-------------------------------------------------------------------
DAWN WIRE SERVICE
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Week Ending : 21 November 1996 Issue : 02/47
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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
===================================================================
Haqqani blames ex-PM
PDF exists no more, says Chattha
Caretaker govt plans census in January
Leghari outlines priorities
Govt officers asked to declare assets
Pakistanis abroad want voting rights
Benazir rejects accountability law
Imran says he has great chance of becoming PM
LHC stops CDA from backing out of New Islamabad City
$100m missing in sub deal: report
---------------------------------
Wasteful projects, expenses to be axed
No probe into foreign currency accounts
President assures policies continuity
Series of economic reforms next month, says Burki
Privatisation: Karachi airport first on the list
Imported technology, traditional architecture
Why development projects fail to deliver
Stocks fail to consolidate overnight textile-led rally
---------------------------------------
Constitutionally, legally, and lawfully? Ardeshir Cowasjee
The roar of the paper tigers Ayaz Amir
Punishing the corrupt Sultan Ahmed
-----------
Pakistan dominates world squash but a question mark looms ahead
Ten tied games in 1-day internationals
Pakistan snatch dramatic win to lift trophy in Sharjah
Champion to get $ 21,000
World Cup no longer a ticket to Olympics
Jansher in semis
===================================================================
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
===================================================================
961121
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Haqqani blames ex-PM
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: Information Minister Irshad Ahmad Haqqani has blamed Ms
Benazir Bhutto for the deterioration of relations between her and President
Leghari and said he had joined the interim set-up because he had felt
dismayed over the performance of the PPP government.
In a newspaper article, the renowned Urdu columnist spoke of President
Leghari as courteous and not at all ambitious, with propriety and
sobriety ... ingrained in his demeanour.
Once, Mr Haqqani asked the President to publicly admonish the government,
but Mr Leghari replied, Would it not be better instead that I should
quietly, at personal level, persuade the PM to realise the need for mending
matters because open criticism would give an impression of instability of
the government, and I want to avoid that?
I honestly believe, said Mr Haqqani that the responsibility for
vitiating the relations lies squarely with the former prime minister.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961115
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PDF exists no more, says Chattha
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
LAHORE, Nov 14: PML(J) President Hamid Nasir Chattha has said the PDF
stands dispensed with for all practical purposes and a fresh alliance needs
to be negotiated with the PPP.
The PDF was an alliance for a particular period of time and for a
particular objective which has now lost currency under the present
circumstances, he said here on Thursday.
But, he clarified, he did not mean that his party had anything against the
PPP or that a future alliance with it was out of the question. What I want
to say is that terms for a future electoral alliance and political co-
operation with the PPP need to be spelled out afresh , for which I am in
constant touch with Benazir Bhutto.
Mr Chattha said he had met Ms Bhutto four times since her government was
dismissed. These meetings took place not only because courtesy so
demanded, in view of our cooperation in the last three years or so, but
also because the political situation warrants that we should be consulting
each other, he added.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961118
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Caretaker govt plans census in January
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohammad Malick
ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The caretaker government is contemplating the holding of
national census in the first fortnight of January 1997, it was reliably
learnt here on Sunday.
In a summary submitted to President Farooq Leghari for approval, it has
been proposed that the exercise, spread over two days, could be completed
with full assistance of the armed forces and other agencies and the results
and other connected issues can be dealt with over a period of time. The
summary, however, clarifies that the coming general elections would have to
be conducted on the basis of the last held census of 1981.
While conceding that normally such an exercise would require at least 10
months of preparation, the summary points out that the holding of census by
the caretaker government would be, one of the few important, ground-
breaking initiatives to put the national census issue, in a proper
perspective.
The summary narrating a horde of advantages for the caretaker government
says: The initiation of this project will help us immensely. For one it
will keep the parties/politicians busy; divert the attention of the general
public from the insinuations/abuse aroused by the petitioners before the
courts during the hearings on the issue of Article 58- 2(b); diffuse some
of the likely adverse press reporting against the President.
Secondary, the summary says, it will provide jobs/occupation for a large
number of people both men and women, thus temporarily easing the
unemployment pressure, much to the credit of interim government.
Realising the paucity of time, the summary underlines the importance of
conducting it anyhow. It states: The census drill if carried out normally
will require about ten months i.e. one month for training/employment of 0.5
million workers and printing of forms, three months for data collection,
three months for data compilation, two months for sample test/objections
and one month for the printing of the results. This exercise, if carried
out in earnest can be perhaps compressed in 5-6 months, depending upon the
effort in the exercise. The summary continues: Because of the time frame
involved, it is proposed that the census exercise may be undertaken in
earnest and the census may be held in the 1-2 week of January 1997, spread
over two days.
According to a highly placed source the names of Mr Javed Akram and Dr
Akhtar Hassan have been proposed as chief census commissioner and
secretary, respectively of the project.
The source added that an influential lobby was also promoting the
candidature of Mr Altaf Gauhar as the minister in charge, but owing to his
reputed closeness with a particular political party his nomination appears
a long shot.
The summary has also proposed that one public figure from each province
must be taken as member and due representation must be given to,
Pathan/Baloch divide in Balochistan and Mohajir/Sindhi divide in Sindh.
It goes on to warn, Care has to be taken in publicising the project so
that it is not visualised as delaying tactics for the February elections.
For this some key politicians may have to be taken into confidence.
The political advantages of conducting the census which has been delayed
for the last two and half decades notwithstanding, it remains a daunting
task because of the inherent political complications. In the past political
governments had shirked away from the responsibility because a fresh census
is bound to result in redesignation of seats to different provinces on the
basis of the new population count and this would translate into altered
provincial shares in the divisible pool, where funds allocations are made
on the basis of population.
Also, with a new census some provinces could see their number of
legislative seats dwindling while others are bound to register an increase.
Then a visible reduction is also expected in the number of rural seats both
in Sindh and Punjab and such shifts would easily change the political
complexion of the country for decades to come.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961119
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Leghari outlines priorities
-------------------------------------------------------------------
M. Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: President Farooq Leghari on Monday endorsed in its
totality the foreign policy of the previous government and said that the
deposed prime minister had used this highly successful policy even for the
promotion of the countrys economic interests.
The president said there was nothing wrong with the foreign policy of the
previous government and expressed his total commitment to pursue more
vigorously what the dismissed government had been doing on the Kashmir,
Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran fronts. On the economic front, he said
while it was courageous of the former prime minister to resort to heavy
taxation year after year, she had miserably failed to control the
expenditure.
On the one hand these heavy taxes were inelastic and inequitable and on the
other the collection agencies were corrupt which resulted in lower than
targeted revenue income, the president explained.
In his opening remarks the president referred to the fact that the economy
related ECC and cabinet decisions used to be taken by the previous
government to oblige friends and cronies.
He said due to economic mismanagement, the country had come to a precarious
point and if things had been allowed to go on as they were for some time
more, recovery would have become impossible. He extended his full support
to the idea of making everybody who earned taxable income to pay taxes
irrespective of the source including the agricultural income.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961119
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Govt officers asked to declare assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The Establishment Division has extended the last date
for filing of declaration of assets for year 1995 upto Nov 30, a government
official said. All government officers in Grade 17 and above are required
under the rules to annually file a declaration of their assets.
The official said most of the officers consider filing declaration of
assets an annual ritual. He said the last date for filing these
declarations was fixed for November 12 but even by that date approximately
60 per cent had filed their statements.
Now the Establishment Division has made it clear that no further extension
will be given to the officers and directed the secretaries of the concerned
ministries to take disciplinary action under Efficiency and Discipline
Rules against those officers who fail to submit their statements by Nov
30, he said.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961118
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistanis abroad want voting rights
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Our Correspondent
KUWAIT CITY, Nov 17: Pakistani expatriates in Kuwait have urged the
Pakistan government to give them the right to vote in the next general
elections scheduled for February 3. It is a very old demand which surfaces
at the time of elections in the country.
However, all political and non-political groups of expatriate community
here are unanimous in this demand. Pakistani organisations are planning to
send a memorandum, signed by a large number of Pakistanis, to the caretaker
Prime Minister Meraj Khalid urging them to provide them with the right to
vote. A similar memorandum was send to Islamabad in 1993.
There are about 3.5 million Pakistanis living abroad mainly in the Middle
East, Britain and the United States. In 1993, two overseas Pakistanis from
Britain, Miss Yasmin Khan and Mr Asif Khan filed a petition in the Supreme
Court on the plea that the denial of a right to vote to the overseas
Pakistanis was a violation of the human right granted by Article 17 of the
Constitution.
A full bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice Dr Nasim Hasan
Shah, Mr Justice Shafiur Rahman, Mr Justice Abdul Qadeer Chaudhry, Mr
Justice Ajmal Mian and Mr Justice Fazal Ilahi Khan, heard the petition and
asked the federal government and the Election Commission to examine ways to
facilitate eligible Pakistani voters living abroad to exercise their right
of franchise.
The court was told that the remittances of foreign exchange from abroad by
such Pakistanis far exceeded the receipt of aid or financial credit from
any other single source. In recognition of their massive financial
contribution to the economic life of the country and their deep interest in
countrys welfare, progress and prosperity, it is necessary that the
required facility should be extended to them to exercise their right of
franchise. The Court was also told about the Constitutional practice of the
United States, Britain, New Zealand and Canada in granting their
expatriates the right to vote.
The Supreme Court rejected a plea by the Attorney General that election
laws have no extra territoriality. The court in its judgement said: The
constitution already provides that obedience to the Constitution and the
law is the obligation of every citizen wherever he may be. This subjects
the Pakistanis living abroad to the laws of the land even those which do
not have extra-territoriality.
The Court said that the provisions on the subject contained in other
comparable federal constitutions may be examined and appropriate steps
taken to facilitate the eligible Pakistanis votes living abroad to exercise
their right to vote.
The issue of a right to vote for the overseas Pakistanis was first raised
in early seventies in Britain when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the prime
minister. At that time, the number of Pakistanis living abroad was the
largest in Britain and whenever, any minister used to visit Britain, he was
urged to allow the right to vote and also giving the overseas Pakistanis
special representation in the Senate and the National Assembly.
Benazir Bhutto, during her self-exile in Britain, always pleaded the cause
of the overseas Pakistanis on the right of vote. However, when she came to
power in 1988 and again in 1993, she ignored the demand.
Mian Nawaz Sharif, when he was in opposition, had supported the idea but
when he came to power in 1990, he also failed to take any positive steps in
this regard.
In view of Overseas Pakistanis demand for a right to vote at the time of
the 1993 general elections, Pakistans Election Commission, was asked by
the foreign ministry to examine the issue. The Election Commission told the
Foreign Ministry that the existing laws do not provide for the facility of
postal ballot to the Pakistanis living abroad as these laws do not have
extra-territorial application. The commission added that the facility of
postal ballot has been extended by law to the government servants serving
in Pakistan.
The statement of the ousted interior minister Naseerullah Babar reflected
the thinking of the government in this regard in an interview with the Urdu
News of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in November 1995, Mr Babar said that giving
right of vote to overseas Pakistanis would not be an appropriate step
because in that case the formation of the government in Pakistan would
become dependent on their votes.
He added that the number of Pakistanis living overseas is very large and
the whole nation would suffer they were given a right to vote.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961120
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Benazir rejects accountability law
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Faraz Hashmi
ISLAMABAD, Nov 19: Deposed prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Tuesday
rejected the accountability ordinance recently promulgated by President
Farooq Leghari and termed it as an attempt to blackmail the bureaucracy and
the parliament.
Ms Benazir Bhutto was talking to newsmen here at a dinner hosted in her
honour by the Speaker of the National Assembly Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.
Party sources claimed that 114 members of the dissolved assembly attended
the dinner.
I am against concentration of powers in the president, she said adding
that Pakistan was conceived as a parliamentary democracy. She said the
Supreme Court in the Mian Nawaz Sharifs case had also endorsed the view.
Ms Bhutto said the president who already had the powers to dissolve the
National Assembly now wanted to assume more powers to disqualify members of
the parliament and take action against the bureaucracy.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961118
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Imran says he has great chance of becoming PM
-------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON, Nov 17: Pakistans cricketing legend Imran Khan said Sunday he had
a great chance of becoming the countrys next prime minister after
announcing last week he would contest his countrys general election.
Khan said in an interview on BBC-television his Movement for Justice party
would seek to rid Pakistan of corruption.
Khan, whose party was founded six months ago, said: I believe we have a
great chance - the reason being that the entire country wants a change.
Theyve seen these politicians over and over again coming to promise the
Earth.
When the time comes for election, they use any sort of slogan whether it
is Islam, socialism, all sorts of slogans have been used and people have
realised that their only ideology is self-interest.
I think now we present an alternative of Pakistan people who are clean,
who are professionals who are not professional politicians, but
professionals who excelled in their own professions, Khan told the BBC.
I think thats a better alternative in Pakistan - for the first time the
people will have a choice.
Khan said accountability should be conducted by the Supreme Court rather
than parliamentary committees which protect each other.
Corruption in Pakistan has reached a stage where everything is unworkable
now, he said. Its impossible to conduct any business activity. Any
investment coming in is stopped because of this enormous corruption.
He added: Both parties are corrupt - so if one party is exposed or a
member of one party is exposed, chances are that the others will be exposed
too.AFP
Our ISLAMABAD bureau adds: Tehreek-e-Insaf led by former cricket star Imran
Khan has strongly condemn an attack by PPP workers on the party office in
Karachi on Saturday. Such undemocratic behaviour is indeed reflective of
the party leaderships undemocratic ethos, central information secretary
of Tehreek Nasim Zahara told a press conference on Friday. She alleged that
the Tehreek workers were being threatened and intimidated in Sindh. She ask
the election commission of Pakistan to take note of these excesses and
ensure protection of the life and property of all men and women involved in
politics.
Tehreek-e-Insaf believes that at a time when ethnic, sectarian and
political violence is on the rise, it is foremost duty of political leaders
to encourage tolerance in society, she added.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961118
-------------------------------------------------------------------
LHC stops CDA from backing out of New Islamabad City
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench) on Sunday
stopped the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the National Housing
Authority (NHA) from taking any action in extension of cabinet decision
regarding the New Islamabad City project.
The cabinet had directed the CDA and NHA on Thursday to distant themselves
from the project which it termed as dubious.
The government considers it a dubious project, Haqqani had told reporters
at a briefing adding that an inquiry had been ordered to look in to the
entire project.
The cabinet had also asked the state-run television to stop telecasting
advertisement of Islamabad New City project on the government-run
television.
The consortium of foreign investors today filed a constitutional petition
in the court of Justice Munir A. Sheikh challenging the validity of
Information Ministers statement. The foreign investors maintained that the
federation cannot back out from its commitment in Islamabad New City
project or retrace its steps. Neither the CDA nor the NHA can turn around
from their solemn commitment made to them under joint venture agreements
nor the federal government have the authority to give any such direction to
these organisations, the petitioners counsel Akram Sheikh maintained.
The CDA and NHA are 20 percent partners in the joint venture without any
equity. The scheme was conceived when Zafar Iqbal, presently Chairman
Overseas Pakistanis Foundation was heading the NHA. He had reportedly asked
all the statutory bodies to buy plots in the new city project. Then he
manoeuvred and became the chairman of the Capital Development Authority
where he also allowed to open a project office of the Islamabad New City
within the CDA office.
Zafar Iqbal, as CDA chairman, held several news conferences where he
assured the people that their money was being handled by the CDA and thus
totally safe. The project was to spread over an area of 100,000 kanals but
the management has so far acquired around 10,000 kanals of land in small
tracts.
Haqqani had told reporters that CDA and NHA heads who allowed to use the
name of their organisations for this dubious project would also be asked to
explain their position. An official source told Dawn that the matter would
be considered in detail at tomorrows cabinet meeting.
The management of Islamabad New City project also released front-page
advertisements in local dailies with a catching headline saying The
Information Minister is wrong.
The advertisement issued by Popham Haik, a foreign legal consultant hired
by the project management, rejected the scurrilous inference of the
Information Minister that the sponsors of the project would flee the
country. The advertisement made it clear that the financial and regulatory
control of the deposits was in the hand of CDA and the NHA.
It said that legal notice was being served to Irshad Haqqani.
CANCELLATION OF PLOTS: Meanwhile, apparently, encouraged by the step
taken by the Islamabad New City project management against the federal
government, several members of the ousted National Assembly are also
considering to challenge the cabinet decision of cancelling their allotment
of plots in the court.
The Cabinet on Thursday had cancelled allotment of land which was allotted
by the CDA to the Parliamentarians Co-operative Housing Society near the
Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad.
Many ruling and opposition parties members had applied for the plots and
deposited the money.
Information Minister Irshad Haqqani had claimed that the Parliamentary
Housing Society was given land at a rate which was at least one-tenth of
the prevailing market.
Some ousted assembly members, who asked not to be named, said that CDA had
given land to many co-operative societies in the federal capital to develop
housing colonies. They said that like any other group of citizens, they had
formed the co-operative housing society under the law and hence were
eligible for plots like any other person. I am hopeful that if we take
this to court, we will be able to force the cabinet to revert its
decision, one member said.
The cabinet had also cancelled the allotment of 12 acres of land which was
given free of cost for the establishment of a private cardiac hospital in
Islamabad. The CDA was to become a partner in the hospital and had given
the land as its equity.
Legal experts said that if the CDA had signed an agreement with the party,
it would be difficult for it to back out.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961121
-------------------------------------------------------------------
$100m missing in sub deal: report
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Nov 20: At least $100 million just vanished in the one billion
dollar submarines purchase deal from France, finalised by former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhuttos office, Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday.
In a detailed report on Pakistan and the situation which led to the
dismissal of the Benazir government, the paper called the submarines
purchase as the most audacious scandal of the previous government, for
sheer size.
This scandal was the alleged misallocation of some $120 million as part of
the $1 billion deal.
Quoting a retired senior military officer who helped negotiate the three
subs deal, the Journal said Ms Bhuttos government vetoed a special
committees recommendation to buy proven Swedish subs, in favour of
untested French technology at a higher price.
When the defence ministry questioned a $120 million charge in the sales
contract for un-itemised spare parts, the PMs office intervened to
finalise the deal itself, the paper quoted the retired military official
as saying.
It said since her ouster a team of prosecutors had begun investigating
dozens of financial irregularities, many involving the granting of
financial contracts and special favours to political insiders.
Giving one example, the Journal said, a $400 million tax exemption was
given this year, over the objections of the national tax authority, to a
cement company owned by a key Benazir ally.
The paper said: Speculating on just how much Ms Bhutto knew of her
husbands alleged financial dealings is a favourite parlour game in
Pakistan.
Many Pakistanis believe she was blinded by her love for him while others,
including a former aide to the prime minister, say the exacting Ms Bhutto
knew everything.
Pakistan, the paper said, had a long history of corruption but it quoted
business executives saying the recent Bhutto government was among the
worst perpetrators.
*******************************************************************
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. Preference will be given to candidates with proven
skills in the management of a large network and security systems.
* We have immediate openings in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
* Competitive salary and benefits, and an exciting work environment
await the successful candidates.
send your resume to
by e-mail : ak@xiber.com
by fax : +92(21) 568-1544
by post :
Dr. Altamash Kamal, CEO
Xibercom Pvt. Ltd
2nd Floor, Haroon House
Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road
Karachi 74200, Pakistan
http://xiber.com
===================================================================
961121
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasteful projects, expenses to be axed
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 : The caretaker government has decided to abandon all
wasteful projects and expenditures to reduce heavy budget deficit.
Informed sources told Dawn here on Wednesday that the prime ministers
adviser on finance, planning and economic affairs, Shahid Javed Burki, had
asked the ministry of finance to immediately stop funding all wasteful
projects and expenditures so as to cut the growing budget deficit.
New instructions, the sources said, had been given by Mr Burki to achieve 4
per cent GDP budget deficit by all means during the current financial year
as had been agreed with the International Monetary Fund.
The sources said that it had been decided that at least Rs 2 billion would
be collected as agricultural income tax during 1996-97. Punjab governor
will shortly promulgate an ordinance through which the tax would be
collected, said an official , adding that the other three provinces had
already adopted a bill in this regard.
This issue had been decided after Mr Burki held talks with the authorities
of three provinces during the last two days, the sources said.
Levying of agricultural income tax was one of the major conditionaliites of
the IMF , which had to be implemented by the caretaker government to get
two tranches of 160 million dollars in December, besides concluding a new
extended Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) of about 1.6 billion dollars
during forthcoming visit of Mr Burki to Washington, the sources added. In
case Pakistan abided by its commitment made to the IMF, it would have
additional 500 to 600 million dollars from the Fund, the World Bank and the
Asian Development Bank, the sources further said.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961121
-------------------------------------------------------------------
No probe into foreign currency accounts
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: Pakistan government has no plans whatsoever to probe
into foreign currency accounts of the citizens both in and outside the
country.
Some people have tried to create an impression that the caretaker
government will probe into the foreign currency accounts of citizens of
Pakistan resident in Pakistan or outside Pakistan, a spokesman of the
ministry of finance said here on Wednesday.
He quoted Section 5 of the Protection of Economic Reforms Ordinance 1991
which provides full protection to the holders of foreign currency accounts
by citizens living in Pakistan or outside the country.
The law remains on the statute book and has not been amended, modified or
repealed. There is, therefore, no question of any probe into the foreign
currency accounts of the citizens of Pakistan. The government has no
intention of repealing the relevant provisions of law and reneging on its
commitment, the spokesman further stated.
He also mentioned four clauses of the Economic Reforms Ordinance of 1991
which said, : All citizens of Pakistan resident in Pakistan or outside
Pakistan who holds foreign currency accounts in Pakistan and all other
persons who hold such accounts, shall continue to enjoy immunity against
any inquiry from the Income Tax Department or another taxation authority or
law enforcement agency as to the source of financing of the foreign
currency accounts; the balances in the foreign currency accounts and income
therefrom shall continue to remain exempted from the levy of Wealth Tax and
Income Tax and compulsory deduction of Zakat at source; the banks shall
maintain complete secrecy in respect of transactions in the foreign
currency accounts; and the State Bank of Pakistan or other banks shall not
impose any restrictions on deposits or on withdrawals from the foreign
currency accounts and restrictions if any shall stand withdrawn forthwith,
he added.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961117
-------------------------------------------------------------------
President assures policies continuity
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 16: The World Bank Vice President and Advisor to the Prime
Minister, Shahid Javed Burki, has said that President Farooq Leghari has
assured continuity of policies being framed by the team of economists to
revitalise the economy even after the February 3 polls.
Recalling his association in the last caretaker set up of Moeen Qureshi
when efforts to bring structural changes wasted after induction of the
newly-elected government, Mr Burki said the president has assured that
during his remaining tenure of two years he would take responsibility to
implement the structural and financial reforms. We are sure that this time
our efforts will not be wasted.
He said the economic situation had already started improving from what it
was 10 days back following the actions taken by the caretaker government.
We are working on stabilisation and structural reforms and macro economic
stability and we are sure the situation will improve further as the days go
by.
Mr Burki was highlighting salient features of the economic situation and
the economic agenda of the caretaker government before a select gathering
of diplomats, leaders of business and multinational firms, after a lunch
hosted by Sindh Governor Kamal Azfar at the Governors House on Saturday.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961117
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Series of economic reforms next month, says Burki
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 16: Eleven task forces have been formed by the caretaker
government which will give recommendations in various fields of the
national economy and on economic issues by the end of this month.
Releasing the list of these task forces at a businessmen meeting of the
Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry here on Saturday
morning, the Caretaker Prime Ministers Advisor on Finance and Economic
Affairs, Mr Shahid Javed Burki, indicated that the caretaker government
would announce series of reforms package next month.
These reform packages would be based on the recommendations to be finalised
by the task forces in which businessmen are represented or would be given
representation, he added.
The Task Force on Corporate Law Authority is headed by Mr Irtiza Hussain,
Accelerated Privatisation by Dr Salman Shah, Public Expenditure Review by
Dr Hafiz A. Pasha, Fiscal Federalism by Mian Tayyab Hassan, National
Renewal Fund by Syed Abida Hussain, Fiscal Reforms by Dr Hafiz A Pasha,
Tariff Reforms by Dr Muhammad Zubair, review of discretionary powers vested
in ministries and divisions by Mr Saeed Ahmad Qureshi, strengthening of
regulatory functions of the State Bank of Pakistan by Dr Muhammad Yaqub and
provision of urban services by Mr Tasneem Ahmad Siddiqui.
Mr Burki, who came to the FPCCI along with caretaker Commerce Minister Dr
Zubair Ahmad Khan, informed the businessmen of the initiatives being taken
by them to what he said revitalisation of the national economy and to
introduce basic structural changes in the system that no future government
would be able to reverse.
He made it clear that the interim government would achieve all the
objectives within 90 days out of which now 78 days remain.
We are carrying out these reforms with support of the IMF, the Advisor,
who is also an official of the World Bank, declared and said that support
of the Fund and international community is very reassuring.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Privatisation: Karachi airport first on the list
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtasham ul Haque
WITH the caretaker government extending the scope of privatisation, work on
privatising airports and shipping organisations has started. A decision has
been taken to privatise the Karachi airport first.
Adviser on finance, planning, and economic affairs Shahid Javed Burki is
said to have given the go-ahead signal for early privatisation of all the
airports and public shipping companies with a view to lessening the
governments budgetary burden.
The caretakers, it is said, would follow the previous governments policies
regarding reduction in debt burden by selling government-owned enterprises.
It is said that 75-80 per cent of the privatisation funds would be used for
retiring the debt burden as has been agreed with the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund(IMF).
The idea of including big organisations like airports for privatisation was
personally floated by the Prime Ministers Adviser, Mr. Shahid Javed Burki.
He reportedly got the idea approved from President Farooq Ahmed Leghari
before taking over his new assignment. This was in this context that he
negotiated a number of issues with the World Bank and the IMF officials
before arriving here from Washington.
The privatisation of all of the countrys major airports could yield Rs. 50
to 60 billion even if they were sold at a throw-away prices. Karachi
airport, which would be privatised on a priority basis, would fetch the
maximum price. Officials said Rs. 5 billion was spent on the construction
of the Jinnah Terminal alone.
The ministry of finance is finalising its own evaluation for the
Privatisation Commission under the guidance of Shahid Javed Burki.
The airport would be privatised as soon as possible and the ground is being
enterprises prepared for other bigger organisations like the Heavy
Mechanical Complex (HMC), Heavy Rebuild Factory, Heavy Electrical
Complex(HEC) Machine Tool Factory and the Pakistan Steel Mills.
The officials of the ministry of finance have confirmed that cases against
a number of top people in the Steel Mills including its acting chairman
Usman Farooqi were being finalised for their alleged involvement in
corruption and financial mismanagement.
Mr. Burki is said to have discussed this issue with the caretaker Prime
Minister Meraj Khalid who then asked the Minister for Production to look
into the allegations so that their cases could be sent for prosecution to
courts and tribunals.
Insiders said that after the privatisation of airports Pakistan Steel Mills
and the Peoples Steel would be privatised. An assessment has been made
that the real potential of the PSM has not been explored during the last
many years and on the contrary things had deteriorated to an alarming
extent.
Investigators were reportedly busy asking Asif Zardari about various shady
deals including Mirage 2000-5 and embezzlement in the Pakistan Steel Mills.
Insiders said that he had been asked questions about his alleged patronage
to Usman Farooqi for undertaking frivolous and uneconomic deals in the
Mills.
The officials said that investigation against the acting chairman has also
stated though nobody still knew about his whereabouts. some said he has
left the country while others are believed he had gone into hiding.
Sources said that the caretakers had decided to privatise all the major
public sector organisations with a sole purpose of removing growing
corruption there. A study is also being conducted as to how soon the PIA
could be privatised which too has started suffering losses due to wrong
polices and overstaffing.
In the banking sector, the United Bank will go to the private sector within
a couple of weeks. Officials said that as per instructions of Mr. Burki,
this bank should be sold out within next few weeks specially when all the
exercises about it have already been completed. A potential buyer would be
found out for the purpose and it was said that whosoever would be in a
position to inject $250 million 300 million in the UBL would be given
preference. In this regard the caretakers are said to have expressed their
satisfaction over the arrangement earlier made.
Then the plan is to sell the Habib Bank in a record time. The officials of
the Privatisation Commission have been directed to accelerate their efforts
so that all the major public sector entities could be privatised and funds
received and spent on retiring debts.
Caretaker Prime Minister Meraj Khalid, addressing federal secretaries in a
closed meeting is said to have discussed with them the issue of corruption
specially in the public sector corporations.
He invited suggestions from them how to remove the menace of corruption. He
said he had received guidelines from the President on the subject. He said
that special teams were collecting information and proof about those who
had been involved in corruption so that cases against them could be filed
in courts.
Sources said the Prime Minister was aware that although there was a little
time at his disposal, he would still like to clear the mess, specially by
removing corruption and punishing them in record time.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Imported technology, traditional architecture
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Khalil K. Pirani
TODAY, ASIAN cities with booming economies and increasing demands for
development are constructing high-rise towers and skyscrapers. It is only a
matter of a few years when countries like Pakistan will be flooded with
construction companies and designers building tall structures.
However, what is called for is a balance between the latest architectural
technology and preservation of local traditions and cultural values.
The Sears tower in Chicago was the highest building in the USA for quite
some time until recently when the under-construction twin towers in
Malaysia designed by Cesar Pelli has been titled as worlds tallest towers.
It is expected that in near future Shanghai and Hong Kong will be receiving
tall buildings and taking away the short-lived title of tallest building
from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
Within a decade it is expected that many more Asian Muslim societies will
be building tall structures. Buildings with taller heights are now possible
due to new developments in a number of factors: high strength concrete of
about 12,000 to 16,000 psi, improved technology to pump concrete at high
elevations, better formwork systems, and increased strengths of structural
steel.
Asian countries have been a good venue for Western engineers and architects
to express their feats, challenges, and design capabilities. the Asian
clients enjoy the development, success and titles to own tall buildings of
the world. In this whole exercise, there is one danger and that is to
shatter the cultural and traditional values of the society.
Just as the Arab countries discovered overnight the buried treasure in
their territory and hosted fast development over a matter of two decades,
Asians have been exposed to rapid development and increased real estate
needs over the last few years. Asian countries have a living example of
Arab countries to learn from, not to get involved in building structures
which have no relation to the local building environment. Muslims have
always cherished contemporary advancement and Islam encourages search for
new solutions and technological developments. In doing so the local
architects, clients, and governmental agencies have to safeguard their
interests. For Western designers, there are excellent opportunities to
express design capabilities and market their business. It is up to the
locals to educate the foreign designers about the cultural values,
lifestyles, traditional needs and be demanding about what they want.
One could go a step further and advise the local architects to be demanding
about learning the imported technology so they can use it themselves in
future. This can be a condition set forth before the award of the
commission. Chinese clients are known to do so. This has to be done
intelligently and carefully. It is up to the local architects and designers
to search for the fine balance between technology and accommodate cultural
values. There is no obvious answer to this question. There is no single
solution to this complex phenomenon. Change will occur and new technology
will transmit into new societies. Architects and designers need to be
equipped with this notion of tall structures.
It has been observed that Western designers use superficial concepts such
as a geometry of plans of skyscrapers and relate it to certain local
traditional notion. Or, they would cap off the top of the skyscraper with
traditional roof structure. Ultimately the skyscraper ends up looking
similar to the one in Chicago or New York or Dallas. Some other questions
that require addressing are: what should a technologically advanced
building look like in an Islamic country? Does the technologically advanced
building always have to be a tall building? Are tall buildings the only
evidence of progress and development? Do they all have to have materials
such as glass, granite, steel, and aluminium or they can utilise local
materials? How can we integrate our cultural values and blend it with the
strengths of Western technology? What can be drawn from our history and
applied in contemporary language to retain the essence of our culture?
Islam encourages the use of intellect in all aspects of life and are the
skyscrapers in Muslim societies a result of vigorous intellectual search?
How well do these 80-storey high building blend in a fabric that is two- or
four-storied?
One good example that comes to mind is the Aga Khan Hospital and Medical
University built in Pakistan. It contains sophisticated medical equipment
and state-of-the-art technology but at the same time it blends well with
the local environment of Sindh. Such a satisfying design outcome is result
of vigorous intellectual search by the architect and by the client. The
question raised in the above para are complex and difficult to answer.
There is no single solution to these questions. It is the responsibility of
each Muslim architect and designer to have a personal search within himself
or herself and ask what is a perfect blend of technology and traditional
architecture. This may not be the need today but within few years as
economy improves and as needs increase, Pakistani architect and designers
will be faced with this dilemma. Intellect is an integral part of every
Muslim and we must ask the touch questions of how and what can we draw from
our history and tradition and blend it with the strengths of Western
technology? This has to be done with proper judgement and wisdom. Our
intellectual search should dictate how science and technology can be
mastered and molded to best serve our needs and not vice versa.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Why development projects fail to deliver
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Noman Ahmed
GIVEN the gravity of the news on major urban and regional development
projects, it appears that they have sunk into oblivion never to surface
again. None of the projects that were initiated in the remote or recent
past is progressing, not even inching forward.
The Karachi Mass Transit Project, Lyari Expressway, Karachi Northern
Bypass, Bagh-e-Ibne Qasim, Karachi Zoo Upgradation, Safari Park
Development, housing schemes at Hawkes Bay Town, Shah Latif Town, and
upgradation of power supply network, flyovers at major intersections,
shifting/re- development of Karachi Central Prison and Sabzi Mandi as well
as Mauripur Treatment Plant are only a few examples. Either these projects
have yet to come out of the paper stage or they collapsed immediately after
their announcement.
In retrospect, this unfortunate city is stamped with futile attempts that
have been initiated in the name of development. Seldom did it happen that a
project was able to meet even a tenth of its stipulated target. Whether
plans, programmes, special development packages or conventional range of
projects, the end-result was barely different.
The metrovilles programme was a much-trumpeted scheme launched by the KDA
in 1973-74. Provision of low cost plots to the poor was its main aim.
Development of four metrovilles per year was suggested each comprising
50,000 plots with all the relevant socio-economic facilities. However, only
four metrovilles could be developed over the following 15 years.
The scheme could not achieve its targets due to snail paced occupancy,
speculation in the land business by the middle and lower middle income
groups, and deterioration of services.
The Lines Area Redevelopment Project was proposed in 1983 to upgrade the
existing settlement of Jacob Lines and other locations in the vicinity for
people who hailed from lower income brackets and lived in structures on 45
sq yd. (405 sq ft.), high rise flats were proposed. The residents resented
the idea but the authorities carried on with the plan with the result that
only ghosts inhabit more than 80 per cent of the blocks that were built
with colossal investment of public money.
With assistance from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, the
Karachi Special Development Programme had its inception in 1986. It had
several components including katchi abadis upgrading, solid waste
management, improvement of the sewerage/sanitation system and metropolitan
resource generation for development with a capital investment of around Rs.
3 billion. The project formally concluded in 1995. Evaluations have
disclosed that none of the components was able to achieve the targets. In
Kachi Abadis, the cost recovery was as low as 10 per cent of the
expenditures incurred. The infrastructure laid is not working at all in
Baldia Town, one of the major locations. Besides due to poor technical
standards of development work, the communities of the katchi abadis have
simply rejected the project.
In solid waste management, 92 vehicles and other related equipment was
procured at ultra high costs which are rendered idle as no working system
exists to accommodate them. Of the two proposed landfill site at Jam Chakro
and Korangi-Mehran Town, none is operational.
The two sewage treatment plants in the old town and Mahmoodabad had a total
capacity of 40 million gallons per day (mgd). They were upgraded to treat
97.5 mgd. however, today they are not treating even a third of their
capacity as the trunk sewers are choked and not optimally connected. The
resource generation study is locked in shelves after its completion.
Lyari Expressway was a project conceived to decongest the busy old town
districts of the city. Without any appropriate designing, the authorities
approved it for construction. Several alternatives were developed to link
the port areas to the Super Highway using Lyari as the right of way.
The project envisaged the uprooting of 30,000 households (150,000 people)
to which the KMC blindly agreed despite the fact that no resettlement
alternative was prepared, which alone would have cost Rs. 4 billion, the
project awaits progress from the right ends.
The Karachi Mass Transit Project (KMTP) was prepared by KDA. According to
the initial design, it comprised six corridors costing Rs. 24 billion as
per 1994 prices). The current design has one corridor connecting
Mereweather Tower to Sohrab Goth while it also aims to revitalise the
circular railway.
Although out the period of its inception it was the centre of
controversies, yet the green signal was granted. However, after almost six
months of its ground breaking, no tread has been stepped. Complex
procedures of land acquisition, technical deficiencies and absence of
mobilised finances are some common reasons for this importance.
The list is not complete. All the domains of development including housing,
physical and social infrastructure, health, education, transportation,
landscape, industrial and economic sectors display the same level of
retardation. Whereas the conventional reasons of corruption, nepotism and
lack of political will stand valid, deeper analysis unveils many pertinent
factors that have direct bearing on the state of affairs.
Institutional capacity of the web of organs responsible for planning and
development is grossly inadequate.
The state has simply failed to understand that by increasing the number of
authorities, autonomous bodies or corporations, the capital or human
resources will not increase. These bodies are usually created either by the
pressure of donors who want to execute their whims without hindrance or
governments that wish to please its cronies. Recent creation of Malir and
Lyari Development Authorities, National Mass Transit Authority who are
limping for survival, is a case in point.
Without the presence of a well-founded and elected tier of local
government, the continuity of development processes cannot germinate. After
the thoughtless amputation of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and creation
of a confused jumble of district municipal corporations, which are run by
deputy commissioners as a sideline show, this tier has virtually collapsed.
Instead of building up strength, the municipality has been reduced to a
tertiary organ with residual powers. The KMC does not even possess the
capacity to manage and abbattoir or routine maintenance of roads, let alone
the mega-projects like Lyari Expressway.
The peoples participation and voice is simply absent from all levels of
development works. Starting from decision-making, which is either done by
the federal government or the donors on their behalf, no mechanism has been
hitherto formulated to induct the peoples voice in decision-making,
project preparation/formulation and implementation. Thus the people stand
aloof and alienated from the so-called development process.
There remains no system of accountability across the spending of municipal
or developmental finances. This is the most severe form of social injustice
to the people who pay for their services and yet have no right to ask about
the deficiencies of operation and maintenance. If a lad is annihilated due
to an open manhole or a fallen live wire, no laws exist to take those who
are responsible to task. For choice of major development works, the same
callousness prevails.
Programming and prioritisation of development projects is done in an
absolutely irrational way. it follows more the grips of developmental
fashions rather than relying upon realistic needs.
In the recent past, the city was plagued by housing schemes of all sorts.
When the land virtually evaporated, the emphasis is now laid on
transportation projects. entire metropolis appear marred with junction
developments, overheads bridges, flyovers or road improvements. They have
not been developed. It is the outcome of the ill-thought solutions of
governmental officials who want to see papers moving to let the perks fall
upon. Integrated and appropriate planning is only a far cry. Keeping secret
the general aspects as well as details of projects/ programmes/ packages is
the norm here. Only after under-the-table deals are accomplished and the
interests satisfied, a mere smattering of news is released to the people.
Even those whose fate is directly affected are left in the dark. When
demolitions/ evictions started to clear the human obstacles for Lyari
Expressway the residents were taken by surprise. The same modus operandi
has been used in other projects.
Financial mismanagement is the most usual aspect of development projects.
The authorities are smart enough to dispose of the allocated resources
without bothering to establish the priority of expenditure or contemplating
the future availability of funds for the same heads.
The lists of incomplete or abandoned projects is evidence. Coveted projects
like the Bagh-e-Ibne Qasim (a project of Prime Ministers package) also
face the same impediments. Conceived of as a Rs. 60 million scheme, the
garden is struggling for mere survival.
Disregarding socio-economic realities is a centre-point of developmental
actions. Never ever has the government bothered to invite the concerned
interest groups involved with the particular project or programme. For
example, went building codes and regulations were formed, the groups
related to construction industry, professional bodies or consumers were
kept away from the active coterie of decision-makers. Besides the
authorities fail to recognise the strength of community-based organisations
(CBOs), professional groups and NGOs. The attitude reduces planning and
development to a mere academic exercises.
The general attitude of our developmental institutions is to look ahead
without learning from the past. Thus aborted attempts are comfortably
repeated. No evaluation is carried out to ascertain the prospective success
of the future projects.
When the Karachi Development Plan 2000 was commissioned by the KDA, the
team did not consider it viable to establish the reasons for the poor
performance of the previous plan.
Needless to say that the rudder of the developmental process has to be
straightened without delay. Considering the hard-set constraints and the
overall behaviour of the concerned actors there are some aspects that still
can be remedied.
The masses, including all kinds of target/interest groups, can only be
empowered if they possess knowledge and information. Thus mechanisms must
be derived to extract and disseminate information through available means.
Many NGOs have already taken the initiatives for example Urban Resource
Centre publishes fact sheets and organises forums/public meetings around
pressing issues; SHEHRI - CBE lists and disseminates information related to
building code violations and PILER (Pakistan Institute of Labour Education
& Research) oversees the developments pertinent to labour force.
Transparency and incorporation of public will must be institutionalised for
choice of developmental projects. At present, when the elected local
governments are a fading dream, community organisations and NGOs are the
only tools to bridge the gap.
Recognition of priority issues of the city by the decision makers is a pre-
requisite to all future actions. absence of a perspective urban plan,
recurring illegal evictions, need for bus terminals, lack of inventories on
public property, inappropriate developmental schemes etc are some pertinent
citations.
Masses, especially the communities of low income groups, should be looked
upon as partners in development. Experience has shown that they are not
naive proletariat but active and enthusiastic supporters of right-ended
efforts. Their initiatives as well as choices must be duly incorporated
while framing development strategies.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961121
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stocks fail to consolidate overnight textile-led rally
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 20: Stocks failed to consolidate the overnight snap textile-
led rally on Wednesday as investors hastened to cash in on the available
margin of profit fearing a big sell-off.
News that chiefs of all the three stock exchanges are due to meet the
caretaker adviser on economic affairs to discuss the ailing market and
prompt steps needed to boost investor confidence failed to enthuse
investors.
No one is willing to react on whispering as the market needs some positive
steps not short of surgery, said a leading broker.
There was no trace of the previous run-up as was widely speculated that the
current buying euphoria could be sustained until the new incentive package
was announced for the textile sector to boost exports as profit-hunters
dominated the scene.
The opening itself was distinctly bearish as the index has fallen more than
17 points in early trading, reflecting the extent of selling pressure and
the snap exit of leading speculators from the rings after taking profits at
the available margin.
The mid-session, however, showed some improvement as a number of investors
bought in the index shares enabling the KSE 100-share index to finish with
a modest loss of 11.25 points at 1,478.75 as compared to 1,490 a day
earlier.
The snap reversal indicated that investors were not inclined to take long
positions on any of the counter owing to prevailing political and economic
uncertainty, dealers said.
They said some of the leading institutional traders were active on selected
counters, but the weakness of textile sector did not allow them to keep the
market in a good shape.
Thus, those who have been pinning hopes of bailing themselves out from the
massively battered textile sector if the overnight run-up could be
sustained were disappointed and sold in a bit haste to be on the safer
side.
Some of the leading textile shares finished with an extended gains but a
vast majority of them remained on the receiving end just from the opening
bell.
Floor brokers said it is pretty difficult to predict the direction of the
market at this stage as investors are not inclined to take even the
calculated risk owing to the developing situation.
They said encouraging dividend news pouring daily should have restored
investor confidence in the share business as despite a bad last year most
of the leading companies are coming out with handsome payout.
However, investors seemed to be worried over the external developments
rather than the purely technical factor, they added.
Attock Refinery, Pakistan Refinery and Pakistan Oilfields were leading
gainers among them. They were followed by other MNCs, notably Philips,
which maintained its upward drive.
Some of the textile shares also managed to close with fresh gains under the
lead of Nishat Textiles, Hajra Textiles, and Nakhsbandi Industries, rising
by one rupee to Rs 1.75.
Searle Pakistan, which announced a good dividend a day earlier, was also
traded actively and finished with a good gain of Rs 2.75.
S.S.Oil and 2nd and 4th ICP mutual funds were among the other major
gainers.
Textile shares, which erased overnight gains, were led by Fazal Textiles,
Samin textiles, Sapphire Fibre and Star Textiles, falling by Rs 1.10 to Rs
2.
Other prominent losers were led by PSO and Lever Brothers, which suffered
decline ranging from Rs 9 to Rs 10 on active selling, and so did Zeal Pak
Cement, Mehran Sugar, BOC Pakistan, Engro Chemicals and Fauji Fertiliser,
falling by one rupee to Rs 2.50.
Trading volume suffered fresh setback at 41.343 million shares from 43.572m
shares owing to the absence of leading buyers.
The most active list was again topped by Hub-Power, steady five paisa on
13.410m, PTC Vouchers, easy 30 paisa on 10.265m, Dewan Salman, firm 10
paisa on 8,130m, ICI Pakistan (r), lower 15 paisa on 1.265m, and Dhan
Fibre, up 15 paisa on 0.950m shares.
Other actively traded shares were led by ICI Pakistan, easy 15 paisa on
0.500m, Friends Spinning, up 50 paisa on 01.15m, FFC-Jordan Fertiliser,
lower five paisa on 0.140m, LTV Modaraba, easy 10 paisa on 0.104m, and
Nishat Mills, off 65 paisa on 0.102m shares.
There were 383 actives shares, which came in for trading, out of which 184
fell, 117 rose with 82 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).
Send payments and subscriber information to :
G.M Circulation, The Herald
P.O.Box 3740, Karachi, Pakistan
We also accept payments through American Express, Visa or Master Card.
Allow 45 days for first issue.
===================================================================
961115
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Constitutionally, legally, and lawfully?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
THAT liberal Mussalman of secular thought, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, absorber of
all that was best of Anglo-Saxon attitudes, well knew, to his sorrow,
exactly how and why the country he founded for his compatriots would
falter.
In 1947, on August 11, he spelt it out:
The first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the
life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by
the State.
Secondly, One of the biggest curses from which India is suffering...
bribery and corruption. That really is poison. We must put that down with
an iron hand.
Blackmarketing came third, another curse. And then, The evil of nepotism
and jobbery. This evil must be crushed relentlessly... I shall never
tolerate any kind of jobbery, nepotism....
How did the evil of nepotism and its resulting corruption evolve? Up to
1958 and General Ayub Khan, our governors-general, presidents and prime
ministers kept their relatives at bay. Favours, if any, for relatives were
done with shame, hidden from public view.
Ayub sailed smoothly until his Sandhurst-trained son, Captain Gohar Ayub,
left the army and ventured into the world of money. Initially, he
discouraged Gohar, and ordered his government to grant him no favours. But
the sycophants prevailed. Should Ayub, the president, restrain the
enterprising genius of Gohar merely because he was his son? Unfair, they
cheeped. They convinced him; he succumbed. Other sons, other relatives,
soon came into play, assuring Ayubs downfall.
President General Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan followed. No charges of nepotism
were levelled against him.
Then came President Bhutto. In his first address to a broken nation he
announced the appointment of Mumtaz Bhutto as governor of Sindh, not
because he was his relative, but because he was his talented cousin. Both
talented cousins did wrong by the people.
Now, Mumtaz is, for the second time, chief minister of Sindh. According to
Governor Kamaluddin Azfar, President Farooq Leghari approved the
appointment of Mumtaz Bhutto on my proposal (Dawn Nov 8). The MQMites, who
as of November 5 distributed sweets in the streets of Karachi, went into
mourning on November 8. They fear repression. They consider Mumtaz to be an
extremist. Even if that be so, I told some who voiced their fears, so
what? Your leader, Altaf, is even more extreme. Mumtaz has sat with your
partymen in the Opposition for these past three years. Some sort of
relationship must have been established. With a bit of goodwill on both
sides, the two extremists should be able to settle their differences.
So far, Mumtaz has done well. He is to be complimented on the choice of
fighting Anita Ghulam Ali, feisty Kunwar Idrees and fresh-faced Mack
Rahimtoola as ministers. As for the rest, barring one, we have heard
neither good nor bad. Jam Karam Ali has been foisted upon Mumtaz from
above. He spends more on his shoes than he does on the education of the
children of his constituents.
Back to nepotism, to the times of Zia-ul-Haq. It was there, but it was low-
key, it was nothing to what was to follow.
The floodgates opened with the rebirth of democracy. Benazir, in her first
round, had her family (including father-in-law) gainfully employed. Her
husband was licensed to run wild. Then came Nawaz, and more nepotism,
though perhaps not quite on the scale of his predecessor. Benazirs second
spell outdid her first. Her husband, became the de facto prime and finance
minister. All her relatives, and even the spouses of bureaucrats and
ministers, were shamelessly lucratively employed.
In between the elected governments, we had Jatoi, Mazari and Moeen Qureshi,
who did their bit, particularly the last named, who during his last days in
office completely eradicated the good he did by helping his brothers with
appointments, loans and contracts.
Come our present saviour, President Farooq Leghari, and his first act was
to appoint as commerce minister his brother-in-law, Dr Mohammed Zubair.
Zubair held a lower level managerial post in the IMF and was asked to leave
for non-professional reasons. He has since been working in Islamabad as a
consultant. He may have talent, but any talent that could be put to the
countrys use is negated by his relationship with Leghari. The President
cannot counter the charge of nepotism, in itself corruption and an evil he
is fighting it will not wear off. The people and the Press are up in arms
on this issue. If Zubair has any regard for his sister and for the
credibility of his brother-in-law, he should resign.
Having finally been pushed into boldly doing his duty by the Constitution,
supported by the largest and most disciplined party in the country, the
President must rake out the muck that abounds, suffocating us all. Three
months is just not time enough. Our Constitution is not God-given. It was
written by fallible men, who themselves were booted out for their sins and
misdeeds. It has proven over the years to be but a vehicle for enriching
the few, and for the perpetration of tyranny, oppression and misery for the
many. It has not helped one iota towards bettering the lot of the miserable
masses.
This Constitution, promulgated with much fanfare on August 14 1973, gave
the people four hours of freedom. Before the celebrations ended, Leader of
the Awam Bhutto, prime minister, lawyer, its master-framer and promulgator,
withdrew the freedoms it guaranteed, arrested and jailed feared political
opponents and dissenters and held them incarcerated until he fell. He rode
roughshod over the people, with the legal and lawful protection of his own
Constitution. Seven times he had his Constitution legally and lawfully
amended (according to him), arranging matters so that his stay in power
could be constitutionally prolonged ad infinitum.
When on 5 July 1997, General Zia deposed him and declared martial law there
was not a cheep from Bhuttos beloved awam. The General and his men were
welcomed with open arms.
Zia ruled for eight years with his martial law, and in 1985 brought back
this same Constitution. He further amended it (the 8th Amendment) to suit
his needs, to prolong his reign. Who is to say that had he not fallen from
the skies in a fireball that day in August 1988 he would not still be with
and over us?
Then came the rebirth of democracy. This same Constitution legally and
lawfully allowed Benazir to come to power in the footsteps of her father,
it permitted her, her husband, their families and cronies, to make merry
and to make money at our expense. It authorised Ghulam Ishaq Khan to
legally and lawfully dissolve her and her band of merry makers, to install
Mustafa Jatoi as caretaker prime minister and to initiate the
accountability process, permitting Jatois special assistant Kamal Azfar to
painstakingly draft and file some twenty references against Benazir and
Asif Zardari.
This Constitution then allowed Nawaz and his Chaudhrys to be legally and
lawfully elected, to amend it once again (the 12th Amendment) and for three
years to legally and lawfully loot and plunder this country. Whilst they
were busy robbing the people, the co-operative societies, and the DFIs, it
allowed a judge to be murdered and others to be sufficiently intimidated to
retard the accountability process, finally acquitting Benazir and Asif of
all charges (much to Kamals disgust). It then allowed Ghulam Ishaq to send
them packing.
Constitutionally, legally and lawfully Nawaz was restored. Again,
constitutionally and legally, he was removed, and Benazir was freely and
fairly elected for a second round in which to complete her agenda to
bankrupt the country and to bleed us dry.
Now, constitutionally, legally and lawfully, Farooq Leghari, formerly of
the PPP, has used this same Constitution to rid us of the third PPP
government. This time, the world seems to have given its approval to the
constitutional coup, as not a tear has been shed, not a criticism levelled.
Constitutionally, legally and lawfully, this document, dating from 1973,
has allowed a series of leaders to enrich themselves at the expense of the
country.
Leghari and his men now rule constitutionally, legally and lawfully. He is
backed by a good general and a sensible army. He is fortunate in that the
judiciary, through much trial and error, has evolved. Now is the time for a
change, time to stop and rebuild. Constitutional and legal means will have
to be found whereby the next round of elections are not held until the bad
rulers, the bad politicians, the bad administrators all stand disqualified
or sacked and punished. We must have accountability, punishment, and
retribution. And, we must have a census.
President Leghari, General Jehangir Karamat, and Chief Justice Sajjad Ali
Shah, have the support of the people to do right by this miserable country,
to help the people, to rebuild the nation.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961118
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The roar of the paper tigers
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayaz Amir
BY now Farooq Ahmed Khan, Tumandar Leghari and President of the Islamic
Republic of Pakistan, has convinced the Pakistani people, if any convincing
in this regard was needed, that this is a land forsaken by heroes. Within
the space of a fortnight he and his advisers (may their sins be forgiven)
have managed to cover with ridicule all that has been done after Benazir
Bhuttos dismissal and the dissolution of the National Assembly.
Had the presidency been programmed to make a mess of things it could
scarcely have done better. Ciphers in the cabinet, including a presidential
brother-in-law who has rekindled memories of Zulfikar Ali Bhuttos famous
defence of talented cousins, one of the countrys most slippery
characters made Governor of Punjab, someone who can hardly be called
neutral and impartial made chief minister of Sindh, and the Presidents
civil service batch-mates seizing the commanding heights of the federal
bureaucracy. What mighty endeavours can be expected from a dispensation
which cannot understand that ordinary people judge a Prince by the company
he keeps? Good advisers and darbaris redound to his credit; bad ones bring
him ill-repute. It is a measure of the presidencys poor personnel choices
that GHQ, through its mouthpiece, the ISPR, has felt constrained to say
that it has had nothing to do with these appointments.
Far more telling, however, has been the presidencys failure to explain the
reasons for the rush in ousting the Bhutto government on the night of
November 4? What was the dire emergency which necessitated such precipitate
action? Rumours abound, some of these being pretty fanciful, but there is
no convincing explanation from any authoritative quarter. Nor is the
presidential proclamation greatly enlightening in this regard because it is
a tissue of flimsy excuses put together so clumsily that in a world more
just than ours even a panel of unfair judges would not readily accept it.
Was Zardari, Benazirs Prince of Darkness, up to something in Lahore?
Rumours again but no hard information. Were he and his cronies, Masood
Sharif and the mysterious Tariq Lodhi, planning something surreptitious and
sinister? If they were, what was it? Or was the President, on the basis of
imprecise information, panicked into taking a decision the suddenness of
which, strange as it may sound, took even the army by surprise? In broad
outline the army command certainly knew what was afoot but it expected the
President to move sometime between the middle and end of November. Imagine
its surprise, therefore, when a high-level courier came speeding in the
dark to inform it that the presidential coup was to take place that very
night. Only after that were army units alerted to occupy key positions in
the capital and other cities.
Everything done subsequently from the great faith put in the prowess and
ability of the 1964 civil service batch to the noises being made about
accountability have come from the presidency. Even the decision to
appoint a serving general to head the Intelligence Bureau was taken in
response to a request from the Presidents office. It is fair to say,
therefore, that in all the Eighth Amendment coups to have occurred since
1988, the armys involvement in the present one was the least, that too
extending largely to the assurance that if and when the President made his
move law and order would be taken care of. The decision was Legharis, the
timing was his.
This is not to deny the armys sense of relief at seeing the last of the
Bhutto government whose shenanigans had left the army command deeply
worried. But this very concern, according to authoritative sources, led it
to expect that the caretaker set-up would have a firmer grip on its
priorities. It should hardly be surprising, therefore, if the signs of
intellectual and physical confusion which currently are all too evident in
Islamabad should have left the army as bewildered as the rest of the
nation.
Much of this confusion is conceptual and stems from vagueness about the
central purpose of ousting Benazir Bhutto. Was the purpose fresh elections?
If it was, then what does Farooq Leghari the politician stand to gain from
it because on present reckoning he would have exchanged, in case elections
are held, a weak prime minister who was already playing the supplicant to
him for a stronger one in the person of Mian Nawaz Sharif? This would
probably be good for the country and certainly good for Nawaz Sharif but of
doubtful benefit to a president who has been encouraged by a host of
pundits this preceding summer to entertain grandiose visions of himself.
That leaves reform and accountability. But the President and his team are
equipped to deliver neither. Great deeds are not performed by flawed
instruments just as raging channels are not crossed by leaky vessels. Who
will purge Pakistan, bring the corrupt to book and usher in the dawn the
country has been yearning for? Dr Zubair, the Presidents talented brother-
in-law? Khawaja Ahmed Tariq Rahim? Mir Zafarullah Jamali? My friend whose
sense of political timing I greatly admire and whose VIP guest in the Sindh
Governors house I yet hope to be, Kamaluddin Azfar?
Accountability was made a catch-phrase by that master of guile, General
Zia-ul-Haq. But at least he was honest in wanting to use it only in order
to fool the people of Pakistan. He had not the slightest intention of doing
anything about it. In raising the same slogan the present caretakers are
fooling themselves. Even if their intentions are left aside, it is their
ability to do something meaningful about accountability which is in
question. Yet by harping on this theme they are trying to fool both
themselves and the nation.
If there was a Lee Kuan Yew around or even a Mahathir Mohammad, it might
have been a credible proposition to call a plague upon elections and raise
the banner of reform. For all his personable qualities, has Farooq Leghari
earned the right to be placed in the same league? No one yet has been able
to explain in any satisfactory manner as to how a group of Memon
businessmen from Karachi, arguably not the worlds keenest agriculturists,
became suddenly interested in buying semi-fertile land in Choti, Dera Ghazi
Khan. Umras at the taxpayers expense, a visit to the United States again
at public expense in order to attend the graduation ceremony of his son,
keeping a strangle-hold on all bureaucratic appointments and developmental
expenditures in Dera Ghazi Khan: in a politician such preoccupations are
understandable but they do not sit well on the shoulders of a would-be
Solon or Pericles. The Presidents sons are said to have been in the habit
of writing recommendatory letters to bureaucratic functionaries and under
their signatures appending the legend: son of the President. Would it not
be proper to inculcate some sense of propriety here before undertaking to
reform the country?
And what, pray, is all this business of incriminating audio- tapes? Ours is
an unfortunate country indeed that its affairs should be conducted at such
tawdry and demeaning levels. Those who made these tapes deserve to be put
in the stocks and whipped soundly in public. If anyone tried to make use of
them as items of blackmail, they too deserve similar treatment. But by the
same token it would be unfortunate if such cheap tactics, condemnable as
they are, should have swayed anyones mind or influenced his official
actions.
Nothing in the foregoing lines is meant to exonerate Benazir Bhutto. Of the
many disasters to have befallen this country her government was amongst the
worst. For all their sins the people of Pakistan did not deserve Asif Ali
Zardari for to have been lorded over by him was truly to have suffered the
indifference of the gods. All this is true but how does the hegemony of the
Black Prince, a calamity as it was, justify the confusion in the minds of
our present Bolsheviks who are deluding themselves into thinking that they
can be in the forefront of any great programme of reform? To see Malik
Meraj Khalid or any of the other hollow knights of his sad table mumbling
their lines on the screen is to feel ones heart sink. This is not the
stuff of which avenging or reforming angels are made.
If this premise (a rather lengthy one, I am beginning to suspect) be
accepted, then what must the caretakers do? Forsaking their fitful dreams
of glory because they lack the ability, the will and the vision to put
flesh on those dreams they should concentrate on the more prosaic and
also the more necessary task of remaining faithful to the Constitution and
holding elections on time. It is true that in the motley cabinet put
together with plaster and paste there are some sharp advocates of the long-
interim-period theory. But the flights of fancy of these wizards who have
already played a part in pushing the President into a desperate corner
should be treated with scepticism if not outright scorn. Elections on the
scheduled date or Pakistans current crisis, brought on by three years of
imperial corruption and 15 days of total confusion, can be expected only to
worsen.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961121
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Punishing the corrupt
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sultan Ahmed
AFTER Transparency International, now it is the World Bank which has
declared Pakistan the third most corrupt country in the world. Hence,
comprehensive and urgent measures to combat the pervasive evil become
imperative.
The donor states are now trying to tie up their aid with eradication of
corruption which makes much of their aid go down the drain. Foreign
investors are being wary of investing in areas where corruption can
flourish. And there has been an increasingly loud public outcry within the
country against the conspicuous corruption.
Effective measures against corruption and fool proof methods have become
even more imperative after the Benazir government and the four provincial
governments and assemblies have been sacked on charges of corruption along
with other failings following her earlier sacking on the same charges and
Nawaz Sharifs government on the same reason in 1993.
The people certainly do not want the rulers and legislators they perceive
as outrageously corrupt to return through the costly electoral process
the fifth in 11 years and enrich themselves further and impoverish the
country even more or the corrupt officers, whose corruption has reached
global peaks, to stay on and add to their ill-gotten wealth.
Finally corruption has a high economic cost for the masses as they have to
pay higher taxes which the rulers squander, and higher prices all around
after the businessmen and industrialists had given large bribes and higher
food prices, while the famlords who have been given higher support prices
for their products, do not pay any tax on their incomes and make a mockery
of their wealth tax payments.
The new Accountability Ordinance has several positive features, but if the
people are sceptical about its efficacy it is not because of its demerits
but because of the poor history of anti-corruption campaigns in Pakistan
and the refusal of the mighty and their minions to accept punishments for
their crimes. The comprehensive new measure has come in the form of an
ordinance which has to be endorsed by the newly elected Parliament. The
central issue here is: will the new prime minister and the National
Assembly pass the ordinance as it is, or with further improvements in the
light of defects that may come to light as it is implemented, or emasculate
the ordinance and make it ineffective?
This question is even more relevant as the trials of many now seen as
corrupt may not be finalised by Feb. 3 when the general elections are to
take place. Only after the Chief Ehtisab Commissioner (CEC) finalises the
charges against a public representative, the three-judge tribunal delivers
the judgement within the stipulated 60 days and the Supreme Court gives its
verdict finally in case of appeals against the verdict of the tribunal, he
can be disqualified for contesting the elections. Meanwhile he could have
got elected on Feb 3, and may be voting on the ordinance or rejecting it in
the NA.
Of course only after the final verdict of the Supreme Court a public
representative could be unseated. But meanwhile he might have done the
mischief and negated the ordinance in the company of the equally charged.
Or will the Supreme Court deliver judgements on such appeals very quick as
a special case so that the corrupt and yet newly elected can be unseated
before they could do too much damage to the ordinance and resume their
corrupt ways?
Of course, President Legharis efforts will be to preserve the ordinance as
it is or improve it in the light of its drawbacks as seen at the stage of
its implementation, but how far the newly elected will go along with him in
this area or how far he is forced to compromise remains to be seen.
Any anti-corruption campaign to be effective needs four steps. The corrupt
should be sacked, punished according to the nature of their crimes, their
ill-gotten wealth recovered and they be barred from returning to public
life or office for a reasonable period. The new ordinance meets all the
four demands and the process has been made independent of the government
and rather automatic.
The Chief Ehtasb Commissioner is to be appointed by the President in
consultation with the Prime Minister, opposition leader and the chief
justice of Pakistan for a term of four years. He will be of the rank of a
judge of the Supreme Court and could be removed only in the manner a
Supreme Court judge can be removed through the Supreme Judicial Council.
He will process the charges sent to him by the government and can initiate
cases by himself. The public can send their charges of corruption against
any public representative or official in grade 20 and above, and he has to
complete his investigation in all cases within a month and send it to the
3-judge tribunal which has to deliver its judgement within 60 days.
Thereafter an appeal to the Supreme Court is permitted.
The government has to be fair to the accused at all stages of the
accountability process. He can be arrested initially only with the approval
of the court and detained for not more than 14 days. As the trial starts
his properties will be frozen as also those of his dependants and proven
beneficiaries.
An admirable feature of the ordinance is that it seeks to punish the bribe
givers or collaborators in corruption as much as the corrupt official. In
that it is following the example of South Korea where the chiefs of major
corporations, who built modern Korea have been convicted along with the two
former Presidents and of India where former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao is
facing trial on charges of bribing legislators to ensure his election as
P.M. in 1991. Surely the bribe-giver is as guilty as the bribe taker, and
if the former is punished along with the latter, corruption in Pakistan
will come down a great deal.
While the ordinance is immaculate in many areas, it is the exceptions which
distort the ordinance and make it questionable. Defending the exception for
the President and the governors, Law Minister Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim said
Article 248 of the Constitution barred such proceedings. And when it came
to the judiciary he said the constitutional provision barring any law
compromising the independence of the judiciary stood in the way. And when
it came to the armed forces he could not quote any constitutional bar, but
said the Army Act took care of that. Army personnel serving in civilian
bodies, however, could be subject to the new ordinance, and he hailed that
as a major advance in the area of restraining military corruption.
But the Constitution Mr Fakhruddin is quoting in defence of the
discriminations in the fight against corruption is the 1973 constitution
which provided for such exemptions which were retained in the 1985
Constitution. But since then, there has been a tremendous increase in the
volume of corruption and in the number and level of the people involved. So
such exemptions should have gone by now.
Secondly when President Leghari and others quote Islam as the guiding
principle of the state, the fact is that Islam does not make any exception
in respect of the Caliph or the Kazi, let apart the armed forces. When the
President addressed newspaper editors he gave the impression he was
subjecting himself to accountability, but when the ordinances came that
provision was not there and the exceptions are too many and utterly
unwarranted in an Islamic state.
The courts and the CEC have a lot of hard work to do and pretty quick. The
new accountability process is to cover all the public office holders and
legislators since December 1985 or after the martial law rule ended. Along
with them the bribe- givers both to buy political Lotas or to obtain
economic favours, including large areas of land, permits and licence etc.,
or other economic favours will be prosecuted and punished if proven guilty.
This can cause a great deal of anxiety in trade and industry as well as the
leading lights of both the sectors cannot feel delighting in the sufferings
of those they had bribed.
To reduce the volume of legal work, the corrupt have been given the option
to surrender all the illegal gains within ten days of the commencement of
this law. That should in fact be within ten days of the appointment of the
CEC or any other official designated for the purpose. In such cases the
punishment will be far less.
While the accountability ordinance does not bar those accused of corruption
from contesting the election until they are convicted, a new ordinance to
amend the election laws may come up with some restrictions. That ordinance
is to lay down the reveal his criteria for being a candidate, and ask him
to reveal his assets and liabilities and business interests. There are to
be severe limits on election expenses and rigid enforcement of those limits
so that the assembly seats could not be virtually bought off by the
candidates and thereafter they do not resort to massive corruption to make
up for that investment and build a fund for the next election.
Seven years jail and five years disqualification for contesting elections
are severe enough punishments for the corrupt along with forfeiture of the
ill-gotten assets. But what we have to see is how many get convicted and
debarred from elections in a country where the corrupt had a free field all
the time so far. What is obvious is the courts need far more judges to try
them and normal cases. In Pakistan there have been large gaps between the
law and execution and official rhetoric and the reality. Those gaps have to
be narrowed down now.
===================================================================
961116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan dominates world squash but a question mark looms ahead
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Majid Khan
Pakistan enjoys a front line status in international squash and an
unprecedented domination in the World Opens history by winning no less
than 13 titles out of 19, with Australia taking five and New Zealand one.
These 13 world open titles together were won first by squash legend
Jahangir Khan, (six times) and later by the current world number one
Jansher Khan who has record-breaking seven wins to his credit.
The realm of squash was in the keeping of Hunt when Jahangir Khan, the
illustrious son of former British Open Champion Roshan Khan and the
youngest ever world open champion at the age of 17 seized it for Pakistan
after a decade in the prestigious British open which was reckoned as the
unofficial world championship before the World Open was instituted in 1975
by the Professional Squash Association, formerly called International
Squash Players Association (ISPA).
Jahangir ruled the world squash for long winning every major title
including the World Open setting a new record of six wins before retiring
in glory in the 1993 World Open. The senior Khan lost to defending champion
Jansher Khan in the Karachi final which was an all Pakistan affair. No
squash playing nation enjoys this honour so far. Jahangir Khan retired due
to constant back problem, but not before he crossed the Australian Hunts
four years record (from 1975-1980). The legendary Khan remained unbeaten
for five and a half years to earn laurels for Pakistan. He won the World
Open from 1981-85 before losing to Ross Norman of New Zealand in 1986 and
regaining the title for sixth time beating his fellow countryman Jansher
Khan in the 1988 final in the Netherlands.
Jansher Khan, like his senior compatriot shook the squash world by
regaining the World Open title for Pakistan when he disposed of left-handed
Chris Dittmar, one of the finest players Australia had produced, in the
1987 World Open in England.
The nation hailed Jansher Khans remarkable feat in wining back the world
open for Pakistan last year when he established a new record of seven wins
by surpassing Jahangir Khans six.
Looking at the World Open record one finds that Australia, once one of the
great squash nations, finds it hard to see its players even in the final.
No Australian player for the past three years from 1993-1995 could qualify
for the final as England had stolen the show. Double-fisted Peter Marshall,
out of Circuit through injury, was the first Englishman to be runner-up in
the 1994 Open and in the last championship, held in Cyprus. Del Harris also
of England was the beaten finalist at the hands of the reigning Khan.
Pakistan is looking forward with great hope and confidence that Jansher
Khan would succeed in retaining the title for the eighth time also. During
the span of two months, he had been beaten twice, first at Hong Kong and
recently in the Tournament of Champions at New York. But he would be on the
court with a new confidence as he has won the Heliopolis Open (Cairo) on
Nov 3 by beating England Del Harris 3-1 and had also won the super series
event at Cairo. He skipped the German Master and returned home to get
himself fully geared for the World Open, being staged third time in
Karachi; the first one was held in 1984 at the PIA Jahangir Khan Squash
Complex.
The worlds best 24 players plus eight qualifiers have set their eyes on
the biggest ever prize money of US dollars 130,000 in this World Open being
organised by the Pakistan Squash Federation.
The PSF, under the presidency of Air Chief Marshal Mohammad Abbas Khattak,
who is the Chief of the Air Staff, has ensured successful conclusion of the
coming championship. Air Marshal Aliuddin, the senior vice-president of the
PSF and chairman of the organising committee, had twice visited the venue
and will be in the city to further ensure perfect arrangements for the
world squash gala.
The assembly of the worlds leading stars in Pakistan, however, brings into
sharp focus the question, who would be our next world champion after
Jansher Khan? So far one cannot pick any one of the new generation of
squash players who could follow in the footsteps of Jansher Khan or
Jahangir Khan. It is a matter of great concern despite the fact that the
PSF has for the past five years been extending all sorts of incentives to
the talented youngsters. Time is running out as Jansher Khan too is now
facing growing challenges in the international squash-alone.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten tied games in 1-day internationals
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohammad Shoaib Ahmed
The Fourth match of the Singer Cup between New Zealand and Sri Lanka ended
in a tie in Sharjah on November 11, 1996. It is the tenth instance in the
history of one-day International cricket when a match had ended in a tie
since this kind of cricket was launched with an Australia-England game at
Melbourne on January 5, 1971.
Is a tie possibly in limited-over cricket? Yes, it is. In fact, the Sharjah
tie was the tenth such result in the history of one-day cricket? Pakistan
have now been involved in five of these. Their first tied match was played
against the West Indies on November 22, 1991. The venue was Lahores
Qaddafi Stadium. The West Indies totalled 186-5 in 39 overs and Pakistan
ended at 186-9. Apparently having lost more wickets than the West Indies
they should have lost. But the match was under 92 World Cup rules declared
a tie.
Pakistans next tied one-day was played at Hobart in Australia, on December
10, 1992 during the Benson & Hedges world series cup competition. Australia
scored 228 for eight in the allotted 50 overs. Pakistan were 222 for 9 with
one ball to go and seven runs required for a win. The left-handed Asif
Mujtaba hit a six off the last delivery to make it a tie.
Pakistans third tied one-day match was played at Georgetown (Guyana) on
April 3, 1993. It was not a tied match according to the regulations
governing the series. The scores were level after the last ball had been
delivered and having lost one wicket fewer the West Indies should in the
normal process have been the winners. But the actual ending of the match
was abnormal as a sizeable crowd converged from all corners on the Bourda
Ground and the fieldsman, who threw the ball from long-on to the bowlers
wicket, appeared to have been shaken by this invasion. Hence the tie
verdict.
According to the fifth World Cup rules the match should have also ended in
a tie. But it was not being played according to those conditions. The match
referee, former England batsman Raman Subba Row, took an eminently sensible
decision in the circumstances by ruling the game as a tie.
Pakistans fourth tied one-day International was played at Auckland in New
Zealand, on March 13, 1994. Pakistan facing an inevitable defeat after a
batting collapse, were once again revived by the remarkable ability of
their bowlers who produced another brilliant performance to put Pakistan in
a winning position but as luck would have it, the outcome in the end turned
out to be one in which both Pakistan and New Zealand could take pride for
some time to come.
The nail-biting tie in the fourth one-day game with each team making 161
was the type of result, which no one who had the opportunity of watching
this game would grudge. Normally in a game as close as that, Pakistan for
losing lesser number of wickets could have been the winner but according to
the rules and conditions of the one-day series, the wicket and run-rate do
not matter and therefore the match as it turned out to be was declared a
tie.
Pakistans fifth and last tied one-day Internationals Played at Harare in
Zimbabwe, on February 22, 1996. The Zimbabwean totalled 219-9 in 50 overs
and Pakistan ended at 219 all out in 49.5 overs.
After West Indies and Australia had qualified for the 1983-84 Benson and
Hedges World Series Cup finals, having relegated Pakistan to the third spot
in the league round, they were to play the usual three matches to decide
who took the trophy. West Indies won the first game of the best-of-three
finals series quite emphatically, by nine wickets, in Sydney. The second
match in Melbourne, played on February 11, 1984 resulted in the first ever
tie in one-day International cricket. This led to more dissension than
delight. West Indies batted first scored 222-5 in their 50 overs.
Australia, having lost Dean Jones at 23, were saved by a 109-run second-
wicket stand between Kepler Wessels (77) and skipper Kim Hughes (53). But
five fell with the addition of only 60 runs. Soon, the Aussies were 218-8,
but when the last ball was coming up the ninth-wicket pair of Geoff Lawson
and Carl Rackemann had managed to equal the score by that time. Reckemann
started off for the winning single off the last delivery. He was run out by
the West Indian wicketkeeper Jeff Dujan. According to normal rules West
Indies should have won, because although the scores were equal the
Australians had lost three more wickets. The victory would have given West
Indies the cup also and the third match would not have been required.
The West Indians, in fact, left the ground jubilant in the belief that
theyd won the trophy. It was three hours later yes, three hours later !
that they were told they would have to play a third match also. As they had
completely dominated the fist game, and did better than the Aussies in the
second on too, they were fuming mad as, apparently they had no knowledge of
the conditions which regulated the series.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan snatch dramatic win to lift trophy in Sharjah
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Viren Varma
SHARJAH, Nov 15: Pakistan were pretty reckless in the morning and many
thought they have blown up the game, but in the second session they
produced a compelling fightback worthy of a champion to transfix a totally
confused New Zealand by 41 runs in the final of the low-scoring Singer
Champions Trophy Cricket Tournament on Friday.
This is the first time since April 1994 that Pakistan have a trophy at
Sharjah, once labelled as their second `home.
The victory is a tribute to Wasim Akrams amazingly keyed-up boys, who held
their nerves despite being pushed on to the backfoot by New Zealand in the
first session.
New Zealand, chasing a modest 161 for victory, were cruising fairly
comfortably at one stage with Mark Greatbatch, promoted to open the innings
for the first time in the tournament, and Adam Parore prospering in what
looked a match-winning partnership.
The two, playing with controlled aggression, took the score to 66 after the
early loss of Bryan Young, when Parore left, nodding his head in disbelief,
after he was trapped leg before the wicket by Saqlain Mushtaq. He scored 22
off 59 balls.
It was the fall of Greatbatch, holed out in the deep to Ejaz Ahmed off
Mushtaq Ahmed, that set in a sense of uncertainty among the New Zealand
batsmen. With the required run rate well within their reach, they simply
lost faith in their abilities and cracked under pressure. Greatbatch top-
scored with 52 off 80 balls with seven fours.
The match took a decisive turn in favour of Pakistan when both Waqar Younis
and Akram, returning for their second spells, ripped through a tentative
middle-order.
Barring Greatbatch and Parore none of the New Zealand batsmen could cross
even the double-digit mark, which gives a fair indication of how well
Pakistan bowlers were in command of the proceedings. As many as five New
Zealand batsmen fell to lbw decisions, most of them returning to the
dressing room completely mystified.
Skipper Akram, later named Man of the Match, returned with the impressive
figures of three for 20 off eight overs while Waqar took one for 22 which
took his tournament tally to 13, enough to win the Best Bowler.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961116
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Champion to get $ 21,000
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sports Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 14: The Secretary of the Pakistan Squash Federation, Sq-Leader
S.M. Fazal, said here today that stage is almost set for the World Open,
the biggest international squash gala, beginning on Sunday here at the DHA
Squash Complex.
The biggest prize money championship, he said has attracted all the worlds
leading stars and they have started coming to the city.
The Press Centre at the venue would be having computers, telex, and
telephone facilities for the pressmen covering the World Open , being
organised by the PSF.
Shuttle services for the mediamen would be available at the Karachi Press
Club, depending on the timing of the matches, he said.
The highest prize money break-up of the tournament of US dollars 1,20,000,
excluding the US dollars 10,000 as hotel bonus, is winner-US dollars
21,000, runners-up - 1,38,00, two semi-finalists - 84,00 each,
quarterfinalists - 5100 each, second round losers - 3000 each and first
round losers 1500 each.
Around 12 world renowned stars of the main draw of 32 have reached the city
by different flight and among them are world number 2 Rodney Eyles ,
Anthony Hill, Brett Martin, Craig Rowland, from Australia, England s Chris
Walker, Mark Chalonner, Mark Cairns, Egypts Ahmed Barada and others.
Barada today has light workout at the Jahangir Khan Squash Complex.
According to PSF Secretary, a general body meeting of the Professional
Squash Association (PSA) will be held tomorrow afternoon.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961119
-------------------------------------------------------------------
World Cup no longer a ticket to Olympics
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Walter Fernandez
KARACHI, No. 18: The world hockey champions will no longer become automatic
qualifiers for both men and women in the Olympic Games.
The decision which make a significant change to Olympic hockey
qualification was made by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) during
the Atlanta Olympic Games.
The change has been instituted for quite a few reasons. With a two-year gap
between the World Cup tournaments and the next Olympic competition, the
relative strength of international teams can change drastically in that
span of time.
Furthermore, an automatic berth for world champions actually provides two
chances for Olympic qualification, the World Cup and the Continental
qualifying tournament.
Last of all. while World Cup standings play into Olympic qualification,
there is no obvious or necessary link between the two which dictates
automatic qualification.
Qualification for the 12-nation mens tournament at Sydney in 2000 Olympics
will still decide automatic spots for the Olympic gold medal holders,
winners of the continental qualifying tournaments (Africa, Asia, Europe,
Oceania, the Americas) and the host country.
The remaining teams will be decided by a 12-nation, two pool qualifying
tournament which should lead to a probable six or seven places for
qualifiers.
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
961121
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Jansher in semis
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Majid Khan
KARACHI, Nov 20: Tactically superior Jansher Khan, world number one and
defending champion took exactly half an hour to eliminate Simon Parke,
Englands No 7, 15-3, 15-4, 15-8 on his way to the semi-final and
Australian world number two Rodney Eyles staged a remarkable comeback after
two games down to stop the onward march of Zubair Jahan Khan by 3-2 before
reaching the last four of the 20th World Open squash here this afternoon at
the DHA Squash Complex.
Rodney , who won the hotly contested 82-minute epic encounter by 15-17, 13-
15, 17-15, 15-7, 15-6, takes on left-handed Chris Walker in tomorrows
semi-final. Chris Walker, Englands number one who had captained his
country to victory in last years World Team championship at Cairo, secured
a sensational victory by handing out 15-10, 12-15, 15-9, 15-13 defeat to
Australias third seeded Brett Martin in the first quarterfinals, lasting
48 minutes.
Pakistans formidable Jansher Khan will be up against Scotlands left-hand
Peter Nicol, fourth seeded, who outmanoeuvred Craig Rowland, ninth seed
from Australia, in straight games 15-13, 15-6, 15-9 to reach the semi-
finals.
Dawn page