Finally, US ban on prison torture

After months of resistance and threats, the White House finally bowed to the demand by Republicans and Democrat lawmakers for a ban on cruel...

After months of resistance and threats, the White House finally bowed to the demand by Republicans and Democrat lawmakers for a ban on cruel and inhuman treatment of prisoners in American custody and to set standards for interrogations.

With Republican Senator John McCain at his side— the author of the amendment which demanded that specific language against torture and degrading treatment of prisoners in US custody. President George Bush stressed that his goal was to make clear to the world ‘‘that this government does not torture, whether it be here at home or abroad’’.

The White House finally relented on the McCain amendment that came about after a string of embarrassing revelations on abuse of detainees. First in Iraq and then in Afghanistan, with persisting questions raised about detainee conditions in Guantanamo Bay naval facility.

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At first the White House indulged in some heavy lobbying sending the Vice President Dick Cheney to Capitol Hill, trying to get an exemption for the Central Intelligence Agency with the constant quiet message that Bush might veto the Defence Appropriation Bill of which the Mccain amendment was a part.

Lawmakers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives were adamant that the McCain language was going to stay as it was first written in the Senate. The White House finally accepted language similar to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

‘‘People need to understand what the limits are. If people don’t meet those limits, they’re going to be investigated and they’re going to be held accountable,’’ said attorney general Alberto Gonzales.

The President’s national security advisor said on record that the accord strikes the ‘‘right balance’’ between proper treatment of detainees and aggressive intelligence gathering. In fact the agreement has provisions of the government offering lawyers for interrogators facing civil or criminal prosecution.

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With the deal on the McCain amendment lawmakers are now giving finishing touches to the US $453 billions Defence Spending Bill which is expected to clear Capitol Hill on its way to the White House by this weekend. —PTI

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Debris believed to be from a missile fired by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May has been found in Srinagar's Dal Lake. The debris has been handed over to the Air Force for further investigation. Sources say the target may have been a military installation in Srinagar, which is close to the lake. The make of the missile is yet to be determined.

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