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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 23 May 1996 Issue : 02/21
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Vajpayee sworn in as premier
BJP govt no threat to Pakistan
AI team arrives to assess HR situation
Corruption, rights situation in Pakistan upset US
NGOs concerned over govt move
Govt, MQM hopeful of breakthrough after talks
Over half KMC parks annual budget spent on wall
DMCs likely to begin working in July
Body soon to probe existence of private jails, says minister
US to clear citizenship cases backlog by November
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Rupee sheds 35 paisa more against dollar
Blanket GST not possible, IMF told
Govt facing difficulties in meeting IMF terms
Huge govt borrowing weakens rupee
State Bank projects monetary expansion at 13-14 per cent
American firm vying to own PTC equities
Expert opinion sought on trade with India
Islamic Equity Fund launched in Britain
Stocks show fresh decline on panic selling
Stock market remains under pressure
500 families own countrys wealth
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The man of a hundred faces Ardeshir Cowasjee
A government that refuses to grow up Ayaz Amir
Half dead, or simply retired? Hafizur Rahman
Droit de seigneur Mazdak
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Aqib, Basit dropped on disciplinary grounds
Yawar Saeed, Nasimul Ghani named managers for tour
Is it the end of Ramizs fine career?
Intikhab expresses displeasure
Burki for strengthening club cricket
Another battle for Imran in London
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960517
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Vajpayee sworn in as premier
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Umashanker Phadnis
NEW DELHI, May 16: The leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, was sworn in as the tenth prime minister of India with a compact
ten-member cabinet for the time being.
In choosing the members of his government, Mr Vajpayee has to tread the
ground carefully at any rate till he is able to test out his strength in
the house. Hence, in the initial round he has been cautious not to include
too many hot heads which would be setting out signals of an aggressive
government he heads. At the same time, he has had to bear in mind that he
does not offend the radicals among the rank and file of his party and in
its ally, the Shiv Sena, who have been waiting for this moment of triumph
of their Hindutwa war cry.
Thus, represented in his council of ministers is Murali Manohar Joshi, the
former president of the party who had played the cheer leaders role in the
run down to the events leading to Babri Masjid demolition. Mr Vajpayee has
balanced this by including Mr. Jaswant Singh, a former army major from
Rajasthan who is known for his sober approach and also for the rapport he
was with Mr Vajpayee. He has also had considerable administrative and
parliamentary experience and Mr Vajpayee will pay heed to his views and
assessment of specific situations.
The council of ministers has also a balanced composition of various straits
of society and represented in it are the scheduled tribes and castes as
well as those of the other backward castes. One reason why Mr Vajpayee has
currently kept the council of ministers a small one may well be the scope
he needs for expanding it to accommodate some of the BJP allies, namely,
the Shiv Sena, the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Samata Party and if necessary
the others who might join the coalition to provide the government with a
stable majority.
Mr Vajpayee appears to have excluded studiously in his council of
ministers, Jag Mohan, the fire eating former governor of Jammu and Kashmir
although he was a favourite with rank and file of the party for the ultra-
chauvinistic line he has been projecting on the Kashmir issue. Nor has Mr
Vajpayee taken in any of the prominent hard-liners like Sundar Singh
Bhandari who were in the reckoning in party circles.
With the sword of Democles hanging over him, Mr Vajpayee has been
projecting the human face of Hindutwa, assuring minorities of a square deal
although he has made it clear that the central thrust of his government
would be the implementation of the commitments made to the electorate in
the partys manifesto. He has made it clear that the temple would be
constructed at the disputed site at Ayodhya but has said this would be done
through a process of negotiations and talks with all concerned.
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960519
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BJP govt no threat to Pakistan
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, May 18: Every government in India, irrespective of its party
affiliation, has been hostile to Pakistan and so is true about the new BJP
government, Defence Minister Aftab Shahban Mirani said.
He dispelled the impression that the danger to Pakistans security had
increased after the installation of the BJP government in India. Pakistan
has a very strong defence and we are fully aware of developments across the
border, the minister said
However, Mr Mirani said, since Pakistan had a long border with India and
there was turmoil and confusion in Afghanistan, Pakistan had to be fully
vigilant. He said there was no question of a reduction in the defence
budget unless the level of danger came down.
To a query, the defence minister said Pakistan was fully aware that India
had deployed mobile missiles near the border. But, he said, We know how
to respond to the situation.
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960518
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AI team arrives to assess HR situation
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 17: A three-member Amnesty International (AI) delegation, led
by its Deputy secretary-general Here Berber, arrived here on a week-long
tour.
The delegation would hold meetings with various government officials and
seek their opinion on some controversial issues pertaining to the alleged
human rights abuses in Pakistan.
Two months back, a Pakistani delegate at a human rights forum in Geneva had
announced that his government was committed to abolish all forms of
slavery, including the bonded labours, he added.
Mr Berber said: The AI has a limited scope as it deals with cases of
political prisoners. However, it usually exerts pressure through the UN on
countries for provision of basic needs to their citizens.
In Pakistan, he said, the delegation would hold meetings with the GO
community, politicians and journalists to seek their opinion on the human
rights situation in the country.
The delegation, he said, would also visit homes of those who had reportedly
been killed in police encounters, lock-ups and police custody.
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960523
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Corruption, rights situation in Pakistan upset US
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Shaken Serbia
WASHINGTON, May 22: The US state department has expressed concern over
some recent trends in Pakistan, including corruption and the human rights
situation, and stated that US efforts to strengthen relations with Pakistan
were based on a number of important considerations but are not a specific
endorsement of any particular Pakistani government.
These views have been conveyed to Democratic congressman James P. Morn, who
had written a letter to the Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, in
March, raising concerns about corruption and other domestic issues in
Pakistan.
In a reply sent on May 1 to Rep. Morn, on behalf of the secretary of state
by a senior state department official, Barbara Lark, stated: Pakistan is a
large, democratic, moderate Islamic state located in a dangerous and
strategically important part of the world. To meet US national goals in
South Asia (e.g. non-proliferation, regional stability, protection of human
rights, counter-terrorism and narcotics control), the United States must
remain closely engaged with Pakistan.
The Brown Amendment provides the US government with new tools with which to
build closer ties.
Like you, we are troubled by some recent trends in Pakistan. As elsewhere
in South Asia, corruption saps economic vitality and slows economic growth.
As documented in our annual country reports on human rights practices, the
human rights situation (in Pakistan) is worrisome. We remain concerned
about proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in South Asia.
But our best hope for making progress in each of these areas is to continue
our dialogue with Pakistan.
I hope this information is useful to you. If you have any further
questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Rep Morn, a known supporter of Pakistan on the Hill and president of the
Pakistan Day celebrations committee, had in his letter stated that the
level of corruption in Pakistan had increased and become even more
pervasive.
He had also referred to the religious radicalisation in Pakistan, gross
human rights violations and exploitation of children as well as the rush
to develop nuclear capability.
He had requested the state department to state the official policy on all
these issues.
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960522
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NGOs concerned over govt move
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 21: Some noted non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have
scheduled a meeting with the Secretary, Social Welfare, Sindh, Amities
Barakzai, to discuss the government actions which have created a scare
among social welfare organisations throughout the province.
The NGO representative said the majority of the social bodies did not know
at all whether they had to submit an annual audit report to the department.
However, the secretary was of the view that the government had done nothing
in contravention of the set rules and those bodies had been issued notices
who were violating the rules laid down at the time of their registration.
He said any organisation getting registration had to provide an undertaking
that it would always follow the guidelines, which also included submission
of annual and audit reports.
According to him, there are over 250 social bodies in interior Sindh and
over 300 in Karachi which are untraceable.
He said the social welfare department was fully prepared to extend the NGOs
the help they needed for their interaction with other government
departments.
However, he made it clear that no NGO would go scot-free if it did not
provide the department with the audit and annual reports.
The NGOs have shown their concern in the wake of reports that the
department has been setting up inquiry committees to initiate disciplinary
actions against social welfare bodies which have not submitted a single
annual report of their accounts ever since they were registered.
According to the sources, the issuance of the notices is the first step
towards de-registering all those organisations which are not maintaining
their accounts properly and are not making appropriate utilisation of the
funds they receive from the government or the donor agencies.
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960521
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Govt, MQM hopeful of breakthrough after talks
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Shamimur Rahman
KARACHI, May 20: In dramatic moves MQM and the government held another
direct, though informal, talks during which both sides expressed their
desire for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the problems of Karachi
and other parts of Sindh.
The MQM delegation which met Sindh Governor Kamal Azfar, was led by its
chief negotiator Ajmal Dehlavi and included the deputy opposition leader in
the Sindh assembly, Shoaib Bokhari.
After the talks the governor was quoted by official sources as having said
no impediments be placed on the agenda and the talks be started
unconditionally as soon as possible in order to build confidence and
strengthen the ground conditions for the continuation of peace in Karachi.
Before the talks, the PPP secretary general, Sheikh Rafiq Ahmed, also held
discussions with the governor on the prevailing political situation in
general and the relationship with the MQM in particular.
This second informal contact between the government and the MQM in less
than four days is being seen by observers here as part of the quiet
diplomacy by the principal actors to remove the irritants before a formal
dialogue.
Briefing newsmen at an unscheduled news conference at Karachi Press Club
shortly after the talks at the Governor House, Mr Dehlavi said the prime
objective of the meeting was not only to discuss the resumption of talks,
but also to appraise the governor of alleged extrajudical killings and the
administrations policy of obstructing collection and disposal of hides and
skins and the siege of the MQMs Khidmat-i-Khalq committee.
Whenever some progress is made for the restoration of peace and normality,
some hidden forces go into action to sabotage the process, he said without
identifying these elements.
He said the governor had promised to take up with the federal government
the MQMs complaints about the alleged extrajudicial killings as well as
its preconditions for the resumption of negotiations besides removal of its
grievances with regard to collection and disposal of hides and skins of
sacrificial animals.
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960521
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Over half KMC parks annual budget spent on wall
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Omar R. Quraishi
KARACHI, May 20: More than half the KMCs budget for developing the citys
parks and playgrounds has been spent on constructing a wall at the Bagh
Ibne Qasim park in Clifton, it is reliably learnt.
A high-level KMC source said that the annual budget of the KMCs Parks
department was Rs 60 million. Out of this, he said, Rs 32.8 million had
been set aside to pay for constructing this wall at the Clifton park.
There are around 2000 parks and playgrounds in Karachi. Out of these
seventy per cent or close 1400 are parks. Not more than 700 of these parks
are fully developed, the source said.
Fully developed means that there is at least a chowkidar and a gardener to
look after the park, and that water and electricity supplies are assured.
If you dont sanction staff and funds to develop a park it will die like a
hospital with no doctors would, he said.
The largest city park is the 400-acre Safari Park near Karachi University.
Most of the others are smaller with areas going down to half an acre.
The KMC Parks department, the source said, is seriously thinking of
advising the government that if the parks budget is not increased, at least
participation by the private sector should be encouraged.
The government should introduce something like an adopt-a-park scheme you
find in other countries. Multinational corporations or philanthropists
should be targeted by the government for this, the source said.
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960523
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DMCs likely to begin working in July
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Saghir Ahmed
KARACHI, May 22: Except for the formal concurrence of Sindh Chief Minister
Syed Abdullah Shah, all is now set for the functioning of the five newly-
created district municipal corporations from July 1 the beginning of the
new financial year informed sources said.
The tax-sharing formula between the KMC and the DMCs, finalised by the
government committee on resource distribution, has already been sent to the
chief minister for his consent by the secretary of the local government
department, Nur Ahmad.
Sources said the KMC finance department has begun preparation of statements
of receipts and expenditure, i.e. the budget estimates for the KMC and
draft budgets for five district municipal corporations (DMCs) East, West,
Central, South and Malir year 1996-97, on the basis of the tax-sharing
formula, anticipating approval of the recommendations by the Chief
Minister.
The committee, in its recommendations, has urged the government to notify
the Unified Municipal Service Board (as provided in the Act) so that the
question of service matters relating to seniority, promotion, transfer,
posting and other benefits are dealt with jointly by the board, avoiding
anomalies which were experienced during the period of the defunct ZMCs.
Meanwhile, it is also learnt that the said committee is still engaged in
the work of distribution of assets and liabilities between the KMC and the
DMCs, including transfer of staff, equipment, movable and immovable
property, etc.
Inquiries show that as per the recommendations regarding revenue sharing,
it has kept five taxes in the KMCs divisible pool i.e. octroi, fire,
conservancy, drainage and slaughtering fee, providing collection of octroi
and slaughtering fee by the KMC whereas fire and conservancy taxes by the
KWSB as per existing practice.
The KWSB will, however, transfer the collected amount on these counts to
the KMC after deducting service charges at the rate of 15 per cent.
As to the newly introduced drainage tax, the committee has recommended that
the KMCs newly-elected council may decide its future i.e. its rate and
time of its levy. The committee has declared advertisement tax, trade and
licence fee, property tax, betterment tax, vehicle tax would be the DMC
taxes which would be collected directly.
It has suggested that all the eight development schemes under the Karachi
Package (costing Rs 284.50 million) should be executed by the KMC,
irrespective of any consideration of districts in which work is proceeding.
The PMs Karachi Package includes widening of Lasbella Bridge, Liaquatabad
flyover, construction of Clifton flyover, Lilly Road Bridge, link road
between Tin Hatti and Shaheed-i-Millat Road, storm-water drain in Manzoor
Colony, construction of truck stand at Hawkesbay and special development
projects Rashid Minhas Road flyover, Sharea Faisal overhead bridge and
overpass at Christians Cemetery.
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960518
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Body soon to probe existence of private jails, says minister
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*From Our Correspondent
MIRPURKHAS, May 17: Federal minister for agriculture and food, Nawab Yousuf
Talpur, has said that committees comprising peasants, representatives of
human rights committee, landlords and journalists, would be set up at
district level in Sindh to investigate into the existence of any private
jail and to solve the problems of peasants and landlords.
Speaking at a Press conference at the circuit house here, he said the
foreign Press was busy in propaganda about the private jail of landlords.
For jails have a boundary wall, cells and locks, but these were missing and
hence these cannot be called jails, and advised the landlords should not be
disturbed. However, he said ,stern action would be taken against those
landlords who had private jails.
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960521
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US to clear citizenship cases backlog by November
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*From Our Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, May 20: The Clinton Administration has announced it would clear
the backlog of hundreds of thousands of applications for US citizenship
before the November presidential polls this year.
Announcing the initiative, vice-president Al Gore said the process
strengthens the nation and is one which the Administration wholeheartedly
supports.
Reports said on Monday hundreds of government servants from other
departments were being transferred by the Administration to the Immigration
and Naturalisation Service (INS) to help complete the job.
Applications for US citizenship have increased manifold after Congress
began discussing new anti-immigration laws and fears grew in the immigrant
community that many privileges they now enjoy may be withdrawn.
After the new curbs on immigrants were revealed in Californias Proposition
187, designed to deny social services to illegal immigrants, figures show
the number of citizenship applications doubled in volume.
In fiscal 1995, more than one million people applied for US citizenship
nearly twice as many as in 1994 and the INS was able to process only
about half of them. In March this year the backlog was close to 900,000
applications, figures revealed.
The INS has asked other federal agencies, specially in Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Miami, Chicago and New York, to detail their employees in the
INS to clear the backlog which accounts for 75 per cent of the applications
nation-wide, a report in Washington Times said.
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960523
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Rupee sheds 35 paisa more against dollar
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Mohammad Aslam
KARACHI, May 22: The rupee shed another 35 paisa on the open market on
Wednesday, breaching the psychological barrier of Rs38 to a dollar as
rumours of an imminent official devaluation of the rupee triggered panic
buying for the US currency.
In late evening, the dollar was traded as high as Rs38.25 but it was in a
terrible short supply.
The rupee has fallen by seven per cent in kerb dealings during the last
about two weeks or Rs2.60 to a dollar and Rs4 since July 1,1995, currency
dealers said adding: The spread of Rs3.16 between the official and the
kerb rates gives much-needed leverage to speculative traders.
The spot buying and selling rates were quoted at Rs38.05 and Rs38.08 as
compared to Tuesdays Rs37.70 and Rs37.75 in kerb dealings but official
spot rates were held unchanged at Rs34.75 and Rs34.92 respectively.
However, central bank officials were least worried over the virtual turmoil
in the open currency market and an unprecedented squeeze on the US dollar
telling investors that in a free market anything could happen at the risks
of speculative traders.
According to one estimate dollar worth about Rs8bn have been purchased
during the last about one week and despite a steady inflow from the
neighbouring markets, the dollar is in short supply.
Strong demand from Islamabad dealers has generated a good bit of local
speculative buying as signals from the capital mean some special
significance for the currency dealers, financial analysts said.
The US dollar is now worth Rs38.08 for selling and the rumoured target of
Rs40 might not now be a distant possibility, said a leading currency
dealer.
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960523
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Blanket GST not possible, IMF told
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Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, May 22: The five-month-old 600 million dollar IMF Standby
Arrangement scheduled to conclude in March 1997 is in serious jeopardy, as
the government, during on-going negotiations with the IMF, is reported to
have expressed its inability to levy General Sales Tax (GST) across the
board in the next budget.
Informed sources said that the visiting IMF mission headed by its Regional
Director Andre Hovaguimian, again held wide-ranging talks with Pakistani
officials and called for implementing various conditionalities attached to
the 600 million dollar Standby Loan.
The Pakistani negotiating team is headed by V. A. Jafarey, the Prime
Ministers Advisor on Finance and Economic Affairs.
The government side is said to have refused to levy GST at any stage on
food, fertilisers and medicines, and for the next year it has consented to
withdraw GST exemptions from a limited number of other items. Also, it has
asked the Fund to allow extension of full GST coverage up to the retail
stage in a phased manner over the next three years.
But the IMF, sources said, believes that without imposing GST across the
board in the budget for 1996-97, the present revenue crisis could not be
overcome and the process of documentation would be delayed unnecessarily.
The issue of achieving 4 per cent GDP budget deficit target for the next
fiscal year was another hot topic of discussion, with Pakistani authorities
trying to convince the IMF not to insist on the issue.
Mr V.A.Jafarey conveyed to them that the 4 per cent deficit target would
mean imposition of at least Rs 50 billion of additional taxes on the one
hand and slowing down of the economy to a snails pace on the other, which
would cause serious stagflation.
Officials of the Ministry of Finance were privately airing their views
about the possible reaction among the masses over both, imposition of the
GST and 4 per cent GDP budget deficit target, in case they were
scrupulously implemented in the next budget.
The impact of the taxation related to 4 per cent budget deficit was also
discussed with the IMF and it was informed that the government would have
to go for massive taxation to implement what is being termed a real hard
task for the government.
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960518
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Govt facing difficulties in meeting IMF terms
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*From Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, May 17: Pakistan is facing difficulties in implementing the
conditionalities of the IMF in the next budget and the government has
decided to arrange meetings between the Fund officials and the political
representatives to ease out pressure from the Washington based
organisation.
Informed sources told Dawn that the visiting IMF mission met here with
State Minister for Finance Makhdoom Shahabuddin and insisted that
conditionalities relating to budget deficit, tariffs and monetary expansion
should be implemented, failing which Pakistan would not be able to qualify
for third tranche of 600 million dollars standby loan.
However, the mission was told that there was a duly elected political
government in Pakistan which has to take into account lot of political
considerations while implementing various fiscal policies and that it
could not blindly accept IMF conditionalities.
A number of meetings will be arranged between the MNAs of both the
government and the opposition with the visiting IMF mission with a view to
convince it to be lenient towards Pakistan.
He told Dawn that the IMF conditionalities were aimed at implementing
structural reform programme with a view to improving socio-economic
conditions of common man.
Pakistan has agreed with the IMF that conditionalities like 4 per cent GDP
budget deficit, reducing of tariff to 55 per cent and achieving 8 per cent
rate of inflation will be achieved during 1996-97.
Sources said that Pakistan has made it clear to the IMF that it was unable
to reduce its defence budget keeping in view the security situation in the
region. The IMF said that it was also asking India to reduce its defence
budget and that the Fund was treating both the countries at par on the
issue.
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960523
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Huge govt borrowing weakens rupee
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Mohiuddin Aazim
KARACHI, May 22: The excessive government borrowing from banking channels
is one of the factors behind the increase in money supply that in turn is
weakening the rupee. The trend can hardly be reversed without the
government slashing its borrowings.
Money market analysts link the recent huge depreciation in rupee value in
the kerb market to an unusual increase in the money supply that the State
Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has managed to contain only partially because of
excessive government borrowing.
The SBP Board of Directors that met on Tuesday at Islamabad asked the
government to cut down its borrowing that is believed to have touched Rs 74
billion mark more than double the Credit Plan limit of Rs 30 billion
projected for the entire fiscal year 1995-96.
In the kerb market, rupee lost 35 paisa against dollar on Wednesday and 23
paisa on Tuesday and market analysts fear the fall may continue.
Although foreign exchange dealers say an official devaluation of rupee is
imminent yet senior bankers and money market analysts think otherwise.
Since the October 29 huge devaluation of 7.0 per cent that came in one go
the SBP has made several downward revision in the value of rupee calling
them corrective adjustments.
Money market analysts say the money borrowed by the government finds it way
back into the system in the form of various government payments. This
vicious circle is hard to break.
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960522
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State Bank projects monetary expansion at 13-14 per cent
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 21: The Board of Directors of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)
asked the government on Tuesday to cut down its bank borrowing that is in
excess of the 1995-96 credit plan target. It also approved a tentative
credit plan for 1996-97 targeting to keep monetary expansion at 13-14 per
cent.
The government bank borrowing stood at Rs 66 billion by mid April more
than double the targeted Rs 28.1 billion for the entire fiscal year 1995/
96 that ends on June 30.
Containment of government borrowing is very vital for enforcing financial
and monetary discipline and as such more than 100 per cent increase in the
borrowing limit has to be taken serious by the central bank. The SBP
release did not specify the 1996-97 target for bank borrowing.
The government borrowing for budgetary support had bypassed the 1994-95
target of Rs 15 billion by a wide margin of Rs 12 billion as the figure
stood at Rs 27 billion by the end of that fiscal year.
The 1995-96 Credit Plan envisaged Rs 64.0 billion limit for credit to the
private sector. Till mid-April the credit to the private sector stood at
52.6 billion. Finance managers of the country feel the figure was well
within limits and the target would not be surpassed.
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960520
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American firm vying to own PTC equities
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
LAHORE, May 19: A leading American telecom concern, GTE, is reported to
have contacted the Privatisation Commission officials in Islamabad, this
week to discuss prospects to purchase Pakistan Telecommunication
Corporation shares. Reliable sources said that top officials of the GTE
dashed to Islamabad a few days ago and held detailed interrogation about
the PTCs current financial outlook and future viability, in case
corporations 26 per cent holding was sold to the private sector.
It is understood that the GTE is trying to make a syndicate with a German
concern, which has been operating in Pakistan for the last three decades,
to evaluate matters pertaining to PTCs privatisation. The PTC officials
confirmed the GTE officials visit to Pakistan in connection with the
corporations privatisation, and added that in fact the visitors also
called on the PTC officials. Sources said that cash-rich US company was
eagerly looking forward to making massive investment in Pakistan in
different sectors, and the telecommunication is one such area in which it
would initially do some business. It is understood that cash reserve of the
American company stands at $8 billion at present.
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960522
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Expert opinion sought on trade with India
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtasham ul Haque
ISLAMABAD, May 21: The government has decided to formally take up the issue
of bilateral trade with India and is seeking expert opinion from a group of
local and foreign consultants, it is learnt.
The ministry of commerce as well as other economic ministries are said to
have given the go-ahead to open trade with India, saying that it would not
harm the political or economic interests of Pakistan.
Internal exercises conducted especially by the ministry of commerce
suggested that the matter should not be delayed for a very long time.
The businessmen of Punjab, particularly those of Lahore, the ministry
officials claim, are eager to have trade with India as early as possible
and that is why have established initial contracts with their counterparts
in various places across the border, including New Delhi, Jalandher,
Amritsar, Luddhiana and Hariana.
The representatives of trade bodies and officials of the ministry of
commerce are believed to have rejected the point of view of the
intelligence agencies that trade with India would hurt Pakistans
interests. The ministry has also rejected the objections of Pakistans
ambassador in Delhi, Riaz Khokhar, terming them as being without substance
or logic.
Commerce Minister Chauhdary Ahmad Mukhtar, too, sees no harm and he is
confident that Pakistan could beat India almost in every department of
trade and industry. India, despite being so big, produces cotton which is
almost equal to Pakistans level and similarly does no have any substantial
edge on us in any particular field, he maintains.
The government has also asked the experts group to advise it on the
question of granting the status of Most Favoured Nation India which it had
already offered to Pakistan. Here, too, we cannot linger on the issue for
a very long time as it is against the rules of World Trade Organisation
(WTO), Mr Mukhtar said. He pointed out that the issue was first discussed
during the late Gen Ziaul Haqs period and was decided in principle by the
government of Nawaz Sharif.
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960521
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Islamic Equity Fund launched in Britain
-------------------------------------------------------------------
*From Athar Ali
LONDON, May 20: Flemings, one of the largest UK-based international
investment banks, which set up a world-wide Islamic equity fund in March
this year, has now launched it in Britain for the benefit of more than 2
million Muslims living in the country.
The worldwide response, said Mr Shane ORiordin, a Flemings spokesman, has
already yielded $7 million investment. It is expected that the fund could
bring in US$ 100-150 million internationally. The UK market is expected to
result in $5-10 million investment.
The fund is to be called Oasis and is to be supervised by a board of
Islamic scholars, including Mr Justice Taqqi al-Usmani, former member of
the Sharia Appellate Bench of the Pakistan Supreme Court who is currently
vice-chairman of Dar-ul-Uloom, Karachi. The other two members are Dr Abdul
Sattar Abu Gaddah and Dr Nazih Hammad, both associated with the Jeddah-
based Islamic Fiqh Academy.
These Muslim scholars will supervise the investment made by the equity fund
and see that it conforms to the correct Islamic tenets with regard to
interest-free financial dealings.
At $9.63 per share, the fund will be open to investment with a minimum of
$50,000. Mr ORiordin said that Flemings felt there was big equity market
in which Muslim investors had a very small share.
They have launched the fund in the hope that it will grow. Flemings have
started investing in over 80 companies which were found to be Islamically
correct.
These include pharmaceuticals and electronic firms. Some names such as
Roche (Swiss), Emerson Electronics (US), Myers Squibb (US) and Cable and
Wireless are worth mentioning.
The companies in which the fund will invest will be chosen so as to find
approval with the committee of experts.
Companies deriving income from gambling, distribution or sale of alcohol
and partaking in promiscuity will not be chosen.
Oasis, the Islamic equity fund, is incorporated in Luxembourg and its
shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Initial subscriptions
will be accepted at the Net Asset Value per share plus an initial charge of
5% which will be reduced for larger orders.
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960517
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stocks show fresh decline on panic selling
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Commerce Reporter
KARACHI, May 16: Stocks showed fresh sharp decline on renewed hasty selling
prompted by news of nomination of Atal Behari Vajpayee of BJP as the new
prime minister of India.
What seemed to have triggered panic selling was his statements on the Azad
Kashmir and nuclear issues.
The opening was distinctly easy as the index was about 50 points down and
there were fears in some quarters that the Vajpayee factor could trigger
fresh sellstops but institutional traders came to the rescue of the market
and it managed to recover about 12 points till the final bell.
However, in the process it lost seven billion and 14 billion during the
last two sessions as the market capitalisation fell to Rs 371 bn.
The KSE 100-share index breached the 1,700-point barrier and was last
quoted at 1,698.06 as compared to 1,735.45 a day earlier, reflecting the
relative weakness of the base shares.
Opinions about the direction of the market are now divided as the
leadership change in India could well mean a confrontation. Militants in
the BJP might not like to ease tension between the two countries after
Vajpayee managed to secure vote of confidence from the house.
Minus signs, therefore, dominated the scene, although losses in most cases
were fractional and reflected lack of support rather than large selling.
Most of the indexed shares, however, remained under pressure and took the
entire market along with them in the minus column, notable losers among
them being ICP SEMF, Adamjee Insurance, Dewan Salman, Shell Pakistan and
Engro Chemicals, which suffered fall ranging from Rs 3 to 3.50.
Other prominent losers were led by National Fibre, Wellcome Pakistan,
Pakland Cement, Citicorp, Faysal Bank, Askari Bank, Indus Motors and Pak-
Suzuki Motors, but falls were modest.
Some of the leading shares managed to put on fresh good gains under the
lead of Lever Brothers and Rafhan Maize Products, , which rose by Rs 5 each
followed by Central Insurance, Friends Spinning, MCB, Dawood Hercules,
Quality Steel, and Mitchells Fruits, rising by one rupee to Rs 1.75.
The most active list was topped by PTC vouchers, off Rs 1.70 on 13.071m
shares on heavy weekend selling but there were buyers at the dips followed
by Hub-Power, lower one rupee on 8.712m shares, Dhan Fibre, easy 55 paisa
on 3.469m shares, Dewan Salman, sharply lower by Rs 4.50 on 1.739m shares
and FFC-Jordan Fertiliser, easy 35 paisa on 1.232m shares. Lucky Cement was
also actively traded, off Rs 1.35 on a million shares.
Other actives were led by Faysal Bank, off Rs 1.40 on 0.507m shares, ICI
Pakistan, down one rupee on 0.485m shares, LTV Modaraba, lower 10 paisa on
0.450m shares, and Sui Southern, easy Rs 1.25 on 0.293m shares.
Trading volume rose further to 35.047m shares from the previous 34.817m
shares as most of the current favourites were actively traded both ways.
There were 292 actives, out of 206 shares fell, while 40 rose, with 46
holding on to the last levels.
Dividend: The board of directors of Exide Pakistan has announced a cash
dividend at the rate of 25 per cent for the year ended March 31, 1996,
while Askari General Insurance Company and Arju Garments Accessories have
omitted the dividend for their last financial years.
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960523
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Stock market remains under pressure
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Commerce Reporter
KARACHI, May 22: Stocks remained under pressure as the new account buying
failed to figure prominently on any of the blue chip counters.
Turmoil in the free money market after a steep decline in the value of the
rupee against the US dollar at Rs 38.08 for selling was the central point
of discussion among the leading brokers.
There might have been stray selling to buy the dollar but its evidence in
the rings was not immediately confirmed by any of the leading dealers.
The rupee might not be officially devalued as the last massive devaluation
of about 10 per cent failed to boost exports, but the market now is in the
tight grip of speculative forces and they are manipulating to their own
advantage, they added.
It was perhaps in this background the index lost another about 18 points at
1,685.97, making the total during the last two sessions to about 40 points,
which means a market capitalisation loss of about Rs 9 billion at Rs 368
bn.
The KSE 100-share index was last quoted at 1,685.97 as compared to
1,703.56, breaching the 1,700 points after about a week.
Floor brokers said the near-term direction of the market is uncertain as
investors are not inclined to make fresh commitments even at the falling
prices.
What has unnerved them is heavy selling in most of the pivotals under the
lead of PTC vouchers and Hub-Power, which have prompted a good bit of
sympathetic selling from other quarters.
Minus signs, therefore, again dominated the list but losses in most of the
cases were fractional and reflected lack of large selling from some of the
big dealers.
However, some of the local blue chips, which had risen sharply over the
last few weeks came in for active selling and were quoted lower by Rs 3.40
to 5 for Dewan Salman, Gharibwal Cement and EFU.
Other prominent losers were led by Askari Leasing, Atlas Leasing, Atlas
Bank, Adamjee Insurance, Abbott Lab, Fauji Fertiliser, Highnoon Lab and
Parke-Davis, falling by one rupee to Rs 1.50.
Some of the leading shares managed to finish modestly higher on active
short-covering under the lead of Al-Abid Silk, Quality Steel, and Dawood
Hercules, rising by Rs 2 to 3.
They were followed by ICP SEM, Polypropylene, and Quice Foods, but the
biggest gain of Rs 11 was noted in Ideal Energy, which remained in strong
demand apparently from the management.
The most active list was again topped by PTC vouchers, sharply lower by Rs
1.75 on 13.745m shares followed by Hub-Power, lower 20 paisa on 5.525m
shares, Dhan Fibre, easy 20 paisa on 2.00 m shares, Dewan Salman, off Rs
3.40 on 1.748m shares, and FFC-Jordan Fertiliser, of 95 paisa on 0.833m
shares.
Other actives were led by Faysal Bank, easy 50 paisa on 0.436m shares,
Lucky Cement, off 30 paisa on 0.559m shares, Quice Foods, up Rs 1.25 on
0.404m shares, and LTV Modaraba, unchanged on 0.163m shares. There were
some other actives also.
Trading volume fell to 28.872m shares from the previous 34.307 m shares
owing to the absence of leading sellers.
There were 328 actives, out of which 211 shares fell, while 58 rose, with
59 holding on to the last levels.
A dividend news from the Orient Insurance was disappointing as its
directors have omitted the dividend for the last year. While others have
came out with good announcements under the lead of Adamjee and EFU
Insurance during the last three sessions and there were rumours that others
might follow suit.
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960519
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500 families own countrys wealth
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, May 18: A survey conducted by the influential US think-tank
Freedom House says Pakistans economic wealth is held by a tiny, land-
owning elite of 500 families.
It has rated Pakistan as a mostly not free country by a worldwide
economic standards and says corruption is a regular part of doing business
and drain on the economy while state powers are being used against
political rivals and judiciary is severely back-logged and prone to
corruption.
The survey also makes reference to bonded labour and says citizens are
denied the freedom to buy, sell, trade and otherwise pursue economic
opportunities.
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960517
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The man of a hundred faces
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
WHAT is the derivative of the name Saroop? I asked of another General.
Its misspelt, I was told, it should be Sao (meaning a hundred) roop
(faces). But, then, whats in a name?
In October 1993, before the loyalists could completely devour and demolish
the samosas and tea that was served to those who had graced the second
swearing-in of Benazir as prime minister, she left with her nearest and
dearest hangers-on to fly to Peshawar to topple the Sabir Shah provincial
government and ensure the installation of acolyte Aftab Sherpao.
This accomplished, Raja Saroop Khan, a former Lieutenant-General of the
Pakistan Army, chairman of the newly formed Committee for Research and
Analysis (COMREAN) set up in the Prime Ministers Secretariat, targeted
Punjab. The Raja produced a Strategy Paper. It opens:
Since the last meeting convened by the Prime Minister to discuss strategy
regarding Punjab, a lot of water has passed under the bridge. The strategy
requires to be reviewed as the contours of the political scenery have
undergone certain changes. The current situation is as under:
(i) The PPP is no longer locked in a stalemate in the NWFP. The federal
government can now concentrate its energies and attention on Punjab. The
bold manner in which the government has leapt over the political and
judicial hurdles in the NWFP would definitely serve to discipline its
coalition partner in Punjab.
It continued: The PPP relations with Manzoor Wattoo have moved from the
stage of total mistrust to muted suspicion... Wattoo has effortlessly
stripped Makhdoom altaf off the writ of the post of senior minister
established by Faisal Saleh Hayat... as a direct consequence thereof even
minor issues cannot be resolved locally and all problems are transferred
upwards to be settled at the level of the Prime Minister and President.
This is an undesirable state of affairs as the highest pillars of the state
structure, the PM/President, are losing their awe due to over-exposure.
Wrote Saroop, the induction of Chaudhry Altaf Hussain as Governor of Punjab
had provided a much needed power centre to the PPP but that his position
needed to be strengthened by giving him effective powers over Wattoo,
whose insecurities continue to condition his behaviour even now...
demolishes this bulwark too.
The Objective follows:
In spite of the facts that Manzoor Wattoo has started masquerading as
playing ball with us and we have also succeeded in distancing him from Mian
Nawaz Sharif, our objective of ditching him should not be altered. Our real
enemy lurks within our gates, as Mian Manzoor Wattoo has damaged the PPP
more than its enemies General Zia-ul-Haq and Nawaz Sharif. He has snatched
pride and hope from the partys workers. In case Wattoo continues in power,
the PPP would be slow-poisoned to political demise. The PPPs political
survivial depends upon Albatrosss removal.
Then, the Strategy:
Redefining of Roles... Our main shortcoming is that we have so far not
been able to put our act together. The Prime Minister / President are
single-handedly fighting the political battle... The biggest contribution
of nine MPAs so far has been made by the Prime Ministers personal agency,
the Intelligence Bureau... The political leadership of the Punjab is even
not being able to retain the MPAs spoon-fed to them by the IB...
The paper suggests that the Governor should head the partys team in the
province and that he should be responsible for retaining the MPAs joining
the PPP through the IB also. The major concentration of the Joint Director
of the Lahore IB was to be on opposition MNAs. Once they, and any MPAs he
may target, were ensnared, he was to pass them on to the Governor in the
province and to Syed Ijlal Haider Zaidi in the Centre.
As for multi-faceted Syed Ijlal Haider Zaidi: He may monitor the progress
of targets assigned to federal ministers / MNAs and co-ordinate with Joint
Director, IB, Lahore for fulfilment of promises in respect of MNAs joining
through him. He may co-ordinate with Chief Minister, Punjab, on
instructions of the Prime Minister in specific matters.
Saroop recommended that power be moved imperceptibly to the Governors
House. The Governors constitutional role was to be beefed up. He was to
freely give interviews to victims of administrative excesses on their
requests (arranged by IB) including Wattoos political victims... He was
to build up written records that would lead to the imposition of Governors
rule or the dissolution of the provincial assembly, involving himself in
such matters as the price hike, corruption, Wattoos high handedness with
his relatives and friends, the ineffectiveness of the administration,
increase in crime, drug trafficking, hoarding, collapse of the education
system, and so on. All was to be put on record to be used.
The master-stroke was headed taming of the Judiciary:
As early as possible the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Justice
Mehboob may be replaced with a judge loyal to the Prime Minister and
President. Appointment of a pro-PPP Chief Justice would demoralise Mian
Nawaz Sharif on the one hand and curb the initiative of Mian Manzoor Wattoo
on the other. We would also attain the capability to humiliate / embarrass
Wattoo in cases of political harassment of his opponents, corruption of his
relatives, friends, agents, etc.
Lastly, The Final Decisive Blow:
Till the target number of MPAs have joined the PPP and the odds are 51 to
49 for the coup, we should continue hiding our iron fist in the velvet
glove. The final assault may be made by abrupt resignations of PPP members
from the cabinet and simultaneous directive of the Governor to the Chief
Minister to take a fresh vote of confidence. In case the PPP is not sure of
the majority of MPAs supporting it, the Governor may suspend the assembly
on the pretext of collapse of the administrative machinery, rampant
lawlessness and complaints of cabinet members against Wattoos
highhandedness, corruption, nepotism, victimisation of political opponents,
etc. Note: Secrecy is the essence of the plan. This may be kept from the
Governor also at this stage.
To update entrants into the political field, Raja saroop Khan of Jhelum
learnt his soldiering at the Pakistan Military Academy (7th PMA, 1953), and
possessing the requisite political ability, rose swiftly. He was Vice-Chief
of General Staff, then he commanded an armoured division, went back to GHQ
as Military Secretary, was promoted Lt-General and given command of the
Multan Corps. Whilst at Multan, he attempted to paint Lahore red, was
chastised but forgiven by the Mard-e-Momin. With leanings towards the right
party, come Caretaker Moeen Qureshi, the then governor of Punjab and
Saroops friend, General Iqbal, inducted him as provincial minister for
local bodies. On Benazirs second arrival, his loyalty and prowess were
acknowledged, he was made chairman of the PMs own COMREAN, and, in
collaboration with Ijlal Haider Zaidi, worked and delivered. They destroyed
the judiciary, got rid of Chief Justice Mehboob, and sent Wattoo to
pasture. In 1995, Raja Saroop moved into Governors House, Lahore.
He has not been well recently, and Lahoris have it that he may well be
replaced by his tactical companion, the ever- surviving Ijlal.
Our question: Has whatever Saroop done since his retirement been done in
the interests of the country, or is he, and his cohorts, being supported at
our expense to keep the PPP in power? He has at least been honest enough to
term the IB as the Prime Ministers personal agency.
Our just concern: Following the strategy, the Prime Minister exiled Chief
Justice Mehboob of the LHC and Chief Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid of Sindh to
the Andamans. Justice Zahid took the oath and went to the Federal Shariat
Court. Justice Mehboob refused, chose to retire, and was supplanted by
amenable Acting Chief Justice Ilyas, who gave way to more amendable
Acting Chief Justice Irshad. Prior to the March 20 Supreme Court order
Justice Irshad, sailing close to the wind, requested Chief Justice of
Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah that he be reassigned to his confirmed seat on the
Supreme Court Bench. Subsequent to the March 20 order, Justice Khalilur
Rahman was confirmed as Chief Justice of the LHC, and has now sent his
recommendations regarding the confirmation of 31 judges of the LHC to
Governor Saroop.
Knowing Saroops mindset, CJ Sajjad Ali Shah would better serve Pakistan by
completely disregarding the Governors recommendations.
Those reading the above excerpts from Saroops Strategy Paper, would do
well to also read Saroops second Paper, Implications of Local Bodies
Elections in Punjab and Proposed Measures to Gain Favourable Results. Both
Papers have been published in full by Aristoon Basit of the Idara Tehrik
Qanoon, at Qanoon Manzil that stands behind the Lahore High Court.
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960520
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A government that refuses to grow up
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayaz Amir
REMEMBER that scene from Julius Caesar where an angry mob gets hold of
Cinna the poet, thinking that he is Cinna the conspirator? When he tries to
clear up the confusion, someone from the crowd shouts: Hang him for his
bad verses.
Quite apart from the contents of the reference filed by the government in
the Supreme Court asking it to clarify some aspects of its judgement in
the so-called judges case, the drafting of this peevish document (for
peevish it is) is so bad that those grammarians who may have had a hand in
it richly deserve the fate of Cinna the poet.
Sloppy drafting usually indicates muddled thinking or mala fide intentions.
In this instance it reflects both these characteristics. What is the
government up to and what is it trying to prove? The occasion for the
judges case would not have arisen if the government had kept to some
minimum standards while appointing judges to the Sindh and Punjab high
courts and if, later on, its functionaries in Sindh (no doubt because of
instructions from Islamabad) had not been so zealous in getting on the
wrong side of his lordship the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
But the original folly having been committed, and the Supreme Court having
delivered its verdict, wisdom lay in putting the best possible face on
something which the government, short of annulling the Constitution, could
do nothing about. If one must rant and rave it should be over things one
can influence and change. But disregarding something which would have been
pretty obvious to most people, Prime minister Benazir Bhutto, employing
anger and ridicule as her weapons and picking a leaf from Don Quixotes
book of strategy, chose to pick a fight with the windmills. In doing so she
caused no damage to the windmills. She merely drew attention (certainly not
for the first time) to her own lack of judgment.
Even then, despite these hectic efforts to manufacture an artificial
crisis, the dust raised by the Supreme Court verdict has settled. Permanent
chief justices have started working in Lahore, Karachi and Quetta and they
in turn, wherever necessary, seem almost to have finalised their
recommendations about the ad hoc judges whose fate was affected by the
Supreme Court judgment. There is no constitutional crisis in the country.
The phrase judicial activism has come into great favour after the Supreme
Court verdict but the Supreme Court is not threatening the government. If
the government faces any threat, it is from its own incompetence and (lest
we forget) the insatiable cupidity of its leading field commanders.
But it is a measure of the wisdom that is currently on offer that this
government is once again trying to stoke the embers of a dead fire. The
reference it has filed in the Supreme Court is a quibbling document whose
aim seems more to settle scores with the Chief Justice than to gain
elucidation on any point of law. Of the six questions that the government
has put to the Supreme Court, two are almost wholly of an academic nature,
two take a jab at the Chief Justice, one attempts to make a virtue of hair-
splitting while only one relates to anything serious.
Question number 1 asks as to what is the test for determining the
existence of constitutional conventions in a country governed by a written
constitution? and can ...the convention, if any, be read in the written
constitution in alteration of its express provisions? Question number 5
seeks to clarify, in a convoluted manner, the doctrine of necessity.
Important as these points may be they relate to no pressing problem facing
the government. Where Ms Bhutto should get on with the business of
governing, she seems more obsessed with getting her own back from Chief
Justice Sajjad Ali Shah. Had her government been dedicated to strengthening
the rule of law, its zeal in seeking clarifications from the Supreme Court
on points of law would have been understandable. But since that is hardly
the case, what are the people to make of its new-found passion?
Questions 3 and 6 which are aimed at the Chief Justice are of a piece with
the petulance which has been the hallmark of the governments attitude
towards the Supreme Court ever since the latter took up the original
petition in the judges case. Question 3, proceeding from the assumption
that the Chief Justices own appointment is sub judice, asks as to ...What
is the course appropriate in law for the federal government to adopt, for
the appointment / confirmation of judges in the (superior courts)...?
Question number 6, again basing itself on the premise that the appointment
of the Chief Justice is disputed, asks as to how the verdict in the judges
case may have been affected by the constitutional provisions which prohibit
a judge from acting in a case involving his own interest...?
First of all, the mere filing of a writ petition by a private citizen
against the appointment of the Chief Justice does not make his appointment
disputed. Just as a writ petition filed by me against the President or the
Prime minister would not make their appointments disputed. If, on the other
hand, anything pertaining to the CJ was pending before the Supreme Judicial
Council, the only forum which can take action against members of the
superior judiciary, then of course we would be left with no recourse except
to say that his appointment had become controversial. Certainly in view of
the Supreme Courts ruling that the senior-most judge in a high court can
legitimately expect to be made the chief justice when a vacancy occurs, the
propriety of Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shahs own elevation is all called
into question because he was not the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court
when the position of CJ became vacant. But if anything, this is a moral
dilemma for him to resolve. Having been confirmed in his position by the
very government which is now calling his appointment into question, he
faces no legal disqualification which makes his appointment disputed.
Question 4 is too clever by half: What is the position of the judges, who
were appointed / confirmed as judges in the superior courts by the acting
chief justices during the period of martial law (1977-85) and during 1986-
88? Governments must live in the present and solve the problems for which
they have been elected instead of fighting the battles of the past. General
Zia did not behave kindly with the judiciary but when for that matter
neither did Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who got several constitutional amendments
passed whose sole purpose was to bend the judiciary to the will of the
executive. How far back should we go in our history in order to settle the
quarrels of the past?
Question 2 touches an important point: Whether all provisions of the
Constitution, which were enacted by the framers of the Constitution,
prevail over those which were incorporated by the chief martial law
administrator? This is relevant in view of the Supreme Courts ruling in
the judges case that Article 209 of the constitution (which speaks of
security of tenure for members of the superior judiciary) takes precedence
over Article 203-C (which allows the government to transfer judges to the
Federal Shariat court) because the first was part of the original 1973
Constitution while the second was incorporated into it by a military ruler.
Consequently, what is the status of other amendments made by the military
regime?
The common sense answer to this question of course is that in view of the
Supreme Court ruling, where two such conflicting provisions occur, what
exists in the original Constitution should take precedence over what was
arbitrarily added to it by General Zia-ul-Haq. But this rule cannot extend
to provisions which are no longer part of the Constitution. The Supreme
Court can interpret the Constitution but it cannot restore to life parts of
the Constitution which no longer exist.
This is not to say that the Supreme Court verdict in the judges case is in
all respects perfect. At places reliance has been placed on less-than-
complete analogies from Islamic history. In part it is also inconsistent
because whereas at one point it disputes the validity of amendments passed
by a martial law dictator, at another point it presses into service the
Objectives Resolution which was made a substantive part of the Constitution
by a flourish of the same dictators pen. The government has every right to
seek clarification of these points. But its intentions become suspect when
seen against the peevishness and petulance which permeate the reference it
has filed.
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960522
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Half dead, or simply retired?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hafizur Rahman
I heard a nice expression the other day. We were talking about the
retirement of government officers and their re-employment, one of the
favourite topics for gossip in Islamabad. The talk turned to a re-employed
gentleman who would count senior even among senior citizens. A wag among us
used the idiom of second- hand tyres to describe him. He has been re-
treaded after the bypass and is now good for another five years, he said.
Long superannuated and now re-employed officers are not inclined to be
flippant about themselves. For them the words used to obtain the Prime
Ministers approval for extension in service are sacred words: invaluable
experience, proven ability, unimpeachable integrity, definitely
irreplaceable and similar other epithets culled from Rogets Thesaurus.
They are not just ordinary expressions. For the officer concerned they are
golden testimonials (even if untrue) which may win him a further year or
two in service, because, failing that, he would be shoved into the limbo of
powerlessness and oblivion.
Not that all officers who get extensions really need them, financially
speaking that is. It is rare that an officer has no house of his own to
live in, or his children are not yet out of college. Nine out of ten
retired officers are fairly well-off and have no money problems to speak
of.
There are cases of bachelor or childless federal secretaries retiring in
the highest scale that the government can give, with nobody to spend their
gratuity on. But they still crave for extra service after superannuation,
and even after superfluity, and would be willing to give five years of
their lives for another year in service. The reason is that most of them do
not know what to do with themselves after they have been sent home.
For the government officer, service has been the be-all and end-all of
existence. He knows nothing apart from the business of government service.
His whole thinking, the language he uses, the outlook he displays even in
domestic problems, the entire idiom of his life style, all are derived from
the routine daily drudgery of office work, of meetings and discussions, of
minutes and agendas, of budgets and accounts.
Since these are of no use to him in after-life retirement for him is
almost after-life and he has no hobby, no pastime, no other vocation, he
becomes a lost cow, to use a Punjabi expression. No wonder he will beg,
borrow or steal to get as much extra time as he can. The evil day when he
must vacate his office chair and lose the company of his PA and his naib
qasid must be put off somehow. A good half of him dies when he finally goes
home.
There are sound reasons for this. The truth is that today, notwithstanding
the development of big business and industry and modern methods of
agriculture and the arts and the sciences, the non-official genius is still
counted lower in status and prestige than the official mediocrity.
He may have made a name for himself at the international level in any one
of these fields, yet he is not a patch on the higher- grade wallah in
government service.
Tangible respectability in social life is still for the so- called senior
officer. A Faiz Ahmed Faiz or a Sadequain or a Dr Abdus Salam are denied
admittance into the VIP lounge at our airports, and the flunkey in charge
will feel indignant at their temerity if they dared to consider themselves
entitled to this facility. But see how he welcomes an Additional Secretary,
bowing and scraping before him, even though intrinsically he may not be fit
to be a medical salesman.
Private organisations, philanthropic bodies and social welfare agencies
would rather cancel a function than be obliged to invite as chief guest a
public figure not connected with the government of the day.
They know that if they ask the Director General of Animal Husbandry for the
purpose, they are likely to get a better Press and a larger turnout of
guests and invitees, and may even have the PTV cameraman around if they
know the ropes, than if they are silly enough to request Seth Ahmed Dawood
to do the honours.
The organisers would fare no better if in place of the Seth they were to
ask a retired officer, even though he were a pharoah in his time, to be the
guest of honour. The guests would be there but the honour would be sadly
missing.
The most pathetic aspect of this state of affairs is that the poor retired
officer does not even command the respect and attention of his erstwhile
colleagues who are still in office. His visit to his old place of work is
termed a nuisance, and any requests that he may have to make, either about
his pensionary dues or to obtain help in other personal matters, are faced
with ill-concealed annoyance.
It is then that he gets an entirely different view of the world, but
completely forgets that this is exactly how he too used to behave. I can
vividly recall a lecture I heard by a retired federal secretary, a terrible
snob in his time, but now considerably chastened, advising the audience of
government servants to treat the public with consideration, patience and
sympathy, something he had never done himself while in office.
The only administrative reform needed in a democratic Pakistan is to stop
the concentration of power and authority in a comparatively small number of
officers, to involve political cadres in ever greater numbers at all levels
of the administration and to privatise whatever government activity can be
possibly given up. No amount of harangues and homilies and courses in NIPA
and the Administrative Staff College can serve the same purpose.
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960518
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Droit de seigneur
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mazdak
WHENEVER a particularly unsavoury aspect of life in Pakistan is uncovered
and makes headlines locally and internationally, the first reaction is not
to do something about it, but to blame somebody, anybody, for maligning us.
This knee-jerk reaction was in evidence when the Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan sent a task force into rural Sindh to identify private jails being
maintained by waderas, and free bonded haris who were being kept there,
often in chains. In a series of raids, HRCP volunteers accompanied by
journalists released around a thousand haris, some of whom had been in
bondage for 24 years. Foreign reporters and TV crews flew in to cover this
scandalous story, and initially, officials helped the HRCP team, and even
registered some FIRs against the feudals and their managers, something
unheard of in the rural areas.
So far, so good. Then the backlash set in. A chorus of statements, articles
and letters to editors have appeared, all aimed at informing us that we are
ignorant of rural realities, and the practice of literally tying haris to
the land was actually a partnership between tenant and landlord. The whole
thing was a plot to reduce Sindhs agricultural output, and thus weaken
Sindhis as a whole vis-a-vis non-Sindhis. Some defenders of this system
have even justified enslaving haris on the grounds that they had taken
loans from feudals and therefore should be restrained from leaving their
lands until they had paid their debts back.
If we extend this argument a little further, all those feudals, politicians
and businessmen who have taken loans from banks should be held captive by
bankers until they have cleared their debts. A friend suggested that they
be locked up in bank vaults. Instead, they default on their loans and then
grace obscenely opulent houses, parliament buildings and corporate
boardrooms. Thus, those who welsh on loans worth billions of rupees are
rewarded, while poor haris who take advances worth a few thousand rupees
have to be locked up until they have repaid these small amounts, something
they can seldom do because of the burden of the crippling compound
interests.
In theory, these unfortunate haris are supposed to get a third of the
produce they grow. Although this compares poorly with the fifty per cent
their counterparts in upper Sindh retain, they are denied even this
pittance in the districts of lower Sindh where these recent incidents have
occurred. According to some of the haris who have been freed from
captivity, their families were lucky to get a hundred rupees a month.
Basically, all they received was a minimum of simple food. Thus, most of
their legitimate share is being forcibly expropriated by their feudal
masters, and this helps to explain the indolent and dissolute lifestyle of
so many of this class.
A sad but unsurprising aspect of the whole affair is the fact that
virtually all the enslaved haris are Bheels, Kohlis and Meghwars Hindu
tribes that have inhabited lower Sindh long before the advent of Islam.
They are true aboriginals in the sense that they are very close to nature,
and have passively resisted the advance of our so-called civilisation.
Gentle, self- effacing folk, they have seen their land, their very world,
encroached and expropriated by outsiders. No longer able to live free, they
have been subjected to the ultimate indignity of slavery. No politician
raises his voice on their behalf because they are effectively
disenfranchised. In any case, their plight counts for nothing when compared
with the dictates of the wadera. To make matters worse, there are people
who are saying that because of the recent uproar, members of the scheduled
castes should no longer be given work.
The relationship between feudal and tenant, loaded in favour of the former,
is even more lopsided in Sindh. Here, the droit de seigneur that
revolting medieval practice of giving the feudal landlord the right to take
any new bride on his lands to his bed on her marriage is still alive. No
daughter of a tenant is safe, and Hindus are specially vulnerable to these
depredations. The Bheels, Kohlis and Meghwar of lower Sindh are regularly
subjected to this institutionalised rape by waderas and their underlings.
The role of the Sindh government during this furore has been highly
equivocal. Initially, police and district authorities paid no heed to the
letters sent by HRCPs Hyderabad representative, Shakeel Pathan. But after
he took a group of journalists with him to release scores of imprisoned
haris, the Deputy Commissioners of Hyderabad and Badin districts were
supportive, and FIRs were registered against some of the offending farm
managers. However, there has since been a volte face: the few people who
had been arrested have been released, and the two DCs have been
transferred. It seems that the feudals have triumphed again.
Despite progress in other parts of the world and in our own region, the
stranglehold of feudalism has been strengthened in Pakistan with the shaky
return of democracy. the present government, of course, has a strong feudal
base, but even Nawaz Sharif depended heavily on the support of Punjabi
landlords. Thus, despite the chronic fiscal crunch successive governments
have faced, no agricultural tax has ever been imposed. Similarly, no leader
has been able to push through meaningful land reforms aimed at
redistributing land and political power.
Although the Sindh Chief Minister has stated that his government is against
bonded labour, his actions belied his words. By transferring officials who
had helped to free the enslaved haris, he has sent a clear signal to their
colleagues in the field not to move against the interests of the landlords.
Shakeel Pathan, the courageous chief of the HRCP task force, has received
many death threats. An MPAs sidekicks have forcibly released detained
employees from police custody in Shakeels presence, and to date, no action
has been taken against them.
Some of the released haris were given shelter in a Christian mission. These
missionaries are now being criticised for aiding and abetting those who
want to see the present system abolished; some voices have been raised in
favour of closing down the mission altogether. As I.A. Rehman said at a
recent HRCP Press conference, instead of doing something ourselves to help
the released haris, we are carping at those who are assisting them. So what
else is new?
Nobody knows how many more haris are living in shackles, brutalised for
paltry sums they borrowed years ago, and have repaid many times over
through their hard work. Although a law banning this cruel practice was
enacted in 1992, it is observed in the breach by powerful waderas who know
that neither the federal nor the provincial government will move against
them. When the chips are down, class interests are much stronger than
convictions
===================================================================
960522
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Aqib, Basit dropped on disciplinary grounds
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Samiul Hasan
KARACHI, May 21: All the floodgates of criticism were opened here on
Tuesday by the Pakistan Cricket Board when they announced three uncapped
players, retained Ataur Rahman and instead bowled out Ramiz Raja, Aqib
Javed and Basit Ali from the 17-member England-bound team announced at the
National Stadium.
The three uncapped players include Shadab Kabir, Shahid Nazir and Shahid
Anwer without any notable performance in the season. Paceman Ataur Rahman
succeeded in getting into the team through the back door, courtesy Wasim
Akram.
Asif Mujtaba, former Pakistan vice-captain, fought his way back into the
national squad due to hard work and performance in the field by scoring a
record eight centuries on his way to score 1,350 runs in the just concluded
1995-96 circuit.
Former first choice wicketkeeper, Moin Khan, also managed to safeguard his
position. Wasim Akram, of course, was an automatic choice after he resumed
his duties as captain after making himself available for the prestigious
but quite a difficult tour.
The team named by the Chief Executive of the PCB, Arif Abbasi, is:
Aamir Sohail (vice-captain) (ABL), Saeed Anwar (ADBP), Shahid Anwer (NBP),
Shadab Kabir (Karachi), Salim Malik (HBL), Ejaz Ahmad (HBL), Inzamamul Haq
(UBL), Asif Mujtaba (PIA), Wasim Akram (captain) (PIA), Waqar Younis (ABL),
Mohammad Akram (ABL), Ataur Rahman (ABL), Shahid Nazir (Faisalabad, Rashid
Latif (ABL), Moin Khan (PIA), Mushtaq Ahmad (UBL) and Saqlain Mushtaq
(PIA).
The nine reserves are:
Basit Ali (UBL), Sohail Jaffar (PNSC), Salim Elahi (UBL), Aqib Javed (ABL),
Aamir Nazir (ABL), Sajid Shah (PNSC), Azhar Mahmood (UBL), Arshad Khan
(ABL) and Wasim Yousufi (UBL).
The PCB official tried all the tricks he had in his bag to justify the
selections and ousters, though he was apparently unconvincing.
Abbasi, who tried to handle a crowded Press conference alone, didnt answer
most of the queries, saying: This question should be directed to the
Chairman Selection Committee or this information can be sought from the
Chief Selector.
However, Arif Abbasi admitted that the reasons for the ouster of Ramiz
Raja, Aqib Javed and Basit Ali was indiscipline, lack of commitment and a
lax attitude towards the game and team. The Selection Committee has given
significant importance to discipline and from now on, it has become a
policy decision.
Any of the players found misbehaving on the England tour and onwards, will
simply be handed over the return ticket. There will be no hanky panky now,
he said.
The players dont seem to realise that it is because of this country that
they are respected the world over. Had it not been Pakistan, they would
have not seen a cricket ground, let alone playing on it. It is very sad
that they are doing this to this country, Abbasi, in an emotional tone,
asserted.
Abbasi was, nevertheless, dumbfounded when asked if only Basit, Aqib and
Ramiz came in the bracket of discipline.
If the PCB starts the scrutiny of players involved in misbehaviour or
indiscipline, well, then half of the team members would be dropped
including skipper Wasim Akram himself.
Interestingly, Abbasi accused Aqib, Basit and Ramiz of violating players
Code of Conduct, but no specific incidents were mentioned. In the just
concluded season none of the three players was either warned, reprimanded
or disciplined by the cricket board or even by the cricket manager.
It is believed that the ouster of the trio is on the recommendation and
insistence of skipper Wasim Akram. According to well placed sources, a
couple of selectors were in favour of Basit and Aqib but surrendered before
the whims of the skipper.
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960523
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Yawar Saeed, Nasimul Ghani named managers for tour
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sports Reporter
KARACHI, May 22: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named Yawar Saeed, having
experience of English county cricket, and Nasimul Ghani, former Test
spinner, as managers for the tour of England.
The decision, having been approved by the Council, was announced by Chief
Executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Arif Abbasi.
Saeed is to be the tour manager while Ghani will be the cricket manager.
Abbasi stated that the two were the best choices the board had under the
present circumstances. The board official stated that stress of the two
managers will be on discipline.
The Chief Executive further emphasised that the list of nine standbys
should be considered very seriously since they may be sent on any
emergency.
The two managers were not at the National Stadium on Wednesday afternoon
but they along with skipper Wasim Akram have an appointment with the Chief
Executive at 11:00 a.m. The trio is expected to be briefed about their
respective assignments on the most difficult tours.
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960522
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Is it the end of Ramizs fine career?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sports Reporter
KARACHI, May 21: When a player at the age of 34 is dropped and not placed
in standbys also, does it not indicate that the international career of
that cricketer has ended?
Ramiz Hasan Raja, born on Aug 14, 1962 at Faisalabad, finds himself in that
awkward position after he was not considered for selection for the England
tour and even failed to get into the list of nine reserves.
Since making his Test debut in 1983-84 against David Gowers Englishmen,
Ramiz Raja played 55 Tests and scored 2,747 runs from 91 innings. He
averaged 31.94. In his 13-year career, Raja could reach the three figures
only twice but managed to scored 32 half centuries. He held 32 catches.
However, Ramiz Raja earned the reputation of a brilliant batsman in one-day
internationals in which he represented the country in 177 games scoring
5,386 runs at a healthy average of 33.04.
Raja scored nine centuries which is an all time record for Pakistan. Saeed
Anwar (8), Javed Miandad (8) and Zaheer Abbas (7) are the other main
century scorers.
Raja is Pakistans only the third batsman to have scored more than 5,000
runs in one-day cricket. Javed Miandad (7,381) and Salim Malik (5,833) are
the two other batsmen.
Ramiz Raja, who modelled himself into his childhood idol Majid Khan,
remained one of the most respected, scandal-free and noncontroversial
figures.
Raja, who was dropped after the 1993 tour of the West Indies, achieved the
distinction which every cricketer wants to havecaptain his team in a Test
when he was appointed to lead Pakistan in the home series against Sri
Lanka. However, it was a bitter experience as evident from the result,
Pakistan lost both the Test and one-day series 1-2. To rub salt to the
wound, Rajas team failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy final last
October.
Raja was removed from captaincy but no one figured out that Raja was
leading a team which was a depleted one. Raja didnt have Wasim Akram,
Waqar played only one Test, Salim Malik and Ejaz Ahmad were not considered
because of betting and match-fixing allegations and Basit was considered
only for the Sialkot Test.
Even then, Raja emerged as the second leading scorer for Pakistan with 208
runs in five innings behind Moin Khan. In the same series, Raja became the
first Pakistan skipper to win a Test by an innings in his debut as skipper.
Rajas handling of the ball tampering issue at Lords one-day game on the
1992 tour will be long remembered. Raja was incharge when Javed Miandad and
Salim Malik were in the dressing room because of injuries.
During his fine career, Raja played three World Cups and his most memorable
moment should be the catch of Dermott Reeve at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
on March 25, 1992 which gave Pakistan a historic World Cup triumph in the
final over England.
Raja has been a great ambassador for cricket and of his country. His role
and services to the sport will be long remembered. But no one knows if he
will make another miraculous comeback to the national team as he did
earlier in the season.
No one but the selectors actually know the reasons for Ramizs ouster from
the England tour after he scored 504 runs with five half centuries from 13
Test innings.
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960523
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Intikhab expresses displeasure
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sports Reporter
KARACHI, May 22: Outgoing Pakistan cricket manager Intikhab Alam on
Wednesday expressed his disappointment that he was not considered for the
job for the coming tour of England.
Speaking from Lahore, the former manager said: Yes, I am disappointed. I
think I have always rendered my services when the country needed me. I
always made myself available when either the team or management was in
crisis.
The former Pakistan captain stated that his last tenure was not as bad as
presented. We won the Singapore tournament and the performance of the team
was also not bad on the tour Down Under. We lost the Sharjah Cup and the
World Cup because certain leading players were unfit.
It is not the right way to proceed. Will the board change the newly
appointed manager if the team lost either in England or Canada or Kenya?
Intikhab questioned.
The former Surrey and PIA captain commenting on his future association with
Pakistan cricket said he thought it was time to settle down. I have had a
long innings with Pakistan cricket and I must thank my wife who always
stood alongside me under very trying situations and circumstances.
Intikhab maintained that if it is alleged that he couldnt handle the
players how come he remain manager for 16 years. It has got to do more
with professional jealousy than other things.
Managership is basically a very thankless job. When the team wins, all
credit goes to the skipper but if the team loses, manager is on the
receiving end.
Nevertheless, I have thoroughly enjoyed my 16 years as manager, Intikhab
said.
The former leg-spinner made it clear that he never recommended that Aqib
Javed or Basit Ali be dropped on disciplinary grounds. I have never
mentioned in my report that I faced any disciplinary problems on my last
two tours.
Intikhab congratulated the new management, saying: My best wishes are with
them. I pray that they come up to the expectations of the country. England
is a very difficult tour but I am hopeful that they (managers) will be able
to give their best and the team will return triumphant.
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960517
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Burki for strengthening club cricket
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Majid Khan
KARACHI, May 16: Mr Javed Burki, Adviser to President Farooq Ahmed Khan
Leghari on cricket affairs, said here today several attempts had been made
for stabilising the system and even the existing one, under which Pakistan
Cricket Board is being run, is aimed at achieving the desired objective.
Former Pakistan captain Javed Burki, who had been associated with the board
directly or indirectly for considerably long time, stated that no less than
three times the ad hoc committees were appointed to improve the affairs.
The prevailing system for running the cricket board, with a council of
elected representatives, according to the former Pakistan captain,
reflects democracy.
The Adviser to the President who is Patron of the PCB, underlined the
imperative need of strengthening club cricket, the foundation and base of
national cricket.
He expressed his dissatisfaction over the affairs of club cricket and in
this connection he praised Sri Lanka and Australia where club cricket is
the real base.
Sri Lanka has a systematic and strong club cricket, highly competitive
producing talented youngsters for further polishing and grooming at the
international level despite the fact that they have no first class
tournaments.
Now Sri Lanka is the World Cup champions in a short span of time, he
stressed.
Similarly he was all praise for the grade cricket in Australia and the
talented and promising youngsters on their performance make their mark in
Test sides as well as in one day internationals, Mr Javed Burki opined.
However, he called England club cricket as gymkhana cricket, friendly
encounter and the gentlemens game lacking high competitive spirit as
compared to Australias grade cricket and Sri Lanka club competitions.
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960522
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Another battle for Imran in London
-------------------------------------------------------------------
*From Qamar Ahmed
LONDON, May 21: In 1977 when the Australian millionaire Kerry Packer took
the authorities at Lords to court to defend and win the rights to employ
cricketers for his privately-organised World Series Cricket, it had come as
a shock t6o the cricketing world. Nearly a two decades on, now libel cases,
involving cricketers and cricket, is a sort of common occurrence.
The recent being the case between former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz
and his Northamptonshire county colleague, the South African born Allan
Lamb. The case in London court challenging Lambs accusation of ball
tampering by the Pakistanis fizzled out mid-way when Sarfraz for personal
reasons decided to withdraw and back out fearing enormous costs in case he
lost.
In another case of that sort, the Derbyshire and England fast bowler Devon
Malcolm of West Indian extract won substantial damages against `Wisden
Cricket Monthly for an article published last year by a freelance
journalist which implied that the black cricketers playing for England do
not give their hundred percent to the team as do the homebred Englishmen.
Early this year former England captain Mike Gatting received apology in
writing from the former captain of Pakistan, Imran Khan, and five-figure
damages and apology from the writer Ivo Tennant and the publishers Cassells
for slurs in Imrans latest biography.
The utterances in the book such as, Gatting epitomised and brought to the
England game the outlook of a racially prejudiced Englishmen, and that
Gatting had been responsible for stripping from international cricket any
remaining veneer of honour and decency, had prompted Gatting to take the
libel action against the writer and the publisher. Imran was not sued but
had apologised in writing to Gatting stressing that he held the former
England captain in great respect as a sportsman.
The offending sections in book was later removed before the paperback
edition of Imrans biography published in 1994 was brought back to the
shelves.
For Imran, the battle is not yet over because another court case is to be
heard on July 15, only 10 days before the first Pakistan Test against
England at Lords this summer.
Not far from the home of cricket, both Ian Botham and Allan Lamb will be
claiming damages and an apology by the former Pakistan captain Imran Khan
in separate actions alleging libel over interviews published in `India
Today which is in circulation in England as well and an Imran interview in
`The Sun following the publication of his biography in which he had;
admitted that he gouged the ball 11 with a bottle top in a game involving
Sussex and Warwickshire and that the practice of raising the seam was
practised by many other bowlers in county cricket.
Both the cricketers have not sued the offending papers but have brought
their court action against Imran personally.
Neither of them is backing out of it nor is Imran who is adamant to see it
through.
Ian Botham after Imrans interview in The Sun had retorted: I have never
cheated nor, to the best of my knowledge, did the England guys with whom I
played in Tests and one-day international cricket for 16 years.
Imrans allegations that ordinary county cricketer is `fairly racist has
also prompted the two, Botham and Lamba to take the legal action.
In `India Today, in an answer to a question by Shehkar Gupta about the
hype about balls tampering, Imran had allegedly replied, It is the English
media and a section of cricketers who have blown it out of all proportions.
There is a lot of racism here. When Bob Willis or Freddie Trueman were
tearing the heart out of Indian or Pakistan batting, we never heard an
outcry about short-pitched bowling. How come the noise started when the
West Indies and the Pakistanis began winning matches with their fast
bowlers? How come we never heard about slow over-rates until the West
Indies fast bowlers came along? The Australians can get away with anything
because they are whites. There is a lot of racism in this society. Look at
people such as Lamb and Botham making statements like: `Oh, I never thought
much of him anyway and now it has been proven he is a cheat. Where is this
hatred coming from? You remember the way Bishen Bedi was victimised in the
Vaseline incident because he dared to question John Lever, for cheating in
Delhi.
In an answer to a question about whether English cricket suffers from class
problem, Imran had replied: Yes look at people who have taken a rational
side in the controversy. Tony Lewis, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Derek
Pringle.
They are all educated, Oxbridge types. Look at the others, Lamb, Botham,
Trueman. The difference in class and upbringing makes a difference.
There are the sorts of comments which are likely to be probed by the
lawyers of Botham and Lamb.
There will be a lot of cricketers involved as witnesses for both the
parties. Derek Pringle who once wrote on his retirement that, Any seam
bowler worth his salt picks the seam of a ball, has however reported to
have declined a request from Imran to support his statement. This is a
squabble that should be sorted out over a drink or a cup of tea. It is not
a fitting way to conclude their rivalry, he had said.
Imrans solicitor, Howard Cohen is however sure that the announcement of
Imrans political aspirations will not have any impact on the case: He is
very determined to defend this action and I have not heard anything to
suggest that these events have affected his determination, he had said.
Dawn page