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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 09 January 1997 Issue : 03/02
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===================================================================
Emergency not on Council agenda
LHC suspends promotion order of 56 bureaucrats
Hakim Zardari remanded in FIA custody
Asif remanded in judicial custody
Tribunal warns doctor of perjury case
DMC professor admits he made a wrong statement
Police surgeons role criticised by tribunal
Report was prepared as the authorities wanted it
Meraj fears countrys division in 20 years
A super watchdog body likely
Babar appears before SHC
TI decides to boycott elections
Candidates lie on value of assets
Tribunal completes hearing on appeals
Parties claims cannot be assuaged: report
Zardari released on bail
Elections on time, pledges CDNS
Defaulters list released
---------------------------------
Agreement with PSI cos to cost Rs 8 billion
PTCL privatisation: Japanese team arrives
Caretakers okay new drug policy
SBP sets domestic credit plan at Rs137.10bn
Vast scope of land route trade in SAARC region
RDFC, SBFC stopped from financing LMM
10pc increase in gas prices okayed
Commission to propose tax reforms
State Bank to take over PBC assets, liabilities
---------------------------------------
Ehtesab or Intekhab? 4 Ardeshir Cowasjee
Worth of human life Omar Kureishi
Haj at public expense Editorial Column
Daring crime Editorial Column
-----------
Pakistanis told to remove logos from bats
Too much cricket takes its toll
W.Is controlled 6-wkt win over Pakistan
Call for international cricket players body growing
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970108
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Emergency not on Council agenda
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Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD, Jan 7: Minister for Defence, Establishment and Law
Shahid Hamid has ruled out the possibility of imposition of
emergency in the country and categorically stated that emergency
will not be imposed.
Talking to Dawn on Monday, the minister said the newly constituted
Council for Defence and National Security is meeting on Wednesday.
He said the agenda of the Council, which is being kept secret, does
not include any proposal relating to imposition of emergency.
Elections would be held on February 3, 1997 in a free, fair and
impartial atmosphere and there is absolutely no possibility of
emergency whatsoever, the minister reiterated. Likewise I would
also strongly deny that there is any proposal to delay elections
for a single day what to talk of months or years, the defence
minister stated.
He said that the caretakers were only there to hold free, fair and
impartial elections and that they have no political agenda to
fulfil. He assured that the Council will operate strictly in line
with its terms of reference. Although he said that the political
situation is not part of the Councils terms of reference but he
indicated this could be discussed if it has any relation to the
national security.
To a question, the minister said in the name of national security
we will not take action on everything under the sun. He, however,
added the president and the prime minister are authorised to refer
any matter for discussion.
The minister did not disclose the agenda of the meeting but said in
its preliminary meeting the Council will discuss various issues
concerning our defence and national security.
Referring to the earlier announcement, he said, the Council is an
advisory body whose job will be to advise the government on issues
mentioned in its terms of reference.
President Sardar Farooq Khan Leghari will chair the council
meeting. Those who will attend the meeting include Prime Minister
Malik Meraj Khalid, Minister for Defence Shahid Hamid, Minister for
Interior Umer Khan Afridi, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee, Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Naval Staff and
Chief of the Air Staff.
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970107
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LHC suspends promotion order of 56 bureaucrats
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: The controversy over the recent promotion of 56
bureaucrats belonging to Secretariat Group in grade 21, took a new
turn when the Lahore High Court suspended the operation of
Establishment Divisions notification, dated December 31, 1996,
regarding these elevations.
The notification, had announced the immediate promotion of 56
officers to BS 21 against 61 sanctioned posts of senior joint
secretaries.
The notification was issued on the same day (Dec. 31) when the
Lahore High Court issued a stay order to 10 joint secretaries who
went before the court against the recommendation of the Central
Selection Board-I which cleared these officers for promotion.
The petitioners, through Sheikh Riazul Haq, advocate, filed a
contempt case against four officers of the Establishment Division
for issuing the notification in total disregard of the directions
of the Lahore High Court.
According to Sheikh Riazul Haq, Justice Mian Nazir Akhtar of the
LHC, while hearing the contempt petition, suspended the operation
of the notification.
Meanwhile , the contempt proceedings have also been initiated
against A. W. Qazi, Additional Secretary; Brig (retd) Saeed Akhtar,
Joint Secretary; Fazle Qadir, Deputy Secretary ; and Abdul Bari,
Section Officer, which have been fixed for hearing on January 9 .
The petitioners contended that despite the courts order on
December 31 that the respondent would not issue any notification,
the notification was issued.
The stay order was issued by the court at 0840 hours in the
presence of the deputy attorney- general. They added that their
counsel had conveyed the above order to the Establishment Division
by fax No 9202980 on or about 0930 hours.
The court was told that the message was repeated on December 31 by
the counsel by fax ( No 9210110) to the deputy secretary,
administration of the Establishment Division, on or about 1500
hours.
They added that thereafter, the Deputy Secretary, Litigation, Aftab
Ahmad, contacted the counsel for the petitioners by phone at about
1600 hours and confirmed the receipt of the two faxed massages
about the stay order.
The petitioners told the court that the ED was fully in the
knowledge of the stay order but the notification was issued after
1900 hours on the same day.
The contempt petition said that on January 1, the counsel for the
petitioners, after learning about the notification, sent a message
by fax to the contemners to immediately withdraw the illegal
notification but the contemners were quite adamant and were not
prepared even now to withdraw the notification.
Sheikh Riazul Haq prayed before the court that the respondents had
deliberately disobeyed the orders of the court and, therefore, were
guilty of contempt of court.
It may be mentioned here that almost all the 56 officers, who were,
promoted on December 31, took charge of their position the very
next day and informed the ED the following day by fax.
Another point under discussion regarding these promotions is:
whether the notification was issued with the approval of the
caretaker prime minister.
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970103
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Hakim Zardari remanded in FIA custody
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 2: Hakim Ali Zardari, father of Asif, was remanded in
the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency by judicial
magistrate, South, Hamza Khan, till Jan 4.
He was arrested by the Commercial Banks Circle of the FIA on
Wednesday night from his Clifton residence on the warrant issued by
the Chief Ehtesab Commission.
Sources said an assistant director of the FIA CBC was interrogating
Mr Zardari who were facing corruption charges in a land scam. They
said Mr Zardari could be flown to Islamabad in two or so days for
investigation into charges against him.
The sources said the case against the father of Asif Zardari
pertained to the allotment of a plot he had acquired in Rawalpindi
for constructing a hotel.
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970103
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Asif remanded in judicial custody
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 2: The judicial magistrate, South, remanded Asif Ali
Zardari, ex-MNA, in judicial custody till Jan 4, and referred his
case to the trial court of district and sessions judge, South, for
regular hearing.
Mr Zardari was produced in the court amid tight security by the
rangers and the police. A suspected threat to life was given to Mr
Zardari, explained a rangers officer who had closed the entrance
to the courts for all visitors.
Briefing newsmen, Farooq Naek, counsel for Mr Zardari, said the
investigating officer in the Murtaza murder case, SSP-CIA Ali Gohar
Mithiani, had submitted inconclusive challans and sought some time
for collection of evidence.
Barkat Chaudhry, the prosecuting inspector, told Dawn that the
supplementary challans naming Mr Zardari had been filed in the
court, and added that Shakaib Qureshi, the then SP of South, had
also been named and declared an absconder.
Mr Qureshi was not named in any of the three FIRs lodged by Clifton
SHO, the late Haq Nawaz Sial, Asghar Ali and Noor Mohammad, two
personal servants of Mir Murtaza Bhutto.
In view of the incomplete findings against 20 accused, Mr Mithiani
submitted a list of 52 witnesses, including the doctors of the JPMC
and Mideast, Ghinwa Bhutto, Fatima Bhutto, daughter of Mir Murtaza,
police officers, and PPP (SB) workers.
Mr Mithiani, who held the dual charge of the DIG Crimes Branch,
alleged in his findings that the high-ranking police officials,
involved in the case, had deliberately destroyed the evidence. He
said it would take some time to collect ample evidence against
those influential officials.
Mr Naek, who held a diametrical opposite view, told Dawn that he
and his client, Mr Zardari, were hopeful of the outcome of the
case. The police and the other interrogators had failed to prove
that Mir Murtazas murder was a result of conspiracy in which his
client was involved, he added.
However, Mr Chaudhry said the investigating officer had adequate
material against the people involved in the case.
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970103
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Tribunal warns doctor of perjury case
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H. A. Hamied
KARACHI, Jan 2: Dr S. M. A. Shah, a member of the medical board
which had examined the injuries to ASP Shahid Hayat, informed the
tribunal of inquiry that the authorities wanted to make meaningful
changes in the report but he refused to sign a second report.
I thwarted the move by refusing to sign a second report after a
couple of days, Dr. Shah, told the tribunal.
He was one of the members of the 10-member medical board, who had
examined the wounded the ASP. Shahid Hayat had received a bullet
wound in his left thigh.
The board in its finding had stated that it was a case of firearm
injury and that it was not a self-inflicted one. The distance of
firing on his left thigh was between 2 and 3 feet.
He said he was the author of the report and all the nine other
members unanimously agreed and signed the report. But a few days
later, he was contacted by the chairman of the board, Dr A. Karim
Siddiqui, to sign another report which was a typed one with
meaningful changes in it.
The witness said he refused to sign although all the other members
had done so, including the chairman, because its sanctity was
destroyed, and was being done at the behest of those who had
constituted the board.
An attempt was made to change the report, he informed the tribunal.
Q: Who had brought the typed report for your signatures?
A: Dr Karim Siddiqui, professor and head of the department of
surgery, DMC and Dr Tariq Mirza, vice principal of DMC and
associate professor of forensic medicine, had come to my residence
to get the signatures.
Q: What did they tell you and why they wanted your signatures on a
new report?
A: They said the report which I had written in my handwriting was
typed and they sought my signatures saying that minor alterations
have been made. It had already been signed by eight doctors and Dr
Ishaque Shaikh had not signed it because he was not available at
his place. They said he will sign it later.
Q: What reasons the two doctors gave for typing out the documents
and getting the signatures of all the 10, a repetition of exercise?
A: The reason the two doctors gave was that in a court a typed
report is submitted and my view was that it should not have been
signed before it was typed. Again! my point of view was once
written and signed, it should not be revised.
Tribunal asks Tariq Mirza: On a question from Karim Khan Agha
whether you were pressured after you signed the report about Shahid
Hayat, you had denied it. About the changing of a report, do you
maintain and reiterate what you had stated earlier?
Tariq Mirza: I stand by whatever I had stated earlier.
The witness was asked to produce the typed version with nine
signatures, minus the signature of Dr Shah. This will be produced
on Sunday morning, because he had torn the signature part of the
document.
Question from the assistant AG, Latif Abdul Ansari: Did the health
secretary know the contents of both the typed and hand-written
reports and you and Dr Karim Siddiqui were playing to the tunes of
the health secretary who was invisible hand behind the scene to
destroy the sanctity of the report?
A: No.
Earlier, the tribunal examined Sarfaraz Ahmed, staff reporter of
Dawn, who had reported on Sept 27 that according to a member of
the board, who sought anonymity, the examination of the policemans
belongings, such as his shoe and socks proved that if one goes by
the injureds account, the direction of the bullet indicated that
he was fired upon from a helicopter because the bullet had hit him
in the inner side of his heel skin which did not hurt bone, and the
bullet seemed to be of a revolver, and the firearms seized from Mir
Murtaza Bhuttos men did not include such arms.
He was asked by the tribunal to state who the member of the board
was, to which, he said, it has already been reported he was
speaking on anonymity.
The reporter was asked whether the member volunteered to give the
information or did he ask him to know the facts to which he replied
that he had contacted him and that he knew him before.
Q: Did you contact any other member of the board?
A: Yes. But he declined to talk.
Q: Can you identify the person who spoke to you?
A: Our professional ethics do not permit us to divulge the source,
otherwise our sources of information would be dried up. Nobody in
future would talk to us.
The tribunal gave him another chance to think over it and reappear
again and state what he wanted to say.
The witness said that he will contact his editor and make a
statement accordingly.
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970106
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DMC professor admits he made a wrong statement
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H. A. Hamied
KARACHI, Jan 5: A fourth medical board was also constituted by the
government of Sindh after the Sept 20 killings to determine whether
Mideast Medical Centre, where Mir Murtaza Bhutto was admitted after
the police firing, had proper medical facilities or not.
This was disclosed by Prof Abdul Karim Siddiqui, professor and head
of the department of surgery, Dow Medical College, Karachi, before
a three-member judicial tribunal which is investigating the causes
of death of Mir Murtaza. The tribunal comprises Justice Nasir Aslam
Zahid, judge of the Supreme Court; justice Amanullah Abbasi, and
Justice (Dr) Ghous Mohammad, judges of the High Court of Sindh.
He did not elaborate further and the tribunal asked him to produce
documents relating to the composition of the board and its findings
by Monday morning.
Justice N. A. Zahid observed that it has been revealed for the
first time that such a medical board was constituted by the
government and it had submitted its report.
Dr Siddiqui said this was the fourth medical board constituted
after the Sept 20 killings, the first was created to examine the
left foot bullet wound of Haq Nawaz Sial, SHO of Clifton police
station; the second for examining the post-mortem report on his
body after his death six days later; and the third was in
connection with the bullet injuries to the left thigh of ASP Shahid
Hayat.
The 58-year-old surgeon was asked if there was any single incident
during his entire career that a medical boards finding once made
and initialled by all the members, was attempted to be revised.
He said he could not recollect any such incident in the past and
the witness was being questioned by the tribunal as to why it took
seven days to type a report which was finalised and signed by all
members of the board.
The tribunal told him that was it not a fact that the delay was
caused in submitting the report to the government not because of
typing but due to altering its contents in connection with the
injuries of ASP Shahid Hayat.
The witness was warned several times that he was under oath and
should testify as a truthful witness and his evidence should be
very transparent although he had made everything black.
The tribunal observed that the story about altering the medical
report by making five changes on facts and two changes on opinion,
was first made by Dr Shuja Hasan Khan of AKUH and later confirmed
by Dr S. M. A. Shah of AO Clinic, that the medical boards findings
were altered, once it was signed and full seven days were taken for
forcing Dr Shah to sign it but he had refused to do so.
He was reminded by the tribunal that a letter was issued on Sept 29
for the composition of a medical board and on Sept 30 the members
were assembled and they drafted a report which was formally signed.
But its submission to the government was delayed because the
chairman of the board had been unable to find Dr Shah, the only
non-government doctor, as he had not been cooperating with them for
making changes. Dr Shah in his earlier examination had described
the changes as meaningful.
The tribunal observed that if these doctors in very senior
positions have been found to be handling the medical reports in
such a casual way, that is, they are prepared to alter it to suit
the needs of their bosses in important cases like these. The
tribunal wondered as to what might be happening with people who are
less fortunate.
Q: Was any pressure put on you to change the contents of the report
or dilute it?
A: This is not correct. The original report was unanimous and
prepared after discussion. It was written by Dr S. M. A. Shah, and
every member of the board signed it. I was the chairman of the
board. I was to submit the report.
Q: You were to only examine the officers wounds and not to give
any report because there was no such condition laid?
A: Yes. We four or five discussed the report after others had left.
Q: From the house of Dr Shah, how many time you contacted the
health secretary over phone?
A: Only one call was made and I also gave the phone to Dr Shah to
talk to the health secretary.
Q: In Dr Mirzas evidence it has come on record that more than 2-3
calls were made and one call was received from the health
secretary.
A: Todays statement of mine is correct. I told the health
secretary over phone that there would be some delay in submitting
the report because Dr Shah had suggested to examine the doctor at
AKUH for a first-hand account from him. Then we two returned from
his house.
Then we assembled at AKUH on Oct. 7, except for one doctor all were
present and Dr Shahzad, of AKUH, was not available to us because he
was busy. Then I showed both reports to Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, to which
he said there cant be two reports. We agreed to submit the
original hand-written report.
Q: The hand-written report of Sept 30 was kept secret until Oct. 7.
If the original hand-written report contained mistakes why did
you allow the same after seven days to be sent to the health
secretary, which meant that you are ready to submit any report and
amend any report as long as it suits you.
A: The original report was more than what was asked from us, but it
was not an incorrect one.
At this stage, the tribunal called for a copy of Dawn of Oct. 1
which carried a full report on the findings of the medical board,
although the members had reserved their order. The contents were
read out by the chairman and he asked the witness if he had read
the account, to which he said no.
Q: What have you been telling the health secretary for seven days
about the report, telling him each time that it has not yet been
typed. Did you also tell him that you were trying to amend the
report and what was his reaction?
A: He kept reminding us about the urgency.
Q: Your report not only opines that the injury was of firearm, it
was from a close range, did you at any time thereafter consider
that the report was not in compliance with the order?
A: Both the reports were identical, but the only thing was we had
gone beyond the task assigned to us by the government.
The tribunal made serious reservations to the continued absence of
Nehal Hashmi, counsel for 11 policemen, including an ASI, a head
constable and nine constables.
The chairman of the tribunal observed that he was worried about the
policemen who are being neglected by their counsel, who doesnt
appear to defend them and he was making a mockery of human rights.
The counsel was asked not to talk of human rights before us. Once
a while you drop in for a moment and then disappear for several
days, saying you are busy elsewhere.
Other witnesses who were examined by the tribunal were Dr Mohammad
Umar Baloch, who has just retired as civil surgeon; Dr Tariq Mirza
and Dr M. Shafi Quraishy, principal of DMC and professor of
medicine.
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970107
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Police surgeons role criticised by tribunal
-------------------------------------------------------------------
H. A. Hamied
KARACHI, Jan 6: Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, chairman of the three-
member tribunal investigating into the causes of death of Mir
Murtaza Bhutto in the police firing on Sept 20 last, told the
police surgeon of Karachi, Dr Nizamuddin Memon, that we are
finding one quality in you to see that you justify holding the
position of police surgeon. We have not found one so far.
The chairman observed that the police surgeon, a prized post held
by him, has been making vague statements before the tribunal such
as I dont know, It didnt strike me, I cant recollect now,
If I had made some observation that would have annoyed some other
doctors, etc.
The police surgeon was told by the tribunal, two other members of
which are Justice Amanullah Abbasi and Justice (Dr) Ghous Mohammad,
judges of the High Court of Sindh, that he was slow in action, slow
to recollect, slow to act and a man in his position should be an
example for being very upright and who always values principles and
that no body should point fingers at him.
It was further pointed out to him that character, integrity,
discipline, courage and other similar qualities one could not find
in him.
On a question from the tribunal whether there was a fourth medical
board to find out if Mideast Medical Centre had the facilities to
treat people where Mir Murtaza Bhutto was taken after he was
injured on Sept 20 last?
A: I am not aware of any such inquiries from the government as I
heard about it only a day before, when Dr Abdul Karim Siddiqui,
professor and head of the department of surgery of DMC, was
searching for the papers about the medical board. I was not a
member of that board either.
Q: There was a time lag between the examination of ASP Shahid Hayat
and submitting the report to the health secretary, and during this
period you attempted to dilute the report?
A: I never made any such attempt to dilute the report of the
injuries suffered by the ASP.
Q: In your earlier statement before the tribunal, you had denied by
saying it was absolutely incorrect, that he ever made such
attempts.
The tribunal played back the tapes and then asked him do you still
maintain that your answer (statement) made earlier was correct?
A: My earlier answer was not correct, and now I want to add some
thing by way of explanation. Our job is technical and we needed
time to write reports after the meeting. The report prepared by Dr
S. M. A. Shah was a rough copy and a fair one will be prepared
later and that was the idea I had formed after I and other members
of the board had signed it. The government had only asked us to
examine the injuries of ASP Shahid Hayat.
The witness gave five reasons why he thought the report should be
modified:
The government had only asked the board to examine the injury;
He had not seen the excised wound;
The fact that it had taken the ASP two hours to reach the
hospital after the incident, what was he doing by then;
The ASP provided civilian trousers which had already been washed
for examination; and
It was strange that a person in civilian dress should be fired at
rather than policemen who were apparently all around.
Q: When did these deficiencies occur to you?
A: Some of the points occurred to me before the writing of the
report. I didnt raise these objections at the time of signing of
the report, because I didnt like to annoy doctors from AKUH who
were already angry. Secondly, I thought there was time to finalise
the report and the way the report had been prepared and signed was
to my opinion a rough draft.
Q: From your answers does it follow that all the members had
considered the report a rough draft and not a final report?
A: I dont know about others, because it was not discussed openly.
Q: Did anybody else give the same impression that the report was
not a final one?
A: Usually, the members sign on a typed report and it was only a
hand-written report.
Q: In your experience were there any hand-written reports sent to
the government?
A: So far only two, in the case of Sial and ASP Shahid Hayat.
Q: Was there any urgency about the report in this case?
A: There was no urgency at that time.
Q: Did no body tell you that the health secretary was asking for
the report urgently?
A: Honestly speaking, I can say that till the writing of the
report, there was no urgency shown for the report. I thought there
would be another meeting and the issue would be discussed and the
report would be prepared, signed and submitted.
Q: You still maintain that the hand-written report was incorrect
and incomplete?
A: It was in complete but correct. We had not seen the injury,
before it was written.
Q: Are both reports correct?
A: The typed report with eight signatures was more complete.
Q: More complete means that it was more curtailed in facts and
opinion?
A: Yes. The second report was based on what was asked for by the
government.
The tribunal observed that it was he who started all this by
challenging the original report and raising objections. It would
have been appropriate to submit both the reports to the government.
He was asked why did he not suggest to the chairman to do so.
Q: Apparently you were told by some authorities on the basis of
which you initiated necessary action for the compliance of their
directives by changing the report?
A: No one gave me any directions to do so.
Q: The thrust was to submit a typed report different from the
original one for which there was a delay of seven days?
A: The delay had not been on account of changing the report, but it
was because the members were not available for a second meeting.
Q: How then the members were available when the board was first
constituted on Sept 29 and on the next date the report was ready
and signed by all 10 members. How only five or six members decided
to alter the report. Was there pressure on you which you could not
sustain and major improvements have been made?
A: Material improvements were made.
Q: Doubts have been cast when two reports were prepared of one
medical board and the sanctity of the first report was destroyed?
A: The sanctity of the earlier report was affected.
Q: Did at any time in the past a medical board report was changed?
A: No. Because reports are not prepared immediately after
examination and sometimes a month is taken to prepare a report. We
have never examined a case where a person was treated and examined
at two different hospitals.
Tribunal: There is no difference between a signature or thumb
impression. You should have said that the report would only be
submitted after examining the injured.
Witness: No serious efforts were made to convene another meeting to
change the report. All the members could not assemble at AKUH.
Tribunal: With a person like you, no improvement can be seen.
Everyone of you who came here has lied before us, we have doubts
about your integrity, the integrity of Dr Karim Siddiqui and Dr
Tariq Mirza, all of you have not told the whole truth.
Q: Did you talk about the weapons used in firing at Sials foot at
the meeting of the board?
A: Different firearms were discussed. The use of revolver was also
discussed having been used for firing at the left foot of Sial. The
use of helicopter was not at all discussed and before the release
of the official report I have not talked about the deliberations to
the Press.
Q: Did you inform the Press that the bullet was fired from a
revolver?
A: I dont remember, but I might not have spoken to the Press. I
have not stated to the Press that Mir Murtazas men did not carry
any revolver or that the firing was from a helicopter. I have also
not said that it was fired from a revolver. To my mind, it was a
2.8 pistol which had been used. I didnt know what arms were
recovered from Murtazas men.
On a question from Manzoor Bhutta, counsel: Did Sial tell you when
he appeared before the board for examination of his foot that he
was involved by some important people who have now abandoned him.
Now, I want to disclose their names?
A: No.
Earlier, Sarfaraz Ahmad, a reporter of daily Dawn, appeared as a
witness, on an application filed by counsel Karim Khan Agha, asking
him to name the member of the medical board who had given him
information about the type of injury which inspector Sial had
suffered.
The reporter submitted a statement that he may kindly be excused
from answering questions requiring him to disclose the identity of
the person from whom he received the information forming the basis
of the report which appeared in Dawn of Sept 27.
He gave the following reasons:
1. The duty to protect the confidentiality of his source of
information is an integral part of journalists ethics observed and
respected all over the world. Our profession requires us to protect
the anonymity of source;
2. In the process of news gathering a reporter collects information
from various sources and owes an obligation in relation to those
who do not wish to be identified. In the absence of an undertaking
to respect such confidentiality it may become impossible to perform
the public duty owned by the Press; and
3. That the freedom of the Press guaranteed by the Constitution
might become illusory unless protection against disclosure is
afforded to journalists in the same manner as it is afforded to
lawyers, doctors and public servants. I am informed that such
privilege of journalists is lately being recognised in many legal
systems on grounds of public policy.
The tribunal did not accept the plea advanced by him and afforded
one more opportunity to him on Tuesday to state any law in Pakistan
which provides privileges which he is claiming, not to divulge his
source of information.
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970108
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Report was prepared as the authorities wanted it
-------------------------------------------------------------------
H. A. Hamied
KARACHI, Jan 7: Testifying before the judicial tribunal,
investigating the causes of murder of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, on
Tuesday a retired radiologist said the second report of the medical
board on the injuries suffered by ASP Shahid Hayat was modified as
the authorities wanted.
The witness who made this statement was Dr Matin Ahmed Khan, a
former professor of radiology and head of the department of
radiology of Dow Medical College, Karachi, who was one of the
members of the medical board along with five other doctors.
Dr Khan retired in the middle of last year, was re-appointed on
contract in the same position and was removed from service on Nov.
11 by the present caretaker government. He told the tribunal,
comprising Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, a judge of the Supreme Court;
Justice Amanullah Abbasi, and Justice (Dr) Ghous Mohammad, judges
of the High Court of Sindh, that he also served on the two other
medical boards set up by the government to examine the wound on the
left foot of inspector Haq Nawaz Sial, his post-mortem six days
later, and in the case of the injuries on ASP Shahid Hayats left
leg.
Dr Khan was asked by the tribunal if any effort was made to prepare
any other report other than the original one which was written in
the handwriting of Dr S. M. A. Shah of A. O. Clinic.
He said the report first prepared and signed by all 10 members of
the board was unanimous.
Q: Did you sign the second report which was typed later and altered
in contents of facts and opinion?
A: Yes. I dont remember when I signed the second report, perhaps
it was after 3-4 days later.
Q: Did you compare the two reports?
A: I questioned the police surgeon why there are omissions and
additions in the typed version of the copy.
Tribunal: If changes were to be made, then proper methods should
have been adopted, giving notice to all the members after informing
the government about it.
Q: The second report you signed was a verbatim copy of the first
report?
A: There were changes in the typed report.
Q: If there were changes in the report why it was signed by most of
them?
A: Perhaps three of the doctors had not signed it. I also objected
to the signing of the second report to Dr Karim Siddiqui, police
surgeon, Dr Nizamuddin Memon, and Dr Tariq Mirza, a forensic
specialist and vice principal of DMC. They were convinced and said
the report was altered on the basis of a suggestion that it had
included information which had not been sought by the health
department, giving information about the distance from which it was
fired and saying further that the injury was not a self-suffered
one.
Q: Were you convinced?
A: I was convinced that the report be changed in accordance with
what was asked for or else a wrong report will go to the court.
A: Should we be convinced that the report was not concluded
properly?
A: Yes. I am only a radiologist and my subject concerns X-rays etc
and I was not concerned with the examination of injuries and the
distance from which it was fired.
Q: When did you come to know that the hand-written report is being
replaced?
A: When I was told by Dr Tariq Mirza who said that Dr S. M. A. Shah
had objected to signing the second altered report. Therefore, a
meeting has been called at AKUH.
Q: What was decided at the meeting?
A: The meeting was attended by Dr Karim Siddiqui, Dr Tariq Mirza
and Dr Nizamuddin Memon and others. Dr Shah and Dr Mushtaq Ahmad
both suggested that only one report should be submitted to the
government and it will be the first one, which had all the 10
signatures, and not the altered one, which was not signed by Dr
Shah.
Q: First, you were convinced that a wrong report should not be
submitted. Then you changed your mind and said the original report
be submitted?
A: I am a radiologist and a simple member of the board, while
others had agreed to submit the original report, to which I also
agreed.
Tribunal: You are talking not as a first graduate of LMC. Now you
are behaving as if you are a fresh graduate. You were made to
change your opinion.
Q: Did you object to making changes in the report once it was
approved and signed by all the members?
A: I agreed when many doctors had agreed to change the report,
because the ministry (department) concerned had asked for a report
what they had asked for.
Q: Did you inquire of Dr Siddiqui and Dr Mirza when they received
fresh instructions?
A: Both informed that the change was needed. It was told that
instructions were oral and not in writing. The authorities who gave
the directive were not identified.
Q: You are the senior most in age and experience, why did you not
suggest that a second report was not called for?
A: I may be senior but I was only an ordinary member and with no
experience of examining the wounds of soft tissues. I did not made
any suggestion in this regard because I was not an authority.
Q: With how many such medical boards you were associated?
A: About 100, and except in the present case, never before the
reports were altered.
Q: Who was the member who suggested the report was required
urgently by the authorities?
A: One of the four doctors, Dr Karim Siddiqui, Dr Tariq Mirza, Dr
Nizamuddin Memon and Dr Umar Baloch.
The other two witnesses examined on Tuesday were Abdul Rahim,
medical record librarian of JPMC; head constable Nazir Ahmed,
wireless operator of Sindh police telecommunication department in
the Governors House.
Rahim gave details of the procedure followed at the casualty
department of JPMC and said that inspector Sial came to the
hospital at 9:10 pm for treatment of his left foot injuries.
The next witness, head constable Nazir Ahmed, produced the record
of message transmitted by the police at a senior level on channel
No. 6 of radio transmission and all others on channel No. 10.
The wireless operator produced the record of messages transmitted
in which the operators can listen to the voices, but cannot record
unless asked for further transmissions to various personnel.
He said inspector Sial was taken to Liaquat National Hospital
because at JPMC where he was taken first, and there was a big rush
at the casualty ward of the hospital.
The operator had recorded a message for the DSP and SSP, that he
was at LNH.
At this stage, the tribunal observed that this fact has not come up
before them and as the matter is being investigated, more and new
details are coming forward which amounts to something like the
tribunal is doing the job of the investigating officers.
These jobs are supposed to have been done by the investigating
officers, which we are now doing.
The tribunal expressed surprise that this witness was not called
for recording his statement by the police so far, although the
challan has been submitted.
The investigators are looking into these matters as if it was a
luxury litigation, in which nobody bothers about the loss of time
and money.
At this stage the chairman directed the assistant advocate-
general, Ansari Abdul Latif, and a police representative, DSP
Shamim, to obtain the reports of all the investigating officers so
far appointed in this case to submit their respective reports
showing what they had done.
These reports are to be submitted on Wednesday afternoon.
The tribunal adjourned its hearing until 12-noon on Wednesday.
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970105
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Meraj fears countrys division in 20 years
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
LAHORE, Jan 4: Caretaker Prime Minister Malik Meraj Khalid has said
that Pakistan does no longer exists ideologically and warned that
it was in danger of suffering fragmentation in next 20 years.
Referring to a recent UN report which, according to him, stated
that Pakistan would break into pieces in two decades, the caretaker
prime minister prayed for a leadership to emerge that should infuse
among the people a spirit to put Pakistan back on course visualised
by its founding fathers.
He said a recent UN report has led to a horrible future of our
country fearing that Pakistan would be fragmented in next 20 years
or so. As for the process of accountability, Mr Meraj Khalid said
some of the corrupt had been nabbed under electoral laws and many
more would be arrested.
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970106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A super watchdog body likely
-------------------------------------------------------------------
M. Ziauddin
ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: President Farooq Leghari is looking at various
organisational options that could ensure the continuity of crucial
foreign and economic policies during transitional periods and also
hold back the corrupt governments when they crossed the danger
point.
Talking to a group of newspaper columnists, the president, however,
clarified that no proposal was under consideration to make a supra
constitutional or constitutional body for that purpose. He said he
was thinking in terms of an administrative arrangement positioned
between the federal cabinet and the defence committee of the
cabinet (DCC). He insisted that it should not be given the much
maligned name of National Security Council.
He said the matter was still at the idea stage, but did not rule
out the possibility of the proposed organisation holding its first
meeting much before the elections. Tentative membership of the
organisation would have the president, the prime minister, the
federal ministers of foreign affairs, finance, defence and
interior, the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee, and the
chiefs of staff of they army, navy and air force.
The president reiterated his pledge to hold the elections on Feb.
3, but agreed with a questioner who said the accountability process
launched soon after the dismissal of the government did not come up
to the expectations that had been raised by him in the proclamation
order. But he listed the number of laws the caretaker government
had promulgated as well as other relevant steps in this regard.
However, he hastened to provide assurance that despite its apparent
slow progress the process of accountability, would continue with
all seriousness of purpose even after the elections. He said
corruption could not be eliminated overnight from a society: it is
process and we are trying to strengthen that process.
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970107
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Babar appears before SHC
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 6: Maj. Gen (rtd) Naseerullah Babar, former interior
minister appeared before the High Court of Sindh on an appeal filed
by Mian Ejaz Shafi, challenging the acceptance of his nomination
papers, along with those of Imran Khan, by the election authority.
Only Gen Babar appeared before the Election Tribunal comprising
Justice Kamal Mansur Alam and Justice Ali Mohammad Baloch, and
Imran Khan will be appearing on Tuesday.
Both candidates were summoned for Monday, but the former interior
minister appeared with his counsel, Farooq H. Naek and Imran Khans
counsel Sarmad Usmani was present, while Imran Khan is expected to
appear on Tuesday at 11:30 am.
The counsel for Mian Ejaz Shafi, Raja Qureshi argued the case of
his client and submitted that the ex-interior minister had evaded
wealth tax and income tax and he has relied upon the wealth tax
statement of his wife which is not to be relied upon under the law.
He said he has declared a Mercedez car of 1988 model worth Rs 1.6
million and he has declared for the purposes of having exemption of
CVT levy not on Rs 1.6 million but on only Rs 197,000.
The counsel further said that the retired general is a collector of
antiques and the value of the items has not been declared by him.
Further arguments would be heard by the tribunal on Tuesday.
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970107
-------------------------------------------------------------------
TI decides to boycott elections
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Correspondent
RAWALPINDI, Jan 6: The Central Executive Committee of Tehrik-i-
Istiqlal decided not to take part in the forthcoming elections, as
it observed, elections without conducting accountability of corrupt
politicians would bring the same people to power.
The decision was taken at the meeting of the central executive
committee of TI held under the chairmanship of Mohammad Akram
Nagra, who was elected President of Tehrik-i-Istiqlal last month.
A spokesman for the TI said the party had directed all its
candidates, who had filed their nominations papers for elections to
the national provincial assembly seats, to withdraw their papers
immediately.
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970108
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Candidates lie on value of assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Muhammad Rauf Klasra
MULTAN, Jan 7: Prominent politicians of Multan district who are in
the run for the Feb. 3 elections have submitted, like several
others, wrong information about their assets and their value to the
returning officers.
Among them are Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Speaker of the National
Assembly, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Sheikh
Muhammad Tahir Rashid, Saeed Ahmad Qureshi, Tanveerul Hasan Gilani,
Salahuddin Dogar, Haji Boota, Javaid Hashmi and Hamid Saeed Kazmi.
Majority of them seldom paid income tax, wealth tax and land
revenue in the past. In their statements, they put the value of
their assets far below the market price. For example, in Multan
district the market price of one acre of farm land ranges between
Rs 100,000 to Rs 200,000. But almost in all the submissions the
candidates have estimated the value of one acre farm land at Rs
25,000 approximately.
Following are details of the assets of some of the main contestants
submitted to the ROs;
1. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, NA-114 (Multan-1). His total assets,
including his spouse, are estimated around Rs 21,121,770. He paid
Rs 5,000 only as land revenue in the last four years. His wife
possesses 1100 grams jewellery, Rs 150,000, furniture worth Rs
125,000.
On papers, details of immovable assets are: Gilani House, Multan
(No mention of its value), a plot in Defence Housing Society,
Lahore (Rs 700,000). His farm land in Multan includes 66 acres at
Hamidpur Kanora (Rs 1,663,200), 47 and half acres at Mauza
Sultanpur (Rs 988,000), 21 and half acres at Mauza Buch (Rs
426,400), one acre at Mauza Qasim Bela (Rs 20,800), 2 and half
acres at Sheikh Madina (Rs 63,000).
Mr Gilani himself has shares in M/s Naqvi Beverages (PTV) Ltd Rahim
Yar Khan worth Rs 700,000 while his spouse has Rs 11,802,810 shares
in Naqvi Beverages, RYK, Multan Edibles Oil Extraction (Ltd)
Bahawalpur, Pak Green Fertilisers and Sidra Industries, Jhang,
respectively.
The speaker has six bank accounts, with Rs 250,775 (UBL Multan) Rs
144,063 (HBL Multan), Rs 166,836 (ABL Parliament House, Islamabad)
Rs 337 (ABL Faisal Town, Lahore) US$ 38,890 (Standard Chartered
Bank, Mall, Lahore) and Rs 197,093 (ANZ Grindlays Bank, Gulberg,
Lahore). His spouse has one bank account in UBL, Main Market,
Gulberg, Lahore Rs 8,460.
Gilanis spouse has 87 acres of farm land at Kamalia, Toba Tek
Singh district (Rs 800,000), Canal Bank Road residence in Gulberg,
Lahore (Rs 660,000). Gilanis children have 267.5 acres of farm
land at Mauza Miranpur in Rajanpur district (Rs 300,000), two
kanals at Mauza Gohava near Lahore (Rs 260,000).
2. Sikandar Hayat Bosan who is contesting election on the PML
ticket has showed his assets worth Rs 19,211,000 while he has paid
wealth tax Rs 10,497 only in 1994-95 and Rs 19,950 in 1995-96. One
house in Gulgasht Colony, Multan (Rs 4,000,000), farm land worth Rs
15,000,000 in Multan and Khanewal districts, no movable assets, 30
tola jewellery (Rs 150,000), two bank accounts with Rs 11,000,
furniture worth Rs 50,000.
Mr Bosan has clarified that he had paid his all bank loans worth Rs
986,680.
3. The PML candidate who is contesting against PPPs Shah Mahmood
Qureshi has valued his assets at Rs 20.15 million, with one house
in Multan Cantt (Rs 2 million), 84 acres of farm land (Rs 20.68
million), three vehicles, 35 per cent shares in Al-Makhdoom Cotton
Factory (worth Rs 1 million), shares in Zahid Dall Mills (Rs 5
lakhs), money with banks (Rs 100,000), cash and prize bonds worth
Rs 1.5 million in hand.
Assets of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, his wife and children have been
valued at Rs 20.5 million with one house in Murree (Rs 1.8
million), one in Lahore (Rs 1.5 million), two plots on lease in
Multan (Rs 1,023,000). His wife has two plots (Rs 1,023,000). His
son Zain Qureshi has also two plots (Rs 1,023,000), 982 kanals land
(Rs 2,170,000). His daughters Mahar Bano 581 kanals land (Rs
1,320,000), Gohar Bano 511 kanals (Rs 1,144,000). Qureshi himself
has 638 kanals land (Rs 14,857,000). His wife has 916 kanals land
(Rs 1,560,000), Rs 725,000 with banks and four vehicles.
According to papers, Mr Qureshi contributed Rs 36,000 as income
tax, Rs 123,000 as wealth tax, and Rs 519 as land revenue.
Sheikh Tahir Rashid of PML has assets worth Rs 10,984,623. He and
his family paid Rs 23,606 only as land revenue during the last two
financial years while they own 300 acres of farm land in Sindh
only. Simultaneously feudals and business tycoon, Tahir and his
family paid Rs 3,298 only in 1995-96 as income. They never paid
wealth tax.
PPPs Tanwirul Hasan Gilani and his family own assets worth Rs
10.70 million. He never paid any wealth and income tax. He is also
defaulter to ADBP of Rs 202,401.
Mr Salahuddin Dogar who is contesting on PPP ticket from NA- 115
and his family approximately own Rs 10.32 million worth of assets.
He, too, never paid any income and wealth tax.
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970108
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tribunal completes hearing on appeals
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
LAHORE, Jan 7: The Election Tribunal on Tuesday completed the
hearing on appeals made against the decisions of returning officers
regarding the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers.
The tribunal rejected the nomination papers of former MPA Arshad
Imran Sulehri for PP-127 and of Chaudhry Sarwar and his son Mansoor
Sarwar both for NA-89.
The nominations of former provincial minister Shah Nawaz Cheema for
PP-77, Faiz Ahmad from NA 86 and PP-105, Agha Ghulam Haider and
Agha Raza Haider for PP-144, were accepted on the condition that
they deposit the amount outstanding against them till midnight
Tuesday.
The former minister owed Rs800,000 dues and was ordered to deposit
a cross-check of the said amount, Faiz Ahmad is liable to pay RS100
million and Agha Ghulam Haider and Agha Raza Haider will have to
pay about Rs2.1 million to get their papers accepted. The appeal by
Khalid Nawaz Khan was accepted on the condition that he deposits
Rs700,000 outstanding against him.
The applicants whose appeals were accepted are Brig (retd) Muhammad
Muzaffar for PP-96, Chaudhry Muhammad Afzal for NA-91, PP-114 and
115.
The Tribunal announcing the judgements that were reserved earlier
accepted the nomination papers of Dr Parvez Hassan for NA-93, Inam
Ali Bhatti for NA-93 and PP-119, Kamran Iqbal for PP-127, Muhammad
Ramzan Bhatti for PP-123, Shujaul Hassan for PP-128, Ali Qadir
Jillani for PP-126 and Zawar Ali Dogar for PP-131.
Zawar Ali Dogars nomination papers were rejected by the returning
officer for being under age at the time of filing of the papers.
The tribunal held that the age for the purpose of the acceptance of
nomination papers should be calculated with reference to the
election date.
The tribunal accepted the appeals of the applicants for PP-44 whose
nomination papers were held by the returning officer for his
lacking in the basic knowledge of Islam. The names of the
applicants are: Bakht Baidar, Shuja Tanvir, Inayatullah, Nazar
Muhammad, Chaudhry Azhar Hussain, Muhammad Asghar and Chaudhry
Nazar Muhammad. The appeals of Rana Iftikhar and Haq Nawaz Niazi
both for PP-44, against the rejection of their nomination papers
were dismissed.
The tribunal has dismissed appeals against the acceptance of
nomination papers of Syed Faisal Hayat for NA-69, Sardar Arif Nakai
and Sardar Talib Nakai for NA-108, Abdullah Yousaf for PP- 93 and
Nazar Abbas Bhatti for PP-80.
The tribunals dismissed the appeals of Israr Hussain for PP-70,
Ghulam Farid PP-87.
The tribunal has decided 161 appeals so far and these included 51
appeals of the applicants for the national assembly elections.
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970108
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Parties claims cannot be assuaged: report
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Jan 7: There is no plausible solution to the Kashmir
problem and the claims of Pakistan, India and the Kashmiris cannot
be reconciled, a high powered Task Force says it its report on a
new US Policy towards India and Pakistan.
The issue is so politicised and emotional that it is hard even to
discuss an approach towards resolution, multilateral or bilateral,
in public without being accused of tilting towards one side, the
report says.
The report comes amid repeated statements by senior US officials in
the past few months that South Asia will receive top priority in
the second Clinton administration and some kind of initiative would
be forthcoming to resolve the Kashmir dispute.
Compiled by 28 prominent think-tank members, diplomats and former
senior officials in various US administrations, the report says the
US does not have a great deal of leverage in regard to the Kashmir
dispute.
The time is not ripe for Washington to launch a major new
initiative, it says, emphasising that US interests in both India
and Pakistan would be best served at this time by working with
other governments on a step-by-step approach towards a series of
practical interim objectives. The US ought to pursue mainly quiet
diplomacy in regard to Kashmir, producing modest but incremental
steps to ease tensions and reduce friction between the protagonists
with the help of other countries, it says.
Outlining the broader framework of what the new US policy towards
Kashmir should be, the Task Force says the US should explore the
possibility of forming a contact group of external powers to co-
ordinate international efforts.
The overall goal of these efforts should be to achieve an interim
set of agreements, or even informal understandings, rather than to
settle what in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process have been
termed final status issues.
The US, it continues, in concert with other governments should seek
to lower tension and violence, reduce military forces and restore
political normalcy in Kashmir. Specifically, India and Pakistan
should be urged to undertake regular and sustained bilateral
negotiations directed towards a ceasefire and a halt to military
actions (other than patrols for strictly defensive purposes) along
the Line of Control in Kashmir, the reconstitution and increased
monitoring of peacekeeping machinery along the boundary,
supplementing UN sponsored efforts and renewed negotiations for a
separate, rapid agreement over the withdrawal of both Pakistani and
Indian military forces from their present positions on the Siachen
Glacier.
Pakistan, it says, should be urged to end direct and indirect
military support to Kashmiri insurgent organisations and India
should be urged to continue and accelerate moves to resurrect the
political process in Kashmir, including grants of amnesty for those
insurgents willing to abjure violence, punishment for those members
of the security forces involved in human rights violations and
conduct of discussions with the newly elected Kashmiri government
about the degree of autonomy for the state within the Indian
constitution.
The report notes that formidable obstacles stand in the way of
achieving even these limited objectives. A more ambitious
settlement effort will only be practical if the local parties
sought such assistance and showed both a real interest in reaching
a compromise and the capacity to do so.
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970109
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Zardari released on bail
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 8: Hakim Ali Zardari, father-in-law of the deposed
prime minister, was released on bail on Wednesday.
He was picked up by the FIA on Jan 1 for questioning in connection
with a case. Mr Zardari, released against a surety of Rs 200,000,
told correspondents on phone that he had decided not to contest the
National Assembly elections from NA-161.
He said his release was a moral victory and vindicated his claim
that he was falsely implicated in the case to bring pressure on him
and the deposed prime minister.
He said while in FIA custody he was kept in isolation and even
denied his medicines.
They had no case against me, said Mr Zardari and added that he
had spoke on phone with his daughter-in-law to inform her about his
decision not to contest the poll. Mr Zardari did not cite any
reason for not contesting the elections although before his arrest
he had shown great enthusiasm.
Dr Mushtaq Rahu would now be the PPP candidate from Sakrand in his
place. But Faryal Talpur, younger sister of the interned spouse of
Ms Bhutto, would remain in the contest from NA-160. She has already
started her election campaign.
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970109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Elections on time, pledges CDNS
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: A six-hour long first meeting of the Council for
Defence and National Security (CDNS) here on Wednesday focused on
measures to subject the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats to
ruthless accountability.
A press release issued by the Presidents House said that the
meeting dispelled all rumours regarding the postponement of the
elections and the CDNS reaffirmed governments resolve to hold
free, fair and impartial polls on Feb 3.
Informed sources told Dawn that the CDNS, which was presided over
by president Farooq Leghari and attended by the prime minister,
chairman joint chief of staff committee, three services chiefs and
ministers for foreign affairs, defence and interior, discussed
fresh measures to bring to the book all the corrupt elements
whether politicians, bureaucrats or from the services.
Sources said the meeting expressed its serious concern over the
mounting corruption in the society and it was agreed that without
conducting ruthless and across-the-board accountability the menace
of corruption would not eliminate.
The CDNS also discussed the issue that whether front-line leaders
of major political parties against whom sufficient proof of
corruption was available should be taken to task or not. However,
sources said it was the consensus of the meeting that fair, free
and transparent elections should be the priority of the caretaker
government so that nobody could find an excuse to boycott the
polls.
The Council expressed its confidence that the people of Pakistan
will support the government in all steps taken to carry forward the
democratic process, measures for improvement of the economy and the
smooth and peaceful transfer of power to their representatives.
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970109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Defaulters list released
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Asad Ali
LAHORE, Jan 8: A two-judge election tribunal on Wednesday released
to the Press the lists of defaulters as well as those who had got
their loans written off during various periods.
The lists, provided by the State Bank of Pakistan, have been made
public at a time when the scrutiny of the nomination papers of the
election candidates has already been completed and the defaulters
or those with the written off loans cannot be excluded from the
electoral process.
The number of those who failed to pay back their loans, acquired
from various official agencies, is in thousands. Only those people
have been identified in the 800-plus pages of the lists who owe Rs.
500,000 or more.
The defaulters or those whose loans were written off include:
Punjab Governor Khawaja Tariq Rahim, Sardar Jafar Leghari, cousin
of President Farooq Leghari and many others of his family, Mian
Shahbaz Sharif, his brother Mian Abbas Sharif, son Hamza, nephew
Husain Nawaz, wife, mother, brother-in-law and cousins, Chaudhry
Shujaat Husain, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and other members of his
family, NA Speaker Syed Yousaf Reza Gilani and his family members,
former NA speaker Gohar Ayub Khan, PML leaders Jafar Iqbal, Begum
Ishrat Ashraf, Haroon Akhtar, Ghazi Akhtar and Akbar Akhtar Khan,
Syed Wajid Ali Shah, PML rebel Nawaz Khokhar, JUP leaders Lt.Gen
(retd) K.M. Azhar and Pir Ijaz Hashmi, Nawab Allah Yar Khan, former
ministers Mian Ghulam Muhammad Ahmed Khan Maneka and Haji Saifullah
had either defaulted on loans or had got their loans written off.
*******************************************************************
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970106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Agreement with PSI cos to cost Rs 8 billion
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Muhammad Ilyas
ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: Pakistan will lose approximately Rs 8 billion due
to what the Law Division has termed as a defective pre-shipment
inspection agreement with SGS/Cotecna by the time the notice of its
termination becomes effective on March 11 this year, an informed
source told Dawn.
He ruled out the possibility of recovering the loss because the
agreement was formulated in such a manner as to benefit only the
PSI companies with no commitment on their part to increase the
revenues to the government and with no provision for penalising
these companies in the case of any irregularity. Even their promise
that their fees would be covered by additional revenues to be
generated as a result of their operations has proved to be empty.
For whatever improvement in proceeds from import taxes there has
been over the past two years would have been possible even without
their good offices. What is more, the source asserted, the country
suffered huge loss in terms of revenues, delays in clearance of
goods including industrial raw materials and consequent rise in
cost of production.
A regrettable aspect of the affair is that we plunged into the
venture with our eyes wide open, the source remarked.
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970104
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PTCL privatisation: Japanese team arrives
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 3: A team of experts from the Japanese financial giant
Nomura Securities has arrived in Pakistan to work a out a deal with
the government for the further privatisation of Pakistan
Telecommunications Limited.
Sources told Dawn that the Nomura team had flown in prior to the
New Year and was working closely with the Privatisation Commission.
The sources said that a deal for the further privatisation of the
PTCL had almost been reached with members of the Nomura team.
Exactly what percentage of the PTCL stock would be privatised in
this round was not yet fully finalised, they said.
Twenty-six percent of the PTCL stock had already been sold to
private investors during the dismissed PPP government which
generated around $900 million. Privatisation Commission Chairman Dr
Salman Shah has recently said in an interview that the government
would press ahead with plans to privatise a number of large public-
sector enterprises including PIA and KESC, and to further privatise
PTCL.
He has also said that within 50 days a regulatory framework to
oversee these processes are expected to be initiated and
established.
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970107
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Caretakers okay new drug policy
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: The federal cabinet approved the salient features
of a national drug policy to effectively deal with registration,
import, production, quality control and sale of drugs in Pakistan.
The new policy would focus on rationalisation of drug prices,
promotion of essential drug concept and the rational use of drugs
and encourage local production of drugs particularly in the area of
basic manufacture of active ingredient. The policy would also be
targeted at effective quality control on drugs and elimination of
spurious drugs, development of a systematic system of drug supply
and distribution and human resource development for the
pharmaceutical industry and encouragement of research in drug.
The ministry of health will prepare a comprehensive master plan
indicating targets and resources needed for the implementation of
the national drug policy. It will also identify resources and
technical support that could be generated from various
international, multilateral and bilateral sources.
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970106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SBP sets domestic credit plan at Rs137.10bn
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana
KARACHI, Jan 5: The State Bank of Pakistan is expanding 1996-97
domestic credit plan to Rs 137.10 billion as against the original
target of Rs 102 billion set earlier in July, 1996.
This is being done because of the excessive borrowing of Rs 71.7
billion by the government for budgetary support till Dec. 12 last
as against the original projection of Rs 20 billion in the original
credit plan approved by the National Credit Consultative Council
(NCCC) early in July, 1996.
This excessive borrowing on part of the government has upset the
entire credit plan for 1996-97 and the State Bank is coming up with
an upward revised plan in the next quarterly meeting being held
next Wednesday.
The new upward revised plan now projects government borrowing for
budgetary support at Rs 44 billion indicating that there would be
contraction of about Rs 28 billion in the next more than five
months and the government hopes to push up revenue generation or
cut down its expenses.
Overall, the revised credit plan sets a target of Rs 123 billion or
13.10 per cent expansion in monetary assets and Rs 137 billion or
14.18 percent in domestic credit.
The original credit plan indicated expansion of 10.55 per cent or
Rs 102 billion in domestic credit and Rs 116 billion or 12.36 per
cent in monetary expansion during 1996-97.
According to State Bank sources, these changes have been made in
line with the emerging economic scenario of revision in sectoral
credit in the credit plan 1996-97. Public sector share in the new
credit plan has been placed at Rs 60.70 billion as compared to
original Rs 42 billion.
The original public sector outlay of Rs 42 billion included Rs 20
billion for budgetary support, Rs 5 billion for commodity
operations and Rs 14 billion utilisation of privatisation proceeds
and Rs 3 billion for autonomous bodies.
Under the new credit plan for public sector, the government is
expected to contain its borrowing for budgetary support to Rs 44
billion, Rs 5 billion for commodity operations and utilisation of
privatisation proceeds Rs 8.7 billion and Rs 3 billion for
autonomous organisations.
Till Dec. 12, 1996, the public sector utilised Rs 68.72 billion
which include Rs 71.70 billion governments borrowing for budgetary
support, retirement of Rs 8.8 billion of commodity loan operations,
and Rs 203 million from Zakat fund.
Private sector was allocated Rs 60 billion for the entire 1996-97
against which Rs 46.17 billion were utilised till December, 1996,
and the State Bank now proposes to enhance it to Rs 63.80 billion.
Within public sector, limit on government borrowing for budgetary
support has been enhanced to Rs 44 billion compared with Rs 20
billion estimated originally.
Credit provisions for commodity operations and autonomous bodies
have been kept unchanged at Rs 5 billion and Rs 3 billion
respectively, while use of privatisation proceeds by government has
been placed at Rs 8.7 billion.
The participants to the meeting will also come to know that
domestic credit expansion during the period under review was barely
brought about by the public sector, which contributed Rs 68.73
billion (7.11 per cent) on the overall domestic credit expansion as
against the targeted expansion of Rs 42 billion (4.34 per cent) for
the whole year and an actual expansion of Rs 53.28 billion (6.99
per cent) in the corresponding period last year.
Within the public sector, government borrowing during first half of
the current fiscal year (1996-97) recorded a sharp rise of Rs 71.70
billion as against the credit plan target of Rs 20 billion for the
entire year and an actual expansion of Rs 50.33 billion in the same
period last year.
The government borrowings on account of commodity operations
however recorded a fall of Rs 8.86 billion compared with a lower
fall of Rs 3.12 billion in the same period of the preceding year.
Credit by financial institutions other than commercial banks,
however, showed a contraction of Rs 1.26 billion during July 1 to
December 12, 1996, compared with an actual expansion of Rs 2.93
billion in the same period last year.
Latest data for cotton financing available upto November 28, 1996,
show that bank credit to finance cotton rose by Rs 13.90 billion
from Rs 13.58 billion as of June 27, 1996, to Rs 27.48 billion as
of November 28, 1996.
Component-wise credit to ginners rose (Rs 8.48 billion to Rs 8.74
billion) followed by millers (Rs 5.51 billion to Rs 16.47 billion)
and shippers (+0.05 billion to Rs 0.57 billion).
Credit to Cotton Export Corporation (CEC) and to traders on the
other hand declined by Rs 0.09 billion and Rs 0.06 billion
respectively.
Disbursement of funds made by commercial banks under Export Finance
Scheme since June 30, 1996, stood at Rs 35.24 billion compared with
Rs 31.32 billion disbursed in the same period last year showing an
improvement of 12.5 per cent.
Net expansion by commercial banks on this account amounted to Rs
3.30 billion from July 1 to December 12, 1996, compared with Rs
3.45 billion in the same period last year.
Production loans disbursed to agriculture sector for Rabi crop
during July to October, 1996, amounted to Rs 3.50 billion. Within
it, credit under mandatory scheme by commercial banks amounted to
Rs 1.48 billion. During the same period, loans disbursed by ADBP
amounted to Rs 1.19 billion while credit extended by PBC through
Provincial Co-operative Banks aggregated to Rs 0.93 billion.
Net credit expansion by commercial banks during July to October,
1996, in the areas of small business and small industry was Rs 0.54
billion and Rs 2.40 billion compared with an expansion of Rs 0.15
billion and Rs 0.76 billion respectively in the same period last
year.
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970106
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Vast scope of land route trade in SAARC region
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hassan Saeed
DHAKA, Jan 5: The intra-regional trade in South Asia could rise to
the tune of $11 billion by the year 2015 if the countries in the
region cooperate among themselves in land transport, communication
network and transit facilities.
A 1994 study suggested that under the existing state of cooperation
among the economies of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka, the total intra-regional trade would rise slightly above $3
billion by the year 2000 and further to the level of $9 billion in
2015.
The same study observed that improved communications, transport
network and transit facilities among all the countries in the
region would raise the trade volume of over $11 billion a year by
2015.
The scenario was conjured up in the keynote paper by Dr M.
Rahmatullah, Director, Transport, Communications and Tourism
Division of UN-ESCAP, at a national seminar on Asian Land Transport
Infrastructure Development Project.
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970108
-------------------------------------------------------------------
RDFC, SBFC stopped from financing LMM
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohiuddin Aazim
KARACHI, Jan 7: The State Bank of Pakistan has stopped the Regional
Development Finance Corporation (RDFC) and the Small Business
Finance Corporation (SBFC) from financing Locally Manufactured
Machinery (LMM).
The SBP announced the decision through a circular (BPRD No 01) on
Tuesday. The circular said the SBP had decided to exclude RDFC and
SBFC from the list of Nationalised Commercial Banks (NCBs) and
Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) authorised to provide
finances under LMM financing scheme. It said the decision would go
into effect immediately.
Under the LMM scheme, NCBs and DFIs provide finances to the
industries for purchasing locally manufactured machinery on
subsidised rates. The SBP compensates the difference between
average lending rates worked out on the basis of prevailing yield
on Short Term Federal Bonds and the subsidised rate.
Currently financing under LMM scheme is made on 14.0 percent while
the yield on STFBs hovers around 17 percent. Financing under this
scheme is available for both local as well as export-oriented
industries. The only condition is the machinery the financing of
which is being subsidised is sold locally.
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970109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
10pc increase in gas prices okayed
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: The caretakers have decided to further increase
gas charges by 10 per cent to meet one of the major
conditionalities of the International Monetary Fund.
Reliable sources told Dawn here on Wednesday that the new increase,
which had already been approved by the caretaker cabinet, would be
effective from March. Earlier, the present government had announced
an increase of 15 per cent in the gas prices following the approval
of the cabinet which met here on December 27.
These sources said that the cabinet originally wanted to raise the
gas prices by 25 per cent in one go, as desired by the IMF. But in
order to avoid an adverse public reaction to such a massive
increase , it was decided to stagger the increase in two
instalments with a gap of two months.
An increase of 15 per cent was announced in the press briefing soon
after the cabinet meeting on December 27. However, there was no
mention about the impending 10 per cent increase.
Subsequent to the proposed increase of 10 per cent, the caretaker
government will follow a new price adjustment formula allowing the
petroleum ministry to increase the prices of gas in future in
proportion with the increase in the cost of production.
The sources said that since the decision for the next increase has
already been approved by the cabinet so the raise will perhaps be
made from March 1.
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970109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Commission to propose tax reforms
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: The caretakers have constituted two separate
Commissions to propose progressive tax reforms, and further
deregulation of the Pakistani economy.
Former Deputy Chairman Planning Commission and former secretary
finance, Mr Saeed Qurashi and former secretary economic affairs
division Mr R.A. Akhund would head commission on tax reforms and
Commission on Deregulation respectively. These two commissions were
set up other than 13 task forces, two of which were also on tax
reform and privatisation and deregulation. The interim government
had received recommendations of the Task Forces which were
incorporated in the president Farooq Legharis economic package
announced in late December.
We would look at the current tax administration and tax with GDP
ratio and propose removal of structural anomalies due to which
there is no proper revenue generation, said Mr Saeed Qurashi.
He told Dawn here on Wednesday that the commission would also
examine tax exemptions in order to broaden the tax base of the
country. We would propose structural changes so that the tax
administration is improved in Pakistan and leakages eliminated, he
added.
The former Deputy Chairman Planning Commission agreed that
previously some work was done for improving tax administration. He
said that the report of the Task Forces on tax reforms would also
be looked into by the commission.
Answering a question, Mr Saeed Qurashi said that one of the
important issues was the implementation of various kinds of
recommendations.
We plan to propose such measures which should be easy to implement
by the concerned authorities. He said that his commission would
also ensure that there was a computerisation of the revenue system
in the absence of which there was no proper tax collection.
According to details, these Commissions would develop detailed
strategies for tax reform and deregulation.
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970109
-------------------------------------------------------------------
State Bank to take over PBC assets, liabilities
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Mohiuddin Aazim
KARACHI, Jan 8: The Governor of State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Muhammad
Yaqub, announced here on Wednesday that the SBP would take over all
the assets and liabilities of the Pakistan Banking Council, being
abolished under new laws.
He also said that the SBP would submit quarterly reports on the
state of the economy to the parliament without taking dictates by
the government.
He told a meeting of the heads of banks and Development Finance
Institutions that an ordinance would be issued to bring changes in
the laws governing the financial sector within a day or two.
These changes give extensive powers to the State Bank for the
regulation of the banking system..., a source privy to the meeting
quoted the governor as saying.
He said the governor asked all the banks and DFIs to apprise the
SBP of their credit policies in detail within 30 days and get them
approved.
The governor told us that key changes are being made in the State
Bank Act to raise its autonomy in framing and implementing the
monetary policy, the source said.
He told us that after the proposed amendments in the Act the SBP
Board of Directors would determine the level of monetary expansion
without seeking the government approval, the source added.
Similarly, the private sector credit requirement would also be
projected by the SBP and not by the government, the source quoted
the governor as saying.
He said by determining the level of monetary expansion and
projecting the private sector credit requirements played a vital
role in checking inflation by reducing the demand and increasing
production. Checking inflation in Pakistan has been an uphill task
largely because of political interference in the two areas, he
added.
Dr Yaqub said the Monetary & Fiscal Policy Board would be
restricted to co-ordination of policies and determining the extent
of government borrowings from commercial banks which would be
undertaken through market mechanism.
Quoting the governor the source said a new section was being added
in the State Bank Act that would shut the doors of political
interference in the financial system forever.
According to an SBP press release the proposed sub section (46-B)
says that no governmental or quasi governmental body or agency
shall issue any directive directly or indirectly to any banking
company or any other financial institution regulated by the SBP
which is inconsistent with the policies/regulations/directives
issued by the SBP.
The sub-section adds: Any such inconsistent directive issued by
any governmental or quasi governmental body or agency shall have no
effect and be deemed to be null and void.
Sources said the governor told the meeting that after the
amendments in the State Bank Act the SBP Board alone would have the
authority to make changes in the fiscal and monetary policy and not
the government.
They quoted him as saying that the SBP Board of Directors would be
re- constituted. The sources said the SBP chief did not say what
specific changes would be made in the Boards composition.
They said the governor also told the meeting that under some
changes being made in the Bank Nationalisation Act the approval for
setting up new banks would be issued by the SBP and not by the
government.
Similarly the SBP not the government would give final
permission for the opening of branches of foreign banks in Pakistan
and those of Pakistani banks abroad.
They quoted him as saying that the chairman of the PBC as well as
its staff would be retained at the SBP.
Dr Yaqub said that the SBP would prepare and retain a panel of
senior bankers and appointments of the presidents and chairmen of
the nationalised banks will be made from amongst the panel.
The sources privy to the meeting said the governor said the SBP
would also lay down eligibility criteria for the heads of local and
foreign private banks operating in the country adding the violation
of it would be penalised.
They quoted the governor as saying that the Board of Directors of a
bank would make the policy and its chief would only implement that.
No CEO would be allowed to change policies on his own.
According to the SBP press release, Dr Yaqub said the Board members
of nationalised banks and DFIs would not be less than 5 and more
than 7 and that they would be appointed for 3 years.
The governor also said that eight key amendments had been made in
the Banking Companies Ordinance. According to the amendments,
penalty rates on various violations have been multiplied by 10
times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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970103
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ehtesab or Intekhab? 4
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
A NATION can only be strong if its citizens collectively have the
guts to acknowledge their follies, their shortcomings, their sins
of commission and omission, their misdeeds, their self- deception,
their bigotry, their hypocrisy, their sycophancy their lies, their
false values, their ineptitude, their selfishness and their greed.
Fifty years after the nasty British departed leaving us as an
independent country, governance-wise what have we on the ground
today?
On October 20, 1993, the Oxford-educated Daughter of the East
manipulated her way into the prime-ministerial palazzio for the
second time. Few in the world are given a second chance in life to
rule over some 140 million people. Not even pretending to be
chastised, not even simulating remorse after she was thrown out
less than halfway through her first term in office, she made no
attempt to mend her ways. When she came back, she came back with a
vengeance. She, her family, her camp followers and her cronies, all
made merry at the countrys expense.
Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan, Tumandar Leghari, by all accounts a
gentleman until inducted as President of the Republic by Benazir,
tolerated her and her foibles, kept mum whilst she and her men and
women did all that they did for three long years. In mid-1996 he
began trying to persuade her to mend her ways. She did not, and in
November he, with the necessary aid and acquiescence of the real
power of the land, finally turned, and exercised the only option
open to him and dissolved the rot-ridden National Assembly.
The COAS, General Jehangir Karamat, at the head of a disciplined
Army, expressed his desire and that of his men to refrain from
having to meddle in politics and allowed Leghari to independently
exercise his duty under Article 48(5)(b) to appoint a caretaker
cabinet. The Army would aid the civil power and take care of the
streets.
The President fell flat on his face. He inducted a well- meaning,
well past his prime, pliable prime minister, Meraj Khalid, who, in
his wisdom, appointed Shahid Nabi Malik (a former income tax
commissioner) and S.M. Ismail (a protigi of Salman Faruqui) as his
advisers. Loose Cannon Meraj Khalid is trying to awaken the people
so that they arise and exercise their will. His way of doing it
seems to be by compounding confusion by issuing conflicting daily
statements.
The president also inducted into his cabinet his brother-in- law
and Ghaffar Jatoi who had allotted to himself in Clifton, Karachi a
peoples amenity plot of 15,000 sq. yds. which he has had converted
into a commercial enterprise. He also allowed two Benazir appointed
governors, Azfar and Imranullah who had been a party to much wrong,
to continue. When a government is dismissed on the grounds of
misgovernance, abuse of power, and intolerable corruption it is
necessary that its replacement is beyond and above all suspicion.
The old adage about the one rotten apple in the barrel inevitably
holds true.
The agenda of the President and his team so far appears to be not
to disqualify either Benazir or Nawaz or their partners. This has
not gone down well with the people, who are manifesting their
disgust and anger at the same faces being allowed to stand once
again for election and they are bitterly questioning the object of
the presidential exercise. The Army, too, is said to be at one with
the people and it has had to make public statements disassociating
itself from the doings of the Leghari caretaker government.
Apparently, some sort of a deal has been struck with Nawaz which
will allow Leghari to remain in his big house for the remainder of
his term and for a second round. Nawaz is not renowned for keeping
his promises. He has ditched many a man with whom he made a deal,
one being a fellow Tumandar of Leghari. If this be true, it is a
most selfish act.
Nawaz is no angel. I have maintained that in comparison to Benazir
he is the lesser of the two evils, it is unnees- bees, as the
saying goes. He has done us enough harm. He and Brother Shahbaz run
a close second to Benazir and Asif.
On my hard disk, I have the following paragraphs that I wrote about
Nawaz and his doings just before he was dismissed. On April 16
1993, I wrote:
We now move over to the Prime Ministers palace, wherein sits a
poor little rich man with more than enough power and authority to
rule as he likes over the 123 million people, and he has chosen the
autocratic way. His power of concentration is measured in seconds.
His knowledge of history is such that mention of Metternich to him
may conjure up visions of a steel girder. Not knowing history, how
can he know that history almost invariably repeats itself, first as
a tragedy and then as a farce? His sole fear is the 8th Amendment
which, above all, enables the President to get rid of him. He wants
unbridled power, unbridled authority, and perpetuation. The
Sharifs, like the Bhuttos, now imagine they were born to rule
over us... Is any constructive work done in parliament? Does he
bother to attend its sessions? To please everyone in his camp, as
he must, he chose to have a cabinet of over 40 men. Some cabinet!
And some men! Just look at Boy Scout Ghous! Their Prime Minister
cares a damn about most of them, apart it is said from the
favourite Five. There are ministers who say that they have not been
able to get to meet him for over a year.
Whereas the President is backed by our Army, the Prime Minister is
backed by our money which he spends with utter disdain for his own
selfish good.
Then on April 23:
Second in line Nawaz, foolish man, had everything going for him.
He was happily sitting atop the second highest hill in Islamabad,
he had more than enough power to rule well and wisely...
Industrialists, merchants and the fat-cats who benefited and who
now talk in his favour maintain that corrupt as he was (he and his
men were far more adept at corruption than Bibi and her men) he at
least gave something back to the country... but not one concedes
that this gave Nawaz licence to indulge in unforgivable massive
scams, any right to practise thuggery, to violate human rights, to
have people beaten up by his police, to harass editors and
journalists and implicate them in false cases, to humiliate his
relatives, male and female, who differed with him and his part of
the family that has clout...
By nature and behaviour Nawaz is a fascist, whose greed and
ambition has no bounds. His politics made him the largest and
richest industrialist of Pakistan but this did not satisfy his
want. He lusted for more power than necessary, he aimed at the
perpetuation of himself and his progeny, and, egged on by Bibi, he
thought he could take on the ageing leader of the herd. He thought
that with his purchasing power (the peoples money he had
appropriated) he could even buy some in uniform, split their ranks,
and win.
Two days ago, Mumtaz Bhutto stated that during Benazirs second
round Rs. 60 billion worth of land in Sindh was given away or
allotted for sums totalling Rs 2 billion. Yesterday, Imran accused
Nawaz of having allotted plots worth Rs 5 billion for political
patronage when he was chief minister of Punjab, long before he
became prime minister. If this was all anyone had against them
both, we would still be solvent.
To those who bluff themselves, referring to this country as a
democracy, my questions are:
Can a democracy afford not to have a census for sixteen years
thus rendering every (repeat every) statistic fiscal, commercial
or constituency-wise or otherwise incorrect?
In what sort of democracy do known robbers, pillagers, looters of
public wealth, breachers of trust, misappropriators of widows and
orphans Baitul Maal, Zakat and Iqra funds, contest elections to
its parliament? In what sort of a democracy does a chief of army
staff publicly accept crores of rupees from a corrupt banker (later
jailed) and preside over its dubious expedient disbursement to
politicians?
In what sort of a democracy would a chief of naval staff give
away the entire seafront of a naval base to the crony of a
political bigwig ostensibly to develop a tourist resort?
In what sort of a democracy would the president, prime and other
ministers, and senior bureaucrats fly a thousand miles (some on
special flights) at the peoples expense to attend the wedding of
an offspring of the countrys naval chief?
The list of questions is endless. To those that insist that the
will of the people must prevail, let it prevail, let the President
hold a referendum (constitutionally provided), let the people
decide whether they want Ehtesab before Intekhab.
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970105
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Worth of human life
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Omar Kureishi
WHAT single news-item could be used as a metaphor for 1996? Would
best epitomise the human condition? There would be innumerable
candidates but the one that has struck me as being particularly
appropriate is this one: A peon was set on fire allegedly on the
order of a Deputy Commissioner in the Indian State of Haryana.
It states: The 32-year old peon Matwar Singh who was put to the
torch, succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Chandigarh.
According to reports the Deputy Commissioner Kaithal Amit Jha had
ordered his security guard to douse him with kerosene and set him
on fire. Matwar Singh used to do the cooking for the officer as
well as work in his office. He had over-stayed his leave and the
officer wanted to teach him a lesson. The incident has sparked
protests by government employees. The employees were angry over
reports that the state police have released the Deputy Commissioner
on the ground that he had already acquired anticipatory bail from a
sessions court.
Words fail me. Actually they dont otherwise this column would come
to an end. There is so much in this news-item. There is the act of
unspeakable brutality. There is the arrogance of power, the power
over life and death literally that a master wields over his
servant. And there is the anticipatory bail that all but suggests
that the Deputy Commissioner will somehow wiggle out of this
because he will find protection from his own kind. This is the
contempt of power.
Thus I saw 1996 off, good riddance to a year that was remarkable
for the amount of blood that was shed, whether it was shed through
political violence as in Bosnia, Zaire, the Middle East or through
social violence like the Dunblane massacre, or individual acts of
murder. Pakistan had its share of these murders and indeed
continues to have them. Oscar Wilde described a cynic as a man who
knew the price of everything but the value of nothing. How do we
describe those who neither know the price nor the value of a human
life?
But these are morbid thoughts and one should think of something
more cheerful or less grim to start the New Year. But I am not
entirely convinced that the following news report that attracted my
attention fits in this category. This newspaper carried a double
column story about a lecture delivered by Ms. Nagla Nasser,
Professor of Law, Tanta University, Egypt at the Area Study Centre,
Quaid-i-Azam University. I am not sure whether there was an element
of distortion or misreporting in the story but the views expressed
by the good professor make challenging reading, to say the least.
She says that the basic task of the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund and the World Trade organisation is to facilitate the
establishment of a new world economic order in which private
enterprise will rule supreme and the national boundaries will cease
to exist. According to her, the two Bretton Woods institutions have
been given this task because, although the socialist bloc no longer
existed, the old social attitudes were a hurdle in the way of the
triumph of private enterprise. According to Ms. Nasser in the new
economic order, the governments would lose their role and they
would be supplanted increasingly by the private sector. In such an
atmosphere of freedom everybody would have a chance to prosper. She
described the United States as having the purest form of
capitalism. And, obviously, approvingly, she defined the new
economic order as the survival of the best.
There is something Darwinian about survival of the best and I am
not sure whether even Adam Smith went so far. But if unalloyed free
enterprise is going to be the future, then we will have to
drastically revise our social and moral attitudes. In the middle
sixties I had spent a few weeks in China and from there I went to
Japan. I was able to have a meeting with Edwin Reichauser who was
the US Ambassador and like Oakley in Pakistan was also referred to
as the Viceroy of Japan. In his own right he was a distinguished
scholar. He asked me many questions about China and I in turn asked
him many questions about US policy in Asia. The discussion was
about winning hearts in Asia. I had indicated that given the
measureless poverty in Asia, the only ideology that would find
receptive ears would be one that would address this poverty and the
social calamities that this poverty produced. Was free enterprise
that ideology? I did not get a straight answer but I got the
impression that he did not disagree with me.
If indeed free enterprise is the future then we should be
reconciled to abandoning the majority of mankind to their present
wretched lives. And, if according to the good professor Ms. Nasser,
the United States represented the capitalist system in its purest
form then it is pertinent to point out that the largest single
industry in the United States is organised crime. By the logic of
the survival of the best there is nothing immoral about drug
barons and they should be considered the success stories of the
free enterprise system. And why should there be so much moral
indignation about child labour?
The collapse of communism, as represented by the disappearance of
the Soviet Union does not Ipso facto establish the superiority of
free enterprise. Free enterprise cannot be projected as an
ideology. It is a mechanism. When the need arose, as in the
Depression years in the United States, free enterprise was greatly
modified and Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal, according to FDRs
enemies was nothing but socialism. The new economic order, if there
is to be one, will have to abandon its messianic zeal and deal with
the real world. The profit motive cant be placed alongside
saintliness. Happy New Year.
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970106
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Haj at public expense
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DURING the course of a TV debate on Jan 1, Senator Khurshid Ahmad
of the Jamaat-i-Islami brought up the issue of performing Umra and
Haj at public expense which, he said, had no sanction in Islam and
was in fact against shariah. Objections to official Haj delegations
on this ground have several times been made previously. This is an
important issue which has been agitating the minds of the people.
The practice of sending delegations or individuals for Umra and
Haj, started with the dignitaries of the State. This pernicious
practice has now spread to many government departments and even to
private sector enterprises. Haj is one of Islams five fundamental
obligations and is obligatory only in the case of those persons who
can afford its expenses after meeting the necessary and clearly
defined liabilities towards their families. Performing Haj by
spending other peoples money cannot be justified in any manner.
As regards private enterprises, the amount spent out of a firms
account on sending employees and others for Haj or Umra forms part
of the cost of its production and is incorporated in price. To that
extent, it is almost a forced payment and might not find sanction
in Islam. Wealthy and affluent persons are, no doubt, allowed to
send indigent people for Haj, provided they meet the expenses from
their personal income or wealth.
There is another dimension, too, to the problem which may be
considered by religious scholars. The performance of Haj and Umra
involves a huge expenditure of foreign exchange. The foreign
exchange that we earn from export of goods and services and from
the remittances we receive from Pakistani expatriates is not enough
to pay for the essential goods and services that we import. The
amount of foreign exchange that we spend on other items, including
Haj, is obtained on loan on which we pay a hefty interest. It is
for the religious scholars to deliberate on this aspect and come
out with a solution that should ensure that foreign exchange used
for the purposes of Haj is not tainted with interest.
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970109
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Daring crime
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ON the evening of the same day, Tuesday, that the Punjab IGP
recounted his departments achievements at a Press conference in
Lahore, one of the most daring dacoities took place in one of the
busiest parts of the city. Four masked men looted six shops and a
dozen people in the Lohari Gate area and made off with cash and
gold worth Rs 2 million two motor-cycles were also stolen by the
desperadoes who fired intermittently in the air to create panic
among the citizens. Much more stunning was the relative ease with
which they went about their business, looting shops and people one
after the other and not sparing anyone who came their way. All this
happened in a congested and busy part of old Lahore where the
cheek-by-jowl existence of the inhabitants is sometimes considered
a major security asset. Particularly disconcerting was the late
arrival of the police who reached the spot an hour after the
incident, when the dacoits had accomplished their deadly mission
and were safely out of the laws reach. How the area police
remained unaware of such an unusual commotion in their
neighbourhood is a question that should be fully investigated by
the IG. Moreover, this was not the first incident of its kind,
especially in the busy marketplaces of old Lahore. Many previous
dacoities have drawn howls of protest from the business community.
Not surprisingly, there is great resentment among the people, with
the areas shopkeepers announcing an indefinite strike in protest.
Have the police thrown in the towel or are there serious
organisational deficiencies to account for such lapses? The usual
practice of suspending local SHOs and forming investigation teams
after each major incident seems inadequate to meet the growing
threat to law and order. Scientific methods to deal with organised
crime are needed and the administration should be seriously
concerned about the peoples vanishing confidence in the police.
===================================================================
970103
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Pakistanis told to remove logos from bats
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihithisham Kamardeen
SYDNEY, Jan 2: The Pakistan cricket team was ordered to remove
advertising logos from its cricket bats after the Australian
Federal Government found the team had breached federal laws banning
tobacco advertising.
The red-and-white logo of Wills Kings, a brand of cigarettes
available in Pakistan, was clearly visible on the bats during
yesterdays day-night match.
Health Minister Michael Wooldridges office confirmed letters
outlining the governments position were being drafted to be sent
to the Pakistan team. We have had legal advice that theres prima
facie case that they have breached the (Tobacco Advertising
Prohibition) Act, Dr Wooldridges spokesman told Dawn.
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970104
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Too much cricket takes its toll
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Qamar Ahmed
MELBOURNE: Whoever thinks that Test cricket is dead and buried
should have been at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to see
72,821 people watch the first days play in the traditional boxing
day test between Australia and the West Indies. And that is after
West Indies have been trailing in the five match series 2-0.
There is no denying the fact that the revenue generated by cricket
and its mass appeal has helped the game to survive. But not all
one-day games produce close results or excitement that one
associates with it.
The good thing that goes with it is that it has helped to produce
the type of cricketers, that the real connoisseur would like to
watch and enjoy? Gone are the days of Hammonds, Sobers, Huttons,
Chappells, Harveys and the likes of Hanif and Gavaskar, Zaheer and
Miandad, who enthralled and enhanced the game.
The game that modern day cricketers play is all crash, bang, wallop
and it is sad to see that all the subtleties that are associated
with this glorious game of charming unpredictability are fading in
the distance.
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970104
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W.Is controlled 6-wkt win over Pakistan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Qamar Ahmed
BRISBANE, Jan 3: In their six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the
World Series, West Indies were made to struggle but they managed to
survive the pressure and get past Pakistans 197 with 11 balls to
spare.
In that they were lucky that their star batsman Brian Lara, was not
given out off Mohammad Zahid by umpire Ross Emerson when the
batsman was struck on the pad right in front of the wicket when he
had not even scored a run.
Zahid, who in his 10 overs conceded only 29 runs for the prized
wicket of Lara later on, bowled impressively but was unlucky. Lara
escaped a few run-outs as well as was Sherwin Campbell to add 41
runs for the third wicket after West Indies were two down for 37.
Junior Murray, was bowled round his legs by Wasim Akram for 15,
Adrian Griffith was run out by Saqlain Mushtaq from short mid-
wicket and when Campbell played on to Saqlain when 34, Pakistan
were still in with a chance. But Lara, despite Zahids burst of
pace and himself unsure of his stay at the wicket, survived to add
46 more runs with Carl Hooper for the fourth wicket before being
caught at the wicket by Moin off Zahid who came for his second
spell. Lara was still uncomfortable against him.
Hooper and Jimmy Adams made the target look easier than it did as
they pushed and nudged past the required target of 198 to win.
Hooper reached his fifty, his 20th in 80 balls with two fours. For
the unbroken stand for the fifth wicket he put on 74 runs with
Adams who made 33. Hoopers unbeaten 54 earned him the man of the
match award.
With two victories each for Pakistan, West Indies and Australia in
four matches played so far, the competition is now wide open.
Pakistan batting was a huge disappointment after they had lost the
toss and were asked to take the strike earlier on. Having Shahid
Afridi caught at cover by Adrian Griffith and Aamir Sohail was
induced to edge to the keeper on his first and second delivery of
his second over, Courtney Walsh had dented the batting. Zahoor
Elahi stayed briefly to add 33 with Ijaz Ahmed for the third
wicket. And Inzamam-ul-Haq skied the ball behind Curtly Ambrose,
the bowler, to be caught by Nixon McLean. But it was Ijaz Ahmed and
Mohammad Wasim, who managed to steer the innings with a 73-run
fifth wicket stand, to some kind of respectability.
Wasims run out while Ijaz was going for the third run was a wasted
opportunity as substitute Robert Samuels throw came to the keeper.
Wasim played a solid innings of 34. Wasim Akram went for a
misjudged run and Ambrose had the last laugh to run him out.
Ijaz, who was dropped at 31 by Ian Bishop at long leg off McLean
later reached his fifty in having faced 106 balls and struck two
fours.
Ijaz, played not only with authority but also with responsibility
to add 33 more runs with Moin Khan before being out for 59 off
Walsh. His innings and that of Moin later, made 43 in 52 balls, was
a big improvement over the poor start that Pakistan had losing two
wickets for only 12 runs.
Bishop with 4 for 38 and Walsh with 3 for 40 had the major share of
the wickets.
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970105
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Call for international cricket players body growing
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihithisham Kamardeen
PERTH, Jan 4: The calls are growing louder by the day for the
urgent formation of an International Cricket Players Association
(ICPA) for worlds elite players to have a greater say in the
running of the game.
Waqar Younis, one of the games finest fast bowlers, joined the
call for fewer one-day and spare international fast bowlers the
whip to save and prolong their careers.
Cricket is getting too much, Waqar said after a shoulder injury
ruled him out of Fridays one-day clash against the West Indies at
the Gabba. There are too many one-dayers going. There is new
pressure on you, every day, said Waqar, a veteran of 147 one-
dayers.
Mark Taylor and his West Indies counterpart Courtney Walsh will
involve Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram in informal talks to consider
the rights and entitlements of the international cricketers.
Following the recent outcry by the Australian Cricket Players
Association (ACPA) after meaningless one-day series - such as
recent visits to Sri Lanka and India - the Australian Cricket Board
(ACB) is considering to remove it from future itineraries.
These days, international cricket calendars are bombarded with
numbing number of one-dayer internationals in countries like
Singapore, Canada and Kenya which bring in as much as US $700,000
for participating nations a television revenue per tournament.
Three of the most influential players in world cricket - Taylor,
Walsh and Akram - believe ICPA is imperative following the
influence of Australia and West Indies domestic associations on
their respective controlling bodies.
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