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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 30 January 1997 Issue : 03/05
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===================================================================
SC upholds dissolution of NA, govts ouster
Benazirs plea was different from Nawaz case: Nasim
Army official disallowed to visit Pakistan mission
Consensus reached on NFC award
Caretakers ban Junoon Group song on Ehtesab
Centre was partner in Karachi killings, SC told
Preparations afoot to host OIC summit in Islamabad
---------------------------------
Restoration of PPP govt rumours unsettle foreign buyers
IBMs contract for NICs restored
CD to end trading of fictitious shares
Pakistan suffers trade deficit worth $3,037m
Restoration of PPP govt rumours unsettle foreign buyers
IMF okays 2nd tranche of $80m
---------------------------------------
Ehtesab or Intekhab? 7 Ardeshir Cowasjee
A positive move Editorial Column
Promising the moon Hafizur Rahman
Punishing the corrupt Sultan Ahmed
-----------
Cricket team returning with trophy & pride intact
Mushtaq has doubts if players will play against India
Zeeshan Pervaiz returns home today
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970130
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SC upholds dissolution of NA, govts ouster
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Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: The Supreme Court on Wednesday by a majority decision
upheld President Legharis Nov 5 proclamation dissolving the National
Assembly and dismissing Benazir Bhuttos government.
The six-one verdict was announced by Chief Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah at
4.25 pm in a jam-packed court room.
Reading from a 12-page short order, Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah said the
presidential order contained enough substance and adequate material had
been provided to conclude that the government could not be run in
accordance with the provisions of the constitution and that an appeal to
the electorate had become necessary.
Justice Zia Mahmood Mirza was the only judge who said the presidential
order was illegal and could not be sustained and the National Assembly, the
prime minister and the cabinet stood restored.
Outside the Supreme Court building, angry PPP workers raised slogans
against the judgement and President Farooq Leghari.
The chief justice read out the operative parts of the short order as the
presidents counsel Khalid Anwar received congratulations from his junior
colleagues.
Benazir Bhuttos counsel Aitzaz Ahsan listened to the judgement shaking his
head in disagreement.
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970130
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Benazirs plea was different from Nawaz case: Nasim
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Shujaat Ali Khan
LAHORE, Jan 29: The 1993 and 1996 dissolution cases stood on entirely
different footings, former chief justice Dr Nasim Hasan Shah, the author of
the only apex court judgement that revived a dissolved central legislature
and restored a sacked prime minister, said in his comment on the dismissal
of ousted premier Benazir Bhuttos petition on Wednesday.
He recalled that he had held in his verdict on Mian Nawaz Sharifs petition
that the president can dissolve the National Assembly if the machinery of
the government has broken down completely and the federation cannot be run
in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and an appeal to the
electorate is necessary.
The attorney-generals emphasis in the 1993 case was on the
irreconcilable differences between the president and the PM as evidenced
by (Prime Minister) Nawaz Sharifs speech of April 17, 1993. The conflict,
according to the AG, created a constitutional deadlock that could only be
resolved by the dissolution of the NA and removal of the PM.
The Supreme Court held that dissolution order was based on an incorrect
appreciation of the role assigned to the president and of the powers vested
in him by the constitution.
The PM is not answerable to the president. In fact, it is the president who
is obliged to act on the advice of the PM except when he enjoys
discretionary powers.
The Benazir Bhutto case was distinguishable because extra-judicial killings
in Karachi had reached the level of state terrorism and corruption a
magnitude that threatened the very security of the state.
The government acted in violation of Article 190 of the constitution, which
says all executive and judicial authorities in Pakistan shall act in aid of
the Supreme Court. Instead of readily and honestly complying with the
Supreme Court verdict in the Judges Case, the prime minister castigated
and ridiculed it and implemented it reluctantly in phases.
Then there was the allegation of wiretapping of state functionaries, which
is also a violation of a fundamental right.
In reply to a question, Dr Nasim Hasan Shah said he had yet to see the
short order of the Supreme Court but it must have found substance in these
charges and grounds which, if established, are sufficient to warrant a
constitutional valid dissolution.
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970127
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Army official disallowed to visit Pakistan mission
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Masood Haider
NEW YORK, Jan 26: Pakistans ambassador to the United Nations, Ahmad Kamal,
asked security guards at the mission here to throw out an army captain.
Yayha Qureshi, when he entered the mission from the adjoining consulate
office, to meet Lt Col Nadeem Ijaz Mallik, a defence adviser to the mission
following an altercation.
Mr Kamal also ordered the adjoining doors between the mission and consulate
to be sealed, claiming that secrets were being compromised, mission and
consulate sources confirmed.
According to Capt. Qureshi he had come to visit his uncle Javed Aslam,
commercial counsellor at the consulate, and when he wished to meet Lt Col
Nadeem Ijaz, a friend, he was told to go to the mission next door using the
adjoining door. However, as Capt. Quereshi entered the consulate through
the door inquiring about Col Nadeem, he was confronted by Mr Kamal in the
stairwell who questioned his presence there.
According to a written report submitted by Capt. Qureshi, he identified
himself as an army officer and said he was visiting Lt Col Nadeem and then
he proceeded to ask Mr Kamal to identify himself.
Ignoring the captains query, Mr Kamal ordered the guards to throw the
captain out and told his staff never to allow him to visit anyone at the
mission again.
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970126
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Consensus reached on NFC award
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Saleem Shahid
QUETTA, Jan 25: The representatives of all the provinces and the federal
government reached a consensus on the NFC Award and decided to submit
recommendations to the president for announcement.
The commission conceded the demand of Balochistan and approved a subvention
in the fresh award for the development of the province.
According to a source, the NFC agreed to release funds to Balochistan to
help it tide over its financial crisis once the award was announced by
President Farooq Leghari.
Balochistan had a budget deficit of Rs2 billion during the current fiscal
year which forced the provincial government to stop the Annual Development
Programme, suspend fresh recruitments in government departments and
observe strict austerity measures by way of merger of various departments.
According to an official announcement, the composition of the federal
divisible pool has been changed and widened including more taxes and
resources in the pool. The delegates also reached an accord on the sharing
of divisible pool among the federation and the federating units, which has
hitherto been a point of discord.
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970124
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Caretakers ban Junoon Group song on Ehtesab
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Rafaqat Ali
ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: The caretaker government has banned the playing of a
song prepared by Junoon Group named Ehtesab.
The song which longs for the accountability of the corrupt rulers (sans
Military) has been banned by the caretaker government on three grounds: 1)
It is detrimental to election process, 2) It promotes the cause of Tehrik-
i-Insaaf, and 3) It would damage the national integrity.
Suleman, the main vocalist in the song, told the Press that the president
has cheated the countrymen by dissolving the National Assembly. He said the
assembly was dissolved on November 5, 1996 on the promise of accountability
and we thought to make our contribution for this cause as singer to the
nation and made this song.
The video of the song shown to the Press asks for accountability and
accountability only.
The video shows a lilliputian as MNA alighting from a latest model Pajero
jeep, glued to mobile phone, escorted by a gigantic bodyguard carrying a
rifle double the size of the MNA. It also shows horses eating salad
apparently in five Star Hotel.
The singer further said for how long we will continue chanting slogans
Zindabad, Zindabad. The song , he said, has already been purchased. The
song asks for the accountability of those who ruled the country for half a
century but shows no glimpse of military governments. The military
dictators , Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, and Ziaul Haq are shown but not in
uniform.
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970127
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Centre was partner in Karachi killings, SC told
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Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, Jan 26: President Farooq Legharis counsel Khalid Anwar told the
Supreme Court that the federal government was a partner of the Sindh
government in the extra- judicial killings in Karachi.
Arguing his case in the apex court, Khalid Anwar tried to establish that
Benazir Bhutto was personally involved in the Karachi operation and though
law and order was a provincial subject, the federal government cannot
absolve itself from the responsibility of extra-judicial killings. He said
the federal government had not only complete knowledge of the happenings in
Karachi but was also involved there.
He tried to establish that though the president had been presiding at the
law and order meetings, it was in fact an evidence that he was concerned
over the situation.
Khalid Anwar said the claim that the federal government had nothing to do
with the law and order situation in Karachi was untenable. Reading the
ordinance which had conferred wide powers to the Rangers, the presidents
counsel mentioned that it was clearly written in the ordinance that the
powers were being conferred by the federal government. It is the federal
government which conferred the powers to the Rangers for arrest and
search, he added.
He read out another letter in which the interior ministry had said that the
functions and responsibilities of Rangers in Karachi would be worked out
mutually between the provincial government, the Rangers and the federal
government. So they are partners in the crime.
Khalid Anwar said the centre had given specific role to the Rangers due to
law and order situation in Karachi and quoting a letter said the Rangers
were working independently having their own intelligence network and
independent operations. However, he said, according to that letter, it was
decided to keep a police officer with them. So the role of Sindh police
was that of a cloak.
The respondents counsel also read out a letter of the federal government
dated July 18, 1996 which said that after considering Sindh situation it
has been decided to extend Rangers stay for another year in that province.
This establishes that the federal government was assuming greater and
greater responsibility, he added.
When Khalid Anwar quoting a letter said that the Rangers were made an
attached department of the federal government, he was reminded by Justice
Irshad Hasan Khan that Rangers had always been an attached department of
the federal government.
Khalid Anwar told the court that the cabinet at its December 24, 1995
meeting had appreciated the excellent work done by the Rangers and police
in Karachi.
You defamed the country internationally by violating human rights, is this
excellent work? he asked.
In another letter issued by the interior ministry, he said, the Sindh
government had been asked by the competent authority to re-arrest all those
people who had been given bails by the provincial high court.
He said if at all there was any need to re-arrest any person, it should
have been on merit and case to case basis instead of issuing order to
prepare the lists and re-arrest all those people who had been granted
bails.
The chief justice asked him whether it was a cabinet decision to re-arrest
all those released on bail, the respondents counsel said the decision was
taken by the interior ministry. The chief justice remarked that even a
minister could be a competent authority. If he is a competent authority
then he (the minister) cannot say he is not responsible.
Khalid Anwar said this was a cabinet decision and now the petitioner cannot
say that she was not responsible. At this stage petitioners counsel Aitzaz
Ahsan pointed out that the documents being referred to by the respondents
counsel were incomplete and important documents had been withheld. At this
Khalid Anwar asked him to give in writing the documents required by him and
he would produce them.
Aitzaz said since the respondent had provided incomplete documents it was
his responsibility to complete them.
Chief Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah at this stage interfered and said the
respondents counsel has to satisfy the court. We will call upon him to
provide all documents, he said.
When Aitzaz said he would require time to go through them and this might
cause delay at this stage, the chief justice told him that he should not be
hyper-technical on every issue. Every thing will be sorted out in the
court, he said.
At one stage the chief justice told Khalid Anwar that if his claim that the
people were killed in the police custody was to be accepted there must be
some official version on record. He said according to law no one could be
held in police custody for more than 24 hours and has to be produced before
a magistrate after that period. Similarly, he said, if any person dies in
police custody, the police have to explain the causes and reasons for his
death. Have you produced that evidence? he asked.
Referring to the European Parliament report on human rights violations in
Pakistan, the respondents counsel said the European Parliament had
expressed its concern over human rights violations. He differed with
Aitzazs contention that accepting the report would mean throwing away
national sovereignty.
Justice Irshad Hasan Khan asked him whether this report was submitted to
the government, to which he replied in the positive.
Khalid Anwar then referred to an official handout issued by the Sindh
information department informing that the government and the Mohajir Qaumi
Movement had agreed to the scrutiny of MQM cases, return of confiscated
goods of MQM, restoration of political activities by the MQM, restoration
of telephone lines, and not to arrest the MQM leaders against whom, there
is no FIR.
He said the handout was an indirect confession of the provincial government
that there were some fictitious cases registered which would be
scrutinised, goods had been confiscated without any law and telephone
connections cut off without any reason. Similarly, he said, it was also an
indirect admission that the MQM workers were being harassed and not allowed
to return to their homes.
Then he referred to a statement of the US state department in which it had
been claimed that political violence had taken the lives of more than 1,000
people in Pakistan. He said the report had mentioned the killing of Sindh
Chief Minister Abdullah Shahs brother in Karachi by terrorists and said
that only two days later two bullet-riddled bodies of people were recovered
who were supposedly in police custody. Is it not law of jungle? he asked
and added that animals kills out of necessity and not out of savage
revenge.
Quoting another statement of the US state department he said it called upon
both the sides to initiate talks. There is no infringement of the
sovereignty of Pakistan if foreign governments condemn extra-judicial
killings, he added.
The chief justice asked him whether there was any government which had
admitted its involvement in extra-judicial killings. He said it was a
problem in which the law should take its own course. If a person is killed
in police custody, the police have to explain, he said and asked the
respondents counsel about the procedure in such a case.
Khalid Anwar informed the court that normally an inquiry is held. That
means that the police must have initiated the proceedings (of inquiry)?
the Chief Justice inquired and added was there any explanation on record
regarding these killings.
Khalid Anwar said that in one case an SSP cancelled an inquiry which was
being conducted by a magistrate. He said the police took no action against
the accused policeman. In major cases no action had been taken, he told
the court.
In the case of killing of Faheem Commando, the respondents counsel said,
the magistrate asked a policeman to appear before the inquiry but the
latter refused and the magistrate finally wrote in his inquiry that no case
against police was made out.
That is why it is imperative that there should be separation of executive
magistrate and judicial magistrate, he added.
Khalid Anwar quoted from foreign newspapers to establish that the situation
was critical. He said the situation was so bad that the entire business
community went on a strike throughout the country.
Khalid Anwar also referred to a summary prepared by the home department
before the PPP government came to power in which it said that certain
people should be declared absconders and a head money should be fixed on
them or they may be eliminated. He said it was a clear order that any
government agency could kill them and get the reward.
The chief justice asked him whether he could prove that these police
officers were awarded for killing any person and reminded him that all the
government record was at his disposal.
Aitzaz Ahsan immediately reminded the respondents counsel that the awards
were always given by the president whom he was representing.
Khalid Anwar said the said notification was challenged in the court and the
court was perturbed by the summary moved by the home department. He said
the court had observed that there was no law which allowed the elimination
of any criminal or fixing of head money.
Justice Irshad Hasan asked him what was the relevance when the notification
was issued before the PPP came to power.
Khalid Anwar said when PPP came to power, the same notification was
repeated which had been declared unconstitutional by the Sindh High Court.
The chief justice observed that the notification was issued by the
provincial government and he had to establish a nexus with the federal
government.
Khalid Anwar said he had documentary evidence to establish that the federal
government was closely involved with the provincial government.
Justice Irshad Hasan Khan reminded him that even in the case filed in the
high court, the federal government was not made a party. So what is the
nexus?
The chief justice also asked him whether the second notification was
challenged or not to which Khalid Anwar replied that at that time all the
people had gone underground.
Justice Zia Mahmood Mirza pointed out that it was not the notification but
only a reference had been made to the notification. You have not placed
that notification on record, he told the respondents counsel. But Justice
Irshad Hasan Khan observed that the said letter did talk of the reward.
Justice Zia Mahmood Mirza said the first notification did not ask for
elimination of any criminal it was only mentioned in the summary which was
sent for the notification.
The chief justice asked Khalid Anwar whether he was objecting to the second
notification because the first had been quashed by the high court. He also
observed there was no mention of elimination or head money in the
notification.
Khalid Anwar said the summary was enough to indicate the intention. He said
the high court had also quashed the notification after going through the
summary.
So you say that the Sindh High Court had said it was disturbed over the
use of words head money and elimination etc. but even then the Sindh
government issued another notification? asked Justice Irshad Hasan Khan to
which he replied in the positive.
Referring to the petitioner counsels claim that the president had been
presiding at meeting to review law and order situation, he said, it only
showed the presidents anxiety. He said the president never asked to resort
to extra-judicial killings. It cant be said that the president was
approving of the actions.
The chief justice told him that according to the other side the president
had even commended the governments action.
Justice Irshad Hasan Khan also observed that in the report of the Amnesty
International allegations have been levelled against the provincial
government and not the federal government.
Khalid Anwar replied that he just wanted to establish that the killings
were at such a massive scale that even the foreign governments took note of
them. He quoted another US state department report in which it had been
claimed that the number of deaths in police custody or staged encounters
had increased in 1995 and that many officials were suspended.
Justice Irshad Hasan Khan the reports claimed that 500 policemen were
suspended whereas the respondent had claimed that only four police
officials were suspended.
The chief justice observed that the situation in Karachi started
deteriorating during former prime minister Nawaz Sharifs tenure and asked
if the Amnesty International filed any report about that period.
Khalid Anwar said what apparently drew the attention of the Amnesty
International was the state terrorism.
The respondents counsel said Rangers dominated police in Karachi.
The Chief Justice told Khalid Anwar to bear in mind that the para military
forces can be called by the federal government in aid of civil power at the
request of the provincial government.
Khalid Anwar said in this case the federal government was a dominant part
while Sindh government was a junior partner. She (Benazir Bhutto) knew
everything and referred to two documents which he thought were in the
former prime ministers hand-writing.
Is this the handwriting of the (former) prime minister? asked the chief
justice. I think so, replied the respondents counsel.
The chief justice asked him to go through the hand-written notes so that
the court could see whether any complicity was involved or not.
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970127
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Preparations afoot to host OIC summit in Islamabad
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD, Jan 26: Brisk preparations are under way to host the first-ever
extra-ordinary session of Islamic summit, marking the auspicious occasion
of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Independence of Pakistan on March 23.
A senior official of the Foreign Office stated, that the summit would be
preparing the Muslims for 21st century. The distinguished guests after
witnessing the Independence Parade would move to the venue of the summit,
the sprawling Convention Centre, according to the sources.
Islamabad Police would make tight and comprehensive arrangements for the
security of the guests. It would also take help from the provincial
governments in this regard.
The biggest flaw in the Convention Centre, a facility to host such summits
in future also, is lack of facilities for TV coverage. Neither were funds
allocated for this purpose, said the sources. However, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs took the initiative and after squeezing its own budget allocated
over Rs.34 Million for provision of the TV coverage facilities at the
Convention Centre. We have done it for the national cause, said the
sources.
Besides, many other changes have to be made on the suggestions of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs which was appreciative of the concerned
authorities co-operation with it in this regard.
The Heads of State and Government from 54 OIC member states are expected to
attend the extra-ordinary session.
Under the OIC charter, an extra-ordinary session can be held only when two-
thirds of its members support the idea. But, so far, all the decisions in
this regard have been taken through consensus among the member states.
Besides, 20 Observers would also attend the summit. But the decision as to
who to be invited would be taken by OIC Secretariat. King Hassan of Morocco
is the current chairman of the OIC.
The Convention Centre is supposed to be handed over to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs by March 1, as the guests would start reaching here by
Mar.20.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is supervising all arrangements for the
OIC summit has sought help from various ministries to make foolproof
arrangements for a total number of 2000 guests coming to attend the summit.
The Convention Centre was modified and would be furnished with all the
facilities to make it as befitting as possible, said Foreign Office
sources.
At least six committees headed by the concerned Secretaries have been
constituted each to accomplish the task of security, transportation,
accommodation, reception, communication and capital improvement.
The sources said, various possibilities are being examined to make
accommodation arrangements for the Heads of State and Government. The
government would book entire Marriott and Holiday Inn, and Best Western
Hotel along with another motel, 23 ministerial houses, Balochistan,
Frontier, Punjab, Sindh and Kashmir Houses besides private houses in the
Federal Capital to accommodate the Heads of State and government. Pearl
Continental Rawalpindi would also be booked and most probably the crew
coming with the guests would be lodged there.
Two Heads of State would be accommodated in each provincial government
house, like for instance Punjab House. Each Head of State or Government
would have one conducting officer. Even if the Embassies want to book
separate rooms in these hotels during the summit they have to do it through
Foreign Office, said the sources.
Seventy to eighty ministers from OIC countries, expected to attend the
summit, would be accommodated at the Parliament Lodges in Islamabad.
The Speaker of the dissolved National Assembly has already been requested
in this regard, said the sources.
===================================================================
970130
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Economy stabilised: Burki
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: Pakistan has achieved economic stability in three months
specially due to cut in government expenditures and rise in foreign
exchange reserves to 800 million dollars.
I am still hoping that Pakistans reserves would touch one billion dollars
mark shortly to fulfil one of the main commitments of the caretakers, said
prime ministers adviser on finance, planning and economic affairs Shahid
Javed Burki on Wednesday.
Speaking at a news conference, Mr Burki claimed that the caretakers had
saved Pakistan from a worst kind of economic crisis which, he believed,
would have further compounded had the Benazir government not been dismissed
on November 5.
He said that with the disbursement of 76 million dollars by the IMF the
reserves had reached a little over 800 million dollars. When we took over,
banking system was in a very bad shape, reserves were depleting, government
expenditure was increasing, but then we brought about economic stability ,
he added.
Asked to comment on the role of the press, Mr Burki, who looked visibly
angry, said that, by and large, journalists in Pakistan had been terribly
inaccurate. The press has been excessively negative and sometimes did not
care even about the national interests and published highly wrong stories,
he said , adding that his experience in Pakistan with journalists was not
good and that was why he had banned their entry in the ministry of finance.
When reminded that he used to appreciate the press in Pakistan specially
for fighting corruption, Mr Burki said he had a bitter experience and that
he had been misquoted many times.
He offered no comments when asked about the UAE offer to provide 500
million dollars to Pakistan. Pressed further, he said some amount had been
received from the UAE but did not say how much as , according to him ,it
was a matter between the two governments, which should not be discussed.
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970124
-------------------------------------------------------------------
IBMs contract for NICs restored
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: The contract of IBM for the computerisation of Identity
cards system has been restored by the federal cabinet.
The restoration of the contract has also saved the government from paying
Rs. 700 million which was payable to IBM under the punitive clause of the
agreement.
The decision of the Cabinet was made on the recommendations of a Cabinet
Sub-Committee which re-negotiated the deal with the company and asked it to
include certain other facilities in the original contract.
The IBM has accepted to include a number of facilities without charging any
additional cost to the government of Pakistan. These facilities includes:
a) Card quality to be further improved by increasing the thickness of the
ID card from 250 microns, as specified in the contract to 350 microns.
b) IBM to undertake the responsibility to develop the media communications
plan for deployment/execution by the government for purpose of public
awareness campaign.
c) Card production time to be reduced from seven days to five days.
d) Current contract specifies one card layout. If necessary IBM to arrange
for separate ID card layout for AJK.
e) IBM will print reminders for registered children becoming eligible for
ID card.
f) IBM to render year 2000 millennium change support for the database
application so that transition of 21st century is achieved smoothly without
any further investment.
g) IBM to train 25 per cent more people than indicated in the contract
from the Ministry of Interior at completion of the project.
h) At the time of project completion when the equipment and software will
be transferred to Government of Pakistan. IBM to transfer the source code
of all software applications developed for this project so that the
government in future updates the software for future requirements without
having to go to IBM. IBM to provide training so that government personnel
are able to maintain these applications independently and achieve self
sufficiency and self reliance with technology transfer. The self
sufficiency will help the government of Pakistan to market the solution to
any other friendly country and help in software export. IBM may be called
upon to assist in the marketing effort.
i) At the time of transfer if the government upgrades the hardware to
induct new technology after four years, then IBM to upgrade the application
hardware to make it compatible with the new hardware.
j) At the end of the project IBM, while handing over equipment used for
this project to Government of Pakistan, to also assist the government in
redeployment of this equipment for other government projects such as
motor vehicle registration, immigration, arms licences, driving licences,
etc.
k) IBM to defer and not enforce the charge for minimum quantity commitment
as per contract, of an amount of Rs. 27.36 million payable in January 1997
for the services already performed under the contract. IBM will defer the
billing of such charges to July 1997 thereby alleviating the liability for
the government on this account.
l) In addition, IBM to arrange free of cost a consultant to help develop
the information technology plan for Ministry of Interior around the
database being developed under this contract to incorporate other law
enforcement application as part of an overall Pakistan Information
Technology Strategic plan for the country. This project will be independent
of any vendor hardware and software platform.
The contract will be implemented in a period of four years and will produce
an estimated 68 million tamper-proof Identity cards. The company has also
agreed to charge a fee of Rs. 41 per card for the period of four years.
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970129
-------------------------------------------------------------------
CD to end trading of fictitious shares
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: The President, Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari
promulgated on Tuesday the Central Depositories Ordinance, 1997, which is
expected to bring the capital market in Pakistan at par with its
counterparts in the advanced countries in terms of credibility and
transparency.
Briefing newsmen about salient features of the Ordinance, the Chairman,
Corporate Law Authority, Mr Khalil Masood said the Central Depository (CD)
would be the custodian of shares in the same sense as a bank is custodian
of money. The Member (Company Law), Mr Abdul Rehman Qureshi was present.
Its most significant function would be to facilitate prompt transfer of
shares, in contrast to the present situation where shares are not
transferred to buyers for long periods on pretexts that are not always
legitimate. Computerised transfer would also put an end to uncertainty in
the market, enabling investors to make adequate decisions in a market
characterised by predictability and protecting their interests.
The scheme will enable de-materialisation of shares in that there will be
no certificates and all the transfers and relevant records will exist in
the computer. However, the Ordinance also does not debar a shareholder from
obtaining a share certificate, if he so desires. By doing away with
physical handling of shares, the CD will save brokers from the hassle of
paper work which consumes enormous amounts of their time and effort.
Consequently, they will be able to devote their resources and talent for
development of their clientele by offering better advisory and other
services. With the establishment of automated trading, CD and automatic
clearing and settlement system, the entire legal and technical
paraphernalia of a sound capital market had been put in place in Pakistan,
he remarked.
Pakistan has stolen a lead over neighbouring India which still does not
have any such facility although it has 22 stock exchanges and also a
national stock exchange established by the Government of India, although
CDs have operated in east Asian countries for quite some time. It removes a
major impediment in the way of foreign investors coming to Pakistans
capital market because one often encountered queries from them about
whether Pakistan had established a CD, Mr Masud remarked. A lot of effort
has gone into formulation of provisions of the Ordinance because the
objective was to learn from the successes and failures of other countries.
Remedies for problems experienced within Pakistan and abroad have been
provided for in the Ordinance. The CLA added, however, that as compared to
India, investors and other market players in Pakistan were more receptive
to new ideas. As a result of establishment of CD, he visualised people
flocking to Pakistan from other countries of Asia to study our system.
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970127
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan suffers trade deficit worth $3,037m
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Muhammad Ilyas
ISLAMABAD, Jan 26: Malaysia was on top of the 12 major countries with which
Pakistan suffered trade deficit during 1995-96, according to Federal Bureau
of Statistics.
Cumulative share of these countries in our import bill amounting to $11.7
billion is 99.7 percent. Out of overall deficit of $3,037 million, deficit
suffered in trade with Malaysia amounted to $846 million. Imports from that
country included palm oil, fatty acid, soybean oil, crude and natural
rubber latex. Pakistans exports trade with it is so negligible that it is
not mentioned in the FBSs publication covering only major trade partners.
The second and third positions in this list are occupied by Kuwait and
Japan, with trade surplus of $754 million and $683 million respectively.
The other countries with which the balance of trade is not in favour of
Pakistan are Switzerland, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy,
South Korea, Australia, Iran and Thailand.
The major trade partners with which Pakistan was in surplus include:
United States, United Kingdom, France, Dubai, Netherlands, Indonesia,
Hong Kong, Belgium, Canada, Spain and Bangladesh.
Japan emerges as the biggest exporter of goods to Pakistan and third
biggest importer of goods from this country. As importer, it follows United
States, Hong Kong and Germany. The shares of these four countries in our
exports stood at 6.6%, 15.5%, 9.1% and 6.8%, respectively. However, our
exports with these countries show a declining trend over 1994-95.
The countries whose exports to Pakistan were on the increase, as compared
to 1994-95, included Japan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, China,
Fuzrah, Australia, Netherlands, and Thailand. The increases in imports from
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are explained by the rising price of POL, which
accounted for 37% increase in its imports, in terms of Rupees.
The categories the import of which declined in 1995-96, as compared to
1994-95 included edible oil (6.8%), transport equipment (1.6%), tea
(1.5%), and synthetic fibre (6.0%). This is, however, offset by impressive
increase in other imports, e.g. machinery (17.4%), chemicals (excl.
fertiliser & medicines) (38%), iron & steel (41.5%), fertiliser
manufactured (197.6%), medicinal products (35.1%), paper & paper products
(33.8%), tyres & tubes (35.2%), synthetic & artificial silk yarn (44.8%),
milk & milk food for infants (96.8%), and miscellaneous (22.4%).
Region-wise, the FBS analysis shows that imports from Western Europe
constituted 26.7% of the total imports; of these, 20.2% were from EEC.
Imports from Middle East, source of all the fuel oil, accounted for 21.9%
of which 19.3% was from Asian countries. The share of North America in our
import bill was 9.8% including 8.9% from United States.
The share of Japan, USA, Malaysia, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in total import
bill during the year was 39.1% as against their combined share of 38.5%
during previous year. Pakistans imports from Japan included mainly
machinery, transport equipment, iron & steel, organic chemicals. From USA,
unmilled wheat was the top import, followed by machinery, fertiliser, iron
& steel, transport equipment and organic chemicals. Wheat, in terms of
value, constituted 37% of total imports from USA.
The countries with which the trade deficit shows an increasing trend in
1995-96 as compared to 1994-95 included: Japan, Saudi Arabia, China,
Australia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Switzerland and Singapore.
Among these, the imports from Hong Kong, Belgium, Canada and pain were
evidently so small that they are not mentioned in the FBS publication.
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970129
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Restoration of PPP govt rumours unsettle foreign buyers
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 28: After early steep rise, the Karachi Stock Exchange index
on Tuesday faltered in the mid-session on selling triggered by rumours that
the Supreme Court might restore the Benazir government.
The news that the Presidents counsel failed to provide evidence against
judicial killings in Karachi, one of the main dismissal charges of the
Bhutto government, seems to have unsettled some of the foreign buyers who
hastened to take profits, some analysts said.
The other unsettling news was Presidents interview to the CNN telling that
he might resign on morale grounds if the apex court restores the government
of Benazir Bhutto.
The markets nervousness and the negative reaction to both the above
perceptions is well reflected in the KSE 100-share index, which in the
early session picked up the thread from the overnight run-up and rose 18
points to 1,520 but late selling pushed it down to close around the last
level of 1.503.00, showing a marginal rise of only 0.84 point.
Later, in the evening trading, it fell further by 2.16 points and was last
quoted at 1,500.84 points, indicating that it could again breach the
barrier of 1,500 points provided the news from Islamabad are not that
encouraging.
Its sitting on edge of the barrier, said a broker adding move both ways
was depending on background political news.
The sharp reaction in the index was largely caused by massive selling in
pivotals such as Hub-Power and PTC vouchers, which together pulled it by
more than 18 points owing to their heavy weightage in it.
Both the shares, which were shaping well to stabilise beyond Rs 40 on the
strength of strong foreign fund buying, again came in for massive selling
and accounted for a half of the total volume.
Both of them faced massive liquidation at the higher levels and took the
entire market along with them.
PTC vouchers seemed to have received heavy battering at the last three
sessions persistent rise and was last quoted Rs 1.10 down as some of the
foreign investors hastened to take profits at the inflated levels.
Analysts said revival of demand in most of the investment shares, notably
bank and modaraba and leasing companies, should have strengthened the
underlying sentiment but for heavy selling in the current favourites, which
took the market along with them in the downward territory.
Cement, energy and some of the chemical and pharma shares performed well
but could stem selling coming from the jobbers and weakholders.
Despite nervous selling all was not bad with the broader market as gainers
maintained a fair lead over the losers, reflecting the presence of strong
selective support.
However, it is generally believed that the market might be able to maintain
the current status quo until the Supreme Court judgement and could behave
in an erratic fashion.
Most of the MNCs, however, managed to post fresh gains on active support
under the lead of Shell Pakistan, Glaxo-Welcome, Fauji Fertiliser, Engro
Chemicals, BOC Pakistan and Cyanamid Pakistan, which posted fresh gains
ranging from Rs 1.15 to 5.
Among the local blue chips, which scored good gains, 15th ICP, ICP SEMF,
Ghemini Leasing, Crescent Bank, Javed Omer, Soneri Bank, Lakson Tobacco,
Fazal Textiles, Gatron Industries and M. Ismail Textiles were leading,
rising by one rupee to Rs 4.15.
Taha Spinning, Adamjee Insurance, 17th ICP, KSB Pumps, PTC and Pakistan
Services were among the leading losers, falling by one rupee to Rs 3. Other
losses were fractional.
Trading volume crossed the 30 million shares mark for the first time during
the current year and was last placed at 35.059 million shares, bulk of
which went to the credit of Hub-Power and PTC vouchers.
There were 281 actives out of which 173 shares rose, 47 fell with 61
holding on to the last levels.
The most active list was topped by Hub-Power, lower 40 paisa on 8.120m
shares, followed by PTC vouchers, easy Rs 1.10 on 7.074m, ICI Pakistan,
easy 30 paisa on 3.005m, Dewan Salman, off 40 paisa on 2.895m, and Dhan
Fibre, up 15 paisa on 2.250m shares.
Other actively traded shares were led by D. G. Khan Cement, steady 10 paisa
on 464m, FFC-Jordan Fertiliser, off Rs 1.10 on 0.400m, ICI Pakistan (r), up
20 paisa on 0.417m, LTV Modaraba, up 20 paisa on 0.297m, Ibrahim Fibre,
higher 15 paisa on 0.235m, Nishat Mills, firm five paisa on 0.236m, and
Punjab Modaraba, up 15 paisa on 0.195m shares. There were some other
notable deals also.
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970125
-------------------------------------------------------------------
IMF okays 2nd tranche of $80m
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Jan 24: The IMF board of directors has approved the second
tranche of $80 million for Pakistan.
A senior IMF official told Pakistani correspondents on Thursday night the
approval was obtained without a formal board meeting, through a process of
circulating the proposal to all the 24 executive directors, none of whom
raised an objection which could have led to a formal meeting. The approval
was given by the 24 EDs.
Normally the IMF officials do not speak to the media on these sensitive
subjects but Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi specially introduced Pakistani
journalists to this official who then aired his complaint saying it was
crucial for the IMF to get the second tranche through to Pakistan
otherwise incalculable damage may have been caused to that country.
The official said now Pakistan was cleared until end of March when the
question of the third tranche would arise and the performance of Pakistan
would be reviewed by the Board to release the third instalment.
The IMF official was asked what was the criteria of evaluation of data
provided by a government to the IMF because in the case of Pakistan it had
been widely reported and alleged that the deposed Benazir Bhutto government
manipulated the figures and played with public sector finances to meet the
IMF target on a given date.
He said the IMF had to believe the data governments provided and it did not
want to dictate to any government how to meet the specific target set by
the Fund. That would mean encroachment on the sovereignty of the country
and we do not want to do any such thing. It is for the government to
determine where it used its money and kept it in which account. But on the
given date, IMF had to check whether the target it had set had been
achieved or not. If it had been achieved, the IMF cannot argue how it was
achieved.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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970124
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ehtesab or Intekhab? 7
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
YET once more, the 140 millions of this country have been let down.
According to various polls taken by private agencies in all four provinces
it is clear that between 65 to 70 per cent of the population (illiterate
and literate) do not want the coming elections. What they do want is a
completion of the accountability process (which has barely taken off) or
the disqualification of all those who held elected office during the past
three governments. The people have no doubts but that they were robbed by
all three. By disqualifying, through an ordinance, those who held office,
we will simply be denying them a chance to continue their robbery. Surely
this is not asking too much.
The President: He has been a big disappointment. My chauffeur is a literate
man who reads three Urdu newspapers a day. On Legharis last visit to this
city, as we were held up for his motorcade to sweep by, he eyed the convoy
of spanking new Mercedes and asked me why I make him drive a twelve-year
old Mercedes and why I do not buy myself (and him) the latest model. I
explained that the Mercedes he drives is bought with my money, and those he
sees carrying the President, the Governor and the other free-loaders are
also bought with my (the tax-payers) money, and that he is lucky he is not
a taxpayer or he would be very angry. He explained that he too is angry
because what he pays through inflation is to him a tax, and, besides,
percentage- wise he pays more. His verdict: If the people were to hang all
the siyasatis who have robbed us, Allah hum ko beshuk maaf karayga. Simple
logic; street justice.
He had read that during the week prior to the start of the Holy Month the
President had flown twice to Karachi in his special plane to grace two
private wedding parties. Those two trips, together with the disturbance and
disruption caused to the lives of the people, cost the country some Rs 5
million. It is difficult to explain that like Benazir and Nawaz, Leghari
too lacks inner strength.
The Prime Minister: He has many smugglers and other undesirables amongst
his list of friends. Forgetting that he is no longer a pleader, he
continues to plead for them and their like. He is responsible for having
saved a couple of high- rankers, who should, by all that is right and just,
be languishing in our jails.
Each time Meraj Khalid makes innocuous, wordly-wise, or damaging
statements, his cabinet members claim he has a philosophical mind.
Minister of Communications Ghaffar Jatoi: It is a firmly established fact
that this man has had an amenity plot of 15,000 sq yds, now valued at Rs
100 crores, converted and allotted to him. The caretakers know, the people
know. This illegal allotment has neither been cancelled, nor has Jatoi been
asked to resign, nor has he been sacked. So much for accountability.
Minister of Commerce Muhammad Zubair Khan: The brother-in-law has
identified and announced the scams involved in textile quotas (skimmed Rs
100 million), rice exports (skimmed Rs. 116 million), gold imports by one
single concessionaire (worth Rs 17 billion amount skimmed not declared),
sugar exports (amount skimmed not declared), sale and purchase of land and
properties by State Life (amount skimmed not declared). He has not named
the men involved, though the people know their identity, and former Federal
Secretary, Salman Farooqui, knows full details.
According to Zubair, Salman is helping in certain cases and has
debriefed the caretakers on certain issues. Salman is said to be an
asset both for the country and any government, present or future. (The
News, Jan 7).
Brother-in-law is obviously a competent man, for long before November 5,
commerce secretary Salman had facilitated his employment as a consultant to
various ministries of Benazirs government.
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Javed Jabbar: He has failed to
unearth and expose the dubious doings of the former minister Anwar
Saifullah or of his sidekick secretary. And, what, if any, action has been
taken against Jehangir Ansari formerly of PSO who has merely been OSDeed?
Shahid Javed Burki: He has done his best; but the odds were stacked. He
will return to Mother World Bank when his three months are up. Like any
sensible economist he tried to:
Improve the fiscal situation. Strengthen the tax system by broadening the
base and lowering rates, by eliminating taxes that worsen distortions or
depress economic activity, the end result being higher revenues from a few
broad-based taxes that cause the least amount of distortion.
Not increase excise on transport and power to the point where it begins
affecting industrial development and market integration.
Achieve an increase in tax/GDP ratio by about one per cent per year to
reach 17-18 per cent of GDP by year 2000.
Contain or reduce expenditure on wages and salaries, increase outlay on
recurrent items operations and maintenance and raise the development
budget.
Take steps to change the structure of expenditures, control excessive
outlay on administrative expenditures, and raise spending on infrastructure
and services so as to encourage private investment that will lead to faster
growth.
Undertake administrative service reforms, such as substantial
retrenchment to reduce numbers, while using some of the savings to increase
salaries and incentives that will attract able people to government.
As a prelude to retrenchment, prepare a personnel audit so as to
determine how many people are on the government payroll and the true extent
of wages and salaries.
Establish a council of economic and social advisers to provide the
President / PM with disinterested professional advice on strategy and on
policy (members not to exceed four, drawn from business and academia who
after 2-3 years would resume their earlier careers).
Set up a programme to divest all strategic and non- strategic government
enterprises, starting with the largest and most strategic. This would have
sent a strong signal about the governments intentions and would have also
attracted the largest number of bids. An interim government could begin
preparing such enterprises so that they are brought to point of sale.
Conduct an audit of military assets real estate and commercial with a
view to liquidation, and put in place a definite plan for disposing of
these so as to pay off a part of the national debt.
Begin an investigation of expenditures on education and health to
determine whether allocated funds are actually spent for earmarked
purposes.
Strengthen the statistical apparatus. Pakistans economic management is
seriously hamstrung by the exceedingly poor quality of available statistics
and their sheer scarcity. Policymakers and businessmen have to grope their
way forward. Also, strengthen the organisation for collecting statistics
and ensure that we get results in the next year or two.
Start the process of holding a detailed population census. He knows and
we know that without accurate population figures every statistic can only
be based on guess work.
In 1991, Nawaz did not hold the census he should have held, because
prevailing figures were working in his favour. When she came in, Benazir
did not hold an overdue census because it would have affected her position
in Sindh and upset Punjab. Now, in 1997, what will Nawaz do? Disturb the
position at his peril?
Nawaz is toying with the idea of bringing in his accountant, Dar, as his
finance man to better the records of Piracha, Sartaj and Jaffarey. How can
such men as Burki and Pasha enforce their will and programmes? They are
helpless.
Corruption: Yesterdays business pages in this newspaper told us: Gold
from Dubai due on Saturday. Haji Abdul Razzak, chief executive and
managing director of ARY stays in Dubai, a good place from which to trade,
and is free to buy whatever money can buy. Nothing wrong with that. During
Benazirs time he was the sole concessionaire for the export of gold to
Pakistan, something he could not have achieved without paying a lot to
somebody. He remains the sole concessionaire under the caretakers, which
again, is not possible without a healthy pay-off all the way down the line.
It is said that the good Haji has lent the State Bank some $250 million at
seven per cent and rolls them to his advantage. Local bankers term it a
racket. The Haji plays by his rules, our government too, of its own free
will, plays by his rules. Why blame him?
Elections: Same faces, same statements. The sole bright spot was Musarrat
Shaheen on BBC TV on Wednesday evening. Hamza & Hamza have done well for
her without putting her through a nose job. Swathed modestly in her white
dupatta, and with her outsize spectacles, she bore an uncanny resemblance
to Benazir. BBC also showed her snarling opponent at the polls. My vote,
were I a constituent of the area, would definitely go to Musarrat.
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970126
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A positive move
-------------------------------------------------------------------
THE provision of reasonably free access to information concerning
governments policies, projects and acts and omissions is universally
recognised to be indispensable for the smooth working of a democratic
system of government. For half of the total period of Pakistans career as
a sovereign state, this country has had to suffer unelected, authoritarian
governments which believed that the proper functions of the mass media was
to project a complimentary image of the rulers and their works. Hence it
was deemed fit that the media should be prevented from doing anything to
the contrary. The PR approach to official information emphasised the
dissemination of good news about the government and ensured that the media
were not able to dig out and disseminate information that would reflect
adversely on the government or its doings. The prevention of access to
accurate information has, therefore, been a major disability for the print
media in the past decade of relative freedom.
It is in this context that the federal cabinets approval last Wednesday of
the draft of the Freedom of Information Ordinance should be seen. Marked
hitherto by mistrust and antipathy, the relationship between the government
and the Press is likely to enter a more harmonious phase in which the
government and the media would come to see each other as partners in the
attempt to create an informed opinion. The promised enactment is something
the Press had long been devoutly wishing for. After all, it is unthinkable
for a Press to claim to be free without being allowed access to official
information. The draft of the Ordinance will pave the way for an open
government, notwithstanding its imperfections. The proposed law should also
serve as an incentive to accurate reporting and discourage stories based on
speculation and half-truth. It also negates the assumption shared by
elected and unelected governments alike that it is for the rulers to decide
what kind of information and how much should be vouchsafed to the people.
While a catalogue of the damage done to the nation by such a myopic policy
would be long and unpleasant, it has to be pointed out that information
blackout over long periods has done immense harm to our fundamental
national interests. It has, moreover, seriously undermined the popular
endeavour to institute genuine democratic governance which is responsive
and answerable.
While the end of dictatorship and the beginning of the democratic era have
given us a free Press, it is too early to claim that the political
leadership and the bureaucracy have accepted, without reservation, the
medias role as the purveyor of information to the people and as the
watchdog of the communitys interest. The test of such acceptance is likely
to come soon enough when the government to be elected on February 3 will
decide whether it is going to put up with the Ordinance or conveniently
kill it by allowing it to lapse on account of non-enactment by the future
parliament.
The drafters have done well to amend Section 4 of the draft Ordinance which
had proposed to keep the cabinet, the armed forces, foreign affairs,
intelligence agencies, financial institutions and the superior courts
outside the purview of the proposed law. By making these institutions
subject to the Freedom of Information Ordinance, the cabinet has removed
what would otherwise have seriously hamstrung the promised freedom to seek
information. The protection given to documents declared classified and to
some other categories of information like the notings on files, minutes
of meetings, interim orders, and information about individual accounts in
banks etc. can at present be seen to be part of understandable caution.
In any case, the law is not supposed to facilitate poaching into private
affairs that have no bearing on matters of public interest. Similarly,
documents classified secret will go to protect vital defence information
whose revelation will hardly serve any national interests. There will, of
course, be friction, where a document considered secret by a department or
agency is denied to a member of the media or the public, which considers it
otherwise. The Ordinance takes care of this conflict by providing for a
reference to the Ombudsman.
While the Ordinance signifies progress towards a Press better able to
discharge its duty to impart information, one has to note that the idea of
establishing a Press Council as a statutory body with the power to use the
provisions of the penal code against the Press and Pressmen has the
potential of leading towards a controlled Press. Having taken a good step
forward by approving the Freedom of Information Ordinance, the caretakers
should resist any urgings by either politicians or bureaucrats to take two
steps back by bringing in an unacceptable version of a Press Council or, as
is being speculated, by making certain amendments to the present law of
libel which may be calculated to make it into an engine of tyranny.
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970129
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Promising the moon
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hafizur Rahman
A Lahore newspaper carried a photograph the other day of a shopkeeper with
a banner slung across his shop front saying that all credit had been
suspended for the election period. Actually the banner said much more than
what the shopkeeper intended to convey to his customers.
What the man did not realise was that elections too are a business
conducted on credit. Candidates base their election promises on credit,
affirming that they will do such and such things during the coming year or
during the next five years. The people who have voted for them given them
their ballot paper on promise then start waiting for the elected person
to come and redeem the bill of credit by fulfilling his promise.
It is hard going for the voter. For one, the candidate who fails to get
elected is under no obligation to pay back the credit, while the one who is
successful makes himself scarce otherwise. Even if he is located and
reminded of his promise, its like trying to get your money back from a
pauper or a habitual gambler.
Therefore by putting up the notice that no credit would be available during
election time, the shopkeeper was doing something which went against the
very spirit of elections in our country. For with us the sine qua non of
this exercise is promises, with the added feature that these promises need
never be kept. It is to be seen how long after February 3 the shopkeeper
refrains from giving credit to his customers.
Of course it is rather late now, with only four days left to the polling,
but someone should really have gone over the newspapers and made a list of
the various promises being made by various candidates from the various
parties. They could have been put together as a list and published by the
Press every month or so after the new government takes over.
One reads in the Press about investigation and observation teams coming
from the US, Europe and Britain to study the modes and moods of the
electoral process in Pakistan. I wonder if their scope could include
election promises too. Such a task can only be handled purposefully by an
organisation spread over the entire country, with its research workers
fanning out and collecting samples so that the report can be
comprehensive. From what I have been able to cull from the newspapers, the
promises have ranged from getting a village street paved to manufacturing
the atomic bomb. The chances for the fulfilment of either are equally
remote. The one about the bomb for obvious reasons, and the other (about
getting the street paved) because the elected member is not likely to go to
that village again.
I dont know whether the determination expressed by the chief of a
religious party (which has boycotted the elections this time) during the
last polls to raise the Star & Crescent on the Red Fort in Delhi should be
counted as a promise or not. Also one does not know if it was a promise
made to Pakistanis or to Indians.
I say this because it was not clear at that time whether it was Pakistanis
who were yearning to proceed to Delhi as its conquerors or the citizens of
Delhi itself who had secretly requested the party chief to come and take
over the Red Fort.
I remember somebody voicing the fear that the Indian government might
protest against the liberty taken by some of our leaders with the Red Fort.
But why should the Indians have protested? Why shouldnt they have laughed
instead? After all its just like one of us saying that hell plant the
Star & Crescent on the Kremlin one day. I mean if it is just a question of
bragging then let the boast be gargantuan at least.
If the study suggested by me was made it would have been interesting to see
if it was individual candidates who made the most bizarre promises or the
parties which did so on the basis of their avowed programmes. While the
parties are expected to know better, it has been proved in some cases that,
on an average, the collective level of wisdom and IQ of a group is lower
than that of its individual members.
So, whereas the moon has not yet been promised by any party, but a truly
enterprising one may hold out the vow in the future, that if it comes into
power it will send up everyone to the moon with the help of the United
States. (And, of course, unfurl the Star & Crescent there too!)
All that one can do now is to see to what extent the winning party (if it
is allowed to take over, that is) is sincere about honouring its
commitments and its mandate. But I must say that, on the whole, all the
parties contesting the elections this time were clever enough not to make
rash or idealistic promises. Probably they have realised after going
through three general elections in nine years that the people are no longer
willing to be taken for fools.
Also, there has been more of rhetoric than substance in their manifestos
apart from the fact that there was hardly any difference between the
manifestos of the three principal contestants. And when promises are kept
vague and flexible and it comes to interpreting the objectives set up in
them, there is always considerable ground for manoeuvrability.
Sometimes voters also make promises. I liked the story of the old man in
Jaranwala or somewhere who had been advised by his doctor not to smoke the
hookah for it was bad for his asthma. Since he wouldnt desist, his sons
took away his hubble-bubble. Failing to find it, and not considering life
worth living without it, the old man announced that any election candidate,
whatever his party, was welcome to the twelve votes in his family if he
(the candidate) provided him with a new hookah!
Jokes apart, elections are a serious business and one wishes that all
concerned the political parties, the candidates and the voters took
them seriously. The people of Pakistan have suffered grievously because of
repeated premature elections and one cant help praying that this may be
the last of such polls. It is not a nice feeling for national self-esteem
that we are incapable of making the right choices and are thereby let down
every three years or so.
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970130
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Punishing the corrupt
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Sultan Ahmed
AS the much-publicised process of accountability wends its way slowly and
uncertainly and the popular despair of its inefficacy rises after great
hopes had been raised for punishing the excessively corrupt, former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto says four governments had been sacked on charges of
corruption and yet nothing had been proved against them.
Not four governments were sacked on charges of corruption since 1988, but
three. Mr Mohammad Khan Junejo was sacked for disobedience to Gen. Zia
who had hand-picked him for appointment as prime minister after the 1985
partyless elections, and not on charges of corruption. And yet the fact is
that while she in her term could not punish anyone on charges of corruption
as she came to power in 1988, Mr Nawaz Sharif could not punish anyone
either as he became PM in 1990, nor could she punish anyone when she
returned to office in 1993. And what she could not do in three years the
caretakers cannot do in three months.
But all those regimes did make a number of senior officers OSDs, who were
rewarded amply by their successors and were the better for it. And few
persons were punished for involvement in the massive co-operative scam in
Punjab.
What does all that mean? Does it mean that corruption was not excessive
during those years or the process of detecting corruption, proving it in
courts and convicting the corrupt is faulty? Should the exercise be given
up, or a more effective system devised along with strengthening the vital
process of prevention?
Meanwhile, the government is doing its second best making those
contesting elections pay all their dues to the government, banks and the
utility companies. The amounts involved may not be too large in many cases,
but the government regards that something is better than nothing. As an
additional measure, those who win their seats will not be allowed to occupy
them until all the dues had been cleared. Such successful candidates could
have made many times more money through corruption than, they pay as dues
to official agencies, but until they are convicted through proper judicial
process they will continue to represent or misrule us.
Pakistan is not the only country which is helpless against political or
bureaucratic corruption. While India is battling against corruption with
the former prime minister Narasimha Rao as a major target with several of
his ministers, in Bangladesh Gen. Ershad, who was ousted from the
presidency in 1990, has been given bail by the Supreme Court in the last of
the seven cases of corruption and misrule. And with 30 seats for his Jatiya
Parishad Party in Parliament which it won while he was in jail he is
sounding very cocky and pours venom on politicians opposed to him.
The process was far more successful in Japan where the political process
eliminated several prime ministers as proof of corruption surfaced. Mighty
prime ministers like Tanaka left or were forced out by the party, while
some of the ministers were punished through the judicial process.
In South Korea former presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo were tried
by a tribunal and the first was sentenced to death and the second to life
imprisonment. Roh appeared on TV tearfully and confessed building a slush
fund of 650 million dollars for political purposes and retaining 200
million dollars for himself. He also shared small amounts of that fund with
the opposition figures which a few of them admitted. But in Pakistan we do
not have anyone of the politicians coming forward to confess their corrupt
deeds as they are hopeful the government may not be able to prove that.
In Italy the new government is weary of the prolonged corruption trials
after the magistrates took the lead in exposing corruption and the dirty
link between top officials and the mafias and got many of them punished. If
the process continues the trials may go into the 21st century and that can
drain energies of the establishment. But the people are opposed to any
leniency to the corrupt or reduced sentences to those confessing their
crimes and paying back the money. In Pakistan few are willing to give back
the loot as they are sure no one will get it from them. And as the corrupt
are too many in number they feel pretty safe.
Clearly the corrupt cannot be punished and the money they looted recovered
through the normal judicial process in Pakistan. And if special tribunals
or Kangaroo courts are set up the wrong people may be punished and the real
culprits would get away. The fact is that when too many persons violate the
laws and the state machinery, too, is a part of that, it is too difficult,
if not impossible, to enforce laws against the powerful and the rich. When
entire departments like the police or FIA are corrupt and collusive the big
fish will get away.
That is the kind of situation that we are facing. When vertical and
horizontal corruption spreads wide and gets institutionalised and the
corrupt politicians and bureaucrats are hand in glove, it becomes difficult
to eradicate it. We are moving closer to the Colombian situation, except
that they have cocaine there while we have heroin. President Ernesto Samper
was found to have accepted money from the drug mafia, particularly the
notorious Cali Cartel, for winning his 1994 election. The explosive scandal
led to the resignation of his defence and other ministers and he became the
prime accused. And he solved the problem by declaring a state of emergency
on the pretext of a rise in crimes. And Colombian Parliament instead of
impeaching or ousting him resolved that as its members were receiving the
same kind of drug money it should let go of the President.
We are now told accountability is here to stay and will continue after the
elections as well and those found guilty during or after the elections will
be unseated. That is right in principle. But will not the elected
Parliament act exactly as the Colombian Parliament did and let bygones be
bygones as the corrupt will be on both sides of the floor in Parliament? In
the past despite their fierce differences with each other the ruling
parties and the opposition were quick to act when it came to increasing the
MNAs allowances, perquisites, and privileges and took only minutes to pass
such bills, heedless of the cost to the nation.
As a concomitant, the Press which exposes the corruption and criminal deeds
of the officials may come to grief, as has been happening in Colombia.
Already there have been increasing attacks on Press photographers by the
police and others who want to deny photographic proof of their crimes.
Political parties too have not hesitated to attack newspaper office if any
reports enraged them.
However three institutions can now make a contribution to fight corruption:
The Ehtisab Commission, the Press and the judiciary. To what extent they
succeed in combating corruption remains to be seen as the problem is
overwhelming. Even in a modern country like Turkey former Prime Minister
Ciller, who faced grave charges of corruption, did not hesitate to form a
coalition government with the Pro-Islamic Welfare Party of Necmettin
Erbakan which she vehemently opposed earlier and become his foreign
minister in an effort to scuttle the anti-corruption drive. That shows to
what extent the corrupt at higher levels can go to save themselves from
punishment.
We have on one side the masses who are victims of widespread unemployment
and under-employment, of soaring inflation and high indirect taxation which
makes it far worse, and on the other side the changing political rulers and
the permanent network of bureaucrats who are exceedingly corrupt and flaunt
their ill gotten wealth and stay above the law.
How long can this stark contrast last and defy all attempts to reform it?
The people are told of the challenges and opportunities to come in the 21st
century and the hazards and rewards of the globalisation of the economy
under way and the communications revolution. But they are a people who are
overwhelmingly illiterate and the literate relapse into illiteracy often,
while the highly educated leaders behave more like the uneducated.
Caretaker Prime Minister Meraj Khalid urges the masses to revolt against
the rotten system, but if they do the police and Rangers will suppress
them ruthlessly.
The people were told that foreign aid will help them. But after receiving
56 billion dollars, with 11 billion dollars in the pipeline, the poor are
poorer for that while the rich are richer. They were told that development
would help the poor but that too has helped the rich far more and many of
them have now become major loan defaulters, too. The famous trickle down
theory of the World Bank and IMF did not work in favour of the poor.
Then there was the promise of safety nets for the poor but now we are told
the state does not have the funds and the need to reduce the budget deficit
to 4 per cent by June over-rides all other considerations.
We are now told the structural adjustment programme of the IMF will
eventually help the poor, though immediately it will cause greater pain.
But the people are not ready to believe that as such bitter-sweet
assurances had been held out from the top often in the past as well and
they failed.
All that makes the current demand and drive for accountability so
important. If it fails other methods must be devised quick. If not, revolt
and lawlessness can follow.
*******************************************************************
*********** DAWN - Election 97 DAWN - Election 97 *************
*******************************************************************
LIVE ELECTION 97 Coverage from DAWN
DAWN will carry live coverage of the Pakistani Elections on the Internet.
A special site has been designed for the purpose, which will open at 5pm
Pakistan Time (noon GMT) on Election Day (February 3). Be sure to visit
often since results will be updated as the Election Commission announces
them.
Main Site
www.DAWNelections.com
Backup Site
www.xiber.com/dawn/elections
===================================================================
970124
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Cricket team returning with trophy & pride intact
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Qamar Ahmed
SINGAPORE, Jan 23: The triumphant Pakistan cricket team was accorded a warm
send-off at Melbourne before taking their flight home.
With the World Series trophy in their bag and about 150,000 dollars prize
money and their pride intact they arrive home as the first Pakistan team to
have won a World Series in Australia after their impressive performance in
the preliminary matches and their two successive victories over the West
Indies in the best of three finals.
They won the first final by four wickets at Sydney and the second by 62
runs. After being shot out for 165 in the second final and bowling the West
Indies out for 103 runs. A long cherished goal was reached which no other
Pakistan team had the honour of doing so except the one in 1989-90, but
they too failed in the finals.
Our victory in the World Series is the result of team work, said Wasim
Akram. I consider myself lucky to be managing such a brilliant team.
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970125
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Mushtaq has doubts if players will play against India
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Sports Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 24: Pakistan cricket manager Mushtaq Mohammad has reservations
if leading players will be available for Mays tour of India. He, however,
hailed the decision to revive cricketing ties between the two countries.
Mushtaq, nevertheless, was unsure if star cricketers will be available to
tour India in May. I think most of the players are committed in England.
While some will be playing in County Championships, others have signed up
with clubs.
Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmad and Mohammad Akram are signed with
Lancashire, Glamorgan, Somerset and Northamptonshire respectively while
Mohammad Zahid, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Nazir and Ijaz Ahmad Senior have
signed with some clubs in league cricket, Mushtaq said.
The English cricket season starts in the third week of April. The players
who will play in England have informed their respective managements that
they will be available after the two-Test series against Sri Lanka late in
April. But this latest development might put them on a tricky wicket,
Mushtaq said.
Mushtaq stated that he himself came to know about the tour to India only
upon return. In fact, it is you who is telling me that we have to go to
India. Neither me nor the players know anything about this from official
sources.
However, Mushtaq said it was up to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to
think what they have to do. I think it is their (PCB) job to decide their
line of actionleave out those players, send a second string or request the
English clubs to release the players for two more weeks.
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970130
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Zeeshan Pervaiz returns home today
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Sports Reporter
KARACHI, Jan 30: Zeeshan Pervaiz, who was exonerated of rape charge by the
Kingston court, returns home on Thursday, family sources confirmed on
Wednesday.
Zeeshan was accused by an American citizen from Jamaican background, Mrs
Jewell Weekes, a 36-year-old mother of six (three from first husband and as
many from the second), of raping her in Jamaica on Aug 31 on the second day
of the three-day tour match when the Pakistan Under-19 team was in the
Caribbean in AugustSeptember last.
We have passed through a trauma and we are glad that everything is now
over, Zeeshans uncle said on Wednesday. We always knew that Zeeshan had
been framed up. We come from a religious background where the women remain
under veil.
He said Zeeshan was under tremendous mental pressure. I sometimes feared
that he might suffer from a nervous breakdown because one cooked up story
ruined his careercricketwhich meant and still means a lot to him besides
the respect and regard he lost.
Four of his West Indies touring team members viz Shahid Khan Afridi,
Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Zahid and Shahid Nazir made it to the Pakistan
cricket team and Zeeshan feels if this story had not been concocted he
might have toured Australia or could have been in South Africa with the
Under-19 team. After all, Zeeshan had performed outstandingly in the home
series against West Indies Under-19 a couple of months earlier.
Ali Sibtain Fazli, the lawyer who contested Zeeshan Pervaizs case, said
the matter would not have gone to the court had Zeeshan not had language
problem. Zeeshan failed to understand that the woman was demanding money
for the settlement of the case outside court when she said: `I want some
do. Zeeshan couldnt understand that `do meant dollars.
Fazli stated that though not enough matter could be collected against her
(Mrs Jewell Weekes), she still was a suspect character. She testified that
she had six children including, three from the second husband when she
still had her first marriage working well.
Fazli said not only the statements of Mrs Weekes three childrena stepson
(16), a son (14) and a daughter (13)contradicted their earlier statements,
the biggest point that went in Zeeshans favour was his return to Jamaica
to appear for the trial.
They were stunned to see us back. They said: `We were not expecting you
people back after he (Zeeshan) had been given a bail bond of 250,000
Jamaican dollars. We developed our argument mainly on this background
saying that Zeeshan has returned to an alien country, alien people and
alien court only because he feels that he has been framed.
After the trial, Fazli continued, the jury called Zeeshan in its chamber
and personally apologised for all the disturbance in the six months he
underwent.
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