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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 24 August, 1995 Issue : 01/33
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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.
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CONTENTS
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MQM-Govt Talks
..........MQM team wants talks resumed forthwith
..........PM wants unconditional talks
..........MQM-govt talks may resume by weekend
..........Govt says talks to resume on 29th
..........Altaf criticises "encounters"
..........Two MQM leaders stopped at airport
..........MQM calls for a strike with Altafs backing
..........All shopping centres closed on MQM call
Karachi
..........Violence claims five lives
..........Two IJT activists, six others killed in city
..........Seven more killed in city violence
..........10 killed in city violence
..........2 cops among four dead in city violence
..........10 killed as violence escalates in city
..........Govt not doing enough : AI concerned at HR abuses in
Karachi
..........Anti-terrorist operation to continue: Shah
Bara Situation
..........Militia firms up positions to face TIUB's ultimatum
..........Bara situation still unstable
..........NWFP governor refuses to release TIUB men
..........Tribesmen to get franchise right: Babar
..........Civil laws to extended PATA
Press harassment
..........Police raid Newsline editor's home
..........PML slates raid on magazine office
..........PPP deplores raid on editor's house
Five climbers die in avalanche
Spaniards rescued from K-2
India accused of tricks to malign militants
US grants patent to Pakistani scientist
People may get access to official documents
Gawadar issue to be taken up with Oman
PNPO threatens strike on newsprint issue
Names of big shots surface in FACC report
Fresh probe in Iqbal Masih murder case urged
SHC issues decree against ranger
Afghan planes violate airspace
Centre says no to all extra funds
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Sugar mills directed to declare stocks
Stock Exchange : Improved performance emerges over weekend
Foreign ships sail off port fearing arrest
PM urged to delay decision of Finance Ministry
Govt accepts traders demand
Power plant privatisation
WB to give US$ 500m for judicial reforms
The Business & Financial Week
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Helm unmanned! Ardeshir Cowasjee
Blood and paranoia Mazdak
A prince and the company he keeps Ayaz Amir
The Bara stand-off Editorial Column
A deplorable episode Editorial Colunm
Senator Brown's private working visit Shaheen Sehbai
Breaking the deadlock on women's seats Mahmood Zaman
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Of politics, expediency and prudence A.H. Kardar
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Zarak wins Singapore Open title
Indo-Pakistan cricket & Shiv Sena's threat
Younus to inform of availability by end of month
Miandad unable to play in 1st phase of Lanka ties
Aamir Sohail to lead Board's XI against Sri Lanka
Cricketers tour of US off
950818
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MQM team wants talks resumed forthwith
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 17: The MQM negotiation team on Thursday outrightly
rejected the contents of the letter written by the government team and
asked the latter to resume the talks forthwith if it wished
restoration of peace to the city. "If the government is adamant on
calling the MQM the Altaf group, it can do whatever it likes, but it
should announce the resumption of talks forthwith."
In his reply, Ajmal Dehlavi, MQM chief negotiator, said: "The
government letter contains provocative language. If we respond in the
same language, it will deteriorate the situation further, and even the
scant hope for making these negotiation successful will be lost
forever."
It said that during the four sessions of the dialogue the MQM team did
not discuss any other matters but the constitutional, political
economic, social and educational rights of the 22 million Mohajirs and
that "attainment of their fundamental rights is the prime objective of
participating in the dialogue". It complained that the government
team had continued to interject new and irrelevant demands which "we
found an absolutely unnecessary waste of time, and the joint
communiques issued to the media were altered without the MQM consent."
It also accused the government of procrastination in replying to its
letter.
It also reminded the government that "it is a pre-requisite of
successful negotiations that the murder of young MQM workers, routine
raids on hundreds of Mohajir homes, indiscriminate arrests, the
shifting of MQM legislators and imprisoned workers from Karachi to
interior Sindh and Islamabad, fake police encounters and killing of
workers must stop forthwith. We ask the government to give up its
policy of stubbornness and commence the negotiations by making an
announcement in the media and start discussing the 18 points of the
MQM charter."
DWS
950820
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PM wants unconditional talks
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Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 19: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has instructed the
government negotiating team to hold unconditional talks with the
Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) and seek early negotiated settlement of
the Karachi crisis.
Law Minister, Prof. N. D. Khan, held an hour-long meeting with the
prime minister and received new instructions from her about the next
round of talks. "The prime minister says that the talks with the MQM
should be held without any pre-condition and on the basis of quid pro
quo."
However, he made it clear that the MQM would still have to furnish
clarifications about Altaf Hussain's Two Nation Theory statement to
India Today. Asked how the talks would proceed, the law minister said
that the MQM team would first offer their clarifications as sought by
the government and then both sides would discuss each others points.
DWS
950819
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MQM-govt talks may resume by weekend
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Shamim-ur-Rehman
KARACHI, Aug. 18: The stalled talks between the government and the
Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) are likely to be resumed by the next
weekend though the government is yet to decide the future date,
highly-placed officials sources said on Friday.
The chief government negotiator Federal Law Minister, N. D. Khan, told
Dawn that members of his negotiating team would meet in Islamabad on
Sunday "to decide about the future date, keeping in view the sessions
of the Senate, the National Assembly and other official commitments".
The MQM negotiating team, while rejecting the contents of official
letter as "provocative and irresponsible" had urged the government on
Thursday to start negotiations on 18 points of the MQM charter.
Declining to comment on the contents of the MQM reply to his letter,
Mr Khan, however, regretted that "they (MQM) did not understand the
spirit of the letter".
Mr. Dehalvi had this to add, "we do not underestimate the importance
of Senate and National Assembly sessions but the issue at the talks is
also very important which should not be parried on one pretext or the
other," said Mr Dehlavi.
DWS
950823
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Govt says talks to resume on 29th
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: The government has announced the resumption of the
stalled talks with the MQM on August 29. The new date was announced
after the MQM gave a two-day strike call in Karachi to protest against
the targeted killings of MQM activists by the police and law
enforcement agencies.
The spokesman said the talks will be held at the Governor's House in
Karachi. The Chief Negotiator of MQM, Ajmal Dehlavi, has already been
intimated about the date and venue of the next talks.
Asked why the government failed to hold talks earlier when the MQM had
withdrawn its condition of being called by its real name, the
spokesman said the minister was busy in the Senate and National
Assembly sessions during which he is also supposed to attend the
meetings of the standing committees. The sessions end on August 28th.
DWS
950821
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Altaf criticises 'encounters'
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Correspondents Report
LONDON, Aug. 20: The Mohajir Qaumi Movement reserves its right to
peaceful protest and if the government continues faking "police
encounters" with the killings of the Mohajir youth they will be
justified for their existence, to take that course, Altaf Hussain said
on Sunday, condemning the murder of two more of his partymen and the
maiming through torture of many others.
In a statement, he said that last night a force consisting of the
police, Rangers and the anti-dacoit squad arrested Ashfaq Rahi and
Hameed Gul from Orangi Town and tortured them to death. The
authorities claimed that the two were killed in an "encounter" with
the police.
He said it seems the press release was prepared before their death. It
stated that the two men died in an encounter with the police and that
two pistols were recovered from their possession. He asked whether
these men, described as dangerous terrorists, were confronting the
Rangers and the police with just two pistols. He blamed the
government of masterminding the operation to eliminate the mohajirs.
He added that nearly 1,000 Mohajir youths were undergoing torture in
police cells and lock-ups. Those whose condition worsened as a result
of the torture were shot dead by the authorities under the guise of
"encounters" with the police.
He cited the example of two of MQM workers, Wahid and Mansoor - the
former had his ears cut off and several bones broken and the other has
also been subjected to torture, he said the two are fighting for their
lives. "If they too die as a result, the authorities will declare
them to have been killed in an encounter with the police as they were
terrorists."
The MQM leader accused the government, which is mournful of what is
happening in Kashmir, of having surpassed the Indian atrocities there
as well as the suffering inflicted on the Bosnian Muslims.
DWS
950823
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Two MQM leaders stopped at airport
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug 22: According to MQM sources, Sheikh Liaqaut Hussain, a
member of the MQM negotiating team, who escaped an alleged attempt on
his life on Tuesday was not allowed to board the plane the same
evening for Saudi Arabia where he was going to perform Umra.
According to a MQM spokesmen speaking from London, Khalid bin Walid
who was accompanying Mr Hussain, was also stopped and taken to some
unknown place. Till DAWN went into print last night, the whereabouts
of the two men were unknown. He said putting Sheikh Liaquat Hussain on
the exit control list once again proved the intentions of the
government.
Senior immigration officials were unable to confirm or deny the
incident.
DWS
950823
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MQM calls for a strike with Altafs backing
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Staff Correspondent
KARACHI, Aug 22: The MQM Coordination Committee on Tuesday called for
two days of "total and peaceful" shutdown throughout Sindh to mourn
and protest the killings and "indiscriminate arrests and inhuman
treatment of Mohajirs" during the siege of various localities.
In a statement, the committee asked the transporters to keep their
vehicles off the road and said shops, business houses and educational
institutions should remain closed to "express solidarity" with the
93oppressed" people.
The call for two days of mourning and condemnation of the government's
policies came in the wake of the second day of siege-and-search of the
Lines Area and an alleged attempt on the life of a member of the MQM
negotiating team, Sheikh Liaquat Hussain. The MQM founder, Mr Altaf
Hussain, strongly condemned the "attack" and called upon the
government to immediately apprehend the culprits.
The call by the MQM Coordination Committee has jeopardised prospects
for the resumption of the talks which have been stalled since July 24,
analysts said. The prevalent view is that the next two days would also
test the government's writ and MQM's strength following the much
publicised operations after which the government claimed many "no-go
areas" had been "opened up" and cleared of alleged terrorists.
The Committee said the strike decision was the result of the
government's policy of pushing the Mohajirs to the wall and treating
them like "conquered" people under the pretext of actions against
terrorists.
DWS
950824
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All shopping centres closed on MQM call
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug 23: All major business centres, including the Karachi
Stock Exchange, remained closed and public transport was scarce on
Wednesday =97 the first day of the two-day strike called by the MQM.
Generally people stayed at home though small shops in bylanes were
open to business in some places. Life remained paralysed in District
Central and parts of Districts South, East, West and Malir. Trading
houses, commercial establishments, financial institutions, markets and
shops remained closed in the affected areas since morning.
Public and private transport, including buses of the Karachi Road
Transport Corporation and Karachi Bus Owners Association and Karachi
Transport Ittehad were off the road while a few mini-buses and coaches
plied in parts of the city. Transporters had brought the vehicles on
the road early in the morning, but withdrew them after they were burnt
by arsonists.
Life was brisk in Keamari and Lyari where traders did roaring
business, transport plied unhampered, banks were opened but there was
thin attendance and public dealing was poor at all counters. The
handling of cargo was reported as usual at the port.
Five persons were killed and six wounded during the strike. Three of
them were policemen. 17 vehicles were also burnt in various parts of
the city.
Some unknown armed men hurled explosives, near the offices of daily
Amn from where the chief MQM negotiator, Ajmal Dehlavi, operates. The
attackers fled after policemen in mobile vans, detailed on
Mr Dehlavi's security, fired at them. No one was injured and no damage
was caused during the attack. Talking to Dawn Mr Dehlavi said: "It
was aimed to harass me, the attackers were riding in a vehicle bearing
a government number plate."
The police used armoured personnel carriers (APCs) for patrolling on
the Liaquatabad-Sohrab Goth section and fired in retaliation against
the attackers, eyewitnesses told Dawn. Three policemen were injured
when a police truck came under fire in Gharibabad by unidentified
attackers.
According to the Bomb Disposal Squad chief, a cracker went off at
3 a.m. on Wednesday and two pipe-made bombs were found in a garbage
bin. Another explosion reportedly occurred on Pakistan Chowk which
spread panic in the area. No casualties were reported.
DWS
950818
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Violence claims five lives
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 17: Five people were killed after being kidnapped while
an MQM activist died in a mysterious police encounter in which his two
brothers were also injured and arrested.
Police claim that Mohammad Ashraf, an MQM worker, died in an encounter
and his two brothers Mohammad Aslam and Mohammad Asghar were arrested
while their fourth companion Arshad alias K-2 escaped. However, the
MQM claim that the three brothers were arrested from their Liaquatabad
residence. It claimed the police took them in an armoured personnel
carrier to Nusrat Bhutto Colony. "The three whose hands were tied to
their backs, were removed from the police vehicle and asked to run. As
they ran, police opened fire, killing Mohammed Ashraf on the spot and
injuring the other two brothers."
Police, on the other hand, claim that it reached Nusrat Bhutto Colony
on an informants tip, where it came under attack from the suspects to
which they retaliated in self-defence. Ammunition was recovered from
the three.
Police also found two bullet-riddled bodies, one of which was carrying
a note which said that the body was: "A gift for Naseerullah Baber."
DWS
950819
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Two IJT activists, six others killed in city
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 18: Two activists of Islami Jamiat Talaba were among the
eight people killed on Friday, raising the month's death toll to 128.
Two student activists were kidnapped by unidentified terrorists in
Nazimabad and later their bullet-riddled bodies were found in an
abandoned car. Both were allegedly involved in the assault and murder
of All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) workers.
Gulbahar police have registered a case against some APMSO activists,
who IJT claimed, were allegedly involved in the double murder. The
IJT is observing a 'black day' in the educational institutions of the
city on Saturday to protest against the murders.
DWS
950820
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Seven more killed in city violence
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 19: Seven more people fell victim to unabated terrorism
in the city on Saturday, raising the month's death toll to 135.
As innocent people became victims of arbitary sniper firing, the MQM
and the law enforcing agencies continued there name calling
accusations. Areas of Karachi remained tense due to reports of
sporadic kidnappings and killings by the terrorist.
DWS
950821
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10 killed in city violence
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 20: Ten people were killed in the city on Sunday, five
of them in alleged encounters with the police.
It is reported that the rangers, backed by armoured personnel
carriers, cordoned off several localities early in the morning and
picked up men, mostly youths, during house-to-house searches.
Witnesses claim rangers raided the houses without women searchers,
blind-folded the youths and took them to various interrogation centres
in the city. The exact number of those arrested could not be known.
Two MQM activists, including its Orangi Town chief were killed when
police raided a house in Mominabad. His companion was identified as
Amad Hussain, 28, alias Majid Dhobi, whom police claim was wanted in a
number of criminal cases including the murder of Haqiqi leader, Chacha
Mansoor, and his family. Although the police raided the house at
2:30am they were undecided till 9am as to what version of the episode
to present to the Press.
The final account given by the police stated that they raided the
house on an informants tip that it was being used as a "torture cell".
The Mominabad police claimed that when a police party reached the
house, they came under heavy fire. After a "two-hour shoot-out", two
"terrorists" were killed and two pistols and some bullets were found
in their possession.
Three other suspects were killed in another encounter in Malir. The
police claimed that SSP East had received information that some
dacoits had forced entry into a house to commit a robbery. The police
surrounded the house forcing the bandits to take the women and
children hostage. They later freed the hostages and tried to escape.
All three died in a shoot-out with the police. A spokesman for the
police said "two pistols, some bullets, a vehicle and stolen valuables
were found in their possession".
DWS
950822
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2 cops among four dead in city violence
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 21: Two policemen were killed and five others, including
three pedestrians, wounded when a police party was attacked on Monday
afternoon.
Search and siege operations continued in the city as one more locality
was put under an unofficial curfew to flush out "terrorists and
criminals." Six policemen, patrolling the area on motorcycles, were
caught off guard by armed men in a car. Two constables died in the
ensuing shoot-out, while two others were critically injured and rushed
to hospital.
DWS
950823
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10 killed as violence escalates in city
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug 22: Ten people were killed and 11 others, including two
policemen, injured on Tuesday in incidents of continued violence in
the city.
According to a police official, violence broke out after police raided
the residence of Babu alias Feroz, incharge of MQM Liaquatabad sector,
and arrested his father. MQM supporters took to the streets,
disrupted traffic, blocked roads and resorted to firing in the air.
The agitators also set four vehicles of PIA and Pakistan Steel ablaze
in the area.
A senior police officer claimed the agitators fired at a police
mobile, injuring a constable, which was escorting a member of the MQM
negotiating team, Sheikh Liaquat Hussain, through the troubled area.
DWS
950819
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Govt not doing enough : AI concerned at HR abuses in Karachi
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Athar Ali
LONDON, Aug. 18: Amnesty International (AI) has expressed concern over
what it describes as serious human rights violation committed in the
context of a concerted campaign for law and order in Karachi and holds
the Pakistan government responsible.
The London-based human rights organisation in a report issued here
said that in July the death toll in Karachi was a staggering 279, and
that although the number of deaths in the last couple of weeks has
come down they are still receiving reports of violence.
"The government is simply not doing enough to protect innocent
citizens from targeted killings by armed opposition groups." AI said
that if armed opposition groups do not respect minimum humanitarian
standards which they should, "the government should not use their
violence as an excuse to commit torture or killings".
"During police sweeps, hundreds of people were reported arrested in
the last few weeks; some were blindfolded and beaten then released
within a short period but an unknown number of people continued to be
held." The victims, they said, are not just relatives of the MQM but
also of other parties.
The report "Pakistan: Violation and Abuses not abating in Karachi"
mentions the case of several people who have reportedly disappeared in
custody - particularly mentioning Rais Fatima. AI fears that these
detainees, some of whom are then shown on television confessing
various acts of terrorism, may be subjected to torture and ill-
treatment.
The report refers to the statement made by a Karachi industrialist,
Farooq Sumar, who accused the government of an "alliance with crime"
by condoning the criminal activities of the Haqiqi group. But, the
report says, the orders issued by the Pakistan government for the
arrest of the Haqiqi group leader, Afaq Ahmed Khan, were rescinded
upon by the personal intervention of the Sindh chief minister.
"Continued impunity enjoyed by armed political groups has emboldened
them to further harass and threaten those who seek to stop them," said
the report.
AI has called on the government to set up independent and impartial
inquiries into every single case of torture, death in custody and
extra-judicial execution reported. It urges the armed opposition
groups to refrain from hostage-taking, torture and deliberate and
arbitrary killings. It calls for the immediate release of all persons
who are not charged with a recognisable criminal offence, such as
relatives of wanted persons. It has asked the government to ensure
that political prisoners held on criminal charges are treated in
accordance with international standards for a fair trial.
DWS
950821
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Anti-terrorist operation to continue: Shah
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 29: Sindh Chief Minister, Abdullah Shah, claimed on
Sunday that he had received an indirect messages from MQM chief Altaf
Hussain to stop the ongoing operation in Karachi but reiterated his
government's position that the anti-terrorists operation would
continue. He said political elements in the MQM would be welcomed and
allowed to function as any other political party.
Mr Shah said the efforts of his government to root out terrorism had
been commended by the people of Karachi and the fear of terrorists was
slowly being removed. The chief minister also claimed that people were
now voluntarily providing information about the terrorists and helping
the government in their arrest.
DWS
950818
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Militia firms up positions to face TIUB's ultimatum
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Intikhab Amir
BARA, Aug. 17: In ongoing tensions in the Khyber Agency more
reinforcements of the militia force have been deployed at Dogra near
the debris of the demolished central office of the Tanzim-i-Ittehad-i-
Ulema-e-Bara (TIUB). Personnel of the law enforcement agency,
supported by a couple of armoured personnel carriers, have established
several pickets on the roadside at different places as well as taken
positions atop a number of buildings.
Meanwhile the representative Jirga (council), comprising of about 100
tribal elders, again called on the political agent of the agency to
inquire about the federal government's response to its demand for the
immediate release of the eight detained TIUB men, arrested on charges
of illegal arms possession. There was, apparently, no let up in the
governments stand as the political agent again expressed his inability
to accept the jirga's demand on his own. According to a member of the
jirga they have been ensured that the government would favourably
consider their demands for the release of the men.
DWS
950819
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Bara situation still unstable
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Ahmad Hassan
PESHAWAR, Aug. 18: The situation in strife-torn Bara sub-division of
Khyber Agency, remains far from stable following clashes between the
security forces and tribesmen on Saturday, and reports of continuous
advancement of a strong tribal lashkar towards Bara with no signs of
acceptance of the demands of the Tanzim Ittehad-i-Ulema-i-Bara (TIUB).
In the wake of a series of futile meetings between political
administrations and elders, a prominent personality of Qambarkhel,
Rehmat Shah Afridi, has held talks with the TIUB leaders and
government officials. It is reported that Mr Afridi held a separate
Jirga of his own sub-tribe at Bara to draw up the strategy to deal
with the situation. He is also said to have brought a message from
Islamabad for the Council of Elders.
Meanwhile, all 8 MNA's from FATA held a meeting with the NWFP Governor
at the Governor's House on Friday. An official handout said that the
FATA legislators assured the governor that they would fully co-operate
with the government's efforts of weeding out the drug menace from the
tribal belt.
DWS
950820
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NWFP governor refuses to release TIUB men
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Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, Aug. 19: The JUI chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also
chairman of the National Assemblies standing committee on foreign
affairs, met the NWFP Governor and said that he had failed to persuade
the governor to adopt "a lenient attitude in case of the detainees of
Malakand and Bara." The governor refused to let them off till the
government was satisfied that "they would behave in future" and
assured that they would not take the law in their own hands.
According to the Maulana, the governor was displeased with the
attitude of TNSM and the Bara Tanzim whom the government thought were
acting "on the advice of elements inimical to Pakistan" and trying to
disturb order in their respective areas despite leniency shown by the
government before action was launched against them.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman also met the Chief Minister, who expressed his
inability to intervene as the area was directly administered by the
federal government. He, however, provided assurances that he would
meet the governor to present the Maulana's case
DWS
950823
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Tribesmen to get franchise right: Babar
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Staff Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug 22: Interior Minister, Naseerullah Babar, said that the
government was taking evolutionary steps in the tribal areas to bring
them at par with the rest of the country. The measures, he said,
included granting the right of adult franchise to the tribals.
Referring to the disorder created of law and order situation, Babar
said that government had to resort to force as people had taken up
arms against the government on the instigation of certain anti-social
elements with vested interests who were affected by the Afghan Transit
Trade. He said, that we are developing an understanding with the
tribals and talks are underway to find an amicable solution to the
problem.
Aftab Sheikh, an MPA, said he failed to understand the policies of the
government in these areas. "The Bara operation is against about seven
million people who took an oath to remain loyal to Pakistan," he said. =
He claimed that about 400 shops, 100 houses and three mosques had been
demolished and about 47 persons were killed and 68 injured in the
operation in Tehsil Bara. "The operation was against the TIUB which
has been working for the last four years. If the Tanzeem was involved
in unlawful activities why was it allowed to work so long. The
population from Bara is migrating," he said.
DWS
950824
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Civil laws extended to PATA
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Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, Aug 23: The government of NWFP on Wednesday announced
extention of the Civil Laws (Reforms) Act, 1994 (Act XIV of 1994) now
in force in the NWFP, to the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas
(PATA) as well.
With the extention of the civil laws to PATA, the vacuum caused by the
withdrawal of PATA regulations by the Supreme Court of Pakistan will
be filled up to Malakand Agency and some areas of Kohistan.
It is worth mentioning that the people of Malakand have been demanding
Islamic laws to replace the PATA regulations for the last six months,
and the government has appointed Qazi courts in place of civil courts
under regular laws, but Criminal Procedure and C.P.C. were not
extended to regulate the procedure of these courts.
The civil laws have been extended, but the criminal laws have yet to
be extended to the PATA areas.
DWS
950818
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Police raid Newsline editor's home
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Ghulam Husnain
KARACHI, Aug. 17: Razia Bhatti, editor of the prestigious monthly
English magazine, Newsline, was awakened by a plain-clothed police
party at 1:30am on Thursday just to order her to send one of her
reporters or appear herself before a senior police officer regarding a
criminal case.
The case, policemen claimed, had been filed by Sindh Governor
Kamaluddin Azfar at the Clifton police station against an article
which the governor believed carried "false and scurrilous allegations"
against him. After a 16 hour crisis, during which the police visited
the Newsline offices and Razia Bhatti's apartment twice, Mr Azfar
unilaterally withdrew all charges against the magazine.
The Clifton police refused to comment on the contents of the FIR
against Newsline. In the evening, a police spokesman denied that any
raid had been conducted or that there had been any instructions in
this regard.
However, a spokesman for the Governor's House said: "Due to the
subsequent protest and advice of Hameed Haroon, secretary general of
the Pakistan Newspapers and Periodicals Organisation, for whom the
governor has a high professional and personal regard, the governor has
decided to forgo all personal rights in the legal matter and has
unilaterally withdrawn all charges against the magazine and forgo all
legal remedies. It is better to surrender one's own right as a private
citizen than to lay the office of governor open to any charges of
misuse of power. Since the governor believed that the article
contained 'false and scurrilous' allegations against his person, he
filed a complaint against the magazine in his personal capacity as a
private citizen. The governor however, made it clear to the government
of Sindh that no journalist should be harassed or subjected to any
persecution. Mr Kamaluddin Azfar should receive the protection and
benefits the law affords a private citizen and no more."
In a rejoinder to the governor's statement, Razia Bhatti said
Mr Azfar's statement that the criminal charge against Newsline was
filed in his personal capacity as a private citizen was a "blatant
misrepresentation of fact". A legal notice issued to Newsline last
month demanding an apology for the article 'Az Far as the Going's
Good' (Newsline, June '95), was issued by the advocate general of
Sindh. "Perhaps Mr Azfar can clarify which private citizen can
unleash the forces of state on other private citizens and order raids
on the homes and offices of journalists. The raids were a deliberate
and desperate attempt to intimidate Newsline into submission and are
obviously an extension of the government's recent campaign to
terrorise the Press," Ms. Bhatti concluded.
Half-an-hour later, another police party raided the residence of Zahid
Qureshi, editor of Urdu daily Parcham, who was arrested and remained
in police custody for 25 days in June because a case was registered
against him alleging that he issued threats to the government through
his newspaper. The Police forced their entry into his house after
scaling the walls, broke down a door, allegedly misbehaved with him
and his family, and took his younger brother, Wajid Qureshi, away in
connection with a criminal case.
DWS
950819
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PML slates raid on magazine office
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 18: The Pakistan Muslim League strongly condemned the
police raid at the residence of Ms. Razia Bhatti, Editor of Newsline,
"Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto should issue a public apology to the
Press in general, and to Razia Bhatti in particular, for the invasion
of her privacy and insult to 'Chadar and Chardivari' that has taken
place under her prime ministership. If prominent women journalists are
not safe from police terror, what would be the fate of ordinary
womenfolk in Karachi," PML information secretary Mushahid Hussain said
in a statement.
He called upon the President to initiate an inquiry into the "shameful
incident" and demanded the immediate removal of Mr. Azfar since he had
damaged democracy by "terrorising the free Press".
DWS
950820
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PPP deplores raid on editor's house
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 19: The Information Secretary of PPP, Senator Shafqat
Mehmood, said that the police raid on the residence of Newsline
Editor, Razia Bhatti, was the result of some police officials acting
with "unusual vigour" and termed the incident as "deplorable". He
opined that the fact that the complaint against Razia Bhatti had been
filed by Sindh governor, albeit as a private citizen, some officials
might have acted over-zealously. He, however, added: "Any zealousness
by the police in the pursuit of this private complaint is deplored."
He said that it was "gratifying" that upon learning about the affair,
the governor had not only withdrawn his private complaint but had also
called off any further action. He said the raid had no connection with
the provincial or the federal government or with PPP.
He said that the PPP government could never condone or countenance
police action relating to any story or item appearing in the Press.
"What better example of this can be than the fact that even the prime
minister and the president have taken their grievances against false
and malicious reporting to a civil court for adjudication. They have
not, and do not believe in resorting to criminal action."
DWS
950818
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Five climbers die in avalanche
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 17: At least five mountaineers, including Briton,
Allison Hargreaves, 33, who had climbed the Everest alone and without
oxygen in May this year, were killed in an avalanche on the world's
second highest mountain, K-2. The two, with a Canadian and two
Spaniards, were caught in the avalanche when they were 611 metres from
the 8,611 metre summit.
The climbers were members of three different expeditions - a New
Zealand team, an American team and a Spanish team - who were climbing
to the peak simultaneously. They were at the last camp before the
summit when the avalanche struck. The only one whose body was found by
the survivors was Jeff Lakes, a Canadian belonging to the New Zealand
expedition.
The Canadian expedition was led by Peter Hillary, son of Sir Edmund
Hillary, who made the first successful attempt to conquer the Everest
in 1952. Hillary, who had a satellite telephone, called his manager in
Rawalpindi and informed him that seven people were missing.
Officials in Skardu said that due to difficult terrain it was not easy
to retrieve the bodies, therefore it would only be possible to know
the exact number of casualties once the survivors reached Skardu.
DWS
950820
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Spaniards rescued from K-2
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondents Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 19: Two Spaniards have been rescued from a K-2 base
camp by an Army Rescue team. Though otherwise unhurt, both were
suffering from frostbite on their hands and fingers. The rescue
mission, which had already been delayed once on Friday, followed the
deaths of seven climbers in a avalanche on K-2 earlier this week.
A Spanish diplomat said three other Spaniards had reached the 28,250
ft summit of K-2 on August 13. Army sources confirmed that Briton,
Allison Hargreaves and American, Robert Slater had also succeeded in
reaching the summit. The seven reportedly froze to death on their
descent.
DWS
950819
-------------------------------------------------------------------
India accused of tricks to malign militants
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent Report
LONDON, Aug. I8: India has been accused of a secret "dirty tricks"
operation in the ongoing saga of the four western hostages being held
by a group calling itself Al-Faran. The decapitated body of the fifth
hostage, a Norwegian, was found last week.
The Glasgow Herald, Scotland's premier English daily, quoted military
sources on Friday, who said that India "is controlling the hostage
takers". The newspaper said that New Delhi is understood to have so
far resisted an offer made earlier this week for an SAS commando
assault team by Whitehall.
The paper quoted a senior British military source as saying that it
was increasingly probable that the little-known Al Faran faction was
being armed and funded by India and may even be led by undercover
Indian commandos or Afghan mercenaries. Some of its hard-core members
may not even be aware who was controlling them, the source added.
George Galloway, a Labour MP from Scotland, has asked the British
foreign secretary to summon the Indian high commissioner to explain
the exact relationship between the Indian government and the so-called
Al Faran hostage takers. Mr Galloway, the national organiser of the
parliamentary lobby on Kashmir, said that he did not know if these
hostage takers were actually from the Indian occupying force, but if
they were not they might as well be because they are serving
completely the interests of the Indian army and government.
"The exclusive report by the defence correspondent of the Glasgow
Herald crystallises the growing belief in informed circles that this
whole Al- Faran kidnapping is a dirty-tricks operation by the
notorious Indian Intelligence Service, RAW, to discredit the freedom
fighters of Kashmir," said Mr Galloway.
DWS
950819
-------------------------------------------------------------------
US grants patent to Pakistani scientist
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17: The United States has granted a Pakistani nuclear
scientist a patent for his process to enrich uranium through the gas
centrifuge method which is currently being used by Pakistan at its
nuclear laboratories. The patent has been granted to Dr Mohammed
Qadir Hussain of Karachi, who is an ex-employee of the Pakistan Atomic
Energy Commission (PAEC) and who claims his process was stolen by them
and later used by Dr Qadeer Khan to enrich uranium. Dr Hussain tried
his best to get recognition for his work in Pakistan but after failing
to either receive recognition or compensation, he sent his invention
to the United States Department of Commerce in 1987 to be registered
as a US patent.
The government of Pakistan recently put Dr Hussain on the exit control
list and he is not allowed to travel abroad to pursue the patent he
has been granted by the US department of commerce's patent and trade
mark office. The grant of the patent to Dr Hussain means that his
process was genuine and Pakistan is using the same process for the
enrichment of uranium, Dr Hussain is due for a massive compensation,
US legal experts say.
The notification issued by the US department of commerce shows
Dr Hussain's invention had been issued the Patent No 5417944 on May
23, 1995. Dr Hussain's lawyers in New York say after the grant of the
patent, he has to find out who, if anyone, was using the method which
he had invented and he could claim compensation from these users. The
lawyers have mentioned some of the major US companies who may be using
the process but they cannot be named until proceedings are completed
on whether they have copied his patent and whether they are prepared
to pay him compensation, if any.
But the implications of the grant of the patent to Dr Hussain are more
serious for Pakistan where his process has been used for years and he
has been thrown out of job and even restricted to travel abroad.
It may create an embarrassing situation for the PAEC as well as
Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, if Dr Hussain could prove that his process was
actually being used by Pakistani nuclear establishments. One issue
which is not clear so far is whether Dr Hussain would be allowed to
sell his invention to private consumers in the United States or
abroad, since it relates to the nuclear subject which is very
sensitive in the United States.
If Dr Hussain's process is judged to be covered by the US Military
Utilisation law, then he could expect a compensation from the US
government, if it is not, then he would have to find users for his
process in the private sector for which he must travel to where such
users may be based.
DWS
950820
-------------------------------------------------------------------
People may get access to official documents
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sabihuddin Ghausi
KARACHI Aug. 19: The next meeting of federal cabinet will discuss the
Public Information Act drafted by the Federal Anti-Corruption
Committee (FACC) to facilitate access of official documents to the
general public.
According to a FACC report prepared for the cabinet, "a change in our
laws whereby the public is allowed access to official documents,
excepting the ones pertaining to security and defence, would
contribute to the eradication of corruption".
Being moved in the face of tough resistance from bureaucrats, the FACC
plan, allowing the general public access to the sources of information
has been endorsed by the ministry of law, justice and parliamentary
affairs.
The ministry said: "It is correct that the most of our laws do not
allow public access to official documents nor is the public generally
entitled to obtain copies of documents particularly in case in which
they are not parties. In democratic countries, it is thought that all
actions of the executive should be transparent and the people being
tax-payers should have every right to know the basis of executive
actions and the manner in which certain decisions are taken."
A member of the FACC, Ali Ashraf Khan said, "what the FACC emphasised
was that in most cases of corruption by civil servants, its incidence
could have been checked if unclassified information had been available
to any citizen upon payment of a nominal fee.
Former Supreme Court judge, Sindh governor and attorney-general, Mr
Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim said in a letter of support to the FACC
chairman, Senator Malik Mohammad Qasim, "Yes, you are absolutely right
to insist on freedom of information. It is being denied to us on the
ground of need to maintain secrecy in the national interest though the
fact is that there are no secrets in Pakistan. Moreover, the so called
secrecy only lends credence to many a lie. Those who are denying open
governments are thus, in the long run harming their own interest."
DWS
950820
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Gawadar issue to be taken up with Oman
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 19: The government has again decided to undertake the
development of Gawadar port and is sending a delegation to Oman to
convince the Omanese Sultan to invest in Pakistan.
Deputy speaker Sindh Assembly, Nabeel Gabol will lead the delegation
sometime this week to hold important talks with Omanese authorities
including Sultan Qaboos and try and get them to revise their decision
on investing in the development of Gawadar Port.
Gabol regretted that the opposition parties had unnecessarily opposed
the Omanese investment in the Gawadar port that ultimately resulted in
Sultan Qaboos' refusal to offer any investment.
Gabol said that the development of Gawadar would uplift the area and
its inhabitants and must not be opposed by the political parties. "The
impression given earlier by the opposition parties that Gawadar was
being sold to Oman was totally false," he said hoping that this time
the opposition would avoid creating controversy over the issue.
"He said Oman was also interested in the development of a fish harbour
in Balochistan and was previously ready to take up the task. They can
now again be convinced to invest in Balochistan and I appeal to our
friends in the opposition not to make it an issue this time".
DWS
950820
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PNPO threatens strike on newsprint issue
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 19: The Executive Committee of the Pakistan Newspapers
and Periodicals Organisation (PNPO) which met on Saturday, vested its
president and general secretary with full powers to call for a nation-
wide indefinite strike against the failure of the government to lift
all duties and sales tax on the import of newsprint.
Expressing "grave concern" at the runaway inflation in the
international newsprint market, pushing the price of newsprint
(Scandinavian standard) up from $450 to $1,300 per metric ton. The
PNPO President, Arif Nizami, has been urged to take the matter up to
the industry-wide body in Karachi which played a vital role in the
withdrawal of the ban on the six evening dailies.
The committee also expressed its "grave displeasure" at the flouting
of the PID rules with regard to the accreditation of advertising
agencies and, in this regard, cited the case of Informachine whose
owners are closely related to the inner ruling clique in the country.
It decided that no advertisement released through Informachine would
be placed in its member publications, with immediate effect, unless
the concerned agency fulfilled, in letter and in spirit, the PNPO's
rules of conduct of advertising agencies.
The PNPO criticised the "massive government advertising cut" ordered
against the Dawn for refusing to print advertisements released by the
Informachine on behalf of the finance ministry in violation of the PID
rules and "in contravention of all ethics". It also noted the
displeasure expressed by the IMF on using the finance ministry's funds
for advertising the political party in power and criticised the
"indecent haste" with which a new newspaper connected to the ruling
party, the Sindh Tribune, had received government advertisements, in
violation of all rules.
DWS
950820
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Names of big shots surface in FACC report
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 19: The first annual report of the Federal Anti-
Corruption Committee (FACC) exposes the cases of corruption,
malpractice, abuse of power and financial irregularities involving
billions of rupees in WAPDA, Civil Aviation Authority, Pakistan
Telecommunication Corporation, Privatisation Commission, Pakistan
International Airlines, Central Board of Revenue, Railways, University
Grants Commission, Cotton Export Corporation, Pakistan Postal
Corporation, Karachi Port Trust and banks and financial institutions.
Headed by Senator Malik Mohammad Qasim, the FACC received 1,804
complaints in its first year of operation. Complaints of
administrative nature were passed on to the departments concerned but
those involving abuse of authority by the civil servants,
misapplication and misappropriation of funds and loss to public
exchequer were investigated in depth by FACC and FIA officials.
According to the report, the FACC preferred to start its investigation
from the list of banks loan defaulters, lists published by the interim
government in 1993, and through scrutiny of the data given by the
Pakistan Banking Council, which "brought the FACC close to establish
fraudulent dealings between businessmen, politicians, bureaucrats and
bankers". The report observes that the FACC findings made 'ministry of
finance, Banking Council and the State Bank officials take refuge
under the Secrecy doctrine".
The FACC report complains that after total co-operation till November
1994, these banks and agencies "changed their attitude perhaps to save
their own executive staff who were also found to be involved in these
irregularities and corruption leading to default".
In the CAA, the FACC detected corruption and malpractice in the
recruitment of some 147 officers who did not meet the prescribed
criteria but were appointed on the express orders of the then defence
minister. The Director General of CAA, Air Marshal (retired) Anwar
Mahmood, was removed.
Detailed enquiry was also carried out into financial mismanagement
causing Rs 72 million loss due to irregularities in flotation of the
CAA bonds resulting in the removal of the director finance, a loss of
Rs 54.81 million on account of Lahore runway repair and non-recovery
of Rs 55.71 million were also detected.
Enquiries were also carried out into the privatisation of Suraj Ghee
Mills and 16 other ghee mills causing losses of over Rs 600 million.
In case of Suraj Ghee Mills privatisation, the FACC found a loss of
over Rs 30 million because of its sale at a much lower price than the
certified higher price value of the assets. After the FACC probe, a
case was registered against a MPA who was the main beneficiary of this
deal and members of the Accounts of the Privatisation Commission who
flouted all rules and regulation of the privatisation policy were
arrested.
The annual report of FACC also speaks of a Rs 571.28 million loss
caused in privatisation of 16 ghee units. "These findings were
apparently not liked by PML(N) who brought out a fact sheet. FACC
convincingly replied to each point raised in this fact sheet", the
annual report says.
A detailed reference has also been made to the privatisation deal of
the Pakistan PVC Ltd and had blamed the valuators of under assessing
the value of assets, thus causing a net loss of over Rs 129 million.
The FACC is also investigating the involvement of certain high-ups of
PIA management in drug trafficking with or without patronage of
certain political personalities which remains to be verified. It also
detected certain officials of the PIA subsidiary companies operating
under the PIA Holding Company availing undue financial benefits.
Inquiries have been completed pertaining to losses caused in Shalimar
Lounge London, GSA Baghdad.
Bulk of the space of FACC annual report is devoted to irregularities
and malpractice detected in the banks and DFI's and mentions names of
powerful persons who benefited from it. It mentions the name of Rais
Ata Mohammad Mari against whom the National Bank of Pakistan obtained
a court decree in 1991 for recovery of Rs 28.55 million but did not
execute it. On pursuance of the FACC, the bank authorities filed an
application in the court for an execution order for the recovery of
the amount. Names have also been mentioned of Tawakkal Group against
whom a sum of Rs 2.30 billion is stuck up without security as well
other prominent business and political families.
The FACC annual report mentions the name of nine Habib Bank officials
against whom the management took disciplinary action after FACC
detected the cases of committing irregularities. The FACC contends
that most of the amount of Rs 2 billion disbursed under the Prime
Minister's Self-Employment Scheme is feared to have become bad debt.
DWS
950822
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Fresh probe in Iqbal Masih murder case urged
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shujaat Ali Khan
LAHORE, Aug. 21: According to Law ministry sources, the inquiry
commission into the murder of Bonded Labour Liberation Front activist
Iqbal Masih has recommended re-investigation of the case by a senior
police officer.
The investigation is currently being conducted by a sub-inspector who
failed to take into custody material pieces of evidence such as the
bicycle which the victim was riding at the time of his murder. Though
SI Ghulam Bari visited the scene of the crime immediately after the
murder on April 16, the First Instance Report (FIR) was registered
five days later.
Justice Khalid Paul Khawaja of the Lahore High Court was assigned the
inquiry to determine prima facie the cause of the murder. The judge
recorded the testimony of 27 people but had deplored that he was not
properly assisted by either the BLLF or the carpet industry. He is
said to have sent his 30-page report to the Ministry of Law and
Parliamentary Affairs.
Iqbal Masih was engaged in a campaign against child labour in the
carpet industry, and the BLLF believes that he was assassinated by
vested interests. However, according to the prosecution, he was
killed by a social deviant who fired at him and two companions on a
bicycle.
DWS
950822
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SHC issues decree against ranger
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Report
KARACHI, Aug. 21: Justice G. H. Malik, of the Sindh High Court, has
decreed a suit filed by Mrs. Raeesa Begum in the sum of Rs 1.125
million against the Ministry of Defence and Sepoy Safdar, a driver of
Sachal Rangers, Karachi, for killing a motorcyclist and his minor
daughter on December 3, 1993.
The accident occurred on the main road in Clifton by a truck belonging
to the rangers. The driver, unmindful of the vehicle ahead of the
truck, knocked it down while taking a turn. The victim Munawar
Ishaque and his two daughters got entangled in the wheels of the
truck. One of the girls died on the spot while Munawar was pronounced
dead at the hospital.
Fifty per cent of the amount will be paid to the plaintiff and the
remainder will be divided equally between the son and daughter of the
deceased. The victim's income was from a rickshaw which he had hired
from its owner, and the court settled his income at the rate of Rs 150
per day. The plaintiff had originally claimed Rs 3 million as damages
under the Fatal Accident Act, 1855.
DWS
950823
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Afghan planes violate airspace
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, Aug 22: Two Afghan planes violated Pakistan's airspace and
dropped nine bombs in the Trimengal area, near Parachinar in Kurram
Agency on Tuesday, but no loss of life was reported.
One bomb was reported to have fallen within the Afghan territory
across the border while most of the bombs dropped on this side of the
borders hit a school building and an Frontier Constabulary security
post.
According to a report, two Afghan jet fighters entered Pakistan's air
space at about 6 am, but returned without dropping any bomb. At around
10.25 am the planes came again and dropped a bomb at a school
building, but no damage was caused. In their third and fourth
violations of Pakistan's airspace, in the afternoon, the two planes
again hit the same school building. The roof collapsed but there were
no casualties as pupils had gone home by that time.
Informed sources said the school building was targeted because the
Afghans thought it was being used by Hekmatyar as an arms depot.
A missile was fired from across the border, which fell in the Torkham
area on Monday night, without causing any casualties or damage.
According to a report, the missile was fired during fighting between
the forces of Afghan leaders Sayyaf and Hekmatyar in the border area.
DWS
950824
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Provinces told to fend for themselves
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtishamul Haq
ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: The federal government has immediately stopped
release of all supplementary grants to ministries/divisions and the
provinces due to the "tight budgetary position".
There would not only be a total ban on supplementary grants during
1995-96 but a directive has been also issued by Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto to dismiss those government servants involved in "mis-
appropriation of government funds" rather than merely transferring
them, as is the current practice, official sources told Dawn here on
Wednesday.
The decision to stop all supplementary grants was taken by the Prime
Minister on recommendations of the priority committee of the PM's
secretariat. The committee, sources said, was of the view that the
acute shortage of funds did not permit any supplementary grants to the
ministries, divisions as well as to the four provinces, at least
during the current financial year.
The sources said the Prime Minister had rejected the plea of those
seeking such grants that they should be obliged especially after the
record high collection of tax (Rs 226 billion) during the financial
year ending July 31 this year.
The Prime Minister said the original allocations made for ministries,
divisions and provinces in the current budget would not be changed and
that the country needed certain financial discipline to be strictly
adhered in order to achieve long cherished economic stability.
The sources said the Prime Minister had also taken serious notice that
some ministries and divisions whose request for supplementary grants
had been rejected by herself, have taken their cases for processing to
the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) and
the Central Development Working Party (CDWP). "If a project has
originally been rejected by the Prime Minister, processing through
ECNEC and CDWP become redundant,"says a notification issued to all
ministries and divisions.
Besides this step, she has also directed the authorities to dismiss
all those government servants involved in the mis-appropriation of
government funds.
93It has been noticed that the ministry/division merely transfer the
concerned civil servant even involved in an act of mis-conduct,
corruption etc., rather than initiating disciplinary proceeding,
resultantly not only government interests are adversely affected, such
instances create an unhealthy example for unscrupulous civil servants
to emulate," she said in her latest directive to ministries and
division. She directed that financial corruption in the government
departments was leading to paucity of funds and must be checked by all
means.
The sources said she has directed the authorities concerned that all
such cases of misappropriation disciplinary action must be taken
immediately and in case of charges being confirmed the penalty of
dismissal of service should be imposed. "The charge sheet/show cause
notice must invariably indicate dismissal from service as a penalty as
per Efficiency and Disciplinary rules involving the cases of
misappropriation of government funds," it further added.
950818
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sugar mills directed to declare stocks
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 17: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday
ordered the sugar mills to provide details about their crystal white
sugar stocks within 48, "otherwise strict action will be taken
against the mills," to pre-empt any black-marketing or hoarding of
the commodity.
In related development, the FIA also conducted several raids
throughout the country on sugar godowns and recovered 170,000 bags of
100-kg each allegedly hoarded by a sugar broker in Karachi and Quetta.
The FIA claimed that the two arrested traders had hoarded huge stocks
of sugar to create a shortage and increase its price in the market.
In Lahore, the raiding teams recovered 80,000 bags of sugar but did
not mention the owners names.
Sugar prices in the market had risen sharply from Rs 14 per kg to Rs
17 per kg in the open market. The government had also lifted duty on
the import of sugar to meet the shortages.
DWS
950819
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock Exchange : Improved performance emerges over weekend
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohammad Aslam
STOCKS turned in an improved performance during the last week as
prices recovered across a broad front, aided by strong institutional
support. News of the presence of foreign fund buying was another
supporting favourable factor.
The Karachi Stock Exchange index of share prices managed to post a
modest rise at 1,850.07 as compared to 1,823.27 a week earlier,
reflecting the strength of the base shares.
However, unlike previous sessions, base shares could not lead the
market advance as a formidable section of leading operators rolled
positions to other counters to realise good capital gains in the
coming sessions.
The weakness of the bank and other investment shares, which of late
have assumed a trend setting role worried investors as a good bit of
selling prompted by heavy liquidation by jobbers and short-term
dealers. "There is, however, a major shift in dealer perception about
the share business and that could be a healthy sign for the general
health of the market", said an analyst.
Some adverse comment about the interim results of some of MNC's did
dampen spirits as sellers took profits on those shares but it was
largely meant for replacement buying. News that interim profits of
Lever Brothers are on the lower side of the market expectations
prompted selling in its shares despite a 20 per cent interim dividend
for the year ending December 31, 1995.
Similarly, news of a cut in per share earning of the polyester giant
Dewan Salman also triggered a lot of profit-selling in the synthetic
sector, although selling was well absorbed on the perception that the
future outlook might not be that bearish and it is good to buy them at
the falling prices.
But, despite reports of higher earnings, banks shares moved the other
way as the leading among them attracted profit-selling at each rise.
And added to it was the distinct weakness of the leasing and Modaraba
sectors.
Floor brokers said what was interesting was that the market appeared
to be in a highly overbrought position as selling was not coming even
from short-sellers - as it should have been in a rising market.
Insurance sector witnessed a near craze as investors made heavy buying
among the low-priced shares after selling overvalued - including Alico
and Adamjee Insurance. Asia, Alico, and Silver Insurance were big
gainers among them, followed by EFU, Premier and PI.
Investment shares witnessed a big flight of capital to other counters
as barring some bank and ICP mutual funds, leasing, modarabas and
leading bank shares suffered a fall.
Textile shares fell in unison despite news of fresh export business
and so did synthetics after an early rise. Adverse press comments on
the profitability of Dewan Salman and some others triggered selling.
However, Rupali Polyester managed to finish with good gains.
Sugar shares rose on prospects of export, major gainers among them
being Ansari, Noon and Habib Sugar. But cement shares remained in
strong demand and finished recovered under the lead of Mustehkam,
Pakland, Cherat and others.
Energy shares were actively traded under the lead of HubPower,
Genertech, KESC, Sui Northern etc., rising modestly. Autos rose
modestly as well, major gainers among them being Pak Suzuki, Hinopak,
Indus Motors and Al-Ghazi Tractors. Millat Tractors failed to sustain
initial gains and fell sharply.
Dawood Hercules, Abbott, Ravi resins, Highnoon, BOC Pakistan and Boots
were among the big gainers in chemicals as were Mitchells, Brooke
Bond, PIAC, Packages and Murree Brewery on other counters.
PTC shares moved both sides of the market amid low volume and
fractional price changes as buying interest was shifted to other
counters.
Volume figures showed a modest contraction of 43 million shares as
compared to 47 million shares last week as leading sellers kept to the
sidelines. About 50 per cent of the volume remained confined to half
a dozen shares despite the fact that a good number of inactive shares
notably in the insurance sector came in for active support.
Faysal Bank, PTC, LTV Modaraba, Dhan Fibre, HubPower and Ibrahim Fibre
were the most active scrips, which together accounted for about half
of the total volume. They were followed by Lucky Cement, PIAC, Dewan
Salman, Maple Lead Cement, Sui Southern, Sui Northern, Cherat Cement,
Askari Bank, Platinum Bank and ALICO.
The new entrant was Metro Life Insurance, which was heavily traded
including a massive activity of over a million shares on Wednesday on
news of higher interim earnings. Fauji Fertilisers, D. G. Khan
Cement, 24th ICP, ICP, SEMF etc. were also among the actives.
DWS
950821
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreign ships sail off port fearing arrest
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pervaiz Ishfaq Rana
KARACHI, Aug. 20: Foreign ships have started sailing off Karachi port
following the Income Tax Department officials' insistence that they
declare the name of their owners before entering the harbour. This,
the local business circles believe, could lead to severe shortages of
gasoline and imported industrial inputs in the near future.
The IT departmental action followed reports that out of the 100
vessels owned by Pakistani shippers more than half are registered in
Dubai and European countries known as 'tax havens.'"There is massive
tax evasion," tax hounds say adding "we have requested the Karachi
Port authorities not to issue clearance certificates to any of the
ships in the port area before its ownership is established."
The crisis occured when the Income Tax Department acted on reports of
tax evasion by some shipping companies and asked the incoming foreign
flag vessels to identify the names of their owners before entering the
Karachi Harbour.
This is the second time during the last two months that the Karachi
Port has been jolted by the Tax Department. Sometime ago there was a
crisis when Income Tax Department demanded payment of taxes amounting
to billion of rupees. However, the current crisis appears to be more
serious as it could engulf the country as a whole. Shipping sources
reckoned that the chief loser of the current tussle is the Karachi
Port Trust, which is incurring tariff losses in million of rupees
daily.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Shipping Agents Association (PSAA) appeared to be
in a defiant mood and has reportedly refused to oblige the tax
authorities. Nonetheless, it is said to be willing to furnish details
under the previous rules. However, non-resident shipping companies
are not affected by the current tax recovery drive as the tax
department will issue port clearance certificates to them well in
advance on the condition that the tax will be paid within time,
shipping sources added.
DWS
950821
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PM urged to delay decision of Finance Ministry
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 20: Minister for Commerce, Chauhdry Ahmad Mukhtar,
said that Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is being requested to have the
Finance Ministry decision, soliciting compulsory information from
traders about their mobile bills, foreign tours and childrens school
fees, delayed for one year.
Speaking after having met the representatives of traders, the Minister
said some agreement was expected in a day or so about the traders
demands. A decision on electricity and gas bills as well as petrol
receipts of cars over 800 CC have already been pending for one year by
the government. Mukhtar said the delay was on the PM's directives who
thought it would be difficult for anybody to keep records of these
bills. Though this would be done from next year when traders would
keep records for income tax purposes.
Representatives of traders have threatened to a observe a strike on
Aug. 26 and 27 if the government does not agree to keep the decision
pending. The Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry has
refused to participate in the strike.
DWS
950824
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Govt accepts traders' demand
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: The government has accepted the demand of the
trader community to drop from the Income Tax form the soliciting of
compulsory information about the mobile phones, foreign tours and
childrens school fees.
C.B.R. Chairman Alvi Abdul Rahim will brief newsmen on Thursday
regarding the changes made in the Form. Earlier, the traders had
threatened to observe strike on Aug 26 and 27.
DWS
950822
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Power plant privatisation
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Faraz Hashmi
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 21: The Privatisation Commission and the Pakistan
WAPDA Hydro Electric Central Labour Union (PWHECLU) will sign an
agreement on Aug. 27, to pave the way for the privatisation of multi-
million dollars Kot Addu thermal power station.
According to a Privatization Commission source, the agreement, which
envisages full job security and a 35 per cent increase in the salaries
of workers of Kot Addu power plant, has been reached after hectic
negotiations over the last two months.
The representatives of workers, to further their own political gains,
had taken the issue of privatisation to such a high pitch that it had
become very difficult for them to retreat, the source said. Earlier
the commission, in the face of threats from the workers, had postponed
the visits of potential buyers from three U.S. and two U.K. based
companies. The union, whose basic objective was to get a better deal
for the workers, had also claimed that the government was privatising
the unit at a throw away price. Kot Addu is the latest thermal power
station of WAPDA generation networker with a total capacity of 924 MW.
The unit had a debt of over US$ 756 million (Rs 23,436 million), which
would also be passed on to the buyers at an increased mark-up of 14%.
The WAPDA had obtained these loans at a interest rate of 11%. After
the privatisation the government would automatically get 3% profit
over and above the amount it was already getting from the WAPDA, the
source said.
These loans had already been transferred to WAPDA by the federal
government on slightly higher interest rates than the ones these had
been obtained on from the international donors, the source said.
According to the privatisation plan, the unit would be first listed as
a company, the Kot Addu Power Company and then 26% of the shares would
be offered to the highest pre-qualified bidder. The successful bidder
would have to submit 25% of the payment at the time of acceptance of
bid and the rest of the amount would have to be paid within a period
of four months.
DWS
950824
-------------------------------------------------------------------
WB to give 500m dollars for judicial reforms
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondents Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: The World Bank has assured government of Pakistan
to provide half a billion dollars grant "for the implementation of
legal reforms in Pakistan", Dawn has learnt from sources in the law
ministry.
According to details made available to Dawn, the law ministry with the
assistance of the World Bank will hold a legal workshop in January
1996, in which topics related to the improvement of working of courts
and evaluation of an alternative dispute resolution mechanism in
Pakistan will be discussed.
A bank representative who, according to our source, recently visited
Pakistan, "gave a categoric assurance that if the legal reforms
workshop materialises and concrete proposals are made come out of it,
the bank will immediately give a grant of US$ 500 million".
The participants of the workshop will be "Pakistanis who have
distinguished themselves in the legal profession". However, it has
been proposed by the legal advisor of the law ministry, Khalid N. D.
Khan, that "no opposition lawyers should be invited (in the workshop)
to politicise the matter," the sources said. The bank representative,
it is learnt, has agreed to this proposal.
Our sources have disclosed that the World Bank representative has
93also taken the Chief Justice of Pakistan into confidence about this
project."
DWS
950819
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Business & Financial Week
-------------------------------------------------------------------
~The National Self Employment Scheme (NSES) has been virtually
suspended due to too much interference from the PM's Secretariat and
continued harassment from bankers.
~The Cotton Export Corporation has reduced the prices of imported lint
by 10% in a bid to provide relief to the battered textile industry.
~Japan is slated to import 780,000 tons of quality rice from five
countries including Pakistan during the next three years.
~PNSC is in the process of hiring a Bahamian flag ferry to run on the
proposed Karachi, Gwadar, Muscat and Dubai route in collaboration with
Oman National Shipping Lines.
~Kuwait lost over one billion barrels of oil, amounting to almost 1%
of its sole natural resource, during the 1991 Gulf war oil fires.
~Foundries in the Punjab are facing acute shortage of pig iron leading
to the shut down of over 1000 foundries during the last 6 months due
to short supply of raw material from Pakistan Steel Mills.
~The engineering department of Emirates Airlines has received formal
recognition from the civil aviation authorities of the 23 European
nations for its high aircraft maintenance standard.
~Due to lack of any drainage facilities several factories in the
Hyderabad SITE area have been inundated due to the heavy rains and
floods leading to a closure of many units.
~The Sindh Government will submit a proposal to the Federal Government
to double its share from Rs 24 billion to Rs 48 billion per year in
the National Finance Commission Award.
~The Consolidated Electric Power Asia has signed a MoU with the
government of Pakistan, on July 24, to build a $ 1 bn deep seaport at
Keti Bandar.
~The Pakistan Cotton Institute (PCSI) has embarked upon a campaign to
educate the growers and ginners through letter and literature
regarding measures which would help them improve the quality of
cotton.
~The allotment of yellow cab vehicles to serving and retired Army
officers will be made through a computer draw on August 20, in lieu of
the vehicle the successful applicant will have to forward a demand
draft of the total price of the vehicle.
~The EPB will spend over Rs 580 million on export protection
activities during 1995-96 compared to Rs 460 million spent last year
in a bid at achieving an export target of $9.206 billion compared to
last years target of $8.036 billion.
~The Islamabad Stock Exchange will introduce computerised trading in
shares by the end of this year in an effort at safeguarding the
interests of the stock trade and public through self-regulation of its
functions.
~WAPDA authorities have approved the placing of an order of 81 power
transformers from Heavy Electrical Complex at Kot Najibullah in
Haripur Hazara of the State Engineering Corporation.
~The International Confederation of free trade unions has demanded
suspension of benefits to Pakistan under the existing generalised
system of references due to issues involving bonded labour.
~Almost all the major garment export houses of Karachi have
established small manufacturing units in the safer zones of Punjab due
to the persistent law and order problems in Karachi.
~The US based Daft & Phelps Credit Rating Agency has signed a letter
of intent with the KSE, the ADB and vital information services to form
a proposed credit rating agency in Pakistan.
~SBP has approved of credit plan to contain monetary expansion by
about 13%, with a commitment to check growing inflation through market
based monetary management.
~The Privatisation Commission has awarded the National Westminster
Bank, Faysal Bank and Shoaib Capital (Pvt) Ltd. Consortium the
contract for consultancy to place 26% shares and management of KESC
with the private sector.
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DWS
950818
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Helm unmanned!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
ON MAY 1Z, 1991, Communications Secretary Salman Farooqi staged one of
his famous soap operas at Government House, Karachi. He was directing
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the presentation of licences to those
in the private sector wishing to own ships, an operation falling under
his spell in the Ministry of Communications.
My good old friend and deprived shipowner, Fakhruddin Millwala, was
handed his shipping licence. When it came to my turn, Nawaz asked how
many men I thought would venture forth within the year. Perhaps two, I
told him, but for sure a maximum of three. Nawaz gave Salman a
bewildered look, turned back to me. "Two or three hundred?", he
queried. No, two or three I repeated. Very taken aback, he explained
that his Secretary had assured him that our seas and harbours would be
filled the next year with hundreds of ships flying our flag.
Later, over tea and laddoos, Governor Mahmoud Haroon laughed and said
to Nawaz, "I told you not to ask him."
I impressed upon Nawaz that to run ships one must rise at five, that
ninety per cent of our cargoes are carried by non-Pakistani vessels at
internationally competitive rates, and that if we want a share in that
business bureaucratic impediments would have to be completely
eliminated and security of capital and freedom of action guaranteed.
Four years down the line to 1995 and only three private sector
entrepreneurs have braved the seas. One now wishes to sell his ship
and close shop, one has beached his ship, and one is floundering.
First, to Fakhruddin and his newly formed Milwa Shipping Company. The
Communications Ministry notified him on January 5, 1993, that his
licence had been re-extended up to May 11, 1993, subject to his
registering a ship under the Pakistan flag by that date, and that it
would not be further extended. Fakhruddin reminded the ministry that
Shipping policy had yet to be firmed, promised concessions had yet to
be notified. No problem, the ministry assured him.
On January 24, 1993, the EEC decided that: 1) ships brought in up to
December 1995 would be exempted from the payment of all import duties
and taxes, 2) income from shipping would be exempted from income tax
for five years from the date of registry of the ship in Pakistan, 3)
money could be raised by mortgaging ships to banks and DFl's, and 4)
ships of the private sector would be treated at par with ships owned
by PNSC.
Relying on this, Fakhruddin bought a ship, renamed her Mustansir, and
she entered Karachi with flags flying on March 18,1993. To meet the
conditions of the Registrar of Ships, a formal Customs entry was
filed, noting therein that no import customs duties, etc., were
payable. The Customs said 'nothing doing' until they received orders
from the CBR. The Registrar declared himself helpless. The
Communications Ministry said they would move the Finance Ministry. The
cock was shuttled to and fro.
Fakhruddin satisfied the Customs by giving an undertaking that if the
issue was not resolved as decided by the Cabinet, he would either pay
the sums demanded or re-export his vessel and sell it abroad.
Temporary entry was permitted, temporary flag registration was
granted.
The requisite SRO was issued by the government on April 18,1993, and
waved in the face of the Customs by a triumphant Fakhruddin. "Ah,"
said the Collector, "but your ship arrived before the SRO was issued.
Pay the duties and the taxes, or sail away."
Round and round went Fakhruddin, to the DG Ports & Shipping, to the
Communications Ministry, to the Finance Ministry, to the CBR, to the
Customs, to the Registrar, back to the ministries, back to the CBR...
Nothing having been settled by November 20, 1993, the frustrated
Fakhruddin wrote to the government forgiving it for breaching its
promise and begging permission to sell the Mustansir to foreign
buyers. Permission was granted on March 28,1994. The government being
the government, there was of course a big 'but': "The above permission
is, however, without prejudice to any other requirements and subject
to clearance by the Government Agencies concerned."
The Registrar refused to delete the ship's name from the Pakistan
Register until the Customs cleared the ship. The Customs refused to
clear the ship until the relevant duties and taxes were paid. Round
and round again went Fakhruddin...
In the meantime, Mustansir traded under the temporarily hoisted
Pakistani flag. On March 19,1995, she arrived at Karachi to load rice
for Iran. The Customs said she would not be allowed to sail away
again. The contract for the carriage of rice was cancelled. Mustansir
was 'seized' by the Customs on June 3. She has now been idle for over
150 days, losing Fakhruddin some Rs 50,000 per day.
Now, down on his knees, Fakhruddin begs forgiveness for having
attempted to become once again a proud shipowner of Pakistan. He
beseeches that he be allowed to see his ship, permission to do so
having been granted, and that he not be forced to pay duty and taxes
in accordance with his undertaking accepted by the Customs. Should the
benevolent government grant him his right, his entitlement, he
promises that he will remain for ever grateful to the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan, that he and his progeny will never again try to brave the
Pakistani seas. So much for my friend in distress and so much for
Mustansir, the helper of the people.
Now to the second entrepreneur, young optimistic entrepreneur Farooq
Rahimtoola, son of my good old late friend Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola
whom we all miss. He bought a ship, named her Enterprise R (R for
Rahimtoola), and in February 1994 had her flag registry transferred
while she was on the high seas away from Pakistan. The SRO exempting
duties and taxes having by this time been issued, Farooq was Customs
free and he traded his vessel flying the Pakistan flag.
Come July 1994, and Benazir re-imposed the duty and taxes on ships.
The good ship Enterprise sailed into Port Qasim in February 1995. The
Customs said "Pay up, it is the date of entry into Pakistan that
counts." Farooq told them he was scrapping the ship and that the
scrappers would pay. The Registrar refused to delete the entry from
the Register until the Customs told him to do so. The scrapper said
that he could not break the ship until she is deflagged.
Frightened, law-abiding Farooq went to court. The law declared it
would move at its own speed and ordered him to deposit in court Rs 27
million (two crores seventy lakhs), whereafter it will order the
Registrar to deflag the vessel and then decide who is right, Farooq or
the Collector. Farooq deposited the money, the vessel was deflagged
and she was beached. The scrappers, too, have received a demand from
the Customs.
A more experienced but less optimistic Farooq hopes to win the court
case, recover his deposit, and forget all about being a shipowner of
the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Now to the third very brave man, my new-found clever friend Masood
Baghpatee of the Tristar Shipping Company. He has bought four ships.
The first he brought into Karachi at the right time and registered the
flag without any Customs hassle. The other three changed flags abroad
and have not yet touched Pakistan. If they arrive before the end of
December 1995, they will not have to pay duty and taxes for Benazir
has again exempted the import of ships from all duties and taxes from
July 27 to December 31, 1995. This has been done to accommodate the
PNSC who have been ordered to buy ships with indecent haste.
Baghpatee has decided not to sink in any more money until he gets a
watertight written undertaking from the government categorically
declaring that no duty, taxes, income taxes, etc., will be levied
until at least the end of December 1998, and assuring him that the
State Bank and the IT will not harass him, ask questions, or
investigate his doings, as precluded by law. Baghpatee is floundering.
We reach port. This highly populous country harbouring some 140
million souls, very dependent on imports and exports, is still served
by only two badly managed inefficient ports. Karachi has been
particularly hard hit by the appointment of three incompetent chairmen
in quick succession who have been equated by the shipping trade and
industry with 'Catastrophe', 'Disaster' and 'Calamity'.
Come Benazir for the second time and much to the regret of all
concerned, 'Disaster' has struck again. Can Islamabad not realise that
if the head is rotten, the rot seeps all the way down to the bottom?
For starters, the KPT condemned their tug Mazbout and auctioned her,
along with her huge stock of spares. The buyer (or his brother-in-law)
has changed her name to Mohammed I and serviced her well enough for
the KPT to hire her for their use. It is all very painful indeed.
Back to my first love, ships. I suggest that Communications Minister
Benazir discuss the plight of the shipowners with Finance Minister
Benazir and sort out matters. Failing resolution, these two ministers
should approach Prime Minister Benazir and insist that she solve the
problems faced by those she rules.
DWS
950819
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood and paranoia
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mazdak
THE MQM chief has recently stated in an interview with a foreign news
agency that his party "does not believe in violence, does not preach
violence, and condemns violence..." He obviously believes that despite
the streams of blood that have recently flowed in Karachi's streets,
the relatives of his victims will swallow this claim.
Altaf Hussain went on to say that he had "fled to London at the urging
of his followers after several attempts on his life." This statement
had me looking up the back issues of newspapers from 1992, but I
failed to come across a single documented account of any attempted
assassination against the MQM supremo. Indeed, given the fact that he
was usually holed up in one heavily guarded floor of the Abbasi
Shaheed Hospital from which patients were banished, it is hard to see
how anybody could have even attempted to bump him off. Also the
government of the day has vested interest in keeping Altaf Hussain
alive since it depended on MQM MPA's to first keep Jam Sadiq's shaky
provincial government afloat, and then Muzzaffar Shah's. So all in
all, the notion that his life was in danger in Karachi is a figment of
the MQM leader's imagination. In fact, if there has been one
consistent strand in his behaviour pattern, it is his acute paranoia.
I am convinced that if the government were to withdraw all the scores
of criminal charges against him, he would still refuse to return
because he is in constant terror for his life.
Since the day the MQM was established, it has acted on the basis of
Mao's dictum: "Power grows out of the barrel of a gun." Newspaper
reporters, editors and publishers know this predilection for violence
only too well: during the MQM's heyday in the early nineties, they
were under constant pressure to report favourably, or else. All this
is a matter of public record; our memory may be short, but Altaf
Hussain should not assume that we have suffered a collective attack of
amnesia.
None of this is to suggest that these acts nullify many of the demands
put forward by the MQM. The quota system, especially the provincial
one that discriminates against urban Sindhis, should go. Local bodies
should be restored and some kind of power-sharing formula needs to be
worked out at the federal and provincial levels to end the Mohajirs'
feeling of deprivation and isolation. But all this cannot and should
not be negotiated with MQM guns pointed at the government's and the
common Karachiite's heads. As I said in these columns a couple of
weeks ago, quoting J.A., a civil servant: "State authority must stay
firm in its primary mandate of ensuring the safety of life and
property, and not allow failures on this count to become the starting
point for political dialogue and democratic accommodation."
Against the backdrop of violence and civic paralysis caused by strikes
called by the MQM, the average Karachiite is getting sick and tired of
his leader's antics. My driver, a staunch MQM supporter since the
party was founded ten years ago, now touches his ears when it is
mentioned. According to him, all the people in his locality are fed
up with the killings and the frequent closures caused by the MQM. When
I asked him why he and his neighbours don't complain to the local
party bosses, he replied that they had all run away. In any case, we
know only too well what happens to dissenters in the MQM. With Karachi
limping slowly and painfully back to normality, the common man is
applauding the government's tough measures to curb terrorism. If there
is criticism, it is mostly against the lack of urgency the
administration showed earlier.
Karachi's invisible web of the protection rackets run by the Altaf and
Haqiqi groups of the MQM are public knowledge, and Farooq Sumar, the
only man with the courage to expose them, is still in hiding, unable
to get either official protection or redress.
However, this new-found public support for government action should
not be a cause for complacency. The core issues that have spawned the
ceaseless violence in Karachi remain unaddressed. By building a
flyover or a bypass to facilitate the movement of traffic in Clifton
or KDA-1, the government is not going to improve the lot of the
deprived of Lyari or Azizabad. Indeed, the so-called "Karachi Package"
should have been developed with the consultation of the people
condemned to live in Karachi's ghettos, which are the breeding grounds
for the likes of Faheem Commando and Farooq Dada. The lid cannot be
clamped on the Karachi cauldron by General Babar forever; unless and
until the city's genuine and perennial problems are solved, Korangi
and Orangi will continue to be its killing fields.
One reason for Karachi's growing mountain of unmet needs is that over
the years, it has become a magnet for Pakistan's (and its
neighbours') unemployed workers. This unrelenting tide of humanity is
pouring into the city from the other provinces as well as from
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Unable to find employment, many
of them turn to crime, adding to the rampant lawlessness. They also
put pressure on the city's over-stretched civic amenities.
In short, there are no easy answers to Karachi's many problems. But
the first priority must be the restoration of law and order and the
security of life and property. The next step should be a negotiated
settlement with the city's elected representatives based on mutual
respect. The government has made a good beginning on the first stage,
and a somewhat hesitant one on the second. But it will need to look
beyond these steps if it is to ensure that the next Independence Day
is free from violence.
DWS
950821
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A prince and the company he keeps
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayaz Amir
SOME of the tales of money-making and property acquisition that you
hear in the drawing rooms of Islamabad these days have a fantastic
ring to them. Although by their sheer audacity most of these stories
defy common belief, the people who relate them swear by their veracity
and adduce compelling details to buttress the truth of what they say.
As a newspaperman I am tempted to pass these stories on but then, more
than my timidity, there is the question of taking into account the
caution of my masters for whom I write. The bounds of their discretion
may be wider than the sources of my timidity.
There is another phenomenon too whose implications must be considered.
Even as the actions of the most colourful of the country's present
crop of rulers become more audacious, their skins are becoming more
sensitive. Perish the thought that they might ever consider moderating
the actions which set tongues wagging in the country's drawing rooms.
But their outrage is boundless when these same actions get reported.
Consider in this connection the notices sent to some journalists
(modesty, or the fear of how my masters might react, forbidding me to
mention names) in the recent past. Or consider, if a more vivid
example must be sought, of the recent action taken in Karachi at the
behest of the Sindh Governor, my friend Mr Kamal Azfar (or Kamaluddin
Azfar as he likes to be called nowadays) against the Newsline editor,
Razia Bhatti, and one of her exceptionally good reporters, Muhammad
Hanif. Taking umbrage at an article which sang his praises in the June
issue of the magazine, Governor Azfar (in his capacity as a private
citizen, as he would like to assure us in the ludicrous statement sent
by him to the Press) had the Karachi police visit Razia Bhatti's flat
and the offices of her magazine. Either because better counsel has
prevailed or because he is not a vicious man (the little I know of him
tending me to incline in both directions) he has called off this
absurd action but not before getting egg on his face.
Now Governor Kamaluddin Azfar, like all mortals in high position, may
be jealous of his honour. But then true honour, I would suppose, lies
not in hanging the messenger who brings or, as in this case, who
reports bad news but in not doing things which invite bad publicity as
inevitably as a lightning conductor attracts the anger of the skies.
We all know that Azfar's climb to the heights of the Sindh
governorship has been an arduous one. His mistress of the final
decision is not a lady whose favour can be won easily. But he has done
everything humanly possible to please her even going to the extent of
comparing her father (this being in print and I am not making it up)
with Cicero, Cromwell and Napoleon (the throwing in of Cromwell into
this analogy totally baffling me). A person with such a keen eye for
the main chance should be a man of good humour. He has been smarter
than the rest of us. This thought alone should be enough to keep him
happy.
All my years of writing, and I have been in this business now for the
last fifteen years, have not brought me even the =91patwariship' of
Chakwal. Last week it is true the People's Media Foundation promised
me, along with a minor host of other journalists, a flat in Islamabad,
and my friends are grudging me even that with Ardeshir Cowasjee,
informed by me that these flats, which are scarcely coming as a free
gift, would be handed over to us in the next two years, bursting into
uproarious laughter and laying a forty to one bet that neither this
Press Complex would be built nor these flats ever be ours. So much for
my luck and here Kamaluddin Azfar, with a few imaginative splashes of
his ready pen, becomes Governor of Sindh. Standing in front of his
bedroom mirror he is entitled to a laugh at our collective expense.
But given his colourful political career, wearing a light and
sensitive skin sits ill on him.
But at this point I feel I must immediately correct an injustice that
at least in one crucial particular I may have done Governor Kamaluddin
Azfar. My friends may grudge me the flat that Ardeshir Cowasjee with
infinite good humour assures me will never be mine but given the
standards of talent and competence rising to the top in other walks of
national life, it is hardly fair to grudge Governor Azfar his
elevation. He is certainly not less well qualified for his present
post than the former military men who are governors in the other three
provinces. But even apart from this, if the Lady Nahid Khan can become
the mistress of the PPP's fortunes, if Mr Ahmed 'Falstaff' Sadiq can
cheerfully administer the affairs of the PM's secretariat and how, if
Mr Asif Ali Zardari for whose sense of the practicalities of life I
have always had the highest admiration can perform his onerous duties
and then relax over a game of polo right in his own backyard, if my
friend Haqqani could become the top honcho of the information ministry
(Islamabad not being the same place now that sadly he has been put out
to pasture, a circumstance which makes you wonder about the fickleness
and ingratitude of this world), if Azhar Sohail, that bright and
upright journalist, can become the Goebbels of this government (his
path to the top having been smoothed by the favour that he receives at
the hand of the Prince from whose largesse flow all favours in the
Islamic Republic today) and if the charming Mrs Raana Shaikh (long may
her glory last) can become the head of Pakistan Television after
staging a couple of well-placed fashion shows what, in the eyes of the
censorious, can the objection be to someone like Kamal Azfar, who is
not without his qualities, becoming the gubernatorial head of Sindh?
We have it on the authority of Machiavelli (set down where else but in
The Prince?) that a prince is known by the advisers he chooses and by
the quality of the courtiers or hangers-on he surrounds himself with.
This being so, if we look at the Richelieus of today, what impressions
are we left with of their masters? For example could someone like
Azhar Sohail be the Abul Fazl or Faizi of any other dispensation,
however much saddled with incompetence and mediocrity? But then, if
the matter is considered judiciously, the things for which Azhar is
blamed, like what he is doing these days in APP, are not his fault but
of the Akbars who have chosen him to be their Abul Fazl. Pour more
water into a vessel than it can take and the water is bound to
overflow. This is what is happening with poor Azhar who is only doing
that which comes naturally to him.
But it is not fair to blame our present Akbars either. Given the
extent of their talent and intelligence, it is only natural that they
should choose the advisers who surround them today. Good counsellors
are of use where wisdom is valued and not where rulers, being both
short-sighted and lacking integrity and therefore bristling at the
slightest hint of honest opinion voiced in their presence, consider
that the foremost duty of those who surround them is to pander to
their prejudices and say yes to every passing whim of theirs. In such
situations only charlatans and mountebanks can flourish. Is it any
wonder then if there is an excess of charlatanism in the Islamic
Republic today?
DWS
950821
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The Bara stand-off
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Editorial Column
THERE appears no significant let-up in the tense situation in Bara
(Khyber Agency) the scene of over two weeks of stand-off between the
Tanzimi-Ittehad-i-Ulema (TIUB), and the local administration. Tensions
in the area have been mounting after last week's bloody clashes
between armed tribesmen, supportive of the Tanzim, and the Frontier
Constabulary and the recent demolition of the TIUB's offices by the
authorities. In an earlier move, the government had arrested nearly
the entire top leadership of the organisation, which is accused, among
other things, of shielding narco-barons and other antisocial elements.
Despite the strong reaction to the arrests and the deployment of the
militia, the government seems in no mood to give in to the demands of
the Tanzim relating to the release of its detained leaders and the
rescission of the Customs Act and other anti-smuggling measures.
Evidently, no quick-fix solutions seem in sight, but the tribal jirga
mediating in the dispute had earlier struck a hopeful note about
finding a peaceful solution to the problem. Similar sentiments have
lately been expressed by the official side too. Even while a cease-
fire brought into effect after a previous showdown is still holding,
the prospects remain uncertain in view of the reported formation of a
tribal 'lashkar' and the government's apparent determination not to
show leniency to elements believed to be trying to disturb peace and
order in the area. Undeniably providing sanctuary to narcotics dealers
and smugglers is a serious offence. The charge that the Tanzim is
virtually running a parallel administration in the area and is dealing
out its own brand of justice in the name of religion and social reform
is also a serious matter. The organisation surely was treading on the
administration's toes if it had adopted such a course of action. In
the process, it might also have exposed the authorities' shortcomings
in controlling crime.
But it stands to reason that unless there were strong grounds for
action, the government perhaps would not have taken the kind of
measures it adopted against the Tanzim in the recent past. Admittedly,
the extension of the laws of the land to the tribal areas must be
carefully planned and follow a gradual process knowing the traditional
resistance to any such move. But it would be stretching the argument
of local customs too far if narcotics traffickers and other fugitives
from justice have to be sheltered and protected thereby. The present
stand-off also underlines lapses and failures of the local
administration. After all, it was only because illegal activities
flourished in the area that criminals lately felt emboldened to expand
the network of their operations there. Tribal chieftains and local
administrators had long thrived under a system of shared benefits,
mostly of the illicit sort.
Surely, successive governments cannot escape the blame for keeping
their blinkers on even as notorious criminals and Mafiosi operated
openly from their sanctuaries in the tribal belt. That the area has
lately become a centre of drug trafficking organised crime was
acknowledged implicitly by the FATA legislators while reassuring the
NWFP governor the other day of their co-operation in combating these
criminal activities. The menace having assumed a worrisome dimension,
it is not always possible for the government to look the other way.
Therefore, tribal leaders engaged in talks with the government would
do well to take a broader view of the challenge posed to the country
by drugs and smuggling. Also, it is the government's duty to see that
the tribesmen's genuine grievances are adequately addressed and their
rights and interests are duly protected.
DWS
950820
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A deplorable episode
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Editorial Column
OUTRAGEOUS is the word to describe the police action in Karachi
against the editor of Newsline in the early hours of Thursday. The
police first raided the offices of the magazine and then a party went
to the editor's residence. They asked her to send one of her reporters
to the SSP South at 9.30, apparently for questioning, and when she
asked what if she did not want to do that, they told her that she
would then have to come personally to see the police officer
concerned. Apparently, the police action followed a complaint
registered by the Sindh governor at the Clifton police station
regarding an article published in the magazine's June issue. The
complaint has since been withdrawn, but there are some aspects of the
matter that simply cannot be put aside and forgotten.
The governor may have a legitimate complaint against the magazine over
certain insinuations contained in the article in question which made
an extremely personal attack on Mr Kamal Azfar. Newsline's issue of
July carried a letter on behalf of Mr Azfar which refuted some of the
allegations made in the article. If the governor was not satisfied
even then, and wanted to proceed legally against the magazine, he was
entitled to do so. But why should a police party have turned up at the
editor's house at 1.30 in the morning only to tell her that she or her
reporter should come to the police station at 9.30 am? Where was this
pressing need to wake up peaceful citizens in the early hours of the
morning? The conclusion is inescapable that this was the Karachi
police's equivalent of the midnight knock and the purpose was not to
meet the requirements of law but to intimidate and harass. Viewed in
the context of other arbitrary administrative actions initiated or
proposed against a section of the Press, the incident can only add to
the already strained relations between the journalists community and
the government. Indeed, if a clumsy effort like this can be made by
the administration to intimidate the editor of a reputable magazine
for publishing a supposedly derogatory article, one can only imagine
what happens to those suspected of involvement in other activities. On
the same morning as the visitation at the Newsline editor's house, the
police also forcibly intruded into the residence of the editor of a
Karachi eveninger who has previously been in police custody.
A second point release to the statements made by the governor
regarding the Newsline incident.
There can be no dispute with his contention that he is entitled to the
same protection and benefits of law as are available to a private
individual to defend himself against what he has called "false and
scurrilous allegations". But if his protestation that he never asked
the police to do what they did is right, then he should take the
strictest possible action against the policemen for the excess of zeal
and immoderation with which they followed up his complaint. Mr Azfar's
remark that he has withdrawn the case and decided to forgo all
personal rights because of the "protest and advice" of the PNPO
secretary-general is perhaps the only redeeming feature of the whole
sordid episode and deserves to be welcomed.
Altogether, though, the entire affair has left a very bad taste in the
mouth and could hardly have contributed to removing some of the doubts
and misgivings that have lately been straining the government-press
relations.
DWS
950824
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Dateline Washingotn : Senator Brown's private working visit
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON: Mr Hank Brown of Colorado, the Republican Senator who has
assumed the role of spearheading Pakistan's campaign against the
Pressler sanctions, is shortly to visit Pakistan for what is
officially a "private" visit but unofficially he would be doing what
he may have done in any official visit - meet the President, the Prime
Minister, the foreign minister, his ministry's bored =91babu's' and e=
ven
the Press.
The visit has come as some sort of a surprise because the fate of what
Brown is pursuing in the Senate is not yet known, although he has made
it clear that he would try his best. Had he gone to Pakistan after his
amendment had been adopted and the way had been cleared for Pakistan
to either receive the F-16s or the money, or even the blocked military
equipment and suspended economic assistance, Brown would have been
received as a hero.
But even now he would be welcomed with open arms and red carpets
stretching out for him as he has proved to be the best friend Benazir
Bhutto's Government has on Capitol Hill, a friend who was ready to
stick his neck out against the hawks ready to pounce on Pakistan,
whether justified or not.
Mr. Brown is a very sweet and a polite person, a thorough gentleman
and it would be naive to even think that he is visiting Pakistan at
Islamabad's expense. He is also travelling to Jodhpur in India and has
deliberately avoided going to New Delhi, lest he may cause some
unnecessary complications. He is taking great pains to humour Pakistan
and keep Islamabad happy.
It is but for his strong liking and support for Pakistan that even on
a private visit he has agreed to meet the Pakistani President and the
Prime Minister and also answer questions by Pakistani newsmen, though
he is taking his staffer with him for such eventualities, besides his
wife and his friend and colleague Senator Arlen Specter, a
presidential nomination aspirant in the Republican party.
What can the Brown visit achieve at this point in time, except that he
can explain why his last attempt in the Senate fizzled out, what he
plans to do when the House meets again early in September, how he is
planning to pilot his amendment and which vehicle would he pick to
carry it through the Congress.
These explanations have already been given by Brown and the Government
of Pakistan and there may be nothing new to add. What Brown plans in
future would be interesting to hear as the situation which emerges on
the floor often upsets even the most well-organised parliamentary
planners.
Yet, Mr Brown should be thanked for whatever he is doing for Pakistan,
obviously for no personal gain or benefit. He is not a lobbyist hired
by Pakistan like many others who remain as clueless about things to
come as the Senators themselves or the Pakistani diplomats who always
hope for the best and give the most positive spin to even a disastrous
situation or US journalists who are ready to find fault in everything,
good or bad.
Basically what Brown is doing, and what he has announced he would do
in the Senate as the first step, is only of symbolic importance for
Pakistan. His amendment which was set aside, spoke about "clarifying"=
the Pressler Amendment to remove restrictions on non-military and non-
controversial subjects like cooperation in anti-terrorism activities,
narcotics trade control, international peacekeeping, providing
insurance cover for US businesses or resuming military exchanges
between Pakistani and US armies.
Pakistani diplomats say even these concessions would be of great
importance to Pakistan as they would symbolise the beginning of the
end of the Pressler sanctions. "Any dent in the Pressler law is
welcome, howsoever small or weak it may be," these diplomats argue.
That is a strong argument but after hopes were unnecessarily raised by
the Clinton-Benazir White House Press conference, followed by letters
by Defence Secretary William Perry and Foreign Secretary Tarnoff to
important senators and congressmen, pressing this argument means that
these diplomats are conceding that the Pressler wall was too hard to
demolish even by a combined push by the Clinton Administration and
bipartisan congressional support and the job had to be done, dent by
dent, brick by brick. Conversely speaking, may be the combined push
was not strong enough.
It also throws bad light on the capacity of the Clinton administration
to get things done in Congress, even to the extent that an issue like
sanctions against Pakistan which is said to have bipartisan support,
cannot be pushed conclusively ahead.
One strong view here is that Congress may support the Brown effort to
the extent that it restores normal business relations between
Pakistani and American companies, something which would mainly benefit
the Americans.
The US side would also like to keep the doors open for using Pakistan
in anti-narcotics and anti-terrorism activities, as it would wish to
revive the exchange programme for Pakistan Army officials to visit US
and vice versa under IMET.
Some critics say the IMET is just a cover for US secret agencies to
get some fresh recruits from the Pakistan Army and restore its links
with the rank and file because only in that way the US can watch and
serve its long-term interests. These links were severed when the
exchange programme was suspended and inter-action had stopped with the
suspension of military ties at the official level.
These basically are the subjects which the first Brown Amendment
covers and it was against these issues that Pressler and his
supporters kicked up the rumpus early this month compelling Bob Dole
to ask for setting aside the Brown Amendment. Yet, if these subjects
were put to vote in the Senate, a majority would support them as they
primarily serve the US interests.
But when the real issues for Pakistan; release of military equipment,
sale of F-16's to a third country and refund of money which Brown says
he would take up in his second amendment, come up for discussion and a
vote, the Congress may shy away, leaving Islamabad in the lurch.
Right now Pakistan is doing everything in all these fields even
despite the sanctions. It is sending Ramzis and drug barons to the US,
despatching its troops to wherever they are needed in bloody war
zones, inviting US businesses on lucrative terms to Pakistan and
holding joint military exercises with the US army.
In return it is not getting anything.
If the first Brown amendment is adopted, Pakistan would still not be
getting anything but the American companies which are not able to get
insurance cover for their investment, will then be able to invest in
Pakistan.
Mr. Brown has thus a difficult task ahead. He has volunteered to take
up the Pakistan case, although he is a Republican. On the other hand
the Clinton administration, which has vowed to support Pakistan and
get the "unfairness" compensated, has not come up with any proposal of=
its own and has confined itself to writing a couple of letters to
legislators in support of the Brown initiative. That probably is not
enough to pull down the Pressler wall.
So the slogan - "the planes or the money back" - is not going to be
translated into reality sooner than later as many think and the First
Brown Amendment, even if it is passed, may not immediately resolve the
core issues.
The very strategy to table two amendments and not one whole package
before the Congress is thus fraught with dangers for Pakistan.
Early next year the formal presidential campaign would begin and
informally the race is already on. Another couple of months lost now
and neither the Clinton Administration nor any Congressman or Senator
would then be interested in pushing the Pakistan case because of its
sensitive nature touching non-proliferation issues.
If Pakistani leaders emphasise all these sensitivities to Brown it
would be more of a waste of time as Brown knows them better than
anyone else, being the man in the middle of the ring, the star
performer so to say.
So why are the Pakistanis so eager to ruin a private visit by the
helping Senator, and turn it into a trouble-shooting exercise for
their seemingly domestic problems?
There could be many compulsions for the Benazir Government to do this.
Guesses could be many but the most obvious would be the concern in the
army about the delay in getting its equipment or the money back. Any
mention of setbacks to Pakistan in the US Congress would obviously
have raised many eyebrows in the GHQ.
Another reason of lesser importance would be the political flak
Benazir Bhutto was getting but that can always be countered by the
official propaganda blitz.
A feeling of insecurity of some top players in this whole act may be
one more reason to pacify the top decision-makers.
Yet, despite these compulsions, and with all his knowledge and
experience, if Senator Brown decides that the "two amendment strategy"=
is the best way for pushing Pakistan's case, then it should become
clear to the decision-makers in Pakistan that Mr. Brown is not
prepared to risk going beyond a certain point.
93If President Clinton cannot achieve what he wants in the present
complicated congressional scenario at the Hill, how can you expect one
senator who is retiring in a few months to perform that job, single-
handedly," an observer aptly remarked.
What he can achieve during the visit is to tell the critics of the
Benazir Bhutto Government, both in and out of uniform, to shut up till
the time his act is over. That may well be what Islamabad wants to
squeeze out of his private, working visit - a brief, short-lived
breathing space on the domestic front. Is this short ceasefire linked
to the crucial dates on which either a replacement of the present COAS
is to be named, or an extension to the present COAS is to be given or
a decision is to be taken whether he remains or goes in January ?
Answering this question would be pure speculation!
DWS
950819
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Breaking the deadlock on women's seats
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahmood Zaman
LAHORE: The question of restoration of women's seats in assemblies
seemed easy to resolve till recently, but has suddenly assumed the
shape of a Gordian knot. It is now clear that both the main political
parties - the ruling PPP and the opposition PML - have been making
only half-hearted attempts to tackle the issue. The mistrust between
the two is intruding here as well and both sides wish to score
political points.
Both parties had declared in their election manifestos that the
women's seats would be restored. But the matter is not so simple as it
requires an amendment in the Constitution (Article 51) which is only
possible by a two-thirds majority which no party is independently in a
position to achieve.
The government attempted to score a political point when it moved a
constitutional amendment in the National Assembly in January, last
year, but it did not take the opposition into confidence before moving
the bill which it should have done if it was serious in getting the
measure through parliament. It was at that point that the opposition,
which had declared that it would not support the amendment in
isolation, came out with what it called a nine-point constitutional
reforms package. The package was later reduced to six points, with
withdrawal of the condition of resignation of the President and the
Prime Minister. The opposition linked the question of women's seats
with the acceptance of its package.
It appeared as if the issue would not be resolved. But then came an
opportunity when the government set up a national co-ordination
committee on crimes against women whose chairperson, Tahira Mazhar
Ali, decided to take the initiative and got through to the wife of the
opposition leader. Their meeting was termed "highly promising" by
Begum Mazhar Ali who subsequently called on Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto. The prime minister was said to have given her support to
initiatives to move immediately for the restoration of women's seats
by delinking the question from the opposition's constitutional
package.
At this stage women's organisations hoped that the matter would soon
be resolved. The PML leadership agreed that a draft bill should be
drawn up, providing for 25 women's seats in the National Assembly and
five per cent in provincial legislatures to be elected under the
proportional representative system. (In the original constitutional
scheme women's seats in the National Assembly were 20). The draft
proposed that political parties securing not less than five per cent
of votes in the preceding election would submit a list of women
candidates to the chief election commissioner who would determine the
number of women for the parties on the basis of their vote tally in
the preceding election.
The PPP opposed the draft which, in its leaders' view, would tilt to
the PML's advantage. The PPP wanted women to be elected under the
system which was in vogue until the Constitution put a bar on women's
entry into the legislatures. This led to a difference of opinion and
the PML leadership offered a dialogue on the question which has not
materialised: so far. So, there is a deadlock, and despite active
canvassing by the committee on women to secure the signatures of as
many as 160 MNA's from all parties, there is despair among women
activists.
In the meantime, deputy opposition leader Gohar Ayub asserted that his
party had not with drawn from its position that women's seats
restoration-was part of its constitutional package. However, two of
his party leaders, Mushahid Husain and Mehnaz Rafi, did affix their
signatures on a declaration adopted at a workshop sponsored by the
Aurat Foundation in Islamabad earlier this month. Senator Shafqat
Mahmood was the signatory from the PPP side.
But the biggest shock came from Nawaz Sharif who told a group of
reporters in Islamabad on August 13 that his party would not co-
operate with the government on this issue as it would provide the
government with an opportunity for "blackmailing and horsetrading".
That seemed to put paid to all recent efforts to get women their
legislative rights.
However, the PML might just have realised the repercussions of
Mr Sharif's assertion and it has now proposed a National Assembly
committee to draft a consensus bill so that the question is resolved
for the present and the future.
So, there is a ray of hope again, although sources close to the Muslim
League still find it difficult to believe that Mr Sharif, in the
present state of confrontation with the government, will agree to
consider the issue separately.
950824
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Of politics, expediency and prudence
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Part III: A. H. Kardar gives his impressions of some of the
politicians he worked with in his long public life.
To my question about forging unity within the provinces of Pakistan,
Mr. Bizenjo said:
"You have not been able to unite the country and give it a democratic
bias. If you from Punjab do not care for yourselves and for others,
then no one can keep this country together and integrated. It is for
you, the people of Punjab, to bring about equality in the relationship
of the province, on the basis of which alone national unity can be
maintained. You had not endeared yourself to the Bengalis because of
your indifference to the national issues. You believe that your
spokesmen in the civil and army bureaucracy are there to protect your
interests. The fact is that they are not. They are there to advance
their own interests, and in no way have they benefited the people of
Punjab."
After hearing his appeal to my province for bringing about a workable,
honourable and equality in Pakistan, I asked him the mechanics of
bringing this about. Bizenjo replied, "Unity of the multi-national
states of East Pakistan, Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, and the Frontier,
with people having different history, language, and culture, could
have been forged had our administrators not merely pursued the British
policy of maintaining lines of communications, with little regard to
ensuring peoples' voluntary participation in a federal structure. As
this did not happen and Pakistan did not function in a truly
democratic and federal system of government under which there is
maximum autonomy to the units, we have seen the secession of East
Pakistan, and if we do not bring about a structural arrangement
between the remaining four units of Punjab, Sindh, Frontier, and
Balochistan, I cannot speak on behalf of others, but I can tell you
that Balochistan will secede. The option will be no other."
Finally, closing the Bhutto era, Bizenjo said that he told Bhutto that
Balochistan and Pakistan can live together and there will not be any
question of secession or any danger to the integrity and solidarity of
Pakistan provided there was an established and recognised set up on
the basis of federal structure of governments in which the provinces
enjoyed full autonomy. Bizenjo also warned him against the use of the
army in civil affairs. Bizenja added that in his last press conference
before the coup, Bhutto had said that "these problems wouldn't have
arisen. I only wish I had worked things out with Bizenjo." Bizenjo
reiterated what he had told a number of my old colleagues that he is
himself the last link between Balochistan and Pakistan. He asserted
that the best way of bringing about a reconciliation of the
disenchanted and deprived people of Balochistan, especially the
younger elements belonging to the Balochistan Student Organisation, is
to make them feel that they are full participants in the governments
of the provinces.
At the end of the interview, he turned to me and said, "You as a
Punjabi must already be knowing that there are strong feelings among
the people of Balochistan against you and your province, and that the
leadership of Punjab has a very important role to play at this point
of time in the history of Pakistan." "However," he added, "you
Punjabis are good managers, but not good rulers. Therefore, you always
look for rulers from outside your province. The pity is that you don't
even speak your own language. You are shy of speaking your own
language, you are shy of observing your own culture. How come, under
these circumstances, you can be the leaders of Pakistan? But the fact
of the matter is that you Punjabis are in majority. You are 60% of the
population God has given you a fertile land. You have the knowledge,
you have the capability, you have the technically and scientifically
trained people to run the affairs of this country. With all these
accomplishments you have not been able to play the leading role in
uniting the country."
On my departure from Khuzdar to Quetta Mr. Bizenjo asked me to tell
his friend, Mian Mahmud Ali Kasuri, to visit him before requiring to
take a visa for Balochistan! This remark was duly noted and reported
by the Intelligence Agent in his stand-by jeep.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Zarak wins Singapore Open title
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sports Report
KARACHI, Aug. 20: Zarak Jahan Khan defeated Briton, Mark Chaloner in
straight games 15-13, 15-6, 15-7 victory in a 35-minute final, bagging
the coveted Sinagapore Open title.
Zarak, currently ranked 11th in the World, got off on the wrong foot
for the tournament as he was robbed by an armed taxi driver and an
accomplice of his passport, money and valuables on his way to the
airport in Karachi.
Zarak saved a match ball in the second round of the Singapore Open
(title winnings equalling US$ 31,000) to beat Craig Wapnick of South
Africa 3-15, 15-10, 15-13, 10-15, 17-14. He also defeated former
world junior champion, Canadian, Jonathan Power in the quarter-final
while losing 11-14 to Power in the deciding game.
Zarak will be the only Pakistani in the main draw of the forthcoming
Malaysian Open (title winnings equalling US$ 50,000) as world champion
Jansher Khan will not be participating in the tournament for personal
reasons. Zarak will also be participating in both Sthe Hong Kong Open
and the US$ 100,000 Japan Open squash tournaments.
950819
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Indo-Pakistan cricket & Shiv Sena's threat
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Lateef Jafri
WILL Pakistan be able to repeat another Bangalore? That was in March,
1988, in what was turning out to be a battle of attrition in a series
which Imran Khan had described as the last but critical for his
captaincy and career. The Test matches at Madras, Calcutta, Jaipur and
Ahmedabad had drawn with honours, more or less, shared by the
Pakistani and Indian willow-wielders and bowlers.
Yet the last battle at the Chinaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, proved to be
the Waterloo for India. It was a low-scoring encounter, Maninder Singh
the Indian spinner (now retired) harassing the Pakistani batsmen,
taking 10 wickets for 126 - (an admirable performance). Under no
circumstances could the Indians have been the losing side. Pakistan
set a modest target of 221 for Kapil Dev's squad in the fourth
innings. The conditions were by no means ideal for Imran Khan and his
men, on the contrary, the setting suited the Indians, the crowds
backed the home team. Yet the visitors never gave up the grit and
determination despite recording the eighth lowest score of 116 in the
first innings. Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef, with tempting variations of
flight and shrewd and biting breaks, broke the back of the Indian
batting, howsoever the impeccable Gavaskar struggled and tried bravely
to save the situation for India. It was a well-earned triumph for
Pakistan, cheered by the full house at Bangalore.
Neither country could bring the series to a decisive end on the
Indians return visit to Pakistan in the season of 1988-89 all the four
Test ties remained stalemated, despite the splendid and stout efforts
put in by the two combatants.
Can the Pakistani cricketers set foot on the soil of India to play
matches in accord with a set itinerary now that the two governments
have given the NOC. The boards are committed to host next year's World
Cup, along-with Sri Lanka. Certainly Pakistan has perforce to take on
one of the semi-finalists (if it qualifies) either in Calcutta or the
newly-built Mohali stadium near Chandigarh. The senior executives of
the two boards decided while meeting in London to revive exchange of
visits to fulfil cricketing commitments and to lower and contain the
rising political tension between the bordering countries.
India has expressed its willingness to participate in the golden
jubilee cricket tournament of Pakistan in 1997. The programme was
thrashed out by the government to invite West Indies, South Africa and
India for a quadrangular competition with Pakistan to join the fray as
the fourth team. It will be a great boost for the game and the home
cricket board as the financial gains will be unlimited.
A separate, though short tour of the neighbouring country, has been
encouraged by the Indian board and by the die-hard cricket
administrator, Jagmohan Dalmiya, on the eve of the World Cup, January
next year, was suggested as the most suitable time for the Indo-
Pakistan duels. Perhaps the programme is only for limited-overs
matches. India is also tentatively prepared to host Pakistan for a few
one-day internationals while the latter will be proceeding to
Australia. A full tour with Test matches, according to cricket
officials, can only be arranged after the end of World Cup in the
middle of March next year.
Cricket fans will be happy to see the teams of India and Pakistan
measuring strength with each other, the former coming over for the
quadrangular series while the latter exhibiting their cricket skill on
old and new venues of India. Nevertheless, one finds that an
obnoxious atmosphere is being created by Hindu militants with inimical
and hostile statements that cricketers from Pakistan will not be
permitted to play in India.
The notorious Bal Thackeray, who heads the extremist Shiv Sena,
recently vented the warning that "not only in Bombay but in all of
India the Pakistani team will not be allowed", adding, "ordinary
citizens in India will not tolerate their presence on the fields as
cricketers." Thackeray's warning cannot be taken lightly. Three years
ago his men dug up the Wankhede Stadium and Bombay Cricket Association
could not even protest against their indecent and detestable act.
There was security threat to the Pakistani squad. Twice again the
extremists raised their voices against any trip by the neighbouring
side.
Can the Indian Board's offer to their Pakistani counterpart be taken
as safe? Arif Ali Abbasi cricket's chief administrator in this
country, has brushed aside the Thackeray warning. "Its' all rubbish;
we have nothing to do with Thackeray (trouble-maker and cricket-
hater)." Abbasi explained that it was a deal with the Board of Control
for Cricket in India. They have to look after the protection of the
players. There are many safe venues like Calcutta, where crowds are
mad after cricket along-with football, Chandigarh, Madras, Jaipur,
Gwalior, Indore and probably New Delhi.
It will be a loss to cricket and the cricketers of the two countries
if the trip to India does not come off, relations which are getting
sour day by day, will take a further downswing. The extremists in
India will gain the upper hand. Can Pakistan participate in the semi-
finals of the World Cup? If not then India will get a bad name in the
comity of cricket-playing nations. The white nations will never allow
the World Cup to return to South Asia, even though the International
Cricket Council has ruled a rota system for the prestigious global
one-day contest.
950818
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Younus to inform of availability by end of month
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Sports Report
KARACHI, Aug. 17: Speedster Waqar Younus returned from England after
being treated for stress fractures in the back.
When the pacer was contacted in Lahore, he said he was in very good
physical condition. "I have been out of play for almost six months. I
had been training in England but not doing workouts that are necessary
for an athlete."
Asked if he was available for the forthcoming series against Sri
Lanka, Waqar said though the specialist had told him to start playing
cricket, "unless I am cent percent fit, I will not play. I don't want
to linger on with the injury any more." Waqar stated that he was
looking forward to the future. "If I had to miss the Sri Lanka series
to regain fitness for future assignments, I will not hesitate to pull
out. In any case, I am a very doubtful starter for the opening three-
day game," adding "however, if I decide to play in the series, I would
like to play in the three-day game at Rawalpindi."
Waqar is the second star cricketer to inform the PCB about his
availability for the home series against Sri Lanka. Master batsman
Javed Miandad is expected to inform the PCB about his plans on Aug.
29.
DWS
950822
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Miandad unable to play in 1st phase of Lanka ties
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Samiul Hasan
KARACHI, Aug. 21: Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad on Monday
expressed his inability to play in the first phase of the forthcoming
home series against Sri Lanka raising doubts about his fitness and
availability for the rest of the season, especially the upcoming World
Cup challenge.
Miandad, whose left knee ligament was restructured in England last
year after sustaining injury, said at the National Stadium: "I have
been unable to satisfy myself on fitness grounds. Therefore, I have
expressed my unavailability to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for
the series against Sri Lanka." Miandad maintained that he had earlier
decided to skip the entire series "but the PCB wants that I should
keep my options open for the second phase of the series. Hence, I have
decided to withdraw from the first two games."
The PCB Chief Executive, Arif Ali Abbasi, said that whenever Miandad
informed the PCB about his availability, he would be considered for
selection, whether it is the second Test or the final limited overs
international. However, the unavailability of Javed Miandad has put
the PCB in a quandary on the appointment of a captain for the home
series.
Abbasi maintained that it was the policy of the PCB to give a run to
the captain instead of changing him for the every next Test. "This is
an awkward situation. But, I think, we will appoint a captain for the
entire series." With Miandad unavailable for the home series against
Sri Lanka and a doubtful starter for the tour Down Under, there are
serious apprehensions that his glittering career, which included 124
Tests and 228 one-day internationals, has come to an end.
DWS
950823
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Aamir Sohail to lead Board's XI against Sri Lanka
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Farhana Ayaz
ISLAMABAD, Aug 22: Opener Aamir Sohail will lead the Board Eleven
against Sri Lanka in the first three-day match starting on Aug 30 in
Karachi. Dr. Zafar Altaf, chief of the National Selection Committee,
stated that it is an effort to blend in youngsters in the team since
there is hardly any time for experimentation before the Lankan home
series.
To a query about the criteria of selection the Chief Selector stated
that they have discarded all regionalism from the national camp and
there was no conflict of interest in producing the best possible
choice. The official was hopeful that they will have some good finds
for the national team since there are slots available.
The chief executive stated that the Lancashire chairman has called and
requested to spare Wasim Akram from the Lankan series. "We have not
taken any decision on that as yet, but we are aware that we do not
want to ruin his source of income," he said. Replying to queries
about appointment of a captain of the national team, Arif Abbasi said
with Miandad expressing his unavailability the slot has become more
open than ever. He said the cricket board always wants a longterms
captain but something occurs which has to be faced at a broad
spectrum. "We cannot escape reality."
DWS
950818
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Cricketers tour of US off
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Sports Report
KARACHI, Aug. 17: According to sources, the co-ordinator of the
three-match series, Sunil Gavaskar, informed his counterpart in
Pakistan that the sponsors have refused to accept the team being sent.
Gavaskar also changed his stance that $75,000 will be paid as
guarantee money to the team if the sponsors of the series agreed.
Earlier, Gavaskar had promised that the amount would be $200,000.
The former Indian captain has asked for some more time as he wants to
confer with the local sponsor again before cancelling the series.
Sources maintained that Pakistan authorities have taken serious
exception to Gavaskar's change in stance and have advised cricketers
not to tour North America as the revision in guarantee money is an
indirect insult to the team.
Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar etc. are being paid
approximately $20,000 each for the three games while Gavaskar wants to
pay the entire Pakistan team $75,000, sources remarked. Gavaskar is
said to give his final offer on Friday.
Dawn newspaper