DAWN
Week Ending 16 November, 1995 Issue 01/45
The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
Dr. Altamash Kamal - Coordinator
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fax +92(21) 568-3188 & 568-3801
mail Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Limited
DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Karachi 74400, Pakistan
(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1995
CONTENTS
Karachi Carnage
..........Death toll mounts to 74 this month.
..........Altaf flays police action against press.
..........MQM condemns raid
..........MQM seeks donations.
..........Altaf flays killing of MQM worker.
..........Two MQM men held.
..........Altaf gives govt a week to end operation
..........Altaf blames Haqiqi for death
..........MQM blames Haqiqi for attack on house
Opposition
..........Nawaz links democracy to mid-term elections
..........Benazir wants to spark off ethnic riots, says Nawaz
..........Nawaz wants poll schedule after talks
..........Country on brink of disaster warns Nawaz
..........PML terms minister s remarks old lies
..........Shahbaz rebuts Babar s claim on loan issue
PPP
..........Babar claims MQM facing shortage of money
..........N.D.Khan visits Dehlavi.
..........Govt promised nothing to MQM during talks Khan
..........Govt - MQM dialogue continuation supported
..........Babar says terrorists in Islamabad to kill him.
..........Sharif s family secured Rs6.14bn loans Babar
Coup Details
..........Probe team recommends court martial of armymen
..........Mirani divulges coup plan .
..........Opposition seeks open trial of held armymen
HRCP voices concern at police torture
Govt urged to stop HR violations
PBC urged to probe Advocate involved in abortive attack on Asma
Remarks bring NA proceeding to a halt.
Suspected attacker killed Rocket slam police quarters
Bugti accuses govt of dividing people
Heavy shooting around 70-Clifton
Benazir committing political suicide says Murtaza.
Murtaza calls for social revolution
Crucial talks with IMF
Rs 2.9bn defence losses report
Stock fails to sustain rally
Share business loses Rs11bn on eve of new prize bonds
No way out Rifaat Hamid Ghani
Audit and Accountability Mazdak
The dictates of Reason Abdullah J. Memon
Karachi s firing lines Editorial Column
A madcap and chilling affair Editorial Column
Jansher demolishes Gul in 29 minutes
Jansher in final, Eyles ousted
Jansher creates history winning 7th world title.
Pakistan shut out Egypt in squash team contest
Pakistan cut Sweden to size in world squash
8 dropped catches Pakistan in deep trouble in Brisbane Test.
Warne claims 7 wkts for 23 runs.
Pakistan capitulate to Australia in 1st test.
951116
Death toll mounts to 74 this month.
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Twenty-Eight people, were killed in targeted shootings this week
raising the month s death toll to 74. Among the dead were three PPP
workers, two MQM activist, three policemen, a doctor and recruits from
police and rangers. Some prominent occurrences are cited below.
KARACHI, Nov 10 Bullet-riddled Bodies of Adnan and Mohammad Jaseem
,two young PPP workers who had been missing since Thursday night were
found lying near a sewer of Orangi Extension. Police accused MQM
activists of carrying out the killings.
Mohammad Ali a PPP worker, was gunned down in Orangi. Police
registered a case against seven MQM workers. They were Arshad Kalia,
Asghar, Rasheed, Tariq Mehmood, Javed, Yasin Dadoo alias Khalid and
Aleem Kalia.
Saudagar Khan was shot dead in Orangi. The police blamed MQM activists
for the murder and registered a case against Dilawar, Akram, Kaleem
and Hassan Zaidi.
An unidentified 60-year-old man was found dead in an under-
construction school in Mominabad. Police were unable to identify the
victim, but blamed MQM workers Arshad Kalia, Asghar, Rasheed, Tariq
Mehmood, Javed Ansari, Yasin Dadoo and Khalid and Aleem Kalia for the
murder.
KARACHI, Nov 11 Residents told Dawn that armed activists of the PPP,
the Haqiqi and the MQM had taken positions on rooftops in their
respective areas and were intermittently firing shots at the positions
of their rivals.
During the day, armed men intercepted an MQM activist, Waheed Khan, in
Chishti Nagar and shot him dead. The victim was the joint secretary of
party s Orangi Town sector.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain blamed the PPP terrorists for the murder.
The party s fact finding committee claimed that five armed activists
of the PPP Salam Group attacked Waheed. It claimed that witnesses had
identified three of the suspects as Tariq, Wakil and Javed.
The Orangi Extension police have registered a case against
unidentified killers on the report of the victim s father.
A guard of the airport SDM and two others were wounded in a shooting
incident in the Gulzar-i-Hijri area. The incident occurred when some
truck drivers opened fire at them. The motive could not be known.
The injured were constable Abdul Sattar, Haji Hassan and Qurban.
Two people were wounded in sporadic incidents of shooting. They were
Shakil, in New Karachi and Constable Nauroze Masih in Surjani Town.
KARACHI, Nov 12 Rangers carried out siege-and-search operations in
some of the troubled localities to flush out criminals and
terrorists . Incidents of gunbattle and shooting in the air were also
reported in Orangi, Liaquatabad, and Korangi.
Parts of Orangi where various armed groups have taken positions
against their rivals remained tense with report of intermittent
shooting between rival militants.
Despite a siege-and-search operation in parts of the affected locality
of Orangi Town, two persons were killed in targeted attacks while a
young man described by police as a terrorist was killed in an
encounter .
In Zaman Town area of Korangi in District East, a young bullet-riddled
body was found lying in bushes at an isolated place. Police claimed it
was the victim of political revenge.
KARACHI, Nov 13 Two bullet-riddled bodies were found in Gulistan-i-
Jauhar. They were identified as that of Head Constable Arbab Ali and
Haji Kamal of Yar Mohammad Goth in Malir.
An MQM activist was killed and his three accomplices were caught red-
handed after an encounter with police in Korangi. They are Zubair
Kala, Amir and Faisal Wahid. The victim was identified as Rehmat Ali.
Haider Ali was critically wounded in Orangi Extension area. He was
standing outside his home when unidentified men sprayed him with
bullets.
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Altaf flays police action against Press
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Staff Correspondent
LONDON, Nov 10 Mohajir Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain has in a
statement condemned the actions of the Police in Karachi to browbeat
journalists and curb their reporting activities.
Mr Hussain said the threats to gag the Press, in a country like
Pakistan were ominous when the police seemed to be indulging in the
worst kind of barbarities against those it considers to be opponents
of the PPP Government.
The threats were aimed at stopping the Press from telling the public
the high-handed criminal actions of the police, such as torturing of
people in their custody or of extrajudicial murders which are
routinely shown as fake encounters in official documents .
He hoped that the Press will continue to perform its national task of
reporting the police excesses boldly.
In another statement, Mr Hussain has appealed for financial help for
the families of detained MQM workers and those who are in jail by
sending medical supplies and food stuff for them to the MQM in Karachi
or Hyderabad.
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MQM condemns raid
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 10 The MQM coordination committee on Friday condemned a
combined raid by the police and rangers on the house of Bilquis
Mukhtar, an MQM activist and reporter of daily Amn, and demanded of
the government to hold a judicial inquiry into the incident.
In a statement, the committee said the police and rangers riding in
mobiles and an armoured personnel carrier conducted a raid at 7 am on
the house of Bilquis and misbehaved with her family members.
The committee claimed that the raiding party led by two hooded
officials posing as army captains asked about Bilquis, who was not at
home, at the time of raid.
Later, they took Mohammad Amin, brother of Bilquis, with them, the
committee alleged.
951112
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MQM seeks donations
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 11 MQM chief Altaf Hussain has urged philanthropists and
the public in general to help thousands of party workers languishing
in jails.
In a two-page donation appeal, Altaf Hussain said thousands of his
party workers were passing a miserable life in prisons in the
interior of Sindh as their families were unable to help them owing to
the high cost of transportation and bribes being demanded by the
prison staff .
He claimed the prison staff was demanding Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 from each
family to allow them to see their dear and near ones in various
prisons in the province.
The MQM, he said, was facing an acute shortage of funds owing to the
operation clean-up against it for the last over three-and-a-half years
and an unofficial ban on its activities.
He urged the philanthropists and the public to donate medicines, rice,
pulses, sugar, ghee, soaps, tooth paste, and other day-to-day items.
951112
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Altaf flays killing of MQM worker
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Staff Correspondent
LONDON, Nov 11 The government is making false claims that it is
serious about conciliation and negotiations but it believes only in
the use of force which it is employing against the Mohajirs , said the
MQM leader, Mr Altaf Hussain, who was condoling the death of his party
worker, Waheed in Orangi. Mr Hussain accused the PPP gunmen of having
brutally murdered him.
He said that if the government failed to arrest the killers, who,
according to him are known PPP workers, the MQM would have no option
but to use the weapon of protest.
He said while the government ministers express their support for talks
and claim they are anxious to resolve issues through negotiations, the
ruling party itself is involved in the killing of MQM workers under
the patronage of the Rangers and the police in Orangi Town area.
951112
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Two MQM men held
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 11 The police claimed that they have arrested two MQM
workers who had allegedly set ablaze the Chenab Express and 21
vehicles and were involved in many other crimes.
The suspects were named as Sohail Jamal and Amir Akhtar.
In a press statement issued on a plain paper instead of an official
letterhead, a copy of which was faxed to Dawn, the police claimed that
Inspector Zeeshan Kazmi of Nazimabad police station raided the parking
lot of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital on a tip-off.
Sohail and Jamil were arrested with arms and a stolen Charade car
while their three companions Imran, Salim Qureshi and Shahid managed
to escape. The statement further said Tabrez, a brother of Sohail
Jamal, was earlier killed in an encounter with the police.
Meanwhile, the Korangi police claimed on Saturday that they arrested
three suspects who had allegedly killed ex-PPP leader S. M Umer, last
week.
The suspects were identified as Aftabuddin, Mohammad Ameen and Abdul
Razzak alias Kallu. The police were trying to recover arms and their
other accomplices.
951113
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Altaf gives govt a week to end operation
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 12 MQM chief Altaf Hussain on Sunday gave a week s
deadline to the government to stop operation against Mohajirs saying
it was a pre-requisite for holding of meaningful talks with the MQM.
He said raids on the houses of MQM workers were continuing, but the
government was misleading the people to believe that it wanted to
solve problems through dialogue.
Mr Hussain mentioned that the government has withdrawn police force on
guard duty of members of MQM negotiating team and instituted fake
criminal cases against them .
During the ninth round of talks, he said, the government had agreed
that it would shift detainees to Karachi and Hyderabad jails from the
remote prisons in Sindh, but it did not act accordingly.
He added it took Interior Minister Naseerullah Babar five months to
conceded the detention of Raees Fatima.
951116
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Altaf blames Haqiqi for death
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Staff Correspondent
LONDON, Nov. 15 Mohajir Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain has
condemned the killing of his party supporter Mohammad Anwar Qureshi,
allegedly by the Haqiqi group gunmen.
He said these people raided a house in Federal B Area to abduct Asif
Ali, an MQM worker. Not finding him there, they then took away
Mohammad Anwar to their notorious torture cell in Liaquatabad.
Mr Hussain said that Mohammad Anwar s father went to the authorities
who told him his whereabouts but refused to rescue him from the hold
of the Haqiqi group.
This murder, he added, is a clear proof of a collusion between the
present government and the Haqiqi terrorists.
Mr Hussain also urged the president to take necessary steps to stop
the Haqiqi group from killing Mohajirs.
951116
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MQM blames Haqiqi for attack on house
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov. 15 The MQM coordination committee on Wednesday blamed
the MQM Haqiqi for the attack on the house of Asif Ali, an MQM
activist, in Azizabad on the night of Nov. 14.
In a statement, the committee alleged that Haqiqi men stormed the
residence of Asif, who was not present in the house, then they
abducted Mohammad Anwar Qureshi, an MQM supporter, and tortured him
to death .
It also alleged that the same persons resorted to heavy shooting in
Azizabad.
In another statement, Senator Nasreen Jalil demanded of President
Farooq Ahmad Leghari to intervene and save the life of Tasleem Qaisar,
arrested by the rangers on Nov. 8.
She alleged that Mr Qaisar was undergoing severe torture at a rangers
torture cell .
951109
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Nawaz links democracy to mid-term elections
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 8 PML chief Mohammad Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday linked
the survival of democracy and of the country to mid-term elections and
said he was all for consensus on key issues including reforms in the
Constitution.
Dilating on the key issues on which he wanted to have a consensus
prior to mid-term polls he said a national commission should be set up
having judges who will be permanently on it. The commission should
investigate all cases of corruption and those found guilty be
punished.
Horse trading in any form should be banned and if any legislator
changes party loyalty, he ceases to be a member of the House , he
said.
The prestige of judiciary be restored by removing all Jiala judges
and all appointments be made strictly on merit basis only, he
demanded.
There should also be a consensus on all sensitive foreign policy
matters like the Kashmir, Afghanistan and nuclear issues.
Another important problem which he said also called for a consensus
was the need for restoring peace in Karachi as all economic progress
is depended on peace in the metropolis.
The former prime minister said all such key issues along with the
constitutional reforms should be taken care of through a package
linked to mid-term polls.
951111
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Benazir wants to spark off ethnic riots, says Nawaz
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Staff Correspondent
SUKKUR, Nov 10 PML chief and leader of opposition Mian Mohammad Nawaz
Sharif has accused Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of sparking off
ethnic disturbances in the country.
With reference to Karachi issue, Mr Sharif said TV, radio and state
machinery were being used to flare up ethnic violence. He said that by
propagating such things, Benazir wanted to shake the vary foundation
of Pakistan.
Mr Sharif claimed that if government excesses continued then Benazir
was going to face the defeat in her own constituency in Larkana.
He declared that Benazir and Zardari would have to face accountability
about their horses worth Rs900 million as well as construction of
their palaces abroad.
He said the country s wealth had been plundered in the name of foreign
investments and banks depleted. He alleged that all foreign tours were
undertaken only for luxury and only for taking jiyalas on excursions.
He alleged that Benazir had spent Rs280 million on her US visit alone
and he felt ashamed of even taking names of those whom Benazir took
with her in the name of culture.
The leader of the opposition said there was no need to give any call
to get rid of the government as every person had become fed up with
the PPP government and making efforts to kick it out.
951113
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Nawaz wants poll schedule after talks
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MULTAN, Nov 12 The opposition leader in the National Assembly Mian
Mohammad Nawaz Sharif has said that the high rate of inflation is the
root cause of corruption.
He said the corruption like bungling, bribery, and other social evils
could be checked by implementing various effective polices. He said
this could be done if he was provided assurance that immediately after
the talks general elections would be held.
Nawaz Sharif pointed out the need for the maintenance of law and order
at every cost in the country and said the system of accountability
should be free of any sort of discrimination.
He also pointed out the need for giving top attention towards
strengthening of the basic infrastructure which is vital for achieving
strong economy.
951113
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Country on brink of disaster, warns Nawaz
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Staff Report
BAHAWALPUR, Nov 12 Opposition leader Mian Nawaz Sharif has warned
that the country is on the brink of disaster due to wrong policies of
the government.
Expressing his concern over the price-hike due to devaluation of
rupee. He demanded withdrawal of the raise in the prices of POL
products and power tariff.
He warned that if the government could not control the present price-
hike, it would have to face the public wrath. He clarified that his
mass-contact campaign was not an election campaign.
Mr Sharif reiterated his demand for the formation of a high-level
national commission for the accountability of corrupt and dishonest
politicians.
He said that foreign exchange reserves of the country were now reduced
to $ 1.2 billion and of them $ 1.1 billion were security reserves. The
PML chief said that during June last, the government had imposed taxes
of Rs16 billion, while it had recently levied new taxes of Rs21
billion through a mini budget.
He said he had offered his cooperation for finding a solution to the
Karachi problem, but Ms Bhutto remarked that the PML was not in a
position to help solve this problem.
951114
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PML terms minister s remarks old lies
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Staff Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 13 Pakistan Muslim League, commenting on Interior
Minister Naseerullah Babar s remarks against the arrested leader of
the Opposition, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, termed it totally devoid of all
norms of decency, civility and an expression of political bankruptcy.
The PML spokesman said the attempt to fabricate a case had failed one
year ago and it would meet the same fate now since the interior
minister was merely repeating old lies. He said had there been even
an iota of truth in these documents, the government would not have
waited for one year to reissue these but, instead, would have
presented them in a court of law.
He also said these documents had no legal veracity as was evident from
the fact that they were being used only to satisfy the interior
minister s desire for pursuing a trial of Mian Shahbaz Sharif through
the press on baseless allegations.
Concluding, the PML spokesman advised the interior minister to have
mercy on himself and spend his last days praying to the Almighty for
forgiveness and atonement for the many sins and crimes that he had
committed while in office all across the country, the latest being the
arrest of an innocent man on false charges.
951116
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Shahbaz rebuts Babar s claim on loan issue
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 15 Shahbaz Sharif said here on Wednesday that Ittefaq
Group of Industries owed Rs3.0 billion to the banks and not Rs6.0
billion as claimed by Interior Minister Naseerullah Babar.
PBC urged to probe Advocate involved in abortive attack on Asma
Terming Babar s claims worst example of vilification, victimisation
and distortion of facts, he said his news conference was full of
inaccuracies, false allegations and politically-motivated accusations.
Giving a history of Ittefaq group established by his father in 1939,
Shahbaz Sharif dispelled the impression that the Ittefaq Group
expanded from one unit to 20 units in 10 years period when Nawaz
Sharif was holding the office of the chief minister and the prime
minister.
LOAN DEFAULTS Shahbaz Sharif said while less than Rs3.0 billion were
taken as loan by his family s industrial concerns, these loans were
secured by assets at least thrice the amount of the loan. He also
claimed that all these loans were taken against proper security and
serviced on time. Till October 1993, he said, none of the Ittefaq
units were loan defaulters.
He said if there would have been any outstanding loan against him or
his two brothers, they would have been debarred from contesting the
last general elections.
Shahbaz Sharif said the Ittefaq Foundries were forced to close after
the government asked the banks not to open letters of credit for the
import of raw materials for their industrial units.
TAXES The opposition leader in the Punjab assembly said Sharif family
paid a total wealth tax of Rs one million during 1992-93. He said the
wealth tax was adjusted in the total taxable income. Hence the income
tax was reduced.
Regarding bank loans sought from Citi bank, he said these were secured
against the US dollar account of Kashif Masood Qazi and Sikandara
Qazi.
He denied that the loans were excessive and said the interior minister
should compare the loans of the Ittefaq group with loans obtained by
other similar industrial units in Pakistan.
951109
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Babar claims MQM facing shortage of money
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 8 Interior Minister Naseerullah Babar claimed on
Wednesday that Altaf Group activists were facing paucity of funds
and ammunition.
The Interior Minister, said long-term settlement is possible only
through political dialogue. Claiming that some elements within the MQM
had started questioning Altaf Hussain s policy of confrontation, he
said eyebrows are being raised over the luxurious lifestyle of Altaf
Hussain. Whatever funds MQM activists collected through donations and
other means have been sent to London and party activists here are
short of funds.
The people who had suffered for him, he said, were in financial
difficulties. The families of those who had gone to jail for his cause
had now started demanding financial assistance from the party.
He claimed that some of the arrested MQM activists had disclosed that
they had also committed dacoities to raise funds for operations.
He asked Mr Altaf Hussain to come back to Pakistan to prove himself
like those leaders who were with their men when they were faced with
hardships.
951111
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N.D. Khan visits Dehlavi
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 10 The chief government negotiator, Federal Law Minister
N.D. Khan, called on the chief MQM negotiator, Ajmal Dehlavi, on
Friday, in a bid to seek resumption of the stalled talks which the MQM
say depends on a positive reply to its letter by the government.
Talking to newsmen after about 50 minutes of one-to-one talks with Mr
Dehlavi, Mr Khan said he was very hopeful about the early resumption
of talks which have been stalled since Sept 24.
Appreciating Mr Dehlavi s concern for peace and tranquillity in the
city and the need for breaking the present impasse, Mr Khan said the
talks could be resumed around Nov 20 or even before.
The law minister said that it would depend on Mr Dehlavi s own plan to
visit London and return of his two colleagues from there.
Giving his side of the story, chief MQM negotiator, Mr Dehlavi
reiterated his party s position that talks could be resumed any day
once the government furnished a positive reply to his letter.
Emphasising the need for a meaningful and substantive negotiations to
resolve the issues politically, Mr Dehlavi made it clear that bullets
and abuses must stop.
Mr Dehlavi complained that the government had not fulfilled any of its
commitments. None of the 10 points on which an agreement was signed
by the Sindh government on Oct 19 last year, have been implemented so
far.
He said the government has failed to fulfil its promises about the
release of Shazia Farooq, meeting with Qamar Mansoor and other
interned MPAs.
Given this situation there is hardly any chance for the success of
the talks, said the chief MQM negotiator.
951115
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Govt promised nothing to MQM during talks Khan
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ISLAMABAD, Nov. 14 Federal Minister For Law, Justice and
Parliamentary Affairs, N.D. Khan has said that the talks between
government and the MQM was unconditional and nothing was committed by
the government during the nine rounds of negotiations.
N.D. Khan said that he was very optimistic about resumption of talks
between government and the MQM after meeting Mr Ajmal Dehlavi but he
was surprised to see the next day s newspapers carrying the news
regarding MQM demands and a dead line was announced to meet these
demands, he added.
It was really shocking for him that rather coming to the table within
seven days as was promised by Ajmal Dehlavi, next day seven rocket
launchers were fired at the Police Headquarters by the terrorists, the
minister said.
Mr Khan hoped that the issue of Karachi would be resolved within one
week after resumption of talks, I hope that the positive response
will come from the other side and we will be able to resolve this
issue in the coming days .
951113
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Govt-MQM dialogue continuation supported
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 12 Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Sunday emphasised
the need for continuing talks with the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM)
for the restoration of peace in the city.
Asked about the status of his reply to Mr Dehlavi s letter, Mr Khan
said The text has been finalised, and I will fax it on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, talking to Dawn Mr Dehlavi said he was awaiting the
government s positive response and only after that would he would be
able to comment.
In this context he referred to MQM chief Altaf Hussain s statement in
which he has given the government seven days to honour its commitments
to the MQM negotiating team and engage in sincere and serious
negotiations by stopping state terrorism. He also pointed out that Mr
Hussain has asked for guarantees against extrajudicial killings of
MQM activists.
Asked if MQM had entered into any formal alliance with the PML and the
ANP, Mr Dehlavi said We have political understanding and if they
decide on launching a movement against the government, and we are
asked to participate, we may consider it if we find the programme in
conformity with our objectives.
951114
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Babar says terrorists in Islamabad to kill him
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 13 Interior Minister Naseeruallah Babar said I have
been informed by the intelligence agencies that a squad of MQM
terrorists has come to Islamabad to assassinate me. But I am least
bothered because it is my firm belief that when it is my turn (to die)
no power on earth can save me.
Babar said he had even been moving in the violent-hit city of Karachi
without any police squad as he was not afraid of death. He went on
further to say I am the only stumbling block in their (MQM) way so
they want to eliminate me but I am not afraid .
The interior minister said the intelligence agencies were on the look
for the terrorists who had entered the federal capital.
951114
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Sharif s family secured Rs6.14bn loans Babar
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 13 Family of Opposition Leader Nawaz Sharif secured
loans to the tune of Rs6.14 billion since 1983, Interior Minister
Naseerullah Babar claimed on Monday.
The interior minister said Sharif family had laundered its black
money by bringing money from abroad in fake bank accounts which were
being operated by their people.
He said the opposition leader was trying to create an impression that
the arrest of his younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif, was the result of
political victimisation, whereas the fact was that he (Shahbaz Sharif)
was involved in financial frauds to the tune of millions of rupees.
He also provided documentary evidence to reporters to establish his
claim.
He said the family had a one unit industrial empire in 1980 but when
Sharif became the chief minister the number of these mills grew to
nine. This number of industries swelled to 20 when Mian Nawaz Sharif
became the prime minister.
Babar said despite the rapid increase in their industrial units, they
wilfully and fraudulently concealed their wealth and income and
submitted false income tax statements. He said in 1992-93 Shahbaz paid
Rs897 as income tax and in 1993-94, Rs 47,450.
He said on the basis of this declared income it was not possible to
set up even a single more unit. Obviously it was arranged through
most corrupt, unlawful and illegal means and misuse of official
position by pressuring the banks.
The interior minister said the government was approaching the United
States government for registration of a case in that country against
Sharif family for transferring huge amounts of money through wire
transaction in violation of US laws.
951112
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Probe team recommends court martial of armymen
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Ihtasham ul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 A high level team of army experts, undertaking an
inquiry into the conduct of some army officers, has concluded that a
group of senior officers tried to stage a coup on Sept 26 by planning
to eliminate nine corps commanders and four principal staff officers
in the General Headquarters (GHQ) and has recommended their court
martial.
Informed sources told Dawn here on Saturday that a communication was
also delivered to all the lieutenant generals by the director-general
of Military Intelligence (MI), Lt Gen Mehmood ,informing them that a
conspiracy had been hatched to storm into the corps commanders meeting
on Sept 26 and capture power.
Blueprints of the planned coup along with video and audio cassettes
have been recovered which were to be broadcast and telecast on state-
run radio and television after elimination of all the nine corps
commanders and four principal staff officers and claiming that a true
Islamic revolution has come in Pakistan, a source said. The four
PSO s are Quarter Master General (QMG), Chief of the General Staff
(CGS), Adjutant General (AG) and Master General of Ordinance (MGO).
A one-page communication circulated by the director-general MI also
said that there were two groups in the arrested army officers. One
belonged to the inner circle which was to conduct the operation while
the other was asked to be ready for any instant assignment.
Sources said those who were involved only in extending verbal support
to what they called Jihad in the occupied Kashmir were likely to be
released soon. However, those who had established contact with Harkat-
ul-Ansar of the occupied Kashmir and were providing them arms and
ammunition by smuggling them from Darra Adam Khel in NWFP and some
parts of Afghanistan will have to undergo stringent investigations if
not a court martial.
There were about 40 officers including Maj Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam Abbasi,
and Brig Mustansar Billah who were arrested on Sept 26 on being tipped
by former chief of the MI, Maj Gen Ali Quli Khan, who was latter
promoted to the rank of Lt Gen. Sources said more arrests were likely
after completion of further investigation which was being undertaken
now.
Sources added that the MI chief also said in his communication that
there was a wave of sectarianism and extremism in Pakistan which has
to be curbed to save the country. This is a dangerous trend and could
tear apart the whole fabric of the society if not timely checked, he
further reportedly stated.
Sources said that the Army chief, General Abdul Waheed, is expected to
call on President Farooq Leghari who is also the Supreme Commander on
his return from New Zealand to discuss the matter.
951115
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mirani divulges coup plan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 14 Defence Minister Aftab Shaaban Mirani confirmed on
Tuesday that a group of arrested army officers had plotted to
eliminate the top army leadership as well as the president and the
prime minister on Sept 30 to impose a self-styled Islamic system in
the country.
In a first detailed official account of the planned coup, the defence
minister said the authorities had also found written plans, including
a draft constitution, the outline of a new political system, a speech
which was to be broadcast after take-over and the list of persons who
were to be eliminated after the coup.
Aftab Mirani said the conspirator included a major-general, a
brigadier, three colonels, half a dozen other officers and 25 to 30
civilians.
The defence minister made it clear that the conspirators had no
support from the army.
951116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Opposition seeks open trial of held armymen
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 15 The opposition parties in the Senate have demanded
an open trial of arrested army officers who had planned a coup on Sept
30, leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said.
Raja Zafarul Haq told reporters after the meeting that the opposition
members were of the opinion that a free trial of these officers should
be held where the Press and the people should be allowed to witness
the proceedings.
951109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
HRCP voices concern at police torture
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
LAHORE, Nov 8 The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has strongly
protested against the reported increase in cases of torture by police
during investigation and demanded that immediate measures should be
taken to civilise the police force . Members of the assemblies and
public opinion, it said, should join in demanding a monitoring and
accounting of police conduct.
In a statement, HRCP chairperson Asma Jahangir said that reports in a
section of the Press about police torture made a harrowing reading .
The worst imaginable third- degree methods had become part of the
standard armoury of almost every police station in Punjab , she
observed.
Ms Asma Jahangir said it appeared that virtually every police station
maintained a separate unofficial torture cell, and the situation in
villages was even more gruesome because terrorism is open . She said
that most of people taken into custody were believed to be routinely
subjected to extremes of violence. Many die and then they are
reported killed while trying to escape , she stated.
The HRCP chief referred to another report, according to which the
Lahore High Court was stated to have taken serious notice of the fact
that the law against keeping women detainees in police stations
overnight was being widely violated.
Ms Asma Jahangir said this was a deplorable state of affairs and added
that no society, even remotely civilised, should stand for it.
951113
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Govt urged to stop HR violations
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Correspondent
SUKKUR, Nov 12 The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has called
upon the government to take practical steps to improve the human
rights condition in the country.
The HRCP has called upon the government to abolish the special
terrorist courts throughout the country and curtail the power of
police as the police were misusing their powers which come under the
violation of human rights.
The government was urged to take effective measures to stop bonded
child labour and set up a committee in each district to check this
curse. It also demanded that incidents of victimisation and harassment
faced by journalists be stopped.
The HRCP also urged the government to provide proper medical treatment
in jails and separate locks-up for children in jails and at police
station.
951116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PBC urged to probe Advocate involved in abortive attack on Asma
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
LAHORE, Nov. 15 A number of lawyers demanded of the Pakistan Bar
Council on Wednesday to set up a committee to enquire into the
involvement of an advocate in abetting and conspiring to murder his
colleague and their families .
The lawyers, including a sizeable number of the female members of the
legal fraternity, gathered at the Lahore High Court Bar Association s
Shuhada-i-Karachi Hall with Advocate Asma Jahangir, chairperson of the
human rights commission of Pakistan in the chair to express their
indignation.
Ms Asma and Advocate Salama Tasadduq later addressed a Press
conference stating that Mr Muhammad Ismail Qureshy, a senior advocate
of the Supreme Court, was behind the abortive attempt on the lives of
the Jilani sisters (Asma and Hina Jilani) and members of their family.
Ms Asma and other lawyers deplored that only two of some eight
attackers have been arrested so far. She and her colleagues are not
satisfied with the investigations. They said it is evident from the
elaborate preparations of and the recoveries made from the accused
that it was not an ordinary crime. An organised group is behind the
conspiracy to eliminate liberal elements, they said.
Ms Asma distributed copies of a writ petition filed by Advocate
Qureshy on behalf of the father of Zia Kaunain, named as co-accused
and co-conspirator by an arrested accused in the murder attempt on
Jilani sisters and their families.
951109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Remark brings NA proceeding to a halt
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov 8 The proceedings of the National Assembly were
brought to a grinding halt on Wednesday by an infuriated Zafar Ali
Shah who demanded a house apology from his own treasury colleague,
Nawabzada Ghazanfur Gul.
The desired apology never came from an equally worked up Nawabzada but
a good hour and half of the proceedings were lost to the stand-off
which was ultimately resolved after a heated debate in the deputy
speaker s chamber.
It all started with a seemingly innocent innuendo hurled at Maulana
Abdur Raheem Chitrali during the question hour, by the ever-joking
Nawabzada Gul. The Nawabzada was immediately rewarded with the typical
opposition reaction of replying in a similar language and the
hurtling of equally barbed innuendoes and nothing seemed extraordinary
by the accepted standards of behaviour in the House. Only no one
seemed to have accounted for the mercurial temper of the deputy
speaker who immediately branded Nawabzada s remarks as obscene and
demanded an apology from him.
After a little dilly dallying and lacing his statement with a few
ambiguities, Nawabzada finally apologised to Maulana Chitrali but
apparently he didn t do it fast enough for Zafar s pleasure who
immediately put forth the additional command of Gul apologising to the
entire House. This time it was Nawabzada s turn to throw up his hands
in anger and declare no way . Gul insisted that he had not said
anything obscene while Zafar interpreted his statement as such. The
deadlock had begun.
After repeating his directive a few times, a clearly flustered looking
Zafar Ali Shah adjourned the House and retreated to his chambers with
different government ministers scurrying to his office.
Initially, the deputy speaker was placated by the ever effusive
Khurshid Ali Shah who said that Nawabzada had already left the House
and would therefore miss out the remaining part of the proceedings.
But before a relatively complacent Zafar Ali Shah could return to the
House, a furious sounding Nawabzada popped into his office and the
whole debate began anew.
Had it not been for the presence of Khawaja Asif, Akbar Vance, a
couple of journalists and federal ministers Raza Rabbani and Sher
Afgan, the matters could have easily taken a turn for the worse with
Nawabzada threatening to resign rather than apologise for a wrong he
never committed and an equally determined Shah refusing to budge.
After a heated exchange of a good 30 minutes or so both men left the
deputy speaker s chamber without reaching any final agreement.
Nawabzada went out grumbling on the arm of Raza Rabbani while an
equally irate Zafar donned his black robe and sauntered towards the
House reiterating his determination to elicit an apology from Gul .
In the chamber he went even as far as suggesting that in the absence
of this apology he would not go back . When one of the journalists
present suggested that he may be making it an unnecessary matter of
ego, a seemingly offended Shah retorted Maybe I am at fault because I
still go by the values we learnt in the 60 s .
Nawabzada, ministers and the journalists gathered in the deputy
speaker s chambers returned to the House without the slightest clue
about Zafar Ali Shah s immediate future action. Once inside, the
deputy speaker made a solemn assessment of the stand off forcing a
nervous sounding Khurshid Ali Shah to insist upon an opportunity to
say a few words before you give any ruling .
Once again Shah reiterated that Gul would apologise to Maulana
Chitrali, tactfully avoiding any mention of the apology to the House
as demanded by Zafar Ali Shah. At this point Nawabzada stood up and
made an almost brief speech under the pretext of apologising to the
Maulana who too accepted the apology in an equally graceful manner.
Sensing that both the opposition and the treasury weren t interested
in taking up this issue any further, the deputy speaker also let go of
his demand and took up the next item on the agenda.
951111
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-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaukat Ali
LAHORE, Nov 10 The federal government has ordered the Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) to work in close association with the
Central Board of Revenue (CBR) in marking cases of gross tax evasion
irrespective of political or other considerations.
Well informed sources told Dawn here on Friday that Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto had told top brass of her party not to influence the
FIA staff working to apprehend tax evaders in any manner. The prime
minister, sources said, had in fact ordered her close aides to draw up
all possible measures to boost tax revenue to meet International
Monetary Fund conditionalities if Pakistan had to seek foreign
assistance against some of its long stuck up projects of national
interest.
As a matter of fact the FIA has marked, and confiscated certain
documents, as many as eleven cases so for involving tax evasion
amounting to over Rs850 million in Punjab and Sindh, official sources
said.
If the revenue collection target, they said, for the second quarter
was also met, or showed upward trend, the government believed that it
would be in a strong position to negotiate with some foreign financial
institutions, including the IMF, to fund some important mega projects,
signed with foreign investors specially in the power sector.
951114
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Suspected attacker killed Rockets slam police quarters
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ghulam Hasnain
KARACHI, Nov. 13 At least 10 people, including a six-month- old girl,
were wounded and several houses were damaged when unidentified youths
fired 10 anti-tank rockets at the residential quarters of police in
Garden on Monday noon.
Seven of the rockets slammed policemen s houses, injuring two
policemen, three women, two girls and three teenagers. The eighth one
hit an under-construction building of the police department. Two
rockets did not explode. One of it fell in the drawing room of an
Income Tax officer in the same vicinity. The other in an open place.
The attack was followed by heavy shooting by the youths and some of
the armed residents of the police colony. The heavy shooting continued
for about 15 to 20 minutes filling the congested neighbourhood with
gunfire smoke.
The incident heightened tension between over 10,000 residents of
police quarters and the neighbouring MQM supporters.
Police accused the MQM of launching the rocket attack and said one of
the fleeing attackers was killed in an encounter. The victim was
identified as Anwar Khan.
A massive city-wide hunt has also been launched on the basis of a
diary found on Anwar s body. It was carrying telephone numbers and
addresses of party activists. At the filing of this report, police
were raiding suspected houses.
951114
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bugti accuses govt of dividing people
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Correspondent
QUETTA, Nov. 13 Saleem Akbar Bugti, Parliamentary leader Jamhoori
Watan Party (JWP) while denying allegations against his father and
party chief, has challenged the federal government to prove its claims
that Nawab Akbar Bugti was receiving huge financial benefits from Sui
gas companies.
Saleem Bugti strongly criticised the governor Balochistan, Imranullah
Khan, federal ministers, Naseerullah Babar and Khalid Ahmed Kharal,
for their unfounded allegations against Akbar Bugti.
He said all of them were corrupt and dishonest and out to implement
the sinister disinformation campaign of the federal government against
Nawab Akbar Bugti.
Saleem Bugti said the contradictions in their claims and counter-
claims of the ministers governor and political agent was self-
explanatory and leaves little room even for a ceremonial denial.
JWP leader said the economic policies of the government has already
brought Pakistan to the verge of total collapse. He mentioned the
situation in Karachi was engineered by the government to destabilise
the country and now it has extended its operation up to Sui to create
Karachi like situation.
951115
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Heavy shooting around 70-Clifton
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov. 14 Heavy shooting around the residence of late Prime
Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto created panic and chaos in the entire
locality on Tuesday night.
Parts of Clifton reverberated with heavy gunfire when unidentified men
riding at least four cars resorted to drive-by shooting which,
neighbours claimed, continued for at least 10 minutes.
The response of the police and other law enforcement agencies was poor
despite the fact that at least two police stations and the offices of
Intelligence Bureau, from where the entire city is being monitored,
are a walking distance from the site of the incident.
Provincial vice-president of PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) Ali Mohammad,
accused Bilawal House of masterminding the shooting and alleged that
the government had hired criminals to terrorise the party.
Police, however, claimed that Mir Murtaza Bhutto s guard indulged in
an aimless shooting to create panic.
951115
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Benazir committing political suicide, says Murtaza
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
LAHORE, Nov. 14 PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) president Mir Murtaza Bhutto on
Monday said that by adopting wrong policies Ms Benazir Bhutto was
committing a political suicide.
Mir Murtaza termed the present government of Ms Bhutto as dictatorship
in the guise of democracy. He alleged that Mr Asif Ali Zardari was
indulging in criminal activities. Everything was being done in Karachi
at his behest.
Mir Murtaza said people were not reacting to the wrong government
policies as they had become a victim to the depoliticising process
started by Gen Zia-ul Haq. If they agitate against government, we are
ready to lead them, he said.
951116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Murtaza calls for social revolution
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov. 15 PPP (SB) chairman Mir Murtaza Bhutto said on
Wednesday that Pakistan was facing an economic and political crisis
which called for ushering in a social revolution.
He castigated government policies and observed Referring to economic
issues, he said the country was being governed by representatives of
the World Bank, IMF and foreign powers who were after the last drop of
blood of the people.
Five hundred multi-national companies have crossed all geographical
boundaries and turned the world into an economic unit. These very
institutions are pursuing a policy to slave Pakistan economically, he
said, and added that the rulers attitude towards nuclear energy,
Kashmir and other sensitive issues was quite mysterious and if we
want to live like a sovereign and self-respecting nation, we have to
get rid of foreign loan.
About Karachi situation, he said that owing to the non-serious
approach of the government the Karachi issue was getting more and more
complicated day by day. Contrary to its claims , he said, the
terrorists are challenging the government authority.
Mir Murtaza accused the ruling party of patronising criminals and drug
pushers in Lyari from where its candidates were elected.
951114
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Crucial talks with IMF
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 Pakistan begins a crucial round of negotiations
with the IMF for a 250 million dollar stand-by loan that Islamabad
thinks is essential to halt the fall in country s foreign exchange
reserves.
IMF officials think the stand-by loan would be a bridge between the
present suspended state of relations and the full resumption of the
1.5 billion dollar ESAF programme, sometime after the budget next
year.
Pakistan had devalued its currency and took other measures to meet
some of the conditionalities of the IMF but sources said the 10 per
cent surcharge on imports could be one of the points which may delay
an agreement between the two sides.
951109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rs 2.9bn defence losses report
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohammad Malick
ISLAMABAD, Nov 8 The audit report 1992-93 of the Defence Services,
issued by the Auditor General s office on Wednesday, has discovered
628 cases of financial irregularities and overpayments causing the
national exchequer losses in excess of Rs 2.9 billion.
This colossal figure is expected to climb even higher because the
present report only includes the irregularities of serious nature
having financial effect of Rs 247.427 million and US $ 2.054 million
while the remaining observations will be dealt with in the
Memorandum for Departmental Accounts Committee (MFDAC) report.
The Auditor General s report makes some interesting disclosures,
ranging from outright acts of individual corruption to gross examples
of departmental negligence in monitoring their fiscal affairs. The
Defence Production Division has been the biggest contributor to this
fiscal mayhem by piling up losses to the tune of Rs 95.786 million,
US$ 1.748 million and Japanese Yen 1.134 million.
According to the report, losses running into hundreds of thousands of
dollars have been incurred due to awarding of contracts in clear
violation of laid down procedures.
Irregularities in the affairs of the cantonment boards have also added
Rs 41.668 million to the overall losses. The irregularities in the
boards affairs have a greater hue of corruption than official
negligence.
951109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stocks fail to sustain rally
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 8 Stocks failed to sustain the mid-week rally on
Wednesday as investors took profits at the available margins owing to
a long weekend ahead.
The Karachi Stock Exchange index of 100 shares fell 15.06 percent at
1,534.76 as compared to 1,549.82 a day earlier, while all share index
suffered a decline of 8.23 points at 862.27 as against previous
870.60.
The market capitalisation, which has risen to Rs 337 billion on
Tuesday, therefore, fell to Rs 333.730 billion, showing a decline of
Rs 3.225 billion in a single session.
The opening was a bit higher partly because of the extension of the
overnight run-up but after mid-session investors rushed in to
liquidate positions, pushing the market again into the minus column.
Selective buying, however, emerged strong on a number of counters
lifting prices substantially higher under the lead of Parke-Davis,
which rose by another Rs 11 on a turnover of 500 shares. Some of the
investors seemed to sell in part to cash in on the higher levels.
However, there is no possibility of a reaction in its share value as
there is shortage of floating stock.
Grays of Cambridge followed it for an identical reasons and was quoted
higher by Rs 10 and so did Pakistan Refinery after the overnight
slashing.
Other big gainers were led by Orix Leasing, Lease Pakistan, Adamjee
Insurance, National Refinery, Dandot Cement, Pakistan Gum Engro
Chemicals and Rupali Polyester, which posted gains ranging from one
rupee to Rs 3.
KASB & Co, Shafiq Textiles, Glaxo Lab and Lever Brothers were among
the top losers falling by Rs 5 to 15 but the fall reflected lack of
support rather than large selling.
They were followed by leading shares such as Bank al-Habib, Citicorp,
Sapphire Fabrics, Cherat Cement, PSO, Dewan Salman, Shell Pakistan and
Engro Chemicals, falling by one rupee to Rs 3. The news that the
directors of Indus Motors have passed over the dividend for the last
year ended June 30, 1995 was not well-received in the rings as was
reflected by a fall in its share value.
The most active list was topped by Hub-Power, which came in for active
profit-taking at the higher levels, off 80 paisa on 2.513 million
shares followed by PTC vouchers, lower 95 paisa on 2.315 million
shares, Dewan Salman, down one rupee on 1.178 million shares, and Dhan
Fibre, easy 35 paisa on 881,200 shares.
Other actively traded shares were led Faysal Bank, lower 20 paisa on
386,400 shares, Ibrahim Fibre, easy 25 paisa on 353,500 shares 25th
ICP, up 10 paisa on 275,500 shares, Dawood Leasing, up 40 paisa on
273,900 shares and Honda-Atlas, off 75 paisa on 159,500 shares.
Trading volume rose to 11.784 million shares from the previous 9.898
million shares owing to heavy selling in the current favourites.
There were 370 actively traded shares, out of which 21 shares suffered
decline, while 73 rose, with 85 holding on to the last levels.
951115
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Share business loses Rs 11bn on eve of new prize bonds
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pervaiz Ishfaq Rana
KARACHI, Nov. 14, Share business lost about Rs 11bn during the last
three sessions after a formidable section of leading investors sold in
haste to buy the new series of prize bonds bearing denomination of Rs
25,000.
According to State Bank sources, apart from the first prize of Rs 25
million, the bonds carry five second prizes of Rs 2.5 million each and
20 prizes of Rs 1.250 million.
The Government has introduced the scheme to squeeze like idle savings
and bring them under its control, said a banker. However it is
feared that the higher prize amounts could work against the interest
of commercial banks who may lose deposits of a considerable amount.
The worst-hit is the Karachi Stock Exchange, which has witnessed
massive flight of the capital after liquidation and which is expected
to find its way into the new series of prize bonds, said a leading
stock broker.
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EDITORIALS & FEATURES
===================================================================
951109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
No way out?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rifaat Hamid Ghani
THE mass murder of fifteen labourers, viewed through the prism of
Karachi, becomes meat for politicised debate, arguments, deductions,
inferences...
Some interpret it in a way even more chilling than the deed itself.
They see it as a ploy by anti-MQM factions to alienate the Punjabis
from the Mohajirs. The murder also places the PML(N) and its leader,
who has often played upon the theme of Punjabi sentiment to his own
advantage, rather neatly on the horns of a dilemma should he alienate
Punjabi sentiment by not shedding as many tears as some others, or
should he put a rather good working equation with Altaf Hussain s MQM
at risk by condemning Mohajir murderers like other politicians, while
distributing compensatory cheques to bereaved Punjabis?
The news of the massacre broke to the accompaniment of General Babar s
naming of the MQM as being responsible for it. He may well prove
himself to be right. Yet, if the indictment had not been as hasty as
it was, it would have been more convincing to start with. As it is,
blaming the MQM just seems a habit. After all, how can he know for
sure right away unless they were caught red-handed? And if they were
seen fleeing the scene, what happened to the dictum of shoot-on-sight?
But such doubting Johnnies forget the surviving witness the
professional terrorists overlooked, even though the mayhem seems to
have been carried out at undisturbed leisure.
A few days after the deed, and we all seem to be exactly where we were
before, except that the death toll continues to mount, and the
polarisation as to what constitutes terror and terrorism is more
acute.
The government itself propounds a conspiracy theory in explanation
of the downslide in Karachi.
Does the theory have it that subversive elements have infiltrated the
MQM activist cadres with or without the connivance of the MQM s
leadership? Is Altaf Hussain really a leader who himself is a puppet
in the hands of foreign manipulators or conspirators? If so, they have
made far too good a job of foisting him on people and putting him in
place. The MQM has its rightful place in politics, and the major
national political parties have variously interacted with it
supportively and endorsed it. However Altaf Hussain may have begun his
career, at the moment he is a leader whose party is legitimised,
dejure and de facto, by the reality of its democratic constituency and
following. And that is the perspective in which he and his following
must be judged.
National leadership cannot be seen in the perspective of a conspiracy
theory. But it would be a pity if leadership is so short-sighted that
its actions become manna from heaven for elements that may wish to see
the country weakened, kept at a conveniently manageable level of
turbulence, or Karachi itself eventually isolated or placed, like a
naughty juvenile, in a ward of special care.
The dialogue between the teams led by the Editor of Amn and the
academically undistinguished professor who serves as federal minister
for law may be treated by the participants as of weighty import. But
it does not rivet public interest any longer and seems as moribund as
other approaches.
Paradoxically, it is Altaf Hussain who can take the initiative in
breaking the deadlock. The government may have the advantage of
wielding the awesome might of the state, but this advantage, when the
exercise of it is too prolonged, becomes counter- productive. In a
democratic context, it is self-defeating. But the government cannot
survive if it is seen to be backing down before violent defiance.
Mr Hussain can get away with his policy of days of mourning and
strikes. Victimisation of his constituency has invested him with
unquestionable authority to decide what is good for the community and
what is not. Rather than presiding over a battle unto death between
factions, some armed activists, and the law enforcement agencies,
Altaf Hussain could call upon his devoted following for a unilateral
end to violence. It would absolve him of much that may have gone
before, and give his cause considerable moral strength.
The fact is, whether there are all that many MQM activists or not
wielding kalashnikovs among other anti-social elements or political
activists ruining the peace of mind of Karachi s populace, MQM party
rhetoric and language is couched in extreme terms and steeped in
violence. True, the MQM is offered inexcusable provocation constantly,
but a statesmanlike approach will find the wisdom to turn away from
provocation so that it boomerangs on the practitioners of provocation.
951111
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Audit and accountability
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mazdak
FOR every government that comes along, whether civilian or military,
accountability is a shiny new weapon to use against its predecessors.
With the energy, glee and occasional malice of boisterous, badly
brought up children, successive rulers have unleashed a selective
process against those who were in power before them.
What all these politicians overlook is the fact that there is already
a well-established system of accountability written into the
constitution and which has, due to lack of support and ignorance,
fallen into disuse. The Public Accounts Committee is, in all
parliamentary democracies, the most powerful and feared committee of
the assembly. It scrutinises annual accounts and audit reports of
every department and public sector enterprise and passes strictures
and directives aimed at plugging the leaks in the public exchequer. It
can recommend disciplinary action and/or recovery of pilfered funds.
In France, Belgium and Turkey, the equivalent institution is the Court
of Accounts whose president has judicial powers.
In the United Kingdom, where this institution was born, a prominent
member of the opposition is traditionally chairman of the PAC.
However, our democratic system has a long way to travel before we
attain this level of maturity. But even with a member of the ruling
party heading it, governments are reluctant to give the PAC a free
hand. For instance, it has taken this government two full years to
convene a meeting of the PAC so that the chairman could be elected.
The good news is that the Committee plans to meet regularly and often
so that the huge backlog that has accumulated can be cleared.
Before the Assembly was dissolved in 1993, the previous PAC was going
through the audit reports for 1987-88, and the new Committee will have
to complete the task of scrutinising seven- year old accounts when it
first meets on November 19. Most of the Secretaries concerned as the
Principal Accounting Officers of their respective divisions have been
transferred or have retired. Some of the officers identified in the
audit reports as having been responsible for misappropriation are now
OSDs in the great Secretariat in the Sky. Consequently, when the PAC
wades through these old reports, it will be going through the motions,
unable to do very much about the losses detailed in the audit reports
beyond issuing dire warnings to officials who were not on the scene
when these particular scams took place.
And remember, this is only the tip of the iceberg typically, the
Auditor-General s reports are based on a scrutiny of only 10% of the
transactions in the organisations his team audit. Nevertheless, they
contain a plethora of information about waste and leakage. If our
leaders were ever serious about real accountability, this is where
they would have started, instead of setting up all kinds of anti-
corruption committees and commissions which never end up achieving
very much excepting to hog newspaper space. The seriousness successive
governments have assigned to the audit function can be judged by the
fact that the provincial PAC in Sindh has not met in ten years. As far
as I know, the Balochistan PAC has never met. But in Punjab and the
NWFP, the Committees have been meeting regularly.
By being forever in arrears, the whole point of the exercise is lost.
Officers in the dock know only too well that they are not directly
responsible for the misdeeds of their predecessors, and by the time
their own bungling comes to light years later, they will either have
moved on to greener pastures, or retired with their pension and
illegally amassed loot intact. Fortunately, this PAC has sensibly
decided to tackle the old reports and the ones for 1993-94 in quick
succession. There may be a case for devoting very little time to the
reports from the Eighties, and concentrating on the more recent ones.
In assisting the PAC, the Auditor-General plays a key role. Apart from
compiling detailed reports for the federal and provincial governments,
he and his team brief members about the nature and extent of losses
suffered by the exchequer. In effect, he acts as the prosecutor while
the secretary concerned is the accused. It would raise the level of
public debate if the Press analysed the information contained in the
audit reports more intelligently, instead of simply playing up juicy
bits about defalcation and fraud.
For instance, the summary of the Audit Report (1993-94) in respect of
public enterprises informs me that all federal government-controlled
corporations (minus WAPDA and the Railways) suffered losses of Rs 2772
million and made profits of Rs 23107 million in the year under review.
Thus, totally at odds with popular perception, profits were ten times
the size of losses in the public sector. Even when highlighting
financial wrongdoing, the Press would be doing us all a favour if
reporters were to identify the officials associated with the scams.
Traditionally, the audit reports do not name officers, although the
Auditor-General has the information at hand should members of the PAC
ask for it. Unfortunately, very few reporters take the trouble to do
the legwork required to dig up such details, but simply reproduce
sensational sections from these reports which, incidentally, become
public documents as soon as they are laid before the assembly.
The independence of the Auditor-General is theoretically ensured by
giving him a fixed five-year tenure. However, by making him and his
organisation dependent on the Finance Minister for every penny, this
freedom is effectively and severely curtailed. There is a strong
argument for attaching him with the National Assembly as he is an
officer of that body. In addition, he should be given certain judicial
powers to ensure compliance in the Audit Report for 1993-94 in
respect of public sector enterprises, for instance, 57 organisations
did not submit their audited accounts in time, and 8 refused to
entertain audit. If the Auditor General could issue contempt
notices, I am sure there would have been far more cooperation.
951112
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The dictates of reason
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Abdullah J. Memon
According to their perceptions, Mohajirs today are engaged in a life-
and-death struggle to defend their cultural identity and to ward off
threats to economic privileges (according to them, rights) which
history conferred upon them.
While dealing with a community in that state of mind, you have to
display compassion, sensitivity and understanding. Statesmen do not
play clever tricks in that kind of situation. But that is precisely
what the government has been doing.
Again, a seasoned, and often prosecuted, politician like Benazir
should readily recognise that Mohajirs have achieved their present
unprecedented political unity, social cohesiveness and organisational
effectiveness after paying (and exacting) a heavy price in blood and
tears. They should not be expected to surrender these precious gains
in the face of administrative manipulation or political manoeuvrings.
But that is the expectation on which present government strategy seems
to rest.
As a proven political fighter, Benazir should feel it in her bones
that Mohajirs know the true value of their assets and are going to
guard and protect them at any cost. There is, therefore, no escape
from conceding to the MQM its place on the political stage. But
acceptance of the MQM does not mean condonation of its wrongs or
weaknesses. While giving them their political due, they must be
persuaded, and if necessary forced to follow the rules of the game.
When you attain certain heights of mass leadership, the hearts of your
followers beat in unison with yours. Those in politics know and
understand the poetry and power of this relationship. Today, there is
an emotional, almost spiritual, nexus between Altaf Hussain and the
Mohajir masses. (This, by no means, implies that Altaf Hussain has
become a paragon of piety and purity. Wires of emotions are generally
not connected with such virtues).
Accusations of terrorism and treason (even if true) against Altaf
Hussain are not going to break this nexus. White Papers of the Zia
regime or even the court verdicts did not break the bonds between
Bhutto and the shirtless of Pakistan. The Agartala case did not cut
the ties between Mujib and the Bengalis. This does not mean that the
government should prostrate before Altaf Hussain. But it does mean
that the government should know the limitations of its media pitch
against him.
It sounds so presumptuous to be reading this primer of mass politics
to a populist leader like Benazir. But I do honestly feel that she
should be exercising her own political judgment a lot more frequently
and (in case of the MQM and Mohajirs) more objectively. As Dr Mubashir
Hassan recently wrote, it is more fruitful and safe, at times, for
politicians to follow their own instincts than to listen to
intelligence agencies or go by administration prescriptions.
Returning to the main theme of this article, I would like to comment
on two other factors which, according to some quarters, are blocking
progress to a deal in Sindh. One is the question of the majesty of law
and the other is the MQM s alleged Indian connection. At the outset,
it must be said that no other matter should summon our leaders to
statesmanship as insistently as these two questions.
It is true that rulers must uphold and respect the majesty of law.
Without this, civilised existence and social order are inconceivable.
But it is equally true that statesmen must respect the higher
interests of state and society even more. Such are the supreme
dictates of statecraft that most constitutions in the world contain
provisions for pardon and reprieve.
Churchill did not like Gandhi for one minute. But when, during the
closing phase of the Second World War, he was apprised of the
possibility that the Mahatama might die in the custody of the British
Indian government, he could immediately foresee, as a statesman, that
it would cause a mighty explosion of anger and fury in India. This
would help neither India nor the British empire. So he agreed with the
proposal for Gandhi s release whatever the personal feelings. But he
did not have to and, he did not, concede for a single moment that
Gandhi s initial detention in 1942, at the beginning of the Quit
India movement, was wrong. Thus he upheld the majesty of law and yet
bowed before dictates of the higher interests of the empire.
Regarding the Indian connection (if there is one) statesmanship
demands a broad-minded approach. We have to distinguish between cause
and effect. We must determine honestly whether the Indian connection
is the cause or the effect of Mohajir alienation. If we come to the
conclusion that it is the effect of alienation, we should proceed on
the assumption that the end of the alienation will break the
connection.
Still, I believe that as time goes on, the barrenness of present
stances on both sides will get exposed more and more. When this
happens, given their age-old wisdom and decency, ordinary Mohajirs
will start putting pressure on the MQM and ordinary Sindhis on the PPP
and other elements in Sindh to bring down the mental equivalent of the
Berlin Wall between the two brotherly communities. It is my dream that
one day the MQM will become MSM (Muttahida Sindh Movement). It is my
dream that one day a Sindhi will get elected as MNA from Liaquatabad
on an MQM (MSM of my dream) ticket and a Mohajir will get elected as
MNA from Larkana on a PPP ticket.
It is my dream that one day the governor, the chief minister and all
ministers of Sindh could be Mohajirs. Nobody will find anything
unusual or objectionable about this because by then this wretched
business of us and them would have been overcome and we shall all
be a one, single and unified people of Sindh.
951115
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Karachi s firing lines
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial Column
KARACHI has developed its own way of keeping itself in the focus of
national attention. The killing toll mounts and so does public concern
about that what is happening to the city. This is followed by a lull
which in Karachi s case means that, instead of a dozen or more people
being killed, only about three or four are randomly shot. This is
taken as a sign of returning normality and it encourages General Babar
to claim, with all the authority that he can muster, that things are
on the mend and that the back of terrorism has been broken. Hardly
have the echoes of his words subsided when the Sindh Secretariat is
attacked, in broad daylight, by rocket-propelled grenades. After this
dramatic interlude - dramatic because an attack of this kind on the
symbol of the province s authority is no laughing matter - Karachi
reverts to its pattern of five, six or a dozen people being randomly
killed, with the tally in between shooting up when 15 persons are shot
in a single, cold-blooded incident. And now as if to demonstrate that
are no safe quarters in the city anymore, police lines in District
South come under rocket attack. The audacity of this affair is worth
dwelling on for a moment. The attackers take positions in the centre
of a busy road, again in broad day-light, and carry out their
operation with ease. A number of houses in the police colony are hit
as are the Garden and Nabi Buksh police Stations. What conclusions
must one draw from this occurrence?
First, that the famous back of terrorism is far from broken. Second,
that there are no safe areas in the city anymore. Third, that the time
may have come for the government to re-examine its approach and
priorities. How much longer will it take before the government to
realise the shortcomings of the purely strong-handed approach? In the
last one or two months the government has claimed successes in the
fight against terrorism by nabbing some well-known figures on its list
of wanted men. But this has scarcely plugged the sources or indeed the
inspiration of violence. When there is a large sea of growing
alienation at hand, there should be no shortage of recruits for the
pursuit of violence.
This by no stretch of the imagination should be taken to mean that the
government should succumb before the forces of disorder, But it
certainly means that the short-sightedness evident in its approach to
the question of talks with the MQM should be given up so that a
serious dialogue can take place instead of a pantomime. The
frustrating thing, of course, is that all these things have been said
so often before but all pleas for sanity, moderation, a sense of give-
and-take and more seriousness in the quest for a political solution
have fallen on dead ears. The MQM is suffering from a siege mentality
and sees conspiracies everywhere. The government has blinkers on its
eyes. It is following a narrow track in Karachi when the complexity
of the situation there demands a slightly more sophisticated approach.
Meanwhile, the dramatic intensity of the violence keeps mounting. The
people of Karachi are close to despair because with extremism feeding
on obstinacy and the other way round, there seems no early end in
sight to their over-stretched misery.
951116
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A madcap and chilling affair
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial Column
EVEN by the colourful standards of military adventurism what the group
of army officers currently under arrest were planning sends a chill
down the spine eliminating and the entire army high command and then
usurping political authority in the name of an Islamic order. Other
madcap schemes down the years have flitted through the minds of
military adventures but nothing like this has been heard of or seen in
the annals of the Pakistan army. It is not hard to picture the chaos
and anarchy that would have ensued if these conspirators had come
anywhere close to achieving their aim.
The Pakistan army may have many faults and its record as a governing
institution may not be outstanding, but if it has any internal
strength, it flows from its monolithic character. The command
structure is clear orders flow from top to bottom and there are cults
or schisms in its ranks. Which is perhaps the reason why, despite the
history of praetorianism, Pakistan has been spared the nightmare of a
colonel or brigadier-type coup which has brought such a lurid touch to
the politics of so many other Third World countries. In Pakistan the
army moves to seize power it dies so as an institution - which may not
be the most ideal thing in the world but which, if there is no other
practical choice, it better than anarchis outbursts lower down its
hierarchy.
But having said this, the army is under an obligation, as much for its
own sake as for the country s to find out whether this coup attempt
nipped in the bud flowed merely from the frustration of some
superseded officers or whether there exist wider factors which could
sow the seeds of discontent among the officers corps or infect a
section of it with some wild ideas. The Zia years did expose the army
to the winds of peculiar brand of extremism and while it is true that
only a small section of the army was so effected, this aspect of the
matter is still worth investigating thoroughly.
Another important consideration is ties to the larger political
situation in the country. When there is widespread dissatisfaction
with national affairs, regardless of whether this feeling is based on
real or imaginary grievances some of this discontent is bound to
ruboff on the army. This has been the mainspring of all previous
junior-level coup attempts in the Pakistan army a group of officers
thinking that only decisive intervention on their part could save the
country s future. There may be wild or self-serving ambition in such
thinking but it can be taken almost as something axiomatic that where
popular frustration is of a high border, it is a spur to Bonapartism.
The best safe-guard against praetorians, therefore, lies not in
constitutional safeguards or better internal security but in a stable
political system which enjoys the confidence of the people and which
is seen to be working reasonably effectively. The abortive coup that
we are talking about should, therefore, be an occasion for serious
introspection not only on the part of the army but also on the part of
the nation s political players- whether they are in power or in the
opposition. They must be see how their actions are affecting democracy
and the faith that people have in the country s political leadership.
It is good that the defence minister has laid the relevant facts
before the Senate but it would have been much better if this exercise
had been under taken earlier. No doubt, the army had yet to complete
its investigations into this affair but even so it could have taken
the nation into confidence as soon as the news of the coup attempt
broke - instead of allowing rumour-mongering to have a field day.
SPORTS
===================================================================
951109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Jansher demolishes Gul in 29 minutes
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dicky Rutnagur
NICOSIA (Cyprus), Nov.8 Jansher Khan, the holder and six times
winner, remains Pakistan s sole contender at the quarter-finals stage
of the World Open Championship.
One of his compatriots, Mir Zaman Gul, had the misfortune of falling
in Jansher s path in the second round and was fairly crushed, beater
15-3, 15-6, 15-7 in 29 minutes, a reflection of Jansher s authority
and brilliance rather than his own shortcomings.
The remaining Pakistani, Zarak Jahan Khan, went down in a gallant
fashion to the fifth-seeded Englishman, Simon Parke, who has never
progressed beyond the last 16 in six previous attempts. Creative and
at the same time sound and crafty in defence, Parke won 15-5, 16-17,
15-8, 15-8 in 67 minutes.
Parke s reward for a truly splendid win, however, is a quarter-finals
clash with the mighty Jansher, to whom he lost in straight games in
the final of the US Open, in Rhode Island, a fortnight ago.
Asked about his prospects against the redoubtable champion, Parke
said The only way to beat him is to attack and that without making
mistakes. To do that is difficult, if not impossible for, the bigger
the occasion, the tighter Jansher plays .
Jansher played impeccable squash, authoritative and effortless, to
beat Mir Zaman, who was left helpless. Jansher s errors were
restricted to a mere six in 61 rallies that the match contained and
allowed Mir Zaman, by no means an attritional player, only eight
winners, four of them in the last game.
The champion had runs of eight points and six points in the first
game, and went from eight to 13 in the second without conceding a
point. The extent of his superiority over Mir Zaman must have struck
awe into his remaining challengers but, in the context of Pakistan s
defence of the World Team Championship next week, it could have done
immense damage to the morale of one of his team-mates.
But Jansher said I dropped a game in the first round and that was a
reminder that I must concentrate and win as quickly as I can because
energy must be conserved for the big matches .
Parke might test Jansher somewhat, but in the light of events that
followed, the champion should not be too hard pressed in the semi-
finals for, the other main seed in his half, Scotland s Peter Nicol,
who was a semi-finalist last year in Barcelona, was beaten by Sami
Elopuro, the World number 12. So Jansher s semi-finals opponent could
be either Elopuro or Anthony Hill, of Australia.
Tactical acumen as much as skill enabled Parke to get the better of
Zarak, who had beaten him on both the last two occasions they met. But
Parke is currently playing in splendid form which has led to the
Englishman being in confident mood.
Parke said Zarak likes a fast pace because he feeds on it and my aim
was to prevent him from doing that . However, the Englishman played
purposefully, making abundant use of the sidewalls to build up
pressure in the first game, which he won in only ten minutes,
conceding a mere five points.
But Zarak was not dispirited by this initial reverse and started the
second game with a series of winners which put him 6-1 in front. But
helped by two successive errors by the Pakistani, Parke climbed back.
Every rally was hotly contested, with both adversaries playing
dazzling shots.
Their smooth movement which eliminated obstruction added to the
sparkle in the match that was expertly controlled by referee David
Stephenson. Zarak stayed in front until he was caught up at 11. Two
brilliant winners in the course of the next three rallies put him on
game point at 14-11.
But Parke retaliated with a backhand kill, a winning volley and a
clinging volley drop which restored equality and forced the game into
setting. Zarak got to game point again, at 16-15, with a drop off a
loose boast, only to drum the tin in going for the winning point with
a forehand kill. Parke chanced his arm with a backhand angle which
went down and gave Zarak the game over the last available point.
Parke tightened up his game thereafter and varied the pace without
totally abandoning enterprise. He pulled away after 4-all and when he
got to 10-6, it was clear that the third game would be his. Zarak
stayed in the match until Parke took three points in a row to go to
11-7.
At that stage, Zarak betrayed the first signs of tiredness and the
hint was enough for Parke to exert greater authority which took him
rapidly to the winning post.
951111
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Jansher in final, Eyles ousted
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dicky Rutna
NICOSIA, Nov 10 Holder Jansher Khan, of Pakistan, reached the final
of the World Open Championship with a 15-7, 15-12, 15-6 win in a
scrappy match against Australian Anthony Hill.
The Pakistani, who is in line for a record-breaking seventh title and
will be playing his eighth final in nine years, was troubled more by
Hill s obstructionist tactics than his skill.
Jansher s opponent in the final is England s Del Harris, who overcame
spirited resistance from the unseeded Australian, Craig Rowland, and
won 10-15, 15-13,
15-4, 15-8.
Australian Rodney Eyles, seeded two and Jansher Khan s expected
opponent in the final, was knocked out at the last eight stage of the
Championship by England s Del Harris in a sensational 87-minute match
on Thursday.
However, Eyles s unseeded compatriot, Craig Rowland made the semi-
finals, comfortably beating Englishman Mark Chalenor who had knocked
out Brett Martin on Wednesday.
It took Jansher 56 minutes to beat Simon Parke, of England, 15-5, 17-
15, 15-9, in Thursday s quarter-finals, with 21 spent on the second
game. It was only in that game that the match was a contest.
Discussing his prospects against Jansher on the previous day after
beating Zarak Jahan Khan, Parke had said I know how to beat Jansher.
But the difficult bit is the execution of the plan. The way to beat
him is to attack him without making mistakes. But is that possible?
Moreover, you would have to be strong enough to stay on court for
nearly two hours .
No doubt, Parke, reeling off a variety of attacking shots, played well
enough during the period of his ascendancy while Jansher only seemed
to be coasting. Then suddenly, he stepped up his pace with some robust
volleying which pushed Parke to the back of the court and had him
scrambling.
Jansher s points came from a series of beautiful drops, which clung to
the side walls and died the instant they made contact with the floor.
Having collected seven points in a row - six with winners and the
remaining from a penalty - Jansher was on game ball at 16-14 before
Parke retaliated with a winning volley. But then he hit down with a
forehand drop and Jansher was two games up.
Parke, who was overwhelmed in the first game, had little strength left
in his legs to be able to make a fight of the third.
951112
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Jansher creates history winning 7th world title
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dicky Rutnagur
NICOSIA, Nov 11 Jansher Khan had to fight hard for 101 minutes to
beat England s surprise finalist Del Harris and win the World Open
Squash Championship for a record seventh time.
Fluffing a volley through excitement at match point in the third game,
Jansher was stretched to four and won 15-10, 17-14, 16-17, 15-8.
Only once before in the seven World finals that Jansher has won was he
subjected to a stronger challenge. That was in Kuala Lumpur, in 1989,
when he was 1-2 behind in games and 0-6 down in the fifth against the
rangy Australian, Chris Dittmar.
Jansher was happy with the way he played, but was clearly not at his
best. He said Breaking the record was playing on my mind and made me
very careful. Also, I had blisters on my right foot and I felt pain
when I had to move suddenly or stretch for the ball in front.
But I have to concede that Del played very well. I have played him
quite often recently, but he was never as determined as he was today.
If he stays as fit as he is now, he is going to be in the forefront.
Harris is by reputation a flamboyant, attacking player, as he showed
when beating the second-seeded Rodney Eyles in the quater-finals. But
on this occasion, he played patiently and thoughtfully, showing a
preparedness to engage in long rallies which, to Jansher, come as
second nature.
Considering that he was pitted against a player of the highest order,
who allows few liberties, Harris made a negligible number of unforced
errors.
Jansher, on the other hand, made more than his normal quota, not least
because he was exceptionally tense.
The first game was won by Jansher by the clear margin of five points,
but it took him 23 minutes to capture it. The second was even longer
and Jansher was 8-11 and 10-13 behind, looking likely to lose it. But
he lifted his game and hit a series of winners to take it over
setting.
In the third, Harris never let Jansher get more than two points ahead
and stood level with him at 13. A wristy crosscourt shot in front put
him on match point. He had victory in his grasp when Harris presented
him an opportunity to volley at close range. But in his excitement, he
put the ball in the tin.
A mishit volley by Harris gave him a second match point at 16-15, but
Harris responded with a winning drop and seized the game with a
volleyed winner.
Despite making a couple of shoddy errors at the start, Jansher led 7-3
in the fourth game. Harris s legs were now ostensibly wobbling through
tiredness, but Jansher was still shy to mount an all-out offensive and
bided his time for victory to fall into place.
Jansher Khan has definitely staked his claim to be the best squash
player of all time as he won a record seventh world title.
For Khan, now unbeaten in 13 tournaments dating back to early 1994, it
was yet another milestone on the way to his ultimate ambition of
becoming the greatest ever.
The three candidates are Australia s Geoff Hunt, an eight-time British
Open winner and four-time world champion, Jahangir Khan of Pakistan, a
10-time British Open winner and a six-time world champion, compared to
Jansher Khan s seven world titles, one better than his compatriot, and
four British Opens.
Khan, after a slight hiccup losing a game to England s John Ransome in
the first round, won three easy matches, before Harris threatened him
again.
Earlier in the week, Khan said he had been feeling the pressure as he
went for his seventh title. He looked under pressure in the final as
he continually questioned let calls.
Meanwhile, England s Del Harris, who was British champion and in the
world s top 10 as a teenager before slumping to below 30, now has his
name back in lights.
Harris, 26, who has since lost two stone in weight and upped his
training schedule, was not up to the mastery of world number one Khan.
A backhand volley error by Harris brought Khan the first game, but
many errors by a tense Khan in the second game gave Harris a 13-10
lead.
However Khan upped a gear to hit four consecutive winners for a 14-13
lead in a game he eventually won 17-14.
Khan let slip two match points in the third game at 15-14 and 16-15 as
Harris went on to win the game 17-16 with a winner as Khan was
stranded at the front of the court.
However, in the fourth game, Khan raced to a 9-4 lead and grew in
confidence to win it 15-8.
951115
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Pakistan shut out Egypt in squash team contest
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dicky Rutnagur
CAIRO, Nov. 14 Pakistan, the holders, were fought hard by host
country Egypt in winning their opening match in the World Team
Championship 2-1.
Egypt were inspired by the frenzied support of the home crowd and
considerably aided by the slow front wall of a cold court with which
their players were fully familiar.
Turning the conditions to advantage by employing the lob-and-drop
game Omar El Borolossy, ranked as low as 50 in the world, beat the
experienced Mir Zaman Gul in the first rubber, between the number
three and the mighty Jansher Khan himself had to fight hard to get the
better of Amir Wagih, the Egyptian number one.
Jansher comfortable took the first game but the world champion was
forced to concede the second, in which Wagih took the lead after 3-all
and stayed in front until the end.
Whenever he caught Jansher on the wrong foot or off-balance Wagih
scored with wristy cross-shots into the nick. Jansher s task was made
no easier by the blisters on his feet reducing his mobility.
Wagih continued to threaten in the third game too. Hitting four
classic winners in a row, he neutralised Jansher s early lead of 4-1
and caught up with him at five. A penalty point turned his fortunes,
however. It put Jansher level at six and in his frustration the
Egyptian hit the tin. On the next point, Jansher hit the side wall
nick with a backhand cross court and pounced on a rare short ball from
Wagih to grab the winning point.
In the deciding tie, Zarak Jahan Khan, was absolutely brilliant.
Opposition to him by the World junior champion, Ahmed Barada, was
restricted to the first game which, although decided by the large
margin of 9-4, lasted 19 minutes and contained 20 hands. But Zarak
wrapped up the remaining two games in 20 minutes. Barada becoming
frustrated and increasingly erratic as he lost control of the match.
951116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan cut Sweden to size in world squash
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dicky Rutnagur
CAIRO, Nov. 15 True to expectations, Pakistan swamped Sweden 3-0 in
the World Team Squash Championship but, on the eve of their crucial
group match against England, who ran roughshod over Egypt, they had
cause to worry.
Jansher Khan looked tired, jaded and in discomfort with the blisters
on his feet and was fully extended by an unknown in Anders Thorsen.
The World champion was hard put to hold to an 8-2 lead in the first
game and won it only over setting.
He lost the second after leading 6-1 and in the third, let the Swede
come as close as 6-7 after leading 7-0. He was outclassed in the
fourth, but summoned his concentration and resolve to win the fifth 9-
0 in the one hand.
Pakistan were already one match up when Jansher took the court, Mir
Zaman Gul having given short shrift to Pieter Sjosten and Zarak Jahan
Khan, playing brilliantly as he did against Egypt s Ahmed Barada
yesterday demolished Daniel Forslund in 29 minutes 9-1, 9-6, 9-1.
951111
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8 dropped catches Pakistan in deep trouble in Brisbane Test
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Qamar Ahmed
BRISBANE, Nov.10 If the first two days of the first Test being played
at the Gabba ground is any indication of how things will work out for
Pakistan in this series then surely it makes you feel that they are in
for a drubbing as at the close of play on the second day they were in
a worse situation than on the first, when they had allowed the
Australians to score 262 for 4 through five dropped catches.
To add to the misery of the bowlers Mohammad Akram and Waqar Younis
who suffered because of it, there were three more catches floored on
the second day and Australia taking full advantage of those lapses
must have had a sense of relief and satisfaction to add over 200 runs
more for the remaining wickets to be all out for 463 after tea on the
second day and then pick three Pakistan wickets.
Steve Waugh, who was unbeaten at the end with 112 having reached his
ninth Test century with the help of seven fours in 315 minutes, was
one of the beneficiaries of Pakistan s patchy fielding.
On the first day with Australia on 252 for 4 he was dropped by Wasim
Akram of his own bowling when 15 and before he got to the three
figures he was let off again, not once but twice off Aamir Sohail when
85 and 87.
Inzamam, the safest hand of the lot, let one go through his grip in
the first slip and a few deliveries later Moin Khan missed him behind
the stumps, and dropped Paul Reiffel too off Mohammad Akram.
The young fast bowler Akram was the one who suffered most. On the
first day he had the disappointment of watching Salim Malik drop one
at backward square leg from Michael Slater, and Ramiz Raja floored
another in the slips of the same batsman. Saleem Elahi also failed to
catch one off Waqar Younis when Slater had offered a sitter in course
of his 42 runs.
Malik, however, succeeded in catching Mark Taylor at mid-wicket on the
first day off Saqlain Mushtaq but that also proved to be a serious
blow for Pakistan. Malik injured the base of his thumb and had six
stitches inserted in his left hand which now makes things even more
traumatic for the tourists who with three wickets down for 40 are
faced with the prospect of a follow-on.
Salim Elahi and Ramiz Raja were caught in the slips by Taylor off
Craig McDermott and Shane Warne for 11 and 8 respectively and the
night-watchman Saqlain Mushtaq fell leg before to Glen McGrath before
he had scored. Pakistan s hopes now rest on Basit Ali and Inzamam-ul-
Haq, the in-form batsmen. The only way they could now save the
embarrassment is to try and stay at the wicket as long as possible - a
task which will not be easier considering the pressure that they are
in after their inept display on the field.
For Australia the second day s play was an eventful as the first. They
resumed at 262 for 4 and were lucky that confident leg before appeal
was turned down by Steve Randall when Steve Waugh was beaten off Wasim
Akram within minutes of play.
At lunch the Australian pair of Waugh and Greg Blewett was still there
with 351 runs on the board having added 101 runs for the fifth wicket.
Waugh was 66 and had reached his fifty with four boundaries in 140
minutes batting. Blewett, a promising batsman, got his 50 after lunch
having defied for 169 minutes with three boundaries.
With Waugh he put on 135 runs before being out off a swinging yorker
from Waqar when 57. Mushtaq Ahmed substituting took a brilliant catch
in the deep to get rid of Ian Healy off Mohammad Akram when 18.
Waugh survived to get his first century against Pakistan. Waqar later
dismissed Reiffel and McDermott and Aamir Sohail had the satisfaction
of dismissing Warne and McGrath. But before the Australian innings
ended, Waqar limped off the field with a cramp which does not really
bode well for the tourists already beset with injuries.
951112
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Warne Claims 7 wkts for 23 runs
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Qamar Ahmed
BRISBANE, Nov.11 Pakistan s pride was severely dented by the crafty
leg-spinner Shane Warne, who with an impressive return of 7 for 23,
helped Australia bowl Pakistan for a miserably low 97 in their first
innings and enforce an inevitable follow-on.
The embarrassment was understandable but by the end of the third day s
play in the first Test at Gabba ground at least some dignity was
restored by a face-saving 99 by opener Aamir Sohail who delighted the
crowds with his swashbuckling innings which sadly ended when a
swinging Yorker from Glenn McGrath slipped through his defences, but
certainly helped Pakistan to finish at 197 for 3.
It was an enthralling performance by him considering the plight that
Pakistan was in having lost their last seven wickets for the addition
of only 57 runs to their overnight 40 for 3. The decimation of the
Pakistan batting by Warne looked imminent because of the careless way
the touring batsmen tackled him to be all out before lunch.
It was a gutless performance, very much slipshod and shoddy like their
fielding and the same was feared when the second innings began.
But Aamir Sohail, despite the early demise of Saleem Elahi, who was
caught at the wicket by Ian Healy off McGrath for 2 when the score was
30, was determined not to commit the same mistake again as in the
first innings when he carelessly swept at Warne and was stumped for
32.
When 34 he was nearly caught by Greg Blewett at point but he survived
to not only reach his fifty in 56 balls having hit nine fours but also
he shared two very valuable partnerships for the second and third
wickets with Ramiz Raja and Inzamam-ul -Haq which added 58 and 79 runs
respectively.
There were glorious hooks, cuts and drives off the fast bowlers Craig
McDermott, McGrath and Paul Reiffel and Warne was as much astonished
at the transformation of Pakistan innings.
Trailing by 366 runs, Pakistan however managed to make 197 for 3 at
stumps, which seems respectable but in the context of the match
situation a rather disappointing day despite Sohail s effort. It
appears face saving but in the end it may not be so unless heavens
open and stop what is inevitable.
Besides Saleem Elahi and Aamir Sohail, Pakistan have also lost Ramiz
Raja who was the second man out in the second innings when he
mishooked McGrath to the keeper Healy when 16. Healy s catching of
Elahi was his 250th victim.
For Pakistan Inzamam s unbeaten 56 in the second innings also came as
a welcome relief because like others he too had perished in the first
innings playing a loose drive at mid-on to be caught by Steve Waugh
off Warne for 5.
As it is Pakistan, with Malik injured, four wickets down and 169 runs
behind with two days remaining. They may find the going tough.
951114
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Pakistan capitulate to Australia in 1st Test
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Qamar Ahmed
BRISBANE, Nov.13 Pakistan s ignominious capitulation to Australia in
the first Test at the Gabba ground by an embarrassing margin of an
innings and 126 runs came a bit earlier than was expected and was in
sharp contrast to the afternoon of the third day when they had managed
to redeem some pride to score 197 for 3 after being bamboozled for 97
in the first innings and were asked to follow on.
The Australian bowlers forced them into disgrace and dismissed them
within an hour and half of the fourth morning to take a 1-0 lead in
the three-match series.
They were shot out for only 240 runs in their second innings having
added only 43 runs to their third day s score. In fact the last seven
wickets had fallen for only 23 runs after Inzamam -ul-Haq and Basit
Ali, the two not out batsmen, had taken the score to 217.
Once Inzamam, who had resumed at 56, was caught at mid-on by Craig
McDermott off Mark Waugh for 62 after sharing a partnership of l50 for
the fourth wicket, the procession began. It was in fact unstoppable as
Shane Warne, Glen McGrath and Paul Reiffel charged against the rest of
the batting.
Shane Warne with 4 for 54 and a match figure of 11 for 77 was the Man
of the Match. The much publicised confrontation between the man who
had accused Malik of offering him bribe in the last series in
Pakistan, lasted only two minutes and four deliveries.
Malik, Obviously not in form or in fine fettle, he was circled and
surrounded by the close-in fielders with Mark Waugh at a breathing
distance at silly point. Nervously he prodded forward and stepped back
before flicking one from Warne to leg and mistime a delivery into the
hands of McDermott at mid-on who hung on to a diving catch.
An elated Warne later gave vent to his emotions by saying that he has
dedicated his dismissal of Malik to his parents and family who backed
him during the bribery controversy.
I enjoyed the wicket for obvious reasons. It showed that there is
justice in this game, said Warne.
McGrath, who finished with 4 for 76, was as devastating as was the
leg-spinner, but it was Warne who really had the last laugh.
Wicketless in the second innings after his 7 for 23 in the first,
Warne in his 23rd over dismissed both Wasim Akram and Salim Malik for
6 and 0 and in his 28th he had the wickets of Waqar Younis and
Mohammad Akram before they had opened their account.
Going down the wicket Inzamam miscued Mark Waugh and was caught. Six
balls later Basit Ali, who never looked like getting anywhere against
Warne, was leg before to McGrath for 25. Wasim Akram hit one straight
into the hands of Michael Slater at long leg off Warne when 6, Malik
in the same over was taken at mid-on.
The procession continued as Moin Khan was caught at the wicket off
Reiffel for 9 and later Warne, in one over had Waqar Younis and
Mohammad Akram leg before.
The performance in the first Test will haunt the pakistan team during
the rest of their itinerary.
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