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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (44339)	8/11/2003 5:43:59 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50167

Laloo in Pak: He came, he saw, he conquered IANS[ MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2003 01:04:33 PM ] ISLAMABAD: The rural man from Bihar has come, conquered and captivated Pakistanis here with his rustic charm and earthy wit. There may be others in the parliamentarians' delegation from India who may be more articulate or may have more to say on how India-Pakistan relations are faring, but Bihar strongman Laloo Prasad Yadav is the one Pakistanis want to hear - and see. The former Bihar chief minister's witticisms and antics have got him prominent front-page coverage in most newspapers Monday. Almost all newspapers, particularly the Urdu dailies, have given him "above-the-fold" treatment on the upper half of the front page. Several papers used pictures of Yadav with Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed at his downtown Lal Haveli residence in nearby Rawalpindi, where he made a surprise visit. While the other members of the delegation were preparing for a reception at the Indian High Commission Sunday evening, Yadav went to see more of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad with Tariq Azim from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam. "I took him to the Sunday market in Islamabad and then to Rawalpindi," Azim told IANS. Recounting the events of the day, Azim said he told Yadav about Sheikh Rashid's Lal Haveli residence when they reached Rawalpindi. He insisted on visiting the home. "We went inside but the minister was not at home." Rashid was called in from a gym where he was exercising because Yadav wanted to meet the "Saddam Hussain of Pakistan". Hundreds of curious people from the area gathered at Rashid's residence to catch a glimpse of the man they had only seen on television but had heard so much about. Traffic in the area came to a standstill. "'Paan', or betel leaf, is very costly here," Yadav reportedly complained to the minister saying that in India it sells for two rupees but in Pakistan the same thing cost five rupees. A local trader present on the occasion told Yadav the costs were higher because the leaf was imported from India. It had become even more expensive since the Samjhauta Express train between India and Pakistan had been suspended. Yadav, who carried a consignment of paan leaf from Bihar for people of Bihari origin in Pakistan, was interested in hearing all the details. He was told how people shipped hundreds of thousands of paan leaves to Pakistan in their personal baggage; how there was no duty on carrying leaves up to five kg and how people now had to import their favourite after-dinner digestive from Bangladesh or via Dubai. "That's the reason we are here to bring peace and to pave way for free trade," Yadav told the crowd of traders who gathered at Lal Haveli. He said politicians of India and Pakistan should sit together to resolve mutual differences as other powers were taking advantage of the tension between them. The inimitable Yadav said initiatives for peace were being taken and both countries would hopefully settle the contentious issues through negotiations. Rashid agreed and said there was a desire in both countries to settle disputes. But the Kashmir issue was a matter of national honour for Pakistanis and bilateral relations could not become normal without its resolution. He said Kashmir would always be on top of the agenda of talks at any level. Welcoming the Indian delegates to Pakistan, the minister said the visit was reflective of improvement in relations between the two neighbours. Yadav also went to a nearby fruit and vegetable market. The Nawa-e-Waqt daily used a big picture of him holding a big potato on the front page. The caption quoted the popular Indian politician as saying: " 'Laloo kay haath main aaloo' or potato in Laloo's hand." True to type, he introduced himself to the vendors and inquired about the rates of each vegetable. He even told them that the rates in his state were lower. The Urdu daily Khabrain had a photograph of him with a lantern, the election symbol of Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, at Islamabad's Sunday Bazaar, a sprawling wholesale market for fruit and vegetables. Here he was quoted as saying: "Sub lantern kay peechey hain or everybody is a follower of the lantern." Here is one man the Pakistanis won't forget in a hurry.