTERFERENCE IN EACH OTHER'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS, NON-USE OF FORCE, THE PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF ALL DISPUTES AND MUTUALITY OF BENEFITS. ADDRESSING THE CONCLUDING SESSION, THE CHAIRPERSON OF SAARC, SRILANKAN PRESIDENT, MRS. CHANDRIKA BANDRANAIKE KAMARATONGA EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE ASSOCIATION WILL MOVE FORWARD ALONG THE PATH OF PROGRESS, PROSPERITY AND PEACE FOR WHICH ALL MEMBERS ARE COMMITTED. SHE SAID, THE CONSULTATIONS ON THE MARGIN OF THE CONFERENCE HAVE PROVED SUCCESSFUL. SHE SAID APART FROM THE ECONOMIC AGENDA, THE ASSOCIATION IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SOCIAL AGENDA RELATING TO CHILDREN, WOMEN AND YOUTH AND PROGRAMMES BASED ON REGIONAL VISION AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION. SHE SAID, THE SAARC LEADERS ARE OF THE VIEW THAT STABILITY, PEACE AND SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED IN ISOLATION OF GLOBAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENT. WE HAVE UNDERSCORED OUR COMMITMENT TO THE COMPLETE ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND STRESSED THE NEED TO PROMOTE NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT ON UNIVERSAL BASIS UNDER EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL CONTROL. SHE SAID, THE CONFERENCE OF DISARMAMENT IN GENEVA SHOULD COMMENCE NEGOTIATIONS ON A COMPREHENSIVE, UNIVERSAL AND NON-DISCRIMINATORY INSTRUMENT PROHIBITING THE USE OR THREAT OF USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AS WELL AS ELIMINATING SUCH WEAPONS IN EXISTING ARSENALS. PRIME MINISTER GIRIJA PRASAD KOIRALA SAID, THE ASSOCIATION WILL WORK FOR CONFIDENCE BUILDING AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS IN THE REGION. THE NEXT SAARC SUMMIT WILL HELD IN NEPAL.
 

WEATHER:

RAIN WITH THUNDERSTORM IS EXPECTED AT SCATTERED PLACES OF SINDH, PUNJAB, KASHMIR AND AT ISOLATED PLACES OF UPPER NWFP.