Saddam Hussein’s daughter Raghd and his first wife, Sajida Tulfah,now figure among the Iraq’s 41 fugitives most wanted by the Iraqi government. The inclusion of Sajida Tulfah, who lives in Qatar, and Raghd, who went to Jordan where she was given refuge by King Abdullah II, was a surprise. They are accused of using stolen funds to help to finance insurgent operations, though no reward was offered for their arrest.
According to Jordan News Agency – PETRA – Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit said that ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s eldest daughter was living in Jordan as a refugee. “Raghad Saddam Hussein and her children are in Jordan for pure humanitarian reasons. She is a guest of the Royal Hashemite family and does not practice any political or media activities.”
Bakhit added: “Jordan has not received any request from the Iraqi side to hand over Raghad to the Iraqi authorities, and such a request should be in line with the formal procedures. Jordan will deal with it (extradition request) in an appropriate manner.”
For more on the Wanted List see here.
“Rewards are on offer, with the biggest bounty $10million (£5.4million), for Saddam’s erstwhile right-hand man, Izzat Ibrahim, who has eluded capture for three years and apparently survives on the run despite numerous rumours of his death.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.