NEW DELHI: Commenting on the house arrest of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed in Lahore was essentially “a face-saving technique”, India today reiterated that Pakistan should investigate his role in masterminding the Mumbai terror attacks and look for evidence against him on its own soil. On reports that Saeed had been put under house arrest, Home Minister P Chidambaram pointed out that the Lashkar-e-Taiba founder had been charged under two FIRs “unrelated to 26/11”. “If that is a face-saving technique, I have no objection. My demand is that now that he has been arrested, he should be interrogated on the 26/11 incidents; his role in the 26/11 attacks must be investigated,” Chidambaram said. He said Pakistan should look for evidence on its own soil.On the Pakistan government’s stand that there was not enough evidence to take action against Saeed, Chidambaram said: “Evidence is on Pakistani soil. When Pakistan says give us evidence, evidence is not on Indian soil — all the evidence against Hafiz Saeed is on Pakistani soil. Therefore, one must investigate in Pakistan, and find the evidence in Pakistan.”
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
Comments