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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 02 October 1999 Issue : 05/40
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Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
Extracts, not exceeding 50 lines, can be used provided that this
entire header is included at the beginning of each extract.
We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at:
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mail DAWN Group of Newspapers
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Please send all Editorials and Letters to the Editor at
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(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1999
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CONTENTS
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NATIONAL NEWS
+ Sectarian Violence Claims 18 lives: 13 killed in Karachi attacks
+ President calls for making navy stronger
+ COAS rules out probe into Kargil issue
+ Musharraf to stay on as JCSC, army chief
+ Special envoy on Kashmir: Pakistan hails US lawmakers' move
+ US wants Pakistan, India to hold direct talks
+ Pakistan links CTBT signing to lifting of sanctions
+ LoC crossing: India hopes Pakistan will restrain Kashmiris
+ GDA leaders ask Nawaz to step down immediately
+ PM, Chief Ministers review situation
+ Detained PPP, MQM leaders released
+ Sindh's share main issue: Centre's takeover of highway delayed
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BUSINESS & ECONOMY
+ Economic revival: Cabinet body for cut in interest rates
+ Consensus on minimum cotton price reached
+ Dar extends stay in US to clinch deal with Hubco
+ Airlines cut fares in face of growing competition
+ Govt may levy 15% import duty on oilseeds
+ Duty exemption certificates not to be honoured
+ Gold trading remains suspended
+ Missions allowed to withdraw money in foreign currency
+ Govt, oil firm reach price accord
+ Arrangements for filing of IT returns
+ Killings halt stock market's upward journey
EDITORIALS & FEATURES
+ The faultline Ardeshir Cowasjee
+ Edward Said fights for his past Irfan Husain
+ No coup, no nothing Ayaz Amir
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SPORTS
+ Wasim retained as captain for entire international season
+ Sindh Governor inaugurates Asian Sailing Championship
+ Accused cricketers deny match-fixing charges
+ SHC restrains PCB from interfering in KCCA affairs
+ Pakistan's squash squad touches rock-bottom
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NATIONAL NEWS
991002
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Sectarian Violence Claims 18 lives: 13 killed in Karachi attacks
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Sarfaraz Ahmed & Arman Sabir
KARACHI, Oct 1: At least 13 people were killed by unidentified
armed men in a fresh wave of sectarian violence in the city on
Friday. Nine of them were killed in an attack on Imambargah Hur
during Fajr prayers at Alfalah Colony and four others were shot
dead outside a Sunni-sect madressah at North Karachi.
The Friday killings in Karachi brought the number of those killed
during the current year in sectarian attacks in the country to 95,
which include the murder in Multan of a person belonging to a
religious group on Friday.
According to eye-witness accounts, some 19 people were in the
mosque when the assailants opened fire at 5.42am. They fired some
500 rounds at intervals. The Pesh Imam of the Hur Mosque, one of
the injured, said the worshippers had just stood up for the prayers
when the attack came.
Highly agitated protesters later in the day set on fire at least
one vehicle and caused damage to many other vehicles by pelting
them with stones. Besides, there took place an exchange of fire
between unidentified people and police. The protesters set up
bonfires in the middle of railway tracks.
In the evening, two unidentified assailants equipped with automatic
weapons and riding a car opened indiscriminate firing on the people
coming out of Jamia Farooqia near Shafiq More in North Karachi,
resulting in the instant death of three persons. Unknown assailants
made their escape good.
Shops and markets remained closed in the area since the morning and
area was tense. The police and law enforcement agencies took up the
position in the area to control the situation.
Shopkeepers pulled down their shutters in all the Shia-dominated
localities of the city such as Ancholi in Federal B Area.
On Tuesday Secretary General of Tehrik-i-Jafria Pakistan, Syed
Khurhshid, was gunned down in Dera Ismail Khan, along with daughter
and a guard. His killing led to widespread protest demonstration in
the city.
The Divisional President of TJP Gujranwala, Ijaz Hussein Rasool
Nagri, was shot dead outside his residence by unidentified
assailants on Thursday. His five-year-old daughter was also injured
in the attack.
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991001
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President calls for making navy stronger
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Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 30: The second indigenously-designed and built
missile craft, PNS Shujaat, was commissioned in the Pakistan Navy
fleet on Thursday. The 39-meter-long craft, which was fitted with
the latest electronic warfare system, including surface-to-surface
Chinese-made missile capable of hitting the enemy targets over 100
kms, was the first such vessel built at the Karachi Shipyard and
Engineering Works. It has been designed by the Pakistan Navy with
assistance from China.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, President Mohammad Rafiq
Tarar emphasised the need for having a strong navy to serve the
cause of peace. "The best way in which we can serve the cause of
peace is by removing the temptation from the minds of potential
aggressors by maintaining a strong posture," said the president
while emphasising that Pakistan had no hegemonic or aggressive
designs.
He said that having a strong navy was Pakistan's fundamental right
and endorsed Pakistan Navy's warship construction programme through
resources available at the Karachi Shipyard.
Describing the construction of the missile craft at the Karachi
Shipyard and Engineering Works a "significant milestone" ,President
Tarar noted that the shipyard in collaboration with the Pakistan
Navy was in position to offer to build submarines and warships for
friendly countries.
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991001
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COAS rules out probe into Kargil issue
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Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman and
Chief of Army Staff General Pervaiz Musharraf on Thursday refuted
the impression that Kargil was a misadventure, and said: "I do not
agree to it; rather in my view it was a great military success".
The army chief was talking to newsmen at a reception at the Chinese
embassy on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of
People's Republic of China. He was asked whether Kargil was a
misadventure.
Gen Musharraf was asked: " Are you comfortable with the prime
minister?. "He replied: " Yes, very comfortable."
Asked to comment on a government's notification regarding his
confirmation as Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen
Musharraf, who was looking calm and confident, said it was the
government's decision.
To a question whether he was visiting garrisons to pacify the
jawans over Kargil, the COAS said he had been visiting his troops
and holding frank talks with them. "It is the moral duty of an army
chief to visit troops to congratulate them on their performance and
success".
He agreed with a questioner that Kargil had helped project the
Kashmir issue, and expressed the hope that " the Kashmir issue
would be settled in near future".
Asked whether the troops had been withdrawn during the Kargil
crisis, " at your behest, for Pakistan troops were unable to
fight", he said: " If an army chief says like this about his troops
then he should resign".
Responding to a question, Gen Musharraf ruled out an inquiry into
the Kargil issue. He said:" There is no need for any inquiry
because it was not a failure, rather it was a great success and we
have learnt from it".
He hoped that the government would take a decision about signing of
the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in the best national interest.
Asked if there was any pressure from the army on the government not
to sign the CTBT, Gen Musharraf said: "No, there is no such
pressure. But the armed forces strongly believe that the government
would take a decision about signing the treaty ( CTBT) in the best
national interest".
When his attention was drawn to press reports that the COAS had
suggested to the government to withdraw Mujahideen from Kargil, he
termed them incorrect.
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990930
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Musharraf to stay on as JCSC, army chief
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Ihtasham ul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: President Rafiq Tarar here on Wednesday
confirmed the appointment of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)
General Pervaiz Musharraf as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee as well since the day he took over the acting charge of
the post on October 6, 1998. His tenure as both the COAS and the
CJCSC will now end on October 6, 2001.
General Musharraf, who was made the COAS and the acting CJCSC when
General Jehangir Karamat had resigned from the two posts in October
last year, has been confirmed as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee by the president under Article 243(2)(c) of the
Constitution of Pakistan on the advice of the prime minister.
The Article 243(2)(c) of the Constitution says, "the president
shall subject to law, have power to appoint (on the advise of the
prime minister) the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the
Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief
of the Air Staff, and determine their salaries and allowances".
This clause which earlier had given the discretion in this respect
to the president had been amended suitably to provide for the
advise of the prime minister in such appointments when the 13th
Constitutional Bill was passed by the parliament in early 1997.
The decision to confirm the COAS in the position of the CJCSC has
come in the wake of two meetings which Punjab Chief Minister
Shahbaz Sharif and Federal Petroleum Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali
Khan had held with the COAS, first on September 22 and again on
September 24.
These meetings between the COAS and the prime minister's two
closest confidantes, one being his own brother and the other the
brother of the defence secretary, were being viewed here as highly
significant as they had closely followed the US State Department's
warning (on September 20) to "political and military actors" that
the US would "strongly oppose" any attempt to overthrow the
government.
In the aftermath of the Kargil crisis, reports had been circulating
in the media that the prime minister and the army chief had
developed serious differences. However, quarters close to both had
strongly contradicted such reports.
"Now when the general has been made the full-fledged Chairman Joint
Chiefs of Staff Committee, rumours of differences between the two
will hopefully come to an end," a source close to the government
said.
App adds: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has extended the
tenure of the additional charge of the office of Chairman, Joint
Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), held by General Parvaiz
Musharraf, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), upto October 6,
2001.
An official notification issued here Wednesday said that the
additional charge was originally assigned to him until April 8,
2000.
Commenting on the decision, a spokesman at the Prime Minister's
office expressed the hope that the "step will once and for all set
at rest the uncalled rumours and speculation about the change of
command in army, that certain vested interests were fanning in
pursuance of their political agenda."
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990930
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Special envoy on Kashmir: Pakistan hails US lawmakers' move
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ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: Pakistan on Wednesday welcomed the US
legislators' move, urging the Clinton Administration to appoint a
special envoy on Kashmir as a "positive development" and described
it an "important signal" underlining the urgency of resolving the
Kashmir dispute.
A Foreign Office spokesman, commenting on the move by influential
US senators and congressmen, stated that the "major powers' role on
the Kashmir dispute and this option were overdue for a long time as
Kashmir was the oldest issue on the UN agenda."
"This is a positive development. We will welcome this," he said
when contacted to comment on the American legislators' letter sent
to President Bill Clinton, asking him to appoint a special envoy on
Kashmir and propose strengthening the UN Military Observers Group
to monitor the situation along the Line of Control.
The spokesman described the development as an important signal to
the US administration on the Kashmir issue, saying that Washington
had been playing a very active role on international issues since
the end of the Cold War.
He referred to America's influential role in the Middle East peace
process, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo and more recently East
Timor.
The spokesman also described the move as an important signal for
New Delhi which should realise that if India did not solve the
issue "there will be international involvement."
On its part, the spokesman said, Islamabad had been asking New
Delhi to enter into result-oriented negotiations for the settlement
of the Kashmir dispute as well as called for international
involvement on the issue.
The Foreign Office spokesman said Pakistan had been all along
canvassing with the US Congress and the American legislators's
stress on the resolution of the Kashmir issue was in line with
Islamabad's stand. The letter, signed by more than 60 American
lawmakers, including powerful Senator and Chairman Foreign
Relations Committee, Jesse Helms, described Kashmir as "the most
dangerous nuclear flashpoint in the world today."
Reminding President Clinton of his commitment to take a personal
interest in encouraging India and Pakistan to resume and intensify
their dialogue on Kashmir, the US lawmakers called for his timely
intervention to help defuse the crisis in Kashmir.
The spokesman also appreciated the role of American Pakistani
community in this regard and said they actively lobbied with the US
legislators.
The US legislators have written that the envoy could recommend him
"ways of ascertaining the wishes of the Kashmir people and reaching
a just and lasting settlement of the Kashmir issue." -APP
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990929
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US wants Pakistan, India to hold direct talks
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UNITED NATIONS, Sept 28: Secretary of State Madeline Albright urged
Pakistan and India - South Asian rivals who conducted landmark
nuclear tests last year - to resume a direct dialogue on bilateral
issues like Kashmir soon after a new Indian government takes office
next month.
Albright also pressed Pakistan to make good on a commitment to sign
the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) banning nuclear tests, a
US official said.
She also expressed concern over anti- democratic trends in Pakistan
and resisted Islamabad's call for an early further easing of U.S.
sanctions.
The U.S. position was conveyed in a 45-minute meeting between
Albright and Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz that the U.S. side later
described as "frank," diplomatic code word for tough and pointed.
Albright met her Pakistani counterpart after holding talks with
Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh on the fringes of the U.N.
General Assembly.
In her meeting with Aziz, she objected to the Sept. 25 arrest by
Pakistani police of several hundred people prior to a planned
demonstration in Karachi, officials said.
They said she reinforced a State Department statement accusing
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government of attempting to "suppress
a peaceful protest" and expressing fresh concern about "mass
arrests of opposition political party members in connection with
peaceful demonstrations."
"We support the strengthening of democracy in Pakistan and call
upon Prime Minister Sharif and his government to carry out their
responsibility to preserve the rights of free speech and peaceful
assembly," it said.
U.S. officials told Reuters recently that in addition to concerns
about government repression, they were worried about possible
attempts by the army and political opponents to overthrow Sharif's
government. But Albright's focus on Monday was on government
behaviour, the senior official said.
Before the meeting, Aziz publicly announced that, despite a promise
last year, Pakistan could not yet sign the CTBT because of a
"coercive environment." This referred to U.S. sanctions imposed
because of Pakistan's nuclear programme.
Albright urged Pakistan to sign and ratify the treaty soon and told
Aziz that because lifting sanctions depends on action by the U.S.
Congress, "it is not possible ... to give assurances," the official
said.
She noted that since last year's nuclear tests, the United States
had gone out of its way to help Pakistan, easing restrictions on
trade assistance, reimbursing Islamabad for an aborted purchase of
F-16 jets and supporting international loans to help boost
Pakistan's troubled economy.
"So we believe that we are already moving toward that less coercive
environment and we hope Pakistan would be able to respond with
concrete steps of its own," she said, according to the senior
official.
No date was set for Clinton's visit, the first to South Asia by a
U.S. president in two decades. But U.S. officials have said they
are looking to arrange the trip as early as January and no later
than March.
A firm date, and other fundamental decisions, are not expected
until after a new Indian government takes office next month.-
Reuters
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991002
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Pakistan links CTBT signing to lifting of sanctions
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WASHINGTON, Oct 1: Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz said on Thursday
Pakistan would not sign an international treaty banning nuclear
weapons tests until the United States further eased economic
sanctions.
Addressing the Woodrow Wilson Centre think-tank, he denied Pakistan
had added new conditions to its position, although some American
analysts say that is what has happened.
"There is no change in our position," Aziz insisted.
"Pakistan is ready (to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) in
an atmosphere free from coercion," he said, referring to long-
standing U.S. economic sanctions imposed because of Islamabad's
nuclear weapons programme.
The minister, in the United States for the opening of the U.N.
General Assembly in New York, said his government was looking for
quick passage by the U.S. Congress of a new law providing a five-
year waiver of some sanctions and repeal of others.
This would allow Pakistan to acquire military spare parts and
defence equipment needed to "maintain the credibility of our
conventional defence," he said.
"Such removal of the coercive environment will, in turn, enable our
prime ministers to build domestic support for adherence to the
CTBT," he said.
Aziz charged that religious fundamentalism had much greater popular
support in India than Pakistan and he accused India's ruling BJP
party of "systematic violence and murder" against Muslims and other
religious minorities.
He denied that extremist groups, including bin Laden's, were part
of a cohesive network and said the Taliban were not engaged in
terrorist activity.
Aziz also argued that the United States could help counter
extremism in South Asia by generating economic development in
Pakistan and Afghanistan.-Reuters
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990929
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LoC crossing: India hopes Pakistan will restrain Kashmiris
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NEW DELHI, Sept 28: India hopes Pakistan will not allow freedom
fighters to cross the military line of control into disputed
Kashmir region, a senior official said on Tuesday.
"Our feeling is that Pakistan will not act so rashly as to allow
them to cross the Line of Control but if they do, we are prepared
for it," India's National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra told the
television channel Star News.
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which wants
independence for Kashmir, has said thousands of unarmed supporters
will cross onto occupied Kashmir on Oct 4 to draw attention to its
cause.
Mishra said it was a matter of concern for India. "It's a matter of
concern if they try to cross and you shoot at people, obviously it
is a matter of concern if you have to do that....but we're prepared
for it," Mishra told Star News.
Mishra said India was not worried about news reports that Pakistan
planned a test firing of its Ghauri III missile on Wednesday, and
said Islamabad ruin its economy if went ahead with the project.-
Reuters
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990930
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GDA leaders ask Nawaz to step down immediately
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Correspondent
MULTAN, Sept 29: Leaders of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) on
Wednesday said that Nawaz Sharif should step down immediately as he
had committed the offence of high treason by taking extra-
constitutional measures, damaging the institutions of Judiciary and
armed forces and because of his failure on all fronts. They said
that if Nawaz did not resign, people would oust him.
The demand was made at the end of a three-hour rally which started
from Nawan Shehr Chowk and terminated at Daulat-Gate Chowk after
passing through Abdali Road, Pul-Shawala, Bohar-Gate, Shaheen-
Market, Haram-Gate, Pak-Gate, Khuni-Burj and Delhi-Gate.
The rally was led by Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan (PDP), Imran Khan
(PTI), Allama Tahir-ul-Qadri (PAT), Rao Sikandar Iqbal (PPP),
Asfand Yar Wali (ANP), Mairaj Muhammad Khan (QMA), Khurshid Shah,
Makhdoom Amin Faheem, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani (PPP) and Hamid Nasir
Chattha (PML).
The gathering was dominated by PDP and Awami Tehreek activists. The
PPP and Tehrik-i-Insaf supporters were also in large number.
Allama Tahir-ul-Qadri said the statement of the State Department
regarding the role of armed forces in Pakistan was an interference
in the country's internal affairs and an attack on the sovereignty,
independence, prestige and security of Pakistan.
He alleged that the Nawaz government was using police and law-
enforcement agencies against the opposition. He said the electronic
media was also being misused by the rulers for personal coverage.
He said the higher courts should take notice of extra-
constitutional steps of the PML government, particularly in Sindh,
usurping of human rights, gagging the Press and negating the rights
of expression.
He said the government did not appoint the judges of the Supreme
Court in the light of judgment of March 20, 1996. He further said
that about 30,000 people were recruited on contract basis on the
recommendations of MPAs and MNAs which was a violation of the Civil
Services Act, 1976.
Allama Tahir-ul-Qadri said that Punjab chief minister had ended the
authority of the centre by inviting foreign investors directly to
the Punjab. Tehrik-i-Insaf Chief Imran Khan said that the days of
the present rulers were numbered. Now even the United States cannot
save Nawaz, he said.
He said that Nawaz Sharif was ready to accept the Indian hegemony
in South Asia by signing the CTBT unilaterally. He said that
corruption had increased while Nawaz wanted to sell out Pakistan
like a sick unit and a sense of deprivation was developing among
the smaller provinces. He ruled out the possibility of an in-house
change.
Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan enumerated the objective of the rally and
said the massive turnout, inspite of scorching heat in Multan, had
established that people did not want to see the PML government in
power any more.
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991002
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PM, chief ministers review situation
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: In a high level meeting on Friday, chaired by the
prime minister, law and order situation was reviewed with special
reference to the recent wave of sectarian violence in the country.
It was announced that the government would deal sternly with the
elements who were playing in the hands of the enemies and would
spare no one involved in sectarian violence.
According to a high placed government official, prime minister
asked all the chief ministers and his advisor on Sindh to take
effective measures to combat sectarian violence. the prime minister
expressed his dissatisfaction over the performance of the law
enforcement agencies which had failed to control the violence, the
official said.
The meeting was attended by the chief ministers of Punjab, NWFP,
Balochistan and PM advisor on Sindh, interior minister, minister
for Kashmir affairs and Northern Areas and religious minister. All
the chief secretaries of the provinces, secretary interior and
principal secretary to the prime minister were also present.
The meeting discussed the recent wave of sectarian violence in the
country with special reference to sectarian violence in Karachi on
Friday and considered the reports of the secret agencies.
After three hours long meeting which ended around 10:30pm, it was
announced that the elements who were endangering the lives of the
citizens would be dealt with iron hand and nobody, whosoever was
involved in anti-social activities, would be spared.
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991001
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Detained PPP, MQM leaders released
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Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 30: The detained PPP and MQM leaders who were not
released till Wednesday were granted bail on Thursday by a sessions
court.
Ms Naheed Khan, Munawwar Suharwardy, MPA Abdul Khaliq Juma of the
PPP and Senator Atfab Ahmed Shakih of the Muttahida were granted
bail against a surety of Rs 20,000 each by Additional District and
Sessions Judge South, Abdul Rasool Memon.
The opposition leaders were sent to jail by the administration to
thwart anti-government rally on Sept 25.
Senator Shaikh, who was realised from Landhi jail, said he was kept
in "solitary confinement" for six days during which even his wife
was not allowed to meet him.
Deploring the government, he claimed that out of vengeance his wife
was not allowed to see him and was told that it was "not the
policy." He said that violation of section 144 was not such an
offence.
Senator Shaikh said the food was hopeless and the general condition
in the jail was appalling and unhygienic.
He alleged that the new in charge of Landhi jail had been deputed
by Syed Ghous Ali Shah to do manipulate things according to his
wish.
Senator Shaikh deplored the government action of suppressing the
voice of dissent.
He said that despite production orders by the Senate chairman, he
was not sent to Islamabad to attend the session commencing on
Thursday and the authorities delayed the bail formalities.
The judge issued a common order disposing of bail application of
Munawwar Suharwardy, Abdul Khaliq Juma, Nahid Khan and Aftab
Shaikh, against whom a case under section 188 PPC had been
registered. The applicants had been declined bail by SDM Civil
Lines vide order dated Sept 27.
The judge observed that allegations against them briefly were that
they were the active members of the procession on Sept 25, which
was in violation of the section 144 Cr.P.C. Pursuant to the
registration of the FIRs, various persons having affiliation with
the political parties were arrested.
Many of them were granted bail but the above mentioned leaders were
refused bail mainly on the ground that main role had been assigned
to the present applicants.
The judge in his ruling said he had heard the counsel for the
applicants and the deputy district attorney, Miss Zainab Hamirani.
The later "frankly conceded to the grant of bail", the judged said.
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991001
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Sindh's share main issue: Centre's takeover of highway delayed
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Rafaqat Ali
ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: The handing over of the Karachi-Hyderabad Super
Highway to the federal government has been delayed, at least, for
one more week. The federal government, after taking possession of
the road, will hand it over to the Fauji Foundation for its
conversion into a six-lane Motorway.
Malik Aslam, NHA Member (Motorways), told Dawn on Thursday that
there some bottlenecks which he hoped would be cleared within a
week or so.
The government has signed a contract with the Fauji Foundation for
the conversion of the four-lane Super Highway into a six-lane
motorway at an estimated cost of Rs 8 billion.
The concession agreement for handing over the road to the Fauji
Foundation for 25 years was signed on June 21, 1999. The road,
according to the government, will be converted into a motorway on
build, operate, transfer (BOT) basis.
The government of Sindh has been opposing the conversion of the
existing road into a motorway. It has taken the plea that the
province will be deprived of one source of revenue generation.
It is learnt that negotiations on Sindh's demand that the federal
government should pay "lease money" for getting possession of the
road will continue. The federal government, which is of the view
that the Super Highway is already a federal road, has not so far
committed anything in this regard.
The federal government is seeking mutation of the land as the
contractor required the document to raise finances.
According to the existing arrangement, the Sindh government
collects toll tax from the road users. The contractor, Fauji
Foundation, will start collecting toll tax on the existing four
lanes. It will construct two additional lanes and fence the road.
Informed sources said that the issue pertaining to toll tax
collection from Super Highway and Sindh government's share from the
tax has yet to be resolved.
Sindh government which is already faced with financial crunch has
reportedly pleaded with the people at the helm of affairs to sort
out the issue of toll tax collection prior to formal handing over
of Super Highway to National Highway Authority or Fauji Foundation
so that the province might not lose a handsome amount of revenue
which it generates from toll tax charged from vehicles plying on
it.
Elaborating, the sources said that advisor to the prime minister
for Sindh affairs, Syed Ghaus Ali Shah, who has already discussed
the issue with prime minister recently, will shortly visit
Islamabad for the resolution of toll tax issue.
===================================================================
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
990929
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Economic revival: Cabinet body for cut in interest rates
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Sept 28: The cabinet committee, constituted for economic
revival, has recommended revival of viable sick industrial units,
bringing down interest rates of the banks and removing multiplicity
of taxes.
"The cabinet committee invited here on Tuesday many top
international bankers and sought their recommendations to
drastically revive the economy of the country", said Deputy
Chairman Planning Commission Ahsan Iqbal.
He told Dawn after the meeting, during which prominent exporters
and senior officials of the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) were
also present, that the cabinet committee has formulated new
recommendations as to how to revive the sick industrial units, cut
down the interest rate of the commercial banks and reduce the
number of taxes. "We are still in the process of finalizing our
recommendations to be shortly placed before the cabinet for final
approval", Ahsan Iqbal said who is also the chairman of the
Programme 2010.
To a question, he said it will take maximum a week or ten days to
finalize the recommendations by the cabinet committee.
For increasing exports, the committee proposed recruitment of
highly proficient staff with requisite expertise, setting up of
export cells by commercial banks, shifting of roles of Pakistan
missions from politics to economics and improvement in skills of
Pakistan work force in export-oriented industries.
The meeting was chaired by the Federal Minister for Water and Power
Gohar Ayub Khan in the absence of Minister for Finance and Commerce
Ishaq Dar, who is currently visiting the United States.
The meeting was attended by Law Minister Khalid Anwar, Minister for
Labour and Manpower Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Chief Coordinator of
programme 2010 Ahsan Iqbal, State Minister for Water and Power
Haleem Siddiqui, senior local and foreign bankers and high
officials of the economic organizations.
The committee undertook phenomenal measures for revamping
agriculture, industrial output, exports, foreign direct investment
and home remittances.
For streamlining agriculture, the committee suggested starting of
one window operation for extension of agriculture credit in all the
provinces, revamping of ADBP by inducting professional people both
on its board and management incorporation of provisions for loans
to small farmers for acquisition of agricultural technology in the
rural agriculture credit scheme.
For attracting foreign direct investment, the committee proposed
provision of incentives to foreign investor for 5 years after his
undertaking of investment in Pakistan, resolution of IPP issues,
reviewing cash flow problems confronting investors so that foreign
firms can get credit facilities to expand their projects.
For home remittances the committee proposed to hasten the process
of delivery of all remittances to the recipient's door step.
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991001
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Consensus on minimum cotton price reached
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA)
and PML MNAs from cotton belt championing the cause of growers, on
Thursday, reached an agreement to end the ongoing crisis over
cotton prices, here on Thursday.
Under the agreement, official sources claimed, the government
intends to fix raw cotton minimum procurement price at Rs835 per
40kg and lint price at Rs1936 per bale.
Under the agreement, sources added, federal government has
constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of
federal minister for food, agriculture and livestock Abdul Sattar
Lalika with the mandate to review the cotton situation after every
10 days and take decisions to protect the interest of all the
parties.
Sources said Punjab chief minister was made chairman of a cabinet
committee on cotton on Wednesday to resolve the cotton price issue
within 24 hours. He held a meeting on Wednesday night at Islamabad,
which was attended by MNAs from cotton belt, Chairman Pakistan
Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) and officials of both the
miniseries of commerce and agriculture.
Sources said after long deliberations and discussion, all the
participants agreed to fix the procurement prices of raw and lint
cotton "in the best interest of the country". It has also been
decided that on federal government's behalf, Trading Corporation of
Pakistan (TCP) would procure cotton from the growers at fixed price
of Rs835 per 40kg and will further sell it to the ginners at
appropriate price.
When contacted by Dawn, a member of this new cotton committee and
PML MNA who refused to be identified, confirmed the news of
agreement between the APTMA and growers' representative.
However, when pressed he refused to divulge information about this
agreement saying "all the participants were strictly directed by
Shahbaz Sharif that no one but the prime minister himself would
announce the details".
To a question that weather the agitating growers who were demanding
Rs1000 and above for 40kg raw cotton will accept this agreement, he
replied that whatever they (MNAs lobby) could do, they have done so
in the best interest of both the country and the growers.
He was of the view that cotton growers also needed to understand
that the prices of cotton at international market are getting
depressed day by day. So this price formula was favourable for the
growers in these circumstances.
Our Staff Reporter from Karachi adds: Government has fixed the
minimum procurement prices for both phutti (seedcotton) and lint
cotton at Rs835.00 and Rs1,936.00 per 40kg, respectively, but APTMA
bosses opposed the move terming it an "official intervention in
free cotton trade".
Representative of the spinners opposing the move said APTMA would
give its view after holding a general body meeting.
According to reports reaching here APTMA highups held their meeting
to finalize a consensus on the issue but details were not available
as it was in session.
The Trading Corporation to which the job of procurement is said to
have been assigned will enter the market after phutti or lint
prices fall below the minimum price of Rs835.00 and Rs1,936.00 per
40kg but it may keep off the market when prices seek higher levels
depending on supply and demand factors, market sources said.
"Let the government procure cotton to benefit growers and ginners
but allow us duty-free import on lint", a spinners is reported to
have told the meeting. The local prices are claimed to be higher
than the foreign ones.
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991002
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dar extends stay in US to clinch deal with Hubco
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Oct 1: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar extended his stay
here on Friday to clinch a deal with Hubco to break the deadlock
that has become the main obstacle to the $280 million IMF tranche
for Pakistan.
An official of the embassy's economic division said Mr Dar was
involved in intense negotiations, sometimes on a one-to-one basis,
with Hubco high-ups."At one stage he asked the finance secretary
and the Pakistan Embassy's economic counsellor to leave the room,"
the official told Dawn.
Some sketchy outlines of the deal revealed by the official indicate
that Mr Dar is trying to agree with Hubco on a formula to stagger
the payments over a period of time so that the debilitating impact
of the payment is not felt in one go.
" They are discussing how the payments could be made in
instalments, over an agreed period, without cutting down the
amounts that have to be paid to Hubco," the official revealed.
The formula was to make the payments that had been contracted with
Hubco but over an extended period of time, the official said.
Asked about the progress in talks with the IMF, Mr Aziz told
Pakistani correspondents, present in the embassy, that he had no
information about Mr Dar's talks with the IMF, World Bank or Hubco.
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991001
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Airlines cut fares in face of growing competition
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Kamal Siddiqi
KARACHI, Sept 30: It took a lone TU-154 passenger aircraft, which
landed in Karachi airport on Sept 25, to unleash the latest round
of tariff wars in Pakistan's domestic aviation sector.
The aircraft, acquired by Raji Airlines, promises to rock the
already shaky aviation market at a time when things had finally
started to improve for other carriers in the business.
The same day, officials at the national carrier, PIA, unveiled a
massive discount scheme for its customers as another intense air
fare war was triggered off by the re-entry of Raji Airlines, which
again promises to offer cheap rates to the travelling public.
Fare wars are not new to Pakistan ever since the government opened
up the domestic aviation sector in 1993 to local carriers. Since
then, a number of airlines have come, and some have even gone,
because of the stiff competition prevalent.
In the case of Raji Airlines, it closed down operations after a
year of service in 1994 because of various reasons. After five
years of planning and subsequent reorganization, the airline has
once again surfaced.
The man behind Raji Airlines, Captain Aijaz Rab, insists that his
airline's real competition is not in the sky but firmly on the
ground.
Rab's strategy is to get railway passengers to pay a little more
for sake of safety, convenience and time, and fly with his airline
instead. While this may seem strange in other countries, the fares
charged by Pakistan Railways for its airconditioned coaches is
barely 30% lower than what domestic air carriers say they will be
charging the travelling public.
Raji Airlines plans to break the Rs 2,000 barrier between Lahore-
Karachi sector for a one way ticket: a fare that competitors are
unable to offer.
It is mavericks like Rab of Raji, Tabani of Aero Asia and Faizi of
Bhoja Air who are making a place for themselves through sheer grit
and determination, without help from official quarters.
The local airlines are already facing up to the pinch of the new
entrant, Raji Airlines. While domestic air travel has been growing
at an impressive rate in Pakistan ever since the sector was opened
up to private operators in 1993, it is still not that big to cater
for the national carrier and four private carriers. This is
reflected in the load being carried by all the carriers, which is
lower than the business they were doing in their initial years.
With cut throat competition, the passenger emerges the winner. But
that only happens when the regulatory body ensures that the
airlines are not cutting corners that may affect flight safety. In
this area, the CAA has been seen to be partial to PIA. A fact that
the other airline companies vocally attest to privately.
The senate's standing committee on aviation has alluded to this
fact in its meetings in July and has once again told the CAA that
no compromise should be made on the safety angle of aircraft.
In the case of PIA, its marketing strategies have not been able to
press home its advantages as the biggest carrier in the business. A
widely publicised plan to run flights between Karachi, Islamabad
and Lahore on an hourly or two-hourly basis fell flat after flights
were operated largely empty in the first few months forcing the
management to abandon the idea.
In 1998-99, the opening of the northern gateway - which allowed
foreign airlines to directly service stations like Islamabad,
Lahore and Peshawar, led to a 15% decline in the domestic passenger
market. Similarly, the Lahore-Islamabad motorway has affected air
traffic between the two cities.
PIA says that it controlled the lion's share of the market with
70.5% share on domestic routes while Aero Asia had 17.5%, Shaheen
Airlines 5.5% with Bhoja having under 5% market share.
Notwithstanding the fact that airline travelling public has
increased substantially, this has not necessarily meant better
loads for operating airlines.
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991002
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Govt may levy 15% import duty on oilseeds
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: The federal government is once again considering
imposition of import duty on sunflower and canola seeds for
crushing/commercial purpose following the reports of over-invoicing
by the solvent importers.
Official sources said here on Friday that the government is
actively considering to levy 15 per cent duty along with 10 per
cent general sales tax on imported commercial oilseeds.
Sources said the prime minister Nawaz Sharif has already sought a
report from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) regarding
duty structure after cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Sources added
the prime minister was approached by those PML MNAs/ ministers who
have oil mills to get the duty imposed on oilseed import.
Under the present tariff structure, the import duty on oilseed will
be zero, if LC price of imported commodity is $240 or more per
metric ton, sources added.
Sources claimed that the federal government has learnt that
oilseeds importers are over-invoicing all imports at $240 and above
per metric ton irrespective of international prices which are
reportedly lower presently to avail zero duty benefits.
A ministerial source claimed that the issue of zero import duty was
raised by the minister of state for foreign affairs, Mohammad Sadik
Khan Kanju, who told the cabinet on Wednesday that import of
oilseeds under zero duty regime would play havoc with the local
oilseed development programmes.
Meanwhile, sources said following the reports of imposition of duty
on oilseeds import, both the Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers'
Association (PVMA) and All Pakistan Solvent Extraction Association
(APSEA) have suddenly become active to get their own ends met and
have contacted the government to get their points of views
accommodated.
Sources said the PVMA that is demanding imposition of import duty
on oilseeds, in a letter addressed to the federal minister for
finance and commerce, Ishaq Dar has advocated fixation of tariff on
import of commercial canola/rapeseed and sunflower.
It said the issue of oilseed import at zero tariff was adversely
affecting incentives given to the local growers in the form of crop
support price.
Meanwhile, official sources said the All Pakistan Solvent Oil
Extraction Association in a communication to the government has
strongly opposed this proposed imposition of import duty saying all
the solvent units were already running under capacity due to
limited availability of local oilseed crops.
The zero duty regime, the association claimed had greatly helped
revival of sick solvent units in the country.
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991001
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Duty exemption certificates not to be honoured
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has directed all
the Customs Collectors not to honour duty-exemption certificates
issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on import of goods by
diplomats, diplomatic missions, foreign-assisted NGOs etc.
The CBR notified the directive through a Customs General Order No
36, dated Sept 29, '99, which says:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been authorised to issue
exemption certificates in respect of personal/household effects
including vehicles belonging to foreign diplomats and goods
imported by foreign missions under the provisions of Diplomatic and
Counsellor Act, '72, read with notification No SRO 505 (I)/88,
dated June 26, '88.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also authorised to allow
subsequent disposal of these goods n terms of SRO 505 (I)/88. It
has been observed that the Ministry also issues exemption
certificates in respect of goods imported by organisations other
than diplomats and diplomatic missions like foreign dignitaries,
NGOs and other foreign-assisted welfare projects.
In some cases, the Ministry has allowed such permissions even
without payment of Customs Duties and other taxes. Such permissions
are not covered by the Rules of Business and do not come within the
ambit of any Act of Notification.
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991001
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Gold trading remains suspended
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 30: Trading on the bullion market remained suspended
for the fifth consecutive day to prevent any fresh price hike
caused by spiralling world prices.
"This is for the first time in the history that the official
trading in the yellow metal has been suspended for the last five
days," bullion dealers said on Thursday.
The last official rate was quoted at Rs4,732 per 10 grams on
September 25, 1999, General Secretary of Karachi Saraf and
Jewellers Group, Haji Mohammad Farooq told Dawn.
He said the international price has now settled to $300 per ounce
on Thursday after surging to $321 per ounce on Wednesday. The
international market jumped to $292 per ounce on Tuesday as against
$288 per ounce on Monday. Some 20 days back, the precious metal was
quoted at $255 to $260 per ounce in the world market.
The trading in the bullion hall in Sarafa, he said, may remain
suspended until the international rates are not settled.
Haji Farooq said that jewellery sales have also been affected in
the last few days and customers are waiting for a price plunge.
Owing to absence of any official rate, jewellers in the city have
been fleecing consumers by charging higher rates.
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990928
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Missions allowed to withdraw money in foreign currency
-------------------------------------------------------------------
KARACHI, Sept 27: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday
allowed the staff of foreign missions to make withdrawals in
foreign currency notes from their foreign currency accounts.
The SBP circular (F.E. No 21), however, clarified that the
existing restriction on withdrawals in the shape of foreign
currency notes from the official accounts of diplomatic missions
and international organisations will remain in force.
It further stated that under F.E. circular No. 19 of July 8, the
diplomatic missions can use the special foreign currency accounts
for making payment to the diplomatic officers and home-based
members of the mission staff and by international organisations for
making payment to their expatriate employees in foreign currency or
for credit to a convertible rupee account.
The following amendment has been brought by the SBP in its
circular: The Diplomatic Missions accredited to Pakistan and
International Organizations in Pakistan are permitted to maintain
special FCAs for receiving funds from abroad.
Receipts into these accounts will not be required to be surrendered
by the Authorized dealers to the State Bank and the Authorized
Dealers may retain such balances in their Nostro accounts in
addition to their trading Nostro limits.-APP
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991001
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Govt, oil firm reach price accord
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: The government has agreed to a price formula
with an international oil and gas company, LASMO, which has
declared its discovery as "commercial" in Bhit field, Sindh, with
estimated gas reserves of 700 to 800 billion cubic feet.
The development is being viewed by the industry experts as a
"breakthrough". The government and the exploration companies were
engaged in discussion for agreement on producer gas prices for the
last several months. The dispute had retarded the commercialisation
of vast natural reserves.
Talking to Dawn, Dr Gulfraz, Secretary Ministry of Petroleum and
Natural Resources (P&NR), said that the government had reached an
agreement "in principle" on producer price with LASMO for
purchasing gas from its discovery in Bhit.
"We only asked them to share the windfall profit in case of crash
of prices of oil in the international market," he said.
LASMO has declared the "commerciality" of its discovery and its
production of gas will start in October 2001. Discoveries of two
other companies - BHP and Tullow Pakistan - are also in advance
stages but they are yet to declare their "commerciality".
He said that the government was fully committed to petroleum policy
1994/97 as well as the agreement with the petroleum companies.
According to the agreed pricing formula, the government has
provided floor price of US$10 of oil per barrel to the company. If
the price of oil remained within US$10 to $15, the price provided
in Petroleum Policy 1997 would be applicable.
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990929
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Arrangements for filing of IT returns
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 28: Tax authorities have made special arrangements to
collect income and wealth tax returns in the last two days -
September 29, 30 - of the due date. The returns are to be filed for
the assessment year 1999-2000.
To give a final shape to these arrangements a delegation of Income
Tax Bar Association, Karachi (ITBA) headed by its President Abdul
Wahid Tejani held a meeting with the Commissioner Income Tax Zone
'D', Akhter Jamil who is working as a coordinator to facilitate
taxpayers in the last two days.
Normally, in the last days there is always a rush of taxpayers for
filing their returns and the authorities make extra arrangements to
dispense off with the load of work within the stipulated time.
Likewise, under an arrangement the income tax authorities on
Wednesday, Sept 29 will accept returns up to 3pm in their
respective circles/zones. Thereafter, the returns will be accepted
on the ground floor of the Income Tax Building where special
zonewise counters will receive the returns up to 8pm.
On the last date i.e. Thursday, Sept 30, zonewise counters erected
on the ground floor of the IT Building located at Shahrah-e-Kamal
Ataturk will start receiving tax returns from 9am till midnight.
However, it is also informed that on both days (Sept 29-30) the
returns will continue to be collected in the respective circles as
well.
It has also been agreed that all returns filed under USAS will be
received without disputing the same and no return will be returned
for whatsoever reason.
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991002
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Killings halt stock market's upward journey
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
KARACHI, Oct1: Reports of killing of nine persons in a sectarian
attack in the city halted the market's upward journey on the
weekend session but larger decline was averted thanks to the
presence of strong speculative support at the dips.
The recent increase in sectarian killings did worry investors as it
could further destabilize the law and order situation, both in
Punjab and Sindh, and leading among them are watching the
developing situation very carefully.
'But what worried them most is the fear of retaliation by the other
sect and that could aggravate the law and order situation', said a
leading floor broker.
However, the market managed to recover from the early lows thanks
to the revival of strong speculative support in the leading shares,
notably Hub-Power and PTCL.
The KSE 100-share index early was down over seven points but mid-
session strong short-covering in Hub-Power and PTCL allowed the
market to finish on a relatively improved note.
It was last quoted at 1,198.10 as compared to 1,199.29 a day
earlier, showing a fractional decline of 1.19 points. The modest
fall at the weekend session and the relative strength of leading
base shares reflects that the opening next week could be on a high
note.
The total market capitalization also showed a modest decline at Rs
324.887bn as compared to Rs325.201bn a day earlier as some of the
heavily-capitalized shares, notably Fauji Fertiliser suffered
modest fall.
Analysts said investors are a bit optimistic about the settlement
of the Hubco issue in next week's Washington meeting between its
officials and the WAPDA chief and are not inclined to unloading
positions but most of them rather buyers.
'The market is literally a hostage to the Hubco issue and until its
resolved the market might continued to give a volatile
performance', they added.
A cash dividend at the rate of 25% for the year ended June 30, '99
by Pakistan Refinery despite a substantial decline of over Rs2bn in
its sales was well-received in the rings as was reflected by a good
gain of 70 paisa in its share at Rs21.90.
Leading shares, notably Dadex Eternit, Shell Pakistan and KASB & Co
led the list of gainers, rising by Rs3.10 to Rs4.00 followed by
Capital Asset Leasing, Security Leasing, Reliance Cotton, Reckitt
and Colman and H.M.Ismail Textiles, which posted gains ranging from
one rupee to Rs3.00.
DIVIDEND: Pakistan Refinery cash at the rate of 25% for the year
ended June 30, '99.
Back to the top
===================================================================
EDITORIALS & FEATURES
990926
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The faultline
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
LAST week my subject was the uneducated of our government who
indiscriminately squander the money of the poor and deprived of
their country and who qualify their so doing by claiming it is
within their discretionary powers, that it is their 'entitlement.'
It is their entitlement, they say, to build motorways whilst the
people have no drinking water. It is their entitlement to travel
the world on sightseeing trips in special flights whilst there is
no money to educate the millions of illiterates at home.
The feedback from the majority was the simple question: Who and
what is an educated man?
Education, it is said, is the means by which the wheat is separated
from the chaff, by which the finest mental and moral qualities of
an individual are brought to the fore, by which the latent is
converted into the active, and by which empathy towards the
feelings of others is created. According to the Upanishads,
educated is he who can distinguish the real from the unreal, light
from darkness; education in the final analysis elevates a man from
death to immortality.
What our prime minister finds difficult to understand is that
respect cannot be demanded, that it has to be commanded, and that
whatever he may do he cannot buy goodwill. Yet again, he has
childishly attempted to bribe the press. His Media Maestro Mushahid
invited a team of pressmen, sixteen in all, to Lahore to play
cricket against the Lahore Gymkhana XI on September 11. The
national carrier, PIA, which every prime minister considers to be
his or her own personal airline, was ordered to transport the
sixteen from Karachi to Lahore and back at the people's expense.
The Press XI scored 185 runs whilst the Mian's Lahore Gymkhana team
were restricted to 88 all out, of which the Mian himself scored 52.
The journalists were accommodated at Faletti's at our cost,
transported around Lahore at our cost, and reportedly gifts in cash
and kind were distributed. Each run scored by the Mian probably
cost us in the region of Rs.20,000. One comment made by an educated
man after the match was over: The poor people of this nation pay
for Nawaz Sharif's victory - the elections; for his retreat -
Kargil; for his defeat - on the cricket field.
Educated Governor Kamal Azfar's donation to the Karachi Golf Club
was also made at his 'discretion' out of his discretionary funds.
Professor Ahsan Rashid, chairman of the Poor Patients 'Aid Society
of Karachi's Civil Hospital had often appealed to Kamal for funds
which he was never given. Would an enlightened educated man not
rather have given to the poor sick and dying than to the rich
healthy golfers?
Educated Globetrotter, Rhodes Scholar Wasim Sajjad, chairman of the
most honourable Upper House is on the trot once again, leading a
delegation of elected representatives to a conference in the
Carribean and last week was living it up in Port of Spain. He may
well be on his 100th jaunt since he became the chairman of the
Senate.
Now to the serious trot, that of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz
Sharif. We heard he was off to the US to meet with software experts
and genetically engineered seed merchants in the interests of
investment. But he went straight from the airport to dine with
Strobe Talbott and to complain about the corrupt, toothless and
spineless opposition and the army, both of which he said were
trying to oust, by unconstitutional means, his family's good
government. The usual noises were made by anonymous Americans
announcing that the US is all for democracy and is averse to the
toppling of democratically elected governments through force (the
army). But the American support of democracy can be highly
pragmatic.
For years they supported the King of Kings, the Shah of Shahs in
SAVAK-dominated Iran, and when he was deposed and dying they would
not allow him into the US. Memories are short and people may have
forgotten how difficult it was for the Shah's family to find a six-
foot by two-foot piece of ground in which to bury him. For years
the Americans supported General Manual Ities Morena Noriega's form
of democracy in Panama, they supported General Ugarte Augusto
Pinochet in Chile, they tolerated for 32 years General Suharto in
Indonesia, and for eleven long years in Pakistan they gladly
supported General Zia-ul-Haq and his 'democratic' rule.
Our weak and corrupt governments will always fear the army,
famously termed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as being the only
disciplined party of the country, its largest and most rich. Nawaz
Sharif has more to fear as he has amended the Constitution and
blocked all constitutional means available to the people of ousting
him. By demoralizing the army and not abiding by the conventional
line of seniority, he has weakened his safety net. He did not trust
General Jehangir Karamat, so he had to go, and with him the two
most senior generals. Soon after he appointed General Pervez
Musharraf as COAS, he was overtaken by feelings of discomfort and
made it clear that he would like to move him up a notch into the
powerless redundant higher seat of the Joint Chief. News from the
ranks has it that Nawaz Sharif would be most comfortable with a man
down the line, General Ziauddin, an engineer and once Private
Secretary to COAS Aslam Beg, who he has appointed as his eyes and
ears to head the ISI. Last week, Ziauddin was on a 'routine' visit
to Washington whilst Shahbaz Sharif was there.
A news report of September 23 in this newspaper told us that
General Aslam Beg "was especially concerned over the visit of the
director-general of the ISI and asked: 'what is he trying to gain
for himself?'."
What the Americans do not realize is that our army can act without
staging a coup. In 1993, did not COAS General Abdul Waheed Kakar go
to dine with President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, and before pudding was served did not both president and
prime minister 'constitutionally' resign? Under the present
circumstances the Americans will back any form of democracy
sufficiently powerful to be able to curb nuclear proliferation,
theocrats, fundamentalists, the Taliban, freedom fighters and
Jehadis more commonly known to them as terrorists.
The double-headed West, America and Europe, with which Japan and
Russia are aligned, fear militant (or resurgent) Islam, as does our
good friend China. Some 50 independent Islamic states allow
themselves to remain disunited. Many buy arms from the West which
they sometimes use against each other. They control much of the oil
reserves and the Organisation of Islamic Conference could have a
voice in world affairs but because of its own inability does not.
Writing in The Times (London) on September 20, on forecasts of the
worldwide conflict on the Islamic faultline, Lord William Rees-
Mogg, a former editor of that newspaper, is chillingly accurate :
"The world is full of violence. There are the massacres in East
Timor; the murder of 300 Russians by terrorist bombs probably
related to Chechnya; the ethnic cleansing of the Albanians and then
of the Serbs in Kosovo . . . . the grumbling confrontation in
Kashmir between India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers . . . . .
"Kashmir is a conflict between the resurgent Islam of Pakistan and
the resurgent Hinduism of India. Chechnya is a conflict between
Islam and Russia. Kosovo is an even more extraordinary situation, a
conflict between Islam and Slav Orthodoxy . . . .
"The West is seen as double-headed between the United States and
Europe; Islam has no core country, which makes it more difficult to
relate to from the outside. Islam and the West, in different ways,
present the world with the greatest difficulties.
"Muslims are expected to make up about 30 per cent of the world's
population by 2025 . . . . the danger lies in the reaction between
the revival of the Islamic confidence, backed by a growing
population, and the fears of the neighbouring civilisations. All
the neighbouring civilisations feel potentially under threat. The
West is concerned about oil, nuclear proliferation, immigration,
the survival of Israel, and human rights. . . .
"India fears Pakistan and potentially the alienation of the 100
million Muslims in India itself. China is concerned about Central
Asia and about the Chinese in Indonesia. The non-Muslim population
of Sub-Saharan Africa has anxieties as well. . . . ."
We in Pakistan are dependent upon the West. Prudence demands that
we trim our sails.
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991002
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Edward Said fights for his past
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Irfan Husain
THIS week, I was planning to write about the wonderfully heart-
warming and absorbing symposium arranged to honour the memory of
Eqbal Ahmad at Hampshire College recently.
By sheer chance, my attention was drawn to an article on Edward
Said published in this newspaper's weekly Review section. Since
Said had delivered this year's Eqbal Ahmad Lecture (Kofi Annan was
the speaker last year), apart from being a panelist in the
following day's symposium, I would have written about him anyway,
but the contents of the article were so disturbing that I have
decided to devote this column to the famous Palestinian's on-going
tribulations.
I had heard about a scurrilous attack launched on Said by a paid
Zionist hack, but had not realized the nature and viciousness of
the whole thing. While all Dawn readers are familiar with Said's
erudite and incisive writing that has graced these pages for the
last few years (due largely to his long and close friendship with
Eqbal), all of them may not know the full extent of his
scholarship, the breadth of his interests, or the lofty position he
occupies in the world of letters. To introduce Edward Said more
fully, I can do no better than quote the first paragraph from Ed
Vulliamy's recent article:
"To take an axe to Edward Said is to swipe at one of the more
fruitful and elegant trees in the orchard of human intellect. Said
is one of the leading literary theorists of our century, a
commentator on music - opera in particular - a historian, pianist
and political essayist. Most famously, he is the world's most
instantly recognizable and tenacious exponent of the Palestinian
cause. He is the living example of that maxim coined by Theodore
Adamo, another radical refugee who came to New York, then from the
Third Reich: 'For a man who no longer has a homeland, writing
becomes a place to live'."
In a sense, people like Said, Chomsky and Eqbal Ahmad have lived on
the fringes of American academia, largely marginalized because of
their fierce and unflinching support of causes that have often run
counter to the mainstream. They have been far too brilliant and
eloquent to completely ignore, but they are not sought out by the
media for their views on the issues of the day, and nor are they
invited to give their advice in the formulation of American
policy.The present furore in much of the western press was
triggered by an article by an unknown American-Israeli researcher
called Justus Weiner published in a little-known right-wing
American magazine Commentary. Basically, Weiner alleges that Said
and his family were not refugees from Palestine and he had not
attended the Jerusalem school that he had. In short, Said's whole
life was a lie. While Weiner was 'researching' Said's life, he
never once spoke to the writer. The researcher is a paid employee
of the Jewish Centre for Public Affairs that is generously
supported by Michael Milken, the junk-bond 'king' who was jailed in
1991.
Basically, this shabby but shattering attempt to discredit Said is
aimed at diminishing the Palestinian claim to the right to return
to their homeland. This right, denied by the Israelis, is expected
to figure largely in the negotiations on Jerusalem's final status.
If Said, the most articulate and respected advocate of Palestinian
rights, can be shown to be a liar, then obviously, other
Palestinians can hardly be expected to be truthful about their
claims.
For years, Zionists have based their claim to Palestine partly on
the fiction that it was an empty, barren wasteland that they have
peopled, watered and made to flower. The motto of these latter-day
colonialists was "A land without a people for a people without
land." To make this happen, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians
were brutally terrorized and bullied into fleeing their homes.
Ultimately, history and demography have been re-written to the
point where eminent Palestinian families like the Saids are being
told that they did not actually have anything to do with Jerusalem.
While this row engages those on both sides of the Palestinian
fence, another controversy concerning Jerusalem rages at the heart
of the American corporate world. It seems that the UAE has taken
grave exception to a Disney display that shows Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel. Not having lifted a finger to prevent this from
becoming a ground reality, this show of Arab indignation and empty
bluster is surprising. It is true that symbols can be powerful
weapons in the hands of the dispossessed, but the weak should
choose their battles with care. There is no way in which Disney can
afford to go against Zionist wishes and succumb to the hollow
threat of an Arab boycott.
These two distant but parallel events demonstrate simultaneously
the weakness of the Arabs and the power Israel has come to acquire
in the western establishment. Even people of goodwill can begin to
doubt Said's integrity after reading an account of the controversy.
Given his ongoing battle with leukemia and the fact that he does
not have vast resources behind him, he cannot afford to take Weiner
and Commentary to court and sue them for libel.
Had Arabs been really sincere in their support of the Palestinian
cause, this would have been the perfect opportunity for them to
underwrite Said's legal expenses. This case - and not the futile
battle against Disney - would have been worth fighting and winning.
But the sad truth is that most of those who are now threatening
Disney with dire consequences are very uncomfortable with educated
and cultured Palestinians like Edward Said whom they regard as
dangerous radicals and uncompromising democrats.
Yasser Arafat and his comrades must be chuckling on learning about
Said's discomfiture. For years, he has opposed the flawed peace the
PLO has accepted, and has been harsh in his criticism of the
Palestinian authority's undemocratic and repressive methods.
In his Eqbal Ahmad Lecture titled "Embattled landscapes, unresolved
geographies", Edward Said spoke eloquently and passionately against
partitioning land to keep different peoples apart. He quoted the
example, among others, of the subcontinent where although Hindus
and Muslims now live in separate countries, they remain nonetheless
locked in hostility.
But I fear that while Palestine may still be an embattled
landscape, it is now a resolved geography.
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991001
-------------------------------------------------------------------
No coup, no nothing
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayaz Amir
ACTUALLY, our American friends need never have bothered at all. No
one in the army was planning a coup. Having had its fill of knocks
this year, the army command was in no mood to add to its troubles.
There was accordingly no reason for the US administration to issue
the statements it did admonishing the army against any extra-
constitutional steps. That these statements were insulting to
Pakistan is beside the point. They were plain gratuitous and quite
uncalled for in the circumstances.
The Americans went ahead nevertheless. One reason for this was that
they were dealing with Pakistan and not a country like China.
Insulting Pakistan in this fashion is a risk-free business as could
be seen even in this case with not a squeak of protest from any
official quarter. Indeed the army chief, who has received a crash
course in diplomacy this year, was at pains to say that in the
American statements the army was not mentioned. Maybe so but then
are we to assume that when speaking of extra-constitutional steps
the State Department had the Punjab Police in mind?
As for the government, far from protesting or saying (perish the
thought) that the Americans had better mind their own business, it
was scarcely able to hide its glee. While it said nothing, it
required no mind-reading to see that its leading lights took these
statements of support as more shining examples of Shahbaz Sharif's
role as a diplomatic trouble-shooter. The Punjab chief minister -
who, when the history of these times is written, will be remembered
as someone who excelled in every job except his own - was in
Washington at the time talking to the Americans. What picture of
impending doom did he sell Talbott, Inderfurth and company in order
to get these statements of support? And, since the Americans
usually do not offer free lunches except when they are
comprehensively duped (which is not as rare as some might suppose),
what was offered in return?
But this is empty speculation. The main thing is that 111 Brigade
was not about to move out of its barracks and head in the general
direction of Islamabad. A coup was not being planned. The army as
an institution was not thinking of a takeover. But the heroes of
the mandate, slaves to their instincts and ever averse to letting
sleeping dogs lie, were itching to manufacture another crisis. They
wanted to make the army command carry the can for this summer's
adventures and for this purpose were obsessed by the thought of
doing another Jahangir Karamat, this time on his successor.
Jahangir Karamat's successor, as even his fervid admirers will
perhaps acknowledge, is no Clausewitz. But neither is he a Baji and
so when the hustlers of this government, their style not much
different from that of the lower ranks of the New York mafia, let
out subtle hints that it was time for another move-over in
Rawalpindi, the incumbent dug in his heels and refused to budge,
much less to be browbeaten. This is all there was to the great
crisis of confidence between GHQ and the government in Islamabad
and if it has been defused it is no thanks to the Americans. This
crisis was never about to get out of hand in the first place.
Unless, to be sure, Ambassador Milam is privy to darker secrets
than most of us are aware of.
Now of course with Parvez Musharraf's confirmation as Chairman,
Joint Chiefs of Staff, for the next two years - that is,
contemporaneous with his term as army chief - this tinpot crisis
has come to a whimpering end. In their enlightened self-interest
both the heroes of this summer's adventures remain in their
respective positions.
On the domestic front this is the first check Nawaz Sharif has
received since the beginning of his tenure. He had his way over the
13th Amendment which stripped the president of his powers to
dismiss the National Assembly and appoint the service chiefs. He
saw off Leghari and Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah when the fight
with the Supreme Court erupted in the latter half of 1997. General
Jahangir Karamat left as army chief when his statement in support
of a national security council received wide publicity. But he has
not been able to have his way in the present instance. This should
act as a salutary check on Nawaz Sharif's marked preference for
riding roughshod over everything. Provided of course that he has
learnt his lessons. Otherwise there is likely to be more of the
same.
It can well be asked as to why the government had to dither for so
long before putting an end to the uncertainty clouding its
relations with GHQ? But for the government to have acted in timely
and sensible fashion would have been to betray its own hallowed
style of working. Right from the start this government has
displayed an unquenchable desire to first manufacture a crisis and
then, when the damage is truly advanced, to be struck by doubt and
vacillation.
Mian Nawaz Sharif's Blair House visit is of course without any
parallel in recent times since it has rewritten the rules of
diplomacy. But its purpose was beguilingly simple: to control the
consequences of a blunder which the prime minister himself had had
a hand in creating. The purpose of Shahbaz Sharif's recent visit to
Washington was no different: to solicit American help for getting
out of another self-created mess: namely, relations with the army.
Irony must remain the dominant quality in this entire picture. Here
is a country flexing its nuclear muscles and braying from the
house-tops that its defence has become impregnable (a word much
beloved of the Pakistani psyche). The same country prostrates
itself before the US even when it catches a minor cold. So much for
sovereignty and national self-respect.
And here is a prime minister whose most famous line remains that he
will take dictation from no one. He is also someone who believes,
and whose fawning courtiers keep reminding him in case he ever
forgets, that God Almighty has made him prime minister for the
performance of some great deed. While what that great deed may be
is yet to be revealed, the Lord's chosen instrument has
demonstrated time and again that when the going gets tough he is
ever ready to take dictation from Washington. So much for self-
independence.
These days it is tough being a Pakistani and a proud man at the
same time. As if it was not enough for the government to be making
a monkey of itself before the Americans, Benazir Bhutto is doing
exactly the same. Read her articles (she having become quite a
journalist) and her public statements and it is clear that she is
not trying to sell herself to the people of Pakistan (that,
obviously, being a waste of time) but to her friends in Washington
who she thinks will somehow bring her back to power. Everyone with
an eye on the future is building up the dangers of fundamentalism
and portraying himself or herself as the last great defender of
'liberalism' in Pakistan.
To secure a handout, to get a reprieve from their troubles, or even
to get a mildly sympathetic audience with some middle-ranking
official in the State Department, Pakistan's representatives, in
government or in opposition, will do almost anything. At least
there is one consolation in this. False pride we keep only for the
people of Pakistan. Abroad we present ourselves in our true
colours.
Anyhow, one crisis for now is over but the itch to manufacture
fresh ones remains. So till the next crisis, whenever it comes,
things are going to be dull in the Republic. With Benazir abroad
and not likely to return in a hurry, there is only going to be
Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and the indispensable Saifur Rehman on
one side (these three effectively constituting the government as we
know it) and the charismatic figure of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan on
the other. Not much to take us through the cheerless winter that
looms ahead.
===================================================================
SPORTS
990930
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasim retained as captain for entire international season
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Samiul Hasan
KARACHI, Sept 29: Wasim Akram was retained as Pakistan captain for
the entire 1999-2000 international season, chairman of the Pakistan
Cricket Board (PCB) ad hoc committee Mujeeb-ur-Rehman said here on
Wednesday.
Mujeeb also announced Moin Khan as his deputy for the season in
which Pakistan will play Tests against Australia (three), West
Indies (three) and Sri Lanka (six). Besides, Pakistan will also
play a triangular series in Sharjah, Australia and West Indies.
He said the ad hoc committee made the decision in the background of
Pakistan's performance under Wasim Akram's leadership.
Under Wasim Akram, Pakistan this year drew the two-Test series with
India in India, won the Asian Test Championship, triangular series
in India and Sharjah, reached the final of the World Cup and
finally white-washed the West Indies in Toronto.
"Wasim and Moin make an ideal combination and we are not ready to
bring changes for the sake of change. Our objective is to see
Pakistan be the best team in the world and these two men are
capable of fulfilling that ambition," he said.
Akram, who later arrived for the opening ceremony of the cricket
academy, said he was delighted.
"Every time I am entrusted with the job, I feel delighted. I think
I am matured enough to lead Pakistan to victories in Australia and
then the West Indies which has never happened in the past.
"And reason for my success is that every player gives me his best.
I feel proud to captain the team which has immense talent and world
class players," he remarked.
Mujeeb, when asked that the judicial commission is yet to submit
its findings to President Mohammad Rafiq Tarar, said the
recommendations of Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum will be respected.
Mujeeb also defend his decision to suspend Wasim alongwith Ijaz
Ahmad and Salim Malik and later reinstating them.
"I suspended the three players and I am the one who lifted the
suspension. But what I wanted to achieve from it, I have achieved."
He, however, did not elaborate what was the objective behind the
suspension of three players.
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990926
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sindh Governor inaugurates Asian Sailing Championship
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ian Fyfe
KARACHI, Sept 25: The Governor of Sindh Mamnoon Hussain,
inaugurated the Ninth Asian Sailing Championship, at a colourful
ceremony held at the Defence Marina Club on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest appreciated the efforts
of the Pakistan Sailing Federation (PASF), for promoting water
sports at the National and International level.
Earlier in his welcome address, the President of PSAF, Admiral S.A.
Baqar, highlighted the achievements and efforts made by the
Pakistani sailors and said that this was indeed a historic occasion
that the country was hosting the biggest ever sailing event in the
history of Pakistan.
Sailors and officials from the 13 participating countries were led
in a march past by the Peoples Republic of China, followed by
Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan,
Kuwait, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Pakistan's Asian gold medalist and last year's Asian Games silver
medalist Lt. Cdr. Mamoon Sadiq, took the oath on behalf of the
participating sailors.
Pakistan losing the Enterprise gold to South Korea last year in
Bangkok, made a splendid start by picking up the first two spots
through Lt. Zahid and Mohammad Riaz and Lt. Cdr. Mamoon Sadiq and
Shahbaz Ahmed, regulating the Asian gold medalists Yoon Gil Chung
Jin and Jin Young Lim to third position.
The Sri Lankan pair of Lalin Jirasinga and D. Balasorriya were
fourth in the far distance with Japan's Hayakawa Naomichi and Yanga
Yukiko fifth and Thailand's Vinai Vongtim and Niwat Triyot sixth.
When the race began, very strong South Westerly monsoon winds
blowing at over 20 knots, very unusual at this time of the year,
made the sea pretty choppy.
Lt. Zahid and Mohammad Riaz took the lead closely followed by the
Asian gold medalists Yoon Gil Chung Jin and Jin Young Lim. Lt. Cdr.
Mamoon Sadiq and Shahbaz Ahmed, strong contenders for the gold,
were third.
It soon became a three boat race, but Lt. Zahid and Riaz managed to
hold on to their early lead. Trying every trick in the bag, Lt.
Cdr. Mamoon and Shahbaz managed to pass the Korean pair and stayed
in the second spot until the race was over.
In the Optimist Class, the Japanese boys made an immediate impact
clinching the first position through To Ian with compatriot
Ishikawa Yuyu finishing a close second and Chen Chief of Chinese
Tapei third.
Pakistan's Shehryar Iqbal a lightweight had a hectic time in the
choppy sea and was forced to retire from the race. The other
participant Saad Afsar, in with a great chance for a medal, had a
good start, lying a close fourth behind the two Japanese and the
sailor from Chinese Taipei. Saad was moving smoothly throughout the
race until his boat began to take in water and trying desperately
hard to stay in contention, he began to bale out the water that
cost him valuable time that sent him down to sixth position behind
Joo Wan Lee of South Korea and Xu Yuan of Singapore.
In the girls section, Nurul Ain of Malaysia sailing with effortless
ease, bagged the top spot and was followed home by Thailand's
Sasithon Isawapa and Toh Liying from Singapore. Malaysia's Nurul
Maisara was fourth.
Pakistan's Mariam Arshad, also vying for a medal along with Lisa
Mobin, had a disasterous start lying last when the race began. But
she soon recovered to move into third place behind Singapore and
Malaysia.
Moving comfortably, Mariam tacked but a big gust of wind caught her
sail and she capsized. Righting her boat she was stalled for a long
time as she began to bale out water from her boat. After about 10
minutes, Mariam continued the race and soon moved among the front
runners. But with water filled into her boat once again, Mariam was
stalled for the second time.
After a sausage and a triangle, Mariam was in contention once again
and managed to finish the race in fifth place. After Mariam
capsized, Lisa moved into the second spot and just when it seemed
she would take over the lead, the spirit adjuster in her boat broke
and she was forced to retire from the race.
Lena on the other hand competing in the European Class was a close
second behind Lee Tan-Lin Chrislin from Singapore. But with the
wind getting stronger she capsized. It took her about 15 minutes to
right her boat again in the rough sea and the wind blowing
strongly. Just when it looked that she had overcome the hazard, her
boat capsized once again and she had to be picked up by the rescue
boat as her boat drifted away from her. With Lena out of
contention, Lee Tan-Lin Chrislin, had little difficulty in winning
the race.
South Korea favourites in the 420 Class in the male section,
displayed their immense talent when Kyu Tae Park and Chang II Sung
finished first ahead of the Hong Kong pair of Lui Kam and Tong Ping
Shun. The Razak brothers Sahril and Sharul grabbed the third spot.
In the Ladies section of the 420 Class, the Koreans were once again
in the forefront through Suk Kyong Kim and Jung Eun Her, who pushed
the Hong Kong girls Evergreen and Yan C. Han down to number two.
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990926
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Accused cricketers deny match-fixing charges
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 25: Four Pakistan players accused of having
information that a match was being fixed have denied the allegation
in the presence of accuser Rashid Latif before the judicial
commission.
Saeed Anwar, Inzamamul Haq, Waqar Younis and Akram Raza denied the
charges during the course of cross-examination held at the Lahore
High Court, registrar Abdus Salam Khawar said from the Punjab
metropolis.
Rashid Latif, who has refused to retract his allegations, was also
cross-examined by Tariq Raheem and Azmat Saeed, counsel of Wasim
Akram and Salim Malik respectively.
Arrest warrants for Zahid Fazal were issued when he failed to
appear before Justice Qayyum. He has been instructed now to appear
on Sept 28 along with former captain Imran Khan.
The four players were summoned after Rashid Latif submitted five
audio cassettes to Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum. The cassettes
carried conversation regarding the alleged fixing of a match
against Australia at Colombo in 1994, Salam Khawar said.
In the cassette, Salim Malik was heard offering Rashid Latif to
become a party to match-fixing (against Australia). Rashid informed
the honourable judge that the offer was made in the presence of the
five players. On the basis of the audio cassettes and Rashid's pin-
pointing the players, they were summoned for cross-examination,
Salam Khawar said.
Salam Khawar, however, said during the cross-examination, the four
players vehemently denied Rashid Latif's claim. "During the
examination, the four players said Rashid was a liar while Rashid
said the similar words about the four players," Salam Khawar added.
"The judge had prepared certain questions after listening to the
audio cassettes. Those questions were placed before the four
players," Salam Khawar said. He said Inzamamul Haq informed Justice
Qayyum that he had aggregated 175 odd runs in that tournament but
could not recall his contribution in the match against Australia.
Waqar Younis was questioned how many wides Wasim Akram bowled in
that match. "Waqar also couldn't recall." "Saeed Anwar informed the
judge that he only came to know about match-fixing through Rashid
Latif. He further said that he has never been offered bribe to play
badly," the registrar added.
On the summoning of Zahid Fazal, Khawar Salam said it has been
alleged that the player was 12th man in the match against Australia
and allegedly carried a message from the dressing room to Saeed
Anwar.
Imran Khan, Salam Khawar continued, has been asked to appear to
make clarifications regarding his statement. "Since Justice Qayyum
is reading all the statements as he is finalizing his report, he
might have observed some discripency in Imran Khan's statement."
On Sept 28, Tariq Raheem and Azmat Saeed will examin Rashid Latif
on the basis of the audio cassettes, a copy of which was delivered
to the two lawyers.
Another copy of the audio cassettes has been delivered to Ata-ur-
Rehman who will also appear on Sept 28 to explain his position.
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991001
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SHC restrains PCB from interfering in KCCA affairs
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 30: The Sindh High Court on Thursday restrained the
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ad hoc committee from interfering in
the affairs of Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA).
In his order, Mr Justice Rasheed A. Rizvi also admitted the
petition of the KCCA challenging its suspension by the PCB ad hoc
committee for regular hearing.
"The (above) suit is to be fixed for regular hearing within six
months for which office is directed to fix this suit for framing of
issues and for hearing of other applications on Oct 7," Justice
Rasheed ordered.
Justice Rizvi also directed the KCCA to ensure holding of free and
fair elections as per its bye-laws/regulations in most transparent
manner and on the due date.
The high court order said "in view of the allegations of the
defendants (PCB ad hoc committee), it will be open to them to take
action afresh as provided in Article 37 but strictly in terms
thereof and after fulfilment of the requirements of the principles
of natural justice," Justice Rasheed said in his 17-page decision.
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990927
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan's squash squad touches rock-bottom
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Majid Khan
Pakistan youthful squash team, captained by world number 13 Amjad
Khan, had never been strong contenders for wining back the world
squash team title which we had won the sixth time when it was led
by Jahangir Khan in the 1993 in Karachi. The virtual capitulation
in Cairo however, came as a shock as we were relegated from
Division A to Division B and finished 12th in the 29-nation world
championship.
The 1993 team, besides Jahangir Khan, then included Jansher Khan,
Zarak Jahan Khan and Mir Zaman Gul. It was a formidable combination
but after the retirement of Jahangir, Pakistan lost the team title
at Cairo in 1995 when Jansher Khan captained the team which
included Zarak Jahan, his younger brother Zubair Jahan Khan and Mir
Zaman Gul.
Later on the world open champion Jansher Khan neither defended his
title nor he accompanied the Pakistan team to the Malaysian capital
Kuala Lumpur where both the World Open and the team event were
staged because of a legal tangle with his ex-Malaysian wife. In
1998 Pakistan met with a great setback as Jansher Khan had both his
knee operated and even after required rest he could not regain his
complete fitness and form.
Pakistan's new look side, with Amjad Khan, who made his first
appearance at the 1997 in Kuala Lumpur world team championship,
with Zubair Jahan his captain along and Umer Zaman and Kumail
Mahmood, the team finished sixth and thus we remained at least in
the top eight countries which form Division A. The latest
performance in Cairo is the worst in the 32-year history of the
team event. Now Pakistan has to regain its lost status in the
Division A when the championship will be held in 2001.
Sixth seeded Pakistan was placed in the four-team Group-A which
included second seeded Australia, third seed Canada and ninth seed
Finland, who were promoted to top eight on the basis of their 1997
championship performance. Shahid Zaman, though in the team, watched
the matches from the sideline and Amjad, Mir Zaman and Mansoor
played the group matches. Pakistan lost the opener to third seeded
Canada by 0-3 even in the absence of world number one and top seed
Jonathan Power who was injured in the world open semifinal against
Ahmed Barada of Egypt, preceded by the world team championship.
Amjad Khan, who had beaten world number 14 Graham Riding in last
year's Pakistan open final in Karachi, suffered straight three
games defeat against the Canadian. World No. 64 Mansoor Zaman after
taking the opener lost to world Number 46 Kelly Patrick by 17-3 and
world No. 44 Mir Zaman Gul suffered a big humiliation losing to
world No. 140 Shahier Razik by 2-3 in five games. It was an
unexpected defeat of Mir Zaman who was the most experienced and
seasoned campaigner but betrayed lack of match fitness as he lost
the fifth game at 1-9.
In the second match Pakistan was defeated by former world champions
and second seed Australia by 0-3. Amjad Khan was beaten in straight
games by world No. 11. Dan Johnson. Immensely promising Mansoor
Zaman, ranked 64th snatched a game from former world champion
Rodney Eyles (world No. 12) before losing a close fight by 1-3.
Australian world No. 15 Paul Rice also outplayed Mir Zaman Gul in
straight games.
As anticipated Pakistan disposed of Finland by 2-1 as Amjad Khan
defeated world No. 30 Juha Ramumolin in straight games and Mansoor
Zaman dropped a game before recording a 1-3 victory over world No.
54 Olli Tominen. However Pakistan suffered heavily when Mir Zaman
Gul, (world No. 44) was defected in straight games against world
No. 69 Mik Monto.
Pakistan was ouster from the Division A as Finland had lost to
Canada by 1-2 and we were beaten by the Canadians by 0-3. It was
the first time that Pakistan suffered the humiliation of
relegation. Mir Zaman Gul, who had passed his best after remaining
in the international circuit for about 13 years, turned out to be a
big disappointment at Cairo. It is a different matter that the
seasoned players of the country compete in the minor tournaments of
prize money of US dollars 10,000 and 8,000 to improve their world
rankings. The Cairo championships showed that youngsters, lower in
ranking, also lacked in stamina and total match fitness which they
have to improve through hard training under the guidance of really
committed coaches, not seeking joy ride trips.
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