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DAWN WIRE SERVICE

------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 19 September 1996 Issue : 02/38 -------------------------------------------------------------------

Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports

The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the Pakistani Community on the Internet. Extracts from DWS can be used provided that this entire header is included at the beginning of each extract. We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at: e-mail dws@dawn.khi.erum.com.pk dws%dawn%khi@sdnpk.undp.org fax +92(21) 568-3188 & 568-3801 mail Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Limited DAWN Group of Newspapers Haroon House, Karachi 74400, Pakistan TO START RECEIVING DWS FREE EVERY WEEK, JUST SEND US YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS! (c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1996 ******************************************************************** *****DAWN - the Internet Edition ** DAWN - the Internet Edition***** ******************************************************************** Read DAWN - the Internet Edition on the WWW ! http://xiber.com/dawn Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, DAWN, is now Pakistan's first newspaper on the WWW. DAWN - the Internet Edition will be published daily (except on Fridays and public holidays in Pakistan) and would be available on the Web by noon GMT. Check us out ! DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS

CONTENTS

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NATIONAL NEWS

Explosions rock city, one killed 1,968 primary schools without buildings Express talks of more acquisition by Zardari National assets being squandered: LHC CJ Gokal, BCCI chief masterminded funding, court told Taliban capture another province Kabul visit put off amid fluid situation Sunday as holiday: FPCCI ----------------------------------

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

IMF calls for slashing military expenditure Devaluation of rupee: impact on economy Crying need for provincial autonomy Pakistan inching towards global economic integration Freezing of FC accounts not possible, says SBP Pakistan 7th largest importer of foodgrains Air fares on world routes up by 10pc KSE 100-share index soars 17.75 points ---------------------------------------

EDITORIALS & FEATURES

Arrogance or ignorance? Ardeshir Cowasjee Living in the times of Rangeela Mazdak A loan is not a gift Omar Kureishi How long can the PM delay the trade off? M. Ziauddin Overcoming the AIDS crisis Benazir Bhutto -----------

SPORTS

Chance for Pakistan to go 2-1 up Demand for guarantee money unreasonable 13 Pakistani fighters in boxing finals Countrys world rankers to play in PIA Open squash Sportfishing contest

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NATIONAL NEWS

=================================================================== 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Explosions rock city, one killed ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ghulam Hasnain KARACHI, Sept 18: Two explosions rocked the citys main business area on Wednesday, killing an aged man and wounding four others. Government buildings were the primary target of the bombs which, according to officials, were home-made time devices filled with country-made commercial explosives, weighing two pounds each. The first bomb went off around 7:45am on a Club Road street housing the PIA cargo office, a bank branch and scores of other private and public offices. The blast shattered the windowpanes of nearby buildings. The ground-floor Club Road branch of the National Bank of Pakistan was the worst affected. The explosion could be heard a kilometre away. The bomb placed at the outer wall of the Karachi Gymkhana did not claim any casualties as it was still too early for the morning traffic. Exactly two hours later, a similar device went off behind the Sindh Secretariat. At least five people were hit by flying metals. The bomb was strategically placed outside the KESC sub-station to create maximum losses. I was standing there when I heard a few explosions. I ran and took refuge at a nearby printing press. I saw people falling to the ground. Some people were lying on the street, Azmat Hussain Kazmi, 57, an Income Tax officer, who was also wounded in the explosion, said. Four of the injured were rushed to Civil Hospital while Azmat Hussain Kazmi, who received minor wounds was treated at the Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre. An unidentified aged man whose legs were hit by the bomb splinters and who also received multiple wounds in the head died a couple of hours later in the operation theatre. The victim could not be identified. The two explosions were followed by several hoax bomb calls creating fear in the city. Till 9:40pm, at least eight hoax calls were made in which the unidentified people claimed that bombs have been placed at private and public hospitals and government buildings keeping the bomb disposal experts busy throughout the day. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960918 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1,968 primary schools without buildings ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Our Staff Report LAHORE, Sept 17: Some 1,968 primary schools in the Punjab do not have buildings and classes are held in the open under trees or thatched roofs. Out of these open-air schools, 934 are for boys and 1,034 for girls. This was revealed by Education Minister Ata Maneka in response to a query raised by an opposition legislator during the question hour of the provincial assembly on Tuesday. Mr Maneka claimed that the provincial government had allocated funds to provide buildings to 295 open-air schools during the current fiscal year. He said schools without buildings were a legacy of the past which were opened under political pressure and teachers appointed to them. He said the PDF government was trying to rectify the situation. The minister informed the assembly that 11,115 schools required major repairs. These include 8,752 primary, 1,176 middle and 1,187 high schools. He said the government had spent Rs 149.8 million to repair such schools during the last financial year. Moreover, the government was considering measures to restore the buildings of the schools concerned. He said there were 14,285 schools which needed minor repairs. They include 10,974 primary, 1,585 middle and 1,787 high schools. In the last fiscal year, he said, the Punjab government had spent Rs 87.8 million on minor repairs to 9,888 schools. But the minister could not give an answer when asked about the number of schools whose buildings had been declared dangerous and about the measures taken by the government to rehabilitate them. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960916 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Express talks of more acquisition by Zardari ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Athar Ali LONDON, Sept 15: The Sunday Express , which first came out with the story about Rockwood the Surrey mansion it claimed had been acquired for 2.7 million pounds by a company on behalf of Asif Ali Zardari, has in its latest edition made further revelations about his links with some exclusive property in Londons prestigious Belgravia area. When the story about the Surrey mansion was first published the official Pakistan news agency had issued a denial on behalf of the prime ministers husband and had stated that he intended to sue the mass circulation Sunday Express . The newspaper denied having received any legal notice and took the stand that it would vigorously defend itself if a libel case was brought in the court. It followed its original story by publishing two other items in subsequent weeks. Now, after a gap of several weeks, the Express has published a story about two flats in Belgravia. Bhutto cash row over luxury flats is the headline of the story on its inside pages. It claims that Mr Zardari has set up an offshore account to pay for luxury apartments at one of Londons most prestigious addresses. The revelations, the paper says will spark a further outcry in Pakistan where Ms Bhutto and her husband have came in for intense criticism over their financial affairs. The Sunday Express alleges that 6,000 pounds are being paid each month into a mortgage account in the Channel Islands to pay for the two apartments in a leafy crescent in exclusive Belgravia. The paper mentions that Asifs father, Hakim Ali, has a basement and a ground floor flat in the same area which he now wants to rent. He had admitted owning a basement flat at a recent gathering in London which he said he was willing to sell for 200,000 pounds. But he made no mention of the ground floor portion in the flat. The Sunday Express claims that payments for the Belgravia flats in which Zardari Jr is interested, owned by an offshore company, are made from an account at the ANZ Bank in Karachi to a mortgage account of Asif Zardari in Guernsey, a channel island. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960915 ------------------------------------------------------------------- National assets being squandered: LHC CJ ------------------------------------------------------------------- Shujaat Ali Khan LAHORE, Sept 14: The judiciary was on Saturday urged to brace for the challenge of rising public expectations in the wake of its separation from the executive. The occasion was a full court reference held after a lapse of 16 years to mark the commencement of a new judicial year. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: The CJ recounted the following as important questions being raised before the courts of law: (i) Fake police encounters resulting in death of alleged culprits; (ii) alleged murder of culprits and persons accused of offences in police custody (Custodial killings); (iii) loss of innocent lives in police encounters; (iv) employment of favourites against government jobs without complying with rules and regulations; (v) employment quotas of legislators and filling of the jobs on payment; (iv) privatisation of national resources; (vii) allotment of plots of government land or Evacuee Trust Property unauthorisedly to favourites by abusing or misusing authority; and (viii) illegal allotment of government land through grant of lease for 99 years. The complaint, the CJ said, is that corrupt practices and abuse of authority have denuded the State of its assets and the loot and plunder of national resources is going on unabated. The national resources are being squandered away in the name of privatisation and the economic life is sought to be given in control of money lenders of foreign origin giving them the power to strangulate the nation economically at their wish. The economic subjugation has taken the place of physical occupation as power in physical occupation is required to feed the hungry subject which is costly affair and cost need not be incurred in case of economic subjugation. The slogan of privatisation serves the rich and lending countries as they reap benefits through subjugation and their agents at much less cost and risk. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960917 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Gokal, BCCI chief masterminded funding, court told ------------------------------------------------------------------- Athar Ali LONDON, Sept 16: The Gulf Group of Geneva based companies, which ended up owing the closed Bank of Credit and Commerce International $1.2 billion by 1991, needed massive funding to keep it afloat, and in order to keep the routing and re-routing of money for this purpose a secret, close co-operation developed between the two, masterminded at the London end by the Chief Executive of the BCCI, Mr Swaleh Naqvi, and at the Geneva end by Mr Abbas Gokal, the chairman of the Gulf Group, the Old Bailey jury was told by the prosecution counsel who continued with his opening statement on the fourth day of Abbas Gokals trial. Mr Gokal stands indicted on charges of conspiring to defraud and falsifying accounts. Mr Anthony Hacking QC is expected to end his statement by Tuesday when Mr Colin Nichols QC may make a statement on behalf of the defendant before prosecution witnesses start giving their evidence. Mr Nichols has so far kept his options open. He may or may not decide to make an opening statement. Mr Abbas Gokal has denied the charges brought against him by the Serious Fraud Office investigating the BCCI affairs. The prosecution alleged that Mr Abbas Gokal had full knowledge of the methods used to keep the Gulf Group going by routing money to and from the BCCI to several sham offshore companies so as to deceive the auditors and give the impression that the Gulf Group could pay its loans and debts made to it were recoverable. This was done through a variety of false documents, said Mr Hacking, and by manipulation of accounts on a scale never seen before. The Gulf Group which, according to the prosecution, had been losing heavily was in 1987 in dire circumstances and needed massive funding from the BCCI. When it became difficult for the BCCI to keep the real position a secret from the auditors, the conspirators, as Mr Hacking described the senior officials of the BCCI involved, suggested to Mr Gokal to create offshore companies in a new structure for the purpose of movement of funds. The offshore companies, some registered in Liberia and Panama, were to remain apparently separate from the Gulf Group, to deceive the auditors and move funds around as if loans owed by the Group were being repaid. This needed close co-operation between the Gulf Group and the BCCI. The prosecution counsel added that the offshore companies were created because they did not have to file annual accounts nor disclosed who the real beneficiaries were. But he stated that these were controlled and owned by Mr Abbas Gokal and his two brothers Mustapha and Murtaza. In the two year period between 1987-89 $716 million came in and $721 million went out. Mr Hacking said Mr Abbas Gokal denies any connection with any of the companies except one, which the prosecution alleges were created as part of a conspiracy to defraud the depositors of the BCCI. But he told the jury that they will hear evidence to the contrary which will show that Mr Gokal was fully involved in the operation and had full knowledge of what was going on. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960914 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Taliban capture another province ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ahmad Hassan PESHAWAR, Sept 13: The Taliban militia captured Mehtar Alam, headquarters of Laghman province, on Thursday midnight and were pushing towards Kunar province. The headquarters of Laghman province fell without considerable resistance, said student militia sources here. Other sources said there had been bloody clashes in which both sides suffered heavy casualties. Talibans information spokesman in Peshawar Abdur Rahman told Dawn that the fall of Kunar was imminent within the next 24 hours. He said after the fall of Kunar, the Taliban militia will launch its assault on Sarobi, east of Kabul and headquarters of Prime Minister Gulbadin Hekmatyar forces. The Afghan prime minister has arrived in Sarobi to defend it, it was reported. The Kabul government has also sent heavy military equipment to defend Sarobi. Laghman is the 15th province which the Kabul government forces have lost to the Taliban militia. The student militia had control of 13 provinces before their entry in Nangarhar, and now Laghman. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Kabul visit put off amid fluid situation ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hassan Akhtar ISLAMABAD, Sept 18. The scheduled visit of Foreign Secretary Najmuddin Sheikh to Kabul and other provincial capitals from Thursday has been postponed indefinitely owing to developments there. A foreign ministry spokesman said here on Wednesday that the Afghan Charge dAffairs was summoned to the Foreign Office and informed of the government decision to postpone the Foreign Secretarys visit, says a Press release of the Foreign Office. No reason for the postponement was mentioned. However, diplomatic sources, were quoted as saying that the politically charged atmosphere created by the unfounded allegations from Kabul accusing Pakistan of interference in Afghanistan and of playing a role in the Taliban take-over of Jalalabad has vitiated the atmosphere. In these circumstances it was felt that a visit would retard rather than advance the process of normalisation. While the said visit has been postponed the statement said, the Foreign Office continued to be engaged in a study of recent developments in Afghanistan including (a) efforts at consolidating Taliban control over the territory of the Eastern Shura, (b) the reported attempts by Kabul to forge an alliance with Dostum, (c) King Zahir Shahs announcement of his imminent return to Afghanistan and the guarded reaction from the Taliban spokesman and the absence of a reaction from Kabul. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday as holiday: FPCCI ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pervaiz Ishfaq Rana KARACHI, Sept 18: The general body meeting of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Wednesday unanimously decided to revert to Sunday as weekly holiday beginning from Oct 6. The reversion after over two decades to Sunday is meant to keep mutually needed trading links with the world business community for collective benefits. The Sunday weekly holiday was suspended by Z.A. Bhuttos government in early 1970s, which virtually cut-off the world business for three consecutive days from Friday to Sunday. For long the business community had been feeling the ill-effects on countrys foreign trade and had been demanding of the government to revert back to Sunday as weekly holiday. ******************************************************************* DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS ******************************************************************* INTERNET PROFESSIONALS WANTED * MS in computer science, with two years experience, or, BE with four years experience in the installation and management of an ISP. * Must be able to select equipment, configure, and troubleshoot TCP/IP networks independently. 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BUSINESS & ECONOMY

960913 ------------------------------------------------------------------- IMF calls for slashing military expenditure ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: The IMF directors have told Pakistan to impose tax on agricultural incomes, reduce military expenditures, remove regulatory import duties, slash tariffs further and manage flexible exchange rate. Their directives to Pakistan , contained in the 1996 annual report of International Monetary Fund, released here on Thursday, partly explain the reasons for the cooling off of IMF-Pakistan relations in recent months. The Fund directors have pointed out that a key element of the overall reform would be the removal of the regulatory import duty and a further reduction of tariff rates, and urged the authorities to advance tariff reform. The directors have placed strong emphasis on extending general sales tax, broadening agricultural taxation, and phasing out tax exemptions and concessions. The directors have underscored the need for controlling government expenditure and improving its efficiency and composition. They have called for greater efforts to reduce unproductive spending, including military expenditure, and increase development outlays. The directors emphasised that privatisation proceeds should not be used to finance unsustainable increase in government expenditures and that it was critically important for Pakistan to improve the transparency of its budget management. According to the IMF , the key elements for bringing down monetary growth substantially in 1995/96 were strengthening of fiscal accounts, reducing government-directed credit, and containing credit to public enterprise. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960914 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Devaluation of rupee: impact on economy ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aftab Ahmad Khan THE PAK rupee was devalued by a significant margin of 3.65 per cent on September 10. In terms of this latest downward adjustment, the new rupee/dollar parity is Rs. 36.97. The principal aim of this devaluation, according to the Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, is to strengthen the countrys balance of payments by stimulating exports, curtailing imports and by encouraging overseas Pakistanis to remit their earnings through banks by narrowing the wedge between the official exchange rate and kerb rate in the open market. He emphasised that the exchange rate should be treated as a price and not a status symbol. Many traders and industrialists, however, have expressed doubts about the positive effect of devaluation on our external accounts and have voiced the apprehension that the country may slide in a vicious devaluation-inflation cycle with profoundly destabilising consequences. Devaluation has the immediate effect of cheapening exports in terms of foreign currency and of raising prices of imported goods and services in terms of domestic currency. This should strengthen the balance of payments. Devaluation, however, does not always succeed in its purpose. The immediate effect of devaluation is similar to an unfavourable shift in terms of trade as for the same resources devoted to the production of exports, less foreign exchange is earned with which to pay for imports. If the level of imports remained the same, more output would have to be diverted to exports and away from domestic consumption and investment simply to maintain the status quo. In this situation, devaluation could lead to a loss of real income without any benefit to the balance of payments. The implicit expectation in a controlled devaluation, therefore, is that the price elasticitys are such that the terms of trade effect is more than offset by shifts of foreign and domestic demand in favour of home production. If, however, the economy of the devaluing country is unable to create the spare capacity needed to meet the increased claims on home production, excess demand will generate inflation and possibly renamed deficits in balance of payments. Looked at from another angle, a balance of payments deficit implies that the country is absorbing more than it produces. Domestic expenditure on consumption and investment is more than national income. In case of a surplus in balance of payments, expenditure on consumption and investment is less than national income. In terms of this approach, balance of payments can be improved through devaluation only if as a consequence of it, income will increase more than expenditure or absorption. As devaluation has the immediate effect of raising prices of imports, it generally initiates increased wage and salary demands by domestic workers who seek to preserve the real value of their purchasing power. It also results in a demand for higher agricultural support prices. In fact, a vicious circle of devaluation domestic wage and price increases and worsened balance of trade could result. Thus the devaluation decision could simply exacerbate the external balance of payments problem while generating running inflation. The experience of many Latin American nations, in particular, with such chronic and uncontrollable inflation has made them reluctant users of the tool of currency devaluation despite IMF pressure. Pakistans experience with a persistent downward slide in its exchange rate has not been a happy one. The country has been on a system of managed float since Jan 8, 1982. In the period since then, the rupee/dollar rate has registered a steep fall from Rs. 9.90 to Rs. 36.97, a devaluation of around 73 per cent. Despite this our external accounts continue to be under severe pressure. In 1995-96, the current account deficit was around $4 billion or 6.5 per cent of gross domestic product. The ineffectiveness of exchange rate depreciation in securing improvement in our external balance is primarily attributable to the fact that changes in costs arising from exchange rate movements were allowed to feed through quickly and extensively into the economy and contribute to the acceleration of prevailing inflationary pressures associated with an ambience of monetary ecstasy mainly caused by a lax fiscal stance. This nullified the impact of exchange rate adjustments on the international competitiveness of our exports. Asian, as most of Pakistans imports consist of items which have relatively inelastic demand like machinery, chemicals, edible oils, industrial raw materials, POL and pharmaceuticals, the impact of persistent downward adjustments on the compression of import demand has been minimal. On the export front, the beneficial impact of creeping devaluation has mostly been of a temporary nature. The latest round of devaluation may have become unavoidable on account of the severe strains on our balance of payments. It is, however, hoped that its negative impact specially on domestic prices would be minimised by containing monetary expansion within prudent limits, restricting the consolidated fiscal deficit to 4 per cent of GDP primarily through restraints on public expenditure, resisting pressures for higher agricultural support policies to compensate for higher input costs stemming from devaluation and having an appropriate incomes policy. The government has to be particularly concerned with the inflationary impact of devaluation. If inflationary trends in the economy assume menacing proportions because of ineffective demand management, there could be serious economic and political consequences. It is generally insufficiently appreciated that many of our social, political and administrative problems have their roots in the continual depreciation of the currency and the resultant rise in prices. Endemic rise in prices is a source of anxiety to the families of wage and salary earners who see before them the wealth and luxury of those who reap easy profits and make huge fortunes out of persistent inflation. Unfortunately, the role of a relatively stable rate of exchange in our economy (where exports and imports of goods and services plus remittances constitute nearly 35 per cent of GNP) has somehow not been given the importance it deserves. A stable exchange rate can represent a powerful restraint on domestic costs and prices. Persistent depreciation in the external value of the currency can lead to a de-stabilising devaluation inflation cycle. Furthermore, in view of our narrow export base, inelastic basket of imports, as well as the constraints on price competitiveness which exist in many countries, devaluation can only provide limited help in strengthening our balance of payments. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960914 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Crying need for provincial autonomy ------------------------------------------------------------------- M.B. Naqvi THE BALOCHISTAN government has suspended all payments, except salaries and pensions and the ban is likely to last many weeks. The crisis has primarily risen because the centre has refused Balochistans demand for a grant of Rs 2 billion, to cover its deficit. Not only that, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) also seems to have informed Quetta that it had better not exceed its sanctioned overdraft. This is being seen as a reflection of what Mr V.A. Jafarey has indicated as the new strategy of the government to bring down the budget deficit. What is the strategy? It is an attempt to coerce the provincial governments and autonomous corporations to live within their budgets and not exceed their overdraft limits. The government is of the view that this is the best way to tackle the situation after tightening screws on its own spendthrift departments. A panacea to cure economic ills is supposedly being prepared under the direction of Mr Jafarey, the PMs chief financial advisor. It is reported to be a comprehensive policy package, and will be discussed with IMF officials with a view to sorting out the problems created by the suspension of the latter two tranches of the stand-by loan. Although the government denies that it has any differences with the IMF, the fact that problems do exist cannot be denied, despite the broad agreement between them over economic policies and methods to be adopted for attaining agreed goals. At any rate, Pakistan has, as a matter of fact, failed to reach agreed targets  which in itself is a problem that should have required rethinking. Aspects of the latter are what concerns us here. Disturbing features There are several disturbing features of the dominant thinking in the upper echelons of financial management. The starting point is that nothing much can be done about expenditures of the government. No doubt, the government goes on tightening the purse strings of departments, corporations and provincial governments from time to time, reminding the relevant authorities of the need to curtail their overdrafts. When they receives enough support from the central government, it informs the provincial governments that their overdrafts can go only so far and no further. But that is basically a polite reminder rather than a firm bankers decision to refuse further overdrafts. Incidentally, the same treatment is not meted out to the central government. Our central bank has to go many miles before it can have that sort of authority to enforce its recommendation on the government in the higher interests of financial stability. The objective of cutting down the budget deficit is unlikely to be achieved by this route of reducing expenditures. Inevitably, the main recourse will have to be through even greater resource- mobilisation measures. This is the fundamental weakness in the thinking. The government ought to realise that there are clear limits to raising more revenues. In fact, a saturation point has been reached and all the recent government taxes, duties, levies, cesses, surcharges and the like are now serving to stoke the fires of inflation. Textbooks might say that mopping up surplus money supplies through resource-mobilisation by the government can keep inflation down. But, the actual experience now is that we are long past the stage where the theory could be expected to produce intended results. The government can be faulted in this matter on several accounts. It is not so much the fault of the theory but of official perception, as to where the excess money supplies are located and whether their resource-mobilisation efforts are intended to hit these targets. What the government is relying on is to clamp an indirect tax burden on the common man, in an attempt to squeeze him dry. Subsequently, there are identifiable individuals and groups in the economy that possess plenty of money which can, by all criteria be termed excessive. None of these government measures touches them. This is the fundamental reason why no theory can produce the expected results. There is ample evidence that the government is not going to change the orientation of its economic policies. Putting even more pressure on the common man in already producing adverse reactions from the people and unexpected responses from the economy. Further efforts along the present lines will surely produce unexpected responses from the economy, as the general outlook appears to be bleak. Mr Jafarey appears to have zeroed in on two sectors: provincial governments and autonomous corporations. Both have survived on overdrafts for long. That he will strive to end. The federal governments intention in forcing the provinces to live within their sanctioned limits of overdrafts is to compel them to do what they should have in any case: raise their own revenues from their own resources. There are several untapped areas from which provincial governments can raise revenue. For instance, there is the vast agricultural sector. Wherever there are large incomes, they should be taxed in the most cost-effective manner. Even the pittance that used to be collected by way of land revenue has now gone in the name of Ushr, the total collection of which is ridiculous from a sector that accounts for over a quarter of the national income. There is scope to raise the Abyana, and other inputs costs. The provincial finance departments have taken the line of least effort: do not tax powerful farmers or indeed anyone of importance, rather approach the centre for grants. And when the latter is not available, write a cheque on the central bank and the problem is solved. This is especially true for autonomous corporations who have no business to run heavy overdrafts and be tardy in repaying them or eventually not paying them at all. Let them operate like any business: make profits honestly or go bust. Let their managements pay for their mistakes or corruption. Mr Jafarey wants to take away this easy option. Restructuring required The responses of the provincial governments are likely to be harsh. The respective provincial finance secretaries have a known retort to the central governments insistence on their levying new and more taxes of their own. They have repeatedly said that the question requires a wholesome restructuring of finances. How can the central government go on taxing the spheres that are left to provinces or states throughout the civilised world. The foremost example they give is sales tax which happens to be the main support of the provincial or state finances in all federations. Even income tax ought to be in the provincial sphere. So long as the centre continues to poach on generally recognised provincial spheres, it has no right to ask them to forego the obvious and explore new and uncharted seas. The question of determining provincial spheres for financial purposes cannot hang in the air. It has a clear political dimension. The autonomy of the provinces is a composite whole. The political implications of squeezing provinces should be examined carefully. There is a history of finance secretaries having frequently complained about the procedure that pre-empts provincial autonomy. Until and unless a central government officer has okayed a provincial budget, it cannot be presented to the Provincial Assembly. So much for provincial autonomy! Even so, the provincial governments ought to do more, the question is what. Here again, the advance should be simultaneous on the two routes that point towards a balanced budget. They have to tone down their style of governing. They have also to raise more money from both old and new avenues. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960914 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan inching towards global economic integration ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aftab Ahmad PAKISTAN has made positive progress, on its way to global economic integration, as borne out by the statistics recorded in a World Bank (WB) publication captioned Global economic prospects and the developing countries  1996, released by the World Bank in May 1996. Pakistans speed of integration index for early 1990s has been shown, in the aforementioned publication as 0.87, compared to its initial speed of integration index of minus 0.20 for 1981-83. The index for 1990s is based on changes in four underlying indicators. Change in real trade as a share of GDP (1980-83 to 1990-93) has been recorded as 0.05. Secondly, change in institutional investor rating (1983-85 to 1993-95) has been shown as 0.63. Thirdly, the change in foreign direct investment (FDI) as a share of GDP (1980-82 to 1990-92) has been noted as 0.02 and lastly, the change in manufacturing export share (1981-83 to 1991-93) has been recorded as 2.559. Thus, all four indicators point towards a positive change in Pakistans case during the period under review. The publication goes on to note that the pace of global economic integration, signifying the widening and intensifying of international linkages in trade and finance has accelerated over the last decade. During 1985-94, the ratio of world trade to GDP rose three times faster than in the preceding 10 years, while FDI doubled as a share of global GDP over the same period. However, the share of FDIs going to developing countries had risen only to more than a third, during the period. Furthermore, the pace of integration among developing countries has been very uneven. The ratio of trade to GDP fell in 44 of the 93 developing countries in the last 10 years. Similarly, eight developing countries accounted for two-third of the FDI in 1990-93, while half of all developing countries received little or none. Pointing out the gains from global economic integration, the publication stressed that increased participation in the world economy carried important benefits such as improved resource allocation, urge to achieve world standards of efficiency in the face of heightened competition, wider options for consumers, ability to tap international capital markets and contact with new ideas, technologies and products. Countries with the highest level of integration tended to exhibit the fastest output growth, while poor countries tended to have the lowest trade ratio (after adjusting for size), less FDI, lower credit ratings and lower share of manufactures in exports. Thus, there was a clear relationship between integration and income levels. How could the pace of integration be accelerated? It could probably be done through policy reforms ensuring clear rules and freedom from red tape, efficient infrastructure and greater reliance on private sources of finance, which make it essential to retain the confidence of international capital markets. Measures designed to increase an economys growth and stability were likely to influence a countrys speed of integration. Reforms that promoted stable macro-economic conditions realistic exchange rates, open trade and investment regimes were also important both for growth and integration. According to the report, there could be various methods to achieve global economic integration. One approach was to examine how far domestic prices and interest rates reflected their international counter parts. If market were perfectly integrated, prices would be the same every where. However, the most commonly used measures were a set of direct and indirect parameters such as the ratio of trade to GDP, credit-worthiness rating, tariff and the share of manufactures in exports. Change in ratio of trade to GDP mattered because an increase in this ratio indicated the willingness and ability of a country to face global competition and encourage the inflow of new ideas, technologies and products. In the same way, change in the ratio of FDI to GDP was a direct measure of integration because of its potential for the diffusion of technology and skills. Credit- worthiness rating was important in the context of integration because it was a measure of a countrys access to international capital markets. The importance of tariff lay in the fact that it was an indicator of a disparity between domestic and international prices. The tariff was stated to have resulted in resource misallocation and constituted a bottleneck in the way of global economic integration. Lastly, the share of manufactures in exports was of significance because it was a measure of a countrys ability to produce at world standards. In addition to the above, a number of other measures could be used such as exchange controls, quantitative restrictions on imports or institutional factors such as membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). A painful disclosure made in the report was that South Asia was pitiably lagging in the matter of global economic integration, compared not only with the industrialised countries of the West, but also with the newly industrialised countries in East Asia. The change in real trade and FDI as a share of GDP, although positive in the last decade, was marginal in the South Asia region, as compared with the change in Europe and Central Asia as well as East Asia. On the other hand, the tariff barrier in South Asia were the highest. Rates came down from about 65 per cent in the 1980s to 45 per cent in the early 1990s. Compared to this, tariff rates stood at about 15 per cent in East Asia and were still lower in Europe. In the same way, none of the countries in South Asia enjoyed A or B credit rating, as of March 1995. Two of the five South Asian countries discussed in the report enjoyed C credit rating, while the remaining two were placed in D category. As explained, countries with A credit rating could borrow at rates which were 50 basis points or less above the benchmark US rates. Borrowing rates rose as ratings fell with many countries with C ratings paying 500 or more basis points over the benchmark, while those in the D category had no access to private lendings. Only the most successful developing countries namely China, Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Thailand enjoyed B credit rating while C credit rating went to countries undertaking economic reforms. Pakistans status So far as Pakistan was concerned, the ratio of real trade to GDP as well as FDI to GDP did show an improvement during the 1990s as compared to the 1980s. The share of manufactures in exports, also, registered an increase. However, the tariff rates remained as high as 65 per cent and the country could only manage a C credit rating. The report, while commenting on the performance of Pakistan, observed that there was an incremental increase in the growth to four per cent in the first half of 1995, but the country had not been able to meet the IMFs criteria for the Extended Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) to draw on the final loan instalments and also had the highest inflation in the region, well above 10 per cent. It was thus abundantly clear that Pakistan desperately needed to improve its economic performance in order to be able to achieve macro-economic stability, so that it would satisfy the IMF and other donors. Areas where the governments efforts needed to be escalated were interalia the reduction of budget deficit through control of non-development expenditure, together with additional revenue generation in such a manner that it did not hamper growth. Control of inflation by keeping bank borrowing by the government for budgetary support strictly within the prescribed limits and simultaneously re-doubling efforts to achieve rapid and sustained economic growth, using privatisation proceeds exclusively to retire public debts to control the growing indebtedness and the ever rising expenditure on debt servicing and bringing the BOP deficit under control by bringing about improvements in the quality of export goods through the use of modern technology. Without fulfilling these pre-requisites, it is feared that Pakistan could neither achieve higher income levels nor could it accelerate the pace of global economic integration. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960917 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Freezing of FC accounts not possible, says SBP ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Sept 16: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has issued a notification clarifying rumours about the freezing of foreign currency accounts, saying they were not true. In a press release issued on Monday the SBP advised the public not to pay attention to such and other rumours being floated by the vested interests to gain speculative gains in the money market. The release said: Some persons with vested interests are engaging on a daily basis in spreading rumours of one type or the other to create panic in the financial market. The latest one is related to foreign currency deposits. The State Bank would like to categorically state that it is legally not possible to freeze or deny the encashment of foreign currency deposits of residents and non-residents, it clarified. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960915 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan 7th largest importer of foodgrains ------------------------------------------------------------------- Muhammad Ilyas ISLAMABAD, Sept 14: Pakistan was the seventh largest importer of cereals among 82 countries of the world during the last two years, according to the latest US Department of Agriculture statistics. Pakistan was able to maintain this position consecutively, although its imports declined appreciably from 23,86,900 tons in 1994-95 to 20,54,000 tons. During 1994-95, the countries which surpassed Pakistan in their dependence on food imports were Egypt (9 million tons), Bangladesh (2.5 million tons), China 228.2 million tons), Indonesia (5.2 million tons), Philippines (2.4 million tons) and Uzbekistan (2.8 million tons). The situation does not, however, admit of any complacency on the part of Pakistan because during the last two decades, the area under cereals increased by only 22 per cent, that under pulses stayed virtually unchanged while the area under edible oilseeds declined by 10%. By contrast, the acreage marked for cash crops (mainly cotton, sugarcane and tobacco) almost doubled, as a research paper Structural Adjustment and Food Security in Pakistan by Dr Shahrukh Rafi Khan, Sajid Kazmi and Zahid Ahmed of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, has pointed out. Yet, the population of Pakistan increased by more than 50 per cent in that period. And the authors have cautioned the government against the implications of the policy that justifies a tilt towards cash crops at the cost of food crops on the plea that cash crop exports could pay for food imports. The study has spotlighted another interesting aspect, namely, that food crops have positive advantage over cash crops. This is evident from the fact that despite the smaller increase in land area, aggregate production growth of about 40% over two decades has matched that of the cash crop category. Besides, the effective rate of protection for 1991-92 in selected districts was negative for food crops. In fact, sugarcane, probably due to the clout of sugar barons, is the only crop that has a positive effective rate of protection, according to a World Bank study. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960917 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Air fares on world routes up by 10pc ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nasir Jamal LAHORE, Sept 16: Pakistan International Airlines has for the third time in a year increased its international fares by five to 10 per cent, which will come into effect from Oct 1. There is no increase in fares for the Pakistan-Africa and the Pakistan-Middle East sectors. A PIA notification sent to travel agents says normal and special fares for Canada and the US (roughly Rs 45,000 return at present) have been increased by six per cent and seven per cent, respectively. Charges for an additional stopover for a four-month valid/excursion ticket for the sector has been increased to Rs 3,000 from Rs 2,200. For the Pakistan-Europe sector, PIA has announced an across -the-board increase of seven per cent. Child fare for this sector will be 67 per cent of normal adult fare instead of 50 per cent. Only formal fares for the South Asia/subcontinent sectors will rise by 10 per cent while all fares for the South East Asia, South West Pacific (Australia, New Zealand) and the Japan and the South Korea sectors will increase by five per cent. PIA officials say new tariffs, based on fresh increase, are being compiled following which fares will be updated in Pakistani currency. In the meantime, the fares will be calculated according to the percentage of increase, they say. All totally unutilised tickets, purchased on the old fares, will be subject to the difference of fare if travel on them commences on or after Oct 1 when the new tariffs come into effect. But all tickets issued on the old fares on which travel commences before the new fares come into effect , will be accepted for the remaining part of journey without charging any difference of fare. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- KSE 100-share index soars 17.75 points ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Sept 18: The Thursdays bomb blasts in the city blunted the markets sustained run-up after the advent of short-covering operation but the underlying sentiment remained uppishly inclined and the on-balance closing was fairly strong. The KSE 100-share index soared 17.75 points, which should have in normal conditions has recovered at least 30 points. Indications are that the rally could manifest itself in a bigger way on Thursday despite weekend considerations as investors appeared to be in no retreating mood at least for the near-term. The boost apparently was provided by massive buying in the leading shares, which in turn evoked good sympathetic buying on other selected counters. There are strong rumours in the rings that Barings is in the rings and lifting the floating stock of Hub-Power at the current level apparently for some good reasons. And that signalled the presence of foreign buying and there is no reason why locals should not follow the lead, said a leading floor broker. He said evidence of strong local buying in sympathy was also evident on the hereto neglected low-priced textile shares on the perception that they could well be the chief beneficiary of the 3.65 per cent devaluation of the rupee. The sentiment in part is also boosted by some behind scene moves of the leading financial houses to restore the investors confidence in share business and they are paying back instantly, he added. Most of the textile shares rose in unison, although fractionally having a positive impact on the general price line. Bank shares followed them and so did insurance ones under the lead of Adamjee and Askari Insurance but synthetic shares attracted bulk of the support under the lead of Dewan Salman, which was massively traded. Energy, cement and auto shares followed them and so did chemicals but pharma shares remained under pressure and attracted renewed selling owing to weak sales projections. But the market rally was apparently led by the pivotals such as Hub-Power, PTC vouchers and Fauji Fertiliser, which together have a about 35 per cent weightage in the index and could set its direction where they like it to. Later in the evening session, the activity was a bit slack as only four shares came in for trading, two each rose and fell, with the index showing a fractional decline of 0.91 points at 1,378.35. Dewan Salman proved to be the most active scrip, but shedding 40 paisa that is wiping out the morning session gain. It accounted for 15,000 shares out of the total volume of 27,100 shares followed by FFC-Jordan Fertiliser, up five paisa on 7,000 shares. In morning session, the most active list was topped by Hub-Power, up Rs 1.50 on 9.638m shares followed by PTC vouchers, higher 70 paisa on 8.910m, Fauji Fertiliser, unchanged on 1.641m, Commercial Union Insurance, up 65 paisa on 0.288m shares. Other actives were led by FFC-Jordan fertiliser, up 20 paisa on 0.219m, NDLC, steady 25 paisa on 0.169m, Packages, off Rs 10 on 0.240m and Faysal Bank, higher 30 paisa on 0.142m shares. Trading volume soared to 31.637m shares from the previous 27.169 m shares thanks to revival of demand in pivotals. There were 321 actives, out of which 125 shares rose, while 115 fell, with 81 holding on to the last levels. ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE TO HERALD TODAY ! ------------------------------------------------------------------- Every month the Herald captures the issues, the pace and the action, shaping events across Pakistan's lively, fast-moving current affairs spectrum. Subscribe to Herald and get the whole story. Annual Subscription Rates : Latin America & Caribbean US$ 93 Rs. 2,700 North America & Australasia US$ 93 Rs. 2,700 Africa, East Asia Europe & UK US$ 63 Rs. 1,824 Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent & CAS US$ 63 Rs. 1,824 Please send the following information : Payments (payable to Herald) can be by crossed cheque (for Pakistani Rupees), or by demand draft drawn on a bank in New York, NY (for US Dollars). Name, Postal Address, Telephone, Fax, e-mail address, old subscription number (where applicable). 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EDITORIALS & FEATURES

960913 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Arrogance or ignorance? ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ardeshir Cowasjee THREE days ago the Pakistan rupee fell yet again, as it must. The following day the hard-working overworked people of Pakistan took a day off, and went through the motions of commemorating, with fervour and patriotism, the anniversary of the death of the man who had carved out for them a homeland in which they could live in peace. Half of the house that Mohammed Ali Jinnah built 49 years ago was lost within 25 years. What is left is now tottering. Rather than endeavour to prop it up, people still argue as to whether he was right to found a country for them or whether he made a grave mistake. And bigots still attempt to prove that he was a bigot, that he did not want a secular state. I say Jinnah was right. He saw things in his own, having associated with the fine men and women of his time and of his way of thought. The riffraff  their mettle, their values  were strangers to him. His yardstick was his own values and those of his like-minded associates. Never in his wildest dreams could he have foreseen that a horde of amoral looters and plunderers, hypocrites and frauds, fools and charlatans would rule and rob and break the country he created. This is a rare photograph of Jinnah in his mid-twenties, taken in Victoria Gardens, Bombay. He sits by his barrister friend, my granduncle, Pestonjee H.J. Rustomjee, in his single-cylinder 1902 Didion-Bouton. Behind them is Pestonjees daughter, Jer. Those who bully and rob us today say they have the peoples mandate, that they have been freely and fairly elected, that whether they do right or wrong by the people, they have the absolute right to sit and complete their term. The nation has not done well by them. On the contrary, claiming it to be their right and privilege, they have done well by the nation. The way to Surrey, and to Wilton Crescent, SW1, is not paved with good intentions. The legislature is in place, but we are ruled by ordinances. The executive has still to implement the Supreme Court judgement of March 20, which they are constitutionally bound to do. The executive will always strive to influence the judiciary. But in true democracies, where the people do have a say, reason, good sense, and the will of the people prevail. In July this year, in France, the countrys senior magistrates prevailed upon President Chirac. Their council, chaired by Chirac, replaced over half the 35 appeal court judges, and refused to endorse as chairman of the Paris appeal court Chiracs nominee, Alexandre Benmakhlouf, accusing Chirac of political interference in the judiciary. Apart from the fact that Benmakhlouf has only six years of court experience, he was Chiracs adviser both as prime minister (1986-88) and as mayor of Paris. Chirac did not demur, and his nominee was instead made procurator-general, also a controversial posting. Benmakhlouf will be tested, as will Chirac. He will be in charge of various on-going corruption investigations, one involving Chiracs prime minister, Juppe, accused of having accommodated most of his family in cutprice city- owned housing when he was treasurer of the Paris town hall. Another involves Tiberi, who replaced Chirac as mayor. He is accused of having had his sons flat refurbished at the taxpayers expense, with his wife supervising the work. She is also being investigated, as during a search of the Tiberi flat in Paris the police found an invoice for FF 200,000 made out by Madame Tiberi for work done on a 36-page report on the region of Essonnes international relations. Madame Tiberi has become the laughing stock of Paris, has hung her head in shame and is seldom seen. But then, Islamabad is not Paris. In our distant capital shame does not exist. On September 6 the headline of a news report in The Nation read, AGs granted status of ministers. The Punjab Advocate-General, Abdul Najam Sadiq, claims that the ministerial status of his office is envisaged in Article 111 of the Constitution, and that by according him the rank of a minister the provision has now been implemented. According to him, the Prime Minister was surprised to learn that our advocates-general were working without enjoying the rank and status of provincial ministers. Was Benazirs surprise based on arrogance or ignorance? Her surprise surprises us. Under Article 140 of the Constitution, to qualify as an advocate-general a person should be qualified to be appointed a judge of the High Court. The post of advocate-general is a constitutional post, and is, and always has been, deliberately non-political. It is the constitutional duty of the advocate- general to advise the provincial government on legal matters. He is not supposed to function as a mere mouthpiece. An advocate, under the normal course, is supposed to represent his client. However, the advocate-general is not merely supposed to, but is constitutionally obligated to, tender independent legal advice to the provincial government to the best of his ability, and in accordance with the highest traditions of the Bar. Sadly, the tradition now is that the advocate-general merely comes forward and defends whatever unconstitutional or illegal action the government is resolved upon. This is a betrayal of the mandate of the Constitution. Under Article 110, the office of the advocate-general carries a wider responsibility. He has the right to speak (but not to vote) in a provincial assembly. His responsibility, therefore, extends to clarifying legal matters not merely to the provincial government but also on the floor of the House. When Mrs Thatcher was prime minister of Britain, there was a public outcry on the mere perception that she may have attempted to influence the attorney- general in relation to a legal matter. The prime ministers office was thrown on the defensive and had to issue a strong statement affirming the constitutional right and duty of the attorney-general to independently formulate an opinion on any legal matter referred to him, and Mrs Thatcher had to deny that she had attempted to influence the AG. Unfortunately, in Pakistan the attorney-general and the advocates-general so routinely change their legal tune to accommodate the wishes of their political bandmasters that no one has ever bothered to publicly clarify the constitutional position. This process of politicisation of a high constitutional office is now being carried to its logical conclusion by conferring ministerial status on the advocates-general. Hereafter, we will see them displayed not in legal robes, but in political garments, all for the edification of the awam. This wrong has to be righted, and before it takes root. In international fora, the stock of our Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and his supporting senior judges runs high. At the 11th Commonwealth Law Conference held in Vancouver last month, the subject of judicial independence arose. The moderator was the Honourable Justice Allan McEachern, the Chief Justice of British Columbia, and the speakers included Justice Aziz Ahmadi, Chief Justice of India, the Rt Hon Lord Ingham of Cornhill, Lord Chief Justice of England, the Rt Hon Lord Hope of Craighead, Lord Chief Justice General of Scotland, Dr Douglas Schmeiser of the University of Saskatchewan, and our home-bred senior advocate Akram Sheikh, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. The Lord Chief Justices were astonished that for the past six months our Prime Minister and President have not implemented the supreme Court judgement of March 20. They all asked how this could possibly be in a two-party democracy bound by a written constitution which obliges the executive to come to the aid of the Supreme Court. There is no question of how, explained Akram. They just have not done it. Well, Akram was told, it is now up to the judiciary itself, the Bar, the Press, and the people to fight and ensure that the judgement is implemented. What needs to be immediately done: * All those judges not approved by the chief justices should be denotified, or asked to resign. * All future appointments must be made in consultation with the chief justices, and anyone whose integrity or competence they doubt or question must not be appointed. * Only the senior-most judges of the high courts should be sent to the Supreme Court after consultation with the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The senior-most judge of a high court is to be appointed its chief justice, in consultation with the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The principle of seniority is to be respected unless there are compelling reasons not to do so, in which case the Chief Justice of Pakistan must be advised and accord his approval. Should reason not prevail over arrogance and ignorance? It should, but here it does not. Where residual grace of any consequence, the judgement would be implemented in toto, without further prevarication and procrastination. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960914 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Living in the times of Rangeela ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mazdak WITHOUT fuss or fanfare, a quiet revolution is sweeping Orangi, a kachchi abadi that, until relatively recently, was considered Karachis dirtiest and most crime- ridden slum area. Now the vast settlement, with a population of over a million, is humming with purposeful activity. The people themselves have invested nearly 70 million rupees in constructing over half a million yards of covered sewerage drains. The literacy rate is nearly 80% as against an estimated 62% for Karachi as a whole, and infant mortality has fallen from 130 per thousand in 1984 to 37 in 1991. The national rate in 1994 was 92 per thousand. All this has been achieved without any assistance from the government. Indeed, the key to Orangis transformation has been self-help, and the catalyst that has galvanised and inspired the bastis heterogeneous population is the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP). Established in the early eighties by Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan, OPP received early support from Agha Hassan Abedi of the now-defunct BCCI, and continues to do so from the banks Foundation. The World Bank has also made funds available. But the driving force behind this remarkable operation is Akhtar Hameed Khan, and his pioneering approach, based, to a considerable extent, on the success he achieved in Comilla, is viewed world- wide as a model for development. Eighty-two years old, Dr Khan retains his faith in humanity, a wonderful sense of humour and a zest for life that would be enviable in a far younger man. But he is sustained, above all, by his firm grasp of history and his voracious reading. Indeed, his intellectual pursuits have enabled him to ground the OPP on the bedrock of careful observation, meticulous documentation and constant monitoring. As a result, the organisation has now been institutionalised. In fact, perhaps Dr Khans biggest contribution has been to develop a team of volunteers and professionals who now run OPP on a day-to-day basis with their guru providing occasional advice from the sidelines. Unfortunately, this approach has not been followed by many other NGOs, with the result that their work cannot be replicated. In addition, by not having their accounts audited, they lay themselves open to unnecessary allegations. For instance, despite Maulana Sattar Edhis outstanding relief work, he has not devised a system for handing over the reins of his operation to a team. Once his charismatic presence is no longer with us, it is not clear how his Foundation will function. This is not true of OPP: here, there are clear lines of authority and responsibility. Apart from health, family planning, low-cost housing and education, OPP has recently become deeply involved in giving relatively small loans to entrepreneurs to help them establish and run their own businesses. These clients of the OPP microcredit activity would not normally have access to the formal banking sector as they have neither the clout nor the collateral to obtain loans. But through the OPP network, they can get credit to start their own micro enterprises. This has resulted in a high rate of employment in Orangi as tens of thousands of cottage industries have sprung up. But perhaps OPPs most crucial role has been in the area of training development workers from all over the country in its Regional Training Institute (RTI). In its modern building in the heart of Orangi, community- based organisations (CBOs) and NGOs send their staff members to learn from the OPP experience. Among other things, they acquire simple accounting techniques so that they can document their own activities along OPP lines. Thus, many of the lessons of Orangi are being replicated in other parts of the country, albeit with mixed success. Where does the government figure in all this activity? Mercifully nowhere. As Akhtar Hameed Khan wrote recently: OPP believes that real development is achieved only by mobilisation of peoples own financial and managerial resources and not by doles and subsidies... Demagogic leaders were promising sewerage lines as free gifts. OPP advised the people to construct the lane sewerage lines themselves as they had constructed houses... If they kept waiting for the promised free lunch, the filth, growing like a cancer, will spread disease and waterlogging. OPP offered social guidance for lane organisation, and technical guidance for low-cost construction... And this, in a nutshell, is the OPP philosophy: train and guide the people, give them technical advice, but encourage them to provide the leadership and the physical inputs themselves. Through this spirit of self-sufficiency emerges a sense of pride in themselves and a feeling for the community that transcends the family and the clan. It is this spirit that saw Orangi through the violence last year when MQM activists virtually took over the basti by force. They dug trenches and fortified positions in a massive show of defiance. But the people of Orangi rejected this move, and reported the MQM hoods to law enforcement agencies. Although police and Rangers used this as an opportunity to extort money from the innocent, the back of the insurrection was broken. Now, OPP has encouraged co-operation with the local police to keep the peace. Karachis DIG has been a key figure in helping bring about this new-found harmony. This may be a model for other communities to follow. With a mischievous chuckle, Dr Khan says he is trying to build a new East India Company in the period of anarchy that is similar to the rule of Mohammad Shah Rangeela at the twilight of the Moghul empire. According to him, this is in line with the work of the sufis who helped establish pockets of peace in times of turbulence, or European monasteries in the Dark Ages that followed the collapse of the Roman empire. One of Dr Khans biggest regrets is that so few so-called development and environmental experts come to Orangi to see for themselves what is happening, and what can be achieved by the people themselves. He finds it amazing that when the president of the World Bank can come to visit OPP, so few Pakistanis have approached him. Truly, we are living in the times of Rangeela. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960915 ------------------------------------------------------------------- A loan is not a gift ------------------------------------------------------------------- Omar Kureishi THERE is a difference between a gift and a loan. The gift you get to keep and the only moral and indeed legal obligation you have is to thank the person who has given the gift. Not so with a loan. You are expected to return the loan, whether it is a bowl of sugar that you have borrowed from your neighbour or a book from a library or money from a bank. This distinction may seem elementary and self-evident but it is important to make it given the present uproar of loan defaulting. But I am told that the matter is not simple in the matter of recovery of loan defaults which according to a statement of the State Bank of Pakistan stands at Rs 100.285 billion  a massive Rs 69.324 billion being that of the top 500 defaulters. Alternatively are those who, given the choice of shooting for the moon or shooting for the stars, chose to shoot for the stars. I am wondering whether the recovery of these bank loans is inherently complex or has been made complex deliberately so as to avoid re-payment? And while I am wondering, I am wondering whether the granting of these loans was equally complex or was it, as the expression goes, a piece of cake? I wouldnt know since I have never applied for a loan. My only exposure to this world of financial give-and-take (mostly take, as it transpires) is confined to one unpleasant brush I had with my bank (now, no longer my bank) and this was as far back as 1962, in retrospect, an innocent age in banking. I was proceeding to England to cover the tour of the Pakistan cricket team for the BBC and The Civil & Military Gazette, now defunct, (which seemed inevitable since they never paid me for my dispatches). I applied to the State Bank for foreign exchange and I was sanctioned 300 pounds. It was not a princely sum but it so happened that I did not have the rupee equivalent. Undeterred, I went to my bank to arrange what would be bridge financing. My PIA salary was deposited directly in this bank and it was due in a couple of weeks. The manager was a friend of mine and I anticipated no problems. I, therefore, arrived at the bank in an upbeat mood. My bank manager friend was inclined to be somewhat pompous, a characteristic not uncommon to those who worked for foreign companies and which had earned them the sobriquet of box- wallas. They used to be a special breed of men and were the original brown sahibs. After an exchange of pleasantries, I unfolded my problem, scoffing heartily that it was really not a problem, just an inconvenience. He asked me if I had any collateral. I thought he was joking and I told him that I owned a small beat-up Renault car. He said that a car did not constitute collateral as it was movable. Did I own anything else? I told him that I owned the clothes that I was wearing and a baby Hermes portable typewriter which was almost brand new, being less than a year when I bought it. Like Queen Victoria, he was not amused. Sorry, he said, he could not do anything unless I could come up with someone (who had collateral) who would stand as a surety for me. And grandly added that he was bending the rules. The matter having been settled as far as he was concerned, he became less formal. He asked me how I thought the Pakistan team would fare in England. Needless to say that he was a devoted cricket fan which is why he was my friend in the first place. I told him that I was covering the tour for the BBC and for a newspaper and they were paying me to get my expert views. I saw no reason why I should give them to him for free. After all he was being paid by the bank for his expertise. It is not surprising that he did not appreciate my line of reasoning and our friendship turned frosty and it was many years before normality returned. The point is that he was going strictly by the rules and was not prepared to break them even if he had been allowed to do so. I suppose that is what made him a good banker, albeit a hoity-toity one. While every effort must be made to recover these bank loans and I do not see any reason why the existing laws should not be applied, and the laws are tough enough, some investigation should be carried on how these defaulters were able to secure loans. I am all for publishing lists of defaulters, and its quite a whos who and not confined to the much maligned politicians, I am also for publishing the names of the people who sanctioned these loans. And since many of these loans have been outstanding for many years, we should also be told of the serious efforts that were made to recover these loans. The sums of money we are dealing with are not peanuts. There are two parties involved in a bank loan, the borrower and the lender. We need to focus on both parties. Accountability has to be total, not partial. The loan defaults of the nationalised commercial banks make up 59.13 per cent of the total default. These banks belong in the public domain and not to private persons or groups. As a boy in pre-partition India, one heard about bania money lenders and sometimes one of our servants would borrow money from them. The recovery rate of these bania money lenders was excellent. And in this connection, there is the story of the man who on being pressed by his money lender told him that he did not have the money and you could not get blood out of a turnip. The money lender rolled up his sleeves and said: And what makes you think you are a turnip?. Perhaps, the time has come for the government to roll up its sleeves. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- How long can the PM delay the trade off? ------------------------------------------------------------------- M. Ziauddin ISLAMABAD: There is probably something in the Constitution itself which makes those occupying the respective offices of the president and the prime minister in Pakistan go on a collision course against each other without losing much time. President Zia had become wary of his hand-picked prime minister even before Junejo had completed his second year in the office. And by the end of the third year, he was out. Being already suspicious of each other it did not take Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Benazir Bhutto even one year to embark on a collision course and by the time the prime minister had survived the no-confidence motion, the president was well on the road to planning the ouster of the first Benazir government. As president and prime minister the GIK-Nawaz Sharif relations, dating back to 1980 when Nawaz became the finance minister of Punjab and Ghulam Ishaq was the finance minister at the centre, also could not survive more than two years. By the time prime minister Nawaz Sharif had started his third year in the office, he was well ahead on the confrontation course. One would not like to describe Farooq Leghari as the hand-picked president of prime minister Benazir Bhutto, but the understanding and mutual confidence the two had enjoyed over the last 15 years had created the perception that their relationship as president and prime minister would not be as fragile as that of Zia and Junejo who had come to know each other only after the former had chosen the latter as the leader of the non-party house in March 1985. But then, the unimaginable seems to have happened. In recent weeks an impression of a widening cleavage between the president and prime minister has surfaced. And they have yet to complete the third year of their respective tenures. The two, like their predecessors, also seem to have fallen to the guiles of their respective aides belonging to bureaucracy who normally assume, in their own personal interest, a loyalist role beyond the call of duty towards their respective political bosses and do not miss a single opportunity to project and promote the perceived interests of their respective bosses even at the cost of the Constitution and the system itself. But it would be too naive to blame the seeming disagreements between the president and the prime minister entirely on the Constitution and the loyalists. Some say the immediate provocation has been the induction of Nawaz Khokar in the cabinet. Others claim that the two had disagreed over a proposed ordinance legitimising raffle type funding for silver jubilee celebrations. Still, others attribute it to the consistent refusal of the first couple to accord due protocol to the president in their dealings with him. But none of it seems serious enough to force the president to take precipitate action. The prime minister has fallen into the habit of comparing her governments performance with that of Nawaz Sharifs rather than contrasting it with the promises she had made in her party manifesto at the time of 1993 polls. Also, instead of being perceived to be doing something about the complaints of corruption in her government she seems to be behaving as if the mandate that the nation gave to her party in October 1993 has conferred on her government the right to be corrupt as well. This is how many of the sympathetic critics of the prime minister seem to view the current situation. Possibly the president is also of the same view. And like these sympathetic critics, the president perhaps wants the prime minister to agree with this perception and start changing her over all attitude towards governance. A showdown in such a conflict usually ends in either of the two or both losing their respective constitutional positions as happened in the past. There is, however, one difference between the present case and the previous cases. And that difference is Benazir herself. She has shown that she can be extremely flexible whenever she wants to be. Remember the way she joined hands with the man who ousted her in 1990 to get the better of Nawaz Sharif in 1993? And then who would have thought that she would render a public apology on the floor of the assembly for arresting the aged father of Nawaz Sharif. She has already called on the sister of Farooq Leghari and her husband (one of presidents closest friends since his college days) along with Asif Zardari, perhaps as a first step towards mending fences with the president. She still has many more chips up her sleeve to bargain with for time to complete her tenure. For instance, she could buy time by agreeing to establish, at the right time, a truly independent and neutral election commission to ensure fair and free elections in 1998. She could also, at an appropriate time, agree to make it constitutionally impossible for a member of the assembly to change party loyalty without first resigning his seat. There are many other constitutional reforms on which there is a consensus between the two major parties and which the PM could introduce as a trade off for letting her complete her tenure. But the question is, how long can she delay this trade off without losing the value of her bargaining chips? DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Overcoming the AIDS crisis ------------------------------------------------------------------- Benazir Bhutto FOR a long time, AIDS seemed like a distant nightmare  a Western disease of little consequence to most Pakistanis. But now, as the AIDS epidemic continues to spread, its knocking on the doors of Asia, the worlds most populous continent... and Pakistan must be prepared. AIDS awareness has taken hold in the West, but Asians, with low levels of literacy, know little about this terrible disease. Given the inhibited nature of Asian societies and embarrassment at discussing intimate matters, the task of raising awareness about this disease is all the more difficult. And we are facing some staggering statistics. According to reports, Asians account for almost 5 million HIV-infected victims, with almost 90 per cent of these people living in India, Thailand, Burma and Cambodia. And AIDS is affecting everyone. In the West, AIDS was seen as a predominantly homosexual disease for a long time. But in Asia, it is claiming women and children as its targets, as well. Heterosexual contact and intravenous drug use are identified as the two main methods of AIDS transmission. The incidence of infection in metropolitan centres like Bombay, India, is frightening. Smaller Asian countries like Burma and Thailand have well over half a million infected cases each. But Thailand, the first Asian country to confront the AIDS challenge, has been winning its battle against the disease with a comprehensive safe-sex education programme. It is this Thai model that we must look to if we want to figure out what works and what does not in controlling the AIDS epidemic. We dont want to be taken by surprise in Pakistan, although to date we have emerged relatively unscathed. According to estimates by the World Health Organisation, HIV prevalence rates in Pakistan are relatively small compared to India and Thailand. In my country, we have some 40,000 cases of AIDS. Research indicates that the bulk of AIDS victims in our country contracted the disease through the use of intravenous drugs. We have almost a million and a half drug addicts in Pakistan, so getting our youth to beat their addiction is a top priority. And although Pakistanis share deep religious values discouraging sexual promiscuity, in our urban centres, heterosexual transmission is growing. The bottom line is that the world of today is a global village  no country is an island unto itself. And we in Pakistan need to create AIDS awareness to prevent a disease that has already taken a heavy toll in so many countries. As Dr Michael Merson of the WHO Global Programme said, We are still in the early stages of the epidemic in terms of the disease and the death it will cause. As prime minister, I have directed the government to lift the shroud of secrecy from this dreaded epidemic. Our government has allocated $2 million this year alone in our battle for AIDS prevention. We have targeted high-risk citizens and taught them how AIDS is spread and what they can do to prevent the transmission of the virus. Although religious and cultural sensitivity makes it difficult to widely advertise the use of condoms to prevent infection, we are targeting our education programmes on those most at risk, following the successful Thai pattern. We have established 30 HIV/AIDS screening centres around the country in only three years. We are making extraordinary efforts to require all blood banks in Pakistan to provide only tested, safe blood for transfusions. These efforts save us money in the long run, as I am told that the cost per patient comes to about $15,000. But beyond prevention, we must also do whatever we can to support those who have contracted the disease. We, as a world community, need to work together to bring down the cost of the drug treatments. We need to discuss whether, in a world of deregulation, pharmaceutical companies can be convinced to bring down the costs. And we need to strengthen international outfits, such as the World Health Organisation, in combating this modern- day plague. Over centuries, man and nature have been caught in a battle for control. As soon as we discover a cure for leprosy, we are confronted by the plague. As soon as the plague is cured, we are faced with tuberculosis. As soon as we discover antibiotics, we have to cope with the emergence of superbugs. But perhaps that is what life is all about  a continuous challenge to overcome new difficulties that arise with every decade and every century. Perhaps nature wants to test us... to test our will and our ability to forever conquer new heights. And most importantly, perhaps it is a test of our moral fibre, a challenge that will compel us to cast aside our selfish reasoning for a humane approach that is all-encompassing. Could it be that in the face of adversity, we can find true unity? It is the international communitys global responsibility  both moral and political  to ensure that the decisions concerning treatment are universal, irrespective of where we live, what we look like and how much money we have. Any other criteria would not only be immoral but would also give a new and devastating definition of have and have-nots. There are too many innocent lives at stake for us to simply look the other way.Copyright 1996 Dawn- Creators Syndicate, Inc.

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SPORTS

960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Chance for Pakistan to go 2-1 up ------------------------------------------------------------------- Monitoring Desk KARACHI, Sept 18: Pakistan bowlers set a perfect stage for their stroke- makers to bat to a 2-1 lead in the five-match series for the Sahara Cup at Toronto, Canada, on Wednesday. The slow bowlers, especially, exploited the difficult turning track to dismiss India for 191 on the final ball of the allotted 50 overs35 coming in the last five overs, including 17 from the 46th over. Wasim Akram claimed two wickets each in his two spells to finish with four for 35 from nine overs while Saqlain Mushtaq, despite been hit for 17 in his seventh over, finished with two for 45. Mushtaq Ahmad conceded 29 runs from his 10 overs and Waqar Younis sent down seven fine overs in his only spell in which he gave away 15 runs. Both India and Pakistan made one change each in their teams. Pakistan left out Inzamamul Haq who has a bad knee and brought in Salim Elahi while India opted for a third spinner by including off-spinner Aashish Kapoor for Saurav Ganguly. Skipper Wasim Akram provided Pakistan the best start dismissing Nayan Mongia in the first over and then accounting for his Indian counterpart Sachin Tendulkar off a brilliant catch at point by Aamir Sohail in the fifth over to leave India reeling at 14 for two. However, it were once again Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin who repaired the Indian innings by putting on 74 runs for the third wicket in 129 balls. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Demand for guarantee money unreasonable ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter LAHORE, Sept 18: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Majid Khan has said that guarantee money gained from foreign tours of the teams goes to the board and cannot be given to the players since they are looked after well and paid according to clearly laid-out terms and conditions. Replying to a question from this correspondent in an exclusive interview here on Wednesday afternoon Majid Khan said that a percentage of money offered by the sponsors for their logo used by the players on their kit had always been given to them and there was no confusion about that. Majid Khan said that Captain Wasim Akram came to meet him before the departure of the team to Canada and claimed that the players had been verbally promised to be paid 70 per cent out of the guarantee money for Sahara Cup matches as appearance fee by the former PCB chief executive. However, when PCB secretary Ghulam Mustafa Khan contacted Mr Arif Abbasi on telephone in Karachi he denied having made any commitment. While replying to another question, Majid Khan (himself having been a former captain and player of repute), said that the issue had again been raised by Wasim Akram on behalf of all the players. However, Tour Manager Mian Munir Ahmad and PCB secretary Ghulam Mustafa Khan (who is also in Toronto) told him and all the players that since the issue had been discussed in the PCB headquarters before the team arrived in Canada, so they thought that the matter had ended there and then. Majid Khan said that on being contacted on telephone, he had made it clear to all the team members that the demand of a share from guarantee money was unreasonable. He had said that the players were paid tour fees and enjoyed perks and benefits. If anybody insisted on getting the payment out of the guarantee money, he would be made the payment but that might be his last tour for Pakistan. We have to pay guarantee money to the teams visiting Pakistan and offer them all facilities on reciprocal basis. We also have to meet other necessary expenses and run cricket. In Fact, PCB needs a lot of money to launch its promotional programmes and it should not be coerced by such demands, concluded the great batsman and off-spinner of yesteryears. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Pakistani fighters in boxing finals ------------------------------------------------------------------- Samiul Hasan KARACHI, Sept 18: Asghar Ali Shah, an extremely promising ring warrior, led the charge of nine more Pakistanis into the finals of the KPT Cadet and Junior International Boxing Championship with the first knock-out of the inaugural event at the Benazir Sports Complex here on Wednesday. Asghar, fighting in the junior 57 kg category, delivered a flurry of hard left and right jabs on the face of his opponent Sang Hu Chung which threw the Korean on the canvas in the second round in a state of unconsciousness. The Korean failed to regain his feet before the 10 count to leave the young Pakistan fighter and the cheering spectators ecstatic. Even when the Korean got to his feet, he was tumbling like a long tree waving during a storm. Chung was helped out of the arena by his apparently concerned coach. Besides an impressive Asghar Ali Shah, eight more Pakistanis won their bouts to take the tally of home representation in the finals to 13. The 13 home boxers will vie for 30 gold medals that will be decided on Friday after Thursdays rest day. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960919 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Countrys world rankers to play in PIA Open squash ------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Majid Khan KARACHI, Sept 18: Reigning world squash champion, Jansher Khan, and other world renowned players of the country will be seen in action in the big prize money PIA Open, which gets underway here on Sept 26 at the PIA Jahangir Khan Squash Complex. Addressing a Press conference at the venue of the coming championship this afternoon, Mr Muzaffar Talpur, General Manager, PIA , Sports, announced that world number one Jansher Khan, the title holder who has been top seeded in the PIA Open, has already confirmed his participation in the coming event. Other world renowned stars, taking part in the championship, are Zarak Jahan Khan (Seeded 2nd), Mir Zaman Gul(3), Zubair Jahan Khan ( 4th ), Umer Zaman ( 5th ) Kumail Mahmood ( 6th ) , Shamsul Islam Kakar (7th) and Sohail Qaiser (8th), said Talpur who is chief of the PIA section handling squash. Except Umer Zaman , who belongs to the Pakistan Air force, all other seeded players are serving in the PIA. Talpur stated the PIA Open Squash Championship prize money this year has been increased from Rs 60,000 to Rs 1,20,000 and two junior events-under-14 and under-16, have been included to provide competitions to the youngsters as well. The event wise break up of prize money is-Rs 80,000 for PIA Open, Rs 20,000 each for under-14 and under-16. The winner of 32-man PIA open will get a cash prize of Rs14,000 and runnerup Rs 9,000 while the champions of junior under-14 and under-16 events, which will be 16-player draws, will receive Rs 4000 each and the runners-up Rs 2800 each, said the General Manager. Mr Munawwar Suharwardy, Sports Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister, will inaugurate the five-day championship on Sept 26 at 3 p.m. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 960917 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sportfishing contest ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, Sept 16: The sea coast of Karachi will once again be the fishing grounds for salt water anglers to win over 20 glittering trophies in the TKO96 sportfishing tournament. The tournament entry is open for anglers of both sex, including children above eight years of age. The participants must arrange their own fishing boats. No member of the tournament organising committee is eligible for participation. In its seventh year, the TKO96 expects plenty of entries. Last year a record of 182 anglers in 45 boats participated. All team boats will fly TKO flags and anglers will wear T-shirts and caps with the tournament logo.

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