---------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE
Week ending : 20 April 1995 Issue : 01/15 (c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1995 ===================================================================CONTENTS
NATIONAL NEWS
N-Policy ..........US told no compromise on N-plan: Benazir ..........N-deterrent vital to security, says PM ..........Pakistan to attend NPT moot Pressler law ..........US policy on Pakistan makes little sense: paper ..........US to send back equipment ..........US convinced on Pressler law review ..........Law in US house for supply of F-16s Pakistan & US investment ..........Benazir takes initiative to attract US investment ..........Investment by US : Areas of interest identified Opposition ..........Nawaz rules out talks with govt ..........Pervaiz released on bail ..........Nawaz returns today MQM & Karachi ..........PML, MQM take stock of situation ..........A-G given 2 months to respond in MQM plea ..........10 killed in City violence ..........Interpol may help fight terrorism in Karachi Drug Enforcement ...........US may seek extradition of 25 more drug dealers ..........40 tonnes of charas seized in Balochistan ..........PPP MNA granted 2-day bail ..........4 held in UK, Pakistan anti-drugs campaign Consortium meeting : Pakistan team leaves for Paris today Acting governor does not lose PA seat: LHC Manila seeks Islamabad's help against terrorism Anti-child labour activist shot dead Nawaz urges peace treaty with India Briefly ..........Oman has not backed out: FO ..........None willing to speak on Shabqadar incident ..........Ex-minister accused of kidnapping ..........SC allows Shafi to continue attending NA ..........Change in evidence law under study --------------------------------------BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
IBRD to appoint two long-term advisors in SBP KFHA gets grant of Rs 96 million Body being set up to monitor economy ECC to review Brotha, other projects today ----------------------------------------EDITORIALS & FEATURES
Combating corruption through laws 'No dancing shall be done' PROFILE : Thriving on theatrical pursuits ------------SPORTS
Anwar blames key batsmen for debacle Saleem Altaf says : Team in rebuilding process =================================================================== DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS ===================================================================NATIONAL NEWS
950415 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US told no compromise on N-plan: Benazir ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Muhammad Ali Siddiqi LOS ANGELES, April 14: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said here on Thursday she had not come to the United States with a beggar's bowl, nor had she come with something to give. By that she meant Pakistan had not compromised on its nuclear plan. In fact, during her talks with President Clinton and American officials she had made it clear there would be no capping, rollback or unilateral verification. Addressing members of the Pakistan community, she said: "We came with ideas and principles, and explained our position forcefully to the American side," and the result was that President Clinton had publicly declared that it was morally wrong to hold back both Pakistan's money and the equipment. This was, she said, a vindication of Pakistan's position on the Pressler amendment. President Clinton, she said, had not only acknowledged Pakistan's principled position on the issue, he had publicly pledged to go to Congress to seek amendments to the Pressler law. As for the memoranda of understanding worth 20 billion dollars signed with foreign investors, the Prime Minister said even in a highly developed country it took 14 months for a project to mature. But in Pakistan four big projects had matured in 12 months' time, which was a record. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950414 ------------------------------------------------------------------- N-deterrent vital to security, says PM ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Muhammad Ali Siddiqi LOS ANGELES, April 13: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday applauded "the current effort in Congress" to make changes in the Pressler amendment in a way that would make it "less discriminatory" and enable America to honour its "contractual obligations." In a speech largely, though not entirely, devoted to foreign policy, the Prime Minister told the Los Angeles World Affairs Council (WAC) while she would very much like to see the sanctions lifted, she wanted the release of the equipment "that sits in Arizona." Because of our strategic situation, she said "our air force needs defensive aircraft." Quoting Defence Secretary William Perry and Assistant Secretary Robin Raphel on the Pressler amendment, the Prime Minister said if the United States could not fulfil its contractual obligations," we expect our money back. "Once we are beyond this impasse in our relationship", she said, "we hope that the United States would then work with us, as we develop a long-term programme a long-term plan, to promote around the world the values and concerns that we share." These values, she said, were "democracy, human rights and human dignity, constitutional law, anti-terrorism, anti-international drug trafficking, and free market economics, decentralisation and privatisation. "Answering a question about Pakistan's nuclear programme, Prime Minister Bhutto said Pakistanis were "security conscious" because of the 1971 trauma and the three wars with India. Pakistan's nuclear programme, she said, was peaceful but was "a deterrent to India" because New Delhi had detonated a nuclear device. Pakistan, thus, had to take every step to ensure its territorial integrity and sovereignty. On-Kashmir, she said the United States had offered to mediate, and Pakistan had accepted the offer, while India had not. She hoped Indian Prime Minister Rao's answer would be as "positive" as hers. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950416 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan to attend NPT moot ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, April 15: Pakistan will be represented by its Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador, Ahmad Kamal, at the NPT Review and Extension Conference starting in New York on April 17 as an observer, but is expected to play a significant role in guiding the deliberations on non-proliferation and disarmament in South Asia in the absence of India, who has refused to participate in the 25-day moot billed as the "most crucial conference in recent history." "There will be a lot at stake for Pakistan during the conference," Munir Akram, till recently additional secretary, disarmament and currently Pakistan's UN Permanent Representative at Geneva told Dawn on Saturday on phone. He said it would be interesting to see how Egypt and the Middle East succeed in securing a commitment from the conference to bring Israel, a nuclear threshold state but not a signatory to the NPT, to the "level of parity" with Egypt and the Arab states. "The outcome of these deliberations will have a direct implication on the other two nuclear threshold states India and Pakistan," he said. Israel like Pakistan will be attending the NPT Review Conference as an observer. It may be mentioned that Egyptian President Mubarik, in his meeting with President Clinton recently discussed regional proliferation and elimination of all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and wanted the Middle East free of nuclear arms. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in her April 11 meeting with Bill Clinton at the White House also explained Pakistan's principled position and said Islamabad would not sign the NPT unilaterally until India did so. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950415 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US policy on Pakistan makes little sense: paper ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Shaheen Sehbai WASHINGTON, April 14: The present US policy towards Pakistan makes very little sense, Washington's daily The Washington Times said on Friday urging the Clinton Administration to "level the playing field" between India and Pakistan. Commenting editorially on the Benazir Bhutto visit, the paper, generally considered to be sympathetic to Pakistan, said the United States was once again committing the error of rewarding " our armies and punishing our friends. "In the end," the paper said, "there was not much President Clinton could offer Benazir Bhutto at the Rose Garden ceremony on Tuesday... All Mr Clinton could offer was that, yes, he would do the best he could to press Congress for the lifting of the Pressler Amendment." Mr Clinton also said he would lobby for the release of the F-16 jets or at least the return of the money Pakistan had already paid. But, the paper said, "executive promises, specially these days, are not much when Congress holds the legislative keys. And Congress in this case appears unpersuaded by Ms Bhutto's appeals. Not surprisingly, Pakistan's main Opposition party lost no time in taunting the Prime Minister for her failure. "All of which is too bad. In this case, President Clinton is on the right side of the issue. In Congress, on the other hand, our relationship with an important ally, a loyal friend throughout the Cold War and the war in Afghanistan and one of the countries that can surely play a major role for stability and progress in South Asia, is being held hostage by single-issue, non nuclear proliferation advocates." The paper compared the Pakistan situation with the US policy towards India and North Korea and said India had conducted its first nuclear test 20 years back, it not only had nuclear weapons but was also developing ballistic missiles but, it was not the subject of any US targeted sanctions. "Or look at North Korea whose highly focused quest for nuclear technology is now being rewarded with American oil and South Korean nuclear light-water reactors. Meanwhile we are not only denying Pakistan trade but we are refusing to return their money." The paper said nuclear proliferation was never a subject to be lightly addressed, but there was no reason to think that a nuclear- capable Pakistan would be an international threat. "What Pakistan is seeking is a balance with its vast and powerful neighbour, India. Rather than punish Pakistan, better the US take an active role in mediating in the festering conflict over Kashmir." Controversial Senator Larry Pressler says Pakistan has at least five nuclear weapons, claiming that the CIA had briefed him before the Benazir Bhutto visit. "I attended a CIA briefing before she came that convinced me that Pakistan's nuclear programme goes beyond simply having the nuclear capability Pakistan already acknowledges," Mr Pressler told the Washington Times on Thursday. Pakistan had about five weapons ready to go and India had between five and 10, Mr Pressler said. He challenged Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's denials that Pakistan had not assembled a weapon as yet and urged President Clinton and other members of Congress to "stand firmly behind the goal of nuclear non- proliferation." The Washington Times, however, quoted a recent study by the Asia Society titled "Preventing Nuclear Proliferation in South Asia which concluded that "there is no evidence of deployed nuclear weapons or plans for their deployment." Leonard Specter, a close watcher of global nuclear developments, serving in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was quoted as saying on Thursday it was believed by most experts that Pakistan could put together a bomb within hours and several bombs in about a week. "A situation in which they can do this but have not done so would enable Benazir Bhutto to claim they have not deployed while Pressler says they have the bomb," Mr Specter said. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had argued with President Clinton last Tuesday that Pakistan had the knowledge to make the bomb but because it believed in non-proliferation, Islamabad had not gone ahead with making the bomb or exporting its technology. Pakistan should thus be recognised as a responsible international player working for non-proliferation, she had argued. Senator Pressler, however, defended his legislation saying: "There is a price for a nation's decision to go nuclear. Mr Clinton must realise that there is a greater global price for not upholding the only effective piece of nuclear non-proliferation law on the books." He said the message sent to countries such as Iraq, North Korea and other rogue states by the Clinton Administration, as it continues to attempt to make an exception to US law, is dangerous and potentially destabilising. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950417 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US to send back equipment ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Anjum Niaz ISLAMABAD, April 16: In an unprecedented signal, since Pressler amendment debarred US military transactions with Pakistan, the United States government has decided to return the five-year defence hardware sent across from here to the US for repairs and has agreed to renew the Professional Military Education agreement on reciprocal basis, official sources said here on Sunday. The change of heart came when Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visited the Pentagon during her US visit and met with US Defence Secretary William Perry, who calling the Pressler law a "blunt instrument," gave full assurances to the visiting prime minister that Pakistan would be returned the defence equipment which was sent to the US for repairs but got stuck in the bargain when Pressler struck. The sources said that all the equipment belonging to the Pakistan army, air force and the navy would now be returned. It may be mentioned that Cobra helicopters and some naval and military heavy guns had been transported to the US for repairs and Pakistan had ordered vital spare parts for its F-16's which never returned from the US due to the embargo from Pressler. "The equipment is not that much," conceded the sources, calling it a "small time affair", but "it is the gesture in the right direction which matters," they added. Similarly, Pakistan officers who received training at U S military institutions would once again be eligible to go: "The US was demanding hefty fees from Pakistan for this service since it had been banned under Pressler amendment, but now they have allowed the practice to start on reciprocal basis once again," said sources. A compromise such as the above has been put into motion by the US, as predicted by Congressman Lee Hamilton who proposed that the US waive the storage fees amounting to 50,000 dollars annually for the F-16's, allow the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Insurance to start operating, permit visa enforcement training for Pakistani customs officials and the training of air traffic controllers and offer limited economic assistance for social programme. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US convinced on Pressler law review ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, April 17: Foreign minister Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali said here on Monday that while Pakistan had successfully convinced the United States on revising Pressler law, it was now up to the White House to "assess" when the Clinton administration would like to go to the Congress to seek a waiver for the 28 F-16s Islamabad has already paid for. "We have made a major breakthrough in the five-year-old impasse, where for the first time a president of the United States and his administration have come out boldly and openly against keeping our F-16s and our money," Sardar Assef told newsmen. The foreign minister ruled out Pakistan's plan to take the matter of the held-up 28 fighter planes to a court of law: "why should we go to court now that the US has accepted our position and promised to solve the problem," he told a questioner. While Islamabad awaited the resolution of the Pressler issue, he said both the countries had in the meanwhile succeeded in forging an important relationship on a multitrack basis exploring several other avenues like economic cooperation: DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950420 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Law in US house for supply of F-16s ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Muhammad Ali Siddiqi WASHINGTON, April 19: Congressman Dan Burton has introduced a law in the House of Representatives to enable Pakistan to take possession of the 28 F-16s Pakistan has paid for. Introducing the Bill, the Republican Congressman from Indiana called for changes in the Pressler amendment and pleaded for a more balanced US policy toward South Asia, especially on the nuclear question. Said Congressman Burton, "India, which is believed to have a much more extensive nuclear weapons programme, continues to receive extensive foreign assistance from the United States." A member of the House International Relations Committee, Congressman Burton said, "The US has vital national security and economic interests in South Asia." He added, "Pakistan has been a strong ally of ours in that region for years. The Pressler amendment has dangerously undermined that relationship. By cutting off Pakistan, we may be driving that country into the arms of unpredictable strategic partners like China or Iran. "The Pressler amendment has not been effective in discouraging Pakistan's nuclear programme. In fact, it has probably done just the opposite by reducing our influence with the Pakistani government. As long as India pursues its nuclear weapons programme Pakistan will feel overwhelming pressure to match it. We must pursue a regional programme of nuclear nonproliferation that prods all nations in that region to move to eliminate nuclear weapons in unison. "The Pressler Amendment must be reformed or repealed if we are going to make progress toward peace and stability in South Asia. We can take a first step by allowing Pakistan to take possession of the 28 F-16s for which it has paid." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950414 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Benazir takes initiative to attract US investment ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Our Staff Correspondent LOS ANGELES, April 13: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday launched a major initiative to attract American investment to Pakistan by announcing the establishment of a Private Software Export Board (PSEB) under the aegis of her government. The move, she said, would "facilitate the creation and promotion of the software development and export industry" in Pakistan. One of the PSEB's aims would be to "embark on a crash programme" to set up Software Technology Parks (STP) in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. Under the scheme, the Board will provide a single-window mechanism for the approval of all plans and exempt software developers and exporters *from corporate income-tax for the first six years. The PSEB will also permit software exporters to re-export capital goods without any levies. The Soft Technology Parks (STP) will set up and manage all infrastructural resources such as data communications facilities - high speed digital data communications links, connecting software developers and exporters with their customers overseas and core computer facilities. It will also promote development of export software and software services through technology assessment and market intelligence, help train software development professionals and encourage the use of the state of the art design and development methods and tools. With "macro-economic stability," deregulation, liberalisation and privatisation well under way, the Prime Minister said Pakistan was an "ideal place for investors seeking a solid return on investment." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Investment by US : Areas of interest identified ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, April 17: Pakistan government has identified 12 major sectors of the economy for US investment and has received highly favourable response from both the Clinton administration and the potential investors. "The United States is fast becoming the largest investor in Pakistan and for us it is important, not only to get the capital but also the technology," secretary, Board of Investment (BOI) Syed Muhibullah Shah told Dawn here on Monday. Mr Shah, who has also visited the United States with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said Pakistan government has offered these areas where huge US investment could be made. These areas, he said, were mainly energy, power, infrastructure, industry, roads, agriculture, food, chemicals and hotels. "The government is keen to introduce Pakistan as a multi-sectoral economy and has succeeded in convincing the investors, especially the US that we have a very good and profitable business environment," Syed Muhibullah said. He said the American investors had been told that they with 100 per cent equity start their businesses in Pakistan. "We are quite confident to continue attracting the US investors for which a decision had been taken up to establish regular contacts between the two governments and the investors," the BOI secretary added. To a question, he said Pakistan was not a single sector economy and that there were many other sectors where the US investors could invest. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950414 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nawaz rules out talks with govt ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Athar Ali LONDON, April 13: Leader of the opposition Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif has ruled out any chance of a dialogue with the government in the present circumstances. He said the right kind of atmosphere had to be created before such a dialogue could take place. He accused the government of continuing with vindictive policies which, he said, were hardly conducive to lessening confrontational politics in the country that was proving to be very damaging. He also urged the Prime Minister to adopt a more positive attitude towards the Mohajir Qaumi Movement instead of declaring the party "terrorist" and condemning the whole community. The Muslim League leader is in London to be with his father, Mian Mohammad Sharif, who was rushed to London for emergency heart treatment. He was discharged from hospital on Wednesday but will stay here until he has fully recovered. Mr Sharif, who met MQM leader Altaf Hussain on Tuesday, said the coordinating committees appointed by the Muslim League and the MQM, to monitor the working of the understanding reached between the two leaders in context of the prevailing situation in Karachi, He criticised the attitude of the government and said it did not befit the Prime Minister to call the MQM a 'terrorist" organisation. "She should adopt a more positive attitude." As for his party, he said, it would continue its efforts to bring the Sindhis and the Urdu speaking people nearer to each other. Mr Sharif said the Mohajirs had made tremendous sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan and it was not right to condemn a whole community. This, in his view, would further aggravate the situation and, as a result, the whole country would suffer. He said he believed in consensus politics and a policy of give and take. He followed this in his time when he had reached a number of accords with the provinces, resulting in healthy cooperation between them in the political and economic spheres. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pervaiz released on bail ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, April 17: Deputy opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was released from Adiala Jail on Monday afternoon after his interim bail was approved by Lahore High Court. A division bench of the Lahore High Court had granted interim bail to the deputy opposition leader on his request to enable him to participate in the Punjab Assembly session beginning from April 20. No important Muslim League leader was present outside the prison gates when he was released around 7 p.m. although secretary general Sartaj Aziz and deputy opposition leader in the National Assembly, Gohar Ayub and information secretary Mushahid Hussain were present in the city. Among those who received Mr Elahi were his cousin Senator Shujaat Hussain and about 50 PML workers. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nawaz returns today ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Our Correspondent LONDON, April 17: Leader of the Opposition Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif left London Monday afternoon for Islamabad after a 10 day stay. He will arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday morning. Mian Nawaz Sharif was accompanied by his wife. He was seen off at Gatwick airport by his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, other members of the family and several office- bearers of the UK Muslim League. Mr Sharif arrived here on April 6 along with his father, Mian Mohammad Sharif, who was in need of urgent treatment. He has since had angioplasty and is now recuperating after his treatment at a London hospital. He is expected to stay here for some more weeks. During his stay in London Mr Sharif had two meetings with the Mohajir Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain. The last meeting on Sunday was three hours long and was also attended by Mr Shahbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950417 ------------------------------------------------------------------- PML, MQM take stock of situation ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Athar Ali LONDON, April 16: The leaders of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement and the Muslim League had another meeting on Sunday morning to discuss the current political situation in the country and to study how they can further enhance cooperation between their respective parties. Informed sources said that Mr Hussain gave his point of view. He regretted that the government was continuing with its "oppressive and vindictive policies" against its opponents, especially the MQM. Mr Hussain complained of official indifference towards the whole situation and blamed the government for patronising the rival Haqiqi group. Mr Sharif, sources said, agreed that the government was showing total indifference towards the situation in Karachi while the MQM and its supporters were being made targets for its victimisation. He pointed out that he had written two letters to the Prime Minister but found that her response has not been satisfactory. Mr Sharif is said to have assured the MQM leader that now that Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto has returned from her US visit he would renew his demands and mobilise public opinion in order to put pressure on the government so that steps are taken to improve the situation in Karachi and Hyderabad. Mr Hussain during the meeting urged for unity among opposition leaders to face the challenges posed by, what he termed as, the government's tendency to move towards a "one-party state". DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- A-G given 2 months to respond in MQM plea ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, April 17: Supreme Court on Monday gave two more months to Attorney General of Pakistan to file a reply in the petition of Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) against the Federation of Pakistan and Provincial Government of Sindh. The Court fixed June 6, 1995, as the next date of hearing, acceding to the request of the Attorney General who had prayed for grant of at least a period of two months for filing reply of the federation and the government of Sindh. He informed the court that two people had been working in Karachi and two in Islamabad to draft the Government's response in the case. The petition was filed by MQM on January 17, 1995. Dr Farooq Hassan, who appeared before the court on behalf of the petitioner, Senator Ishtiaq Azhar, said that the court in its order of January 17, 1995, had observed that matter should be taken up for hearing in a period of two months on mutually agreeable date. Mr Hassan said that after expiry of two months period a letter was sent to Attorney General reminding him of the order of the court. He said there was no response from the Attorney General to the letter after which another letter was written to the Registrar of the Supreme Court describing the situation and requested for the fixation of the case even if the Government did not file its response. On an inquiry from the Chief Justice why there was urgency in this matter, the petitioner's counsel said that the MQM was an important political party. He said respondents had restricted functioning of MQM, which had resulted in violation of several fundamental rights of the petitioner specially under Article 17 of the Constitution. The MQM petition which was spread over hundred of pages had also contained the details of atrocities and genocide committed by the respondents making it liable before the law of the land and international laws as well. The petition has evoked international interest and Harvard Law School has included the petition as course material in the human rights courses. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 killed in City violence ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Our Staff Reporter KARACHI, April 17: Ten people were killed and six others wounded in an upsurge in violence in the city on Monday, raising the current month's death toll to 57. At least eight people died in North Nazimabad alone when unidentified men, equipped with AK-47 rifles, surrounded a group of people sitting outside a shop and sprayed them with bullets. The MQM (Haqiqi) said four of them, Asim Salim, Sajjad, Iqrar and Salim, were its workers. Thirteen Haqiqi workers had been killed on March 12, when unidentified armed men had attacked the party's Pak Colony office. Haqiqi leaders had accused the MQM of killing of their party workers. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950420 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Interpol may help fight terrorism in Karachi ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, April 19 :The visiting secretary-general of Interpol, Raymond Edward Kendall, here on Wednesday held separate meetings with the President and the interior minister and discussed with them ways and means to combat terrorism in Karachi and bringing down the rate of crime in other parts of the country. Official sources told Dawn Pakistan had sought active support of the Interpol to also help fight sectarianism and unearth local connections of foreign extremist forces contributing to the aggravation of law and order in Pakistan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950419 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US may seek extradition of 25 more drug dealers ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Our Staff Reporter KARACHI, April 18: The Islamabad-based United States Counsellor for Narcotics Affairs, John A. Parker, on Tuesday said there were more than 25 suspected drug barons on the wanted list of the US authorities for drug smuggling and other heinous crimes such as homicide. The US official said his government would request the extradition proceedings by the courts of these suspects, just as in the case of Aimal Kansi and Ramzi Yousuf . He said five more cases were being prosecuted and these suspects will be taken into custody by the US, only if the courts were satisfied prima facie and ordered the extradition on the basis of testimony, including the substance of evidence, put forth by US authorities. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950417 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 tonnes of charas seized in Balochistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Saleem Shahid QUETTA, April 16: Frontier Corps and Anti-Narcotics Task Force have seized over 40 tonnes of contraband charas, after a heavy gunbattle with the drug smugglers on Sunday evening, near Ormara coast of Mekran division, official sources confirmed. According to sources, the Anti Narcotics Task Force conducted a massive operation on a tip-off, with the help of Frontier Corps and Coast Guards in the hilly area of Awaran near Ormara coast. According to one source, the seizure included a huge quantity of heroin and opium. But official sources did not confirm the report and added that only charas was recovered during the massive operation in the area. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950419 ------------------------------------------------------------------- PPP MNA granted 2-day bail ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report LAHORE, April 18: The Lahore High Court admitted PPP MNA Munawwar Hussain Manj to interim bail for two days in the sum of Rs 20 million in two drugs trafficking cases "by way of an exceptional relief " on Tuesday. The accused shall, meanwhile, join the investigation, Mr Justice Arif Iqbal Hussain Bhatti ordered, and asked the investigating agency - the Pakistan Narcotics Control Board - to inform him if he fails to do so. Mr Manj was immediately asked by an officer of the PNCB's anti-narcotics force, a colonel, to visit the Board's police station in Model Town, Lahore, which has registered the main case against him. Mr Manj has been booked together with his gunman and driver in a case at the PNCB police station, Model Town, Lahore, under section 3 and 4 of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order, 1979, and section 9 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Ordinance, 1995. In another case, the three have been booked by the Saddar Police Station, Sheikhupura, under Sections 324, 353, 186, 427,279 and 332 of the PPC and section 13 of the Arms Ordinance, 1965. The complaint in both cases was lodged by field investigation officer Ikramullah. According to the prosecution, the MNA's car, bearing his number plate, was on its way to Sheikhupura when it was chased by anti narcotics force on a tip-off. When it took a U-turn towards Lahore to dodge the PNCB party, it was given a hot chase and intercepted. An exchange of fire took place, in which a shot, fired by the MNA's gunman, a constable provided to the MNA for his personal protection injured a couple of PNCB men. The gunman was overpowered and search of the car yielded 35 kg of heroin and 30 kg of charas in as many bags. Rifles and ammunition were also seized from the vehicle. The incident occurred on April 14 last. Barrister Khosa said the MNA had nothing to do with the car. The car belonged to its driver, Siddique, a notorious trafficker, against whom the had lodged a complaint with the PNCB. His gunman, constable Abdul Sattar, MNA was in league with Siddique, who had named him (Mr Manj) as co-accused to exculpate himself from the charge and win his acquittal. Mr Manj, Mr Khosa said, was a member of the National Assembly's Narcotics Control Committee, of which Chaudhary Akhtar Ali Waryio of the PML(J) was the chairman. In that capacity, he time and again complained against 'the inaction and collusion' on PNCB officers and officials. He had also spoken to Federal Interior Minister Naseerullah Khan Babar, and high ranking army officers in this regard. Mr Khosa said the prosecution story in sofar as it involved Mr Manj was conjectural. The FIR should have been confined to the incident. The statement of the co-accused, who has tried to absolve himself of any wrong doing, was inadmissible in evidence and could not serve as the basis of prosecution. Contesting the bail plea, Mr Pasha said the alleged offences were punishable with death or life term and that the MNA had no case even for a bail-after-arrest what to speak of a bail-before-arrest. All the district and sessions judges had been designated special courts for trying trafficking cases under the Control of Narcotics Substances Ordinance, 1995, and he could approach them for bail. If he was really innocent, he should not fight shy of joining investigation. The plea of mala fides was completely untenable as Mr Manj was an MNA of the ruling party, Mr Pasha said. He disclosed that Mr Manj was involved in 17 criminal cases though his personal custody was required for investigation of the two trafficking cases. So far as the confessional statement of co-accused Siddique was concerned, Mr Pasha said, he had substantially implicated himself in the offence. Siddique had said he was the MNA's partner in drug trafficking to the extent of 25 per cent, he added. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950420 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 held in UK, Pakistan anti-drugs campaign ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Athar Ali LONDON, April 19: In a joint operation, authorities in Pakistan and Britain have foiled an attempt to import the chemical used in making heroin. After raids in London, the police arrested two British nationals of Pakistani origin who are in their late twenties. The man will be charged on Thursday. Two more persons were arrested in Pakistan: one in Islamabad and the other in Lahore. They are British nationals. The arrests followed raids in several places in Britain and Pakistan. The operation - Albatros - which lasted five months, involved officers monitoring the UK-based targets and the movement of the chemical. According to the police, it had been earlier decided that there should be no restriction on the chemical's shipment from the UK to Pakistan's, so that not only the British operators could be arrested but also their counterparts. Officers from the South East Regional Crime Squad, in London, travelled out to Pakistan and established contacts with the anti-narcotics force there. The British drugs liaison team, based in Pakistan, also cooperated in the operation and assisted in the monitoring of the movement of the chemical. The chemical drums were seized in Lahore and export documents confiscated both in Pakistan and the UK. The UK police had received information that a team of professional drugs traffickers, with strong links to Pakistan, had fraudulently purchased one tonne of Acetic Anhydride, the chemical needed to transform opium into heroin. The chemical itself, a police spokesman told Dawn, was an expensive commodity in Pakistan. While it cost 1,000 per tonne in the UK, in Pakistan it was sold at 70,000 per tonne, he said and added that a tonne of the chemical was sufficient to make three tonnes of heroin from opium. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Consortium meeting : Pakistan team leaves for Paris today ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, April 17: A highpowered delegation headed by Prime Minister's Advisor on Finance and Economic Affairs V. A. Jafarey will leave Karachi for Paris on Tuesday to attend the Aid to Pakistan Consortium meeting and to seek 2.2 billion dollars for 1995-96. Official sources told Dawn here on Monday that a pre-Consortium meeting that was held in Islamabad by the envoys of Paris club recently had endorsed Pakistan's request for 2.2 billion dollars for the next financial year. Sources said that this time the main emphasis would be on increasing disbursement ratio. Moreover, this time, sources said, Pakistan would seek enhanced financial assistance for Social Action Programme (SAP) for which a separate document has been prepared for the consideration of the Consortium meeting. Pakistan, it is said, will ask the Paris Club to provide additional funds for the SAP so that highly neglected social indicators could be improved. Sources said that a separate assistance of 300 to 500 million dollars will be sought for SAP. Based on current estimates Pakistan expects total official commitments of 2.6 billion dollars for 1995-96, including 2.2 billion dollars from the consortium, 278 million dollars from non-consortium sources and 45 million dollars as relief assistance for refugees. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950419 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Acting governor does not lose PA seat: LHC ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report LAHORE, April 18: A legislator who is directed by the President to officiate as provincial governor under Article 104 of the Constitution does not lose his parliamentary office under Article 103(2), Justice Mohammad Aqil Mirza observed on Tuesday while hearing a petition seeking vacation by acting governor Mohammad Hanif Ramay of his Punjab Assembly seat. The petitioner, Advocate Rana Ilamuddin Ghazi, requested adjournment to produce a copy of the notification under which Mr Ramay assumed the office of acting governor. According to him, the notification showed that the PA speaker was an 'appointed' Governor and had, therefore, incurred the disability stipulated in Articles 103(2). The court granted him adjournment till April 23. The constitutional petition seeks a direction to the Election Commission of Pakistan to declare that the provincial seat held by Mr Ramay has fallen vacant on account of his having assumed the office of governor of the Punjab. He has also ceased to be speaker of the Punjab Assembly, the petition says. Relying on Clause 2 of Article 103 of the Constitution, the petition says that the seat of the provincial assembly held by Mr Ramay became vacant on the day he entered upon the office of the governor. Referring to Article 260 of the Constitution, it says that the governor includes acting governor. Therefore, the consequences spelt out in Article 103(2) are fully attracted in the case of the acting governor also. The court on Tuesday drew the attention of the petitioner advocate to the provisions of Articles 101, 103 and 104 of the Constitution. Article 101 provides that a person who is qualified to be elected as a member of the National Assembly and is not less than 35 years of age can be appointed governor. Article 103 provides that if a member of parliament of a provincial assembly is appointed as governor, his seat shall become vacant on the date he enters upon his office. Article 104 provides that when the governor is absent from Pakistan or is unable to perform the function of his office due to any cause, such other person as the president may direct shall act as governor. The court observed that the distinction in the appointment of the governor under Article 101 and direction to a person under Article 104 to act as governor is apparent. In the case of the governor he is to be appointed by the President and he has to have certain qualifications. While in the case of acting governor any person has to be directed by the President to act as governor. Therefore, in the case of acting governor it is not the 'appointment' but 'a direction to a person' to act as governor for a limited period. So far as the definition of the word "Governor", under Article 260 of the Constitution is concerned, it was pointed out that definitions given by the Article are not of absolute nature. The expressions used therein can have different meanings if the context of other provisions of the Constitution so requires. Clause (1) of Article 260 reads: "In the Constitution, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meaning hereby respectively assigned to them." "Therefore, the court further observed, it can be argued that the governor as mentioned in Articles 101, 102 and 103 of the Constitution, and the acting governor as mentioned in Article 104 are two different entities, with the result that a person who is directed to act as governor does not cease to hold the office as member of Parliament or a provincial assembly. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950419 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Manila seeks Islamabad's help against terrorism ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Anjum Niaz ISLAMABAD, April 18: Manila on Tuesday sought Islamabad's help to fight against terrorism and sign an anti-terrorist agreement to flush out Muslim militant groups operating from here who are believed to be involved in carrying out acts of terrorism in the Philippines. Official sources told Dawn that the Philippines Interior Minister Raphael Alunan conveyed the proposal to his Pakistani counterpart Naseerullah Babar at a meeting here. Alunan is heading a ninemember delegation for talks with Pakistani officials and during his three-day stay he is expected to meet several senior police officials dealing with terrorism. He is scheduled to visit Peshawar also. Diplomatic sources said Manila has complained about Muslim separatists groups in the Philippines having links with the Filipino Muslims living here and were receiving moral and material help from them. Earlier, Foreign Minister Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali said that Pakistan had pledged to fight against terrorism and will entertain the Philippine government's request for an agreement on anti-terrorist law. It may be mentioned that thousands of Muslim militants came to Pakistan during the Afghan war when Pakistan and the US armed and trained them to fight the Soviet occupation forces in neighbouring Afghanistan. After the war, the militants stayed on and associated themselves with Afghan mujahideen groups and non-governmental organisations engaged in welfare work inside Afghanistan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Anti-child labour activist shot dead ------------------------------------------------------------------- By A Correspondent LAHORE, April 17: Twelve year old Iqbal Masih, president of the Bonded Child Carpet Workers, was shot dead on Sunday evening while he was going on a bicycle with two relatives to celebrate Easter in his native town of Muridke, some 25 km north of Lahore. Two other boys, who were accompanying Iqbal, were injured in the shooting by unidentified people. Iqbal Masih, who had won the Reebok Human Rights Award in December 1994, was caught unaware by the unidentified assailants. The killers escaped. The cause of the murder could not be ascertained immediately. But the Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF) sources suspect that people in the hand-knotted carpet industry might be involved. According to sources, Iqbal Masih had been associated with the carpet industry which he left two years ago. Subsequently, he joined a BLLF primary school in Class V near the Lahore High Court. He became an activist and joined many BLLF rallies against bonded labour. He was also given a scholarship by an American University which he was supposed to join after matriculation. The autopsy was carried out in a Sheikhupura hospital. He was buried in the graveyard of his village near Muridke. Many human rights activists attended his last rites. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950420 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nawaz urges peace treaty with India ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, April 19: Mian Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday called upon the government to ask India to normalise relations to put an end to the arms-race in the region. "India and Pakistan should enter into some treaty for creating a permanent peace in the region," he told a Press conference on Wednesday. He also expressed his regrets at the conference, saying that during the recent visit of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to the United States, the core issue of mounting tension between India and Pakistan was not addressed. In reply to a journalist's question on whether he would approve any cut in the defence budget, he said that when India was inducting the Prithvi missile, how Pakistan could afford to curtail defence expenditure. He said both the countries should mutually reduce their defence spending to ameliorate the lot of their peoples. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950414 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Oman has not backed out: FO ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, April 13: Pakistan on Thursday said it had received no indication from the Omanese government regarding its backing out from a commitment to invest in Gwadar, as reported in a section of the Press on Thursday. "We have not been conveyed any information concerning such a move by Oman," a senior Foreign Office official said in response to reports that quoted the Balochistan chief minister Zulfikar Ali Magsi saying that he had gathered during a meeting with Sultan Qaboos and his economic aide, Mr Zawawi - supposedly the main investor in Gwadar - that Oman was reneging on its commitment. "We do not know in what context the conversation has been reported," the official said. He provided the background of the bilateral discussions during the meeting of the Joint Commission here last January, which was led by Omanese minister for trade. According to the official, three concrete areas were agreed upon by Pakistan and Oman. They are: the establishment of a joint holding company with a 500 million dollar capability where each country would contribute 10 per cent and the rest would come from private sector for which the projects have already been identified; a triangularly ferry service linking Muscat, Karachi and Gwadar; and an agreement where Pakistan would provide technical assistance in industrial and agricultural fields to Oman. We regard this cooperation as very important in our bilateral relations and hope that Omani businessmen will continue to take interest and invest in Gwadar and Mekran," the official said. He, however, confirmed that the gifted plot from Ms Bhutto to Sultan Qaboos had still not materialised due to "procedural delays". He explained that the prime minister's proposal for gifting a plot of land to the Omanese sultan was put up to her by the interior ministry and duly approved by the Balochistan government, "but to find a plot of land which is free of joint titles (common in that area) is difficult," he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950416 ------------------------------------------------------------------- None willing to speak on Shabqadar incident ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report PESHAWAR, April 15: Last Sunday's Shabqadar incident of ghastly killing of an Ahmadi lawyer in the court premises is in the process of being consigned to the old record room of the police station. This Conclusion was drawn from the indications here and in Shabqadar. No finger has been lifted at the policemen who apparently failed to perform their duty to provide protection to the lives and property of people, with no transfers ordered and no inquiry called. All evidence goes to point that the police department and the provincial government are keen to hush up the gory drama, fearing a backlash; and the backlash coming from the Prime Minister's office, they fear, will be more detrimental to their 'good name'. That happening, the government shall not be able to justify the recently announced Rs 20 million additional grant to the provincial police force. Nor would it be in a position to convince the Centre of a matching additional grant announced by the provincial chief executive some weeks back. The government did not even bother to issue a statement as if a fly had been killed and the lynching of a human being was a matter of routine. No statement, no government handout and not even a clarification through a police press release even. What may happen subsequently is anybody's guess for the official attitude should have encouraged those who know how to settle the score with 'Kafir' and then also get away with it. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex-minister accused of kidnapping, ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Our Staff Reporter KARACHI, April 17: A 39-yearold business executive was kidnapped and beaten up on Sunday night allegedly by former Federal Communications Minister Murtaza Jatoi and his armed companions. Abu Tahir, 39, a former managing director of Moro Textile Mills owned by the Jatoi family, came to the offices of Dawn on Monday to narrate his story. Injuries were visible on his face and the eyes were swollen. Mr Tahir, who had filed a complaint against Murtaza Jatoi and his companions in the Defence police station for kidnapping and assault, said he was sitting at the Defence residence of a friend, Faisal Khan, a landlord, when Mr Jatoi came there, beat him and then took him away at gunpoint. He was bundled into his Mercedes car and taken to the Jatoi House in Defence where he was again given a severe beating. He was released late Sunday night. Mr Tahir, who was the managing director of Moro Textile Mills from 1988, left it in August 1994. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- SC allows Shafi to continue attending NA ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, April 17: The Supreme Court on Mondax allowed opposition MNA Ijaz Shafi to continue attending the National Assembly without voting right. The order was used by a three member bench headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Hussain Shah during the hearing of Ijaz Shafi's appeal against the election tribunal order of unseating him from his National Assembly seat. The election tribunal had twice unseated Ijaz Shafi from his seat and declared PPP member Masroor Ahsan elected in his place. Mr Shafi, who had filed appeal in the Supreme Court against the tribunal's decision, was allowed by the court to attend the National Assembly proceedings but his voting right was stripped off. During the hearing of the appeal, the Supreme Court remanded the case back to the tribunal for re-hearing it. The second decision was also against Mr Shafi forcing him to again approach the superior judiciary. The Supreme Court had also barred Masroor Ahsan from taking the oath of his office till the final decision of the case. While the court was rising for the day on Monday after hearing counsel for Mr Ahsan, Mr Shafi's lawyer Iftikhar Gilani stood up to point out that the people of the disputed constituency should not remain unpresented during the National Assembly session beginning from April 19. He requested the court to allow his client to represent his constituency till the final decision. Mr Ahsan's counsel Raja Anwar opposed the request and said a person who had been unseated twice by the election tribunal had no right to attend the session. But Chief Justice Sajjad Hussain Shah suspended the impugned order of the election tribunal of unseating Mr Shafi till the final decision of the case and said that the relief provided earlier by the court would continue. Mr Anwar said the relief was in favour of Mr Shafi and he might use delaying tactics to prolong the case to which the court observed that it would be decided earlier. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950420 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Change in evidence law under study ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Nasir Malick ISLAMABAD, April 19: The government is considering amending the recently promulgated ordinance under which the confessional statement of an accused before a police officer would be acceptable in the anti- terrorist courts. Sources close to the PPP said the issue was also raised in the parliamentary party meeting of the party on Wednesday, chaired by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Some members strongly objected to the ordinance saying that it could be misused by the police, the source said. Members from Punjab, the source said, particularly expressed their fears that the ordinance would give unlimited powers to Punjab police, notorious for extracting confessions through third degree methods. The source said the Prime Minister concurred about the pitfalls in the ordinance and assured them that some kind of amendment would be made to prevent its misuse. She told her party members that the ordinance would be enforced only in declared troubled areas. =================================================================== DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS ===================================================================BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
950414 ------------------------------------------------------------------- IBRD to appoint two long-term advisors in SBP ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Sabihuddin Ghausi KARACHl, April 13: The World Bank will appoint two long-term advisors in the State Bank of Pakistan to make its on-the-site inspection and off- site supervision of banks and financial institutions more effective under a 5.4 million dollars project. "The Bank (World Bank) and the GOP (Government of Pakistan) have reviewed and agreed on the terms of reference for the consultants, and hiring of the consultants is a condition of disbursement of the SBP's technical assistance component," a World Bank document on Financial Sector Deepening and Intermediation Project levels. Under this project, a long term adviser will be assigned to the Banking Inspection Department to develop and improve the on-site examination capabilities and procedures for the commercial banking sector. As for the off-site supervision, the long term resident adviser will be assigned to the Banking Regulations Department in order to develop and improve the SBP's capability in off-site supervision techniques. According to the World Bank document, the State Bank needs to strengthen its supervision and regulation function within an increasingly complex financial sector, improve the national payment system, train its staff, upgrade its information technology and modernise its library. For this purpose, the World Bank is offering 5.4 million dollars component of improving the SBP skills and capability in its 216 million dollars loan for Financial Sector Deepening and Intermediation Project (FSDIP). DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950416 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Trial operation by July : KFHA gets grant of Rs 96 million ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana KARACHI, April 15: A belated government grant of Rs 96 million for the Korangi Fisheries Harbour has finally raised the hope that a project which had been for the last 3 years would finally go into operation by July next. The Korangi Fisheries Harbour built at a cost of around Rs 900 million, including an Asian Development Bank's (ADB) loan of $ 26 million (at 1 percent service charge and 3 percent exchange risk fee), has so far remained idle. It took the government three year to release funds badly needed for such small jobs as purchase of navigational aids, internal development of harbour and cost to be incurred for acquiring sanctioned power load from the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation. The Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KFHA), took over charge of the harbour from the British contractor after its completion in October 1992, and ever since had been demanding funds for making the harbour operational. KFHA last year approached the government, requesting a supplementary grant of Rs 35 million but the request fell on deaf ears. However, on the intervention of the Prime Minister the Federal Government did not only accept the earlier demand of KFHA but also sanctioned an additional grant of Rs 61 million taking the total available funds to Rs 96 million for the project to come into operations. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950414 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Body being set up to monitor economy ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Amjad Hussain ISLAMABAD, April 13: The government has decided to set up a 20 member committee of officials, independent economists and representatives from the private sector to serve as a high-powered watch-dog to monitor the performance of the economy and suggest remedial measures from time to time. The committee, to be chaired by the deputy chairman, planning commission, Qazi Alimullah, has been given a six-point terms of reference. 1.Review the performance of the economy and identify the causative factors responsible for high inflationary pressure, slowing down of the economic growth as well as areas needing special attention. 2.Review demand and supply side management and suggest measures to reduce inflationary pressures. 3.Review macro economic policies and evaluate their efficacy in achieving macro economic targets envisaged in annual and medium terms plans. 4.Review savings and investments and suggest measures to improve the rate of national savings. 5.Review sectoral suggestions measures to enhance sectoral growth. 6.Make suggestions to reinforce measures to support the people most affected by high inflation. The committee will include, as members, governor, State Bank of Pakistan, secretaries of ministries of finance, planning and development, economic affairs, commerce, communications, production, water and power, petroleum and natural resources, food & agriculture, the chief economist of planning commission, director of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, director of Applied Economic Research Centre, Karachi, Dr. Rafiq Ahmed, former vice chancellor, Punjab University, head of the Economics Department, University of Peshawar, head of the Economics Department, University of Balochistan, president of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry or his nominee and representatives of other trade and industry bodies. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950417 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ECC to review Brotha, other projects today ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Amjad Hussain ISLAMABAD, April 16: Formidable financial, administrative and technical road blocks that have emerged lately in the way of a number of energy sector projects relating to generation and transmission, including the multi-billion rupees Ghazi Brotha Hydel Power project, will come under close scrutiny of the Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet (ECC) which is meeting here on Monday. ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE TO HERALD TODAY ! ------------------------------------------------------------------- Every month the Herald captures the issues, the pace and the action, shaping events across Pakistan's lively, fast-moving current affairs spectrum. This month in Herald 1) Who's Afraid of Imran Khan ? A Herald special report on Imran Khan's journey into the uncharted waters of pressure group politics... plus exclusive interviews with Imran Khan Sarfaraz Nawaz General Hameed Gul 2) The Empire Strikes Back The crisis in Chechnya and the Russian connection 3) Roadblocks on the Information Highway A look at how the country's entry into the rank of interacting nations is being hampered by short-sighted government policies.... ...and of course, much, much more..... Subscribe to Herald and get the whole story. Annual Subscription Rates : North America & Australasia US$ 72 Rs. 2,088 Africa, East Asia Europe & UK US$ 60 Rs. 1,656 Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent & CAS US$ 45 Rs. 1,200 Latin America & Caribbean US$ 90 Rs. 2,520 Please send the following information : Name, Postal Address, Telephone, Fax, e-mail address, and old subscription number (where applicable). Payments (payable to Herald) can be by crossed cheque ( for Pakistani Rupees), or by demand draft drawn on a bank in New York, NY (for US Dollars). Allow 45 days for first issue. Send payments and subscriber information to : G.M Circulation, The Herald P.O.Box 3740, Karachi, Pakistan DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS ===================================================================EDITORIALS & FEATURES
950417 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Combating corruption through laws ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Shaukat Ali LAHORE, April 16: It seems that at long last the government has realised that, besides other factors, it is the defects in the relevant laws which enable people to play havoc with public funds or commit gross irregularities while collecting taxes. That is the background to the disclosure made by Minister of State for Finance Makhdoom Shahabuddin here the other day about framing of fresh legislation to check the rampant looting and misuse of public funds. When he was asked whether it was sufficient to merely remove a bad official from his post who had been involved, directly or indirectly, in plundering public funds, the minister said: "Not at all. But let me tell you frankly that the government's hands are tied under the existing legal framework, especially when it comes to taking action against those who are part of the government machinery." He said his ministry had sent a draft proposal to the federal law division to frame new legislation recommending punishment for officials misappropriating public funds, according to the seriousness of their offence. Whether this attempt signifies that the government means business, only time will tell. But there is no denying the fact that despite frequent outcries against corruption among public servants, from the lowest to the highest rung, no one so far has been put behind the bar. The common man, the main victim of this situation, is always told by even the lowliest bribetaker - like WAPDA linemen, for instance, that part of the bribe being demanded is for his high-ups. In most cases, he is not telling a lie. No wonder, if in such a situation it is the ruling party which gets the blame for being involved in corruption. The ambiguity in the law to punish undesirable elements in officialdom is contributing to the deterioration in the national economy. It is galling for the honest tax payer to realise that the money he pays the state is liable to be siphoned off by corrupt officials. It is only the dishonest citizen who benefits from the existing system: tax can easily be evaded by greasing the right palms. "It is true that a number of private-sector business tycoons do not pay full taxes/dues, but this is possible only when someone from among the tax-collecting departments joins hands with them," a former Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry president said when asked to comment on the proposed new law. "It is fair enough to enact a strict law to award capital punishment to culprits who misappropriate public funds, but who will ensure its implementation when the same government machinery is supposed to implement it?" Mr Shahabuddin, however, is sure that once the opposition joins hands with the government in passing the new piece of legislation, the latter will go ahead to discard the corrupt officials by taking punitive action against them, including recovery of the embezzled amount. This is not out of place to mention here that many governments in the past had taken drastic measures to control corruption, including dismissal of dishonest officers from service, but such steps did not seem to have yielded the desired results. One is not making a point that nothing should be done to overpower the spectre of vice, the argument is that making of new laws to tame misled officials works only when there is a strong political will to root out unrestrained corruption. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950415 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 'No dancing shall be done' ------------------------------------------------------------------- THEATRE worker and actor Zia Moheyuddin appears to have taken up temporary residence in Lahore. He has also started writing a regular column for a local newspaper. His 'readings' have in any case become an annual feature of the city's cultural life, and he kept up the tradition even when he was living in Britain. Perhaps for the first time, the Punjab government bestowed official recognition on the readings when the provincial information department and the Arts Council invited Zia for an evening at Alhamra last Wednesday. Quite a few of those invited turned up, and generally they seemed to clap and laugh at the right moments. Zia's own sensitivity to the rapid decline in values and his wry sense of humour lend unusual depth to the prose and poetry pieces he reads out. The extract from Maee Dada was particularly moving. Before he began his presentation, Zia pointed out that prior permission to stage the readings - parhanth - had to be sought from the district magistrate, and then he read out the text of the official letter of permission. Permission was given conditional to an assurance that "no dance would be done" - the exact words used - and Zia said: "No dance would be done. Iss Angrezi par to mar mitne ko ji chahata hey (one wants to sacrifice oneself at the altar of such English!). "There was also a prohibition on the use of obscene language, but Zia read out a four- letter expression without batting an yield, and the chief secretary and provincial information secretary Badrul Islam - the host of the evening - both did suni ansuni, ignored the remark. What else could they do? And this only highlights the absurdity of this particular provision. Lahore's own resident intellectual, Fakhr Zaman, in one of his first pronouncements after becoming the present government's cultural supreme, had promised that he would do away with the rule requiring prior permission to be obtained to stage a play or a performance. But the restriction remains, bad English and all. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950418 ------------------------------------------------------------------- PROFILE : Thriving on theatrical pursuits ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Leena Khaliq Boundless feelings, creativity and energy blend harmoniously to form make-believe images, that herld an art form known as theatre. It is a powerful medium where a multitude of themes are explored and attitudes questioned. It is a celebration of the intellect as Khalil Gibran put it, "All words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind." And it is this highly versatile vein of artistic expression, that consumes the life of Madiha Gauhar. She is one of those slightly controversial personalities, that over the years has been assigned many faces. Some of the phrases that have been used to describe her have been, "She's a little eccentric," or "She's a psuedo intellectual." Thus prior to my meeting her, I had mentally concocted quite an elaborate dossier on her. A wonderful mishmash of hearsay and rabid gossip. I was brimming with excitement and anticipation as I arrived at her quaint home in the leafy confines of Cantonment in Lahore. It was a warm morning with the sun furtively peeping out of the dense foliage. And with the mail strewn all over the front porch, it was obvious that the household was still very much in the process of waking up to the burnished glory of the day. The maid and a rather lean looking black cat made the reception committee, and it was a good twenty minutes before Madiha Gauhar made an unassuming appearance. She had a very friendly manner and exhibited none of the typical celebrity airs and graces, that can all too easily make your hackles rise and instigate one to launch into a tough line of questioning. Once settled over coffee and an appetising array of munchables, it was more like being involved in an impassioned exploration of drama and its finer points rather than a calculated interview. Madiha is someone who has managed to pack an extraordinary amount of commendable activity in a short span of time. Born and bred in Lahore, she appears to have been a bit of a rebel all along. Probably the reason why she has been misunderstood once too often. Just a few minutes of animated conversation, can make one sense the ferocious commitment with which she pursues her beliefs. Her's is an immense strength of character that simply cannot be ignored. Theatre is her forte - the roving Ajoka theatre where she gives ideas close to her heart tangible expression. It is a collaboration of talented artists, with Madiha and her well known playwright husband Shahid Nadeem at the helm. The early years of her childhood were considerably ordinary, except for the unfortunate incident when her father passed away, laying all the responsibility of bringing up two young daughters on her mother's shoulders. Both of whom have managed to make their unique mark rather well. Even though they seem to come from different worlds on the surface, with Feryal sporting an incredibly glamorous image while Madiha seems to prefer the more bohemian strain of things. Yet scratch the surface and you find that frequently they have shared like thoughts and stood ground together. Madiha's entry into the world of coherent live representations came very early on, in-the form of getting into stage acting while still at Kinnaird College Lahore. In fact she found the experience so exciting and interesting that further involvement on another level evolved. To quote Madiha, "Some of us got together and wrote a play, which we presented, that turned out to be a tremendous success." It was at the age of seventeen that Madiha made her debut on television. When asked if it had been a struggle to secure permission from family quarters she says, "My mother was all right about it, but of course there were certain rules I had to observe. Shooting of dramas can be at odd hours so there were problems sometimes. But everybody in the business was so cooperative, they made me feel very comfortable. The old-timers did not give me a hard time, and it was a great learning experience for me." Her dramatic pursuits progressed with flying colours as she went on to graduate from Kinnaird College and joined Government College Lahore for her Masters in English literature. Here her talents really blossomed and a new-found confidence in acting, producing and writing of plays came about. The atmosphere here was more liberal, and youthful dreams coupled with intellectual passions were at their pinnacle. As Madiha says, "As our dramas were met with appreciation, I developed this new-found confidence and felt that I could accomplish much more." However it was not all smooth sailing in the theatre department, as increasingly she and her group of friends were beginning to tackle controversial and explosive subjects. The college administration wanted them to stay clear of such subjects, and repeatedly tried to ban the presentation of such plays. But by this time Madiha armed with supreme determination, was no pushover for anyone. The rebel in her fought against the stagnation of socially set norms. The words of Fatima Mernissi from her book. The Harem Within comes to mind, "You should not rebel stupidly. You ought to carefully consider the situation, and analyse everything. Rebel when you know there is a chance you may win." Once Madiha acquired her Masters degree in literature, she opted for government service. In the process of becoming a lecturer at a university, she ended up getting posted to all sorts of way out places in Punjab. Life wasn't exactly peachy during this time, since she spent all week running against the clock, waking up at the crack of dawn, to travel numerous miles to her assigned location. But it was a steady income and the future seemed secure and predictable, with a government job in the tow. Madiha by this time had become involved more and more in television plays as well as the stage, and her interest in directing was heightening also. As time went on, directing featured more strongly in her plans for the future. Simultaneously she was developing an awareness and sympathy towards feministic and political issues. She made efforts to portray the same in her work, trying to impart a message to the public. This brewed up a lot of trouble for her, resulting in her being banned from television for a number of years. It also threw her government job in jeopardy, bringing her to a sort of crossroads in life. It was 1984 and by some stroke of luck an opportunity came along at this point, to escape from all the complex entanglements and go to London for a year to study direction for theatre. It was a difficult choice for Madiha, because it meant burning all her boats. It meant resigning from her job and starting afresh on coming back. Deciding that it was too good an opportunity to pass, she threw caution to the wind and stepped towards a more promising future. In Madiha's words "it was a great experience, I learnt a lot and it gave me a valuable and totally different perspective." When questioned if this added exposure perhaps gave her an edge over others who were not fortunate enough to have similar opportunities, she seemed to word her answer carefully. She said that she won't deny that it certainly opened up her vision to much more than she had previously been familiar with in her chosen field. However, the most invaluable asset to have in her opinion is experience. It is the experience of a job, in the environment that you have to finally operate in, that really makes the difference at the end of the day. The Ajoka theatre came into being, when Madiha and her husband who has many well received plays to his credit felt that a theatre on wheels was needed. The overtly feminist play Neela Haath in which Madiha Gauhar also acted, bought Shahid Nadeem much acclaim. Currently he not only writes most of the plays presented by the Ajoka group, but continues to whip up creditable material for television as well. Ajoka's aim from the very beginning has been, simple productions where the emphasis is on the storyline rather than on creating fine fripperies. The stage is usually quite devoid of elaborate sets and frequent curtain calls, to bring in different backdrops and flashy salient features. Besides providing light entertainment, their plays with their undercurrents of live issues grip the audience. A great deal of thought goes into these plays, the visual aspect is just as potent as the dialogue. Music often plays a major role in the plays, as it provides relief from the directness that is practised in getting the ideas across. Ajoka is constantly being approached by various agencies to do plays highlighting a particular cause or subject, be it the environment or population planning. But Madiha says, "We make it clear that we need a free hand and no interference, otherwise we will not be able to do a good job." They have been pioneers in introducing street theatre in Pakistan, and are constantly on the move, performing even in remote areas of Punjab Sindh and Balochistan. It's instrumental in bringing about social change, to build awareness and a realisation of what needs to be concentrated upon in the future. Madiha identifies with this train of thought very closely, and it is an ever-changing challenging proposition for her to try and accomplish. Yet with so much cluttering her day-to-day living, she still manages to find time for some television plays every now and then. Of recent she has acted in Zard Dupahir and Nashaaib. The Ajoka group also organises workshops on theatre skills and socially relevant subjects in small communities. Since Madiha feels that even though the importance of good theatre is now being understood in Pakistan, much of the offerings are still very mediocre. The focus does not seem to be shifting at the right pace towards ingenuity and exploration into the field. Most theatre groups are continuing to ape western jargon which can backfire by being inappropriate for our audiences. Some may disagree with her by stating that theatre should be treated as an instrument of entertainment only, and not exploit the potential powers of street theatre by loading it with radical or political overtones. To quote Fatima Mernissi once again from The Harem Within, "I still dream of that wonderful day when I will stage a theatrical revolt." It would seem that Madiha has no need to dream of that anymore, for she is making it happen right now! ===================================================================SPORTS
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950415 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Anwar blames key batsmen for debacle ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Our Sports Reporter KARACHI, April 14: Saeed Anwar, the aggressive opener who led the Pakistan cricket team against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, said the major reasons for the ouster from the competition were the failure of himself and Aamir Sohail and absence of Aqib Javed in the most crucial game. In a telephonic conversation with Dawn from Lahore, Saeed Anwar stated that prior to the competition, the batting was heavily dependent on him, Aamir Sohail and Inzamamul Haq. "Only Inzamam rose to the occasion while we both failed to deliver the goods. My and Aamir's failure in the match against Sri Lanka gave a jolt to our planning, which was to pile up 210 plus in that match. "Had we played our roles properly, we would not only have achieved our prime target of 209 runs but we also would have dictated the terms," Saeed stated. Saeed added that after his and Aamir's dismissal, the middle order batsmen did not come to terms. "They did not lend any support to Inzamam. I think it's time that the confidence and maturity of the youngsters should also be scrutinised before inducting them in the highest level of the game." The left-hander stated that the other handicap of the Pakistan team was the injury of Aqib Javed forcing him to skip the match. "His absence left only Wasim Akram as the lone strike bowler. Though Wasim bowled quite impressively, he failed to get any support from other bowlers." Saeed said had Aqib been fit, Pakistan would have made the target of Sri Lanka quite difficult. "Aamir Nazeer and Zafar Iqbal, I think, miserably failed to plug the vacuum." They (the pacers) had to bowl as nobody else was going to take over their job." Saeed said though Pakistan were beaten in the Asia Cup, the significant aspect was that even with a second eleven, it defeated a formidable Indian team. "It proves that we had the guts and the potential to win the title but it was bad luck that the title eluded us." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 950414 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Saleem Altaf Says : Team in rebuilding process ------------------------------------------------------------------- *From Ilyas Beg LAHORE, April 13: Tour Manager Saleem Altaf opined on return from Sharjah that the Pakistan cricket team was in the process of rebuilding and could be groomed into a good combination. The process was going to be slow and painful but it was hoped that good things would come out after some experimentations. While answering a question the former Test paceman Saleem Altaf said that now the Pakistan team was left with only two experienced batsmen and two bowlers. About the comeback of the deposed captain Salim Malik and Ejaz Ahmad Senior into the national team, he said that it was up to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to decide about them. Saleem Altaf said that Javed Miandad could be also considered for selection in the Pakistan team whenever the 'master batsman' showed his availability. The Tour Manager said that the Pakistan team could not play well against Sri Lanka as the team management was dogged with a plethora of problems. Captain Moin Khan had fallen ill. Aquib Javed reported to be unfit on the morning of the match. Ijaz Ahmad Junior had to sit out of the Asia Cup due to injury. It looked difficult on the morning of the match to field eleven players for the match. To make things worse, the Pakistan team was off to a disastrous start. It had lost five wickets for 38 runs but it recovered remarkably to score 178 runs mainly due to excellent performance of Inzamam-ul-Haq and some youngsters. He was all praise for the courageous player Inzamam-ul-Haq who played well throughout the Asia Cup. He said that injury to paceman Aquib Javed was a big blow to the Pakistan team which upset its balance. Saleem Altaf felt that it was futile to offer excuses for the defeat against Sri Lanka but no one need to doubt our commitment of rebuilding the Pakistan team slowly. He said that all the available players will be given chances to prove their merit and a loss in a match or a tournament was not the end of the world for Pakistan cricket. ===================== END DWS 20Ap95 ================================ Return to Dawn index