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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 25 April 1996 Issue : 02/17
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US refunds $124m to Pakistan
Raphel hints at arms embargo on Afghanistan
Nasir Aslam sworn in CJ denies any govt pressure
MQM rebel forms party
Fahim quits as KMC chief
OPF approves four housing programmes
WAPDA tops list of six corrupt departments
Rangers stay in Sindh indefinite, Senate told
Sajjad Shah discharged from hospital
Kardar passes away
Edhi finalising will
Long Eid holidays from tomorrow
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BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Aid club may give $2.7bn to Pakistan
Direct foreign investment to reach $800m this fiscal
United Bank to have professional directors
Real exchange rate estimated to be Rs 35 against $
Investment has gone up by 500pc
Trade Mark Act : Private sector views sought
Steep rise in power tariff indicated
State Bank gets tough on financial indiscipline
$382 million contract goes to US firms
KSE index posts fresh gain of 14.42 points
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Old hat! Ardeshir Cowasjee
How low can we go? Mazdak
Where are all the sahibs? Omar Kureishi
Black spots in book industry Masud Mufti
Why were they left behind? Editorial Column
Imrans twists and turns Mahir Ali
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S. Africa lift Sharjah Cup
Convincing hockey show by Pakistan
Intikhab hints at changes in team
Senate body on sports to discuss cricket affairs
Invitational womens games in October
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960424
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US refunds $124m to Pakistan
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Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, April 23: Pakistan received the first refund cheque of 124
million dollars from the United States marking the implementation of the
Brown Amendment which provides for shipment of military equipment worth
$368 million as well.
This amount represents the first tranche of the $658 million that the
US owes Pakistan for the money it paid for the F-16 aircraft, a
Pakistan Embassy Press release said.
The cheque was handed over by Director Defence Security Assistance
Agency Lt. General Thomas G. Rhame to Pakistan Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi
at a short and simple ceremony at the office of the Agency.
The refund of $124 million marks the first concrete step towards
fulfilment of the commitment made by President Clinton to Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto that the US will refund to Pakistan the money it paid for
the planes, the Embassy said.
Sources told Dawn another payment of $160 million was to be made
sometime in June and then Pakistan will have to wait for the disposal of
the F-16 aircraft to a third country.
The Brown Amendment does not propose a time limit for this disposal
neither does it make it binding on the US to refund the money in any
particular time frame.
Analysts said the acceptance of the cheque by Pakistan marked closing of
the option to take the US to the court to get the full refund of F-16
aircraft along with interest.
The Embassy Press release, however, said discussions were continuing
between the two sides for the full reimbursement of the entire amount of
$658 million paid by Pakistan.
Defence experts said the amount paid to Pakistan on Tuesday was the
excess payments Pakistan had made for goods which were neither ordered
nor manufactured and this amount was lying in a separate account for
which the Administration did not need Congressional approval to repay.
But if the Administration wanted to meet the shortfall in the sale price
of the F-16 aircraft to a third country, Congressional appropriation
would be necessary and the Administration is not very keen to seek such
a approval during an election year.
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960422
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Raphel hints at arms embargo on Afghanistan
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, April 21: Stepping up an intense diplomatic effort to end
factional fighting in Afghanistan, US Assistant Secretary of State Robin
Raphel gave strong indications here on Sunday of an arms embargo for the
battle-weary country, a move mooted during a recent UN Security Council
debate on Afghanistan.
By and large most parties I have talked to in Afghanistan are
interested in the arms embargo and an end to arms from outside
countries, Raphel told newsmen at the conclusion of her two-day visit
of Afghanistan where she met President Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Masood
near Kabul and the Taliban leaders at Kandahar.
Reiterating the US position on Afghanistan she said at the end of the
day, the Afghan leaders themselves have to sit down and negotiate some
sort of a formula which is acceptable to all. We are not going to impose
a formula on them. But I think through our diplomatic urgings, efforts
to co-ordinate with outside powers, we can hopefully help focus the
minds of the parties inside Afghanistan.
Referring to outside interference by interested neighbours, she said:
Everywhere I went I heard outside interference is the problem. In Kabul
they were referring to the Pakistan support of the Taliban, in Kandahar
they were referring to Iranian, Russian and Indian support for Kabul.
While maintaining that the US has no specific proposals for
Afghanistan, nor would it play a mediatory role, Ms Raphel conceded
there were indeed elements at play that had caused Americans to look
again at Afghanistan with heightened interest. She apprehended a major
battle over Kabul. It was for this purpose that she was undertaking a
trip to Ashkabad, Tashkent and later to Moscow.
She said the humanitarian concern in the war-ravaged country and the
development of economic potential in the region have heightened the US
interest in Afghanistan.
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960419
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Nasir Aslam sworn in CJ denies any govt pressure
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, April 18: Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid took oath as a permanent
judge of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah
described the event as a step towards the implementation of the SC
verdict.
The President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Akram Sheikh, a
Muslim League lawyer, termed the appointment of Justice Nasir Aslam to
the Supreme Court illegal, asserting that being the most senior judge he
should have been appointed chief justice of the Sindh High Court under
the SC judgement instead of Justice Mamoon Qazi.
When his attention was drawn to a reported statement by Akram Sheikh
alleging that the government was pressuring him for an agreement and to
administer the oath to the newly-appointed judge, he said: Neither
there has been any agreement nor I am the kind of a person who can be
pressured.
Asked whether the appointment of Justice Mamoon Kazi as the SHC chief
justice was in line with the Supreme Court decision verdict, he said the
appointment was all right as Justice Nasir Aslam had taken oath as a
permanent judge of the apex court.
Justice Sajjad Ali said the next step in the implementation of the apex
courts judgement would be regularisation of the ad hoc judges in the
high courts.
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960421
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MQM rebel forms party
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, April 20: Sindh minister for health and a former MQM leader,
Shamim Ahmed, launched his own party which he said would work for peace,
political stability and national prosperity. The National Unity Party,
he said at a news conference, would not work as a B-team of any party.
It would represent the 60 per cent voters who did not take part in the
electoral process. These people, he said, would be mobilised to
participate in elections so that a truly representative government could
be set up in the country.
About the manifesto of his party, the rebel MQM leader said it would
distribute 70 million acres of state land at a rate of 25 acres per
family, and set up committees of industrialists and traders to promote
industrial and economic activities in the country.
Mr Shamim said the partys organisational work would be completed within
a month. He nominated Abdul Munam Khan as president of the manifesto
committee while Syed Aftab Husain will work as president of the labour
wing.
To a question, he said he quit the MQM on account of its anti-state
activities. He said he had contacted the government to apprise it of the
actual designs of MQM and not for the sake of ministry. His offer was
unconditional, however, the government asked him to join cabinet as in
this way he could serve his voters in better manner.
Mr Shamim said every Pakistani was perturbed over the situation in the
country, specially in Karachi. He suggested that government should
release people involved in minor cases.
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960425
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Fahim quits as KMC chief
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 24: Fahim Zaman Khan on Wednesday ceased to perform the
functions of the administrator of the KMC following an order of the
Sindh Local Government.
Complying with the orders, Mr Zaman handed over the charge to the
Municipal Commissioner, Anzar Hussain Zaidi, in his office at the KMC
head office at 3.50 pm. Mr Zaidi will perform functions of the
administrator in addition to his own duties, till further orders.
The outgoing administrator told reporters that he would now revert to
the Edhi Air Ambulance Service, reactivate it and serve humanity.
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960421
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OPF approves four housing programmes
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Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, April 20: The Board of Directors of the Overseas Pakistanis
Foundation (OPF) has approved four major housing and welfare schemes
estimated to cost one billion dollars. We are about to launch major
housing schemes in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi for Pakistanis living
abroad along with a pension scheme, said Mr Shahid Nawaz, the Managing
Director of the OPF.
In an interview to Dawn here on Saturday he said the board meeting,
held on Wednesday, had approved these schemes to be completed in about
three to four years time. We are not seeking a single penny from the
government for these projects, but building them with our own
resources, he added.
Giving the details, he said the Islamabad project, to be called the OPF
valley, had just been undertaken. Also, we will be constructing a 15-
storeyed building for overseas Pakistanis in the Capital, he said,
adding that the two projects would cost 300 million dollars.
The building would have 1,000 flats with all the modern facilities. The
OPF has acquired 10,000 kanal of land in Zone-5 of Islamabad and in E-11
sector. The design and concept of the building was prepared by a French
architect, who has won a Nobel prize.
Housing schemes in Lahore and in Karachi would cost about 300 million
dollars each.
The Lahore scheme, to be started in Gulberg, would have 250 flats. Land
is being acquired in Karachi to start a similar project shortly.
He said that a summer housing scheme in Murree would be begun soon for
overseas Pakistanis.
Answering a question, Shahid Nawaz said that the OPF was a non-
profitable organisation, and it was mainly run by the membership of
Rs1,500 by each Pakistani living abroad. We have a lot of funds to
initiate various development schemes for our members.
Asked how would the OPF generate funds to the tune of one billion
dollars, the managing director said his organisation had invested money
in different public sector schemes. These schemes are giving us good
profit to undertake projects of such magnitude, the OPF chief said.
To a question, Shahid Nawaz said that a pension scheme had just been
launched for the welfare of the overseas Pakistanis. It was launched
after conducting all spade work and keeping in view their interests.
He said boys schools would be constructed in Islamabad. Later, a boys
college will be set up in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir.
Also, a new pilot project in the health sector would be started either
in Gujrat or in Kharian where many families of the overseas Pakistanis
lived. We are currently negotiating with a French firm to set up a
hospital which will cost seven million dollars, he said.
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960421
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WAPDA tops list of six corrupt departments
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, April 20: Six government departments top the list in
inefficiency, corruption and in carrying administrative excesses,
according to Wafaqi Mohtasibs (Ombudsman) annual report for 1995.
People are hostage to the inefficiency of WAPDA, PTC, Sui Gas, Railways,
Finance and Education departments and complaints made to the Wafaqi
Mohtasib indicate neglect, delay and inefficiency of these departments,
says the 1995 report which Wafaqi Mohtasib Justice (retd) Abdul Shakurul
Islam presented to the President last month.
There is no dearth of favouritism, discrimination, departure from law,
rules or regulations, unjust and irrational decisions and administrative
excesses, the retired judge remarked in his report.
He said though most of these departments were earning money from the
common citizens but the latter was hostage to the inefficiency and
criminal negligence.
Among these six departments, WAPDA again tops in inefficiency followed
by PTC, Finance, Sui gas, Railways and Education.
According to the annual report a total of 33,175 complaints were
received by the Wafaqi Mohtasib during 1995 and 88 per cent of these
complaints were against these six departments.
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960424
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Rangers stay in Sindh indefinite, Senate told
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Mohammad Malick
ISLAMABAD, April 23: Rangers have been made into a separate department
in Sindh and they will remain posted in the province permanently to
reinforce steps for controlling the law and order situation, Senate was
told.
Stating this in reply to a supplementary question by Senator Ishtiaq
Azhar during Question Hour, state minister for special education Dr Sher
Afgan speaking on behalf of the interior minister Naseerullah Babar told
the House that the decision had been made at the request of the Sindh
government.
The senator had sought information about a three-month extension to
rangers deployment in Sindh. The minister said: Since one of the
functions of the Pakistan rangers is to reinforce the police for
maintenance of law and order wherever it is necessary, the force has,
therefore, been deployed in that province on the request of the
provincial government and will continue till their deployment is
considered necessary by the government of Sindh.
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960423
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Sajjad Shah discharged from hospital
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Our Correspondent
RAWALPINDI, April 22: The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Sajjad Ali
Shah, was discharged from the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology
(AFIC) after remaining in the hospital for five days.
AFIC chief Major General Mohammad Yousuf told Dawn that the Chief
Justice was allowed to leave the hospital after his final examination
early in the morning.
General Yousuf, who is also commandant and executive director of the
AFIC and National Institute of Heart Diseases, said: We have advised
the Chief Justice to visit the hospital for medical examination after
Eid-ul-Azha.
We have also advised Chief Justice Sajjad to take complete rest for
about a week before returning to normal work, he added.
Justice Sajjad was rushed to the AFIC on Thursday after he developed
some heart problem. He had his heart bypass in 1984. The Chief Justice
complained pressure on his chest after his return home from the oath-
taking ceremony of Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid as a judge of the Supreme
Court.
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960422
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Kardar passes away
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, April 21: Cricketer, politician, educationist, diplomat and
social activist Abdul Hafeez Kardar died here. He was found dead in his
room in the morning and had apparently suffered a heart attack while
asleep. Kardar, who was 71, had been a heart patient for a long time and
was taken ill again during a recent visit to Britain. But he had
recovered and sounded cheerful on his return to Lahore early this month.
He was laid to rest in the Miani Sahib graveyard in the presence of
hundreds of mourners drawn from all walks of life. His funeral prayer,
offered in the courtyard of his residence in Gulberg, was led by former
Test cricketer S. F. Rehman. Many Test cricketers, former cricket
officials, bureaucrats, journalists and a large number of his
admirers attended the funeral prayers.
Despite the ill health that lately plagued him, he was always ready to
contribute to a good cause and lend the weight of his presence to
seminars and discussions on social and economic problems.
He was elected an MPA in the 1970 elections on the Peoples Party
ticket, later becoming Punjabs minister of education. He was also
educational adviser for some time and had been sent by late prime
minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to take part in negotiations with Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman before the traumatic separation of East Pakistan.
His differences with the PPP leadership, which had started fairly early
on, had finally led to a parting of ways before the 1977 elections.
Before entering public life, he had worked as an executive for an oil
company.
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960425
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Edhi finalising will
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 24: Social worker Sattar Edhi has been finalising his
will with his family members for the functioning of his trust, which
will be looked after by a caretaker committee after his death.
Speaking to Dawn, the Maulana said he was making necessary changes in
his will, he had with him for the last six years, with the consultation
of his wife Bilquis, sons Qutub 24, Faisal, 22, daughters Kubra, 26, and
Almas, 22.
According to him, the trust at present is valued at Rs 3 billion and the
liquid assets also run into millions of rupees. He said he had set a
target for himself to collect Rs 1 bn by 2003 the year when the
valuation of property would be nearly doubled. The amount collected by
the target date, he said, would be converted into Defence Saving
Certificates.
The committee, he said, would comprise the sitting chief justices of the
Supreme Court and the four high courts, the sitting Chief of the Army
Staff, the governor of the State Bank, the chairman of the Board of
Revenue, his family members and a few individuals he did not want to
name.
The Maulana said he had not taken or nominated any politician or
religious figure as a matter of choice, adding: It is and it will be a
very huge financial proposition, which needs men having desirable
experience to run the trust.
At present the members of the Edhi Welfare Trust, registered in 1983,
are only Maulana Edhi himself and his wife Bilquis Edhi.
Asked whether he had been submitting annual and audit reports of his
trust to the relevant office annually, Maulana Edhi said he had never
faltered even for once and the exemption of taxes and other levies was a
result of the obligation he had been fulfilling throughout.
Answering a question, he said he had suggested eight areas of activities
for the caretaker committee for welfare work, which included ambulance
service, homes for the destitute, rehabilitation centres, social
programmes aimed at providing financial assistance to women for setting
up industrial homes, cradles where unwanted babies could be taken care
of and a hostel for the shelterless children.
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960425
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Long Eid holidays from tomorrow
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, April 24: Pakistan slips into the Eid holidays from Friday in
what in the case of some institutions might turn out to be a nine-day
shutdown.
Saturday is a closed day for the government as well as for banks and
most educational institutions, and April 28, 29 and 30 have been
declared as Eid holidays. May 1 May Day is a gazetted holiday, so
that adds up to six days.
The day after May Day is Thursday when banks will open and so will
government offices, but it requires no great prescience to say that
there will hardly be any attendance on that day. This will be followed
by the May 3-4 weekend, and so one can hope to get back to some
semblance of normal working only on May 5.
960424
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Aid Club pledges : $2.4bn for next year
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Athar Ali
LONDON, April 23: The Aid to Pakistan Consortium on Tuesday pledged 2.4
billion dollars to Pakistan for the next year at its annual meeting held
in Paris. The meeting began on Monday.
On the conclusion of the meeting an announcement about the pledge was
made.
According to the World Bank sources, the amount pledged is approximately
what Pakistan had asked for. The request was for 2.67 billion dollars.
The donor countries discussed Pakistans overall economic programme and
prospects and efforts at poverty reduction in the country. The six-
member Pakistan team was led by Mr V A Jafarey, Special advisor to the
prime minister for financial affairs and included representatives of the
Finance and Economic Divisions, the Pakistan Investment Board, the
Planning Commission and social sector development.
The donors, according to informed sources, gave a two-part response to
Pakistans development efforts. They anticipate that in accordance with
the Governments commitment reforms will continue.
If the reform momentum slows, the donor support is likely to be lower
than in the current year. While noting the slower pace of structural
reforms implemented in the 1995-96 budget, and the resulting macro
imbalances of last fall, the donors commended the government for the
stabilisation measures introduced last October.
They said since that time economic growth has revived and inflation has
reduced, helped by the recovery of agricultural production.
Donors representatives are said to have emphasised that Pakistan still
faces a chronic fiscal problem and narrow export base. While the current
account deficit is expected to approach 3 billion dollars in the present
year, the meeting also took note of recent recovery in exports.
The need for further improving the social sector was emphasised at the
meeting by donor countries. Their representatives said that though
Pakistans social indicators have been improving they are still much
below averages for countries in similar income levels.
The Government was urged in the strongest terms to follow through with
the programme of stabilisation and structural reform begun last October.
The Pakistan delegation is said to have confirmed the governments
intention in the 1996-97 budget to adhere to this path, treating the
current Standby Agreement with the IMF as a stepping stone to a possible
multi-year ESAF agreement.
The donors in particular urged the government to restructure
expenditures, continue restraint on defence expenditures, use
privatisation proceeds to retire high-cost government debts, and broaden
the tax base. Further trade reform was considered a key aspect of the
fiscal adjustment required.
With regard to the defence expenditure, the delegation stressed that
further cuts in defence spending could only take place in the context of
improvements in the regional security situation
The donors stressed the importance of reducing poverty by generating
employment through micro-credit, attention to the informal sector, and
reform of the agriculture sector.
There was also broad support for the Social Action Programme, Pakistans
primary effort to expand access to and strengthen basic education,
primary health, family planning and rural water supply.
In the field of investment there was a general consensus that the
overall climate for both domestic and foreign investment has
substantially improved. But the participants identified a number of
areas where they saw room for improvement.
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960425
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Direct foreign investment to reach $800m this fiscal
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, April 24: Direct foreign investment in Pakistan is expected
to total 800 million dollars this financial year as compared with
about 200 million dollars in 1989, according to World Bank estimates.
Meanwhile, reports reaching here from Paris about the two-day Aid-to-
Pakistan Consortium said that the conference provided an opportunity for
about 30 Pakistani and international businessmen to discuss the factors
which would affect the quality and volume of private investment in
Pakistan.
A World Bank press release said that the businessmen agreed that
macroeconomic adjustment was essential for a more lively economy.
In this context, it was further agreed that reducing the fiscal deficit
would reduce government crowding out of private sector investment, as
well as improve the countrys creditworthiness for commercial borrowings
and reduce Pakistans borrowing costs. It would also contribute toward a
more export-oriented trade policy through reduction of import tariffs.
Participants also noted the need for consistency and clarity in the
details of implementation especially of tax reform. The participants
welcomed the commitment by top level government officials to these
objectives, and encouraged the government to adopt clear, comprehensive
and co-ordinated policies and to step up efforts to foster their
efficient implementation by the bureaucracy.
Participants also identified a number of bottlenecks to increased
competitiveness. These include infrastructure, especially port
facilities and railways, the high cost of dealing with an unresponsive
bureaucracy, labour productivity, and the high cost of capital.
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960422
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United Bank to have professional directors
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Sabihuddin Ghausi
KARACHI, April 21: There will be no official of the finance ministry or
the Banking Council (PBC) on the board of directors of the United Bank,
now being reconstituted by the State Bank (SBP) after its take over on
Saturday, in which Dr Mohammad Yaqub announced the appointment of M.R.
Khan as chairman of the board and Shafi Arshad as the new President and
Chief Executive.
Formation of the UBL board of directors will be completed in the next
one or two days, Mr Khan and Mr Arshad told Dawn after meeting the SBP
governor, Mr Yaqub. They indicated that the board might have seven or
even more directors but all of them would be professionals.
The nationalised commercial banks have three serving executives as
directors besides one nominee each from the finance ministry and the
Banking Council and two politicians nominated by the present government
on their respective boards, but all indications are that the UBL would
have a board entirely comprising professionals.
We intend to take short-term, medium-term and long-term measures for
the consolidation of the UBL, Mr Khan said and termed the falling
liquidity ratio of the bank a pressing issue. He was, however, confident
of tackling this problem with certain measures which would build up
confidence of the depositors and motivate the staff who now appeared to
be somewhat demoralised.
Most of the bankers believe that the tough job that lay ahead of the new
management team is to deal with overstaffing. They quote the former
president of the bank, Azizullah Memon, now a member of the Banking
Council, who in an official meeting had proposed to the government to
close down the uneconomical branches and offer a golden handshake to the
employees willing to retire.
During a meeting about two years ago, Mr Memon had observed that 70 per
cent of the officers were those who had started their career as clerks.
Such officers are not only weak in English, they also lack conceptual
clarity and insight, the former UBL president had observed then and
suggested to the government to spend Rs350 million in golden handshake
which in his view then would have resulted in an annual saving of Rs600
million over a period of five years.
A day after the top level changes in the UBL on Sunday, bankers did not
report any unusual rush on any branch of the bank. Sunday is the first
working day of the week after two off days and every bank witnesses
relatively larger number of clients, explained a senior executive of
the UBL who said like all other banks, the UBL branches too were a
little more busy. But there were clients with deposits as well as with
cheques to draw from their accounts, he said.
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960423
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Real exchange rate estimated to be Rs 35 against $
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*From M. Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, April 22: The real effective exchange rate (REER) of the
rupee has been estimated by international investment consultants (IICs)
to be around Rs 35 to a dollar presently and they do not expect it to
depreciate below this level over the next three months.
According to these IICs, State Bank of Pakistans exchange rate policy
was being guided by its commitment to maintain the Pakistan exchange
rate at an internationally competitive level so as to encourage
exports.
One major international investment consultant, Crosby which now has its
branch offices in Pakistan has asserted in its latest country spotlight
on Pakistan (April 18, 1996) that its January, 1996 forecast that the
beneficial impact of a rupee devaluation in October 1995 and a better
cotton crop would come through in March has been proved correct.
However, an unexpected surge in imports overshadowed the improvement on
the export front but the governments response by way of further 1.2 per
cent rupee depreciation since January, 1996, which is also in line with
our forecast, is a positive step towards bettering the external sectors
macroeconomic balance. maintained the spotlight report.
Crosby said Pakistans March exports of 844 million were 17.5 per cent
higher than Februarys and 24 per cent above March 1995. Cumulative
exports in July 1995-March 1996 grew 4.9 per cent to 5.9 billion dollars
over the same period last year.
Crosbys analysis says that the exports have risen steeply since
January, 1996 due to an improved cotton crop in 1995-96 (estimated at
10.2 million bales against 8.7 million bales in 1994-95) now being
translated into higher cotton-related exports.
Raw cotton, cotton yarn, and cotton fabric exports were the fastest
export categories during the first nine months, recording a combined
growth of 24 per cent to hit 2.2 6 billion dollars.
The 1995 cotton exports liberalisation, which had previously been
deterred by licensing controls and a 15 per cent exports surcharge to
ensure cheap supplies to domestic textile industries, resulting in raw
cotton exports of 2.4 million bales estimated at 800 million dollars
since January has also been identified by Crosby as one of reasons for
export boom.
Crosby further said that more credit was available to the textile
industry when last Septembers textile sector package eased banks bad
debt problems arising from the cotton shortage and its adverse impact.
The international investment consultants also estimate that the positive
impact on exports of the rupees 7 per cent devaluation on October 28,
1995 and the subsequent 1.2 per cent had begun to come through with a
four month lag.
According to the spotlight report, a surprising development in March,
1996 was a spike in the monthly value of imports to a level last seen in
June 1995. This was despite a 10 per cent import duty surcharge imposed
in October 1995 in addition to 7 per cent currency devaluation.
The major import categories showing growth in March were machinery,
chemicals, petroleum and wheat. Machinerys imports were probably the
beneficiaries of the textile sectors better industrial capacity
utilisation and a rebound in consumer confidence, Crosby maintained.
Higher chemical imports are feeding the greater use of
fertilisers/pesticides in the agriculture sector, while petroleum
consumption rose with the installation of new thermal power generating
units. Wheat imports have risen due to a smaller crop this year, the
report further said.
The implications, according to the international investment consultant,
is that imports of price-inelastic goods have increased: those that are
production-related do not pose a serious balance of payments problem
since the pick-up in exports will correspondingly be robust, however,
the 18 per cent import growth during July 1995-March 1996 led to the
trade deficit widening to 2.69 billion dollars from 1.63 billion dollars
for the same period in 1994-95.
Since mid-95, the trade deficit, worsened primarily by lower cotton-
related exports, saw foreign exchange reserves being depleted to just
over 1 billion in late 1995, but since then, the reserves have risen to
1.7 billion dollars currently, sufficient to finance 1.5 months imports.
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960422
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Investment has gone up by 500pc
------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
LAHORE, April 21: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said here that nine of
the power projects for which MoUs were signed by her government had met
financial close. This, she said, indicated the success of the
governments economic policies.
During her speech, the prime minister said investment in the petroleum
sector had increased by 500 per cent. She also mentioned various steps
taken for the welfare of the people.
Ms Bhutto said that with the ground-breaking ceremony at Raiwind,
another MoU had been turned into a project which would provide job
opportunities for the people. She said the present government had
returned loans to the tune of $1 billion, reduced domestic borrowing and
the rate of commercial loans and brought down inflation from 13 per cent
to nine per cent. The growth rate had increased to six per cent.
In a welcome address, Southern Electric Power Company president Ali
Mahmood said the $119 million project in Raiwind was being set up in
collaboration with Canadas BC Hydro Power Company Limited. He said
foreign investors recognised that Pakistan offered outstanding
investment opportunities.
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960424
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Trade Mark Act : Private sector views sought
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 23: The Trade Marks Registry of Pakistan has sought
private sector views and suggestions for bringing in suitable amendments
in the Trade Mark Act, 1940, to meet the GATT conditions agreed upon by
the Government of Pakistan.
The government has entered into GATT Agreement according to which
Pakistan was required to amend its Trade Marks law to bring it in
conformity with TRIPS Agreement within a period of five year but before
year 2000.
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960425
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Steep rise in power tariff indicated
-------------------------------------------------------------------
M. Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, April 24: The cost to the final consumer of the electricity
that would be bought at 6.65 US cents (Rs2.29 at the current official
rate of exchange) a unit by WAPDA from the private power stations now
being set up, would be around 10 US cents or Rs3.45,estimates a study
prepared by a government department.
The almost doubling of the final cost of private power at the
consumption stage is attributed mainly to the transmission and
distribution expenses made heavier because of the long distances the
networking systems have to cover, the study further said.
The main argument in favour of setting up private thermal power stations
producing costly electricity is that the wheels of countrys economy
would grind to a halt if by the year 2000 we do not add at least 3000mw
of additional power generating capacity to the national grid.
The proponents of power at any cost point out that even 10 cents a unit
would look cheaper when considered against the cost of having the
economy come to a standstill.
They further argue that with the addition of adequate generating
capacity within a matter of few years domestic economic activities would
be accelerated enough to generate sufficient resources to more than pay
for the high cost of private thermal power.
However, the official study points out that since only the domestic
consumer gets subsidised electricity and the industrial and commercial
consumers pay very high tariffs, the expectation that the additional
generating capacity, whatever its cost to the end-consumer, would
accelerate the domestic economic activity was misplaced.
The ever increasing cost of power to industrial and commercial consumers
has already forced many of them to make arrangements for in-house
generation, the study points out and says the relatively high cost of
energy would also price Pakistan exports goods out of the world market.
In this connection, it notes that in most other countries the cost of
energy to industrial and commercial consumers is much lower than that
for the domestic consumer. This is not so because of any subsidy but
because the cost of transmitting power in bulk to a single consumer is
much less per unit than the cost for taking it to smaller domestic
consumers each of whom has to have separate individual meters and there
are millions of independent lines cascading from the thousands of
transmitters tumbling out of the national grid.
In India, too, industrial and commercial consumers pay less than what
domestic consumers do on account of this very reason and that is why the
cost of production of competing export goods in India is much less than
in Pakistan.
The study maintains that providing high-cost private thermal electricity
to domestic consumers at subsidised rates would put a very heavy burden
on the budget and render unavailing the entire exercise of having the
private sector quickly fill a crucial part of the widening gap between
supply and demand of power.
The study observes that the government could not reverse this socially
gratifying but economically very costly policy of charging high from
industrial and commercial consumers and low from domestic consumers
overnight to rationalise the national energy development programme.
The study advises the government to take a close look at the power
tariff policies of other countries in comparable development stage,
specially those of Pakistans closest competitors in the export markets,
and start bringing about suitable changes at this juncture in its tenure
when the elections are still two years away.
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960424
-------------------------------------------------------------------
State Bank gets tough on financial indiscipline
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 23: The governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Dr
Muhammad Yaqub asked the senior executives of Habib Bank Ltd (HBL) to
raise the level of financial discipline and accountability at HBL and
refrain from imprudent lending.
Sources at the HBL said the SBP chief met a five-member HBL team led by
its president Younus Dalia and conveyed to them his concern on high
administrative cost of nationalised commercial banks (NCBs) including
HBL and the low level of financial discipline and accountability. They
said, he urged, the HBL executives to ensure quick recovery of stuck-up
loans and keep an eye over the expansion of loan portfolio.
No word was available from the SBP on the proceedings of the meeting.
Attempts to contact Governor Yaqub on telephone also proved futile.
The SBP has apparently launched a campaign to correct erring banks and
DFIs and Governor Dr Yaqub has already held a series of meetings with
top bankers in this regard. The chief executives of three NCBs and four
government-run DFIs are also scheduled to call on him on Wednesday. The
meeting has been convened to convey the same message to all NCBs and
DFIs.
The SBP has lately been engaged in developing a performance evaluation
format for the senior bankers so that the same may be used as a tool to
enhance performance of the banks and DFIs and to initiate actions
against the erring and corrupt officials.
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960424
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$382 million contract goes to US firms
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, April 23: A 382 million dollar contract has been awarded to
two American companies for the worlds largest barge- mounted power
plant to be set up at Port Qasim in Karachi, the two companies
officially announced in Lexington, Massachusetts on Monday.
A consortium of Raytheon Engineers & Constructors and Westinghouse has
got the contract for the 450 megawatt plant in collaboration with WAK
Orient Power & Light Limited, sponsors of Pakistans WAK Gas, a company
owned by Senator Gulzar and his son, Senator Waqar, both of the ruling
PPP.
Raytheon will provide turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction
services. This will include fabricating barges, installing power plant
equipment, shipping the barges to Port Qasim, and testing and
commissioning the equipment, the announcement said.
Westinghouse will supply six 50-megawatt Model 251B11 combustion
turbines, three steam turbine-generators, six heat recovery steam
generators, and a Westinghouse WDPF Distributed Control System (DCS).
The combustion and steam turbine-generators will be manufactured in
Westinghouses North American factories. Westinghouse also will supply
operation and maintenance services for 12 years under a separate
contract.
Each companys share of the contract is approximately equal.
The 450 megawatt power plant, believed to be the largest ever mounted on
a barge, will actually consist of six barges, with three having two gas
turbines each and the other three barges having one steam turbine each.
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960425
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KSE index posts fresh gain of 14.42 points
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Commerce Reporter
KARACHI, April 24: The recovery trend on the stock market was well-
sustained on Wednesday as follow-up support figured prominently on
selected counters aided chiefly by news of Consortium aid pledge of
$2.4bn.
The optimism generated by the aid pledge of the donor countries was
further supplemented by news of refund of $124 million, being the first
instalment of the total dues from the US against the cost of F-16
aircraft.
The KSE 100-share index, therefore, posted a fresh gain of 14.42 points
at 1,556.29 as compared to 1,541.87 on Tuesday, reflecting the relative
strength of the base shares.
The buying support, however, remained largely selective as investors
were not in a mood to go beyond the safe havens apparently because of a
long weekend on account of Eid holidays.
Analysts said the aid pledge of $2.4b is expected to play a pivotal role
in putting the market back on a solid footing as it demonstrates the
confidence of donors in Pakistans economic growth potential.
Another important factor is that the aid pledge could open the way for
fresh US private sector investment in new sectors other than the energy
one, they added.
Big gainers were led by Fateh Textiles and Dawood Hercules, which rose
by Rs 9 and 10. It was interesting to note that Dawood Hercules has
posted gain of Rs 10 for the second session in a row after early weeks
decline apparently on news of higher interim.
It is daily narrowing the gap between its ruling price and that of the
Engro Chemical as the difference is now only of Rs 5. Some weeks back
Engro was sharply quoted higher than Dawood Hercules.
PSO, led the list of other good gainers, rising by Rs 3 followed by
Business and General Insurance, Central Insurance, Engro Chemicals, MCB,
Adamjee Insurance and United Distributors, which rose by Rs 1.25 to 3.
Soneri Bank, Telecard, Indus Motors, Pakistan Services and Burewala and
Dawood Cotton were among the other leading gainers.
Losses were mostly fractional and reflected lack of large selling as
bears withdrew to the sidelines anticipating further increase in prices.
However, Parke-Davis was the leading losers, which fell by Rs 5 but
without any deals.
Other MNCs, which followed it included BOC Pakistan, Pakistan Oilfields,
Sandoz Pakistan, and SK&F, falling one rupee to Rs 2.
Packages, Dadabhoy Sack, Ferozsons, Dewan Sugar, Crescent Sugar, Javed
Omer, Dewan Textiles and Ittefaq Textiles were among the leading local
blue chips, which fell modestly.
Among the actively traded shares, Hub-Power was again outstanding, up 95
paisa on 12.523m shares. At one stage it was quoted as higher as Rs 32,
before finishing slightly lower on late selling.
It was followed by PTC vouchers, higher 60 paisa on 12.523m shares, Dhan
Fibre, steady five paisa on 1.109m shares, Fauji Fertiliser, lower 10
paisa on 0.549m shares.
Other actively traded shares were led by D.G.Khan Cement (right), up
five paisa on 0.420m shares, followed by Sui Northern, higher 50 paisa
on 0.178m shares, Lucky Cement, easy five paisa on 0.263m shares and
D.G.Khan Cement, up 25 paisa on 0.251m shares.
Trading volume rose further to 30 m shares from the overnight 26.650m
shares thanks to active short-covering in most of the bank shares.
There were 335 actives, which came in for trading, out of which 139
shares fell, while 124 rose, with 72 holding on to the last levels.
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960419
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Old hat!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
THOSE who kill or maim their fellow human beings at the bidding of
others for vengeance, for political gain or for money such as the
men of our so-called agencies, those who blow up hospitals or places
of learning, are to my mind the scum of the earth.
On April 14, a bomb planted at Imrans Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer
Hospital at Lahore exploded. The count so far: seven dead, three
critically wounded, many more under treatment. The damage is estimated
to be in the region of Rs 50 million. Unassessed is the fallout, and
many more will suffer for want of treatment and the hospitals inability
to provide it.
Prime Minister Bhutto stopped doing what it was she was doing in
Peshawar that day, boarded the peoples plane, and rushed to Lahore. Big
deal! She arrived at the hospital, said the right and the wrong things.
She asked how it could be presumed that she and her party would take on
Imran. He is not a politician. He is no danger, no threat, they have no
reason to blow him up.
Whatever Benazir may say, the fact remains that Imran and his hospital
are being targeted and harassed. What the people give Imran, they give
voluntarily. He does not extort and this irks our professional
extortionists and their slimy supporting contortionists.
Imran wanted time on television to advertise his hospital and raise
donations, and he offered to pay, as do the Colas and others. But the
government said NO. Why?
Nawazs government had sanctioned payment of Rs 5 million a year to the
hospital from the Zakat Fund. This government has rescinded the
sanction. Why?
Cases have been filed in our courts against Imran, accusing him of
illegally or unauthorisedly collecting funds, not accounting for them,
misusing them, etc. Why? The people are well aware that these are all
trumped up charges, that those who have levelled them, are toadies who
have been thanked and well rewarded. It is an old story.
Now we go back 21 years to a place of learning, to the Peshawar
University, to that fateful Saturday, February 8, 1975. Whilst
addressing the students, a good man Hayat Mohammed Khan Sherpao, senior
minister of the NWFP and president of the provincial PPP, was blown up
by a bomb and killed. Another Prime Minister Bhutto, Zulfikar that time,
stopped doing what he was doing in New York that day, boarded the plane,
flew back, and wept at Sherpaos grave.
The very next day, on February 9, the leaders of the opposition NAP in
various parts of the country were arrested. These included Wali Khan,
Arbab Sikander, Qaswar Gardezi, Mehroz Akhtar, Arbab Saifur Rahman,
Major General M.G. Jilani (Jil of Narowal), Amirzada Khan, Haji Ghulam
Ahmed Bilour, Mohammed Adil, Rukhnuddin Kazmi, Hassan Hameedi,
Rehmatullah Khan Rohaila, Abdul Khaliq Khan (Roedads brother, the best
of the lot). They were held under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO)
ordinance and various other false charges.
Barrister Azizullah Shaikh, chief of the NAP in Karachi, who was in
Hyderabad, managed to remain out of reach. His home, with his wife and
three small daughters, was surrounded by agency men, it was pelted with
stones, and the children terrorised. Friend Sardar Sherbaz Mazari moved
in with his own armed bodyguards and stayed overnight to protect
Azizullahs family.
On February 10, the government of Pakistan dissolved the National Awami
Party and forfeited all the properties and funds of the Party. The
action, according to Gazette of Pakistan notifications, has been taken
under Sub-section 1 of Section VI of the Political Parties Act of 1962.
The notifications said that the government was satisfied that the NAP
was operating in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity
of Pakistan and it had, therefore, formally declared the NAP to be
operating in such a manner. Following the government order, all the
offices of the Party throughout the country have been sealed. (Dawn
Feb. 11, 1975).
The movement of scores of other office-bearers of the NAP in various
centres of the country were restricted under the dreaded MPO. On the
same day government agents raided and ransacked the offices of Asghar
Khans Tehrik-i-Istiqlal and of the Jamaat. The office of the defunct
daily newspaper Shahbaz was set afire.
On February 14, the champion of liberty, Minister for Provincial Co-
ordination Hafiz Pirzada declared that the administrative action taken
by the government in dissolving the National Awami Party was not
arbitrary or out of rancour and acrimony it was strictly in conformity
with the provisions of the Constitution.
I now quote from Bhuttos biographer, Stanley Wolpert, the first man
allowed access to the archives of the great leader at 70 Clifton. He
had no doubt, moreover, as to the identity of the murderers, though no
party or individual would ever claim credit for killing Sherpao. Zulfi
felt as certain that Wali Khan was the man responsible for Sherpaos
death as Ahmed Raza was certain about who killed his father.
Imran may have read his Wisden, but there is no single book that
will teach him about how politics works in Pakistan. The best he can do
is to read the three books written by that erudite affable resident of
Pakistan, Herbert Feldman, dealing with three different periods in the
countrys history, culminating in the happenings of 1971 when our inept
politicians lost for us half our country. To gain insight into some of
the doings of the first of the PPP governments, he could also read the
editorials written by Iqbal Burney for his Outlook magazine, a
publication that was eventually banned by Bhutto. The White Papers,
published by Zia on the various performances of the Bhutto regime, will
also enlighten him as to the workings of the mind of the third of the
PPP governments.
Having done all this, and still having a stomach for politics in the
Islamic Republic, he can venture forth knowing where his steps will lead
him.
What Imran must remember is that people are very tired of liars, cheats
and hypocrites. If he wants to be the prime minister of Pakistan, he
should admit it. Nothing wrong with that. Ambition is a great asset.
What he must not drone on about is his fervent desire to serve the
people and the nation in the larger national interest.
The spring and summer of his life he has passed in the West, having
perfectly normal fun and games, all well earned and all at his own
expense. He is now home and has brought with him from the West a wife
who is the pick of the bunch. She is rich, she is well-connected, she is
young and she is attractive. Now, he badmouths the West that gave him so
much enjoyment and calls it decadent. Does he really believe that all
that he finds at home is unadulterated and pure? Employing old cliches
to advance oneself is not on. Neither is befooling the people.
He has much going in his favour. He is well known in Pakistan, and in
the West, which is a great plus. He has a rich and famous father-in-law
who knows all about politicians, who can get him to John Major, to
Chirac, to Kohl, into any room at the top, who can also swing the
powerful American lobby. Following the usual practice, the few
obstinates at home could be bought over. That is, providing that
Goldsmith considers Pakistan to be worth his while.
But first things first. The bomb damage has to be repaired, the hospital
rebuilt, the equipment replaced. Imran must get his hospital going as
fast as possible, and should accept the government money offered by
Benazir without any qualms of conscience. It is not her money, it is the
peoples money, and the people will be glad to see it being put to good
use. They know it will not be robbed, diluted or stashed away.
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960420
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How low can we go?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mazdak
EVERY time I think we have finally touched rock-bottom, I discover that
we have still greater depths to plumb.
Around three years ago, when skins of sacrificial animals collected for
the Edhi Trust were hijacked by the MQM, I thought we as a nation had
got about as low as it was possible without reverting to complete
barbarism. I was wrong. Last year, when Sipah-i-Sahaba gunmen mowed down
several people praying in a mosque, I was sure things could not possibly
get any worse. Wrong again: we have now had cancer patients deliberately
bombed at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Hospital in Lahore.
One may disagree with Imran Khans wild and woolly ideas, but his
enormous cricketing talents, and more recently, his single-minded
dedication to establishing a cancer hospital are beyond controversy. All
of us dream, but few have the iron resolve needed to translate these
visions into reality. Imran, to his everlasting credit, has stayed the
course and delivered on his promise to create a modern cancer hospital.
No praise is too high for this marvellous achievement, also described by
some as a modern-day miracle.
For this person and this institution to be targeted for a terrorist
attack is an act more revolting than words can express. Whatever the
motive, what kind of sick mind could possibly have conceived so vile an
act? Unfortunately, there is no shortage of possible candidates. There
is a streak of violence running through our society that makes such
attacks not just possible, but ultimately acceptable.
Closer to the present is the chamber of horrors that Karachi has become.
Here again, hard-core MQM supporters refuse to accept that members of
their party have committed the most brutal atrocities against not just
their opponents, but against wavers within the party as a warning to
others. Indeed, their ostrich- like attitude and bare-faced hypocrisy is
similar to the governments refusal to admit the wide prevalence of
custodial deaths. Here again, an institution of the state stoops to the
level of urban guerrillas. In both cases, the most brutal acts are met
not with universal condemnation and swift punitive action against the
guilty parties, but with denials and lies from one or the other of the
concerned sides.
It is this moral support from their peers that encourages extremists of
every stripe to resort to terrorism and indiscriminate violence against
perfectly innocent people. In an intolerant society like ours, dissent
is equated with treason or heresy. Both are to be punished by death. And
if the principal target is not easily accessible, then it is perfectly
acceptable to blow up or gun down as many people as possible to send a
message.
There is a predisposition to violence in this part of the world that is
hard to reconcile with the teachings of the major religions followed in
South Asia. Unfortunately, neither our cities nor the countryside are
immune from violence.
Western societies where the rule of law has now taken root were steeped
in this sort of mindless violence not long ago. Even today, peace in the
inner cities of America and Europe is often a distant dream. The
difference is that in much of the Third World, legal deterrence is a
whimsical process that robs it of all moral authority. The law is loaded
in favour of those in power and those with money. In any case, the
police force is created to protect the government of the day, not the
individual citizen. Under such conditions, the terrorist and the
criminal feel they can literally get away with murder. Too often, they
are right.
There is often a very thin line between civilisation and barbarism. Push
the right button and the veneer of law and refinement peels away in a
flash.
Just when we thought the end of the cold war had heralded a Golden Age
of peace and prosperity, we are faced with the spectre of endless war
fuelled by intolerance and blind ambition. And as Imran Khan has just
learned to his cost, even a seemingly praise- worthy activity like
building a hospital is not without its risks, specially if you are as
critical as he has been about a corrupt and decaying system.
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960422
------------------------------------------------------------------
Where are all the sahibs?
------------------------------------------------------------------
Omar R. Quraishi
KARACHI, April 21: A visit to the Civic Centre can make your day hell
for you.
You will be confronted by foul smell, dirty paan-infested water,
fountains that dont work, lifts that youll have to wait 20 minutes to
get into, peons who will send you to the wrong office at least half a
dozen times, and their superiors who are about as fast in their work as
the South American sloth.
This reporter had to go for some office work to the Traffic Engineering
Bureau (TEB). All that needed to be done was to look at some TEB maps
for the city.
The visit to the Centre on Sunday began at 11 in the morning. It seems
that the government has put up some stiff security measures there
because you cant enter from the front gate anymore.
A side gate where a very old chowkidar holding a very new state-of-
the-art metal detector, which he had no idea how to use stands leads
you inside.
To go to the main building you have to pass through what used to be
(probably a very long time ago) a pond of water. There are fountains
here but they dont work. The water level, which could be at least three
feet deep, is perhaps a mere three inches.
And its not clean or even clear water. Its muddy brown. But its not
mud. Its paan, spat out by the many people who walk by this what-used-
to-be-a-pond.
As you near the main hall entrance, a foul pungent smell hits your nose;
so acrid itll disorient you.
Once in the main hall, you will find that the serious-looking tough
metal detector machine doesnt work either, although the three guards
posted there think it does.
A right turn from here lands you to a group of lifts meant to take you
up in a jiffy. They do anything but that. Around sixty people were
waiting in line to get into these lifts. The TEB department is on the
8th floor. This reporter decided to walk. A bad mistake.
Only maps needed to be looked at the TEB office. The director was not
there. At a meeting he was, his assistant said. Tea was served
approximately after half an hour of utter time-wasting and looking
around for the TEB director by his assistant.
After another forty-five-minute search for the other official in
whose possession the maps were said to be turned up nothing also, it
was time to leave and go to the KTC department.
It was not easy to go to the KTC department. There were hordes of peons
around their only job, it seems is sending citizens to the wrong
department, and answering simple questions as vaguely as possible. There
are no signs in this complex of buildings pointing out where any
department is. Consequently, the peons played their part very well, and
much time was lost.
On, no doubt circuitous, way to the KTC office was found in what was
said to be the newly-constructed building several spots were
encountered where the benefits of eating, chewing and, of course,
spitting paan could be seen on the walls.
The KTC sahib too was held up in a meeting. One of the union workers
was complaining that this was a regular feature of work at the Civic
Centre. The sahibs, he said, are had better things to do than sit in
office. Thats why they were often in important meetings.
This union worker whose office is in Civic Centre had been trying to
meet a traffic superintendent [whose office also is in Civic Centre] for
the last one year. But the superintendent was always in a meeting or
on VIP duty, he said.
The visit to the Civic Centre ended at around 2 pm.
The maps will have to wait another day.
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960422
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Black spots in book industry
------------------------------------------------------------------
Masud Mufti
THIS write-up is neither a confirmation nor a rebuttal of an article
which appeared in Dawn (9th April 1996 titled Book Industry in the
throes).
It only seeks to dispel a wrong impression which, it appears, was
inadvertently created by the article by mixing the books of Urdu
literature with other books on politics, religion, history, and culture,
(illustrations of print run of popular Urdu novels and the writings of
Mr Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi have been cited).
May be, the rules of game for the two categories are different leading
to different practices. If so, I am not aware of the conditions about
other books. My knowledge is limited to the realm of Urdu literature and
I will strictly confine myself to the production of books on that side
only. In addition, the topic is being explored here from the point of
view of an author. Having been once presented with the subject, the
readers of Dawn should in all fairness be offered the other side of the
coin also, even if it pertains to a smaller segment of the theme.
To give the headlines first, Pakistan is a paradise for the publishers
of Urdu poetry and fiction. They are not restrained by any law, ethics,
or morality, and grow rich by misusing this free licence. On the other
hand the author cannot make his living by his pen because the existing
law does not provide any safeguards for his rights. It will aggravate
the prevailing injustice if the publisher gets greater patronage, or
even sympathy, from the government. On the contrary, there is a strong
case for the intervention of the government in favour of the author, and
against the publisher.
Permit me to present the full case now by referring to the existing
legal framework and the living realities. These are diametrically
opposed to each other.
The prevailing laws on the subject appear quite impressive on the paper.
The Copyright Ordinance 1962, as amended in 1992 and with the rules
framed in 1967, categorically states that the author of a work shall be
the first owner of the copyright, (section 13). He can assign it to a
publisher through a written agreement only (section 15), but the
copyright automatically reverts to the author after a period of 10
years. The Registrar of Copyright is required to issue a certificate of
registration which is the only valid proof of copyright in any judicial
proceeding. Publishing of more books than agreed between the author and
the publisher is an infringement of copyright. The offences under this
law are punishable with imprisonment upto three years and a fine upto
one lakh rupees (section 66). Relevant judicial forums include a
Magistrate, Sessions Judge, Copyright Board and the High Court.
The foregoing legal jargon sounds very convincing but actually this law
is like a dog without a bite, because its birth was without teeth. It is
only a showpiece.
There is no linkage of this law with the Registration of Printing Press
and Publication Ordinance 1989 (section 37) which could enable the
author to catch some straws in the wind. The author, in short, has
neither the legal right nor the physical means to check the integrity of
the publisher. Though offences have been made cognisable and non-
bailable (section 74) yet the author is not in a position to move the
police or magistrate because the collection of incriminating data is
beyond his reach due to the total denial of even a slight glimpse of
publishing operations to him. He cannot build tangible castle in the
air.
Even the administrative infrastructure is very deficient and inadequate.
The ill-equipped offices of the Registrar in Karachi and Deputy
Registrar in Lahore have failed so far to make themselves known without
the network of copyright offices in the country prescribed by law. The
Copyright Board in Karachi, which should be presided over by a Judge of
the High Court (section 45) has been having a retired Sessions Judge as
its head. This limited and downgraded infrastructure operates more as a
local activity in Karachi than as a national institution across the
country.
This half-baked and crippled legal framework has created strange
conditions on the ground. The net effect is that the writer, who cannot
earn his living by his pen, is forced to seek other employments. He
thus becomes a lesser writer than his potentialities because of the
compromises he has to make for his primary vocation. Without any legal
cover his role as a writer is like that of a social orphan as is
substantiated from the following.
The pressure of creativity generates a compulsive urge to create and be
counted as an author. This weakness is being fully exploited by the
publishers, who avoid writing a contract with most of the writers,
charge them a substantial amount as printing cost, and do not pay them
any royalty from the sale proceeds. In a few cases, there may be a
written agreement, but that is either for outright purchase of all
rights (which is against the law of reversion of rights to the author
after ten years), or for publishing the first edition of 1000 or 500
copies. Even here the royalty is never paid in most of the cases; and if
paid to some fortunate exceptions over a long period, it is only for the
first edition at a rate of around ten per cent, or even much less.
This edition is never sold out because the publisher stealthily
continues to print more and more books as first edition, thereby pushing
down the proportion paid to the author towards one per cent of total
sales, or even less. In the absence of any authentic market survey he
keeps on claiming low sales, conveniently ignoring the large number of
libraries in and outside the country-wide network of educational
institutions, individual buyers and exports to foreign countries with
Urdu- knowing population.
A new variant of this exploitation is that the publisher enters into a
fixed term contract for a few years against some periodic payment to the
author. During this period the publisher is free to print and sell any
number of books, and the author never comes to know what percentage of
total sales he got as royalty. It could be an insignificant fraction.
The bottom line is that, with few exceptions, the writers either do not
get even a single penny as royalty; or those who get is far less than
what they should get.
It is quite ironic that, without any income for himself, the authors
pen is a source of livelihood for at least eight categories of workers:
(i) calligraphist, (ii) paper merchant, (iii) printing press and its
staff, (iv) labourer, who transports the printed books to the cart or
truck, (v) cart or truck owner who moves the books to the publishing
house, (vi) postal or personnel distribution network, (vii) retail book-
seller and last, but not the least, (viii) the publisher himself, who is
ready to pay to all other categories except the author. It is tragic
that all the citizens of Pakistan, who undertake any type of work
ranging from an unskilled labourer to the chief executive of the
country, get paid but the writer is the only citizen who works and toils
without wages. He feeds others but starves himself. This beggar work in
the 20th century is against all labour conventions and citizens rights.
In addition to owning most of the literary magazines in the country, the
publishers (or their agents) capture the forums which are apparently
meant to represent the writers, thus depriving them of their voice or
twisting the demands in their own favour. One has to only look at the
history of the Pakistan Writers Guild and other similar forums, and the
grants obtained from Gen. Zia and other rulers by publishers in the name
of writers. The publisher thus dominates the realm of Urdu literature
like a wadera in his jagir, who is above law, omnipotent and can pull
strings against the writers welfare.
Another irony of fate is that in our society of extremely low literacy
rate book business is a highly profitable venture. The books are priced
higher than in India, and the retail book-seller (who has absolutely no
input in the production of a book) gets sales commission in the range of
33 to 40 per cent of the price printed on the book. The entire balance,
after meeting the publishing cost (about 20 per cent of the highly
inflated price), is pocketed by the publisher. The author, who is the
source of this economic activity, either remains dry or gets only a few
drops of this ocean.
This business is so lucrative that the number of publishing houses is
constantly increasing and is very happily inherited from one generation
to other to prosper in big houses and mansions. I was not surprised,
therefore, when a medical doctor-cum-writer told me recently that two of
his colleagues left the profession and became publishers. Financially,
they are doing much better than before, he told me, and have ceased to
be my friends because I am a writer and breathe on the other side of the
fence.
No one in the country is interested in improving the lot of the writers.
The publishers would not, for obvious reasons. The government would not,
for hidden designs. Its governing spirit, the feudal mentality, has
traditionally been anti-education and contemptuous of freedom of
thought. It has been organising guilds, academies, conventions, and
seminars to entice the writers and keep them on its side. The writers
are too divided in seeking patronage from the government to organise
themselves. This has been in line with the hidden design of the
successive governments since independence. No wonder this country could
not produce Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau, though
the socio-political conditions here have been conducive to their
emergence.
If any of the readers thinks that the foregoing account does not depict
the true legal or physical environment, I will be only too glad to stand
corrected.
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960422
------------------------------------------------------------------
Why were they left behind?
------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial Column
'THERE could not have been a worse example of the authorities inept and
callous handling of a matter of utmost public sensitivity and importance
than the case of the 1,100 distraught Haj pilgrims who have been left
stranded in Karachi. It was no fault of theirs that they have not been
able to make it to the holy land this year. It is the Haj Ministry that
has proved singularly incapable of handling properly a responsibility
that should be no more than a routine operation every year. The
authorities have bungled badly and no official explanation is available
so far as to why nearly 1,100 intending Hajis whose pilgrimage plans had
been confirmed several months ago were dropped at the eleventh hour.
They were to leave by different flights from Karachi on April 15-21 but
were left in the lurch when they arrived at the Haji camp on the date
stated in their blue cards. Not only were they not issued their visas /
passports; there was no responsible official at the camp to advise them.
As a result, there has been a lot of confusion, and heartburning as
well, as it became plain to the disappointed pilgrims that their dream
of performing Haj was not to materialise at least not this year.
In the absence of an explanation, one can only guess what could have
caused the mess-up. It is widely believed that the last-minute inclusion
of some officially-sponsored people exhausted the quota of visas to
which Pakistan was entitled (105,000 for Haj this year). Hence, those at
the tail-end of the notified list of Hajis were unceremoniously dropped.
This is unpardonable. At least in matters of religious faith one would
have expected the official functionaries to be honest and scrupulous in
observing the relevant rules and principles. The dejection of those who
have been left back can only be imagined. Many of them were people who
had planned for years, and for them going for Haj was to be an event and
experience of a lifetime. They 'travelled to Karachi from distant places
and now feel badly let down and prevented from accomplishing their
cherished mission for no fault of theirs. The government should'
intervene even at this late hour, even if it means incurring some extra
expenses and negotiating with the Saudi Arabian government for extra
visas. No Haji whose name was there in the original list should be left
behind.
Irrespective of whether this can be done or not, the government should
in any case institute an enquiry into the whole distasteful affair. How
this could have happened and who was responsible for this bungling must
be investigated. Some heads must roll if some chastening lessons have to
be driven home. It would also be proper to do some soul-searching about
the practice of officially-sponsored Haj which seems to be gaining
currency in Pakistan. Many think the government and business
organisations use this as a spoils system of sort to win favour with
those whose goodwill they seek. But one may well ask whether it is right
for the government l business organisations to pay the Haj expenses of a
person who is required to perform the rite of Haj only if he is
financially well off and, that too, after he is through with all his
basic worldly responsibilities. Is it then right for the government to
use the taxpayers' money to meet the Haj expenses of another person,
even the highest dignitary?
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960423
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Imrans twists and turns
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By Mahir Ali
THE extreme discourtesy with which Imran Khan reacted to Benazir
Bhuttos visit to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital after it had been
devastated by a bomb blast last week was, surely, incompatible with the
high ideals he professes. It suggests that even before his formal entry
into politics, the ex- cricketer is well versed in the antagonistic
diatribes that generally substitute for reasoned debate in the Pakistani
political arena.
Had the prime minister not bothered to visit the site of the explosion,
that would probably have given Imran Khan equal cause for complaint.
And, although he claims to be non-aligned within the existing political
context, he was present at the hospital when Nawaz Sharif came calling,
and even allowed the opposition leader to pledge support for his plans
(whatever they may be).
It is widely being presumed that the hospital bomb was an attempt to
dampen Imran Khans political ambitions. That may or may not be the
case, but the tragedy has certainly helped to focus attention on him at
a critical juncture in his budding political career.
What exactly he intends to set up is as yet unclear, much like his
motives and aims. Will it be a political party, as Press reports almost
unanimously suggested before the Lahore blast, or a reform movement or
pressure group as has subsequently been reported? And does the self-
definition matter?
The last of these rings a bell. It was a proposed pressure group that
made Maulana Abdul Sattar Edhi see red a little over a year ago, leading
him briefly to abandon the leadership of his mammoth humanitarian
operation in Karachi. He revealed little beyond that his life was in
danger after he had turned down an offer to join a subversive lot to
destabilise the Benazir Bhutto government, and that Imran Khan was
somehow involved in it a charge which, despite its vagueness, the
former fast bowler has never satisfactorily been able to explain away.
At the time, Imran Khans association with retired General Hamid Gul
prompted speculation that the ex-military intelligence chief, notorious
for his Afghan exploits and an inveterate foe of Ms Bhuttos regime, was
up to no good. The stigma has not disappeared, and it will be
interesting to see whether Hamid Gul has an upfront role in the
forthcoming organisation.
The air of mystery surrounding the organisation is likely to be either
the result of a deliberate attempt to engage media attention in the run-
up to the launch, or a symptom of genuine uncertainty. Imran Khans
indecisiveness is legendary: it was publicly manifested in the way he
agonised for years over retiring from cricket, and again in his
inability to make up his mind over whether or not to carve a political
career. But there is also a third possibility: the reticence could owe
itself to the fact that he hasnt yet been told precisely what sort of
body he is on the verge of founding.
The obvious question would be, By whom? One could hazard a couple of
guesses based on the sort of company he has kept in recent years but
that would, perhaps, be stepping too far into the speculative realm.
Its best to wait and see. However, the possibility should not be
overlooked. Imran Khan unabashedly exploited his popularity as a
sportsman in soliciting contributions for his cancer hospital project.
That was, and remains, a good cause (despite his efforts to use it as a
basis for periodical tirades against Islamabad). A political (or semi-
political) organisation is a different matter altogether.
Imran Khans criticism of the existing order has thus far been couched
in generalities. Almost everyone agrees that corruption is an
unmitigated evil, that its tentacles stretch deep into the Pakistani
body politic (although Pakistan is by no means the only victim of the
scourge), and that it needs to be rooted out. Nor is the proposition
that far greater significance should be attached by the state to
education and health care by any means original (Its interesting to
note, however, that Imran Khan has refrained from advocating lower
defence expenditure as a means of funding such benefits. Is this merely
a coincidence?) And attacks on the elite are always welcome in countries
with yawning disparities of wealth, even when they come from a member of
that very class.
Where Imran Khans advocacy of reforms diverges from the line of
argument usually adopted by objective intellectuals is in his persistent
attempts to convey the impression that the present government is
directly and solely responsible for all of Pakistans ills. That is
utter nonsense. Whatever the failings of the current administration
and there are many the national woes most worthy of redressal have
been around for much longer than Ms Bhuttos tenure in power. It is
noticeable that Imran Khan has never commented adversely on the
countrys most recent (and most disastrous) military dictatorship; when
General Zia-ul-Haq asked him a decade or so ago to renounce his
retirement from cricket, he veritably leapt at the opportunity. And his
current dalliance with General Zias chief civilian protege seems to
ignore the fact that the Nawaz Sharif governments reputation for
corruption was at least as high as that of the present regime.
Could Imran Khan be out to avenge a personal slight? It was clearly
stupid of the state-run media initially to ignore him in World Cup-
related publicity. But his plaints go back much further, in apparent
ignorance of an obvious contradiction: why should the government be nice
to him when he has gone out of his way to be nasty to it?
Then there is the evidence of hypocrisy. A corroborative anecdote may
not be out of place. On a private visit to Dubai not many moons ago,
Imran Khan insisted on being shot only above the waist by a Press
photographer. The reason? Having (rather silly) advised Pakistani youth
to stick to indigenous attire, he did not wish to be photographed
wearing calamity of calamities! a pair of trousers.
Never mind the complex issue of his rather sudden exchange of vows with
Jemima Goldsmith after insisting on several occasions that he would
settle for an arranged marriage with a simple Pakistani bride not to
mention the trail of broken-hearted girl friends.
Those are personal matters. But the series of inconsistencies are very
much in the public domain, particularly after the acknowledgement of
political ambitions. The most generous interpretation of these would be
an inordinate level of naiveti. But even that can be a dangerous trait
in the political arena, especially in view of a broad pre-existing
constituency of admirers.
Naiveti does not quite suffice as an explanation for Imran Khans most
recent outbursts against Ms Bhutto, which were ill- advised, totally
uncalled for, and even callous; the hospital bomb was a heinous crime,
and the prime minister had every right to condemn it as well as to visit
the site. His inability to restrain his gut instincts even amidst a
tragedy of such proportion is not a good omen.
Imran Khan does, of course, has every right to participate in politics,
even if his experience of power play is limited to cricket board
intrigues. He may even surprise sceptics like me. But a great many
questions will have to be plainly answered before that transpires. In
the meanwhile, the over-enthusiastic faithful would do well to remember
that its wise to be wary of pied pipers, particularly when it is not
clear who is calling the tune.
960420
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S. Africa lift Sharjah Cup
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Viren Varma
SHARJAH, April 19: The big boys, which the South Africans are fast
becoming in international cricket, gave just a glimpse of their precious
talent by winning the tournament on their maiden appearance.
They were solid in their approach and planned things with a touch of
professionalism while India simply faltered in basics and that made
all the difference. A cool-headed innings from Gary Kirsten, disciplined
fielding and bowling (in that order) by South Africa and a by-now-
familiar Indian collapse and four silly run outs all added to the
excitement of the day. And, in the end, the team that deserved to win,
won the game.
South Africa once showed the maturity of a champion team, reviving the
innings after a stuttering start which saw them reeling at 20 for two in
just 5.5 overs. From that precarious position, in the face of an
enthusiastic early Indian attack, they knocked up a massive 287 for five
in the allotted 50 overs, a score which meant India had to struggle from
the very start which they duly did.
Gary Kirsten anchored the innings while Pat Symcox, promoted in the
batting, played his role as a pinch-hitter to perfection to suffocate
Indian hopes of restricting the marauding South Africans to a manageable
total.
India also tried the same stuff, sending Anil Kumble at the crucial No.
3 spot. He failed to copy the role of Symcox while Sachin Tendulkar, who
needed to provide the ballast as Kirsten did for South Africa, fell half
way. Both became victims to silly run outs. Kirsten, later named Man of
the Match and Man of the Series, planned his innings carefully and held
one end intact and let others go after the bowling. He scored an
unbeaten 115 of 142 balls which included four fours and a six, all
scored during the first 50 of his innings. As his innings wore on, he
kept the strike rotating with singles and twos.
What gave the South African innings a kick start was the third-wicket
stand of 95 runs between Kirsten and Symcox. Symcox was off the blocks a
bit slowly, but once he had his eye in he simply blew the Indian bowling
to pieces. His swashbuckling 61 off just 49 balls with five fours and
two sixes virtually demoralised the Indian attack, which later order
batsmen exploited to the limit. When Symcox left, the South Africans had
already built a strong platform, scoring 115 for three in 21 overs.
The introduction of spinners too failed to apply brakes on the South
African run-rate. Skipper Hansie Cronje (26 off 30 balls) and Derek
Crookes (25 off 30 balls) did not take any undue risks and went about
their task in a methodical manner, chipping in with some useful
contributions.
The only way India could arrest the spiralling run-rate was to get
wickets. They did but not at regular intervals.
Brian McMillan, picked up the right time to show his class, which has
earned him the sobriquet of being the best all-rounder in the world.
The burly all-rounder quickly made his impression, smacking hapless
Venkatapathy Raju for two successive sixes. He ended the innings with a
flourish scoring a brisk 37 off just 24 balls which also included two
hits to the boundary.
The Indian bowlers sparkled only in the first five or six overs, with
both Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad troubling the top order
batsmen with movements of the seam. But as the South African innings
wore on it was just a question of containing the runs which they just
couldnt.
Kumble, the most impressive of all, took two wickets for 42 runs.
India had to make a blazing start to make a match of it, which meant
they needed to score at least 90 for 100 in the first 15 overs. They did
plan that way but luck wasnt on their side. One can easily say they
blew up the chance with four of their batsmen running themselves out,
but all the batsmen were out by just inches. Such was their bad luck
that even a long throw from third man landed right on the stumps which
caught skipper Azharuddin just inches off the crease.
Vikram Rathore and Tendulkar made a positive start to the innings,
seeing off the early spells from Fanie de Villiers and Shaun Pollock.
The way the two stroked the ball raised visions of a close match, but in
the end it proved an illusion.
Rathore, tied down by Craig Matthews in his very first over, tried to
hit the bowler in sheer frustration only to be caught behind by Dave
Richardson. His 23 off 35 balls included one four and one six.
Kumble, sent in for the Symcox job, did go after the bowling, but as
luck would have it a straight drive from Tendulkar took a twist off the
hand of Matthews and landed on the stumps, catching Kumble out of the
crease. Kumble scored 10 runs with one four.
Sidhu tried to repair the damage but due to a horrible mix-up of yes
and no ran Tendulkar out. Sidhu called Tendulkar for a run, but sent
him back and Pollock made no mistake in removing the bails. Tendulkar,
playing his 115th international, cracked 57 with six fours in 71 balls
and, in the process became the third Indian after Kris Srikkanth and
Azharuddin, to cross the coveted 4,000 mark in one-day cricket.
Sidhu quickly followed Tendulkar to the dressing room, getting out to a
tired looking shot off Cronje and holing out in the deep to Matthews. He
scored 26 off 44 balls. Skipper Azharuddin and Sanjay Manjrekar raised a
flicker of hope playing quite sensibly against a charged up South
African attack. They werent going for big hits, but were keeping the
scoreboard moving with singles and twos.
The two were associated in a 52-run stand for fifth-wicket, but the
required run-rate shooting up every passing minute they were left with
no choice but to go for bit hits. They did, but at the expenses of their
wickets.
India needed to score 91 runs in the last 10 overs for a victory. But
the run out of Azharuddin killed off their hopes. Azhar was returning to
complete the second run when Symcoxs throw from third man hit the
stumps. He was out in the 41st over after scoring 39 off 43 balls with
three fours.
His fall virtually triggered a procession back to the pavilion though
Nayan Mongia stemmed the rot for a while with a fluent 23. Manjrekar
completed the comedy script of run outs after scoring 41 off 47 balls
with one four.
Kirsten, who scored a total of 356 runs in five matches, including two
centuries both against India, was named Man of the Match and Man of the
Series.
Rashid Latif of Pakistan won the award for the fastest 50 - scored off
30 balls against India. Matthews was declared the Best Bowler while the
Best Fielder went to Kirsten, his third award.
A delighted South African skipper Cronje said: We have achieved almost
all the goals we set for this season, except for the big one (World
Cup).
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960420
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Convincing hockey show by Pakistan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sydney Friskin
ATLANTA, April 19: On the basis of statistics Pakistan came out on top
in the six-nation hockey tournament here with a total of nine points out
of a possible ten. What was more, Tahir Zaman, one of the best inside
forwards in the world today, finished on top of the scorers list with a
total of six goals from five matches.
Of the remaining Pakistan players Kamran Ashraf, centre forward, had two
goals, Asif Bajwa, Raza Aleem, Mohammad Shahbaz, Shafqat Mehmood and
Muhammad Sarwar, one each. That made a total for the team of 13 goals
scored and four conceded.
But figures do not describe the glorious finish to the tournament in
which Pakistan and India shared four goals, leaving Pakistan
unquestionable winners of the tournament by one point. Here was a
splendid advertisement for hockey played as it was intended to be with
fast free flowing movements from either side.
India and Pakistan will not meet again until they clash in pool match at
the Olympic Games in July.
There was every reason to be satisfied with Pakistans performance as a
whole. Apart from their individual brilliance they worked well together
as a team and if changes are to be made when the squad for the Olympic
Games is finalised it should be difficult to decide whom to drop.
Looking closely at the six teams who took part in the tournament
Pakistan and India proved themselves to be potential Olympic winners.
Leading scorers: Six goals: Tahir Zaman (Pakistan). Three: Dhanraj
Pillay (India), Russell Garcia (Great Britain), Santiago Capurro
(Argentina), Cook-Kyo Jhin (South Korea), Baljit Singh Dhillon (India),
Two: Kamran Ashraf (Pakistan), Ahmed el Maghraby (United States), Robert
Thompson (Great Britain).
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Intikhab hints at changes in team
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Sports Reporter
KARACHI, April 21: Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam hinted that there
might be a few changes in the Pakistan team for the coming tour of
England.
"It's time that stern decisions are taken in terms of performances of
the players from the series against Sri Lanka to the recently concluded
tournament in Sharjah," Intikhab said, adding: "The time has come that
the players are selected on their current track record than their past
achievements."
Intikhab, without disclosing the names, said a few players might miss
the bus for the England tour. "We are planning to take a few youngsters
because England tour is also an educational tour. We will have a few
county matches in which we can try them and if find talent, can groom
them for the future."
Intikhab stressed that he would propose to the PCB selectors to pick
youngsters from domestic cricket. "Players are performing and even then
are not being selected. Until we don't select players from our domestic
circuit, it will remain unimportant for all and sundry."
The former Pakistan captain believed that the team players lacked
fitness. "They look fit but actually lack fitness that is required at
top level. I have suggested the PCB to organise a 12 to 15 days camp at
some hill station at which we will only concentrate on physical side. We
will stress upon running to build stamina and strengthen muscles. "After
the conclusion of that camp, we should have a training camp at Lahore,"
he said.
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Senate body on sports to discuss cricket affairs
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Farhana Ayaz
ISLAMABAD, April 23: The performance of Pakistan Cricket Board
and cricket team and the organisation of 6th World Cup have been
included in a three-point agenda meeting of the Senate sub-committee on
sports.
Other items on the agenda include review of the implementation of the
decision taken during the joint National Assembly, Senate sports sub-
committees meeting on Dec 21, and to consider proposals and suggestions
to improve the performance of Pakistan team and the administration of
PCB.
Sources revealed that PCB chief executive Arif Ali Abbasi is set to make
his maiden appearance in the meeting. Due to World Cup engagements
Abbasi could not attend the last three meetings held under the banner of
NA and Senate sports sub-committees.
*From the cricket board, its chairman Zulfiqar Ali Shah Bokhari, Omar
Kureishi, Javed Burki, Zaheer Abbas, Zafar Altaf etc have also been
invited to the meeting.
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Invitational womens games in October
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Sports Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, April 23: Pakistan Women's Sports Board has asked the
national federations of athletics, table tennis, badminton, hockey
and volleyball to obtain international confirmations of at least four
countries by end of May to finalise the staging of `Invitational
Women's Games 1996' from Oct 19-24 at Islamabad.
During the 'review meeting' of the 2nd Islamic Women's Games, Begum
Shahnaz Wazir Ali, special assistant to the prime minister on social
sector, requested the national federations of the five sports included
in the invitational meet to obtain confirmation from four to five
countries for participation in the event. "It will be an opportunity of
international competition for our girls to get ready,' Begum Shahnaz
said while stating that allocations have already been made for
the funding of the invitational games at Islamabad and the ministry
of sports was working on it.
It was learnt that invitations to Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia,
Iran and a number of Central Asian states has already been sent. However
the federations are yet to get a response from them for the meet. It
may be added here that Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali had earlier asked the
federations to invite Muslim States to participate in the `invitational
meet which will also serve as a rehearsal for the forthcoming bigger
event next year. However, since the "Invitational Games" are been dealt
at the federation level, they want to invite those countries whose
standard of game will be comparable to Pakistan. We want these
invitational games to help boost the morale of our sportswomen who are
working hard for the challenge, Qamar Saeed Zaidi, vice president,
Pakistan Table Tennis Federation said.
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