June 9, 1981, Forty Years Ago: Indo-Pak talks begin

The Indo-Pak talks have begun on an encouraging note with P V Narasimha Rao and Agha Shahi agreeing that the leaders of the two countries should meet frequently to exchange views. The suggestions for informal discussions at the political level was believed to have been made by the Indian minister of external affairs and was accepted by the Pakistani foreign minister. It wasn’t clear if the suggestion implied meetings between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zia-ul-Haq. Rao cited the practice followed by Western nations which hold informal discussions to discuss matters of mutual concern.

Israel-Iraq conflict

Israeli aircraft attacked and destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor being built near Baghdad. An announcement on Israeli Radio claimed that the reactor was built to make an atomic bomb for use against Israel. The announcement said that no Israeli government would have ventured to attack the reactor after construction because that would have caused a huge wave of radioactivity over Baghdad.

Makalu sabotage

Suresh Pandurang Inamdar, the senior Air India technician arrested in the Makalu Boeing sabotage case, has alleged that he was severely beaten up by CBI officials in the lockup. His counsel Freny Ponda told a metropolitan court in Bombay that his so-called “confession” was extracted after he was beaten up several times. Magistrate A D Kale asked Inamdar to show signs of torture. When they weren’t visible, the accused was asked to lodge a complaint with the court.

Board results

Results of the Delhi Senior School Certificate Exams conducted by the CBSE were declared on June 8. The pass percentage has increased from 64 last year to 73. The percentage of girl candidates clearing the exams was more than the boys by 6 points.