India hopes Pak will take steps to protect minorities: Tharoor

New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) India Monday hoped that

Pakistan will take necessary measures to "protect" its
citizens including minorities who are forced to pay "jiziya"
by elements allegedly representing Taliban in the Battagram
district of North West Frontier Province.

Reacting to reports that Taliban was targeting
minority communities like Hindus, India's Minister of State
for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said, "we would hope that
the Pakistani government would take necessary measures to
protect people from extractions of a group like Taliban."

"We do expect Pakistan to look after all its people,
after all they are citizens of Pakistan. Since Pakistan is in
effect in war with Taliban in its own territory, I think it is
safe to assume that Pakistan will have no sympathy for such
demands from such people," he said.

According to media reports, an unidentified caller,
claiming to represent the Taliban, demanded Rs 6 million as
"jiziya" or a tax levied on non-Muslims from the minority
Hindu community in Battagram.

He said India will obviously be following the
developments with some interest but it is essentially the
responsibility of the Pakistan government to take the right
action in its own territory for its own citizens. PTI JVN
PMR
NNNN

SC asks govt to take steps for safety of students in Australia

New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) India's Supreme Court Monday
expressed concern over unabated attacks on Indian students in
Australia and asked the government to take effective measures
to avoid any deterioration in the situation which could result
in students returning midway in their studies.

"We are sure the government must be taking all steps
but our anxiety is that despite the best of efforts by the
government, the incidents of attacks are going on," a vacation
Bench comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A K Ganguly
said.

It expressed concern that every day there have been
reports in the media about racial attacks on Indian students
which is a very "serious problem".

"The safety and security of Indian students in
Australia is paramount," the Bench said and asked the
government to file a comprehensive affidavit within two weeks
elaborating the steps undertaken to ensure the safety and
security of Indian students.

The Bench said such incidents of racial attacks
against Indian students have been recently reported also from
Canada and the affidavit should mention the steps taken with
regard to happenings in that country too.
The Court's remarks came when Attorney General G E

Vahanvati apprised the Bench about the steps already taken by
the Centre and tried to dispel the impression that all attacks
on Indian students in Australia are racial.

The Bench said parents and relatives of the Indian
students should be made aware of the prevailing situation to
avoid panic.

"We don't have to make the parents panicky. They
should not withdraw their children midway," the Bench said.

The Bench said anxious parents, relatives and friends
of the Indian students are entitled to know about the steps
taken by the governement for their safety and security.

It asked the government to place all information on
the websites of the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of
Overseas Indian Affairs and the Indian High Commissioner to
Australia in Canberra as anxious parents, relatives and
friends of students are entitled to know the exact situation.

During the hearing, the Bench expressed its surprise
that the alleged racial attacks were taking place in a country
like Australia which is one of the most civilized in the
world.

Vahanvati's submission that all attacks cannot be
generalised as having a racial connotation was supported
by one Pradeep Ahalwat who said he has acquired Australian
citizenship and had studied there.

He said government has to go deep into the root of the
problem as the situation has been blown out of proportion
which may jeopardise the relations between the two countries
and hamper employment opportunities for Indians in Australia.

The court allowed him to put his suggestions.
The Bench, which was hearing the PIL filed by advocate
Ranveer Yadav, refused the plea of his counsel D K Garg who
sought a direction to the government to send a team from India
to probe the incidents of alleged racial attacks.

The Bench said such a direction was not required as
the Indian High Commission in every country has officials from
various government departments, including officers from Indian
Police Service who give reports on such incidents.

Earlier, responding to a notice issued by the court on
a PIL alleging inaction on the part of the government in
dealing with the attacks on Indian students in Australia, the
Centre had said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself had
taken up the matter with his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd
on May 29.

It had also informed the court that the Australian
government was exploring the possibility of amending its
existing laws to enhance punishment for racism-related
offences.

"The proposed amendments (by Australia) would
strengthen the police response to attacks against Indian
students. It has also been contemplated to amend the existing
legislation to provide for enhanced sentence for
racism-related offences," the Ministry of External Affairs had
said accepting the "seriousness" of the situation.

It had said the Indian High Commissioner in Canberra
and Consulates General in Sydney and Melbourne are in touch
not only with the Australian authorities but also with Indian
students and their community.

The government had informed the court that a task
force has been constituted by Australian authorities to
coordinate with various states in that country to address the
issue of racial attacks.

Advocate D K Garg, who appeared for the petitioner,
had said though the government insists that adequate steps
were being taken to protect the Indian students, a number of
anxious parents were still making inquiries about the
well-being of their children.

According to the petition, an estimated 97,000 Indian
students are at present studying in Australia and during
2007-08, there were 1,447 Indian victims of robberies,
assaults, murder, stabbing and other forms of violence.PTI