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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 18 April, 1996 Issue : 02/16
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Clinton approves release of equipment
Pakistan to take US to ICJ on equipment issue
Assef rules out secret talks with India
Talks offer to MQM stands, says Shah
Karachi to have five civic govts under DCs
6 killed in Lahore hospital blast
No headway in blast probe: SSP
We have too few men, equipment: DIG
Feudalism termed a social evil
Feudalism a hurdle to progress: Palijo
Over 125 MNAs seek plots in Islamabad
PEPC to discuss introduction of lead-free petrol
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Hubco to start production within two weeks
Economy achieves 6.5pc GDP growth
Forex reserves rise to $1.34bn
CPI rises by 10.82pc during July-March
Balance of payments jump to $2.69bn during 9 months
No sales tax at retail stage this year?
EPB to set up Eco-Textile laboratory
Steep fall in budget support borrowing
25 public sector units incur losses of Rs 2 billion
Stocks finish weekend session on steady note
Stock market remains under pressure
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Glass Towers Ardeshir Cowasjee
Avoiding a global nightmare Benazir Bhutto
Limping into the 21st century Shaikh Manzoor Ahmed
Limping into the 21st century II Shaikh Manzoor Ahmed
Waiting for a third force M.B. Naqvi
The stick and the carrot Mazdak
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India end four-year drought at Sharjah beating Pakistan
India lose to South Africa but reach final
Pakistan, erratic in shooting, beat US
Jansher is Pakistans precious asset
Pakistan to take part in Far East baseball
Mackerdhuj blasts Dalmiya for conduct in World Cup
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960418
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Clinton approves release of equipment
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Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, April 17: President Clinton has given the final go-ahead for
the release of military equipment worth $368 million to Pakistan under
the Brown Amendment but economic aid is to remain suspended, a state
department official said.
"I can confirm that there is no further blockade in the shipment of this
equipment other than the practical problems and logistics," the official
said, confirming an earlier Washington Post report which spoke of a
letter written by Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott to a number
of congressmen.
Asked whether the moves in Congress, particularly by Sen Larry Pressler
to repeal the Brown Amendment, were of any significance, the official
said: "This is now improbable."
The administration is also releasing $124 million which has been
determined as `excess amount' received from Pakistan for weapons and
spares which were never manufactured.
In letters to members of Congress, Mr Talbott said President Clinton had
decided that delivery of the military equipment that Pakistan paid for
in the 1980s provides the best opportunity to engage Islamabad in our
[nuclear] non-proliferation strategy and to improve cooperation with
Pakistan on such vital issues as counter-terrorism and counter-
narcotics.
"Pakistan also will get $120 million in cash that it paid for weapons
and spare parts that were never manufactured," the Post said.
A law provides for cut-off of Ex-Im Bank loans to countries that help
other nations to develop a nuclear arsenal. But administration officials
had signalled previously that they wanted to avoid an across-the-board
cut-off of Ex-Im Bank transactions for China, a major trading partner.
They are considering much more limited sanctions, such as imposing
restrictions on Ex-Im financing just for China's nuclear industry.
The military equipment Pakistan will get includes missiles, rockets,
rocket launchers, howitzers and three P-3C Orion aeroplanes, used in
anti-submarine warfare. The deal does not include 28 F-16 jet fighters
for which Pakistan paid $650 million.
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960417
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Pakistan to take US to ICJ on equipment issue
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Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, April 16: Pakistan has indicated that it may go to the
International Court of Justice to seek return of about $750 million
blocked in US under the Pressler Amendment, a matter which the recent
defence talks in Washington could not resolve.
A senior member of Pakistan's defence team, Rear Admiral Khalid Akhtar,
who is director-general of defence procurement, has revealed in an
interview to authoritative "Defense News":
"The (disputed) cases remaining (after the recent defence talks) are
valued at $750 million and may have to be resolved through international
arbitration or the International Court of Justice in The Hague."
Pakistani and American officials had strictly maintained that nothing
was to be publicly stated about the defence talks except for the joint
statement which was released on April 4 and the leader of the Pakistani
delegation, secretary of defence production Mazhar Rafi, has adhered to
the agreement with Pentagon officials.
It was the first time after the recent talks that any senior Pakistani
official had spoken on the record about the meetings in Washington
between Pentagon and defence ministry officials which, "Defense News"
said, continued from April 1 to 11.
A joint statement issued after the talks had given no details except
saying that a number of cases were reconciled and another meeting would
be held in September/ October in Pakistan.
But, sources close to the Pakistani delegation and the Pakistan embassy
had revealed to Dawn that some 96 cases had been reconciled and the
delegation was going back with the firm opinion that Pakistan may have
to seek legal relief from the courts in the US to get back its money.
"The High Court or arbitration is a very real possibility ... (but) we
will think very carefully about this option because it will touch on the
entire US-Pakistani relationship," Admiral Akhtar said.
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960412
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Assef rules out secret talks with India
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Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, April 11: Foreign Minister Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali ruled out
the possibility of holding any secret talks with India for solving the
Kashmir issue.
Pakistan was ready to hold formal talks with India provided Kashmir
issue should be placed high on the agenda the foreign minister told
upper house of the parliament.
Criticising the Indian policy on Kashmir he said India had been
maintaining double standards. New Delhi had adopted a contradictory
policy as on the one hand Indian leaders called Kashmir as the integral
part of India while on the other they concede it as a disputed territory
and express readiness for talks.
Replying to another question regarding increasing contacts between non-
governmental organisations he said official stance remained the same and
government has nothing to do with informal talks between intellectuals
of Pakistan and India.
Over 34 types of non-official exchanges had taken place in which private
individuals from India and Pakistan had participated, he said.
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960413
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Talks offer to MQM stands, says Shah
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KARACHI, April 12: Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Abdullah Shah said that
"our doors are always open for a dialogue with the Altaf Group at any
time" because the government believes that outstanding issues should be
settled through dialogue.
He was talking to newsmen at Cantonment Railway Station after formally
seeing off the Lahore-bound over-night non-stop air-conditioned train.
The chief minister referred to the boycott of Sindh Assembly by the
Altaf group opposition for the last several sessions and said "we felt
delighted when they came to the House on Wednesday and we thought that
they have now ended their boycott and will discuss public problems at
the forum to which they were returned by their electorates".
He referred to reports in the Press about Wednesdays proceedings of the
Sindh Assembly and said that it was not a democratic way for opposition
MPAs to demonstrate such sort of behaviour to disturb the House. He said
they should have demonstrated good parliamentary behaviour in the
assembly.
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960415
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Karachi to have five civic govts under DCs
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Omar R. Quraishi
KARACHI, April 14: After a six-hour-long marathon session, the Sindh
Assembly passed by a vote of 45 to 6, Bill No. 5 of 1996, the much-
contested Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 1996, that will
decentralise the city's municipal government.
Six opposition MPAs, all from the MQM, were present in the House and
opposed the bills passage. Leader of the Opposition Dr Farooq Sattar
told the House that his party had "rejected the entire bill because it
was entirely against the interests and wishes of Karachi's citizens, and
so the point of suggesting any amendments to it did not arise".
This piece of legislation will amend the Sindh Local Government
Ordinance (SLGO), 1979, to create separate district municipal
corporations (DMCs) for each of Karachi's five districts; each of these
DMCs will have a mayor and deputy mayor.
The KMC will continue to exist simultaneously but its members will be
elected by each DMC on the basis of equal representation from all the
five districts.
This method of election to the KMC council outlined in Clause 6 of the
bill was particularly opposed by the MQM opposition on the grounds
that it would "undermine the representative rights of the large
electorate of Districts Central and East, where much of the MQM vote-
bank lives."
Dr Sattar spoke well to put forward the opposition's viewpoint. He said
that the SLGO bill would not decentralise but bureaucratise municipal
government. Sindh National Front chief Mumtaz Bhutto who attended the
session, but did not stay till the vote, supported Dr Sattar's latter
motion.
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960415
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6 killed in Lahore hospital blast
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, April 14: An explosion in the outpatients department of Imran
Khans Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Cancer Hospital here killed at
least six people, including a 12-year-old boy, and left over 30 injured,
eight critically.
The explosion is believed to have been caused by a device weighing
nearly five kilograms, reportedly placed under a sofa in the outpatients
department, which was crowded with people when the explosion occurred at
around 12.30pm. The pressure from the explosion was so great that it
broke all fixtures and installations in the room and damaged the
chemotherapy and pharmacy areas of the hospital.
This is believed to be the first time that a hospital has been targeted
in this manner. The scene at the Shaukat Khanum's OPD was horrific when
reporters visited it soon after the blast, with shattered bodies and
broken glass everywhere. First aid was provided to those injured before
they were rushed to the nearby Jinnah Hospital. Three people, including
the child, were killed on the spot while the other three died on their
way to Jinnah Hospital. Shaukat Khanum, which is a cancer hospital, is
not geared to provide trauma therapy. Three of the injured were admitted
to the Shaikh Zayed Hospital.
No clue was immediately available as to the identity or the motive of
those behind the deed. A shocked Imran Khan, who was in the
administration wing of the hospital when the blast took place, told
reporters that if the purpose of the explosion was to intimidate him,
this would not happen.
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto heard of the news in Peshawar and,
cancelling all her engagements, rushed to Lahore. She first went to
Jinnah Hospital to see the injured people and then visited the scene of
the explosion. She condemned the blast, saying it was tragic that even
the sick and the innocent were now being targeted by terrorists. She
charged that the incident was part of the same series of terrorist
activities which had seen explosions in Lahore.
Talking to reporters shortly after the explosion, Imran Khan said he
could not speculate about who planted the bomb and why, but a bomb
explosion in a hospital was the worst thing that anybody could do.
He said if it was aimed at intimidating him, then those who were
responsible for the heinous crime had failed in their motive. "I have
gained strength due to this incident and am not about to get
intimidated," he said.
Hospital administrator Dr Nausherwan Burki hoped that the hospital would
again be functional within a day or two.
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960417
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No headway in blast probe: SSP
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, April 16: The senior superintendent of police, Lahore, said here
that police had not yet made any breakthrough in their investigation of
Sunday's explosion at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust hospital.
"Although we have collected some evidence from the place of the
incident, it would be too early at this stage to speculate on such a
sensitive matter," the SSP said while talking to reporters.
He dispelled the impression created by a section of the Press that the
police had reached a conclusion about the man who had planted the
explosive device and that the man himself was blown up in the explosion.
He said the investigation team had obtained a list of the approximately
250 patients present in the OPD and their statements were being
recorded.
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960417
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We have too few men, equipment: DIG
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Our Reporter
KARACHI, April 16: The police chief of Karachi, the Deputy Inspector
General, Dr Shoaib Suddle, said that his department was short of
policemen, mobiles and wireless sets, and that this was affecting its
performance.
Business people and industrialists told Dr Shoaib Suddle to do
something about the lukewarm response of the police against crime,
especially against businesses, in the city.
He said: "The police are being run under the obsolete Police Act of 1861
which aimed at controlling the then native population. This Act now
needs massive change."
Dr Suddle said one of the reasons for corruption in the police
department could be the lower incomes earned by the policemen.
"We are trying to improve the complaint system in collaboration with
Citizen Police Licence Committee (CPLC)," he said.
Regarding complaints of mobile jurisdiction, one of the businessmen told
the DIG that police mobiles of Districts East and West police stations
were often found patrolling in District Central.
The DIG asked the industrialists to note the number of any such police
mobile and said that he would take stern action.
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960412
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Feudalism termed a social evil
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 11: Feudalism works through a well-entrenched oppressive
network, led by landlords who, with their lackeys, exploit landless
peasants, eminent academic and social scientist Hamza Alavi said.
Lecturing on the system of feudalism Prof Alvi told the meeting,
arranged by Forum for Peace and Development (FPD), that landlords, the
police, patwaris (record-keepers of lands), rasagirs (cattle-rustlers)
goons and other minions of the village administration were the main
pillars of feudalisms edifice.
Referring to his first hand experiences about rural life and the role of
landlords in Punjabs villages, Prof Alvi said that landlords had been
the rulers of rural society. They got their own men appointed in civil
administration to secure their hold over the lives of landless masses of
people, he added.
The tenants, sharecroppers and labourers, he said, depended for their
livelihood upon the will of landlords.
"Landlords are masters of landless people. They exploit their labour and
honour both, and in return give them such a small quantity of food which
keeps them alive for more drudgery," he said.
Speaking about the hierarchy of the system, Prof. Alvi said it was based
on the biradri (shared community) system and each component of feudalism
had its separate biradri, and had a relationship with the other
biradris.
Landlords, he said, had their own biradris which either had a
relationship or enmity with the other feudal biradris, and they exploit
the biradris of the peasants. Small land-holders had their own biradri
which at times had their own role in helping support the edifice of
feudalism, he said.
The rival landlords, he said, also used communities of their tenants,
already bowed by the burden of exploitation, as cannon fodder to settle
scores.
A landlord gathers his favourite men around him who can fulfil his evil
mission. He harbours cattle-rustlers and his goondas intimidate the
helpless tenants and kidnap their women to teach a lesson to rebels, he
said.
The police, Prof. Alvi said, provided them (cattle-rustlers) protection
and got their share out of the business. "Landlord demonstrate their
might through their collusion with the police and patwaris," he added.
With the advent of the Green Revolution in Pakistan, tenants had to
undergo difficult circumstances. The use of tractors, tube-wells and
superior seeds had accelerated growth of production and left the tenants
helpless, he said.
The use of one tractor replaced eight tenant families in the race of old
and new modes of production. The mechanisation of farming had on the one
hand boosted personal power of landlords and on the other accelerated
the pace of migration from rural areas to urban centres, he said.
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960416
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Feudalism a hurdle to progress: Palijo
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Staff Correspondent
HYDERABAD, April 15: The president of Awami Tahreek and chief of Sindhi
Ittehad, Rasool Bux Palijo, has said that many countries in Asia like
China, Japan, Indonesia and even Malaysia has progressed and improved
the living conditions of their people for the simple reason that they
had uprooted feudalism in their respective countries.
Speaking at a seminar on Problems of the Sindhi peasantry and their
solution organised by the Sindhi Hari Tehrik at the Press Club here, Mr
Palijo said that Pakistan was the only country where the curse of
feudalism persisted and gained strength with the passage of time.
Citing the feudal system in Pakistan, the term for a mental attitude, a
part of culture and a way of thinking, he declared that a feudal lord
sat in the mind and heart of every leader claiming to represent the
middle class.
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960414
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Over 125 MNAs seek plots in Islamabad
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Ihtasham ul Haque
ISLAMABAD, April 13: Over 125 MNAs have sought residential plots from
the government to build their houses near the posh diplomatic enclave in
Islamabad.
According to official sources the PPP Parliamentary Secretariat has
received 125 forms for plots, which also included 55 from the opposition
PML-N and PNP, and 12 members of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA).
However Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Opposition Nawaz Sharif did
not apply for the residential plots to be developed near one of the
highly expensive and posh areas, between the diplomatic enclave and the
road leading to Murree.
Three sizes of plots measuring 1000 sq. yards, 1200 sq. yards and 1500
sq. yards have been offered at a price of Rs.1.4 million, Rs.1.6 million
and Rs.2.1 million respectively.
Interestingly all the MNAs deposited non-refundable forms and membership
fee of Rs.1700 for 1500 sq. yards plots. The provision for allotment of
plots have been kept for both MNAs and Senators whose total number stood
at 304 (217 MNAs and 87 senators).
The price of plots would have to be deposited in three instalment.
Sources said that only those parliamentarians would be offered these
plots who did not earlier avail of this facility.
The cabinet had decided last month to offer these residential plots to
the members of the present Parliament. It also decided not to offer any
of these plots to ex-MNAs or ex-Senators.
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960418
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PEPC to discuss introduction of lead-free petrol
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*From Muhammad Ilyas
ISLAMABAD, April 17: The Pakistan Environment Protection Council, the
highest policy-making body on environmental affairs, will consider a
programme to make petrol lead-free by 2005 and halve the sulphur content
in diesel by 2000 when it meets here on April 24.
A report on the subject, according to an official source, will be
presented by the Convenor, Standing Committee on Clean Fuels, Mr Hameed
Haroon, in the meeting to be presided over by Mr Asif Ali Zardari, MNA,
Chairman of PEPC. Besides Mr Haroon, other 13 members of the committee
include senior executives of oil companies and experts from various
scientific organisations.
Other items to be discussed are: disposal of hospital waste, plantation
of one million trees, proposal to establish a Pakistan Environment Fund
in the private sector, presentation of progress report on shifting of
Textile Processing units in Faisalabad to a new industrial estate in
Jaranwala, and review the progress on the ambitious Spring Plantation
1996 programme.
While considering the report on Clean Fuels, it is apprehended, the PEPC
will have to revise various deadlines given in the original proposal
which PEPC had been unable to discuss in its November 1995 meeting, the
urgency of its objective notwithstanding.
For example, the Draft recommendations proposed April 1, 1996, as the
date for (1) elimination of regular brand gasoline of 80 octane; (2)
reduction of lead content to 0.35 gm/l; and (3) HOBC imports to be
unleaded as the initial steps towards complete phasing out of the
regular petrol by 1.7.2005. That date has, however, passed uneventfully.
It is envisaged to bring price of leaded petrol equal to unleaded petrol
by next July.
Even if the plan is adopted by the PEPC in its forthcoming meeting and
approved by the Federal Cabinet, it will indeed be an uphill task to
implement the recommended deadline of July 1, 1997, for restricting
import of diesel with not more than 0.5% sulphur content. Eventually,
the level of sulphur in diesel, imported as well as local, is to be
reduced from the present 2.0% to 0.1% with effect from January 1, 1999.
All public vehicles will be subject to testing by July 1, 1997, if the
plan is accepted. For private vehicles, the cut-off date for exemption
from such testing is July 1, 1998.
In order to reduce carbon monoxide and other emissions, the Plan has
stressed the need of encouraging the use of compressed natural
gas/liquid petroleum gas in vehicles. For this purpose, the refineries
are to be required to follow the existing NEQS (National Energy Quality
Standards) for all effluent and emissions.
The Plan also recommends the elimination of duties, taxes and surcharges
on import of CNG/LPG equipment.
960414
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Hubco to start production within two weeks
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 13: Hubco the 1292 megawatt private sector power
project will start partial production of electricity this month as one
of its four 323 mw units is all set to be fired.
"Hubco will start producing power within two weeks," said its
Construction Director Gerard Blake at a two-day seminar held in Quetta
last week. He said arrangements had been completed to hook up the first
Hubco power generation unit to the national grid.
Four Hubco power generation units of 323 megawatts each are scheduled to
go into commercial production every three months after July this year
and as such the firing of the first unit would be ahead of schedule if
done this month.
He said the $1.5 billion project spread over an area of 1450 acres in
Hub would greatly benefit Pakistan in general and Balochistan in
particular.
Mr Yousuf said Hubco had also provided jobs to a large number of local
people adding that an estimated 85 per cent of total unskilled labour
force was drawn from local population.
Gerard Blake said Hubco had spared 600 acres of land for forestation to
protect environment and check the pollution caused by the project. He
said Hubco would spend $5.0 million to $10.0 million on environment
protection schemes and claimed that the project would not pose any
significant environmental problem like acid rains.
He told a questioner that Hubco shareholders would get their first
dividends in March 1998 i.e. one year after the company goes into
operation.
He said Hubco was in no position to indicate what would be the power
tariff for the end consumers after it started supplies to WAPDA adding
that only WAPDA can determine this tariff.
"We would be selling power to WAPDA and not to the end consumers, he
said adding that for the first ten years Hubco would be supplying power
at a rate of 5.9 cents per KWh if WAPDA utilises up to 64.4 per cent of
our total power production. If the utilisation rate goes up to 90 per
cent the price would come down to 5.0 cents per KWh."
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960418
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Economy achieves 6.5pc GDP growth
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Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, April 17: The overall performance of the Pakistans economy
during the current financial year has been mixed, achieving 6.5 per cent
GDP growth rate specially supported by 6.2 per cent growth rate in
agriculture.
According to a document to be presented to the Aid-to-Pakistan
Consortium meeting in Paris on April 21, the economic growth target for
1995-96 was envisaged at 6.5 per cent supported by a growth rate of 6.2
per cent in agriculture, 7.5 per cent in industry (including 6.0 per
cent in large-scale manufacturing) and 6.1 per cent in services sector.
Total investment required to sustain this GDP growth was projected at
19.3 per cent of GDP, to be financed to the extent of 77 per cent from
national saving, inflation was targeted at 9.5 per cent.
While the agricultural sector performance is expected to be better than
planned, the manufacturing sector will just be able to achieve the
projected growth (6.8%). The overall growth in the commodity sector is
expected to be 7.1 per cent as against planned target of 6.9 per cent.
However, the services sector performance is likely to be lower than
expected due to slower growth in transport and communications, banking &
insurance and public administration. The preliminary estimates of
performance of the economy during 1995-96 suggest a GDP growth rate of
6.4 per cent. The rate of inflation is expected to be around 9.5 per
cent compared with 12.9 per cent in 1994-95.
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960414
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Forex reserves rise to $1.34bn
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 13: Approved foreign exchange reserves swelled to $1.346
billion on Thursday (April 11) after indicating a disturbing downward
trend a few weeks ago.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan sources, improved export figures
for the quarter ended March 31, 1996 is one of the main reasons behind
the current surge in forex reserves.
Besides this, financial analysts attribute the improvement in foreign
exchange reserves to some other factors which also helped to push up the
reserves, notably among them being a substantial increase in remittances
from the overseas Pakistanis.
However, financial analysts said that a big trade deficit, which has
touched the high mark of $2.69 billion during the first 9 months of the
current fiscal tells a different story and it could take away the
seasonal advantage in the final analysis.
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960412
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CPI rises by 10.82pc during July-March
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Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, April 11: The consumer price index, which is considered a
measure of the rate of inflation, rose further by 10.82 per cent during
the period July-March, 1995-96 compared to the corresponding period of
previous year.
The CPI for March, 1996 as compared to March, 1995 showed an increase of
10.27%. During February 1996, it stood at 9.76% over January, 1996.
During the month of March 1996, according to Federal Bureau of
Statistics, CPI with 1990-91 as the base stood at 172.90, showing an
increase of 1.35% over the Index of February 1996.
All the group indices of the CPI have recorded an increasing trend -
except fuel & lightening says the FBS Press release.
The food, beverages & tobacco group index showed an increase of 2.06%,
fuel & lightening, however, recorded a nominal decrease of 0.07%, and
apparel, textile & footwear group showed an increase of 0.61% over the
previous month. The household furniture and equipment, etc group index
showed an increase of 0.66%. Transport & communication group index rose
by 0.83%. Finally, the recreation, entertainment & education group index
recorded a rise of 0.70%.
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960414
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Balance of payments jump to $2.69bn during 9 months
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, April 13: Due to 19.6% increase in imports in dollar terms
last month, Pakistans balance of payments jumped to a startling $2.690
billion during the first nine months of the current financial year,
according to the foreign trade statistics for March 1996 of the Federal
Bureau of Statistics.
This denotes an increase of $1.634 billion or 60% more than during the
corresponding period of 1994-95, when the current account deficit had
amounted to $1.634 billion. During March 1996, exports amounted to
$844.3 million up from $718.0 million.
Yet, the official statistics show 17.6% increase in exports during March
1996 ($844 million) over February 1996. When compared with March 1995,
it was an increase of 23.8%. The improvement in exports was, however,
cancelled by imports which amounted to $1.17 billion, that is 19.6% more
than the figure for February 1996 and 27.6% more than during March 1995.
A disturbing feature of the exports scene is that the share of value
added categories in total exports declined from 58.45% during July-March
1994-95 to 50.5% during the corresponding period of current financial
year. Similarly, value-added textiles excluding cotton yarn accounted
from 41.95% during July-March, 1995-96 as against 45.96% during the
corresponding period of the last year.
The biggest contributor to the rise in imports in dollar terms was the
import of road motor vehicles on which the country spent $48.08 million
in March 1996. Cumulatively, the import bill of road motor vehicles rose
to $301.2 million (Rs 10 billion), as compared to about $295 million
during the corresponding period of last.
Cotton yarn was the biggest source of foreign exchange last month: $151
million, followed by raw cotton ($100 million). It increased by 13.88%
over February Carpets & carpeting exports also picked up by a hefty
51.95% over March 1995 but only by a negligible 1.65% over February
1996. Rice also registered 33.08% increase over the previous month.
Among value-added items other than textiles, sports goods and leather
manufactures registered 28.73% and 60.71% decrease, respectively, while
surgical instruments and tarpaulins also dropped by about 60%. 1996 but
decreased slightly, when compared with March 1995. The export of raw
cotton showed 1.24% decrease in dollar terms over February 1996.
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960413
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No sales tax at retail stage this year?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
M. Ziauddin
PAKISTAN has assured the IMF that in the next budget sales tax coverage
will be extended to all commodities at the import and manufacturing
stages. Also, an understanding has been reached between the two about
the time and modalities of the extension of sales tax to the retail
stage. In addition the government has to withdraw all fixed tax schemes
and reduce import tariffs to an average of 50 per cent by June, 1996.
All this is the direct outcome of the periodic meetings held from time
to time between the concerned government officials and the IMF
representatives since a Standby Arrangement was signed between the two
in December 1995 for a $600 million concessional loan over a 15-month
period ending March 1997.
This entails a gigantic structural reform effort of far reaching
politico-economic implications, especially in the context of the immense
hurt these will cause to powerful interest groups in the trading and
manufacturing sectors by closing doors on their unearned incomes. Two
years ago when about 225 commodities were taxed at the import and
manufacturing stages, the business community reacted strongly and
actually went on strike for five full days during the financial year.
Mindful of this and also in view of the fact that this time as many as
300 items are to be brought under the sales tax net at the import and
manufacturing stages besides abolishing all fixed taxes, the government
is said to have impressed upon the IMF that at least two years must
elapse between the present phase of full coverage of sales tax at
manufacturing stage and the extension to retail stage. It was explained
to the Fund that extension of sales tax to retail stage would be a
momentous step and the same needs to be tackled as a separate project.
However, the two, meanwhile, have agreed to proceed to impose VAT type
of sales tax in the next budget on a few selected items like cloth,
ready-made garments, hosiery, knitwear, jewellery, arms and ammunition,
motor vehicles, motorised two- and three-wheelers, air conditioners,
deep freezers and refrigerators.
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960416
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EPB to set up Eco-Textile laboratory
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Aamir Shafaat Khan
KARACHI, April 15: The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in assistance with
Synthetic Fibre Development and Application Centre (SFDAC) is
establishing an Eco-textile laboratory in Karachi, vice chairman, EPB,
Mr Abu Shamim Ariff, told Dawn.
It may be noted here that European Union, (EU) Germany in particular,
have promulgated the laws and regulations from April 1, prohibiting the
use of some Azo-dyes and other chemicals used in the textile garments,
knitwear, hosiery and other cotton-related garments.
Mr Mazhar Yousuf, who read a paper at a seminar on the topic of A
challenge to Pakistans textile exports, quoted certain lines from his
monthly journal (Aug 1995) saying that several consignments of Pakistani
textile worth millions of rupees were denied clearance by German Customs
due to use of prohibited dyes in the finishing process.
The instructions have come from Germany and we have to comply with in
order to continue our textile exports in these regions, he added.
Providing further details, Fayyaz A. Mian, National Project Director,
(SFDAC) said that EPB is financing the establishment of the lab at the
SFDAC.
The Eco lab, which stands for environmental consciousness, he added,
would be set up at a capital cost of about Rs 60 million which was
expected to commence its operation from October this year.
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960416
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Steep fall in budget support borrowing
-------------------------------------------------------------------
M. Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, April 15: In what could be regarded as a dramatic development
on the monetary front, government borrowing for budgetary support fell
steeply from Rs64.1 billion until the middle of March to Rs33.13 billion
by the months end against the full year target of Rs28.10 billion and
Rs32.27 billion recorded in the corresponding period last year.
According to the latest fortnightly report of the State Bank, the
retirement of Rs31.4 billion during the second half of the last month
was achieved as a result of a significant improvement in government
balance with the bank.
The improvement in the borrowing position, however, is still off the
mark by Rs1.13 billion compared to the target of Rs32 billion set by the
IMF for end of March.
Government borrowing for commodity operation also declined by Rs0.7
billion to Rs3.9 billion by the end of March against the full years
target of Rs5 billion.
Credit to the private sector, which had declined by Rs2.4 billion during
the preceding fortnight, showed a further contraction of about Rs1
billion to Rs51.5 billion by the end of last month against the full
years target of Rs64 billion and achievement of Rs47.55 billion in the
corresponding period last year.
This decline in government borrowings for budgetary support has been
responsible for a decline of Rs19.9 billion to Rs112.6 billion in
domestic credit against the full years target of Rs108.70 billion.
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960417
-------------------------------------------------------------------
25 public sector units incur losses of Rs 2 billion
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 16: More than two dozen public sector industrial units
have reported losses of about Rs 2 billion and quite many of them are
either totally inoperational or are working on partial production
capacity.
One of these 25 public sector industrial units include the Taxila- based
Heavy Mechanical Complex set up with Chinese assistance in early
seventies to produce cement and sugar plants but now reports the highest
loss of more than Rs 191 million.
An official report of the government controlled corporations has
suggested to the government for the disinvestment Heavy Mechanical
Complex, which with Heavy Forge and Foundry located at Taxila and
Pakistan Steel at Karachi, were considered the prestigious projects of
late Z.A. Bhutto government.
As an alternate option the report suggests conversion of Rs 454.5
million loans advanced by the banks and financial institutions as
governments equity in the project. It also proposes 20 per cent
reduction in workforce for which it estimates availability of Rs 82.50
million from the Privatisation Commission to meet the expenses.
The report has urged the government to take suitable steps that should
make the Iranian order effective for cement and sugar plants placed on
Heavy Mechanical Complex effective. These steps include the release of
down payment to Heavy Mechanical Complex in accordance with an agreement
of Iranian orders of 108 million dollars. Iranians are understood to
have offered bulldozers in exchange of sugar and cement plants.
Losses of more than Rs 1 billion have been reported by eight oil and
vegetable mills. These are Burma Oil Mills Rs 171 million, E.M. Oil
Mills and Industries Limited Rs 189 million, Kohinoor Oil Mills Rs 186
million, Morafco Industries Limited Rs 127 million, Sargroh Vegetable
Ghee and General Mills Rs 108 million, Universal Oil and Vegetable Ghee
Mills Rs 146 million, Maqbool Company Rs 117 million and Dargai
Vegetable Oil Processing Industries Rs 50 million.
Pakistan Engineering Company located at Badami Bagh Lahore has suffered
loss of about Rs 125 million for which a revival plan has been put into
operation. Now on the list of privatisation, the Lahore-based Ravi Rayon
has suffered losses of Rs 127 million. Shahdadkot Textile Mills reported
losses of about Rs 21 million and was closed down in 1988. National
Refinery in Karachi has suffered losses of over Rs 123 million. Other
public sector industries suffering losses are Spinning Machinery Company
of Pakistan Rs 48 million, National Petrocarbon Rs 10 million. The five
other units, which are in losses have either been privatised or have
been restructured. They are Nowshera Chemicals, The Punjab Vegetable
Ghee and General Mills, Harnai Wools, Pak Iran Textile and Talpur
Textile mills.
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960412
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Stocks finish weekend session on steady note
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Commerce Reporter
KARACHI, April 11: Stocks finished the weekend session on a steady note,
sending signals among the investing public that the next week could see
the advent of bull-run.
But analysts doubted the markets ability to sustain the technical rally
until the current political tension among the contenders of power is
defused.
The KSE 100-share price index added another 6.39 points to the overnight
gain and was last quoted at 1,555.30 as compared to 1,548.91 a day
earlier as most of the blue chips ended further higher.
Most of the MNCs suffered fresh pruning as investors sold at the higher
levels for replacement buying on some undervalued shares, notably in the
bank sector.
Big losers were led by PSO, Grays of Cambridge, Pakistan Gum Chemicals
and 2nd and 4th ICPs, which suffered fall ranging from Rs 4 to 10.
Others to follow them were 8th, 13th ICP, Dewan Textiles, Dadabhoy
Insurance, and Dawood Cotton, falling by one rupee Rs 2.
Among the leading MNCs, which remained under pressure, Philips, BOC
Pakistan, Glaxo Lab, Engro Chemicals and some others were leading but
selling in them was well-absorbed at the declining prices.
Shell Pakistan, Abbott Lab, and some others were exception among the
MNCs, which attracted good support at the lower levels and recovered by
one rupee to Rs 2.
Among the local leading issues, which rose Orix Leasing, Premier
Tobacco, and Pakistan Synthetics were prominent, while among the
undervalued Indus Bank was outstanding.
Hub-Power topped the list of most active shares, up 60 paisa on 18.875m
shares followed by PTC vouchers, steady 50 paisa on 16.350m shares,
Fauji Fertiliser, higher 50 paisa on 1.350m shares, D.G, Khan Cement(r),
lower 25 paisa on 0.793m share.
Other actives were led by Dhan Fibre, easy five paisa on 0.793m shares,
Pakistan Synthetics, up one rupee on 0.199m shares, ICP SEMF, unchanged
on 0.150m shares, LTV Modaraba, lower 10 paisa on 0.114m shares and
Trust Leasing, unchanged on 0.108m shares.
Trading volume rose to 42.259m shares from the previous 35.640m shares
owing to brisk trading in the current favourites.
There were 359 actives, which came in for trading, out of which 156
shares suffered decline, while 104 rose, with 99 holding on to the last
levels.
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960418
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock market remains under pressure
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Commerce Reporter
KARACHI, April 17: The stock market remained under pressure as investors
sold in a bit haste ahead of MQM's strike against the decentralisation
of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation by the Sindh government.
The KSE 100-share suffered fresh setback at 1,521.15 as compared to
1,539.05 a day earlier, showing a decline of 17.90 points over the day
as base shares finished further shaded on renewed selling.
Investment shares though fell fractionally but showed general recession
in the absence of buying support at the falling prices, major losers
among them being Askari, Bank al-Habib, and some others. Union Insurance
in the leasing sector and BSJS and KASB were among the other leading
losers.
In the insurance sector, Adamjee, Dadabhoy, PIC, and EFU Insurance after
early rise were leading losers.
Textile shares lacked normal trading interest owing to some problems on
the export front and higher lint prices but synthetic scrips were traded
actively under the lead of Dhan Fibre, while Dewan Salman fell sharply.
News of overproduction and the consequent glut depressed the cement
sector further as leading among them fell sharply under the lead of
Cherat, Zeal-Pak, and Pakland. But the biggest decline of Rs 21.50 was
noted in Mustehkam Cement.
Massive activity in Hub-Power in each session featured the trading in
the energy sector but it ended shaded and so were some other leading
shares, notably PSO, Pakistan Oilfields and Shell Pakistan.
Bulk of the activity in the communication sector was centred around PTC
vouchers, which unlike previous sessions remained under pressure and
finally ended lower and so did Telecard despite late rally.
Fauji Fertiliser and Engro Chemicals in the pharma group were actively
traded but mostly on the lower side as there were more sellers than
buyers.
Glaxo Lab, ICI Pakistan, Parke-Davis, Sandoz Pakistan and Searle
Pakistan also fell on renewed selling and so did blue chips such as
Brooke Bond, Rafhan Maize and Lever Brothers on other counters.
Dividend news both from Singer Pakistan and Sandoz Pakistan at the rate
of 37 per cent cash and 20 per cent bonus respectively came at a time
when the market was dominated by some other pressures and could not
boost the sentiment.
Hub-Power topped the list of most actives, off 70 paisa on 11.777m
shares, followed by PTC vouchers, easy 55 paisa on 11.476m shares, Fauji
Fertiliser, off 60 paisa on 0.775m shares, Lucky Cement, easy 30 paisa
on 0.643m shares, and Dhan Fibre, lower 20 paisa on 0.345m shares, and
PICIC, up one rupee on 0.223m shares.
After several lean sessions trading volume rose to 27.282m shares as
compared to 18.363m shares a day earlier.
There were 336 actives, out of which 186 shares fell, while 66 rose,
with 84 shares holding on to the last levels.
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960412
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Glass Towers
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ardeshir Cowasjee
BREATHES there a man of Karachi, with intelligence so dead, who never to
himself has said... lawyers mistakes are hanged, doctors mistakes are
buried, architects and builders' and developers and town planners and
chief ministers mistakes stand (with apologies to Sir Walter Scott).
Now, having observed the sketch, take a drive down the 70-year-old solid
well-built Clifton Bridge in the direction of Clifton, look towards the
left and you will see a large building called Prince Complex built 15
years ago according to the norms of the day, when there was no scarcity
of water or power or sewage lines, there was no traffic congestion, when
a high-rise presented no impediment, drew no protests. You will see that
the building is correctly set back 55 feet from the existing road curb
line. You will pass the turning to Jehangir Kothari Road and come upon
the PSO building, also set back correctly by 82 feet, but higher than
permitted by the rules.
Next to it you will be confronted by a monstrosity now being built,
erroneously named Glass towers. What is being built is being incorrectly
built, and is set back only 25 feet from the road curb line. You then
cross the nullah and find, still on your left, Columbus Tower,
incorrectly built height-wise but correctly set back by 89 feet.
Other buildings in the Columbus block are all set back at the same
building line, which extends even to the block on the other side of the
Teen Talwar, where stands the truly awful and incorrectly built in every
way, Gulf Towers.
Glass Towers is being built on a residential plot which was
surreptitiously converted into a commercial plot, much money having
changed hands. The builders first built a tawdry hideous- looking
booking office at the cost of some Rs 15 lakhs. In it, they displayed a
model of Glass Towers, showing the building as being correctly set back,
in line with the PSO building. The cut- away models showed passages
dividing the rows of shops as being wider than those shown on the plan.
In fact, all shown in the third dimension deviated from that recorded on
the building plans.
Why, I asked Mr Mohammed Hashim, son of Suleiman, of Excel Builders &
Developers, late last year (Hashim is the attorney of 21 persons who are
said to be "seized, possessed of and otherwise sufficiently entitled to
all that plot bearing Survey No. 2 Sheet No. FT-3, measuring 6344 square
yards or thereabouts"). The models are for sow (so he pronounced
show), they are not to scale, he told me. They are not to scale, he told
me. They are made solely for the purposes of selling and are not what
the buyers will eventually get. I asked for a copy of the approved plans
and was told that they would be delivered to me the following day. They
have so far not arrived.
Hashim knew he was doing wrong and said so. He honestly admitted to
having spent a lot of money over and under the table. Why do wrong? I
asked. To make more money, came the answer. To this, I asked whether he
had heard the story of King Midas, who, when the gods agreed to grant
him one wish, requested that all he touched should turn into gold. Thus,
when he touched his head, his arm, his leg, his foot, they were all
transformed. At this, Hashims thoughts must have turned to other parts
of the anatomy for he uttered a string of tobas and clutched at his ear
lobes. I finished off the tale. When even Midas food turned into gold,
he requested the gods to take their favour back. Hashim looked
distinctly uncomfortable.
Disturbingly, the structure that has so far risen, i.e. basement, ground
plus four floors, is only 25 feet away from the curb line and will
prevent for the coming hundred years the widening of the Clifton Road by
four standard 12 feet wide traffic lanes.The offending part of the
building must be demolished and the structure set back to at least the
line of the PSO building.
Those in government, or any concerned citizens, unable to comprehend
what I write or what is sketched may contact Citizen Architect Husnain
Lotia at 5869154. On the way to his office across the road, he watches
the monster rise every day.
To make matters worse, on January 9 Hashim wrote to His Excellency the
Chief Minister of Sindh requesting that he be allowed to construct a
unique type of building consisting of basement plus ground plus
mezzanine plus two parking floors plus 14 upper floors. All this will
equal 19 floors.
The chief minister, without consulting his town planners or any other
regulatory body, noted on the application that very same day,
"Permission be granted with a fee of Rs 2 crores or the usual fees."
Hashim apparently went back to the CM on the 15th with the same
application, and had the CM endorse thereon, "Ratio 1:8 allowed." Both
permissions were confirmed by Dr Sajid Yousfani, Deputy Secretary
(Staff), by his letter No. PS/DS(STAFF)/CMS/96-249 dated January 15,
1996, addressed to the Controller of Buildings, KMC.
The permissible ratio in Frere Town Quarters, wherein Glass Towers is
being built, is 1:3, allowing for a built-up floor area of 171,288 sq.
ft. By the arbitrary sanction of the chief minister for the construction
of additional floors and for the increase of the ratio to 1:8, the
builders have been permitted to build 456,768 sq. ft.
To whom are the people to appeal to ask that wrong be righted? That
further desecration of their city be halted? The chief minister is
honest enough to admit that all his actions are controlled by Islamabad.
Had my friend, Mahmoud Haroon (five years my senior as a citizen of
Karachi), still been the Governor of Sindh he would have intervened. But
with Kamal Azfar in that spot, one must take into account the
unexpurgated remarks of Prince Aurangzeb, the MNA from Swat, as recorded
in the assembly proceedings when he addressed the Treasury Benches
earlier this week, "I can talk straight to my leader, Nawaz, but you
have to wear diapers in your leader's presence." No help can come from
this Governor.
The sole hope lies in the judiciary, which has now asserted itself. The
people must go to court. Justice is likely to triumph.
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960418
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Avoiding a global nightmare
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Benazir Bhutto
THE 21st century has always been a popular science-fiction subject
whether it's taken the form of a vision of paradise on Earth or a
futuristic nightmare. Now, however, we are less than five years away
from the new millennium and faced with the disheartening prospect that
the real nightmare is that the status quo will remain unchanged.
The cynics among us say the hype surrounding the coming millennium is
just another pipe dream. There is no escape, they maintain, from the
fitful fever that has consumed mankind for the better part of the 20th
century: two world wars, genocide in Germany, Cambodia and Rwanda,
famine in Armenia and Ethiopia, and ethnic bloodshed in the Middle East,
South Africa and Northern Ireland.
The cause of this is the growing imbalance between the "North" and the
"South" a euphemistic way of describing the worlds haves and have-
nots.
Over the last three centuries, the balance has tilted heavily toward the
Norths colonialism and exploitation of the South. Rapid
industrialisation has led to the increasing centralisation of wealth and
opportunity in a few, fortunate regions. That has left the fate of the
South in the hands of the North a situation that should not, and
cannot, long endure.
This is not to say that attempts to alleviate some of these concerns,
such as the dismantling of colonial empires, the creation of
international organisations and private humanitarian aid, haven't been
made under the current system. The end result, however, has always been
simply a reshuffling of the deck, with a different set of privileged
nations astride the globe.
At the end of the cold war, some heralded the beginning of a new era. At
present, however, the worlds leaders have remained subservient to the
interests of the old order, their attempts at change incompletely
implemented, occasionally considered but generally co-opted, thwarted or
ignored.
The time is past for half-hearted efforts and windy rhetoric. For those
of us looking for a fair interaction between developed and developing
countries one that avoids paternalism on one side and dependence on
the other the need for a new formula is becoming increasingly urgent.
Some of our leaders have called for the nations of the South to cease
contact and shun cooperation with the North, focusing instead on greater
South-to-South integration. The ostensible rationale for this is that
the Norths interests consistently run counter to those of the South,
both on political and economic fronts. The nations of the North will
never accept less than a master-slave relationship with countries of the
South, such as Pakistan.
This type of thinking is as deluded as it is self-destructive. It
denigrates the well-intentioned work being done by people in the North
to help alleviate the problems of the South. It ignores the increasing
interdependency of all nations. It can only lead to greater conflict and
consequent suffering.
For the people living in the South who want prosperity, equality and
security, the only solution is collective bargaining with their Northern
counterparts.
Such bargaining should not take the form of a pious and self- righteous
assertion of our destinies as a group or an appeal to morality on the
part of richer countries, however. With few exceptions, morality has
played little role in international affairs throughout history self-
interest has always prevailed in the end. But it is self-interest thats
our strongest trump card.
If we in the South have a lot to lose politically and economically from
failure to meet these challenges, so do the richer countries from our
ensuing instability. A countrys wealthy cannot survive in isolation
from the desolation of the poor masses. So, too, the rich in a global
village cannot afford to hold at bay the burgeoning mass of disgruntled
humanity for long.
Bargaining as a united whole, held together by common interests, does
not mean the nations of the South must share common identities, paths,
cultures or even traditions. But the effects of war, debt, poverty,
disease, environmental degradation and prejudice recognise no frontiers
and no hemispheres. It is for precisely this reason that we must look
beyond the boundaries that separate us.
As citizens of a common Earth with common needs and a common future
we must all wake to the realisation that it is in everybodys interest
to help those struggling to fulfil their dreams. We must work together
as partners rather than rivals, in cooperation rather than competition,
through consensus rather than imposition.
If we dont if the status quo remains and inequality continues to
drive at the soul of our peoples our nightmares will be our childrens
reality.
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960412
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Limping into the 21st century
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Shaikh Manzoor Ahmed
IT HAS become very fashionable these days for top functionaries to make
pronouncements projecting Pakistan as a potential Asian tiger of the
21st century and one could easily be fooled into believing that
necessary ground work for achieving the objective was being laid on war
footing. In actuality, however, there is a yawning gap between word and
deed.
It would be appropriate, therefore, to take careful stock of the factual
situation as the hapless tiger will need a lot more than idle boasts
of VIPs to have any chance of survival in the competitive environment of
the 21st century.
As the size of global village continues to shrink inexorably with
continuing advances in science and technology, it is assumed that
national geographical boundaries will progressively lose significance
leading to early emergence of a wholly new society and way of life in
the next century. The shrunken globe will become just one single vibrant
market place with free international trade and commerce. It will be a
new era of unbridled global competition where only the fittest will be
able to survive and any protective trade barriers erected by individual
governments will be of no avail whatsoever to inefficient local
enterprises.
The globalisation of economic activity will open up exciting new vistas
of opportunities for countries technologically advanced and economically
strong but the weaker nations will find themselves totally marginalised.
Inevitably, such backward nations will be economically over-run before
long with all the attendant adverse fallout. This is the great danger
Pakistan will be confronted with and we need to do everything possible
to ensure that such a grim fate does not overtake us.
But what are the ground realities in our dear country today? Let us look
at the situation pertaining to a few key sectors:
It is widely accepted by impartial observers that our economy is in a
shambles. We continue to mismanage our resources and live far beyond our
means with little concern for the unacceptably high level of national
budget deficits year after year. Because of the cumulative effect of
reckless overspending for so many years now, we are at present
perilously close to financial collapse.
While the incumbent government proudly claims credit for having brought
the budget deficit down from 8% to 5.5% of GDP during the last two
years, it is important to note that this figure is still substantially
higher than the target of 4% agreed with the IMF; besides, most of this
reduction has been achieved not by clamping down on ever-escalating non-
productive expenditure and eliminating waste but by retrenchment in
development funds, which can have very adverse implications for the
countrys future progress and welfare.
The overall economic scenario in the country is indeed very bleak. Our
industrial production as well as exports are in doldrums with balance of
trade deficit in the first half of the current financial year reaching
as high as $2 billion (twice as much as in last years first half), home
remittances by expatriate Pakistanis appear to be falling, and foreign
exchange reserves have declined alarmingly to only about $1 billion
(excluding emergency short term loans).
The enormous national debt bomb is ticking away loudly but we have
conveniently turned a deaf ear to all such unwelcome warning sounds.
Inspite of the fact that our external debt has reportedly climbed to a
staggering figure of around $35 billion (with external debt service
payments exceeding $2 billion a year) and the domestic debt is an
equally mind boggling figure of over Rs 800 billion, we appear to be
very reluctant to set aside the sale proceeds of privatisation of public
sector industries / financial institutions to retire this huge debt.
There is a very real danger that, given our penchant for reckless
extravagance, we shall soon have liquidated most of the major assets of
the nation without liquidating its major liabilities. This will be a
great disaster not only for the present generation of Pakistanis but
will also blight the lives of our future generations by saddling them
with an enormously heavy debt burden.
There is a general perception not entirely incorrect in the country
that Pakistani banks and other financial institutions exist primarily to
serve the interests of the crooked and the powerful. Unrecovered long
overdue loans exceeding Rs 100 billion wrongfully doled out to such
luminaries have wrought such havoc with the national banking system that
the Minister of State for Finance very recently has been moved to
publicly declare (Dawn, February 21) that all the financial institutions
of the country have gone bankrupt. How can things possibly get any worse
than that?
Raging inflation coupled with rapidly rising unemployment has caused
acute impoverishment of large sections of the population creating a huge
new underclass in the nation. On the other hand, a small number of
highly influential crooks are raking in unbelievably fat rewards and
milking the country dry of its wealth through their criminal
manipulations without any fear of accountability.
Currently, defence spending, debt servicing and general administration
expenditure are reported to be consuming the entire revenue generated by
the government while expenditure on all development projects and social
services is met through borrowing and the assistance of foreign donors.
Consequently, development has slowed down to a crawl and social services
remain badly neglected to the great distress and resentment of the
people at large.
This has added a highly explosive new dimension to life in a society
already wrecked by a fast spreading drug culture, terrorism, general
lawlessness and severe ethnic / sectarian tensions. Can there be any
more potent recipe for violent upheaval in the country?
Pakistans investment in education has always been much below the
minimum level considered acceptable by the UN for poor developing
countries; quite predictably, therefore, the results produced are most
lamentable. Many Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, South
Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan etc. have, during the last 30 years or so,
attained literacy rates of well over 80% while the officially claimed
literacy rate for Pakistan at present is around 35%. Even if one were to
accept the official figure of 35% as correct, Pakistan would rank far
behind not only its neighbouring countries but also some of the least
developed countries in the world like Burundi, Djibouti and Togo.
However, there are strong indications to suggest that this figure of 35%
is grossly exaggerated and the true figure is somewhat below 20%
Pakistan is one of the nine most populous countries in the world with a
population growth rate slightly above 3.1% per annum, which is the
highest among these nine countries. With such a low literacy rate and
phenomenally high population growth rate, we are likely to achieve the
dubious distinction of contributing perhaps the largest contingent of
illiterates to the global population at the dawn of the 21st century.
At the secondary and higher levels, the education scene is absolutely
chaotic. Apart form grossly inadequate facilities due to lack of funds
and abysmally low academic standards, we have to contend with the
endemic problem of campus indiscipline and violence throughout the
country.
There are heavily armed student Mafias with powerful connections who
have converted most university/college campuses into veritable
battlegrounds for bitter and violent proxy wars of supremacy between
major political parties as well as ethnic and sectarian groups
supporting them. In a highly polluted campus environment like that, it
is obviously not possible to maintain high academic standards.
The upshot of all this mayhem in the education sector is that most of
our degrees are now not recognised abroad and the vast majority of our
students studying in foreign universities perform very poorly. There
have been several cases of government sponsored scholars who have been
sent back by foreign universities/ institutions where they were sent for
higher studies/ training because their academic standard was found to be
much below par. How can we possibly expect to survive international
competition with our institutions of higher learning turning out such
poor quality human material?
The science and technology (S&T) sector in Pakistan is a vast wasteland
where the situation is even more deplorable than in the general
education sector. This is so largely because our rulers have little
interest in or comprehension of the problems involved. Ever since its
creation about 25 years ago, the Ministry of S&T has invariably, for
purely cosmetic reasons, been placed directly under the Chief Executive
of the country.
The purpose, of course, is to create an illusion that this sector enjoys
the highest priority in the scheme of things of the government of the
day. The sad reality is that S&T has in practice always been treated as
a low priority area by every government perhaps because there can be no
immediate visible returns on the investment made.
The national allocation for S&T has consistently remained below 0.2% of
GNP whereas, according to the criteria developed by the UN, the minimum
acceptable level for poor developing countries like Pakistan is 1 per
cent.
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960413
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Limping into the 21st century : II
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Shaikh Manzoor Ahmed
Almost all our S&T research institutions are today in a terminal state
of decay because: 1. Due to continued lack of support (except lip
service) to the S&T sector at the top most levels of successive
governments, the scientific community has remained sub-critical in size
and resources; hardly any funds are made available for meaningful
research.
2. Neither appropriate laboratory facilities exist nor first rate
libraries for reference / data collection are available within the
country. 3. Due to badly warped outlook of decision makers in successive
governments, our scientists are almost totally isolated from the
international scientific community and foreign institutes of higher
learning / research in S&T. 4. Due to lack of sufficient exposure to
international competition, local industrialists do not realise the
critical importance of vigorous indigenous R&D activity for constant
upgrading of products and processes. They view R&D as an unprofitable
activity and unnecessary burden on their resources. Consequently, they
are extremely reluctant to provide needed support. 5. As almost
everywhere else in the country, there is no accountability in research
institutions no reward for merit and no punishment for poor
performance.
In our present unhappy situation, we cannot even expect to successfully
absorb advanced technology in most fields if and when some friendly
country chooses to offer the same to us. There appears to be no coherent
national effort to catch up with our competitors in the S&T sector;
glittery conferences and seminars (without meaningful follow up action)
appear to be the only favoured form of activity.
No country without first rate infrastructure facilities can
realistically expect to be an effective player in the fast moving hi-
tech global economy of the 21st century. In Pakistan, because of
perpetual financial constraints, we have not only failed to expand and
upgrade the physical infrastructure to internationally acceptable
standards but have, in fact, allowed many of the valuable assets
inherited from per-independence days to deteriorate to near extinction
for want of proper upkeep and maintenance.
We inherited an efficient railways system on the eve of independence
which, inspite of many handicaps, continued to be well maintained for
several years and was actually improved considerably during the decade
1955-65. The Tez Gaam of the late fifties was as good - comfortable,
clean, punctual, and excellent dining car service etc - as any train in
Europe or America. Subsequently, however, as air and road travel became
more popular and VIPs / senior officers gave up travelling by train,
management control became lax and the railways went into rapid decline
with sharp deterioration in performance.
Recently, railways have made a very strong comeback in advanced
countries, particularly the United States. What we need, therefore, to
do on top priority basis is to rehabilitate, upgrade and expand the
existing derelict railway system.
Our highway system can only be rated as very poor by international
standards. Not only is the road network in the country grossly
inadequate in quantitative terms, but most of the existing major roads
are in a shocking state of disrepair. The National Highway Authority is
a white elephant (like WAPDA) which has so far contributed very little,
if anything, to improvement of the national highway system. Unless
immediate and energetic corrective measures are taken to rehabilitate
seriously damaged sections of our arterial highways and pre-empt further
deterioration, we may soon have to suffer sudden, serious and prolonged
disruption of trade and commerce throughout the country due to long
stretches of major roads becoming absolutely unmotorable. A countrywide
highway rehabilitation programme must, therefore, be carefully drawn up
and assigned top implementation priority as for construction of new
highways.
Pakistans power sector has been facing a crisis situation for a number
of years now. While there has lately been a flood of MoUs with foreign
entrepreneurs in respect of power projects and press reports suggest
that there would be a very healthy increase of about 10,000 MW in
electric power generation by the turn of the century, there is
disturbing lack of reliable information about the cost factor. If, as
suggested by some writers, the cost to the average consumer of this
additional supply would be over Rs 6/-per KWh, we would have a different
kind of crisis on our hands-plenty of power supply but hardly anyone
able to afford it. This matter needs urgent and careful attention at the
highest levels of the government because, unless satisfactorily
resolved, it can snowball into a major national crisis.
It is necessary to comment here briefly on the following two important
aspects of major development projects currently being undertaken by
government agencies:
(i) Large scale induction of foreign consultants and contractors even
for projects/work items which can be handled very satisfactorily by
local technical personnel.
(ii) Increasing reliance on BOT financing mode in project planning.
Induction of foreign consultants / contractors for jobs that can be
designed / executed very satisfactorily by locally available
professionals not only inflates project costs unnecessarily but also
deprives local talent of much needed opportunities for acquiring hands
on experience of working on important projects in their own country.
Such unhealthy practices inevitably produce a very negative impact on
development / improvement of technical skills within the country.
As regards BOT financing, it is important to realised that while it is a
significant new tool for governments to finance development projects
outside their budget allocations, very few projects would actually
qualify for BOT financing because of stiff criteria to be met for
ensuring protection of and deficiently attractive returns on
international private investors capital outlay; besides, project costs
invariably increase by 25 to 30% under BOT financing. Moreover, since
all payback of capital as well as dividends / interest to international
investors has to be made in foreign currency, it is essential that the
economy should be able to generate the required amount of foreign
exchange without undue strain. These limitations must never be lost
sight of in preparing project portfolios for BOT financing.
Pakistan earned considerable notoriety last year for being ranked by
Transparency International (TI) of Berlin, a German anti-corruption
organisation, as the third most corrupt country in the world. This
caused considerable embarrassment to the sensitive elements amongst us.
Judging by the unending blizzard of mega corruption scandals unfolding
in the press day after day without any report of punitive action against
the perpetrators or even a strong and sustained public outcry, it is
obvious that our nation not only accepts corruption as a norm of
societal behaviour but actually regards it as the most desirable option
available to an individual because of the hazardless huge rewards it
brings. Time for you, Senator Malik Qasim, to lay down the onerous
burdens of your farcical office of Chairman FACC.
Pakistan is perhaps the greatest country in the world to live in if one
wishes to avoid hardwork. We now have a five day work week and, since we
love holidays and strikes, the list of official holidays and other non-
working days mostly due to strikes on various pretexts in a year is
unbelievably long. Someone addicted to maintaining all kinds of
statistics recently came up with a startling finding; according to him,
we actually have as many as 91 full working days in a year i.e. every
fourth day in a year is a working day.
The foregoing review presents a grim but true picture of the state of
affairs prevailing in the country. Blessed as it is with very
considerable material as well as manpower resources, Pakistan could
easily have by now joined the ranks of advanced and prosperous nations
fully equipped to make an impressive start in the new millennium.
Instead, because successive rulers have mercilessly squandered material
assets and failed to make urgently needed investment in development of
human resources of the nation, we find ourselves in a state of terrible
disarray.
Apart from unending price spiral, high unemployment rate, poor education
and health service facilities, crumbling physical infrastructure etc,
the harassed citizenry have to endure endemic lawlessness, terrorism,
police atrocities, and massive corruption at all levels. This makes it a
real grand slam of back-breaking hardships in the daily life of a common
man.
We stand poised at a critical cross-roads today. Frightfully depressing
as the overall scenario is at present, things can still be turned around
for the better provided we can find a few competent and dedicated
leaders of broad vision as well as high integrity who will, instead of
being focused on self aggrandisement in every conceivable form, speedily
bring about badly needed sea-change in government policies and
programmes to uplift the nation. If, on the other hand, the current
downward drift continues unimpeded much longer, Pakistan will be well on
its way to becoming a failed state and will find itself stumbling into
the 21st century not as an Asian tiger not even a paper one but as a
barefoot urchin nation.
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960413
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Waiting for a third force
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M.B. Naqvi
PRIME MINISTER and ruling party chief Ms Benazir Bhutto stated in her
recent speech at Larkana: "There are only two forces in the country
namely the PPP and its opponents; no third force exists." Although by no
means the whole truth, there is a kernel of truth in the statement.
Hence the need to ponder over its implications. Other and independent
forces in the country do exist.
There is the Pashtoon nationalism, though it seems to be rather worse
for its years and also seems to be undergoing a mid-life crisis. (How
else to account for the PPPs tally of seats in the NWFP provincial
assembly in the 1993 election?) An amorphous Baloch nationalism may
still be said to exist, if also without much elan. Nearer home what
about Sindhi nationalism? It is xenophobic and chauvinistic, with
unmistakable secessionist undertones. But politically, Bhutto charisma
always manages to trump it; indeed so long as the Bhutto mystique
retains its appeal as well as power of office, Sindhi nationalists can
be contained. As of now, despite much noise and perfervid rhetoric,
Benazirs prognosis of there being only the good (PPP) and the evil (its
opponents) in the field holds in a rough and ready way.
Pure Punjabi chauvinism too can be ignored and what might be the
irreducible residue is anyhow subsumed in the numerous brood of PPP
haters. In Sindh there is apparently the indigestible Mohajir assertion
that is unlikely to go away with MQMs Langra this and Kana that. It is
going to haunt Pakistan politics; eight to ten per cent population,
concentrated as it is in two major cities, can neither be kept
suppressed for long nor ignored. Insofar as the other foes of the PPP
are concerned, they can only be generically categorised after one
discusses the PPP phenomenon of Pakistan politics.
There is something paradoxical about the animosity between the forces
represented by PPP chief Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif, the PML(N) boss.
The two have kept Pakistan politics sharply divided quite like Begum
Khaleda Zias and Shaikh Hasina Wajeds forces have kept Bangladesh
polarised, despite strong social and political commonalties between
them. Many Pakistani observers have at least had a rational explanation
about the Bangladeshs political divide in the Bengali Muslim attitudes
towards India; it is hard to see a similar rational explanation in the
Pakistani polarisation. But an effort would be of interest.
The defining quality strong qualifications and corrections of
inaccuracies implicit in this statement will be needed later on in
Pakistan politics is still the attitude towards the PPP and Bhutto
leadership: some are for it and others are opposed to it. Broadly
speaking, Benazir is right; there is no other credible contender for
power. This division certainly arouses strong partisan feelings. The PPP
cause has a strong element of personal admiration for, and loyalty to,
the Bhuttos; indeed the Bhutto mystique is a fact of life, which is what
seems to make the PPP tick. The others begin by disliking the Bhuttos
for a variety of reasons and which is where elements of serious politics
come in as secondary matters to justify strong personal dislike for
the Bhuttos.
Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto made a tremendous impact on Pakistan by founding
a party that was all things to all people. It was strongly populist and
raised spectacular slogans of anti- imperialism ("East is red") and
socialism is our economy. He did not leave the religious appeal out of
his repertoire: "Islam is our deen" and "democracy is our objective"
took care of the ruling passion of the day against the decade-long rule
of the military strongman: the peacetime Field Marshal Ayub Khan.
In addition to this catch-all compendium, there was the strong
personality of the man, with the gift of the gab Bhutto could mimic,
impersonate and make the crowd laugh or cry while being able to discuss
with the learned. He has historic achievements to his credit; these
included three major successes: He made the downtrodden conscious of the
fact that they are being cheated; that they are human beings deserving
of respect; and things ought to be made better for them. That essential
message to the people at the bottom rung of the social ladder, in fact,
created a tumult that has lasted, in a diffused sort of way, until now,
despite PPPs conscious conduct to the contrary.
Secondly, he enabled the Pakistani voters over large parts of Punjab and
Sindh to vote against their masters a thing that was unthinkable until
then, although the situation seems to have largely reverted to the
former torpor of the masses. And thirdly the PPP represented a message
of change, modernism and the endeavour to bring everyone on board in the
march to progress. Consequently the PPP could keep all manner of
socialists, leftists and liberals hostage for long, though this motley
crowd, by now, has trekked out of the PPP's fold.
The forces arrayed against the PPP are traditionalists of all kinds,
with three lead groups presiding over the destinies of the silent
majority: They are the landed aristocracy, the military-bureaucratic
elites and the religious parties and groups trying to squeeze themselves
in and the number of such groups is hard to count. What is nearly common
to all of them is that they dislike the Bhuttos and hate the underlying
trend or the image of the PPP, underlining the need for change. Power
and the pull of tradition are with PPP haters. Nationally and
generically, Mian Nawaz Sharif and PML (sans suffixes) can be taken as
the symbols of all that was, rather than is, threatened by the PPP.
It is now time to note the inaccuracies involved in such a clear-cut and
partly rational explanation: the PPP is no longer committed to any
programme of change, to start with; it is as deeply conservative as they
come; its leading lights are feudal lords and it can be depended upon to
preserve the old social order as best as may be feasible. It is by no
means a harbinger of any secular or enlightenment movement, though it
has been widely accused of being secular in its heart of hearts. it
regularly panders to religious obscurantism. All the major
manifestations of religion in politics were largely PPP's innovation
like declaring Qadianis non-Muslim and making Friday the weekly holiday.
It did implement what it thought to be socialism for some years and that
comprised nationalisation of virtually all the industry there was,
except textiles and sugar mills; even flour milling, rice husking and
cotton ginning were nationalised in the sense of bureaucrats being given
their charge. It included nationalisation of banks and most financial
institutions. But that phase lasted no more than three years, after
which, under IMF advice, the PPP government of the elder Bhutto itself
began implementing what is todays policy package attributed to IMF
thinking, excluding the privatisation part. There were also two land
reforms supposedly calculated to strip the big landlords of their overly
large assets which in terms of implementation were as bogus as Ayub
Khans land reforms; almost every major landlord is nearly as big as he
used to be, if not bigger. And a good half of them now adorn the PPP
platform as leaders.
The PPP's third historic achievement was to give a consensus
Constitution to the country that it did not have for its first 25 years,
although five constitutional drafts were officially written and two of
which could also be implemented. The country was dismembered as a result
of basic disagreements over the political framework for the new state.
The Constitution that the elder Bhutto gave still enjoys the formal
support of all political parties and factions.
A fourth achievement may also be noted: Bhutto and the PPP rule did look
like a break from the long military rule, although he was for a long
time a part and parcel of the military regime from the beginning and his
conduct towards the Army after its 1971 defeat was bewildering. He
certainly represented the democratic urge of the people when he left
Ayub Khan and founded his own party. Later he tried to conciliate the
army as much he could but was overthrown by a General of his own choice
who hanged him, for good measure. After this the military went for PPP
suppression in a brutal way. The military-PPP animus after 1977 lasted
many years and Benazir has succeeded after hectic efforts to befriend
the Army High Command, necessarily at a price, circa 1991. Which is what
has enabled her to return to office and stay there since 1993.
But all these passions are still raw. The elements that stand for the
status quo and traditionalism instinctively dislike the PPP and they are
many and strong, still led by the military- bureaucratic elites and
supported by the landed gentry. But the leading (military-bureaucratic)
elite is consciously being flexible; it has sought to transform the PPP
by accommodating it in top offices of the state. But, deep down, it
still does not trust the PPP, especially the Bhuttos whose personal
versatility and undoubted power-drive makes them look volatile; they are
seen as being capable of taking any road that suits them at any given
time.
Propaganda based on Bhuttos waywardness from an Islamic viewpoint is
the basis of the widespread dislike of the PPP, especially in cities,
and which is what explains the PML(N)'s and Mr Sharifs popularity,
although his own maladroitness in office still makes him an undesirable
person in the Army's eyes. But that dislike is for one person and not
for his party or other associates or allied groups.
Although the PPP today is comfortable in close alliance with all the
elite groups and is being trusted enough by all the factors in whom
power resides, or so it appears on surface, its fundamental
vulnerability ought not to be forgotten. There is always the lingering
suspicion that should the circumstances arise in which a reversal of the
elite groups' choice becomes necessary, it will be so easy to happen.
Also, there is a widespread suspicion that both major leaderships have
actually been manipulated by the very elite groups to remain engaged in
gladiatorial fights for spectators delight and it is these groups which
do not want the two parties to join hands. May issues people's
economic interests or these parties' own common interests are going by
default.
However given the record since 1988, it is time to conclude that (a) the
two main alignments are unlikely to cooperate for what are common
objectives; and (b) neither of them is in practice worthy of true
liberals' support who are neither blase about morality in politics nor
are as pragmatic (opportunist) as the two leaderships are.
The political warfare between the PPP and the PML is going on and its
prolongation will only suit the vested interests. It is time to leave
them alone to go on slogging it out. The best way to undo the mischief,
that is resulting, is to create a true, democratic third force. The same
goes for the political warfare in Sindh; its own insistent exigencies
are calling for such a new force.
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960413
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The stick and the carrot
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Mazdak
A FEW days ago, a colleague from Lahore wondered why Karachi was no
longer being mentioned by columnists and editorial writers. The answer,
of course, is that only bad news is reported, analysed and commented
upon.
It is a welcome fact that for nearly two months, Karachi is enjoying an
uneasy peace after years of violence and uncertainty. For the first time
in months, murder and mayhem are not dominating the headlines. It would
appear that the government's claim to have broken the back of MQM
terrorism has been justified by events, or rather, the lack of them.
Many MQM activists have been killed recently some of them under highly
suspicious circumstances and many others have been arrested. For the
present at least, the MQM seems to have been subdued.
But before General Babar and his troops start victory celebrations, a
word of caution: none of the issues that led to the civil war-like
situation have been addressed, and there are thousands of embittered and
frustrated young men out there in Orangi, Malir and New Karachi to fill
the gaps in the MQM ranks caused by a largely successful anti-terrorist
operation. Finally, the continued presence of secret arsenals provides
the fuse waiting to be lit. In short, the MQM might have suffered a
temporary setback, but it hasnt gone away. Nor have the issues that
propelled it to centre-stage.
Now that we have gained a measure of respite from the endless blood-
letting, perhaps the government can finally turn its attention to the
task of ensuring that Karachi will not become a battlefield again. This
job will be made easier by the general sense of relief that has replaced
the cloud of fear and despair that had so long hung over the city. MQM
supporters, too, privately voice their satisfaction over the improvement
in the law and order situation.
But this state of affairs should not make the government complacent. Now
is the time for vision and a generosity of spirit, qualities General
Babar is not renowned for. Instead of rubbing the MQM's nose in the
dust, the government should initiate a series of measures aimed at
bringing the Mohajir community back into the mainstream of national
politics instead of further isolating them. Altaf Hussain has done them
enough harm already without the government adding to their pain.
The only weapon the MQM is left with now is the strike, and that too is
becoming increasingly unpopular. On the second day of the recent two-day
shutdown, there was more traffic on the roads than I have seen on a
strike day before. Clearly, this tactic has a very limited impact apart
from adding to the misery of the common man. The other ploy that has
alienated so many small traders is the collection of bhatta or
protection money.
The other day I chided my local video shopowner for shutting down for
three days. He apologised and said if he hadn't, the MQM "unit
commander" would have paid him a visit. When I asked if he had to pay
bhatta, he opened a drawer and showed me a printed MQM receipt for three
thousand rupees. It appears that apart from regular monthly collections,
MQM thugs turn up at odd intervals and demand "donations". And yet Altaf
Hussain denies the very existence of this racket.
So there is considerable popular disenchantment with the MQM for the
havoc it has wrought in and on Karachi, and the government should begin
confidence-building measures to reassure an alienated and shell-shocked
populace. To begin with, all elected representatives of the MQM
currently under arrest should be released, and charges against them
dropped. Their incarceration serves no useful purpose beyond further
antagonising the people who voted for them. In any case, we all know
that most of the charges against them have been concocted, and would
never form the basis for conviction in a fair trial. Now that the MQM
does not rule the streets of Karachi, the authorities can afford to be
generous and release them, thus permitting MQM members of the Senate and
the Sindh Assembly to play their role in these representative bodies.
The next step would be trickier for the government to take, but it is an
essential precondition for peace in urban Sindh: elections to municipal
bodies have to be announced. Never mind if the MQM wins. Even if it
does, it will be by a smaller majority. In fact, this would be a test of
Altaf Hussains popularity, and if he does win fewer votes than the
landslides he is used to, perhaps he will descend from cloud cuckoo land
and allow his negotiating team to talk seriously to the government.
But it takes two to talk. For its part, the government will need to
negotiate in good faith and with a clear resolve to get results. When
negotiating from a position of strength, it is easy to become arrogant
and lay down a charter of rigid demands. Let us hope the government does
not fall into this trap. Nor will it help if both sides start blaming
each other for what has happened in the past. Both parties are
responsible and the precise quantum of guilt can be calculated by future
historians. The task at hand is to make sure that Karachis few
remaining playing fields are never transformed into killing fields
again. For this, low- income, no-hope supporters of the MQM have to be
made to feel they have a stake in the system, and there is a path to
prosperity other than the blood-smeared one Altaf Hussain has led them
on for the last decade.
The government has to realise the limits of power: there are times when
it is counterproductive to attempt to translate battlefield gains into
bargaining chips at the negotiating table. It would be far better to
seem generous in victory and make unilateral concessions that cost
nothing. Indeed, by taking some of the steps suggested here without
insisting on a quid pro quo, the government would put the MQM on the
defensive. If the Prime Minister were to announce that a certain number
of portfolios have been reserved in the Sindh and federal governments
for MQM MPAs and senators, she would take much of the wind out of Altaf
Hussains sails. This move would have aspirants and their supporters
pressuring their exiled leader to be flexible.
So far, General Babar's stick has been effective, but it can take us
only so far: to go any further, the carrot has to be brought out./pre>
960416
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India end four-year drought at Sharjah beating Pakistan
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SHARJAH (United Arab Emirates), April 15: India produced a stunning
batting display in a crisis situation to overcome their favoured arch-
rivals Pakistan by 28 runs in the Sharjah Cup one-day international
here.
Facing elimination from the three-nation event after heavy defeats in
the first leg of the preliminary league, the fired-up Indians piled up a
record score of 305 for five and then bowled out Pakistan for 277 in a
high-scoring thriller.
Sachin Tendulkar made 118 and Navjot Sidhu 101 during a record
partnership of 231 for the second wicket to help India surpass their
previous best total of 299 for eight against Sri Lanka at Bombay in
1986.
Skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, under fire at home after three successive
defeats in Singapore and here, then hit a brilliant unbeaten 29 off 10
balls including 24 runs in Ata-ur-Rehmans final over as India
smashed 60 off the last five overs.
Pakistan, given only 48 overs to reach the tough target after being
penalised two overs by match referee Ranjan Madugalle of Sri Lanka for a
slow over-rate, made a gallant bid for victory.
Skipper Aamer Sohail made 78 off 76 balls, Rashid Latif 50 off 31 and
Ejaz Ahmed 42 off 51 to lift Pakistan to a promising 172 for two by the
26th over.
The victory was only the fourth by India in 18 meetings with Pakistan at
Sharjah, but jubilant Indian fans celebrated the long-awaited win as if
the tournament had been won. India had last beaten Pakistan at Sharjah
four years ago.
We batted and fielded to our potential today, a relieved Azharuddin
said after the match. I am glad we have answered our critics suitably.
Its quite funny how we are regarded a bad team after a few defeats, but
then everything changes after a win.
His Pakistani counterpart Sohail said the Indians played better and
deserved to win. But he felt his team had conceded too many runs.
"We allowed them to score 60 in the last five. That's high by any
reckoning. I was looking at a target of around 260. The slog overs
proved very crucial," Sohail said.
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960418
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India lose to South Africa but reach final
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Viren Varma
SHARJAH, April 17: India just managed to scramble into the final, taking
the longest possible route.
They did go into their last league match with an outright victory on
their mind, but the fiery South African attack quickly blew up their
plans to pieces. And the only option under the circumstances was to play
for the required run-rate they needed to edge Pakistan out of the
competition.
They duly accomplished the task, but life wasnt all that easy for them.
After India, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 71 by Ajay Jadeja, knocked
up a modest 215 in the allotted 50 overs, they needed to prevent South
Africa from scoring that number of runs in 26.4 overs. The moment India
restricted the high-flying South Africans to 112 for three in 27 overs,
it sounded the death-knell for Pakistan, and the match became academic.
South Africa were not bothered by all the crazy calculations and went
about their task in a thoroughly professional manner without resorting
to any rash play to achieve victory their fourth in as many matches
in 47.1 overs. The way they hammered both India and Pakistan in the
league matches, it looks as if the South Africans are hell-bent to atone
for their surprise exit from the World Cup. And that (to perform well)
is the motivating force behind their success here.
India won the toss and elected to bat with the intention of piling up a
score of 250 or 260 considered a decent score to defend by the
experts. But the amazingly disciplined South African bowling suffocated
their hopes.
But Jadeja came to their rescue. The young, energetic lad from Haryana
revived the flickering flame of hope, batting with authority and
conviction. Full marks to the so-called tail-enders who lent a valuable
hand to Jadeja in his swaggering quest to pull India out of the woods.
Adams was named Man of the Match, a great achievement for the young
bowler playing in his first match at Sharjah.
South Africa needed to score at the rate of 8.2 an over if Pakistan had
any chance of making it to the final. They, as usual, started in blazing
fashion with their openers Kirsten (39 off 57 balls with two fours)
and Jacques Kallis (who replaced Andrew Hudson who was suffering from a
stiff back) scoring 53 runs in just 12 runs, but the advent of the
spinners applied the brakes in the spiralling run rate. Leg-spinner Anil
Kumble bowled his full quota of 10 overs at a stretch with an economical
figures of 37 for one. Off-spinner Vekatapathy Raju also bowled
exceedingly well and it was primarily his three-wicket haul that kept
the South Africans quiet.
Mohammed Azharuddin felt relieved after the match. "Our top batsmen are
not showing the application and putting more pressure on the tail-
enders. We should be scoring 250 to 260 in every match." But then he
admitted it isn't easy. "We are playing matches regularly, without
getting any chance to recoup energy."
South African coach Bob Woolmer was pleased with the performance of his
team. "The team is motivated, for their want to make up for early loss
in the World Cup. We have won all the four matches, but we are
complacent. India have improved a lot and we can't afford to take them
lightly in the final."
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960416
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Pakistan, erratic in shooting, beat US
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Sydney Friskin
ATLANTA, April 14: Pakistan took the field for what should have been an
easy victory over the United States, instead of which they struggled to
a 2-1 victory without a goal scored from open play.
The bustling tactics of the Americans upset Pakistans rhythm but there
was no excuse for some erratic shooting by Pakistan's forwards late in
the second half.
A bit of sporting history was made with the Americans taking a 1-0 lead
over Pakistan midway in the first half. They had never established such
an advantage in the international field before.
It all started with three penalty corners being awarded to the United
States on the trot. Of the third one the former Egyptian international
Ahmed el Maghraby scrambled the ball across the line but the goal
awarded to the Americans was disputed by some of Pakistan's defenders.
It was gathered later that the umpire had failed to spot an infringement
by the Americans before the ball landed on the target.
All this happened while Pakistan looked a little unsettled. It was not
long before Asif Bajwa was brought into action and the first thing he
did was to test the American goalkeeper Steve Wagner with a stinging
angled shot which the goalkeeper just managed to deflect.
Three minutes before half-time, however, Pakistan launched a fierce
attack through the middle to force a scramble in front of goal. The
Korean umpire Choi penalised the American goalkeeper for obstruction and
awarded Pakistan a penalty stroke which Tahir Zaman prompt converted.
The second half which began with Pakistan in full cry was only six
minutes old when Pakistan earned their second penalty stroke. Tahir who
was on the ball and ready to score, was pushed from behind and the
Indian umpire had no hesitation in making the supreme award. Tahir again
converted.
With the tension somewhat eased Pakistan began to move more freely up
front but in the American goalkeeper Steve Wagner they had a difficult
obstacle to surmount. Judiciously rushing out of his charge he blocked
shots by Raza Aleem, the outside left on two occasions. With the
American launching only sporadic raids Pakistan dominated this period of
play but soon indulged in a sequence of missed chances. Aleem hit the
outside netting after eluding three defenders, including Sarwar the
goalkeeper and within five minutes the substitute wing forward did the
same thing on the other wing. There was little in the match after that
but Pakistan were obviously happy to have achieved their third
successive victory to be the only team with full points.
Pakistan on top: At the end of the third days play in the six-nation
hockey tournament Pakistan were at the top of the table with maximum
points and everything now seems set for the final showdown on Wednesday
against India.
In the first match of the day on Sunday India dropped a point in a 1-1
draw with Great Britain who put up a gallant fight but never looked like
winning the match. India, however, had injury problems. The inside left
Sanjeev Kumar did not play and the outside right Mukesh Kumar was also
on the bench. Although he took the field in the second half as a
substitute he played at half pace.
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960413
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Jansher is Pakistan's precious asset
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A. Majid Khan
By registering a record-breaking performance in the World Open squash
five months back at Nicosia, the seven-time world champion Jansher Khan
extended Pakistans hold on the coveted title to 15 years ten years
being the share of legendary Jahangir in the prestigious British Open.
Jansher Khan outclassed Australias second seeded Rodney Eyles in 50-
minute straight games (15-13, 15-8, 15-8) at Cardiff (Wales) last week.
The great Khan, however, took seven minutes more for his effort as in
November last in Karachi he had thrashed Rodney Eyles in 43 minutes for
a score of 15-12, 15-11 in the title battle (worth US Dollars 75,000)
during Pakistan Open, a super series event of the Professional Squash
Association.
Though a number of other world renowned players are working hard to make
their impact on the PSA circuit but their limitations had been
invariably exposed by Jansher Khan who had virtually monopolised the
international circuit. He seems certain to dominate the international
squash notwithstanding a defeat at the hands of Del Harris of England in
super series challenge, not a ranking event.
Jansher Khan is 26 and has reached the half-way stage to equal or
surpass Jahangir Khan's ten consecutive wins in the British Open (1982-
1991). Jansher can accomplish this feat but it is noteworthy that he was
twice beaten in the 1987 and 1991 British Open finals by none other than
his great compatriot Jahangir Khan.
Jansher Khan is our national asset as he is single-handedly facing the
world challenge all through the years, bringing glory and honour for the
country.
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960412
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Pakistan to take part in Far East baseball
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Sports Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, April 11: Pakistan confirmed its participation in the 1996
Little League Far East Baseball Tournament being staged at Manila from
July 26 to Aug 3 this year.
The decision was announced by district administrator of Pakistan Little
League, Amjad Shiekh over the weekend. Pakistan will be competing
against teams from Guam, China, Korea, Japan, and Taipei.
The District Administrator who returned after attending a preliminary
meeting of Little League Baseball, Far East region, at Hong Kong stated
that Pakistan has also confirmed its entry in the 1996 senior and big
league tournaments to be held at Taipei from Aug 5-8.
Amjad Shiekh who was elected the district administrator little league
about six months back said that Pakistan also declared its interest in
participating in the girls Big League category after Guam confirmed its
entry in the Senior League for the 1996 Girls Softball World Series in
October this year.
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960412
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Mackerdhuj blasts Dalmiya for conduct in World Cup
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SHARJAH (United Arab Emirates), April 11: South African cricket chief
Krish Mackerdhuj launched his campaign to head the International Cricket
Council (ICC) on Thursday with a blistering attack on his rival Jagmohan
Dalmiya of India.
Mackerdhuj slammed Dalmiyas conduct of the recent World Cup in the
Indian sub-continent, and hinted that his rival was trying to buy votes
ahead of the July election to succeed present ICC chairman Clyde Walcott
of the West Indies.
"I can't distribute free tickets for tournaments and call officials for
banquets in South Africa," Mackerdhuj said, referring to Dalmiyas
lavish hospitality for ICC guests during the World Cup.
Indian cricket chief Inderjit Singh Binra said last month that the host
of the 2003 Cup was still in doubt since the West Indies had expressed
their desire to conduct the games premier limited-overs tournament.
Mackerdhuj also dampened Indian hopes that the election will be a cake-
walk for Dalmiya, who is banking on the support of 19 of the 22 non
test-playing nations the same formula which won the Indian sub-
continent the right to host the recent World Cup.
"It's not as cut and dried as people expect, Mackerdhuj said. "There
are five associate members in Africa and I think I have a better chance
of getting their support.
Each of the nine test-playing nations have two votes while the associate
members have one each.
Both rivals will lobby for votes of the neutral full members like
England, Australia, West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. But it is
likely that the final outcome will be decided by the associate member
countries.
Mackerdhuj said his primary aim was to make the ICC a strong body on the
lines of footballs FIFA.
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960418
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PTV/DAWN Dream Team competition results
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Due to the overwhelming response which has poured in for the Dream Team
Competition, the results of the Competition have been delayed. We
apologise for the delay and are pleased to announce that the results
will be released by the middle of May
Dawn page