------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 04 September 1999 Issue : 05/36 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
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CONTENTS ===================================================================
NATIONAL NEWS + Islamabad will sign CTBT if all sanctions lifted: Zaki + Imran warns against signing of CTBT + COAS accuses New Delhi of sabotaging S. Asia peace + Opposition to move resolution against modified act + Political parties criticize re-promulgation of ordinance + SHC judge's appointment challenged + Balochistan minister sacked + Asma regrets challenge to SHC judge's appointment + Unanimous resolution adopted Sindh PA demands GST withdrawal + Nawaz orders fresh inquiry against FIA official + Judiciary urged to initiate corruption references against PM + PPP ousts Khar from party + HC summons record of drugs case against Zardari + Newsmen bodies reject press council + Govt-CPNE consensus on press council + Zee TV wants to set up office in Pakistan --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + Bankers Equity Board dissolved: chief held + Administrator appointed: State Bank takes over Bankers Equity + Govt-sponsored schemes: Banks under pressure to lend Rs150bn + CEC seeks record of Mehran Bank + Deal with IMF on Sept 1 + Rescheduled foreign debt repayable from 2004: Dar + Shahbaz terms contracts IPPs robbery + Hubco offers cut in profit rate + Wapda chief says Hubco's offer unacceptable + High cost of liquidating BCCI + Weakness of blue chips spill over to other counters --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Karachi: earthquake scene Ardeshir Cowasjee + Then and now Ayaz Amir + Interesting times Irfan Hussain ----------- SPORTS + Zubair pulls out of World Championship + Zarak alleges his exclusion from World Team squad a conspiracy + Ata put on ECL: Commission's next hearing on 8th

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NATIONAL NEWS
990831
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Islamabad will sign CTBT if all sanctions lifted: Zaki
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Staff Correspondent

RAWALPINDI, Aug 30: The chairman of the standing committee of 
senate on foreign affairs, Akram Zaki, said that Pakistan was ready 
to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty provided all sanctions & 
embargoes imposed on the country were lifted and it was given a 
firm assurance of a safe future.

Speaking at a 'Meet the Press' programme held at the Rawalpindi 
Press Club, he said the signing of the treaty would be decided in 
view of the national and international scenarios and requirement, 
but the national interest would be given top priority while making 
any decision on CTBT.

Responding to a question, the chairman of the senate committee said 
the signing of CTBT could be linked to the signing of the treaty by 
India.

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990829
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Imran warns against signing of CTBT
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Staff Correspondent

MINGORA, Aug 28: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf leader Imran Khan has 
issued a stern warning to the prime minister against signing the 
comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) which will make the country 
subservient to Indian power and will.

Addressing a big rally at Nishat Chowk, Mingora, Imran Khan said 
that the prime minister was again scheduled to visit the United 
States in September where he was expected to put his seal on the 
CTBT as per desire of the Americans and other imperialist power. He 
said India would not be doing so which meant Pakistan would be 
bargaining on its nuclear capability to the detriment of the 
national security.

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990829

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COAS accuses New Delhi of sabotaging S. Asia peace
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KAKUL, Aug 28: The Chief of the Army Staff, General Pervaiz 
Musharraf, accused India of sabotaging peace and harmony in South 
Asia, saying Pakistan's nuclear capability would have a sobering 
effect on the enemy.

Addressing the passing out parade of the 100th PMA Long Course, he 
said the present geo-strategic realities had exposed Pakistan to 
new challenges, calling for building up the conventional forces "to 
deter the adversary's aggressive designs."

He said that only through qualitative edge in the training and 
dedication that "we can blunt the numerical advantage of our enemy 
who is bent upon sabotaging peace and harmony in the South Asian 
region." The COAS hoped that Pakistan's N-capability would have a 
"sobering effect on the enemy."

He said that since the World War II, no nation had ever exercised a 
nuclear option. "Conventional weapons thus continue to be the 
actual tools of war-waging even in the nuclear era."

Gen Musharraf said that the days of battles of bows and arrows were 
gone. A modern battlefield is characterised with an increasing use 
of hi-tech weapons with great destructive power. "Yet superior arms 
alone have never been the sole arbiter of success in war. The 
decisive factor continues to reside in better training and higher 
degree of dedication."

The COAS said Pakistan was destined to fight with an enemy much 
larger in size but being lesser in number and at times, "equipment 
has never dampened our spirits-NNI

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990903
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Opposition to move resolution against modified act
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Bureau Report

ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: The combined opposition in the Senate decided to 
move in the upper house a disapproval resolution against the 
recently promulgated Anti-Terrorism Act, Senator Raza Rabbani of 
PPP told a press conference here.

Signatures of almost all the members of combined opposition have 
already been obtained and the resolution and it would be moved in 
the house shortly, he said at a press conference at PPP Media 
Centre.

The government after having carried out genocide of the 
constitutional rights of the people of Sindh has now embarked on a 
campaign of gross human rights violations, Mr Rabbani said. 

Mr Rabbani listed 15 major human rights violations allegedly 
committed by the government in the province of Sindh since August 
25. Some of violations included in the list are: Unprovoked lathi 
charge and tear-gas shelling on a peaceful hunger strike camp in 
Hyderabad, arrest of a 25 year old PPP activist Shabana on the 
charges of terrorism under the provision of Anti-terrorism Act, 
raids on the residences of PPP and MQM workers, police flag march 
in Hyderabad and arrest of over 1000 PPP and MQM workers in 
Karachi.

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990829
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Political parties criticize re-promulgation of ordinance
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Staff Reporter

KARACHI, Aug 28: Pakistan People's Party termed the Anti-Terrorism 
(second amendment) Ordinance as an anti-Sindh measure to deprive 
the people from exercising their democratic right of protest.

In a statement, PPP spokesman Munawar Suhrawardy said that re-
promulgation of the ordinance had compelled the people of Sindh, 
including Karachi, to ponder whether the regime was prepared to 
give them the same rights as the people of other provinces enjoyed 
in accordance with the Constitution.

Suhrawardy said that in every civilised democratic country, protest 
rallies by political parties and trade unions were an accepted norm 
of voicing disagreement with the government policies. But after the 
re-promulgation of the ordinance, Pakistan had become the first 
country in the world where all peaceful and constitutional modes of 
dissent had been blocked.

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990903
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Balochistan minister sacked
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By Saleem Shahid

QUETTA, Sept 2: The Balochistan government has sacked Malik Sarwar 
Khan Kakar, provincial minister for revenue and Zakat from the 
provincial cabinet, an official notification said here.

No reason of the his removal was given in the notification. 
However, it was learnt that Malik Sarwar Khan Kakar was removed due 
to his meeting with ruling PML's dissident leader and MNA, Mian 
Mohammad Azhar in Lahore two days back.

Mr Kakar after meeting with Mian Azhar extended full support to him 
and criticised the prime minister on the party affairs and for not 
providing funds for Balochistan. 

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990902
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SHC judge's appointment challenged
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By Sarfaraz Ahmed

KARACHI, Sept 1: The Sindh High Court adjourned till Sept 22 
hearing of a constitutional petition challenging the appointment of 
Justice Rana Bhagwandas as high court judge.

The full bench, comprising Justice Dr Ghous Mohammad, Justice Abdul 
Hameed Dogar and Justice Mohammad Roshan Essani, directed the 
petitioner to amend the title of the petition by incorporating the 
name of Justice Rana Bhagwandas as another respondent.

The petitioner, Shafi Mohammadi, a former judge of the Sindh High 
Court and Federal Shariat Court, in his petition made the state, 
through secretary of ministry of law, justice and parliamentary 
affairs, the sole respondent.

The petitioner, who filed the constitutional petition in March last 
year, had prayed to the court to restrain Rana Bhagwandas from 
working as a judge of the high court till disposal of the case. He 
had also prayed to the court to restrain then high court judge, 

Justice Majida Rizvi, from sitting over the cases involving Hudood 
and Qisas matters.

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990903
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Asma regrets challenge to SHC judge's appointment
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Staff Reporter

LAHORE, Sept 2: United Nations rapporteur Asma Jehangir regretted 
the petition against appointment of Justice Bhagwandas on account 
of his faith.

In a Press statement, she said religion and patriotism had time and 
again been used to advance mischief in the country. She said Sindh 
High Court's decision to issue a notice to the judge had eroded the 
image of Pakistani judiciary. The decision to constitute a full 
Bench to determine the constitutionality of the judge's appointment 
on the basis of his belief or religion, she said, was unwise as it 
had implications for the independence of judiciary and the rights 
of minorities.

She said challenging Justice Bhagwandas's appointment was another 
step towards intimidating individuals and institutions into 
subjugation. Religious minorities and women's rights groups had 
much to lose from such acts. 

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990902
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Unanimous resolution adopted Sindh PA demands GST withdrawal 
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By Our Reporter

KARACHI, Sept 1: A resolution demanding the withdrawal of General 
Sales Tax (GST) on electrical power, gas, oil and other petroleum 
products was adopted by an overwhelming majority by the Sindh 
Assembly.

Thirty-two members present in the house supported the resolution 
and five members of the PML opposed it. However, before the 
resolution could be adopted the proceedings had to be adjourned for 
ten minutes following an exchange of hot words between PPP's Abdul 
Sattar Bachani and the acting Speaker Jalal Mahmood Shah.

Completing his arguments on GST, Salim Khurshid Khokhar claimed it 
would further burden the already taxed people of Pakistan and make 
life more difficult for the poor and the down-trodden.

The MPAs supporting the resolution had maintained that GST was part 
of the package deal with the IMF and was aimed at filling the gap 
of Rs50 billion in the tax collection target of Rs356 billion. They 
had pointed out that the worst hit by this tax would be Sindh, 
particularly Karachi which contributed over 70 per cent towards the 
national revenue.

After the imposition of GST, Sindh would be contributing Rs35 
billion towards the Rs50 billion that is needed though it was not 
getting its due share in the resources and income.

When Dr Farooq Sattar asked for a division on the resolution, 32 
members were in favour but Murad Ali Shah, Salim Zia, Sardar Rahim, 
Farooq Awan and Mir Naseer Khan Khoso opposed it.

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990831
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Nawaz orders fresh inquiry against FIA official
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By Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD, Aug 30: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered re-
inquiry against an FIA official who investigated the foreign 
currency accounts of Mian Abbas Sharif, the younger brother of the 
premier, it was learnt.

The PM set aside the findings of the investigation carried out by 
Sajjad Mustafa Bajwa, assistant director (under suspension). He 
also rejected the recommendations of a former secretary of interior 
who had exonerated Mr Bajwa and called for his immediate 
reinstatement. However, a deputy secretary of the interior ministry 
who was asked to reopen inquiry against Mr Bajwa refused.

Now a joint secretary of the interior division Javed Raza, has been 
nominated the inquiry officer.

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990901
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Judiciary urged to initiate corruption references against PM
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MINGORA, Aug 31: The Chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf(PTI), 
Imran Khan, has called upon the judiciary to restore its 
credibility by hearing 31 corruption references filed against Prime 
Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Imran said that confidence of the people in the judiciary could 
only be restored if it proceeded against corrupt elements without 
discrimination. He said the PML government had completely destroyed 
vital state institutions and the situation was so critical that 
Pakistan appeared to be on the brink of a revolution.
    
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he said, had failed to deliver the 
goods as the economy of the country was in worst shape. He said 
that the imposition of taxes in the form of mini-budgets had 
resulted in spiralling inflation, which had hit the masses hard. 

The PTI chief said that corruption and economic mismanagement by 
successive PML and PPP governments had made Pakistan a slave of the 
IMF and the World Bank.-NNI

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990831
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PPP ousts Khar from party
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Staff Reporter

LAHORE, Aug 30: The PPP ousted Ghulam Mustafa Khar from the party 
for violating the party discipline.

A Press release issued by the Punjab PPP media adviser, Mr Iqbal 
Sialvi, said the provincial PPP president, Rao Sikandar Iqbal, had 
formally issued a notice in this regard.

Mr Sialvi said Mr Khar had held a news conference in which he had 
used derogatory language against the party coordinator and former 
federal minister, Khalid Ahmed Kharal. "Khar's act on the eve of a 
rally against the PML government in Lahore tantamount to sabotaging 
the PPP's campaign at the behest of the government," the statement 
said.

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990831
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HC summons record of drugs case against Zardari
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Staff Reporter

LAHORE, Aug 30: The Lahore High Court summoned the record of the 
narcotics case against Senator Asif Ali Zardari from the court of 
the Lahore district and sessions judge, who is trying it in Kot 
Lakhpat jail, Lahore, on Sept 9.

Though a division bench comprising justices Zafar Pasha Chaudhry 
and Ali Nawaz Chauhan declined to stay the proceedings, the order 
practically suspends the trial before sessions judge Mian Pervaiz 
Jahangir.

The PPP senator, who is husband of former prime minister Benazir 
Bhutto, seeks the quashment of proceedings and termination of trial 
in a writ petition filed by him through Advocate A.S. Najam.

The main ground is that since the alleged offence of drug 
trafficking admittedly occurred in the Sindh capital and he is 
lodged in a Karachi jail, he should be tried by a court of 
competent jurisdiction there and not by the sessions judge of 
Lahore. He says the case has been fabricated to involve him in a 
politically-damaging offence to discredit his party and its 
leadership.

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990829
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Newsmen bodies reject press council
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Staff Reporter

LAHORE, Aug 28: A joint meeting of the Punjab Union of Journalists, 
Lahore Press Club and Journalists Resource Centre rejected the 
proposed 'press council' and resolved that the working journalists 
and newspaper employees throughout the country would boycott the 
council if formed.

Mr Raashed who is the president of the PFUJ said that the print 
media was already controlled by numerous anti-press laws and 
regulations. As it is the government restricts the press freedom by 
various methods like press advice, application of commercial 
pressures, withholding of newsprint supplies and official 
advertisements to newspapers besides instituting false cases 
against newspaper owners and journalists. Under such circumstances, 
he said, a press council controlled and financed by the government 
would victimize the free press.

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990831
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Govt-CPNE consensus on press council
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ISLAMABAD, Aug 30: Consensus emerged between the government and the 
Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) on the formation of an 
independent press council, at a meeting of the CPNE standing 
committee with Information Minister Mushahid Hussain here.

The CPNE committee led by the CPNE president Arif Nizami, discussed 
with the minister the issue of the press council and related 
matters concerning the print media.

Mr Nizami said the CPNE had agreed in principle to a press council 
and would be submitting its own proposals of the formation of a 
self-regulatory body within two weeks. Mr Nizami drew the 
minister's attention to the need for early promulgation of the RPPO 
and the Freedom of Information Act.-APP

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990830
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Zee TV wants to set up office in Pakistan
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Staff Correspondent

NEW YORK, Aug 29: The Zee Television Network announced here that 
talks are under way with Pakistan government to establish an office 
in Pakistan in order to give a balanced point of view of the events 
in the subcontinent.

Talking to newsmen the Chairman of Zee TV Subash Chandra said that 
when Pakistan government complained of its coverage during the 
Kargil affair he offered to establish network's offices in 
Pakistan. He said that he had conversation with Prime Minister 
Nawaz Sharif and Information Minister Mushahid Hussian for setting 
up an office in Pakistan.

Chandra said: "We are trying our best to give an unbiased and 
unprejudiced picture of the situation in the region".


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 BUSINESS & ECONOMY
990901
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Bankers Equity Board dissolved: chief held
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Staff Reporter

KARACHI, Aug 31: The State Bank removed the board of directors and 
the management of Bankers Equity and appointed a senior former BEL 
executive Majeeduddin Khan as its new chief executive. He has also 
been vested with powers of the board of directors till further 
orders.
    
The action taken on embezzlement of funds and a host of 
irregularities of BEL, took effect from today.
    
SBP Governor, Dr Muhammad Yaqub told a hurriedly-called press 
conference that chairman Rauf B. Kadri, chief executive Inamul-Haq 
and a senior executive Ashfaq Yousuf Tola had been taken into 
custody by FIA.
    
"Tomorrow we will move Sindh High Court under section 83 of Banking 
Companies Ordinance," Dr Yaqub told newsmen. He said the high court 
would be moved for criminal proceedings against Rauf B. Kadri and 
Inamul-Haq for concealment of facts and misreporting to the State 
Bank.
    
The State Bank Governor gave a detailed account of the "highly 
sophisticated white-collar crimes" committed by the Bankers Equity 
management which resulted in the take-over.
    
He said that it was difficult to quantify the total amount involved 
in fraudulent activities of the Equity but he narrated some of the 
irregularities which were committed.  He however said that the 
Equity would continue to function and the action would give 
confidence to the deposit holders.

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990901
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Administrator appointed: State Bank takes over Bankers Equity
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By Mohiuddin Aazim

KARACHI, Aug 31: The State Bank removed the board of directors and 
the management of Bankers Equity Ltd. and appointed a senior former 

BEL executive Majeeduddin Khan as its new chief executive. He has 
also been vested with powers of the board of directors till further 
orders. 

SBP Governor Dr Muhammad Yaqub told a hurriedly-called press 
conference that chairman Rauf B. Kadri, chief executive Inamul-Haq 
and a senior executive Ashfaq Yousuf Tola had been taken under 
custody by FIA.
    
"Tomorrow we will move Sindh High Court under section 83 of Banking 
Companies Ordinance," Dr Yaqub told newsmen. He gave a detailed 
account of what he called "highly sophisticated white-collar 
crimes" committed by the BEL management that resulted in its take-
over.
    
He said SBP investigations had established that BEL management was 
guilty of concealment of information and falsification of balance 
sheet. The investigations also established rescheduling of Rs 3.6 
billion worth of loans "with questionable standards to show 
inflated income."
    
He said the investigations also revealed cases of mis-reporting of 
data to State Bank and disbursement of loans without proper 
securities coupled with improper write-offs. He said BEL management 
was also found involved in improper use of Rs 381 million worth of 
installments of LMM loans repaid by the BEL borrowers that should 
have been paid back to the State Bank.
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990829
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Govt-sponsored schemes: Banks under pressure to lend Rs150bn
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By Sabihuddin Ghausi

KARACHI, Aug 28: The banks and financial institutions are coming 
under mounting pressures to advance at least Rs 150 billion to Rs 
170 billion in the next 30 months for the government-sponsored 
populist schemes and in other areas.

The banks are expected to provide Rs 60 billion for the public 
buses,  another Rs 5 to Rs 7 billion for taxis, Rs 75 to Rs 80 
billion for the Prime Minister's 'mera ghar' scheme, Rs 10 billion 
for self employment and at least Rs 15 billion for the revival of 
sick industrial units by way of offering assistance to new 
management, waivers and write-offs and allocation of fresh working 
capital.

Actual burden is coming on the nationalized banks," a senior 
executive of one of the three top nationalized commercial banks 
(NCBs) confided. The foreign banks' involvement in these schemes is 
confined only to the extent of providing advisory services and 
structuring of loan instruments and would be willing to open the 
letters of credits for the importers participating directly and 
indirectly in the housing and transport projects.

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990904
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CEC seeks record of Mehran Bank
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By Ashraf Mumtaz

LAHORE, Sept 3: Chief Ehtesab Commissioner Justice Ghulam Mujaddid 
Mirza has taken cognizance of the Mehran Bank matters and sought 
records of the people who had taken loans from it along with the 
information whether they had repaid the same.

The Mehran Bank had gone bankrupt a few years ago and was merged 
with the National Bank of Pakistan. In case it was established that 
some high-ups had misused their powers to get loans or they had 
failed to pay back their liabilities, the CEC would examine the 
possibility of sending references against them, Dawn learnt through 
knowledgeable sources here.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Farooq Leghari and 
many political leaders and high ranking officials were accused of 
having obtained loans from the Mehran Bank.

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990829
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Deal with IMF on Sept 1
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ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: An International Monetary Fund mission left for 
Washington after concluding talks with Pakistani officials for the 
release of a loan tranche from a $1.56 billion ESAF/EFF programme.

There was no official comment on the departure of the IMF team, 
headed by Ms Sena Eken, which arrived here on Aug 14 and held 
detailed discussions with finance ministry officials.

Government sources said the team had finalised the contents of a 
letter of intent, which was expected to be signed next week, for 
the release of a $280 million tranche.-AFP/NNI

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990829
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Rescheduled foreign debt repayable from 2004: Dar
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Staff Reporter

LAHORE, Aug 28: Pakistan's rescheduled official and non-official 
foreign debt of $3.3 billion will come due for repayment from the 
year 2004, finance minister Ishaq Dar said.

Addressing a press conference he said that the rescheduled debt was 
to be repaid in 18-20 years. He said the repayment of non-official 
debt will start from 2004 while that of official loan from 2010.

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990829
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Shahbaz terms contracts IPPs robbery
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Staff Reporter

LAHORE, Aug 28: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the 
contracts awarded to the independent power producers (IPPs) was a 
"broad daylight robbery" and the government intends to start a 
process of accountability of persons responsible for awarding the 
contracts at excessively high rates.

He said the contracts had dealt a severe blow to the economy of 
both WAPDA and Pakistan and the government was trying its best to 
resolve the IPPs issue by holding negotiations with them. He said 
the previous government had given sovereign guarantees to the IPPs. 
The government was finding ways to reconcile the issue while 
honouring its commitments so that the foreign investors do not lose 
faith in the government.

He said WAPDA was now legally bound to pay billions of rupees per 
month to the IPPs without actually utilizing their power supplied 
at exorbitant rates. The prime minister had now asked WAPDA to re-
negotiate the agreements with the IPPs and six of them had agreed 
to reduce their prices while talks were in progress with HUBCO and 
KAPCO.

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990829
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Hubco offers cut in profit rate 
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By Ihtashamul Haque

ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: The Hub Power Company (Hubco) has offered to 
reduce its internal rate of return (IRR) from 18 to 15 per cent for 
resolving the tariff issue with Wapda.

The reduction in the IRR is expected to allow Wapda a saving of 
$1.3 billion, including $740 million in dividend payments and $600 
million in free cash flow.

Hubco is now waiting for counter-proposal by Wapda who have also 
been asked to identify the component from which the tariff should 
be reduced.

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990831
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Wapda chief says Hubco's offer unacceptable
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Staff Reporter

KARACHI, Aug 30: Chairman WAPDA and KESC, Lt Gen Zulfiqar Ali Khan 
has said that HUBCO's offer to lower power tariff by 0.21 cents per 
unit is not acceptable as it still exceeds six cents per unit.

The country cannot afford to pay HUBCO tariff of six cents per 
unit, he said adding their proposals would only be accepted if the 
government feels that it is affordable from consumer point of view. 
He said negotiations are underway with other IPPs for power tariff 
cut and it is hoped that matter would be resolved in the next few 
weeks. 

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990830
-------------------------------------------------------------------
High cost of liquidating BCCI
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Dr Farrukh Saleem

On July 5, 91, the Bank of England with unusual haste and rather 
peculiar secrecy shut down BCCI altogether. The then Governor of 
the Bank of England had described the employees of BCCI as part of 
a "criminal culture". There were allegations of massive money 
laundering, widespread fraud by top management and of extracting 
some pound 285 million of a staff benefit trust fund.

To be certain, under UK's Insolvency Regulations, accountants 
Delotte & Touche are required to undertake "a quick and cost-
efficient recovery." For more than five long years, depositors did 
not, however, receive a penny. In the UK liquidation alone was $567 
million and the realizations totaled $2,445 million." In effect, 
Delotte & Touche, along with law firms working with it, received an 
average of $100 million a year.

Keith Vaz, the British Member of Parliament, has often said that he 
was "very concerned at the level of these fees...." Vaz has also 
been calling for the creation of a "select committee" to inquire 
into fees paid to Delotte & Touche.

BCCI's liquidation is moving into its eighth year. MP Keith Vaz now 
expects that "attorneys' fees would double in the next five years" 
as the "emphasis shifted to the courts."

To be certain, a number of resourceful US lobbyists have also 
milked BCCI because of the bank's unbending resolve to break into 
the US market. There is evidence also that the CIA may even have 
used BCCI's extensive global network to fund its covert activities 
in foreign lands. According to a former US Customs Commissioner, 
Willan Von Raab, US customs agents handling the "C-Chase 
investigation of BCCI had discovered in the course of their work 
several BCCI accounts that were actually accounts held by the CIA."

Some of the allegations spelled out by the Bank of England may 
indeed be valid. To be sure, the Bank of Credit and Commerce 
International did lack formal controls and a set of comprehensive 
checks and balances that make a modern banking entity manage its 
affairs effectively. The top management's philosophy appears to be 
banking based on intuition" and certain top managers may have 
exploited that philosophy for personal monetary gains, public 
money, private greed.

Currently, however, there are only two winners left in the long 
drawn-out BCCI debacle. They are the liquidators and their 
associated lawyers. 

Depositors have indeed received another quarter of their held up 
deposits but the only sure thing now is that Delotte & Touche, 
along with its legal advisors, shall continue to reap handsome 
dividends for the foreseeable further at the cost of the bank's 
creditors.

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990904
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Weakness of blue chips spill over to other counters
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter

KARACHI, Sept 3: The KSE 100-share index fell 18.48 points at 
1,166.40 as compared to 1,184.88 a day earlier as both PTCL and 
Hub-Power ended with fresh fall. The market capitalization also 
suffered a decline of about Rs5bn at Rs314.573bn as compared to 
Rs319bn a week.

Dividend news, notably from the textile sector were good notably 
45% cash dividend by Sapphire Textiles but they came at a time when 
the market was facing some other inhibiting factors, they added.

Minus signs dominated list under the lead of Shell Pakistan and 
Samin Textiles, which were quoted lower by Rs4.50 and 5.25 on 
active selling. Other prominent losers were led by Bank of Punjab, 
Mehmmod Textiles, Dewan Salman, Al-Ghazi Tractors, General Tyre, 
Millat Tractors and Lever Brothers, falling by one rupee to 
Rs10.00.

Some of the shares managed to finish with good gains, major gainers 
among them being Balochistan Wheels, which recovered bulk of the 
overnight fall, Pakistan Gum Chemicals and Glaxo-Welcome, which 
rose by Rs5.00 to Rs6.00 followed by Pakistan Tobacco, United 
Distributors and Sapphire Textiles, rising one rupee to Rs2.00.

Trading volume fell to 151m shares from the previous 185m shares as 
losers maintained a strong lead over the gainers at 90 to 34, with 
46 shares holding on to the last levels.

The most active list was again topped by PTCL, off 35 paisa at 
Rs20.05 on 51m shares followed by Hub-Power, lower 40 paisa at 

Rs17.80 on 46m shares, PSO, easy 40 paisa at Rs123.40 on 22m 
shares, Fauji Fertiliser, off Rs1.80 at Rs.49.50 on 10m shares, ICI 
Pakistan, lower 30 paisa at Rs9.15 on 3m shares and Engro Chemical, 
lower 80 paisa at Rs73.50 on 3m shares.

Other actively traded shares were led by Dewan Salman, off Rs1.60 
on 3m shares, Askari Bank, off 50 paisa on 1.374m shares, Sui 
Northern, easy 15 paisa on 1.179m shares, Dhan Fibre, lower 15 
paisa on 1.055m shares, FFC Jordan Fertiliser, lower 30 paisa on 
0.931m shares, KESC, easy 20 paisa on 0.805m shares and MCB, off 55 
paisa on 0.749m shares.

TOTAL VOLUME: 150.848m shares.

VOLUME LEADERS: PTCL 51.399m, Hub-Power 46.351m, PSO 21.497m, Fauji 
Fertiliser 9.581m, ICI Pakistan (r) 3.271m shares.

Back to the top
=================================================================== 
 EDITORIALS & FEATURES
990829
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Karachi: earthquake scene
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ardeshir Cowasjee

AT 0301 on the morning of August 17 an earthquake struck Izmit in 
Turkey. The count so far is 46,000 dead and 210,000 homeless. The 
buildings collapsed, as if made of cards.

The buildings were supposedly built according to the building codes 
prevalent in California but, according to Newsweek of August 30, 
"the difference from California, many authorities suspect, is that 
some Turkish contractors apparently prefer to erect sub-standard 
buildings, and there is no inpsection process to stop them. It is a 
simple matter to add more sand and less cement to a batch of 
concrete, or to use a thinner grade of steel-reinforcing bar, 
without anyone noticing the difference" - until an earthquake 
strikes.

The people of Turkey and the press have laid the blame at the 
doorstep of the builders' and contractors' mafia and their patrons 
among the successive housing ministers and ministry officials. 
("Murderers," thundered one newspaper Hurriyet a day after the 
disaster.)

To quote again from Newsweek, "The Turkish rescue efforts collapsed 
into chaos and disappeared in hundred kilometre traffic jams; 
communication was so chaotic that Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, 
touring the disaster area on the first day, used the televised 
press briefing to convey instructions to officials back in Ankara."

The slow but constant relative motion of tectonic plates of the 
earth's crust causes earthquakes. The boundary between two plates 
is called the 'fault,' the San Andreas Fault in California being 
one of the most famous in the world. Closer to home, the densely 
populated (over 12 million) city of Karachi sits very close to the 
confluence of three major tectonic plates : the Indian Plate, the 
Arabian Plate, and the Eurasian Plate. According to geologists, 
four active fault lines have been identified in the vicinity, 
namely Karachi-Jati, Allah Bund-Rann of Kutch, Surjan-Jhimpir, and 
PAB. Over the last sixty years, on two occasions in 1945 and 1985, 
earthquakes of lesser intensity have struck this city. So far, we 
have been lucky.

The people of Karachi should know that all the commericial and 
residential highrises are unsafe and dangerous to live in. Most of 
the builders and contractors, their attorneys or the entity they 
have established to construct a particular building, disappear from 
the scene as soon as a building is semi-complete and all spaces 
sold. The majority are members of the Association of Builders and 
Developers (ABAD), the body which makes the most noise when any 
building is ordered to be demolished and accepts no responsibility 
for the conduct of its members.

Building control authorities in Karachi: Principally the Karachi 
Building Control Authority (KBCA) and the various Cantonment 
Boards. None of these authorities makes any attempt to exercise any 
building control and, with rare exceptions, their officers and 
staff, from top to bottom, are corrupt and purchasable. I do not 
have much knowledge of what other Cantonment Boards do in other 
areas of Karachi, but within the jurisdiction of the Clifton 
Cantonment Board, in Blocks 8 and 9 of KDA Scheme 5 (on the left of 
the main Clifton Road going from Teen Talwar to Do Talwar), I have 
seen high buildings rise with record speed. Concrete is poured and 
roofs/floors are laid without supervision by any authority. No time 
is given for 'curing.' Most of these high buildings stand close to 
each other, the builders building at will on the compulsory open 
spaces (COS) mandatory under the law. The COSs are planned to allow 
service vehicles such as fire-engines and ambulances to pass 
through.

As for the quality of building, to give a living instance, Glass 
Towers on the Main Clifton Road, supposedly built under the 
supervision of the KBCA and according to the approved plan. After a 
lengthy and tedious fight, the citizens managed to convince the 
judges of the Supreme Court that the building was illegally built 
and protruding onto the main road. Chief Justice Ajmal Mian, 
sitting with four of his Brothers, ordered that it be demolished. 
Now that demolition is in progress, the 'innards' are clearly 
visible and the KBCA officials have finally realized the quality of 
material that has been used.

The occupants/allotees were given to believe by the builders that 
the building would be 'kosher' after the front portion has been 
demolished. However, they should know that there are many cases 
still pending in the courts concerning major violations : (a) 
construction of covered area in excess of the allowable 1:3 plot 
ratio; (b) encroachment on the COSs (15 feet on the nullah side, 10 
feet at the rear); (c) take-over of the 20 feet public road between 
the building and the nullah; (d) fencing in of the public space on 
the nullah; (e) removal of the ramps and structure encroaching on 
the public road beyond the nullah.

Now to what happens when a building in Karachi collapses. Without 
even the mildest of earth tremors, a six-storey building known as 
Faiza Heights collapsed in North Karachi on July 2 1997. Many 
people were killed, many rendered homeless. The Pakistan 
Engineering Council and the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town 

Planners have not established who was responsible, although that is 
their statutory mandate, because "no one has made a complaint." The 
KDA and the KBCA have not established who was responsible because 
"the inquiry is being conducted at a higher level."

At the higher level, Engineer Bashir Ahmed Ansari of the Chief 
Minister's Inspection and Evaluation Team submitted a report to the 
Governor on December 5, 1998, recommending

A. Black-listing and criminal prosecution for professional 
misconduct and criminal negligence of the private parties involved, 
i.e. the builders, architect, engineer, soil consultant, site 
engineer and supervisor.

B. Action under the Anti-Corruption and Efficiency and Discipline 
Rules against the political and government personnel involved, i.e. 
the Minister of Housing and Town Planning, Director General of the 
Karachi Development Authority, Chief Controller of Buildings of the 
Karachi Building Control Authority and three Deputy Controllers of 
Buildings.

To date no action has been taken against anyone.

Generally, this is how the cookie crumbles : The builders of 
highrises, higher than ground plus four storeys must send in a plan 
which meets with the rules and regulations making the building 
suitable to withstand ' Zone 2' earthquakes as defined by the 
Uniform Building Code of the USA. The KBCA is expected to have the 
plan vetted by their engineers and an external panel of proof 
engineers, which usually is not done, but the plan is stamped. The 
builders and contractors build, but not according to this so-called 
approved plan.

The 'noora kushti' then starts in earnest. The KBCA ostensibly 
object and send notices to the builders. The builders rush to court 
and employ a lawyer known for his capabilities of greasing his way 
up. They manage to get an order of sorts restraining the KBCA from 
taking any action whilst allowing the builders to continue their 
construction. The judge concerned, knowingly or unknowingly, 
effectively becomes the chief controller of the building. Others 
involved (criminally or not) are the builder, his architect, his 
engineer, his lawyer, his aiders and abettors the KBCA controllers 
and their lawyers.

The building is completed. No occupancy/completion certificate is 
asked for by the builders or issued by the KBCA. (According to the 
KBCA CCOB, Mohammad Hussain, no such certificate has been issued 
for any highrise since 1994.) The building is allowed to be 
unlawfully occupied by the allotees/buyers, who themselves are not 
interested in establishing whether or not they are occupying a safe 
and lawfully built building. By law, the KBCA can evict the 
occupants, but under cover of various excuses they do not. (All 
this is exactly what has happened in Turkey.)In the event that an 
illegally and badly constructed building collapses and people die 
and are injured, who do we blame? Everbody from the judge 
downwards?

For years I have been writing on this subject trying to create an 
awareness, but sadly not even reasonably successfully. Engineer 
Roland de Souza of SHEHRI and I are amongst the members of a 
notified committee appointed to oversee the functioning of the 
KBCA. Attending a committee meeting is painful in the extreme.

Volumes can be written on building malpractices. To those living in 
highrises who are concerned with their own safety, we have arranged 
for SHEHRI to provide, for a nominal fee, a full report on how the 
building was conceived, the names of its builders and architects, 
names of the KBCA officers concerned who approved the plan, in 
whose court stay orders were obtained, which lawyers were involved, 
etc etc. They can then decide whether to sleep on hoping no 
calamity will strike, or move to a safer place.

Expect nothing from the government. Fifteen high-ranking KBCA 
officers were suspended for corruption and misconduct. The inquiry 
officer, Nur Ahmad Shah, a man of great integrity, suggested that 
they be suitably penalized. They were all brought back and given 
postings. One of them, Rauf Akhtar Faruqui, was posted to a higher 
position, as Director-General of the Malir Development Authority. 
Forty others are now being investigated.

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990903
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Then and now
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ayaz Amir

TO get a measure of the depths to which Nawaz Sharif's position has 
sunk after two and a half years of his heavy mandate, it is 
instructive to draw a comparison between where he stands now and 
where Benazir Bhutto stood at a comparable period during her second 
prime ministership.

When the Daughter of the East returned to power in 1993 she was in 
a weak and vulnerable position. In the National Assembly she had a 
bare majority, that too with the help of the PML-J whose nominee, 
Manzoor Wattoo, she had to accept as chief minister of Punjab.

In the Frontier the government was formed by a coalition of the 
PML-N and the ANP. In Sindh, although the PPP was in power, it had 
to face the hostility of the MQM which soon entered into a de facto 
alliance with Nawaz Sharif. Balochistan under Nadir Magsi stayed 
largely neutral.

So aggressive and threatening was the behaviour of PML-N members in 
the National Assembly and the Punjab assembly that it became 
difficult to conduct orderly sittings. Outside Parliament Nawaz 
Sharif launched one anti-government agitation after the other, 
making numerous strike calls and asking traders not to pay taxes. 
In Karachi the MQM exerted relentless pressure through a never-
ending series of crippling strikes. Indeed, by the summer of 1995 
the government's writ did not run in many MQM-dominated areas, with 
thanas shutting their gates at night and policemen going about in 
fear of their lives.

This was the low point from which the PPP started its second term. 
But within two years - that is by about November 1995 - the 
situation had turned. The atmosphere in the National Assembly was 
made orderly after two of the rowdiest PML-N MNAs, Rao Qaiser and 
Birjees Tahir, were beaten up within the precincts of Parliament by 
PPP jialas; Shaikh Rasheed, another PML-N rowdy, was implicated in 

a kalashnikov case and sent to Bahawalpur jail where he discovered 
a new, reflective side to his personality; and Nawaz Khokhar, who 
as a PML-N MNA used to roll up his sleeves at the smallest 
provocation, was brought over to the PPP side through intimidation 
and blackmail.

In the Frontier Aftab Sherpao, who proved himself to be an astute 
political operator, had turned the tables on the Sabir Shah 
government through horse-trading and vote-buying. In Karachi 
General Naseerullah Babar had the MQM on the run when he launched a 
fierce crackdown on it.

Furthermore, the Sharifs were financially squeezed (a new 
experience for them since their industrial empire had grown because 
of easy access to semi-official credit), with public sector banks 
calling in their extensive loans to them.

This then was the situation at the beginning of 1996. While Nawaz 
Sharif and his legions were exhibiting growing signs of exhaustion 
and frustration, Benazir Bhutto, despite the charges of blatant 
corruption put at her and her husband's door, had come to occupy a 
commanding position. But then the fates intervened. Where Benazir 
should have taken things easy, her success and the opposition's 
discomfiture went to her head and fed her natural arrogance. There 
was also Asif Zardari who had an increasingly grubby finger in 
every pie.

So just as everything was going her way, Benazir picked a stupid 
quarrel with Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah whom in happier times 
she herself had picked for this post. As this quarrel dragged on 
(for the better part of 1996) it distracted the government and, 
perhaps worse, distorted Benazir's thinking. As if this was not 
enough, Benazir, with no small help from her husband, picked a 
quarrel with Farooq Leghari, her own man in the presidency. Thus 
two people who should have been her strategic allies turned into 
her bitterest enemies.

The irony of this situation has to be savoured. A government which 
had blunted the offensive of the PML-N, put the Sharifs in their 
place, conquered Peshawar and subdued Karachi, was now having its 
energies dissipated by the jostling of four over-sized egos: those 
of Benazir Bhutto, Asif Zardari, Sajjad Ali Shah and Farooq 
Leghari. Into this seething cauldron was added another explosive 
ingredient: the killing of Murtaza Bhutto. At a critical moment 
this was a major psychological blow to a government which was 
already the victim of a siege mentality. When Leghari struck the 
ground had already been pulled from under the PPP's feet.

*From this recital two overwhelming conclusions can be drawn. 
(1)That Benazir from a position of weakness rose to a position of 
strength. (2) That she and her husband, through sheer hubris and 
wilfulness, undid this advantage and brought about their own 
downfall. Nawaz Sharif had little to do with this drama. If Benazir 
and Farooq Leghari had not fallen out, he (Sharif) would still have 
been nursing his desperation.

Time now to look at the fortunes of the heavy mandate. The 1997 
elections were a one-sided affair for Nawaz Sharif. The PPP was too 
distracted to put up a proper fight. Moreover, its leadership 
carried the stigma of widespread corruption on its back. Not to be 
underestimated was another factor. In opposition Nawaz Sharif had 
emerged as a popular leader, one who was finally able to cut the 
umbilical chord which bound him to the spy-masters and army 
generals who had helped him become a national leader as a 
countervailing force to Benazir Bhutto.

The PML-N's spectacular triumph was thus almost fore-ordained. It 
could be seen either as a gift from heaven or as a spinoff from 
Benazir's follies but hardly as the outcome of any Napoleonic 
endeavour on the part of Nawaz Sharif.

Even so, Nawaz Sharif's position as prime minister was 
unassailable: an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly and 
the Punjab assembly; Muslim League governments in all the 
provinces, with his own brother strutting imperiously across 
Punjab; the MQM and ANP his allies; the PPP down and out, its 
leadership hounded by numerous cases of corruption; the rest of the 
opposition in a state of disarray.

Further trophies enriched the pantheon of the heavy mandate: in 
short order the scalps of Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and 
President Farooq Leghari and then, amazingly, that of General 
Jahangir Karamat who had committed the sin of saying out loud, or 
implying, that decision-making was being done in a cavalier fashion 
and that its form needed to be improved. No civilian autocrat in 
Pakistan's history had enjoyed such power before. Truly, the world 
was Nawaz Sharif's oyster.

This was a year ago. What do we see a year later? Just the reverse 
of what happened to Benazir (that is, before her self-facilitated 
downfall). A government plunging from the pinnacle of power to the 
depths of failure: increasingly embattled, assailed from all sides, 
trapped in a confusion which grows thicker by the moment, hard-
pressed to understand by what avenging furies its glory and triumph 
have turned so swiftly to ashes and dust.

Two broad explanations account for this phenomenon. First, the 
working of fate which seems finally to be catching up with the 
fortune of the Sharifs. They rose to great power and prominence 
without any real talent for the task of rulership. Now their 
inadequacies are being exposed. Regarding many of the developments 
taking place in and around Pakistan they have not the faintest 
clue. Where the heavy mandate was seen as the fore-runner to 
miracles which would transform Pakistan, it has become another 
byword for weary cynicism.

Second, the Kargil debacle. Nothing else could have more brutally 
turned the spotlight on Nawaz Sharif's failings, on the fact that 
in the role which fell to him through a mixture of good luck and 
fortuitous circumstances he has simply been out of his depth, than 
this crisis and its sorry handling. The emperor without his 
clothes: the breathless dash to Washington gave the people a 
glimpse of that.

Whether the heavy mandate lasts out its term or comes to a 
premature end is now a matter of detail. If current evidence is 
anything to go by, the people of Pakistan have turned their backs 
on it once and for all.

But in assessing the present situation one factor should not be 
lost sight of. Ever since the early years of Pakistan the army has 
exercised a political role, either overtly or from the wings. For 
the first time in living memory it is keeping to itself, brooding 
in silence, its self-confidence and pride badly hurt by the 
experience of Kargil. Will this mood last or is it a passing phase?

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990904
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Interesting times
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Irfan Husain

SUDDENLY, there is a feeling of panic in the air: gone is the self-
confident, macho swagger from this government's stride. As the rag-
tag opposition girds its loins to do battle with the Muslim League 
Goliath, the latter is exposed as a school bully.

In response to the strike call for today (September 4th), the 
government has reacted with all the finesse and subtlety of a man 
flailing around blindly with a stick in the dark to guard against a 
threat he cannot see. Hundreds of opposition activists have been 
arbitrarily jailed and peaceful rallies have been brutally 
disrupted. Hysterical statements from official spokesmen add to the 
feeling of panic. In Sindh, the work of the provincial government 
has virtually come to a halt as establishment stalwarts plot and 
scheme to dilute the political impact of the strike.

The recent imposition of general sales tax (GST) on a wide range of 
consumer goods has come as a godsend to the opposition as it has 
gifted them the support of traders and a public groaning under 
spiralling prices. Had this government announced this additional 
levy with the budget in June - as it had promised the IMF it would 
way back in January - the impact would have been absorbed by now. 
But lacking the spine to live up to its commitment and risk popular 
ire, it dragged its feet until virtually forced to the wall by the 
visiting IMF team. The timing couldn't have been worse.

When Nawaz Sharif was elected barely 30 months ago, common wisdom 
had it that the only threats to him could come from the presidency, 
the Supreme court or the GHQ. One by one, he neutralized the 
sources of these potential threats brutally but efficiently. We all 
thought that he would be the one prime minister to complete his 
term, and, given his firm grip on the levers of power, probably win 
re-election. The opposition, reduced to tatters by the sheer scale 
of the Muslim League landslide, was discounted as largely 
irrelevant, especially after the revelations of corruption 
decimated Benazir Bhutto's appeal.

But the government juggernaut has been derailed from time to time: 
first its alliance with the ANP collapsed in the North West 
Frontier Province on the question of re-naming the province, and 
then it drove its MQM partner into the wilderness. While these 
moves did not display much political acumen, they did demonstrate a 
certain heady arrogance derived from the PML's crushing 
parliamentary majority. However, Mian Azhar's exit from its camp 

has forced a reality check: as a result of these defections or 
expulsions, the number of those occupying government benches in 
Parliament has steadily declined. From a two-thirds majority, the 
government's support has dwindled significantly. If Mian Azhar's 
group of 20-25 MNAs stand up to be counted, they may well trigger a 
full-fledged revolt within the party.

As usual in Pakistani politics, most of these wounds are self-
inflicted. Had not his unprecedented power gone to his head, Nawaz 
Sharif would have thought twice before opening so many fronts. For 
instance, the price for keeping Mian Azhar happy was the 
governorship of Punjab, something he had apparently been promised 
by Abbaji, the patriarch of the Sharif family and godfather of this 
government. Surely Nawaz Sharif, used as he is to paying far higher 
prices to secure people's loyalty, could have honoured his father's 
promise.

Similarly, he could have kept his other allies happy by relatively 
simple and inexpensive expedients. But assured by his handlers that 
he could do without the ANP and the MQM, Nawaz Sharif rode 
roughshod over his erstwhile coalition partners who have now joined 
hands with other opposition parties on the single-point agenda of 
toppling this government.

Easier said than done. Nawaz Sharif still holds most of the trumps 
in the pack, even though he may not make good use of them. A street 
movement against the government would be difficult, if not 
impossible, to sustain given the disparate nature of the opposition 
as well as the brutal lengths this government is willing to go in 
order to ensure its supremacy. Ordinary people are too sick and 
tired of politics and politicians to come out into the streets to 
replace one lot of oppressors by another. The President is clearly 
partisan and cannot be expected to act, even if he had the power to 
do so.

The one threat to Nawaz Sharif lies within his own party: 
disgruntled members, sidelined by their leader's highly 
personalized style, might seize upon popular unrest to rally to 
Mian Azhar's banner. This may seem far-fetched at present, but the 
PML shelters many ambitious politicians, and many of them have been 
deeply frustrated and angered through perceived slights and the few 
opportunities they have of shoving their snouts in the public 
trough. The spoils of office have been largely limited to those in 
the inner circle, and the Leaguers on the periphery are getting 
hungry.

The fact that such scenarios are suddenly being discussed is a 
testimonial to the shortsightedness and mediocrity of our 
politicians. Here is a man who has managed to acquire the greatest 
concentration of power in Pakistan's history, and yet manages to 
fritter it away before his term is half done. Indeed, both Benazir 
Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have been turfed out of office in the past 
for corruption and incompetence. In his time, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto 
fell because he was far too arrogant to believe for a minute that 
he could be outmanoeuvred by his rivals.

So what now? Will Nawaz Sharif cling on as a lame-duck PM until 
2002, or will he succumb to the pressure the opposition is trying 
to build up? Whatever happens, it is clear that he will not be able 
to exercise the authority he did during the first half of his term. 
He has shot himself too often in the foot to stand up straight, 
leave alone stride ahead with any degree of confidence.

But if the opposition does manage to somehow topple Nawaz Sharif, 
what then? Do we go through the same cycle of interim government 
followed by either the PPP or the PML emerging victorious? Or can 
the PML engineer an in-house change so that it can set a precedent 
and complete its tenure? Whatever happens, the rest of the year 
promises to be very interesting.


===================================================================
SPORTS
990904
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Zubair pulls out of World Championship
-------------------------------------------------------------------

KARACHI, Sept 3: Former world No 8 Zubair Jahan Khan has pulled out 
from this month's World Squash Championship in Cairo with a heel 
injury.

However, Zubair who is currently world No 64, will be participating 
in the Chief of Air Staff Squash Championship to be held from Oct 
10-13 at Peshawar. Besides, he will also be taking part in 
international circuit tournaments this year.-PPI

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990831
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Zarak alleges his exclusion from World Team squad a conspiracy
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KARACHI, Aug 30: Reigning Asian champion Zarak Jahan Khan has 
alleged that his exclusion from the Pakistan squad for World Team 
Championship was a conspiracy hatched against him by secretary 
Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) Sqn Ldr S.M Fazal and vice-
president PSF Qamar Zaman.

He alleged both officials, especially former British Open champion 
Qamar Zaman of hatching a conspiracy to accomodate Mansoor Zaman in 
the Pakistan string for next month's World Team event scheduled to 
be staged in Cairo. 

Zarak appealed to the Prime Minister, Federal Minister, Sports, and 
PSF officials to order a probe into matter on the pattern of 
investigations currently being carried out in cricket affairs.-PPI

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Ata put on ECL: Commission's next hearing on 8th
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By Ilyas Beg

LAHORE, Sept 3: Twelve out of the 14 persons summoned by the one-
man inquiry commission of Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum appeared 
before him. Only banker Salim Pervaiz appeared in the court while 
the remaining proceedings were held in camera in the chamber of 
Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum.

Bookmaker Younis failed to turn up again while journalist Fareshteh 
Gati-Aslam who is out of the country could not appear. Test paceman 
Ata-ur-Rahman resiled from his earlier statement in which he had 
alleged Wasim Akram of paying him Rs 100,000 out of the promised 
amount of Rs 200,000 for throwing away a match during the tour of 
New Zealand. After that, Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum ordered that 
Ata-ur-Rahman would not be allowed to go abroad till further 
orders.

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