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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 07 March 1996 Issue : 02/10
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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
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Separation of judiciary Law on way to remove perceived hurdles
US terms violence in Karachi a political dispute
Anti-narcotics efforts : US waives sanctions against Islamabad
Rise in Indian defence budget : Pakistan voices grave concern
Indigenous reactor ready
Hanley hints at evidence against Altaf
Talks with MQM to resume, says Khan
MPAs being forced to abandon party: Altaf
2 MQM men die in encounter, police claim
Human rights
..........HRCP report : Human rights ministry lacks mandate clarity
..........HRCP urges probe for each custodial death
..........Alleged extra-judicial killings: Govt agrees to probe
..........HRCP recommends abolition of Exit Control List
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Sindh cabinet plan 3 industrial zones, police jobs for city youth
Rampant corruption : Break-up planned to save WAPDA
Value-added sales tax on 12 items in next budget
Trade with India being monitored: Mukhtar
Borrowing gap to be narrowed by Rs24bn
Politicians, bankers responsible for low loan-recovery
Stock prices again fall across-the-board
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Nityanandashivaramakrishna Ardeshir Cowasjee
And then the general took over Rifaat Hamid Ghani
A question of good manners Omar Kureishi
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Pakistan determined to bring glory
Miandad finally comes out to bat
For Pakistan purposeful rhythm is needed
The good, the bad and the ugly
The fall of the high & mighty
The revolutionary pattern of Cup
Allrounders taken by surprise
New cricket culture: its ethos & ethic
Dream Team Update - as at March 7th, 1996
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960304
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Separation of judiciary Law on way to remove perceived hurdles
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M.Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, March 3: The government has finalised a draft ordinance to
amend the Law Reforms Ordinance (LRO) 72 to remove what are perceived
as executional hurdles in the way of implementing the Supreme Court
order to separate judiciary from the executive by March 23.
While details of the draft ordinance are being kept a closely guarded
secret, informed sources indicated that the issues such as financial
powers of the judiciary and field level relationship between the
executive and judiciary have been taken into consideration.
The executive reportedly feels that in view of the already serious
resource constraint confronting the country, it would only create
additional financial problems for the government if the judiciary is
given unhindered spending powers without first assessing the actual
resources the government can spare to buttress the judiciary s own
meagre income.
Also, the government wants to avert situations where the role of the
executive in meeting street emergencies like eruption of violence and
threat to public life and property from unruly crowds, would have to
be put off just because the judicial magistrate is not available on
the spot.
Therefore, the draft ordinance is understood to have proposed the
creation of the post of executive magistrates functioning under deputy
commissioners in order to be able to perform the role of fire-
fighters on the spot.
After the initial emergency, the judicial magistrate would take over
and from then onwards the judiciary would be completely independent of
the executive, according to the proposed ordinance.
Informed sources said a final decision on the draft was likely by the
end of this week, after which President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari
would be consulted once again on promulgation details.
The sources said the input of the president and PM in the process of
finalising a consensus draft had been try crucial as well as
substantial.
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960305
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US terms violence in Karachi a political dispute
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Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Mar 4: The United States has once again expressed its
deep concern over the continuing violence and human rights
violations in Karachi which, it says, is a political dispute between
the Mohajir Qaumi Movement and the government.
At its foundation, the violence in Karachi stems from a political
dispute between the MQM and the government of Pakistan, Secretary of
State Warren Christopher said in a letter sent on his behalf to the
chairman of the Council of Pakistani Organisations, Miraj Haq Siddiqi.
Observers said the description of the Karachi problem as a domestic
political dispute was in sharp conflict with the stand taken by the
Benazir Bhutto government which describes it as a problem of terrorism
aided by a foreign hand.
The state department, expressing concern on the continuing violence
and human rights violations in Karachi, said: According to credible
reports, human rights abuses committed by the government security
forces against MQM members increased during the past year (1995),
including use of torture, staged encounter killings and custodial
deaths.
It also mentioned other reports which said: MQM members have also
perpetrated violent crimes and human rights abuses, aimed for the most
part at the security forces and at the breakaway Haqiqi faction of the
MQM.
Stating categorically that the state department considered the MQM to
be a legitimate Pakistani political party , the US urged both the
sides to show restraint and encouraged them to find a political
solution to the fighting in Karachi.
It said since Nov. 30, 1994, when the Pakistani army ended operation
clean-up , violence in Karachi had increased sharply, with over 1,800
deaths during 1995. By comparison, it said, there were 800 politically
motivated killings in Karachi in all of 1994.
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960302
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Anti-narcotics efforts : US waives sanctions against Islamabad
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Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, March 1: President Clinton found Pakistan wanting in
counter-narcotics efforts but waived sanctions against Islamabad in
the vital US national interest which meant US assistance to Pakistan
would continue.
The annual certification by the President came as he denied Columbia
the required certification thereby blocking all US assistance and aid
while Mexico was determined to be co-operating fully with US anti-drug
efforts.
The President certification for Pakistan was the same as last year,
diplomats said, adding that co-operation between the two countries
would continue, despite the President s remarks.
Lebanon and Paraguay were also placed in the same category as Pakistan
against which sanctions were waived but Peru and Bolivia were removed
from this list and given full certification of good behaviour.
The President s certification and waiver coincided with the State
Department Annual Report on International Narcotics Control Strategy
which talked of a master plan for Pakistan to completely stop opium
production and make the country drug-free by year 2000.
The certification by the President would enable Islamabad to receive
US assistance for narcotic control in 1996.
The 1995 drug control strategy report issued by the State Department
coinciding with the President s certification said poppy cultivation
had risen significantly in Southwest Asia in 1995 but most of the
increase was in Afghanistan.
According to the report, Pakistan received 2.5 million dollars as
assistance for narcotics control in 1995 while in 1996 the amount
would remain the same, increasing to three million dollars in 1997.
The certification process is required under Section 490 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 and requires the President to prepare a list of
the major drug producing and transit countries and withhold US
government foreign assistance to them until the President certifies.
The law gives the President three choices: certify fully, deny
certification, or give a vital national interests certification,
which Pakistan got.
In addition, the US must vote against any loans from six multilateral
development banks. The President also has the discretion during the
year to impose trade and other economic sanctions.
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960301
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Rise in Indian defence budget : Pakistan voices grave concern
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Hasan Akhtar
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 29: The foreign ministry, commenting on the reported
increase of up to 10 per cent in the Indian defence budget during the
coming fiscal year, maintained that such a step would only go to
augment the unfavourable military balance for Pakistan and would
jeopardise its security.
A ministry spokesman, answering questions at his regular news briefing
at the foreign office, drew the attention of the correspondents to the
existing difference in the ratio of military expenditures of Pakistan
and India which was about two-and-a-half times larger in India s
favour.
He made a detailed statement on observations made by Indian President
Shanker Dayal Sharma about worsening relations between India and
Pakistan, holding Pakistan responsible, and asserted that India s
mounting repression in the held Kashmir and massive armament, missiles
and contemplated nuclear arms testing programmes clearly demonstrated
that it is India which has embarked on a path of confrontation
against Pakistan.
The spokesman recalled that India had still not responded
constructively and positively to Pakistan s repeated offers of
meaningful and result-oriented talks nor does the Indian president
seem inclined to acknowledge the obvious that by deploying 600,000
troops in Jammu and Kashmir and by threatening war against Pakistan,
it is India which has embarked on a path of confrontation.
He pointed out that the average ratio of Pakistani and Indian armed
forces comes to 1 to 2.5, and only recently India proposed 10 per cent
increase in its defence budget which already far exceeded its
legitimate defence requirements.
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960307
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Indigenous reactor ready
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>From Ashraf Mumtaz
LAHORE, March 6: Pakistan has completed its first 50-megawatt multi-
purpose nuclear power reactor made entirely by Pakistani scientists
and engineers.
Set up near Khushab in the Punjab, the reactor is ready for fuelling,
Dawn learnt through competent sources. A decision about when to
operate the project will be taken soon.
Pakistan already has a 137-mw nuclear power plant in Karachi which was
set up in co-operation with Canada. However, Canada had stopped
supplying fuel for this plant (KANUPP) in the 70s after which
Pakistan s experts developed a local fuel for this project.
Yet another plant is being established at Chashma with China s co-
operation. The 300-mw plant (CHASHNUPP) is expected to become
operational by the end of 1998.
According to sources the Khushab plant will also produce isotopes and
enable Pakistan to export them. At present, the country has to import
isotopes to meet requirements in various fields.
Pakistan, it may be pointed out, had prepared a 20-year plan for
production of nuclear energy within the country. However, it could not
be adhered to because of international pressures and other hindrances.
Had the plan been followed, Pakistan would have attained capability to
make one reactor after every few years after the year 2000.
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960305
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Hanley hints at evidence against Altaf
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Anjum Niaz
ISLAMABAD, Mar 4: The British minister of state in the foreign office,
Jeremy Hanley, described his meeting here with Foreign Minister Sardar
Assef Ahmed Ali as very useful and said he was now looking forward
to meeting the leader of the opposition, Mian Nawaz Sharif.
Talking to Dawn at a reception by the British High Commissioner, Sir
Christopher MacRae, Mr Hanley said: I did not meet any MQM leaders
while in Karachi, nor had I any plans to meet them. It is our policy
only to meet those in the opposition who follow democratic ways and
not adopt terrorism.
Dilating on Interior Minister Naseerullah Babar s request for the
expulsion of Altaf Hussain, Mr Hanley told this correspondent:
Mr Altaf Hussain came to London legally. However, we have now
received fresh evidence from General Babar about his involvement in
encouraging terrorism and have passed on the material to our legal
experts who are presently examining its validity. Should we receive
incriminating evidence from our legal experts about Mr Hussain s
involvement, we will expel him.
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960306
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Talks with MQM to resume, says Khan
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 5: The federal government has decided to resume
dialogue with the MQM for a lasting peace in Karachi. I have just
established fresh contacts with Ajmal Dehlavi who has expressed his
willingness to resume our 9th round of talks at the end of this
month, the minister for law and parliamentary affairs, N.D.Khan
said.
Mr Khan said the need for talks was felt specially when there was a
lot of improvement in the law and order situation. This is our yet
another initiative to hold dialogue despite the fact that today there
is a great measure of stability and peace in Karachi compared to June,
July and August when there was a lot of killing , he said.
Responding to a question, Mr Khan remarked: Let the 9th round of
talks be held which might lead to an early local bodies election in
Karachi. He pointed out that the budget of Karachi Metropolitan
Corporation was bigger than that of the budget of Balochistan which
demanded that the political elements should activate themselves and
prepare for local bodies polls.
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960306
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MPAs being forced to abandon party: Altaf
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Our Correspondent
LONDON, March 5: Mohajir Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain said that
he was horrified at the latest illegal attempt made by the
government to change the loyalties of three Sindh Assembly members
belonging to his party.
He also expressed concern over the transfer to Islamabad of two of
MQM s Karachi office bearers who were recently arrested.
He said this was all part of an official plan to use torture and force
in order to make them denounce the MQM and join a rival party that the
government was trying to create.
MPAs Mohammad Haroon Siddiqi, Dr Sagheer Ansari and S.M. Mohiuddin
submitted an application to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, in which
they have stated how they were taken from the prison by force.
They were later sent back but had a visit from Shamim Ahmad, the Sindh
health minister, who allegedly asked them to change their loyalties if
they wanted to save themselves from further torture and humiliation.
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960305
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2 MQM men die in encounter, police claim
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 4: Two young MQM men were killed and two others wounded
in what the police described as an encounter with law enforcement
agencies in Nasir Colony, Korangi.
The police claimed that on a complaint by a motorcyclist, Nasir Ahmed
Beg, who was robbed of his motorcycle, mobiles of Korangi and Zaman
Town police stations were rushed to Sector 32 A of Korangi where five
or six armed men were seen extorting money from motorists.
When the police tried to surround them, the youths, they alleged,
opened fire at them. Police which were later joined by rangers fired
back in self-defence.
The victims, police claimed, were members of Nadeem Chitta gang of the
MQM.
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960306
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HRCP report : Human rights ministry lacks mandate clarity
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 5: Recording its reservations about the viability of
the newly-created Human Rights ministry, the Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan (HRCP) has urged the Government to ratify at least the
basic international instruments and to provide for their enforcement
through the normal judicial system.
The mandate of the Human Rights Ministry lacks clarity and its
effectiveness will be restricted by lack of ratification of
international human rights standards, it has remarked in its State
of Human Rights in 1995 report.
Established last October, the Ministry is still without a Minister, it
has observed.
The system of justice came under various forms of pressure in 1995,
the report has concluded in the light of its review of the state of
Administration of Justice . Its verdict about special courts is,
particularly, significant and upholds the criticism by intellectual
and civic rights experts. The arguments advanced to justify special
criminal tribunals have not stood the test of time , it has stated and
called for a re-examination of the system of putting patches on the
normal courts especially with a view to ensuring respect for the right
to equality before law.
HRCP made a study of the working of the Special Courts for
Suppression of Terrorist Activities No. 1, Hyderabad, during 1995 as a
sample. After institution of 245 fresh cases in 1995, the number of
cases awaiting its decision rose to 466. Only 79 cases were disposed
of by the end of the year.
According to further analysis by HRCP, out of the 79 cases considered
disposed of, hearing concluded with the announcement of judgement in
58 cases. As regards 21 other cases, 11 were transferred from the
court, 6 kept dormant, proceedings in 3 were quashed, while one case
was adjourned sine die. The court, HRCP concludes inter alia,
maintained a high conviction rate, the ratio between conviction and
acquittal being approximately 6:1.
The situation pertaining to higher judiciary denoted only
deterioration, as indicated by:
* large number of vacancies at all levels.
* Throughout 1995 the mode of appointment of judges of superior courts
remained an issue in public debate, especially at lawyers forum.
* The practice of appointing High Court chiefs as acting governors
continued except for Punjab, where the Assembly Speaker was chosen to
act as governor during the regular incumbent s absence.
* The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah was
reportedly brought under pressure, following his expressed ire over
the appointment of judges without his concurrence.
* In August, Justice Qurban Sadiq, president of a special court for
offences against banks in Lahore, was summarily told that the court
had been shifted to Rawalpindi with immediate effect and that he
should go on leave for the remaining period of his tenure (78 days).
* There was an increase in incidents of violence on/around court
premises, especially those caused by religious militants and
supporters of political figures in custody or facing civil/criminal
proceedings. During one appearance in court of Mr Nawaz Sharif, his
counsel spurned the judge s request to quieten down the
demonstrations.
* In March a contingent of Rangers surrounded the city courts in
Karachi and searched the court rooms. Sixty persons were taken into
custody.
HRCP has also taken grave notice of the attacks on lawyers and even a
murder attempt on HRCP chairperson Asma Jehangir.
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960303
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HRCP urges probe for each custodial death
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 2: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, noting
that several hundred persons in Karachi and around 180 in Punjab were
killed in so called encounters last year, has urged the government to
get each case of death in encounter or custody scrutinised by a
judicial tribunal, and appoint an ombudsman to deal exclusively with
grievances against police excesses.
The Commission in its report State of Human Rights in 1995 , remarked
that the government must develop a proper sensitivity to the issue of
extra-judicial killings and display the requisite will to ensure that
the law-enforcing agencies duly respect the rights of all people,
especially the right to life and the right to equal protection under
the law.
Lack of improvement in the legal redress mechanism or in the process
of accountability further alienated the public, the report added.
Even more disturbing, it adds, were signs of public conversion to
the idea of instant, and brutal, retribution for persons suspected of
heinous crimes. For instance, the rape and murder of a six-year old
girl in Raiwind, near Lahore, sparked a public agitation for the
lynching of the two boys believed to be guilty of the outrage, which
did not subside even when the suspects had been shot down by the
police, albeit in quite doubtful circumstances.
What is more, the present government s specific instructions embodied
in a recent amendment to Section 167 of the CrPC against detention of
women at night, has been obeyed only in its contravention by the law
enforcing agencies.
It concedes that in clashes with armed criminals, 204 personnel of the
law-enforcing agencies were also killed in Karachi, while the toll in
Punjab was 80 police personnel dead. Nevertheless, the Commission has
identified three factors that raise serious doubts about official
versions:
(i) Allegations by victims families, etc., that the victims had been
arrested alive and the notoriety gained by the police for not promptly
recording arrests.
(ii) Most post-arrest encounters are explained away with two stock
stories either the encounter is said to have taken place after a
detainee s escape attempt or the police party escorting a detainee to
a recovery site is said to come under attack from his associates or
enemies and the detainee gets killed.
(iii) The authorities remain as stubbornly opposed to the idea of
mandatory judicial probe as ever.
In view of growing public concern over killings in encounters and
deaths in custody, and the fact that LHC called upon the police to
submit detailed reports, the HRCP s Task Force in Hyderabad monitored
62 deaths in Sindh (excluding Karachi) that invited suspicion.
They fell in six broad categories:
1. Death in police custody after allegations of torture.
2. Death after release or transfer to hospital but torture suspected
as the cause.
3. Death in a so-called police encounter.
4. Death in prison as a result of torture.
5. Death in prison owing to lack of proper medical care; and
6. Deaths due to miscellaneous causes, including disposal after
killing.
The report also includes 15 instances of abuse of authority by law-
enforcement agencies which took the form of illegal detention
(including that of women), detention at unauthorised places,
fabrication of cases, implication of innocent persons in blind FIRs,
evasion of obligation to produce detainees in courts by transferring
them from one police station to another, detention of relatives of
wanted persons, and refusal to disclose arrest.
A great many cases remained unreported as more and more people
preferred to secure redress by paying illegal gratification or through
the intervention of influential patrons to approaching courts or
superior authorities, that were the principal sources of information
to the public, the report has observed.
HRCP, in its report has urged the Government of Pakistan to:
* ratify the UN Convention on Torture and take effective steps to
ensure its enforcement;
* declare as cognizable offences illegal detention, arrest of
relations of suspects, and use of unauthorised premises as detention
centres;
* amend the Police Act and the rules thereunder so as to conform to
modern concepts of humane policing and prosecution; and
* make the prosecution agencies independent of police.
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960306
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Alleged extra-judicial killings: Govt agrees to probe
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Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, March 5: The government has agreed to order a judicial
inquiry into the charges levelled by the MQM that its workers are
being eliminated through extra-judicial killings.
Informed sources told Dawn that the government had decided to conduct
a high-level judicial inquiry into the MQM s complaints. The MQM
leadership has been alleging that its workers were being killed in
police custody. Senator Aftab Sheikh alleged the other day that more
than 200 MQM workers had been murdered in that manner.
The sources said an assurance had particularly been extended to the
visiting British minister of state in the foreign office, Jeremy
Hanley, that the government would soon set up a judicial commission to
look into the allegations. We are ready to hold a thorough
investigation, a ministerial source told this correspondent. Yes, we
may soon set up a high-level judicial commission to deal with the
issue, he declared.
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960304
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HRCP recommends abolition of Exit Control List
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 3: The number of persons placed on the Exit Control
List (ECL) had grown to 1,250 by August last, while 400 persons,
including 15 former federal ministers, were barred from travelling
abroad early in 1995.
This has been stated in the State of Human Rights in 1995 report of
the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan which recommended abolition of
the ECL and stressed that the executive should have no power to
restrain travel.
Any such restraint should be issued from or, at least, endorsed by
the judiciary. And the affected person should have clear notice of it
instead of being surprised at the airport, the report observed.
It has made a strong plea for the adoption of a law that guarantees
freedom of information except in clearly defined areas of national
security and commercial confidentiality, or where disclosure may help
commission of crime or may help identify the source of an official
decision. All current laws barring that freedom should be repealed.
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960307
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Sindh cabinet plan 3 industrial zones, police jobs for city youth
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Azizullah Sharif
KARACHI, March 6: The Sindh government in an attempt to help solve the
unemployment problem of the Karachi youths will set up three zones for
cottage industries, besides providing 5,000 jobs in the Police
Department. This was decided at a special meeting of the Sindh
cabinet.
Briefing newsmen about the cabinet decision, the Sindh Minister for
Planning and Development, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, said the cottage
industries zones would be set up at Orangi, Baldia and Landhi.
The KMC, Mr Khuhro said, had been asked to develop 12,000 plots at the
cottage industries zones. Besides, he added, the private sector would
be involved in providing loan facilities to those unemployed educated
youths who would be offered the industrial plots.
POLICE: Moreover, 5,000 jobs from constable to officer would be
offered to the youths of all the four districts of the city, he added.
The meeting also decided to provide two jobs each to the families
whose members had died in the acts of terrorism. Jobs to such people
would be provided in the private sector for which the Karachi Chamber
of Commerce and Industry had already offered its full assistance, he
further said.
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960303
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Rampant corruption : Break-up planned to save WAPDA
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M. Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, March 2: WAPDA is slated to undergo a phased break-up into
small, economic pieces of activities before the authority breaks down
under the weight of massive corruption and huge wastage it has been
suffering from for decades, an informed source disclosed.
The government is already engaged in the exercise of designing a plan,
under a World Bank directive, to separate water resource management
from the authority s power related functions.
To start with, the distribution of irrigation water will come under
the exclusive supervision of the provincial governments, with the dams
going to a corps of engineers made up of engineers from the armed
forces and the civil services.
The corps of engineers will also be responsible for constructing new
dams and generating hydel power while a separate government utility
agency will acquire all the power that is being generated in the
country by private and public power stations.
But the transmission, distribution and billing activities will be
completely privatised on the basis of area boards.
Hide-bound officials, led by a bloated WAPDA bureaucracy which has
huge financial stakes in the matter are said to be resisting the
break-up of the authority tooth and nail.
But those in the government who support the idea of dismantling WAPDA
said that the argument which was used for the sale of UBL at a
relatively low price, also applied to WAPDAs break-up and its
eventual privatisation as according to them if the authority is
allowed to exist in its present form for one more year, not only will
it cave in under its own weight, but will take down along with it the
national economy also.
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960305
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Value-added sales tax on 12 items in next budget
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M. Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, March 4: The government has decided to impose the
controversial value-added sales tax upto retail stage in the next
budget on cloth, ready-made garments, hosiery, knitwear, jewellery,
arms and ammunition, motor vehicles, motorised two and three wheelers,
air-conditioners, deep freezers and refrigerators.
It has also been decided to withdraw sales tax exemption from the rest
of the items (about 300) from the next budget. This will bring the
total number of items under the sales tax net to about 525.
Unprocessed food, medicines, pesticides and fertilisers would,
however, remain exempted.
In addition to the above, the government has also decided to withdraw
all fixed tax schemes in June, 1996 in accordance with the IMF
agreement.
The government understands that the sales tax now being charged on
these 12 items at the import and manufacturing levels and which are
now being passed on to the final consumers in any case would be
reimbursed in the amount they had paid to the importers and the
manufacturers under the new system, while the final consumer would not
have to pay anything more than what he is already paying for these
items now which also includes the government s share of sales tax.
The government has taken this rather politically unpalatable decision
because under the IMF Stand-by agreement of December 1995, an
understanding has to be reached before the next budget with the Fund
about the time and modalities of extension of sales tax to retail
stage.
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960303
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Trade with India being monitored: Mukhtar
-------------------------------------------------------------------
LAHORE March 2: The Federal Commerce Minister, Ahmad Mukhtar has said
that the government is engaged actively in studying the situation of
trade with India and to give it the status of the Most Favoured
Nation.
Talking to newsmen here, the minister said that the study of this
vital subject will be completed within two months, and then the
government will take final decision on the issue.
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960301
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Borrowing gap to be narrowed by Rs24bn
-------------------------------------------------------------------
M. Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 29 : The ministry of finance hopes to recoup, before
March is over, nearly Rs 24 billion of the Rs 57.2 billion it has so
far borrowed from the banks for budgetary purposes, to meet the IMF
imposed end-March bank borrowing target of Rs 32 billion.
In a note on the subject which will come up for scrutiny by the
government this week, the ministry of finance has explained that the
main expenditure of Rs 3.7 billion provided to WAPDA as bridge
financing and Rs 5.5 billion for purchase of food and fertiliser are
reversible and will be recouped.
The provinces as well as the ministry of railways, on the other hand ,
are said to have been asked by the ministry of finance to make up
quickly their cash balance deficits of Rs 2.4 billion and Rs 2.3
billion respectively.
The ministry of finance further said that efforts were being made to
effect recovery from the PTC and WAPDA, the main defaulters which had
caused a shortfall of Rs 12 billion in non-tax receipts against the
proportionate budget for end- January 1996.
A shortfall of Rs 9.5 billion has also taken place in non- bank
borrowing against proportionate budget as the prize bonds of Rs 25,000
and Rs 10,000 launched in December, 1995, could not fetch the budgeted
resources.
In order to make up this loss, the ministry of finance has revised
upward the rates of saving schemes and has also made arrangements for
the sale of prize bonds from the National Bank of Pakistan branches
also.
The ministry further explains that the bank borrowing as on January
31, 1996, was Rs 50.5 billion. However, on February 1, 1996, there was
a net cash outflow of Rs 6.7 billion, pushing up the total bank
borrowing to Rs 57.2 billion.
As a result, domestic credit expansion at 15.11 per cent on February
1, 1996, exceeded the target of 14. 27 per cent for the whole year and
3.86 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
However, depletion of foreign exchange reserves of the country, far in
excess of the credit plan assumptions, has so far kept monetary
expansion within the credit plan target.
Money supply increased by 7.17 per cent up to February 1, 1996, as
compared with the target of 12.1 per cent of 1995-96 as a whole and
expansion of 8.22 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
Government borrowing for budgetary purposes increased from Rs 35
billion at the end of December 1995 to Rs 57.2 billion as on February
1, 1996.
At this level, government borrowing for budgetary support compared
very unfavourably with the expansion of Rs 29.7 billion in the
corresponding period last year and the target of Rs 32 billion for the
end of March 1996.
The retirement of credit of commodity operations up to February 1,
1996, is also much lower than in the corresponding period last year,
which implies that with the beginning of the procurement season for
wheat, government borrowing for commodity operations could also exceed
the limit stipulated in the Credit Plan.
Expansion of the private sector credit up to February 1, 1996, is
within the Credit Plan target for the year as a whole. Private sector
credit(including PSE) up to February 1, 1996, expanded by Rs 52. 3
billion as against the expansion of Rs 41.6 billion in the
corresponding period last year and Rs 64 billion for 1995-96.
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960301
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Politicians, bankers responsible for low loan-recovery
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohiuddin Aazim
KARACHI, Feb. 29: Growing political interference and mounting
pressures in the banking along with imprudent and loosely supervised
lending by the bankers have been identified as main factors
responsible for dismally low recovery rate of agricultural loans, says
an official report.
The report has been prepared by a sub-committee of the government s
Agricultural Credit Advisory Committee and headed by the Chairman of
the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (ADBP).
The summary of the report says that during the last five years (from
fiscal year 1990/1991 to fiscal year 1994/95) the annual recovery rate
of agricultural credit in the commercial banks and ADBP ranged around
60 per cent. It says that the 40 per cent rate of loan defaults is
sharply impeding the liquidity position and financial viability of the
banks.
The committee terms the rate of default as very alarming that calls
for immediate remedial measures and identifies three sets of reasons
for the same namely socio-economic, administrative and legal
constraints.
Socio-economic constraints identified includes attitude of borrowers
towards non-repayment, diversion of funds, lack of managerial and
technical skills of borrowers, diminishing returns on produce, lack of
social restraints on prominent defaulters and unforeseen circumstances
due to calamities etc.
The committee identifies inadequacy of Tribunals/Special Courts,
issuance of stay orders, rescheduling of loans and lengthy process and
undue delay in decision of suits as main legal restraints that impede
recovery of agricultural loans. Some other legal constraints as
identified by the committee are inability of courts to enforce legal
provisions, discretion in the grant of liquidated damages and
inordinate delay in the execution of decrees.
The committee recommends that wilful default be made non-bailable
offence and defaulters of Rs 1.0 million and above be disallowed from
leaving the country. It further recommends that the list of defaulters
be published in the press and they should be restricted from
contesting elections to any tier (i.e. that of National
Assembly/Senate, provincial assemblies or local bodies).
The committee recommends that crop insurance be introduced to the
extent of loan amount and the recovery of loans be entrusted to
private sector as an experiment. It suggests that rescheduling or
write-off of loans in calamity-hit areas be compensated by the
government; in the case of rescheduling it should be to the extent of
the mark-up for the period involved.
The committee recommends to the financial institutions that officials
responsible for unsound, fake and fraudulent lending should be
severely punished, debarred from promotion and declared ineligible for
holding assignments connected with provision of credit. It also
recommends that rescheduling of loans may be allowed only in the real
hardship cases and that too with an initial deposit of 20 per cent. It
further recommends that the land of defaulters be auctioned to the
banks.
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960307
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Stock prices again fall across-the-board
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Commerce Reporter
KARACHI, March 6: Stock prices again fell across the board as follow
through support turned shy in the absence of strong institutional and
foreign buying.
The trading in part was also dominated by a World Cup match between
Pakistan and New Zealand owing to early betting on the outcome of the
match. It was, however, a comfortable win for Pakistan and as a result
there were more winners than the losers in the early satta .
The Karachi Stock Exchange index of share prices, therefore, failed to
sustained the overnight gains and was marked down by over 15 points at
1,712.95 as compared to 1,727.98 a day earlier, reflecting the
weakness of the base shares.
Although minus signs dominated the list, broader market performed well
as some of leading shares managed to put on fresh good gains under the
lead of Spencer Pakistan, which posted a fresh good gain of Rs 9 on
heavy buying on market talks of its bid for Parke-Davis.
Engro Chemicals, which has been under pressure followed it finishing
with a good gain of Rs 3, and so did first four ICP mutual funds,
rising by Rs 2 to 10. Other ICPs, which rose were led by the 9th and
the 12th.
Other good gainers included Atlas Lease, Apex Lease, Premier
Insurance, Noon Sugar, PEL Appliances, Philips, Pak-Suzuki Motors,
Reckitt and Colman, and Nestle Milkpak, rising by one rupee to Rs
1.75.
Big losers were led leading shares such as PSO and Shell Pakistan,
which suffered fall of Rs 6 each followed by Al-Ghazi Tractors, Zeal-
Pak Cement and Essa Cement, which suffered decline ranging from Rs 2
to 2.75.
Barring a sharp decline of Rs 1.75 in Al-Noor Modaraba, fall in
modarabas were mostly fractional and reflected lack of support rather
large selling.
Bank shares also fell under the lead of Bank Al-Habib and Islamic Bank
and so did insurance shares under the lead Adamjee Insurance.
Some of the MNCs, which finished with an extended decline, Atlas
Honda, BOC Pakistan, Ciba-Geigy, Dawood Hercules, Fauji Fertiliser and
Bata Pakistan were leading but the fall was modest.
Trading volume fell to 29.043 m shares from the previous 36.228m
shares as leading dealers kept to the sidelines watching match.
There were 354 actives, out of which 190 shares suffered fall, while
89 gained, with 75 holding on to the last levels.
Dividend news from Quetta Textiles and Bhanero Textiles at the rate of
10 and 17.5 per cent were encouraging but they failed to lift textiles
shares up from the current lower levels as investors were not inclined
to take risks.
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960301
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Nityanandashivaramakrishna
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ardeshir Cowasjee
WHEN my pikeman announces the arrival of Netaji, I realise it is my
friend Nityanandashivaramakrishna, born in Ernakulam, in what was
Travancore and now is Kerala. Why, in the name of heaven, I ask, did
your family have to give you an unpronounceable unspellable name?
Arrey bhai! he retorts, what s so unpronounceable about a mere five
syllable word? It is very simply spelled: yen-aayie-tee-wyee-yeh-yen-
yeh-yen-dee-yeh- yuss-yuch-aayie-wee-yeh-aar-yeh-yum-yeh-kay-aar-
aayie-yuss-yuch- yen-yeh.
Netaji grew up having raa yeggus for breakfast, speaking Malayalam (a
palindrome), he moved on to Mumbai, became a sports writer, covered
the unofficial test matches in 1945, when our Abdul Hafiz Kardar
played for India under Vijay, along with Mushtaq, CS, Russi Modi,
Amarnath, Gul Mohammed, Hindlaker and others. He indulged in
journalism, writing for Current, edited by Dossu Karaka (the first
brown president of the Oxford Union) and Blitz edited by Russi
Karanjia. He now resides under the sun on the Iberian peninsula.
Recently on a visit to Delhi, he stopped in Karachi on his way back
and gave me a copy of the February 19 The Times of India (Rs. 1.50 as
opposed to Rs. 10 for this newspaper) which carried an editorial of
great interest, a comment on the thoughtful oratory of Chief Justice
Aziz Ahmadi of the Indian Supreme Court at the Zakir Hussain Memorial
Lecture held earlier this month. Pakistan-friendly Netaji shares my
strong addiction for disestablishmentarianism. We have lots of fun,
laughing at ourselves, talking to each other in fluent Gujurdish. On
his last visit, we discussed what Delhi thought of us and we of them.
Delhi apparently reads and knows more about us than we about them.
Cricket: What spurred the Indians to clothe the winning attributes of
the beautiful woman who won laurels for her country, was crowned Miss
Universe and, who rose to be the centre of attraction at the opening
of the World Cup at Calcutta? Stupidity, we both agreed. We talked
about the disgraceful manner in which our government has chosen to
ignore our 1992 World Cup winning captain, Imran Khan. Imran would be
well within his rights to sprint round the ground, and then watch the
finals sitting amongst the char-anna-wallas . The real cricket world
would gladly sit at his feet, and acclaim the honour he did us.
On the Press: In India it is far more free, in the true sense of the
word, than it is here. The government does not worry about what is
written, it does not try to bribe, coerce or buy editors and
journalists. Newspapers are printed in every conceivable language of
the country and the circulation of The Times of India is close to 0.5
million. Why can we not buy an Indian newspaper here? The import of
Indian newspapers and magazines and journals is banned by our
government. Why? Nobody has a logical answer. The ban was imposed
during the 1965 war, thereafter paranoia prevailed and it was never
lifted. We can import the Haitian Herald, the Vanuatu Viewpoint, but
not an Indian paper. The import of non-controversial Indian books is
permitted. So what s controversial? Naturally the Bomb, Kashmir, War,
Defence of the realm, the proficiency of the armed forces, and such
like subjects of interest.
Corruption: Pervades on both sides. Over there, they have a sense of
shame, they try to sweep corruption under the carpet. Politicians
exposed by the Press resign. Here, it is flaunted, institutionalised.
We have far too many Ali Babas. The Indian bureaucracy is not
encouraged to be corrupt, spouses of bureaucrats are not employed as
advisers, consultants, chairpersons of committees, bottlewashers, and
so forth.
Economy: India boasts of Manmohan Singh, a universally respected
honest finance minister. The Indians laugh at the transparency of
our government s transactions and know all about the multi-million
dollar deals and policies, considered and approved by our apex
committee, the ECNEC, such matters not having been listed on the
agenda but being hurriedly discussed under the head of any other
item. Over there they don t believe in MOU culture , they count
their chickens after they are hatched. Delhi is aware of how all
decisions are taken in our prime minister s house and in her
secretariat, how they are then rubber-stamped in the President s House
or the concerned ministries. They know how our civil servants are O-
esdeed should they question or protest. India s size, its market, its
sheer preponderance in the region, lends it more credibility. The
figures that Manmohan Singh spews out are better believed.
Hegemony: Of course, India does have hegemonic designs. It would like
its empire to extend itself beyond the borders of that of Chandra
Gupta s Mauryan Empire. But it is not interested, for the time being,
in subjugating what is left of Pakistan and thus giving itself more
problems than it already has. What it does want is a weak buffer state
on its western front. India does not want to be too close to Iran, or
within range of the gun and heroin culture of Afghanistan. The men in
Delhi are well aware how the Americans have struck a deal with our
drug baron Afridi, how he and his tapes (on which are recorded
conversations he has had with our high-ups ) are being kept in the US
in a safe-house to be produced when the time is ripe. India wants a
weak and destabilised Pakistan and they do not have to do much to
achieve that aim. In this, we are their greatest ally.
Kashmir: India is obdurate. Like us, it is blind to the third option.
Each time our poor old FM Sardar makes a sensible statement, he rushes
in to deny it and complains that the Press has misreported his words.
The Kashmiris are suffering and being annihilated through no fault of
theirs. Left to themselves they would vote in an independent state and
make it viable. Independence can be sustained by its people, their
craft, natural resources, and tourism. It is ideally situated to be
the private banking centre of the region. Swiss bankers and Wall
Street Jews can be called in to lay the infrastructure.
The judiciary: Back to Justice Ahmadi, the subject of the Times of
India editorial. He drew attention to the destruction of democratic
institutions through the corruption and criminalisation of politics
and berated the inertia of the Indian constitutional functionaries and
their lack of response to the threats to his country s democratic
institutions and to the citizen s need to secure justice. The citizen,
he said, cannot be expected to wait for the system to correct itself;
he will and can be expected to take upon himself the task of enforcing
the rights granted to him by the Constitution.
Justice Ahmadi observed that in recent times we have noticed
instances of one wing of the government avoiding to take a decision on
a politically sensitive issue by passing it to another wing, the
latter not being expected to make that decision... In cases where the
sensitive issue is not pushed into the lap of another institution; we
have noticed that it remains unattended and unresolved making the
people restive and forcing them to take it to the courts.
The Indian judiciary, he stated, does not seek an expanding role, but
it has had to extend its jurisdiction by, at times, issuing novel
directions to the Executive, something it would never have resorted to
had the other two democratic institutions functioned in an effective
manner. Judicial activism thus assumes a democratic purpose. But,
stressed the Chief Justice, this activism, in its aggressive role,
when the judiciary has been forced to pronounce a judgement on
politico-legal and socio-economic issues, will have to be a temporary
one, a corrective phenomenon only.
The legislature, the executive, the judiciary and the media the four
estates have their mutually enforcing roles in any democracy and
none can usurp the role of the other. The upper judiciary is not
adequately equipped to take on the job of cleansing the republic, that
is, cleansing the two rotten estates, the legislature and the
executive. It would be simplistic to blame just these two, the rot in
the system is more widespread. The judiciary must look into the
mirror, rather than just hold it before others. And the media must
turn the spotlight on itself, even as it places other institutions
under a microscope.
Thus spake the Muslim Chief Justice of predominantly Hindu secular
India (a cricketer to boot he along with my counsel and our former
Attorney-General, Aziz Munshi, played for the famous Gujrat College of
Ahmedabad).
Nityanandashivaramakrishna has flown away to bask under the Spanish
sun and write his new book 50-year-old Mother India which he hopes
to have published by August 1997.
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960307
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And then the general took over
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rifaat Hamid Ghani
KARACHI has now weathered two one-dayers. The general relief is in
itself a comment on the normality that has been demonstrated as
established. The matches became tests not just for the cricketing
elevens but for the law enforcement agencies claims that things were
now within control.
The result is, yes, they are: if you mobilise all your resources to
focus on a single venue, control transport to and from it, and check
all entrants. Why should there have been trouble at the Karachi
Stadium? Karachi s law enforcement agencies are always at the nets.
They are in superb training, policing and patrolling specific points.
So what if there was something poignant about the crowd s
determination to have a good time. Despite the lunch-box restrictions
and the don t wear your heart on your sleeve admonition, they were
allowed to congregate and watch cricket.
And then, having pulled it off the first time, the authorities had to
gloat. As he rather tends to, General Babar intruded. He presented
Miandad with a cheque for six lakhs.
The whole thing was offensive. What a way to put paid to a glorious
cricketing career, inspired by a love of the game and a pride in
playing for the country. If everything can be reduced to rupees and
paisa, six lakhs might buy the bumper and front fender of the kind of
Mercedes Miandad was so memorably gifted by an Arab fan in his heyday.
But it was in a way a moment of truth about the way people feel.
Miandad was the crowd s darling that day, exuberantly cheered each
time he moved. I ve never seen a single four greeted like that was
one Starsports TV commentator s remark. And the chant of Miandad
Miandad was not just because people had been watching Bodyline on
Starplus and heard the chorus of Bradman Bradman. Miandad is the
Karachi boy who played cricket on the streets and became an
international star. He is very much a symbol of pride for the Mohajir
identity. That is why there has sometimes been a certain paranoia
about Miandad getting less than his due at the hands of selectors.
That is also a little why there was so much speculation about his not
getting to play in last Thursday s match.
The frenetic acclaim for him on the field was also an audio equivalent
of waving a certain tricolour. When General Babar was selected to
present Miandad with an award it rather seemed more about scoring
political points than cricketing ones.
In its zeal to win the battle with the MQM, the law enforcement outfit
can stumble. It is a little ungracious for the General to indicate
that Karachiites had shown sound patriotic feeling during the World
Cup fixtures. Has even the MQM(A) specifically indicated it would like
to see Pakistan defeated? What would it suggest to the Minister of the
Interior s mind were India to beat Pakistan in a one-day match and
Karachi took it in a sporting spirit? Or failed to behave as if we had
rescued the Holy Grail were we to win instead? Is it required of all
Karachiites or only those who are Mohajir, or only those who are
MQM(A) voters to establish their bona fides as patriots? That last is
what many think General Babar s campaign has been too much about, and
they also think it s not cricket in that it s not fair. One doesn t
have to be rooting for the MQM(A) to see that: one just has to have a
sporting spirit.
The authorities like to maintain that the MQM s record of conduct, its
very inception and formation, its leader s heinous crimes put it
beyond the pale. This may all be true. But the PPP will always come up
against one objection: the MQM s record was exposed at the beginning
of Operation Clean-up in mid- 92. Altaf Hussain had gone into self-
exile before that. Torture cells had been unearthed; first person
narration s publicised. The pattern and style were all too well known.
The documentation substantial. Why then did they, with every courtesy
and no evident reservations, ask Altaf Hussain and his men for their
votes in the Presidential election? And if they could do business with
that kind of political party, why are the people who would like to
vote for it suspect?
But this was meant to be all about cricket and the crowd and General
Babar. To speak only for myself: What struck me in the snatch of the
presentation ceremony to Miandad as televised by PTV was the quality
of the crowd s reaction. It had been cheering with delight, applauding
its hero, Miandad, at the slightest excuse, and, of course, thrilled
by the Pakistan win. When General Babar took over, there was a ripple
of bewilderment and then a subdued hush. The rest was silence.
But the cameras focused on the dais. And there was applause around
there. Perhaps the sound engineers had just tuned out the background
noise for us to hear the General better.
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960303
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A question of good manners
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Omar Kureishi
THE British once held dominion over palm and pine and it created a
certain mind-set. Now that they no longer do, there is a need for them
to come to terms with the changed circumstances.
The pukka sahib once used to be a figure of authority and he commanded
obedience and no one dared make fun of him. In the present day, the
pukka sahib would be a cartoonist s delight, a Terry Thomas character,
a butt of jokes and an object of ridicule. No one in his right mind
would want to behave like one though the mentality behind it sometimes
surfaces, in the heat of the moment, as it were. What is bred in the
bones comes out in the flesh. I do not think that Mike Atherton was
trying to be a pukka sahib when he called a Pakistani journalist a
buffoon in Rawalpindi though it sounded suspiciously like it. The
natives used to be called worse than this. A buffoon, after all, is
only a wag or a jester and normally is not a word one would use if one
wanted to show annoyance.
I can think of any number of more robust Anglo-Saxon words that would
have conveyed the same contempt. Buffoon is mild. Donald Carr s
players claimed that they were playing the buffoon when they roughed
up a Pakistani umpire in Peshawar in 1956. We were expected to
understand that nothing more serious was intended. A bit of horse-
play.
I would give to Atherton the benefit of the doubt. There were
extenuating circumstances. England had lost to South Africa, yet
again, Atherton himself had made a duck and he was under great
pressure. It would be reasonable to say that he was not in the best of
humour and with good reason. It can be argued that a captain is
expected to maintain his cool and in the case of an England captain to
keep a stiff upper lip.
He has apologised through the team s management though the wording of
the apology is a bit unconvincing, as if, it was extracted from him
rather like the apology made by Mike Gatting in that infamous row he
had with Shakoor Rana in Faisalabad. The apology was formal and lacked
a personal touch, something to the effect that there was no intention
to hurt anyone s feelings. But I think we should accept that it was a
gaffe and hope that Atherton himself realises that it is boorish to
call someone a buffoon even if you are an honoured guest in someone
else s country. All cultures differ about how a guest is expected to
behave. In our culture a guest can do no wrong almost.
In the past, a team underwent the most routine kind of training before
going on a tour. Now the emphasis is not only on physical fitness but
also on mental conditioning. Thus not only are physios and doctors
attached to a team but psychiatrists as well. I would recommend that
teams be imparted lectures about the countries that they are touring,
something about local customs, about history and culture. The idea is
not to make them better educated but to make them better prepared to
deal with their hosts. It would remove a great deal of
misunderstanding and may even help the players and media in enjoying
themselves.
I have travelled a great deal, all over the world and on each one of
those visits I have learnt something new. This is because I have made
a special effort to meet people, to ask a lot of questions and most of
all not to be judgmental. When I first went to China in 1956, it was a
totally new experience. I did not speak a word of the language, had no
contact of any kind with the Chinese people. I could have been in
Outer Space. Most of all I did not know a soul and there were no
friends that I could fall back on if I got lonely.
But I made a special effort. I learnt that differences did not mean
that something was either inferior or superior. They had their way of
doing things and we had ours. My social and cultural values were at
variance with theirs and I did not want to be like them as they did
not want to be like me. As a consequence I enjoyed myself and came
back with a much greater understanding of a great country.
This World Cup provides a wonderful opportunity for our visitors to
see something of the subcontinent. The players and the media may be
busy because the schedule is very tight and the travelling is
something of a nightmare. But one can hear the sounds and see the
sights. All one needs is an open mind and a temporary hold on one s
preconceived notions and built-in prejudices. Our visitors will
discover that we are a hospitable people and are glad that the
visitors are in our country. The visitors will discover too that we
have many shortcomings and those from developed countries will find
that sometimes things do not work as well as they do in their
countries.
But that is no reason to make a value-judgement. Only an ignorant man
or woman will do that. For those visiting the subcontinent for the
first time there may be a culture-shock but they must appreciate that
when we visit their countries for the first time, we too encounter a
culture-shock but we respond differently. We don t turn hostile. It is
not often realised that not even two grains of sand are identical.
We expect that the tournament will be intensely and fiercely
competitive. Each team will have its own supporters, the home teams
more of them. There will be a great show of national jubilation and
national disappointment, depending how the teams are faring. But we
must understand that we are not waging war and what is at stake is the
winning of the World Cup, a high honour and a matter of pride but no
more than that. No matter who wins, the earth will continue to rotate
on its axis and the sun will rise in the East and set in the West. In
other words, life will go on.
What we expect from our guests is that they should not abuse our
hospitality and they should respect our customs as we would theirs. We
want, when this World Cup is over, that our guests have a better
understanding of our country. The major responsibility is on the hosts
but the guests must make the effort to appreciate that a lot of people
are putting themselves out to be helpful. Good breeding demands that
this be understood. It is said that those who travel and leave their
hearts at home do not travel. It can also be said that those who
travel and leave their good manners at home also do not travel. Like
the American Express card, one should never leave home without them.
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960301
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Pakistan determined to bring glory
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A. Majid Khan
The sub-continent is in the grip of World Cup fever and in Pakistan
cricket experts seem to be enthusiastically busy in the build-up of
the defending champions so that a new record of winning the mega
event, never before won by a host nation in the Cup s 21-year history.
Everyone from the elite s to man in the street is concerned about the
outcome of the Cup and looking forward with great hopes that the Wasim
Akram-squad would not disappoint the nation.
Unprecedented cash awards have been announced by the official and
unofficial agencies for Pakistan team to provide incentives enabling
them to the prestigious Cup, won under the leadership of Imran Khan on
the Melbourne ground, four years ago. At that time no lucrative cash
prizes were announced before-hand and as such the greatest motivating
factor was national spirit and honour. Pakistanis fought back from
hopeless position to win the World Cup that stunned the cricket world.
Our players, under the captaincy of Test all-rounder Wasim Akram, are
determined and disciplined to bring glory for the their countrymen.
But it is a fact that the team is under considerable pressure as the
nation hates defeat and adores only the champions. This is our
national psyche though it runs counter to the true spirit of the game
that demands fighting to the end irrespective of victory and defeat.
The challenge for Pakistan is formidable as other strong contenders
for the cup are former champions Australia, and India besides South
Africa. On paper Pakistan is a balanced side and its composition by
and large is approved by experts and former test stars.
There is general consensus that the sub-continental strips, including
those in Pakistan, are batsman s paradise. The pitches, in Pakistan
India, Sri Lanka are virtually grassless. If at all they had been
prepared to the advantage of spinners. The pacers would have to
produce extra ordinary speed and accuracy for earning wicket forcing
the batsmen to commit errors.
Slow wickets with low bounce are made to order for big scores as
people watching one-day cricket love to see high scores interspersed
with sixes and four. So the sixth World Cup appears to be a challenge
for our pace bowlers Wasim Akram, Waqar Younus and Aaquib Javed who
will have to work hard like other fast bowlers.
In such a situation Mushtaq Ahmed, the right arm leg spinner, would be
carrying a heavy responsibility to fully exploit the conditions. He is
a world class bowler in like the Australian Shane Warne and India s
Anil Kumble. The other top teams, though have the spinners, but not of
that calibre. The off-spinners might not be much effective on such
wickets and new comes Saqlain Mushtaq most of the time watch the
matches from the side line.
Asif Iqbal and Javed Miandad were among the top fielders of the early
World Cups. Miandad is making a record sixth appearances in the
contest but expecting him to produce the same brilliant fielding at
the age of 39 seems to be an unfair demand more so after remaining out
of cricket for nearly two years through knee injury. The overall
fielding of Pakistan squad looks ordinary as compared to fielding
skill shown by South Africa, Australia, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
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Miandad finally comes out to bat
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ISLAMABAD, Mar 3: He may have been jittery but anyone coming to play
after an absence of nearly two years and that too before a packed
crowd, would have felt the same as Miandad did against England.
During his unbeaten stay at the wicket he scored 11 runs but that
short stint gave him a lot of confidence and broke the spell of long
drought of staying out of competitive cricket.
It was truly then that he created history - having played in all the
six world cups - in the match against UAE at Gujranwala it was more of
a formality as he never came on to bat while he was not included in
the team that lost to South Africa.
His arrival was a typical Miandad coming to the ground - dragging
along his bat on the ground then having a look all around. But perhaps
never before he was applauded in such a big way by the capacity crowd
at his home ground.
Miandad s innings was characteristic of a batsman who remains out of
touch with the bat for a long time. He was dropped once, opened his
account nervously when a direct throw could have easily sent him back
to the pavilion and tried to steer away the ball to the boundary but
could not.
The emotional crowd, of course chanting for Pakistan s victory, gave
him a thunderous applause when Javed scored his first run in 18 months
in international cricket and that clearly showed on his face how happy
he was.
The master batsman may not have played a decisive role in Pakistan s
seven-wicket win over England but his gaining confident should inspire
Pakistan to campaign for the title in champions mould.
Crowd of around 20,000 chanted Miandad Miandad when his name was
announced from the public address system that he was among the final
eleven announced by Pakistan selection committee.
This was his last match in front of his home crowd from where
he started his cricket from the streets of the city and rose to
the international fame and limelight.
The ace batsman started his career with a century on his Test debut
against New Zealand in 1976-77 and ended the series in sensational
manner by hitting a double century in the third test at National
Stadium.
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For Pakistan purposeful rhythm is needed
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WITH combinations for quarterfinals determined, the question for
Pakistan is: can the team achieve integrated and purposeful rhythm and
professional discipline by the time it meets India in Bangalore.
By now the players must have realised how far behind the other teams
they are in at least two areas: fielding and comprehension of demands
of instant cricket as it is being played in the sixth edition of the
World Cup. Never unimportant, this awareness has become vital as the
tournament enters the survive-or-perish stage.
Experiments against South Africa - playing two spinners instead of
three pacemen and one spinner did not come off because the team lacked
tactical know-how to exploit its resources. Mushtaq was brought on too
early, without insight of batsman at the crease or a gameplan for
field placing. On top of that, Saqlain Mushtaq, the success of the
match, was sidelined in the next contest.
As a result today s tie with New Zealand is immaterial and irrelevant
to standings, Pakistan can afford to use it to prepare for the next
vital clash which would take the team to the next semis or show the
exit door for the team.
Pakistan has been playing six batsmen. They are needed when top order
is assigned the launching of a blitzkrieg for that involves the risk
of losing early wickets. But if that is not the intention, packing
batting becomes incomprehensible.
Sri Lanka has a specialist batsman at number seven as it goes for
fireworks with the word go. Australia sets a hectic pace from the
start because it has Ian Healy batting at five or six drop. South
Africa went for explosions from the first delivery with an eye on the
target; presumably it would stick to this design in the next match if
it bats first, particularly after the India-Sri Lanka run bonanza. For
India, Sachin Tendulkar makes an eruptive beginning even though the
team s opening pair is undecided.
In contrast, Pakistan has been trekking the traditional path of
cautious start, gradual build-up and go for broke in slog overs. In
the new pattern of batting, it does not sound like prescriptions for a
healthy total batting first and could put the team under siege in
middle overs in a chase.
Rules of the game have changed. Would Pakistan make an effort to
recognise this reality in today s match and adjust accordingly,
arrange ballistics for blast at the first call if it is batting first
and strike with a deafening bang if it is required to chase?
A shortcoming of the team is absence of a long distance runner. Aamir
Sohail has boldness of approach and the strokes. A ton is however not
on from him in every outing, more so as he is the team s official
blaster, even though he has somewhat slowed down. Others, Saeed Anwar
and Ejaz Ahmad tend to lose concentration when full throttled attack
is required.
Salim Malik was calculated against South Africa but when it was time
for putting the bowling to sword, he was found inadequate for acting
as agent for demolition which has often been in the past.
Inzamam has the range and the stamina but would need reliable company
for playing a long devastating innings. Javed Miandad confirmed at
Karachi against England that his gusto was intact. But he would be
needed more if repair work was required.
Ramiz Raja, the experienced quality war horse with breath for a
demanding stretch and track performance to match has been assigned as
stand in the stable. One would that he was first eleven member.
Bowling remains a valuable asset for the team but it could do with
greater discipline. There is very little room for error in the win-or-
lose brand of cricket that one-dayers are.
The worst aspect of the team has been its failure to benefit from the
presence of cricket s sage, master tactician Miandad. It could
certainly do with more precise field placing and timely bowling
changes to attack the batsmen s limitations.
The campaign for retaining the world champions title looks a lost
cause with instinctive handling of bowlers; you can play it by the ear
once in a while but not as a matter of policy. Bowling remains a
single barrel weapon in our age of automatics. It is to be fired after
focusing the target. Intikhab Alam and Wasim Akram must involve
Miandad who has given every indication of being available. Placing him
next to the ropes is throwing away the pearl richer than the tribe.
The team would be immensely better off acknowledging that nobody knows
cricket s ropes more intimately than Miandad. His is the cricketing
brain the team desperately needed to guide the powerful brawn at its
disposal.
Pakistan must decide its strategy today for the next match. Going to
the battle with hope and faith is desirable but even the most talented
group would find success elusive without backing aspirations with
commitment and investing and harnessing all of its resources in a
campaign like retaining the World Cup in the toughest of combat.
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960302
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The good, the bad and the ugly
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By Tanvir Amad
How much difference does it make to the result of a match in any game
when its captain leads his team from the front and sets an example for
his team mates. This was more than convincingly demonstrated during
the two World Cup matches played on Thursday. In both cases two of the
highly-rated sides sank low because of poor and unimaginative
leadership.
The West Indies, the only team to have won the World Cup twice and
having featured in three of the five finals to-date, succumbed to a
non-Test playing team because their skipper failed to motivate his
team-mates.
Richie Richardson is not doing well and seems to have allowed things
to deteriorate, former West Indian captain Vivian Richards, once upon
a time Richie s guide and mentor, said in a scathing remark on the eve
of the West Indies -Kenya tie. Although there are some who think that
Richards remarks just a day before the match went on to do more bad
than good to the team. But then some one has to say the truth... to
bring to a halt the deterioration.
At home, although Pakistan s defeat at the hands of the South Africans
was not as embarrassing as in Pune, where the amateur Kenyans sent
packing the mighty West Indians for 93,in just about 35 overs. But the
end result in both cases is the same.
We here in Pakistan can draw the satisfaction that our team batted
better. But that is all about it. When it came to keeping the
opponents within the target of 243, considered by many as reasonable
the bowlers made a mess of themselves, the skipper, Wasim Akram
conceding 49 runs in 9 overs. That is what you call leading from
behind.
I do not recall off hand but one newspaper in the West Indies is
reported to have suggested: When a company fails it is the head who
is responsible and bears the brunt. If a team fails the captain s head
should roll.
Scores of columns have been written in newspapers all over the country
on Pakistan s failure.
A match can be lost because of a number of factors. Defeat or success
is the two sides of any game. But it hurts real bad when the champions
play like novices and then try to wriggle out by dishing out flimsy
excuses.
That is what Akram did after the match. I misread the wicket and
decided to play two spinners. It is a mistake and anybody can make a
mistake on a given day, the Pakistan captain is reported to have
said.
One has it on authority that the decision to play Saqlain Mushtaq was
made as early as on Tuesday. But there is nothing wrong in it. What
was suicidal to drop the third seamer and go the match with four
instead of five specialist bowlers, not against Holland or UAE but a
team which has batting deep down to number 7.
When the South Africans began the run chase, one could see very
clearly that the Pakistan bowlers were under pressure, the field
placings were in utter disregard to the requirement of the bowlers and
the fielding itself amateurish. You do not drop two catches and miss a
stumping chance against such a team and still hope to win -simply
because you are the defending champions. On the contrary Hansie Cronje
rose to great heights of leadership as well as his personal
performance. And it was the second quality which immensely motivated
his team to play an inspired game. The South Africans for all intents
and purposes came to this match , treating it a trial run of the March
17 final. There is no doubt that there was no matching of the wits
between Hansie Cronje and Wasim Akram and that in the end made all the
difference when the South Africans made their win look ridiculously
easy.
Their approach was professional with lots of home work. Pakistan s was
based on the spur of the moment and instinct. Thursday s win have for
sure done a world of good to the visitors while the Pakistanis would
be rightly cheesed off. Everything went wrong for them that day and in
the end injuries to Rashid Latif and Sohail compounded their agony.
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960304
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The fall of the high & mighty
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WHEN Kenya beat the West Indies at Pune by 73 runs and caused a major
upset of the present World Cup, it surely was not the first time that
a non-Test-playing nation staged an upset in the World Cup games.
Neighbouring African country Zimbabwe also had the distinction of
doing the same in their first World Cup in 1983 when they defeated a
strong Australian outfit at Trent Bridge by a narrow margin of 13
runs. Australia that year did not make the finals.
The 1992 World Cup had a shock in store for England when at Albury in
Victoria, once again Zimbabwe were the team who stunned a major
participant of the Cup. Zimbabwe had beaten them by nine runs. England
however managed to recover to reach the final and then lose to
Pakistan.
If not for that silly rain rule of the 1992 cup games, South Africa
playing for the first time in the World Cup would also had caused a
stir to reach the final. England were saved the humiliation because of
rain.
The West Indians who were once bowled out for only 31 runs against
Ireland in Ireland in the seventies may not achieve what England did
in the 1992 competition. Their exit from the present World Cup is now
most likely result for them even before reaching the final stages.
The first upset of the World Cup at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on June
9, 1983 came in only the third match of the third World Cup. Kim
Hughes s Australians had put Zimbabwe in who made the best use of a
good batting pitch to score 239 for 6 in a 60-over match. Grant
Paterson and Ali Omar Shah had provided a sound start of 55 for the
first wicket in only 19 overs before falling at the same score to
Dennis Lillee for 27 and 16. At lunch they had lost five wickets for
95 with Graham Yallop and Allan Border taking the last three wickets.
Zimbabwe later recovered through a fine unbeaten innings of 69 by
Duncan Fletcher who was assisted by useful innings of 27 by Kevin
Curren and unbeaten 34 by Ian Butchart.
Chasing 240, Australian openers Graeme Wood and Kepler Wessels put on
61 but Kim Hughes was caught by Shah off Fletcher without scoring.
Australia were 77 for 2 at tea off 25 overs. South African, Andrew
Traicos, playing for Zimbabwe and Andrew Pycroft picked up two very
fine catches to dismiss David Hookes and Graham Yallop.
There were 18 overs still to be bowled and Australia required 93 more
runs with six wickets in hand.
Sitting in the Press enclosure I could see panic-stricken Aussie faces
and the Australian journalists had already started to talk of an
upset. Wessels who had so far batted with a lot of resilience then was
run out for 76 off a Jack Heron s throw which disturbed the timber. As
the run rate required soared to ten an over in the last five, Border
was out to Curran for 17. Rodney Marsh dropped earlier, however,
managed an unbeaten 50 but it was all in vain as Zimbabwe had a
sensational win for the first time in the Cup.
A chicken farmer from Zimbabwe, Eddo Brandes then plucked England s
feathers in 1992 at Albury with 4 for 21 in ten overs. At Lavingston
Sports Ground, England were embarrassed. Although they had already
reached the semi-finals, the result must have been shattering.
England set to make 135 were bowled out for 125 in 49.1 overs.
Zimbabwe who had not won any of the seven matches in the tournament
were obviously delighted. David Houghton s 29 and Ian Butchart s 24
were major contributions as Ian Botham and Richard Illingworth picked
up 3 for 23 and 3 for 33 respectively.
With Graham Gooch out leg before on the first ball of the innings
Botham caught for 18 off Shah and the batting further dented with the
dismissals of Allan Lamb and Robin Smith, England were in dire
straits. Alec Stewart and Neil Fairbrother put on a useful 52-run
stand in 25 overs making 29 and 20. Wickets kept tumbling and when
Gladstone Small was caught by Pycroft off Jarvis, Zimbabwe had done it
again.
In the match against West Indies, the Kenyans Rajab Ali and Muarice
Odumbe achieved what their African neighbours had achieved in 1983 and
1992 World Cup, a major upset. Good on them and good luck to them. It
surely will do a lot of good to the game in that part of the world. In
the West Indies however, a defeat at the hands of the Kenyans will do
a lot of harm to them, scattered as they on innumerable islands. Their
pride has been dented and it will take some time for them to rise from
the debris of a humiliating defeat by a country making its debut in
the World Cup.
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The revolutionary pattern of Cup
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Christopher Martin-Jenkins
I do not like to think of myself as having reached the stage of a
veteran. The painful truth, however, is that I have been privileged to
watch, commentate and report upon each of the six World Cups. 21 years
is a tiny span, really, but, my, how things have changed since Sunil
Gavaskar appeared to be playing for a draw in the first-ever World Cup
match at Lord s. Faced with an England total of 334 Dennis Amiss
scored 137 that masterly little Indian settled for batting practice:
he scored 36 not out in 60 overs off 174 balls. Anyone doing that now
would be charged with high treason.
Limited-overs cricket was in its infancy in 1975, at least on the
international stage. Who would have believed then that an opening
batsman from an obscure cricket nation calling itself the United Arab
Emirates would hit six sixes in an innings; or that Kenya might beat
the West Indies?
It is hard enough to believe it even now. Any Rip Van Winkel waking
from sleep would protest, for a start, that the land beside the Gulf
is all made of sand: you cannot play cricket on sand, except with a
soft ball. And Kenya hardly play cricket, do they?
As a matter of fact they were playing it just as keenly back in 1975
when a certain D.Pringle, Donald, the father of Derek, was opening the
bowling for East Africa. The encouragement of the smaller cricketing
nations has been the best possible reason for holding a world cricket
tournament every four years and if anyone needs justification they
have only to appreciate the fact that both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe have
graduated to Test cricket, the highest form of the game, through
having shown what they could do amongst the game s most famous
players. Others, like Canada and Israel, have not been able to
capitalise on the chances which the World Cup gave them to expand the
game in their countries, but it can and should be a global sport. It
is, after all, the best team game invented by man.
It has been encouraging to see how the present World Cup has warmed up
in the last week after a slow start. Because of the decision to have a
quarter-final round for the first time some of the early games were
largely meaningless: a succession of more-or-less dull, more-or-less
predictable matches played with varying degrees of skill by players
dressed in clothes only slightly less garishly ghastly than the very
worst examples of the genre. In Pakistan, but not in India, crowds at
some of the venues have been small.
Suddenly, however, the tournament has genuinely come alive. The
India/Australia match was the first really classic encounter and it
was followed by the good game in Karachi between Pakistan and South
Africa, the extraordinary upsetting of those weary and downcast West
Indians by the elated and delightfully surprised Kenyans and, this
very weekend, by the merry dash to a most impressive victory over
India by Sri Lanka. One begins to think that Sri Lanka could have
finished top of their group even if the Australians had actually gone
to Colombo to play.
This is all so very different from that first day of World Cup cricket
at Lord s on the 7th of June 1975. A beautiful day it was, too: it is
a curious fact that in the first three tournaments, all held in
England s notorious climate, there was hardly ever a problem with the
weather and never for a final.
Matches were played over 60 overs in days when captains were not quite
so fussy about their field placings and in a country where daylight
can last well beyond ten o clock on a balmy day in mid-summer. The
first final was not won by the West Indies, at the end of an epic
battle against Australia, until 8.42 PM. No one had thought of cricket
under floodlights at that stage, at least not seriously so.
No one thought, either, that there might be a case for holding the
competition somewhere other than the UK. It seemed the ideal place
because of easy transport inside a small island and the cosmopolitan
population there is no shortage of support in England for India,
Pakistan or the West Indies and we even allow a few Australians in!
India s sensational defeat of the West Indies in the third final in
1983 changed that thinking. It was absolutely right, of course, that a
global competition should be staged in different parts of the globe.
India and Pakistan proved that no continent was too big in 1987 and,
moreover, that these two great cricketing countries could bury any
political differences in order to co-operate in a sporting project. It
is extremely sad that Sri Lanka should, because of politics, have been
deprived of their fair share of games this time.
Australia, meanwhile, raised the commercial stakes even higher in the
fifth World Cup, with television beaming the event to more people than
ever and every corner of the earth. Regrettably, to my mind, this
meant that every team wore the vulgar clothes which have become the
trademark of night cricket, although the night cricket itself always
was a great idea for hot climates. Names on the back of shirts makes
sense too, but I do wish a designer of taste could produce clothes
which are predominantly white, with subtle differences for each side,
and which mirror the elegance of cricket.
Tactics and expectations have changed, alongwith the clothes. Sides
chase totals now which once would have been deemed impossible. The
introduction of circles, a far-sighted Australian idea, has increased
the problems of captains in the field and made it much more difficult
to stop batsmen with negative bowling. The outfielding itself, on the
other hand, reaches new levels of athleticism every year. If you are
not quick and fit in international cricket these days, you are left
behind.
Where once most captains were agreed that an attack of five deadly
accurate medium-pacers was ideal, there is true variety in the attacks
we are seeing in the present tournament with wrist spinners happily to
the fore. It is marvellous for the game that attacking bowlers of
great skill like Warne, Mushtaq Ahmed, Kumble, Adams and Strang are
being used with confidence and success. Given proper encouragement and
sensible handling, Ian Salisbury would have improved the England side,
too. Off-spinners are now restricted to only five leg-side fielders,
which makes them much less effective than they were when the likes of
Emburey, Marks and Hemmings helped England to reach three of the first
five finals.
They do not look like getting there this time on present form, but
who knows what will happen when the knockout stage begins later this
week? World Cup cricket is evolving still and, like Pakistan last
time, any team with flair, imagination and spirit may yet sweep to
success in Lahore on Sunday week.
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Allrounders taken by surprise
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ISLAMABAD, March 4: The World Cup has been treated to a series of
superlative head-to-heads.
The spinners have bewitched, the pacemen, led by Pakistan s Waqar
Younis, delighted. The batsmen, with Sachin Tendulkar and Mark Waugh
scaling unprecedented heights, have startled.
The battle of the all-rounders, however, has failed to live up to the
legend. No single figure has emerged to capture the World Cup
imagination. The crown of Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Sir
Richard Hadlee, it seems, will remain dusty and unclaimed.
There is still time, of course, for Wasim Akram of Pakistan, Steve
Waugh of Australia and Brian McMillan to change that.
McMillan is the only man to appear in the top 20 world computer
rankings for both batting and bowling.
His pace bowling would not discredit the first overs of a Test match,
while he is quite capable of batting at number three in either form of
the game.
Pakistan skipper Wasim, in contrast, is primarily a fine left-arm pace
bowler, his stylish crash-bang-wallop batting a bonus. Waugh is now an
out-and-out batsman, whose mounting success has left his useful
medium-pace seamers, curtailed by a shoulder injury, in the shade.
To date, the trio have failed to set the world on fire.
McMillan s bowling has been a key South African weapon, slowing down
opposition charges. There have only been four wickets, three of them
for 11 against the Emirates, but he has constantly threatened while
conceding under three runs an over.
His batting appearances, however, have produced meagre fare. A late
entry against England saw him go for 11 while he blew his big chance
at number three against Pakistan when Waqar Younis crushed his toes
with a high-speed in-dipping yorker to dismiss him for a single.
Wasim has only had one bat for a useful 32 not out against the South
Africans. His bowling, however, has yet to convince, with only three
wickets two against the Emirates and costing over four an over.
Waugh s batting an 82 against Kenya, a cruel run-out against India
when his twin s return drive was deflected into the non-striker s
stumps and a 57 against the West Indies looks classy. His bowling,
however, neutered by the slow, undeviating pitches, looks less than
frightening.
The Australian s reputation was not helped by Kapil Dev, the great
Indian legend, who dismissed him as a sham.
Only those with 200 wickets and 2,000 runs can be classified as all-
rounders. Waugh is a good support man, but you can call him a genuine
all-rounder, like Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan or myself,
he said.
Chris Cairns of New Zealand, another genuine contender, has managed a
cameo 36 against England and a 52 with the bat against Holland but
just one wicket.
None of the all-rounders, significantly, has earned a man of the match
award. McMillan probably deserves the first-round honours by virtue of
his exceptional catching at slip.
These are not the bits-and-pieces cricketers of yesterday. The likes
of Aamir Sohail, Mark Waugh, Shaun Pollock and Manoj Prabhakar and
even South African Jonty Rhodes, the one fielder-batsman in the world
are world-class performers in one field while providing highly-
valued support in another.
Waugh has proved the point with 362 runs in four innings at an average
of 120. Against India, he made 126. But it was his off-spin which won
the match by dismissing Tendulkar and he also took Brian Lara s scalp
against the West Indies.
Sohail did as well against England on Sunday. His left-arm spin was
good enough to spark an collapse by bowling Mike Atherton and having
Graeme Hick stumped. He then made 42 in an opening stand of 81. That
all-round effort was enough to earn the man of the match award.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
960306
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New cricket culture: its ethos & ethic
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S. A. Meenai
INTIKHAB Alam s disputed interview has thrown into sharp focus the
anomalies and anachronism of the Sixth World Cup format. The statement
attributed to the manager of the Pakistan team has not only laid bare
the tricks of the trade but has taken the lid off the schemes chalked
out in the inner sanctums of closed rooms. Hence the disclaimer after
the disclosure.
The flurry of startling upsets there may be a few still in store
has lent a dicey dimension to the glorious (inglorious) uncertainties
of cricket. But what is so peculiar or preposterous about them? After
all they are a part of the game and in its one-day version the most
unexpected sometimes happens. Didn t Zimbabwe baffle Australia and
didn t India turn the tables on West Indies in 1983?
Why then questions are being asked and doubts are aired about the
actual or possible outcomes? Have the results been genuine or some of
them were contrived? Is it all method-oriented and manoeuvred or
incidental and fortuitous? For clues to these riddles one must look
into the framework of the on-going tournament and the radical changes
in the approach towards the game over the years.
The curious pattern of the current contest is a medley of the league
and knock-out systems. A departure from the set structure was made in
the third World Cup of 1983 as unlike the first two, in the
preliminary groups the sides played each other not once but twice.
This innovation minimised the chances of accidental ousters.
Under the present formula governing the Cup matches, the real struggle
starts after the quarter-final which makes the contest a touch-and-go
affair. Naturally the contestants are duly wary and a bit worried
about the opponents as also about the venues. Conventional adversaries
are more concerned than others in this connection. Like England and
Australia in the context of Ashes, India and Pakistan have also a
history in cricketing terms too.
In this backdrop, several back-room strategies must be engaging the
attention of Managers and captains as the Cup comes to the crunch. All
available options and alternatives ought to be examined in the given
context and of course they include surrendering of certain advantages
to secure the ultimate goal.
Borrowing an analogy from chess or bridge one might appreciate the
situation better. At times pawns have to be sacrificed to create an
opening for an assault on the fort just as the art of discarding may
be a necessary stratagem to win a hand or even a rubber. Similarly
strategic withdrawals and tactical retreats are acknowledged weapons
of defence.
If Pakistan or India in a bid to avoid confrontation at a crucial turn
which seems in inevitable now thought of conceding a match to some
other team for an eventual advantage, those conversant with their
history and psychology should not have been surprised.
That such deliberate moves make a mockery of morality is besides the
point. Ever since the advent of commercialism, and more specifically
in the post-packer era cricket has ceased to be a sport that once
symbolised sportsmanship. The consideration upper most now is
salesmanship. Modern cricket is evolving its own ethos and ethic.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
960307
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Dream Team Update - as at March 7th, 1996
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PCODE N A M E COUNTRY POINTS
1 MARK TAYLOR (C) AUSTRALIA 113
2 IAN HEALY (VC) (WK) AUSTRALIA 66
3 MICHAEL BEVAN AUSTRALIA 70
4 DAMIEN FLEMING AUSTRALIA 160
5 STUART LAW AUSTRALIA 68
6 SHANE LEE AUSTRALIA 14
7 CRAIG McDERMOTT AUSTRALIA 20
8 GLEN McGRATH AUSTRALIA 45
9 RICKY PONTING AUSTRALIA 158
10 PAUL REIFFEL AUSTRALIA 72
11 MICHAEL SLATER AUSTRALIA 0
12 SHANE WARNE AUSTRALIA 120
13 MARK WAUGH AUSTRALIA 447
14 STEVE WAUGH AUSTRALIA 241
15 MICHAEL ATHERTON (C) ENGLAND 97
16 ALEC STEWART (VC) ENGLAND 69
17 DOMINIC CORK ENGLAND 206
18 PHILLIP De FREITAS ENGLAND 142
19 NEIL FAIRBROTHER ENGLAND 98
20 DARREN GOUGH ENGLAND 105
21 GRAEME HICK ENGLAND 249
22 RICHARD ILLING WORTH ENGLAND 64
23 PETER MARTIN ENGLAND 126
24 JACK RUSSEL (WK) ENGLAND 53
25 NEIL SMITH ENGLAND 154
26 ROBIN SMITH ENGLAND 75
27 GRAHAM THORPE ENGLAND 265
28 CRAIG WHITE ENGLAND 13
29 STEVEN LUBBERS (C) HOLLAND 129
30 REINOUT SCHOLTE (VC) HOLLAND 0
31 FLAVIAN APONSO HOLLAND 160
32 PAUL JAN BAKKER HOLLAND 60
33 PETER CANTRELL HOLLAND 220
34 NOLAN CLARKE HOLLAND 65
35 TIM De LEEDE HOLLAND 90
36 ERIK GOUKA HOLLAND 39
37 FLORIS JANSEN HOLLAND 25
38 ROLAND LEFEBVRE HOLLAND 143
39 MARCEL SCHEWE HOLLAND 64
40 KLAAS JAN VANN NOORTWIJK HOLLAND 168
41 ROBERT VAN OOSTEROM HOLLAND 12
42 BAS ZUIDERENT HOLLAND 116
43 MOHAMMAD AZHARUDDIN (C) INDIA 131
44 SACHIN TENDULKAR (VC) INDIA 432
45 SALIL ANKOLA INDIA 0
46 AJAY JADEJA INDIA 149
47 VINOD KAMBLI INDIA 147
48 ASHISH KAPOOR INDIA 20
49 ANIL KUMBLE INDIA 262
50 SANJAY MANJREKAR INDIA 101
51 NAYAN MONGIA (WK) INDIA 90
52 MANOJ PROBHARKAR INDIA 81
53 VENKATESH PRASAD INDIA 80
54 VENKATAPATHY RAJU INDIA 148
55 NAVJOT S. SIDHU INDIA 82
56 JAVAGAL SRINATH INDIA 97
57 MAURICE ODUMBE (C) KENYA 232
58 ASIF KARIM (VC) KENYA 31
59 RAJAB ALI KENYA 171
60 DEEPAK CHUDASAMA KENYA 81
61 TARIQ IQBAL KENYA 27
62 HITESH MODI KENYA 53
63 THOMAS ODOYO KENYA 42
64 EDWARD ODUMBE KENYA 60
65 LAMECK ONYANGO KENYA 0
66 KENNEDY OTIENO KENYA 152
67 MARTIN SUJI KENYA 128
68 BRIJAL PATEL KENYA 0
69 DAVID TIKOLO KENYA 16
70 STEVE TIKOLO KENYA 231
71 L.K. GERMON (C) (WK) NEW ZEALAND 112
72 N.J. ASTLE (VC) NEW ZEALAND 160
73 C.L. CAIRNS NEW ZEALAND 200
74 S.P. FLEMING NEW ZEALAND 220
75 C. HARRIS NEW ZEALAND 131
76 R. KENNEDY NEW ZEALAND 87
77 G.R. LARSEN NEW ZEALAND 66
78 D.K. MORRISON NEW ZEALAND 80
79 D.J. NASH NEW ZEALAND 113
80 A.C. PARORE NEW ZEALAND 133
81 D.N. PATEL NEW ZEALAND 11
82 C. SPEARMAN NEW ZEALAND 184
83 S.A. THOMPSON NEW ZEALAND 185
84 R.G. TWOSE NEW ZEALAND 176
85 WASIM AKRAM (C) PAKISTAN 125
86 AAMIR SOHAIL (VC) PAKISTAN 277
87 IJAZ AHMED PAKISTAN 195
88 MUSHTAQ AHMED PAKISTAN 175
89 SAEED ANWAR PAKISTAN 281
90 INZAMAM UL HAQ PAKISTAN 133
91 AAQIB JAVED PAKISTAN 120
92 RASHID LATIF (WK) PAKISTAN 40
93 SALEEM MALIK PAKISTAN 160
94 JAVED MIANDAD PAKISTAN 21
95 SAQLAIN MUSHTAQ PAKISTAN 45
96 RAMEEZ RAJA PAKISTAN 2
97 ATA-UR-REHMAN PAKISTAN 5
98 WAQAR YOUNIS PAKISTAN 230
99 HANSIE CRONJE (C) SOUTH AFRICA 291
100 CRAIG MATTHEWS (VC) SOUTH AFRICA 134
101 PAUL ADAMS SOUTH AFRICA 20
102 DARYL CULLINAN SOUTH AFRICA 191
103 ALAN DONALD SOUTH AFRICA 160
104 FANIE De VILLIERS SOUTH AFRICA 52
105 ANDREW HUDSON SOUTH AFRICA 226
106 JACQUES KALLIS SOUTH AFRICA 68
107 GARY KIRSTEN SOUTH AFRICA 393
108 BRIAN McMILLAN SOUTH AFRICA 114
109 STEVE PALFRAMAN (WK) SOUTH AFRICA 84
110 SHAUN POLLOCK SOUTH AFRICA 157
111 JONTY RHODES SOUTH AFRICA 51
112 PAT SYMCOX SOUTH AFRICA 55
113 ARJUNA RANATUNGA (C) SRILANKA 174
114 ARVINDRA D' SILVA (VC) SRILANKA 249
115 MAVAN ATAPATTU SRILANKA 0
116 UPUL CHANDANNA SRILANKA 0
117 KUMARA DHARAMASENA SRILANKA 40
118 ASANKA GURUSINGHE SRILANKA 201
119 SANATH T. JAYASURIA SRILANKA 154
120 ROMESH KALUWITHARANA (WK) SRILANKA 69
121 ROSHAN MAHANAMA SRILANKA 0
122 MUTTIAH MURALITHARAM SRILANKA 70
123 RAVINDRA PUSHPAKUMARA SRILANKA 20
124 HASHAN TILLEKERATNE SRILANKA 77
125 CHAMINDA VAAS SRILANKA 60
126 PRAMODAYA WICKREMASINGHE SRILANKA 0
127 SULTAN ZARWANI (C) UAE 101
128 SAEED ALSAFFAR (VC) UAE 5
129 IMTIAZ ABBASI (WK) UAE 25
130 SHAHZAD ALTAF UAE 20
131 MOHAMMED ASLAM UAE 38
132 SHAUKAT DUKANWALA UAE 214
133 SHEIKH MAZHAR HUSSEIN UAE 104
134 MOHAMMAD ISHAQ UAE 76
135 ARSHAD LAIQ UAE 86
136 VIJAY MEHRA UAE 49
137 GANESH MYLVAGANAM UAE 41
138 SALIM RAZA UAE 157
139 SYED AZHAR SAEED UAE 188
140 JOHANNE SAMARASEKERA UAE 150
141 R.B. RICHARDSON (C) WEST INDIES 177
142 J.C. ADAMS WEST INDIES 51
143 C.E.L. AMBROSE WEST INDIES 151
144 K.L.T. ARTHURTON WEST INDIES 1
145 I.R. BISHOP WEST INDIES 35
146 C.O. BROWNE (WK) WEST INDIES 53
147 S.L. CAMPBELL WEST INDIES 57
148 S.C. CHANDERPAUL WEST INDIES 80
149 C.E. CUFFY WEST INDIES 26
150 O.D. GIBSON WEST INDIES 31
151 R.A. HARPER WEST INDIES 212
152 R.I.C. HOLDER WEST INDIES 0
153 B.C. LARA WEST INDIES 123
154 C.A. WALSH WEST INDIES 138
155 A. FLOWER (C\WK) ZIMBABWE 56
156 E.A. BRANDES ZIMBABWE 7
157 A.D.R. CAMPBELL ZIMBABWE 139
158 S. DAVIES ZIMBABWE 9
159 C.N. EVANS ZIMBABWE 92
160 G.W. FLOWER ZIMBABWE 140
161 A.P.C. LOCK ZIMBABWE 56
162 H.R. OLONGO ZIMBABWE 0
163 S.G. PEALL ZIMBABWE 39
164 H.H. STREAK ZIMBABWE 165
165 P.A. STRANG ZIMBABWE 297
166 B.C. STRANG ZIMBABWE 50
167 A.C. WALLER ZIMBABWE 159
168 G.J. WHITALL ZIMBABWE 71
14
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