Indian Polls: Violence, boycotts, low turnout mark first round of voting in Kashmir
Voting Tuesday in Kashmir for seats in India's parliament was marked by low turnout, deadly violence and a separatist-sponsored strike that brought major centres to a halt, officials said.Indian electoral officials, accusing Islamic militants of scaring away voters through violence, said 37 percent of registered voters had turned out in the divided state, where Islamic militants have been waging a bloody anti-Indian insurgency since 1989.In other Indian states where the...
Indian Polls: Pakistan rules out talks with India before elections
Islamabad, 10th August: Pakistan has ruled out the possibility of meaningful dialogue with New Delhi before elections in India.Pakistan's official news agency APP on Monday night [9th August] quoted Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed as saying that he does not think any meaningful dialogue could be held between the two countries before Indian polls.Ahmed said there was also no possibility of any contact at the highest level during the UN General Assembly session in New York...
Former premier Bhutto says Indian polls are "lesson" for Pakistan
Islamabad: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party [PPP] Benazir Bhutto has welcomed the elections in India as triumph of democracy and the principle of peaceful transfer of power through the will of the people.In a statement on Thursday [13 May], she said that election in India was that country's internal matter. "However, it is a measure of the strength of Indian democracy that power transfer takes place in a democratic and peaceful...
Indian Polls: The Statesman (India):
Pak designer's peace gift for PM
Agence France Presse KARACHI, April 3. A top Pakistani fashion designer said today he has stitched a wardrobe of traditional outfits to be presented to Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpyee after Indian polls.The wardrobe of three traditional sherwanis (ceremonial dress coats), shalwar kameez (long shirt and baggy trousers) and waistcoats would be presented to Mr Vajpayee by the end of this month, designer Ameer Adnan said. 'Mr Vajpayee had only requested one sherwani during...
Vajpayee's BJP concedes defeat in Indian polls
New Delhi (dpa) - Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) conceded defeat Thursday even before results of parliamentary polls were officially announced. He wanted to meet President APJ Abdul Kalam to submit his resignation.According to results for 490 of 539 seats that were being counted Thursday, the BJP and its allies won 172 seats, the Congress Party and its allies 200, the leftist parties 56 and other regional parties 62.BJP president...