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D A W N W I R E S E R V I C E
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Week Ending : 01 June, 1995 Issue : 01/21
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The DAWN Wire Service () is a free weekly news-service from Pakistan's
largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. offers news, analysis
and features of particular interest to the Pakistani Community on the
Internet.
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(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1995
CONTENTS
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Pakistan & US
..........Pakistan wants total repeal of Pressler Law
..........Pakistan-US group meets today
PTC privatisation : Qamar rules out any change in policy
Countrywide strike over blasphemy law
Rabbani frees three Pakistan nationals
Punjab initiative on farm tax
Hadood Ord to be repealed: Shahnaz
Iqbal Masih's murder : HRCP team refutes allegations
Senator Zahid held
India pushing US towards missile race: Leghari
Karachi
..........Two army personnel kidnapped, killed
..........8 killed in city violence
..........Tortured MQM men brought to court blindfolded
..........7 suspended for torture of MQM men
..........Police version on torture
..........Karachi violence: All concerned at officials' 'involvement'
MQM
..........Altaf accuses Benazir of 'racism'
..........Altaf gives PM 12 days to apologise
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Borrowings exceed limit, investment falls short
Rupee at all-time low against dollar
BCCI liquidators obtain judgment against Attock Oil major shareholder
Bulls fight it back to rings
$13bn commitment made in power sector
Govt to raise additional Rs 55bn for next budget
KESC expansion plan receives setback
Hub plant to produce power from June next
Launching of Brotha project by August end
High growth target achieved
+++The Business & Financial Week
----------------------------------------
Sleaze unlimited By Ardeshir Cowasjee
Curse of Pressler ghost will stay From Shaheen Sehbai
This threat too, shall pass By Syeda Abida Hussain
The 'soppy liberal' in MS Bhutto has spoken, at last From M. Ziauddin
Defanging Pressler Law
Back to the future By Mazdak
One police encounter too many From Tahir Mirza
Between Kasur and Karachi From Tahir Mirza
Of mice 'n' men By Riffat Hamid Ghani
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Imran
..........Haiqa tells her side of the story
Pakistan wants total repeal of Pressler Law
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, May 25: Cautiously welcoming the latest resolution of the US
Senate Foreign Relations Committee on modifying the Pressler Amendment,
Pakistan government has expressed the hope for a total repeal of the
law.
In the weekly Foreign Office Press briefing on Thursday, the FO
spokesman termed the resolution, adopted by the Congress House
Committee, as being "the first step towards the doing away of this
inequitable country-specific law".
He pointed out that once this resolution was voted into a law issues
like the ban on economic assistance to Pakistan, military training,
return of defence equipment spare parts, waiver of storing charges on
the withheld equipment, etc., would fall out of the purview of the
amendment.
He added, however, that the government was constantly endeavouring to
get the sanctions lifted from "other remaining issues as well".
When asked to elaborate, he said the "other" issue involved defence
equipment worth US $1.4 billion, for which the payment had been made in
advance.
Replying to various queries on the subject of the withheld F-16
aircraft, he said although the resolution was silent on the matter for
the moment, it did not bar the matter from being incorporated by other
senators at a later stage.
**************** 950531
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Pakistan-US group meets today
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FromShaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, May 30: Pakistan will cross the first practical barrier in
dismantling the Pressler sanctions on Wednesday when the Pakistan-US
military consultative group reconvenes for the first time after the
Pressler ban went into force.
"It would be more a symbolic affair as it would mark the resumption of
formal military ties between the two countries after the Pressler
Amendment broke them off in 1990," a senior Pakistani diplomat told
Dawn.
Pakistani diplomats say the meeting of the group was would be symbolic
as it would mark the undoing of the Pressler ban, practically. So far
all that has been happening in Congress and the Senate has not taken
any practical shape as various proposals are passing through the
legislative chambers.
In the past, before the Pressler sanctions were imposed, the
consultative group used to meet annually and it is likely that it will
revert to the old schedule.
**************** 950528
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PTC privatisation : Qamar rules out any change in policy
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FromMuhammad Ilyas
ISLAMABAD, May 27: Syed Naveed Qamar, chairman, Privatisation
Commission, ruled out on Saturday any change in the policy in regard to
privatisation of Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation.
"There is no need to retreat but there is the need to put in place a
regulatory body which should take care of concerns being expressed by
various quarters," he stated during a three-day seminar on "Pak
Telecom'95" which he also inaugurated.
The PTC will be succeeded by PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication Company
Ltd) and the franchise thereof would be transferred to the strategic
investor purchasing 26 per cent shares by the end of 1995, the PC
chairman reiterated.
The seminar has been organised by the GIK Institute of Science &
Technology, Topi, and chairman of Asia Pacific Telecommunity Study
Group Inter Active Communication. The purpose of the Seminar, explained
the Institute pro-rector, Dr A. Rauf, in his address of welcome, was to
promote collaboration and liaison between the universities and the
industry. The seminar is being attended by academics and
representatives of the main firms dealing with the telecommunications
business.
**************** 950528
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Countrywide strike over blasphemy law
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Staff Report
ISLAMABAD, May 27: A complete strike was observed throughout the
country on the call of Milli Yakjehti Council, an umbrella organisation
of various religious parties, to protest against the proposed
amendments to the blasphemy law.
Reports pouring in from various parts of the country said main
commercial and shopping centuries, stock exchanges and currency markets
remained closed and public transport stayed off the roads in all major
cities. The strike remained peaceful.
However, except for Peshawar where Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain
Ahmad led a 2,000-strong procession, people did not respond to the call
of MYC leaders to come out and stage rallies.
The plans to bring out processions did not work because the police had
picked up many of the organisers at night, the strike-leaders claimed.
In Karachi, except a few private cars and taxis, which plied only in
emergency cases, all public transport and vehicular traffic remained
off the road. All shopping centres, bazaars, even food shops remain
closed.
**************** 950529
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Rabbani frees three Pakistan nationals
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, May 28: In a special gesture of goodwill towards Pakistan,
President Rabbani of Afghanistan on Sunday released three Pakistani
nationals imprisoned in Kabul over a period of time and handed them
over to the embassy staff at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The three released prisoners Syed Ishaq Ali Khan, Mohammad Naeem and
Iqbal Shah were taken prisoners by the Afghan government and kept in
custody in Kabul. A source at the Foreign Office told Dawn that its
embassy in Kabul had consistently been calling for the release of
several Pakistanis detained in Afghanistan and maintained all updated
list of people imprisoned over the years.
The source was unable to provide any details about the three except
their names. Asked about their arrival in Pakistan, the source said
they would either be flown over here or travel by road and would be
arriving in Islamabad shortly.
According to diplomatic observes, while the number of Pakistanis
imprisoned in Afghanistan is a closely guarded secret by the embassy in
Kabul, the figure of detainees is "quite large".
However chances for their release have now brightened with President
Rabbani promising Pakistan's Ambassador to Kabul, Qazi Humayun that the
Afghan government will soon be releasing them.
It may be mentioned that Foreign Minister Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali last
May had personally requested the former Afghan prime minister Gulbadin
Hekmatyar for the releaser of four Russian prisoners of war in
Afghanistan, who were handed over to the Russian deputy foreign
minister at a ceremony at the Prime Minister's House presided over by
Ms Bhutto.
**************** 950529
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Punjab initiative on farm tax
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FromShaukat Ali
LAHORE, May 28: The Punjab government seems to have overcome an
important hurdle by convincing strong feudal lobbies in the Provincial
Assembly that they will not oppose a government proposal to generate
about Rs 650 million through farm tax during 1995-96, which the big
landlords have always been resisting to pay ever since it was levied in
1993.
Knowledgeable sources told Dawn here on Sunday that the provincial
Chief Minister, Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, himself played an important
role in bringing home the idea of paying agricultural tax to some of
very influential feudals.
"The feudal legislators in the assembly were warned that they would
lose respect in the eyes of their electors if the collection of farm
tax is not enhanced in the year 1995-96, specially when the federal
government is hoping to enlarge tax collection by about Rs 30 billion
in the coming financial year by targeting the industrial and trade
sectors once again," informed sources said.
They added that the matter was discussed and resolved after hectic
manoeuvring by certain quarters for at least three months by taking
into confidence some of the very powerful feudals in the Southern parts
of the Province.
The proposal of levying farm tax was made and approved by the
Provincial Assembly in 1993, which incidentally had a majority of
feudal members, but only on the assurance that the government was doing
the exercise just to shut voices raised by the manufacturing sector
which wanted to also bring the agriculture sector under the tax net.
Sources said that the Provincial Government was facing a serious
problem in mobilising resources under mounting pressure from Islamabad
for doing so and which was not showing the generosity in supplying
funds to Punjab for 199596 in the manner which it had for the current
fiscal year for which the Province was obliged with an unexpected
over-flow of Rs 4.28 billion.
**************** 950529
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Hadood Ord to be repealed: Shahnaz
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FromAnjum Niaz
ISLAMABAD, May 28: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will soon redeem her
1988 election pledge by repealing all ordinances passed by General Zia-
ul-Haq which degrade women to a second class citizen in Pakistan, her
Special Assistant Shahnaz Wazir Ali said here on Sunday.
Ironically, General Zia had promulgated the Hadood Ordinance and the
Law of Evidence weeks before the Pakistan delegation left for Nairobi
to attend the UN Conference on Women. Despite receiving the Zari
Sarfaraz Status of Women's Commission Report calling for legislation on
equal rights for women a day before the departure of the delegation led
by Begum Sarfaraz, General Zia had the report put in cold storage.
Benazir Bhutto, when elected to office in her first term retrieved and
made it public, but was unable to scrap the Hadood Ordinance which
openly discriminated against women.
Ms Wazir Ali who now goes to Beijing to lead Pakistan at the UN Women's
Conference being held after a decade is pushing hard for the
ratification of the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW) which Pakistan has resisted so far.
The CEDAW has certain clauses on rights of inheritance which Pakistan
will not ratify because of their being repugnant to Islam. Many Muslim
countries have also MDAW but with reservations.
**************** 950529
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Iqbal Masih's murder : HRCP team refutes allegations
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By Our Special Correspondent
LAHORE, May 28: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in its
final report about the murder of Iqbal Masih, child labour leader, has
debunked the allegation that he was killed at the behest of certain
pressure groups.
The report based on the investigations carried out by a fact-finding
team of three human rights activists observed that the team had come
across no evidence suggesting that the murder had political, economic
or religious motives.
The team consisting of Mahboob Ahmad Khan, a lawyer, Joseph Francis and
Mohammad Hamza, after meeting a number of people on the spot submitted
the following findings to the commission: (1) Iqbal Masih's murder was
accidental. (2) The accused killed Iqbal Masih to cover up his guilt.
(3) There is no conspiracy behind the killing and (4) The age of the
deceased is disputed.
The team observed that the people interviewed gave their statements
voluntarily and answered the teams' questions without constraint or
pressure. The team members, however, expressed their surprise and
regrets that the eye-witnesses to the incident Faryad and Liaquat, now
in the custody of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF) were not
allowed to be interviewed by the team.
**************** 950530
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Senator Zahid held
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 29: Senator Zahid Akhtar of Mohajir Qaumi Movement was
arrested by the Intelligence Bureau and the Federal Investigation
Agency at the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport on Monday night.
Senator Akhtar was arrested as soon as he landed at the airport from
Islamabad and was taken to an unknown destination.
Earlier in the morning in Islamabad, he dodged the Intelligence Bureau
when it tried to arrest him.
**************** 950531
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India pushing US towards missile race: Leghari
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, May 30: President Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari on Tuesday
accused India of pushing Pakistan towards an expensive and non-
productive missile race but said Islamabad was in a position to counter
this Indian threat.
Leghari said Pakistan was very disconcerted at India's missile
programme as the missile race started by New Delhi was not only very
expensive but also non-productive.
"The Prithvi missile can reach any Pakistani city and India can hardly
use this missile against any other country," he told foreign
reporters.
"Pakistan has several means to counter the Indian threat and we will
use whatever means are necessary," he said without elaborating upon the
tools with which Pakistan would counter the programme.
Pakistan has said many times that it has the capability to develop a
nuclear weapon but has made a conscious decision not to do so.
Islamabad has also been accused by the United States of possessing
Chinese-made M-11 ballistic missiles, a charge denied by Islamabad.
**************** 950526
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Two army personnel kidnapped, killed
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 25: Two army men and two police constables were kidnapped,
tortured and killed in different parts of the city on Thursday.
Their bodies were blind-folded with hands and legs tied.
During the last five months, over 70 personnel of army, rangers and
police died in targeted killings in the city.
A 26-year-old soldier of Army's Air Defence Regiment who was on a
month's vacation with his family in Baldia Town was kidnapped sometime
on Thursday and later his bullet-riddled body was thrown in the same
area. He was identified as Mohammad Suleman, son of Mohammad Sarwar.
Another soldier Abdul Wahid Bhatti was kidnapped from Landhi and was
murdered in similar manner.
Wahid Bhatti who was posted in the infantry regiment of the army in
Quetta and had come to Karachi to meet his family.
**************** 950530
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8 killed in city violence
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 29: Eight more people, including a People's Party worker
and a policeman, were killed on Monday, raising the month's death toll
in violence to 130.
Arif alias Panga was allegedly involved in over 70 cases, including the
murders of 11 personnel of police, rangers and the army. He carried a
reward of Rs 500,000 on his head.
Arif who was described by the police as a free-lance killer, was killed
and his four other companions were arrested after an encounter with the
Korangi police.
Police claimed that Arif had snatched a Suzuki Hi-Roof (CJ-6464) from
Irshad and asked him to give Rs 20,000 for the release of his vehicle.
A police party, which was informed about the incident, came under fire
when it reached Chamra Chowk of Korangi.
Police claimed that Arif, who was wounded in the encounter, was taken
to a nearby private clinic, where he breathed his last. Four of his
other companions-Ihtesham Mukhtar, Kashif and Ghulam Sarwar-who were
present at the clinic were also arrested.
Shafaat Ali, 55, was also killed when he was hit by a stray bullet in
his house during the encounter.
**************** 950530
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Tortured MQM men brought to court blindfolded
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By Ghulam Hasnain
KARACHI, May 29: The premises housing the Special Court for the
Suppression of Terrorist Activities resounded with the wails of women
on Monday as a police armoured personnel carrier brought four
blind-folded workers of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement and dragged them to
the court when their injuries hampered their walk.
One of the four had a drilled left buttock, the other had a fractured
right leg, the third had injured left leg and hips and the fourth had
torture marks all over his body with infection in the eyes.
Their bodies were smeared with a thick layer of dirt with matted hair
as during 25 days of detention they were not allowed to take bath.
Lawyers were shocked when the police flouting all decorum produced the
four blind-folded and handcuffed men in the court of Kazi Mohammad
Akbar.
The presiding officer ordered the police to remove the folds after the
MQM lawyers objected and described it as a "contempt of court".
The four, in their 20s, were arrested on May 6 from their houses in the
jurisdiction of New Karachi police station, but the police claimed they
were arrested three days back, on May 27, after an encounter.
Police accused them of committing dacoities and claimed that they had
seized an AK-47 rifle, two pistols, a revolver and bullets from their
possession.
During the 25-day detention, the suspects were kept naked in the
interrogation centres, tortured to get desired statements and were
rarely provided meals.
Garment factory worker Mohammad Shahid was hung naked upside down,
beaten up with sticks and when his left buttock's skin ruptured,
policemen expanded it with pointed sticks.
One of his ribs was also fractured while his body bore several marks of
injuries. On Monday he and three other party workers showed their
injuries to presiding officer Kazi Mohammad Akbar. He ordered the jail
authorities to conduct medical checkups of all the four and send a
report to him.
"They forced us to stand during the daytime. In the nights they hung me
upside down and gave a severe beating. They provide us with water but
meals are scarce. Sometimes we don't get any food at all. Sometimes
they give us only one meal. I was kept blind-folded and was also
shifted to an unknown interrogation centre where I was kept for six
days," said Shahid who was unable to sit comfortably on a wooden bench
due to a three-by-three inch wound.
He was unable to say if he was also interrogated by rangers.
Mamoon Rashid, who has been a newspaper hawker for the last 15 years
and is the secretary of New Karachi Hawkers Association, had marks of
injuries all over his body.
"I feel pain in my entire body. They put us to all sorts of torture. We
were picked up from our houses and were interrogated for 25 days," he
said.
Rashid also developed an eye infection. A few days back, a policeman
provided him an eye ointment-Betnesol-N-to help reduce the pain.
But Rashid, who was unaware of the type of ointment, used it not only
just for his eyes but on all the injuries on his body.
Another MQM worker, Abdul Razzak, 20, was sitting in the court with his
fractured right leg covered with plaster.
"We were kept naked during the entire period of interrogation. They
asked us about the underground MQM leaders. We were also taken to the
Special Security Cell of the Inspector General of Sindh Police, where
we were tortured and asked the same questions all over again," he
said. Jamil Ahmed, 24, had injuries in the legs and hips. "We don't
know who interrogated us as we were blind-folded. They beat us
mercilessly to obtain information about the underground party leaders
and workers," he said.
In the afternoon when the four were brought to the court, several other
under-trial prisoners severely objected to the police attitude towards
the injured. An exchange of hot words and a scuffle also took place.
The MQM leaders and workers also exchanged hot words with the police.
"Police badly treated the four. They were dragged inside the court when
they couldn't walk and fell on the road. It was torturous They were
crying," said Nazir Leghari of Hala, an under-trial prisoner in the
Shah Bandar case.
After the hearing, in which the presiding officer also issued a show-
cause to Inspector Niaz Tunio for producing the suspects late, the four
were taken to jail in the APC.
The women relatives of the four kept crying while the four were made to
board the APC without any help. "Why are they doing this to our
children? Why have they tortured them? Look at their condition. These
policemen are killers of our children. We won't forget this," a woman
remarked.
The chief of MQM Legal Aid Committee, Qazi Khalid, told Dawn that on
Sunday Magistrate Shujaat ordered to send the four to judicial
custody. But the police instead of taking them to prison, again took
them to the police station.
On Monday, the New Karachi police brought the four to the special court
and told it that the magistrate had refused to issue any orders.
A contempt of court application was also filed by the MQM.
**************** 950531
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7 suspended for torture of MQM men
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 30: The government on Tuesday suspended seven policemen
who brought the four workers of Mohajir Qaumi Movement blindfolded, and
ordered a judicial enquiry into the allegations of torture during
interrogation.
A handout of the provincial home department said the government had
taken serious notice of the reported incident as it was not its policy
to blindfold or torture any person arrested by the police.
Those who were put under suspension were identified as Assistant Sub-
Inspector Iqbal Chohan and constables Sardar Imam Bux, Riaz Ahmed,
Aijaz, Sattar Mehmood, Mutiullah and Zulfiqar.
Inspector Niaz Hussain Tunio the station house officer of the New
Karachi police station, who headed the police party at the court, was
sent to Police Lines (Central).
The government has also appointed Sub-Divisional Magistrate Jamshed
Quarters, Tariq Niazi, the inquiry officer. He has been asked to submit
a report within four weeks.
His terms of reference are: to enquire into the allegations of torture,
reasons for bringing suspects to court blindfold, and fixing the
responsibility.
Meanwhile, another government handout said Chief Minister Syed Abdullah
Shah had directed the home department to order a judicial inquiry into
the alleged incident of torture of MQM workers.
"Sindh chief minister who was in Islamabad, having read these reports,
made immediate enquiries with the relevant senior officials.
"He was informed that Press reports regarding the alleged torture of
accused persons who were involved in a number of heinous crimes,
including the murder of a member of the KMC advisory council, Sami
Dehlvi, were exaggerated and not based on full facts.
"The chief minister was further informed that it was incorrect that any
hole was drilled into the body of any accused. [ News incomplete ]
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