Raajneeti Review and Trailer

Raajneeti is a story about Indian politics. About Indian democracy. About Indian elections. Above all, it is a story of a few people who control the destiny of millions. It is the story of their unstoppable ambition, and their bitter and violent battle to achieve it. This is the story of people who understand power - and know how to wield it at will.

It is the story of Bhaskar Sanyal (Naseruddin Shah), the fire-brand leftist leader, as feared for his single-handed ability to challenge the most powerful of leaders as he was respected for his political integrity. Until one private mistake of his hurtled him into a self-imposed exile and spawned a secret consequence that shook the destiny of the political future of the state.



And of Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) who rose from the backward classes - with anger in his heart and leadership on his mind. And yet, his destiny could never overcome the tragedy of his birth, trapping him in a terrible dilemma where his loyalty to his friend threatens to destroy his own family. Of Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), who shunned every political ambition even as he continued to mentor and guide the younger generation of leaders while the battle got bloodier by the day?

It is the story of Prithvi Pratap (Arjun Rampal), heir to a powerful political legacy and impatient to seize the top position. A man with a heart of gold but who is all brawn. A man whose uncontrollable passions bring his family to the brink of political extinction.

And of Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai), whose lunge at the throne was thwarted even as he was within striking distance of it. A man who believes he was born to rule, and who will now stop at absolutely nothing to claw his way back to the top.



Of Indu Sakseria (Katrina Kaif), the princess - beautiful, passionate, arrogant. She had only one all-consuming love. Little did she know that her personal happiness was dependent on the changing electoral fortunes of her love, and that even a slight shift in the faultiness of political negotiation would cause a devastating earthquake in her personal life? And yet, this spirited never-say-die diva rose from the ashes of her tragedy to challenge every contender, over-turning the political future of the state.

Of Sarah Jean Collins (Sarah Thompson), who came from one of the bloodiest and most violent places of earth? Who escaped from there, bruised, hurt, and fell in love with a soul-mate who shared a similar legacy. And her abhorrence for it. And yet, when he was sucked into his destiny, this innocent bewildered girl's private world was thrown asunder.

And, it is the story of Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor), the ultimate outsider. The apolitical conscientious objector, who got reluctantly sucked into the battle-ravaged arena of family rivalry. Only to turn into a master of the craft of political warfare. It is the story of the woman that he loved, and the one that loved and lost him. It is the story of his determined and fierce fight to protect his family. Of the bloodiest of final battles in a war alien to his character. It is the story of a man's descent into the moral hell that is Indian politics.

It is the story of a fiercely fought election campaign, where money-power and corruption are the accepted norms, and where treachery and manipulation are routinely used weapons. As the personal drama of these conflict-ridden characters unfolds against this gritty backdrop, love and friendship become mere baits, and relationships get sacrificed at the altar of political alignments. The darkness that rises from their soul threatens to envelope all that they hold precious. Until eventually, in the crescendo of increasing violence, the line between good and evil blurs, making it impossible to distinguish heroes from villains.



Raajneeti is the story of Indian democracy. And its ugly underside. It is about politics. And beyond.

PCB reviews decision, lifts ban on Younis Khan

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lifted ban on skipper and former team captain Younis Khan on Saturday.

PCB lawyer Talib Rizvi was talking to the media and said that Younis Khan’s case has been reopened. He said that Younis did not approach them for the case but he has to approach the PCB chairman now.

The PCB lawyer told Express that Younis Khan has been reprimanded and the board will now ensure that the players are not be involved in any kind of politics within the team.

The PCB imposed an indefinite ban on the skipper Younis Khan after Australia tour.

The board has also reduced the fine on Kamran Akmal and Umer Gul to Rs1 million.

Israel intercepts another aid ship

GAZA: Israeli troops intercepted an international aid ship headed for the Gaza Strip on Saturday just five days after a deadly raid on similar vessels, the Gaza-based committee awaiting the vessel told AFP.

The report was completely denied by the Israeli military, however.

“The Rachel Corrie has been intercepted 35 miles off Gaza,” spokesman Amjad al-Shawa told AFP after speaking by phone with activists on the ship.

“Several Israeli boats surrounded them between 30 and 35 miles off Gaza and prevented them from reaching Gaza,” he said. “They try to take the boat, maybe to (the southern Israeli port city of) Ashdod or maybe to another place.”

Shawa said communication with the boat had been “completely cut” but the committee would keep trying to reach them. The Israeli military completely denied the report, with a spokeswoman telling AFP: “No, it has not been intercepted.”

Military sources also said there had been “no source contact” with the vessel which has 15 people on board, including Irish and Malaysian activists, four Indonesian crew and a Scottish captain.

Israeli public radio also said the Rachel Corrie had been intercepted and was being escorted by least three navy vessels through a stretch of water some 35 miles from the Egyptian coast. Martin Quigley, a Dublin-based spokesman for the vessel, which is carrying 15 people and tonnes of aid for Gaza, could not confirm the information and said he had not been in contact with the boat.

“They had agreed to call us the minute they spotted any Israeli ships,” Quigley said, saying he had not been able to reach the passengers on the satellite phone. “It sounds like the phone is off the hook.”

The incident comes at a very sensitive time for Israel, which is struggling with the diplomatic fallout from a deadly raid on Monday on a flotilla of Gaza-bound aid boats, which left nine people dead, most of them Turks.

The Rachel Corrie had been due to sail with that flotilla but had been delayed for technical reasons.

“We saw death from very close”

Leading TV anchor and columnist for Express Tribune, Talat Hussain, said that he and his team “had seen death from very close,” as Israeli commandoes boarded the boat and fired indiscriminately. “They started firing and two people died close to where I was,” said Hussain, who arrived in Lahore on Thursday.

Hussain said that he and his team had gone to Turkey to board the peace flotilla “because we thought it would be our only chance to visit Gaza and also set foot on the land with which so much Muslim history is attached.” He said that the plan was not to get into any confrontation with anyone.

The AAJ TV staffer also rejected Israeli allegations that there were guns on board the boats. “There were no weapons on board,” said Hussain as he was flanked by several newsmen. He said that the Israeli troops had stopped them in international waters and then took them into Israel where they were charged with illegal entry.

Hussain said that he was not happy to be the news as against report it. He said that his only fear as he was kept in confinement by the Israeli authorities was that the true of story of what happened on the peace flotilla would not be told to the world.

Kasab wants to challenge death sentence

MUMBAI: A Pakistani national sentenced to death by an Indian court for his part in the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks has lodged an application to appeal, the Times of India said on Friday.

The newspaper said prison authorities in India's financial capital had confirmed that Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab had approached the city's high court to challenge the sentence and apply for a state-funded lawyer.

Kasab was convicted last month of a string of offences, including waging war against India, mass murder, terrorist acts and conspiracy in connection with the November 26, 2008 attacks that killed 166 and injured more than 300.

The 22-year-old was the only one of the 10 extremist gunmen to be captured alive during the three-day assault, which targeted the city's main railway station, three luxury hotels, a popular restaurant and a Jewish centre.

No one was immediately available for comment at the high-security prison in central Mumbai where Kasab is being held when contacted by AFP.

Death sentences - reserved in India for only the “rarest of rare” cases - by law have to be confirmed by the local high court after reviewing the evidence.

Defendants have a right of appeal and can challenge the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court in the capital, New Delhi. A final plea for clemency can be made to the country's president.

Senior state government officials in Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, have said they want the verdict and sentence ratified swiftly, amid public calls for Kasab to be executed as soon as possible.

But questions have been raised about how long Kasab will be kept on death row, as India has not carried out an execution since 2004 and only two since 1998, while dozens of final clemency appeals are still pending.

The country also has a shortage of hangmen.

Bad weather hampers rescue operations in Attaabad

HUNZA: The water outflow from Attabad Lake is 3,000 cusecs whereas inflow has been exceeded to 4,000 cusecs as helicopter service fear to be remained suspended due to bad weather, Geo News reported on Friday.

Meanwhile, the width of spillway has been expanded to 32 meters from 18 meters. Sporadic rain is continue in Hunza and Gilgit forced suspension of helicopter service. However, Gilgit-Hunza section of Karakoram Highway will remain open till 4:00 pm today for transportation of relief goods and travelers.

Phet may head for Pakistan today

KARACHI: Chief Meteorologist Sindh Muhammed Riaz said cyclone Phet is roaring its way northwest and is feared to crash into Oman coasts today and subsequently smash the Pakistan’s coastline, Geo News reported Thursday.

Talking to Geo News, Riaz said Phet may change its direction by today’s evening and it would head for Pakistani coasts, adding it was thus far near Omani coasts and could downgrade in its pace towards Pakistan.

Riaz said Phet landing in Pakistan might be accompanied with gale-force winds.



The people in coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan are being evacuated to the relief camps in view of imminent Phet.

According to DDO Revenue Badin Hajan Ajjan, over 400 affected people have been shifted from Zero Point to a relief camp set up at a girls school in Golarchi.

But, the affectees said the doors of the relief camp were closed and that they were sitting under open skies as the camp set up at the school is still closed, adding they have run short of edibles.

The district administration of Thatta’s coastal area of Keti Bandar started to evacuate people to safer places to relief camps in Garhu, Ghorabari, Kharochan and Bghan and in this connection, transportation is being arranged.

Meantime, Deputy Commissioner in Gwadar port city of Balochistan imposed Section-144 in the coastal areas for three days in view of imminent danger of lashing storm and banned fishing and swimming.

All the concerned departments including Pakistan Navy and hospitals have been put on high alert.

The residents of Pota Goth situated in coastal area of Gadani are also being evacuated to safer places.

Deputy Commissioner Lasbela also imposed Section-1444 in coastal areas of Gadani, Dam, Sonmiani and Spait and the relief centers have been established at government schools in these areas.

UN adopts resolution to probe Israel attack

Israel's attack on the Gaza aid flotilla triggered protests and condemnations from across the world. PHOTO: AFP


WASHINGTON: The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution setting up an independent international probe into Israel’s interception of Gaza-bound ships, on Wednesday.

The resolution, which also condemned Israel’s “outrageous attack,” was adopted after a vote, with 32 countries voting in favour, three against, and eight abstentions.

It “decides to dispatch an independent international fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law, including international humanitarian aid and human rights law, resulting from the Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance.”

The text also decides to “authorize the president of the council to appoint members of this independent international fact finding system.”

Meanwhile, the United States declined to condemn Israel for its raid on a humanitarian flotilla headed for Gaza, but said the incident showed Middle East peace talks were needed “more than ever”.

The White House and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did describe the situation in Gaza as “untenable” and “unacceptable,” but Washington’s reaction on Tuesday to the raid did not match the explicit rebukes of Israel of some of its allies.

As diplomatic fallout multiplied, and threatened to derail a laborious bid to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, US President Barack Obama also called key regional power broker, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs was earlier asked directly whether his boss would condemn Israel over the drama in international waters in which, he said, at least 10 people were killed by Israeli commandos.

Speaking carefully, Mr Gibbs stuck to the language of a UN Security Council statement issued late Sunday on the raid.

The statement condemned “those acts which resulted in the loss of at least 10 civilians and many wounded”, but did not specifically say whether the Israeli raid or actions of pro-Palestinian supporters caused the violence.

It also called for a “prompt, impartial, credible and transparent” inquiry into the incident conforming to international standards, he noted.

“We’re obviously supportive of that.”

Mrs Clinton said Washington supported an “Israeli investigation that meets those criteria. We are open to different ways of assuring a credible investigation, including international participation.”

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley explained why Washington thought Israel should carry out the investigation rather than an independent international body.

“These were Israeli forces that carried out this action and we think they’re in the best position to investigate what instructions were given to these forces, how was the situation when they approached the flotilla, and what transpired on board that ship.”

Mrs Clinton also criticised the humanitarian situation in Hamas-ruled Gaza under an Israeli blockade, calling it “unsustainable and unacceptable” while Mr Gibbs said the incident showed a Middle East peace plan was needed “more than ever”.

The deadly maritime confrontation threatens to stymie US peace moves again at a time when the Obama administration has just restarted “proximity” peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

But Mr Gibbs said that he did not think the incident, which triggered global fury, would have “a great impact” on Washington’s ties with the Muslim world, despite staunch US support for Israel.

Israel has blamed activists on a Turkish vessel, Mavi Marmara, for the confrontation, saying its troops were attacked as they boarded the ship and that nine passengers were killed in the ensuing fight.

But passengers disputed that version of events, saying that those on board were not armed with anything more threatening than a few wooden batons. A greek activist who was released by Israel said Israeli troops used bullets, gas and electroshock weapons to subdue those on board the aid flotilla.

The showdown provoked a crisis in Israel’s relations with Turkey – once its closest Muslim ally – as diplomatic sources in Ankara confirmed at least four of the dead were Turkish.

It also provoked another diplomatic headache for Washington, as Mr Obama had expended considerable effort trying to maintain good relations with Turkey, a rising regional power which is also key in the confrontation with Iran.

In his call with Mr Erdogan, who earlier branded the raid a “bloody massacre” Mr Obama expressed his “deep condolences for the loss of life and injuries resulting from the Israeli military operation against the Turkish-flagged ship bound for Gaza”, the White House said.

“The President affirmed the importance of finding better ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza without undermining Israel’s security.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been due at the White House on Tuesday for talks seen as an effort to move on from recent and rare public disagreements with the US.

But he cancelled the visit to return home to deal with the crisis. The White House said that Mr Obama’s talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas next week were still on as scheduled.

In a sign of domestic political pressure on Mr Obama over Israel, a top Republican lawmaker Eric Cantor called on him to veto any “biased UN resolutions reining in Israel’s right to defend itself”.