As external affairs minister S.M. Krishna goes about forging stronger ties with Israel during his three-day visit to the country beginning on Monday, he will also be visiting some places with a strong India connection. His visit to Israel will mark the first one by an Indian foreign minister in the last 11 years. Among them is the cemetery where lie buried those Indian soldiers who fell in World War II as well as the Indian hospice named Zawiya al-Hindiya which is located in the old city of Jerusalem. The hospice is of huge significance as it is said to have been built at the site where 14th century Sufi saint Baba Farid is believed to have stayed.

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Pak: j&k continues to be disputed territory
Islamabad, Jan. 6: Pakistan on Friday said Jammu and Kashmir continues to be a disputed territory, rejecting India’s assertion that the entire state is its integral part. Foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit made the remarks in response to a statement from India’s external affairs ministry on January 4 regarding the incorrect depiction of the map of India on the website of the US state department.
“The government of Pakistan rejects the assertion made in the afore-mentioned statement that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India,” Mr Basit said.
“The correct position, as established by the United Nations in accordance with its relevant resolutions, is that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory, the final status of which is yet to be determined,” he said.
— PTI

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Pak rejects India’s position on sir creek
Shafqat Ali
Islamabad, Jan. 6

Pakistan has said that it does not recognise the New Delhi-promulgated baseline system on the Sir Creek estuary border dispute.
Pakistan’s strong challenge to India’s position on the Sir Creek estuary border dispute has been posted on the United Nations website.
The challenge is contained in a December 6 letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon by the Pakistan mission to the United Nations in New York. India’s notifications enumerating its claims in regard to Sir Creek were placed on the website of the United Nations division for ocean affairs and the law of the sea in May and November 2009.
The 96-km estuary separates Gujarat from Pakistan’s Sindh province.

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SPOs seek Assam Police re-engagement
MANOJ ANAND
Guwahati, Jan. 6

Over 200 special police officers (SPOs), who were relieved from their jobs in 2010, continue to protest on the street of Guwahati on Friday with begging bowls in their hands. Though, they were prevented from staging a protest in front of the office of the Assam DGP here on Wednesday, the SPOs decided to take their protest to the streets of Guwahati. The SPOs, who were recruited in insurgency-hit areas of North Cachar hills to provide security to the Central government’s road and rail projects, have been demanding their re-engagement with the police. “About 900 SPOs were recruited by the police department to protect the infrastructure projects from militants’ attack in Dima Hasao district in 2009,” said president of SPOs welfare society Parag Buragohain.

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CPI to start movement for land, jobs, food
Hyderabad, Jan. 6: The CPI’s national council on Friday resolved to build people’s struggles on issues of land, jobs and food by joining hands with all democratic forces. “The main issues we have identified are land, unemployment, food and democratic rights. The main thrust of the resolution is that we should build these struggles.”
“In order to do so, our party has called for the broadest democratic unity of all sections of working people in the country,” CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan said. When asked who will be the CPI’s political partners, he said, “Whoever is willing to join in the struggle for land, jobs, against economic inequality, for food security and for democratic rights. We want broadest democratic unity of all those parties, national or regional. Obviously, this does not include the Congress and BJP. Because, they are responsible for taking away these rights”. — PTI