US CRS report another recognition for people of Gujarat : Modi

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tweeted that the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on Gujarat is another recognition for the six crore people of the state.

"Another recognition for 6 crore Gujaratis. US report hails Gujarat's effective governance," Modi tweeted after a Congressional report showered praise on the chief minister Narendra Modi and said that the state, under him, has become a key driver of national economic growth.

"Jay Jay Garvi Guj (Hail, Hail Gujarat)," Modi further said in his tweet.

"Perhaps India's best example of effective governance and impressive development is found in Gujarat, where controversial chief minister Narendra Modi has streamlined economic processes, removing red tape and curtailing corruption in ways that have made the state a key driver of national economic growth," said the CRS report.

However, in May 2005, Modi had been denied visa by the US after the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

An independent and bipartisan wing of the US Congress, the CRS prepares periodic reports on issues of interest to the US lawmakers.

"Seeking to overcome the taint of his alleged complicity in 2002 riots, Modi has overseen heavy investment in modern roads and power infrastructure, and annual growth of more than 11% in recent years," the CRS said.

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Military aid to Pakistan not feasible when trainers are being asked to leave: US

WASHINGTON: The US on Monday said it could not have continued with certain categories of military aid to Pakistan at a time when American trainers, who deliver on the assistance, were being asked to leave the country, justifying its decision to discontinue USD 800 million in aid.

The Obama administration, however, asserted that there was no change in its civilian aid to Pakistan.

"With regard to US military assistance to Pakistan, in certain categories, those categories where we need our trainers to be in-country in order to deliver and train on the assistance, we obviously can't do that in an environment where Pakistan has asked our trainers to go," State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at her daily news conference.

"Then in other military categories, we have had a slowing and a pause in some categories while we work through some of these issues where we have been concerned," she said in response to questions about US suspending some categories of military aid to Pakistan.

Contradicting Pakistani Army's statement that it was not notified about suspension of aid, Nuland said the Administration has been in constant contact with Islamabad about these issues throughout.

"The Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Mark Grossman, and the Pakistani Ambassador to US, Husain Haqqani, were on the phone even this morning, and those conversations will continue," she said.

Refraining from elaborating on what steps US wants Pakistan to take before the suspension of aid could be lifted, the spokesperson said the US has been looking to improve its cooperation with Pakistan in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.

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US ran fake vaccine project in hunt for bin Laden: Report

LONDON: US intelligence launched a fake vaccination drive in the Pakistan town where it believed Osama bin Laden was hiding in an effort to gather DNA from members of his family, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.

CIA officials recruited a senior local doctor to organise the campaign after it tracked down a bin Laden courier to what turned out to be the al-Qaida fugitive's compound in the town of Abbottabad, the British newspaper said.

Before launching the high-risk operation against bin Laden, US officials wanted to test DNA samples from people living at the compound with a sample that they had from his sister.

Doctor Shakil Afridi, who has since been arrested by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, launched the programme in Abbottabad's poorest area to make it appear more credible.

The project then moved swiftly to the Bilal Town suburb, where bin Laden was residing.

"The whole thing was totally irregular," a Pakistani official told the newspaper. "Bilal Town is a well-to-do area. Why would you choose that place to give free vaccines?"

A nurse managed to gain access to the compound but Pakistani sources claim she failed to obtain any DNA samples, the Guardian reported.

Bin Laden was killed on May 2 in a raid that soured US-Pakistan relations.

The Pakistani military on Monday insisted it was capable of fighting Islamic militants without US assistance, hitting back after Washington said it would suspend $800 million worth of security aid.

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Pakistan turns to China as US cuts military aid

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