------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 16 October 1999 Issue : 05/42 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
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CONTENTS ===================================================================
NATIONAL NEWS + Assemblies, Senate suspended; Constitution in abeyance + Army seals Parliament Building + No martial law in country: ISPR + Accounts of politicians frozen + Impartial probe into corruption envisaged + Delhi rejects talks with Islamabad + Democracy will be restored in Pakistan soon, hopes US + Pakistan barred from C'wealth moot + Benazir blames Nawaz for Army take-over + Altaf asks army to restore democracy + India's Nuclear tests were flops, claim experts + World population to touch 6 billion mark today --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + Foreign exchange business suspended + State Bank suspends forward Forex deals + Pakistan may default on repayments + WB to prevent Hubco project collapse: report + CBR allows substitution of previous returns + Development schemes in Punjab almost at standstill + Black marketing of new prize bonds + 'All foreign payments to be made on time' + Pakistan faces $3.8 billion payments deficit this fiscal + 10-35% cash margins imposed on imports + 10% income-tax on profits likely to go + Income Tax Southern Region revenue up by 26% + Gold prices surge by Rs111 per 10 gms + Stocks stage remarkable recovery EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Credibility Ardeshir Cowasjee + What now? Ayaz Amir + Democracy in the doldrums Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + 9th SAF Games a challenge + Mujeeb wants Pakistan cricket to don a new look + Sharjah Trophy '99: Pakistan hot favorite + Pakistan crush West Indies by 130 runs in Sharjah Cup

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NATIONAL NEWS
991015
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Assemblies, Senate suspended; Constitution in abeyance 
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Muhammad Yasin

ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
Committee and the Chief of the Army Staff, General Pervaiz 
Musharraf, on 1 am Friday morning proclaimed emergency throughout 
Pakistan and assumed the office of the Chief Executive of the 
Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

In a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, General Pervaiz 
Musharraf announced that he had taken the step in pursuance of 
deliberations and decisions of chiefs of staff of the armed forces 
and corps commanders of Pakistan Army.

He proclaimed that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of 
Pakistan shall remain in abeyance and the President of Pakistan 
shall continue in office.

He announced that the National Assembly, provincial assemblies and 
the Senate stand suspended. The chairman and deputy chairman of 
Senate, the speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly and 
provincial assemblies shall stand suspended, he said.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee announced that 
the prime minister, the federal ministers, the ministers of state 
and the parliamentary secretaries, the provincial governors, the 
provincial chief ministers, the provincial ministers and the 
advisors to the chief ministers shall cease to hold office.

General Musharraf also announced that the whole of Pakistan will 
come under the control of the armed forces of Pakistan.

The proclamation shall come into force at once and be deemed to 
have taken effect on and from 12th day of October 1999.

CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER NO 1: The PID issued Provisional Constitution 
Order No.1 of 1999.

In pursuance of proclamation of the 14th day of October 1999, and 
in exercise of all powers enabling him in that behalf, the Chairman 
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Chief of the Army Staff and 
Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan under the 
Proclamation of Emergency of 14th day of October 1999 (hereinafter 
referred to as the Chief Executive) has been pleased to make and 
promulgate the Provisional Constitution Order No.1 of 1999.

It said notwithstanding the abeyance of the provisions of the 
Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, hereinafter 
referred to as the Constitution, Pakistan shall, subject to this 
Order and any other Orders made by the Chief Executive, be 
governed, as nearly as may be, in accordance with the Constitution.

It said subject as aforesaid, all courts in existence immediately 
before the commencement of this Order shall continue to function 
and to exercise their respective powers and jurisdiction: Provided 
that the Supreme Court or High Courts and any other court shall not 
have the powers to make any order against the Chief Executive or 
any person exercising powers or jurisdiction under his authority.

The PCO said that the Fundamental Rights conferred by Chapter 1 of 
Part II of the Constitution, not in conflict with the Proclamation 
of Emergency or any Order made thereunder from time to time, shall 
continue to be in force.

Under the PCO, the President shall act on, and in accordance with 
the advice of the Chief Executive.

It said that no judgment, decree, writ, order or process whatsoever 
shall be made or issued by any court or tribunal against the Chief 
Executive or any authority designated by the Chief Executive.

The proclamation of emergency said that notwithstanding the 
abeyance of the provisions of the Constitution, but subject to the 
Orders of the Chief Executive all laws other than the Constitution 
shall continue in force until altered, amended or repealed by the 
Chief Executive or any authority designated by him.

It said the Proclamation of Emergency issued on 28th day of May 
1998, shall continue but subject to the provisions of Proclamation 
of Emergency dated 14th day of October 1999 and this Provisional 
Constitution Order and any other Order made thereunder.

Concluding, the PCO said that all persons who, immediately before 
the commencement of this Order, were in the service of Pakistan as 
defined in Article 260 of the Constitution and those persons who 
immediately before such commencement were in office as Judge of the 
Supreme Court, the Federal Shariat Court or a High Court or 
Auditor-General or Ombudsman and Chief Ehtesab Commissioner, shall 
continue in the said service on the same terms and conditions and 
shall enjoy the same privileges, if any.

APP adds: Following is the text of the proclamation of Emergency:

"In pursuance of deliberations and decisions of Chiefs of Staff of 
the Armed Forces and Corps Commanders of Pakistan Army, I, General 
Pervez Musharraf, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and 
Chief of Army Staff, proclaim emergency throughout Pakistan and 
assume the office of the Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of 
Pakistan.

I hereby order and proclaim as follows:

(a) The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall 
remain in abeyance;

(b) The President of Pakistan shall continue in office;

(c) The National Assembly, the Provincial Assemblies and Senate 
shall stand suspended;

(d) The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate, the Speaker and 
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and the Provincial 
Assemblies shall stand suspended;

(e) The Prime Minister, the Federal Ministers, Ministers of State, 
Advisors to the Prime Minister, Parliamentary secretaries, the 
Provincial Governors, the Provincial Chief Ministers, the 
Provincial Ministers and the Advisors to the Chief Ministers shall 
cease to hold office;

(f) The whole of Pakistan will come under the control of the Armed 
Forces of Pakistan.

This proclamation shall come into force at once and be deemed to 
have taken effect on and 12th day of October, 1999."

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991015
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Army seals Parliament Building
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Correspondent

ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: Pakistan Army on Thursday afternoon sealed the 
offices of the prime minister, the leader of the opposition and the 
secretariat staff of the both houses, thereby, completing the 
takeover of the Parliament House building.

At 11:30 am on Thursday, army officers reached the Parliament House 
and informed the officials of the National Assembly and the Senate 
Secretariat to vacate their offices and not to come on Friday. The 
officials conveyed a similar message to the staff of the leader of 
the opposition in the National Assembly.

Acting on the orders of the army personnel, the staff of the two 
Houses vacated their offices and left the Parliament House.

According to official sources, the army personnel got the offices 
and other rooms of the Parliament House locked.

The National Assembly is scheduled to meet on Friday at 5 pm. 
President Rafiq Tarar had summoned the assembly session on October 
9. The president had also summoned the Senate session for October 
18.

On Thursday, army personnel were deployed at the main gate of the 
Parliament House for the first time. Earlier, on the first day of 
the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif government, they were deployed on the 
roof of the Parliament House.

When the news of the takeover of the Parliament House building by 
the army spread in the city, journalists arrived on the scene. 
However, the troops did not allow them to enter the Parliament 
House.

By 12:30 pm, a large number of foreign media teams had also arrived 
on the spot.

By 3 pm, the staffers of the Parliament House had gone home.

The CDA's maintenance staff on duty was allowed to visit the 
building after a deputy director of the CDA, posted in the 
Parliament House, held talks with the officer in-charge at the main 
gate.

Officials working at the National Assembly and the Senate 
Secretariats were not available for comment on the takeover of the 
Parliament House building by the army.

Also, no official word was given about the postponement of the 
National Assembly session which was to begin on Friday evening.

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991015
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No martial law in country: ISPR
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Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: There is no martial law in the country, an 
Inter-Services Public Relations officer said.

Talking to Dawn at 2:15am, the ISPR official, however, said that he 
had nothing to add to what was said in the cabinet division's 
notifications, issued in the wee hours of Friday, with regard to 
the "proclamation of emergency" and "provisional constitutional 
order No. of 1999."

When asked whether it's the martial law or emergency in the 
country, he said, "we did not use the words 'martial law' in these 
notifications."

He, however, said that further explanations would be made on 
Friday.

The ISPR spokesman's attention was drawn to the section (e) of para 
2 of the "proclamation of emergency" in which it was stated that 
the prime minister, chief ministers and their cabinet members shall 
cease to hold office, and was asked whether the prime minister was 
still the chief executive of the country after the Oct 12 address 
of Chief of the Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf, he replied 
that he had nothing more to add.

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991016
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Accounts of politicians frozen
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Mohiuddin Aazim

KARACHI, Oct 15: All banks and other financial institutions on 
Friday froze the local and foreign currency accounts of "notable 
politicians", parliamentarians and their spouses under a State Bank 
order. Former premiers Mian Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were 
among those politicians whose accounts were frozen.

Senior bankers said partial withdrawals were made from these 
accounts on Thursday in anticipation of their being frozen. They 
could not quantify these withdrawals but said they were not very 
huge.

"We got the State Bank instruction this morning with a list of 
those whose accounts, along with those of their spouses, were to be 
frozen," one of the bankers said.

He said under the State Bank order, banks and other financial 
institutions had frozen the local and foreign currency accounts of 
all senators, federal and provincial ministers, members of national 
and provincial assemblies, political advisors, special assistants 
and their spouses.

The State Bank letter that had asked the banks and financial 
institutions to freeze the bank accounts of politicians and 
parliamentarians said the freeze was temporary and that it would 
remain effective till further orders.

The letter also made it clear that the freezing of accounts was "in 
pursuance of the order received from the government" and "with a 
view to protecting the interest of depositors and financial 
institutions."

Lawyers attached with major banks said freezing of accounts would 
trigger a legal war between those whose accounts were frozen and 
banks and financial institutions.

Bankers said it was difficult to estimate how much worth of local 
and foreign currency accounts were frozen but they said the number 
of frozen accounts ran in thousands.

They said withdrawals were made from rupee accounts as well as 
fresh foreign currency accounts on Thursday not only by politicians 
and parliamentarians but also by ordinary account holders. "But the 
withdrawals were modest," said a senior executive of a state-run 
bank. "Most bank managers had an idea that the accounts of 
politicians and parliamentarians would be frozen so they managed 
not to facilitate large withdrawals."

Executives of major banks say they have instructed all their 
branches to send to their head offices the details of all local and 
foreign currency accounts of politicians and legislators and their 
spouses.

The executives say no agency has so far contacted them for the 
scrutiny of these or any other accounts. "On Wednesday, some junior 
military officials had visited the National Bank, the Habib Bank 
and the United Bank just to ensure the compliance of the orders 
about the closure of banks that day," said a senior executive of 
one of these banks.

Bankers say unusual withdrawals were reported from some of the 
branches of three state-run banks on October 12 - the day the 
military took over after ousting Nawaz Sharif from power.

Bankers say the freezing of bank accounts of politicians and 
legislators has come as the first blow to fresh foreign currency 
accounts. The State Bank allowed the banks on June 21 l998 to open 
fresh foreign currency accounts after freezing $11 billion worth of 
the existing foreign currency accounts on May 28 1998 in the wake 
of nuclear explosions.

Senior bankers say the banking system has more than $700 million 
worth of fresh foreign currency deposits at present, about 25-30 
per cent of which have been placed with the State Bank for up to 
three months.

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991016
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Impartial probe into corruption envisaged
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Bureau Report

ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: Military authorities have decided to conduct an 
across-the-board and neutral accountability to ensure good 
governance and the revival of the economy.

The chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, presiding over a meeting 
of corps commanders and principal staff officers here on Friday, 
said the process of impartial and ruthless accountability would be 
conducted to achieve the broad objectives of good governance. 
Circles close to the army said the military rulers also wanted to 
recover over Rs200 billion bank loans, and had set some new rules 
to discourage corruption.

The establishment of an efficient and impartial interim setup to 
ensure stability, credibility, transparency and accountability in 
running the affairs of the country was discussed in the meeting.

According to a handout of the Inter Services Public Relations, Gen 
Musharraf said top priority would be accorded to economic revival, 
ensuring national integration and good governance. He said once all 
the details were in place, he would address the nation to take it 
into confidence.

The corps commanders meeting reviewed issues of national 
significance, including the prevailing situation, operational 
preparedness and other matters following the imposition of 
emergency.

Sources said it was decided that the authorities would meet 
political leaders with a view to having an early interim setup in 
place. The army chief told the meeting that he would soon start 
meeting the politicians, technocrats and constitutional experts. It 
is reported that the military leadership is considering setting up 
a "supreme advisory council" to assist the chief executive in 
running the government affairs.

Sources told Dawn that hectic consultations were going on to give 
the present rule a formal shape. They said the chief executive was 
in consultation with the corps commanders as well as the chiefs of 
the air force and navy in this connection.

The supreme advisory council, if finally approved, is likely to 
comprise senior defence officers and technocrats, and will function 
as a cabinet. The ISPR had no immediate comment to offer on the 
subject, but indicated that the chief executive was likely to 
announce his future course of action in his address to the nation 
on Saturday.

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991016
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Delhi rejects talks with Islamabad
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NEW DELHI, Oct 15: A concerned India on Friday said following the 
military coup in Pakistan on Tuesday Islamabad is "effectively 
under martial-law" regulations.

A Foreign Office spokesman told newsmen in Delhi that there will be 
no resumption of bilateral talks unless the situation in Pakistan 
became clear.

"Pakistan is effectively under martial-law (regulations) following 
the military coup. We are concerned about the direction in which 
the situation in Pakistan is developing," the official said. The 
official said "it is difficult to begin bilateral talks till the 
political situation (in Pakistan) becomes clear".-dpa

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991014 
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Democracy will be restored in Pakistan soon, hopes US
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Shaheen Sehbai

WASHINGTON, Oct 13: The US, IMF and world reaction to the dismissal 
of Nawaz Sharif government has by and large been mild, with 
everyone ready to give time to the new military rulers, apparently 
to restore democracy.

Statements made by senior US spokesmen, of the White House, State 
Department and the Pentagon have just been expressing "concern" 
over the developments while hoping that "democracy will be restored 
quickly."

State Department spokesmen have been avoiding calling the takeover 
a 'coup d'etat' or a violation of the Constitution and have been 
leaving doors and windows wide open to maintain a working 
relationship with the Pakistan army now running the country.

" We regret that once again a chain of political events has led to 
a setback for democracy and the Constitution in Pakistan," State 

Department spokesman James Rubin said.

" We hope that in his upcoming policy statements, Gen Musharraf 
will set forth clear plans for the restoration of civilian 
government in Pakistan."

Even the IMF has kept its door open so far. In his reaction to the 
changes in Pakistan, IMF managing director Michel Camdessus did not 
announce an instant freeze on the IMF programme for Pakistan, but 
said Pakistan could lose its IMF aid if democracy were not 
restored. He gave no timeframe for restoration of democracy.

Mr Camdessus said in Paris: "The IMF did not want to continue its 
aid if donor countries decided to cut off their support." That 
statement made an aid cut-off contingent upon action by donors.

He was diplomatic in his answers when asked if the IMF should give 
money to "putschists". "I hope that developments in Pakistan will 
lead to a democratic normalization of the situation."

"If not, no?" interjected the Paris radio interviewer. "If not, 
no," Mr Camdessus replied, in what appeared to be a comment forced 
on him. He went on: "We were about to finish a negotiation with 
former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. We made conditions that have 
not yet been met to unblock our money."

Mr Camdessus, who expressed concern about the military action, said 
donor countries often suspended their bilateral aid when a coup 
occurred during the course of an aid programme. " At that moment, 
since the IMF does not want to do everything all by itself, its aid 
is interrupted as well," he said.

Mr Camdessus said he was concerned about the militaqry action 
because Pakistan was "in that hot belt of the world, it is a 
country that is nuclear, Islamic, very populated, a neighbour of 
another country that is also very populated."

" Democracy is in retreat," he said. "When democracy retreats, 
countries are in danger. These are real threats, we're not in the 
virtual realm here."

N-POLICIES: Military experts round the world were not worried so 
much about the implications of the change in government on 
Pakistan's military and nuclear policies.

Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon was specifically asked about these 
implications and he was very clear in his reply: "In terms of the 
nuclear arsenal, it's my understanding that the Pakistani Army has 
controlled the nuclear program and the security of the nuclear 
weapons as a matter of course. So I don't think that anything 
should change, based on the events that we see taking place in 
Pakistan today."

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991015
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Pakistan barred from C'wealth moot
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CAPE TOWN, Oct 14: Pakistan's new military government not will be 
allowed to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 
South Africa next month, President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday.

Mbeki, who will chair the summit, told journalists here: "I do not 
believe Pakistan will be allowed to attend the Commonwealth's Heads 
of Government Meeting."

His comments follow a statement by Commonwealth Secretary-General 
Emeka Anyaoku on Wednesday that there was "no question of the 
military regime in Pakistan attending the forthcoming Commonwealth 
summit."

Anyaoku also warned that the Commonwealth might suspend Pakistan 
following a military takeover in that country on Tuesday.

According to foreign ministry officials, Mbeki has to be involved 
in any decision on whether Pakistan attends the Durban summit.

He said on Thursday he had not yet been approached by Anyaoku on 
the matter.

He believed, however, Pakistan would be expelled from the 
Commonwealth.

"Given the decision that the Commonwealth will defend democratic 
rule, and in light of Nigeria's suspension I would imagine the 
Commonwealth would have to be consistent in its views," he said.

Commonwealth members are due to meet in London on October 18 to 
discuss a response to the takeover. This could include the 
institution of sanctions and suspension.-AFP

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991013 
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Benazir blames Nawaz for Army take-over
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LONDON, Oct 12: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Tuesday 
blamed Nawaz Sharif for provoking military take-over against his 
own government. Bhutto said Sharif had sought to politicise the 
army and the army had therefore risen against him.

"Ever since Nawaz Sharif took over he sought to dismantle 
democracy," said Bhutto, who is in London.

"The people believe that the man is violating every rule of law and 
there is no-one to stop him.

"The armed forces had to protect themselves as an institution," 
Bhutto said in an interview with Sky television.

Earlier, Bhutto said the situation in Pakistan resembled civil war, 
but she later toned down this analysis.

"Perhaps civil war is a bit extreme," she said. "But Nawaz tried to 
use elements of the military against the bulk of the military."

The army as an institution had reacted against this attempt to 
politicise it. Bhutto said it was "very serious" that Pakistan, a 
nuclear weapons state, should be leaderless.

"I have been calling on the western community to raise its voice to 
support fundamental human rights and the rule of law in Pakistan," 
she said.

"I feared that if the rule of law collapsed it could create a 
vacuum into which the military could step. That's what has happened 
today."

The military could earn the respect of the people of Pakistan by 
agreeing to hold free and fair elections and then returning to its 
barracks.

"If they don't, Pakistan will be an international outcast and that 
would be bad for Pakistan and the region," she said.

In an earlier interview with the BBC, Bhutto said Pakistan appeared 
to be in a state of civil war.

"When you hear reports that the military is fighting with the civil 
government and elements of the military are supporting the ... 
government, well, that looks very much like civil war to me," she 
said.

Bhutto said the events had little to do with Kashmir, instead 
placing the blame on Sharif.

"I don't think the change has anything to do with Kargil but it has 
a lot to do with Mr Nawaz Sharif's manner of running the country.

"He has sought to dismantle democracy, he has been sacking everyone 
- the chief justice, the president - attacked the press, the 
foreign investors, the opposition," she said.-Reuters

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991013 
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Altaf asks army to restore democracy
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Correspondent

LONDON, Oct 12: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has 
asked the army chief and the its leadership to restore democracy in 
the country at the earliest. "This (restoration of democracy) is in 
the interest of the country as well as the army," Mr Hussain told 
Dawn
 while commenting on the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif government in 
Pakistan.

The MQM chief held former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif responsible 
for the current situation and said that his "autocratic and 
dictatorial attitude" forced the army to step in. "Nawaz Sharif had 
left no choice for the army," he added.

He said the foremost task of any government installed in Pakistan 
should be to hold accountability of all corrupt politicians who 
have looted the national wealth.

He said the army should move fast towards restoring democracy, 
adding that the army had been forced to take the action, which was 
not liked by democracy-loving people like him. 

Asked whether he would favour holding of fresh elections within 90 
days, he said he would support the restoration of democracy in the 
country as well as demand accountability of those who looted the 
national wealth, suppressed the judiciary and subjugated the 
national press.

He said Nawaz Sharif had resorted to extra-constitutional measures 
to suppress the opposition parties, particularly the MQM in Sindh. 
"He (Nawaz Sharif) must be tried for extra-judicial killings that 
took place during his tenure in Pakistan in general and Karachi in 
particular."

Asked whether he would support a caretaker government set up for a 
year or two to hold across the board accountability of all 
politicians before holding the next elections, he said it was too 
early to say that. "I am waiting for the speech of the army chief," 
he said. "But whatever decision will be taken, will be by the 
central coordination committee and not by me."

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991012
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India's Nuclear tests were flops, claim experts
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Correspondent

NEW YORK, Oct 11: Experts monitoring a global network of 
seismographs believe that the Indian nuclear tests of May 1998 were 
generally "exaggerated" and the devices turned out to be "flops." 
They are of opinion that "the problems (in detonating) were so 
great that India left a device in the ground undetonated."

According to an article in Sunday'sNew York Times, the emerging 
consensus among the nuclear experts is that" what failed that day 
(May 13, 1998) was not global monitoring but a pair of explosive 
devices."

George Perkovich, a professor at University of Southern California, 
the author of "India's nuclear bomb" - told theTimes that "the 
problems were so great that India left another nuclear device in 
the ground undetonated".

Calling Indian claims of tests a mystery, theTimessays when India 
on May 13 announced that it had set off a pair of nuclear blasts, 
the global network of seismometers recorded no faint rumbles 
emanating from India's test site in its northwestern desert. There 
was no blip, no twitch of meter, suggesting that an awesome power 
of the atom has just been released.

Had India faked the explosive tests? Were they flops? Or had small 
blasts eluded the eavesdroppers? And if they had, what did that 
mean for a global ban on nuclear tests, in which compliance is to 
be assiduously verified. These questions have a strong bearing on 
the bruising battle in Washington over whether the Senate should 
bless Washington's participation in the CTBT, which more than 150 
nations have signed.

TheTimes says that "though the treaty's opponents point to the 
Indian claim as a test ban embarrassment for clandestine blasts, 
the CTBT calls for 321 monitoring stations - 170 to detect 
undergrade shock waves, 80 to sniff the air for tell-tale radio 
activity, 60 to listen for revealing sounds and 11 to track 
undersea bombs.

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991012
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World population to touch 6 billion mark today
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ISLAMABAD, Oct 11 : On October 12, each person on the Earth will 
have exactly 5,999,999,999 fellow humans, according to calculations 
by the United Nations.

That date has been designated as the "Day of 6 Billion" by the UN 
statisticians, and it is one which is a matter of both hopes and 
fears.

There are two core questions: will mankind succeed in time in 
slowing down the population growth enough in order to hold out an 
assurance that there will be enough space, food and water for 
everyone?

Or, will the high growth rate, especially in the developing 
countries, remain so that the inevitable effects will be misery, 
starvation, and a threat to the future of all living creatures?

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which since 1969 has been working 
intensively to achieve the first alternative, has achieved quite a 
lot, but the situation is still unsatisfactory.

Back then, the world population growth rate was running at a record 
high- two per cent annually, even reaching 2.5pc in the poorer 
nations.

Today the average rate is 1.33 per cent. But exact projections for 
the future is something impossible even for experts to make.

Today some 900 million people are going hungry and 1.3 billion live 
in extreme poverty. For many decades, the population growth rate 
has been higher in poor countries than in wealthy ones.

In the year 2050 when, according to projections, there will be 8.9 
billion people on the Earth, things will be even more dramatic: 59 
per cent of the world population will be in Asia, 20 per cent in 
Africa and 9 per cent in Latin America.

When one considers the uncertainties surrounding the successor 
states to the former Soviet republics, then it is by no means 
certain that the Earth's remaining 12 per cent of the population in 
2050 can count on real or even relative prosperity.

Food and water for everyone could virtually be assured for all 
times if the economic conditions were not so crassly divergent.

In the European Union and the United States there are huge food 
surpluses, while in other parts of the globe there is starvation.

By UN data, the average woman in Asia bears 2.6 children. In Latin 
America the figure is 2.7, while in North America it is 1.9 and in 
Europe, 1.4. Africa, at 5.1 children per woman, tops the world 
list.-APP


=================================================================== 
 BUSINESS & ECONOMY
991015
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreign exchange business suspended
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohiuddin Aazim

KARACHI, Oct 14: The State Bank on Thursday instructed private 
money changers to keep their businesses closed up to 20th to stop 
people from panic-buying of US dollars that could weaken the rupee.

"It has been decided that offices of authorised money changers 
shall remain closed for public dealing up to Wednesday - Oct 20 -, 
" said a SBP circular. "Authorised money changers are accordingly 
directed to keep their business places closed for business and not 
to conduct any foreign exchange transaction up to the 20th October 
1999," the circular added.

The circular was issued after SBP Governor Dr Muhammad Yaqub held a 
meeting on Thursday morning with representatives of Forex 
Association of Pakistan led by their chairman Malik Muhammad 
Bostan. SBP had stopped money changers from conducting business on 
Wednesday through an order issued hours after the military take-
over on October 12. On Thursday offices of money changers wore 
deserted look but people said the dollar sold for Rs 56 in the 
black market in Karachi.

A Dawn survey showed that the greenback sold for Rs 56 and even 
more in such areas as Bonds market, Pan Mandi and Godhra Gali 
located near Boultan market. The dollar also sold for Rs 56 and 
more at major hotels in the city.

"We have no control over the black market," Malik Bostan said while 
talking to Dawn by telephone. "So far licensed money changers are 
concerned they would keep their businesses shut up to October 20 
and even after that we would not allow the dollar to go beyond Rs 
54.40," he said. The greenback had closed at Rs 54.35 for buying 
and Rs 54.40 for selling in the kerb market on Tuesday.

Bostan said the SBP chief told money changers that the purpose for 
asking them to keep their businesses closed was to check 
speculative buying of greenbacks that could weaken the rupee. He 
quoted him as saying that SBP would take stern action against those 
violating this ban. Bostan insisted that Forex Association had 
arranged $20-30 million supply of foreign exchange from Dubai which 
the Association would use for intervention in the market after 
October 20 to keep the rupee stable.

"So there is no reason for being panicky. I tell you we would sell 
dollar at 54.40 the day our shops would open," he claimed.

Currency dealers said around 400 money changers work under State 
Bank licenses across Pakistan whereas more than 1000 operate 
without any license. They say many illegal money changers are still 
involved in currency speculation.

The ban on money changers came after SBP stopped banks from 
remitting foreign exchange abroad against surrender of foreign 
currency in Pakistan. The purpose is to refrain those who buy 
foreign exchange from the kerb market and surrender the same to 
banks for outward remittance. Since this has been a major source of 
capital outflow SBP has made the two-pronged move to check it, 
bankers say.

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991016
-------------------------------------------------------------------
State Bank suspends forward Forex deals
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohiuddin Aazim

KARACHI, Oct 15: The State Bank on Friday stopped banks from future 
buying or selling of foreign exchange for their clients to keep the 
rupee stable amid reports of suspension of UK economic assistance 
to Pakistan.

'It has been decided to temporarily suspend forward sales and 
purchases (of forward cover). Authorised dealers (banks) are, 
therefore, advised not to buy from or sell to their customers 
foreign exchange on forward basis w.e.f. today the 15th Oct '99,' a 
SBP circular said. The circular (F.E. no 25) said 'commitments 
already made up to 14th Oct '99 will, however, be honoured by them 
by taking/making deliveries/by closing out such contracts, in 
accordance with the terms of the contracts.'

It allowed forward foreign exchange deals between the banks 
themselves in the inter-bank market in order to manage their Nostro 
limits.

Senior bankers said the purpose of this measure was to stall panic 
buying of foreign exchange by the importers that could weaken the 
rupee. They said the US dollar which remained pegged around Rs 
51.90 after the military takeover could slip if the importers 
panicked. They said forward premiums that had risen to Rs 1.60 per 
dollar for six months and 60 paisa per dollar for three months fell 
to 85 paisa and 30 paisa respectively after the State Bank 
suspended forward cover buying and selling for the importers and 
exporters.

Bankers said with the ban put on future forex deals by bank 
customers the inter-bank exchange rate was not likely to show wild 
fluctuations. They say as the inter-bank market has been 
maintaining an unofficial cap on exchange rate put in place by the 
State Bank since the rupee float on May 18 1998 there is no 
question of the rates going beyond undesired levels. They say that 
withdrawals from the fresh foreign currency deposits are also 
unlikely to push up the dollar in the inter-bank market because the 
amounts being withdrawn are being covered by the banks by 
simultaneous withdrawals from their FCY deposits placed with the 
State Bank. 'So it is not going to change the pattern of inflow and 
outflow of foreign currency in the inter-bank market,' explained a 
banker. But the fact remains that large withdrawals of foreign 
currency deposits of the banks placed with the State Bank can 
deplete foreign exchange reserves because these deposits are part 
of the reserves.

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991014 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan may default on repayments
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent

NEW YORK, Oct 13: The international financial institutions fear 
that Pakistan would now default on payments of its loans following 
the army coup against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government, 
according to a report carried by Bloomberg financial news, 
"Payment on Pakistan's Eurobonds is under threat".

The analysts here noted that while the country's foreign exchange 
reserves of $1.62 billion as of August are enough to redeem its 
Eurobonds, official lenders such as the International Monetary Fund 
might force it to default so that bondholders share the burden of 
financial aid to struggling economies.

"Pakistan has the money to buy back or redeem its bonds, but it's 
contentious because it would be ducking the comparable treatment 
issue," said an economist at an American Bank in New York. "It may 
have to default on its Eurobonds" to satisfy the IMF and the group 
of government creditors known as the Paris Club.

Pakistan has two floating rate notes and two sovereign bonds in the 
Eurobond market totalling over $600 million, of which $470 million 
mature by December 2000.

Prices on Pakistan's 11.5 per cent dollar bonds due in December 
have fallen 16 per cent in the last four months to yield 17 per 
cent, according to Bloomberg prices. Prices typically rise in the 
months ahead of repayment, reflecting investors' expectations of 
payment.

The political crisis is likely to further delay a $280 million IMF 
loan that Pakistan needs to bolster its shattered economy. It's 
also likely to heighten tensions between India and Pakistan, which 
have had four armed conflicts over Kashmir, and are both nuclear 
powers.

Asked on Tuesday whether the IMF would free the aid it's 
negotiating to provide Pakistan, IMF Managing Director Michel 
Camdessus said, "I'm not sure."

"We were negotiating with Prime Minister Sharif and had made 
certain conditions that hadn't been satisfied sufficiently for us 
to make the funds available. The international community decided to 
suspend its aid and because the IMF is not going to provide aid on 
its own, so its (IMF's) own aid is suspended. I hope developments 
in Pakistan will end in a democratic return to normal."

Withholding such aid puts pressure on Pakistan to include 
bondholders in refinancing its debt. However, Pakistan is buying 
back its bonds ahead of the $150 million redemption in December, 
indicating that it does not want to default. If it did, that would 
be the world's first default on a Eurobond.

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991012
-------------------------------------------------------------------
WB to prevent Hubco project collapse: report
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent

LONDON, Oct 11: The unresolved conflict between the Hub Power 
Company, commonly known as Hubco, and the government of Pakistan 
has now forced the World Bank to intervene and prevent the 
financial collapse of Hubco's $1.5 billion power project in 
Pakistan, The Times said in a detailed report on Monday.

The paper said the fears that Hubco, in which the UK's National 
Power is the largest shareholder, could default on interest 
payments on its senior debt have embarrassed the World Bank, which 
is the ultimate guarantor of some $400 million of debt in the 
project.

It said the problems have occurred at a sensitive time for National 
Power, and follow mounting speculation over the group's future 
following the sudden departure in April of Keith Henry, its former 
chief executive. "A default on Hubco's debts would threaten the 
British group's 26 per cent equity interest in the power project, 
which is still carried at its book value of about $100 million," 
the paper said. The Times claimed that the problems in Pakistan 
have intensified the pressure on National Power to demerge its 
international business. This includes a second troubled Pakistani 
power venture, Kot Addu, in which National Power has a 36 per cent 
stake.

But a spokesman for the company has been quoted by the paper as 
denying the report and terming them as mere "speculation" that the 
National Power was poised to split itself in two, and that RWE of 
Germany was considering launching a bid for its British rival. The 
National Power is in the final stages of a strategic review, which 
is expected to be completed in time for its interim financial 
results next month.

The paper noted that the World Bank had until recently remained on 
the sidelines of a 30-month battle in Pakistan between Hubco and 
Wapda, the state electricity utility, which is refusing to pay for 
power supplied by generator, claiming that the price is too high.

It has also accused the power company of corruption, alleging the 
power contract was secured by corrupt means during the previous 
administration, which was headed by Benazir Bhutto. Hubco denies 
this charge.

Last week the World Bank finally agreed to act as a "facilitator", 
bringing Hubco and Wapda face to face for talks in London. However, 
the negotiations ended in stalemate.

Khurshid Husain, the chief executive of Hubco, has been quoted by 
the paper as saying that because of the severity of the crisis, the 
power company was eating into its cash reserves. "We are in dire 
straits," he added.

Referring to the loan repayments due in January, he said: "There is 
a risk that we will not make the payments."

The dispute escalated at the end of September when Hubco, in 
desperation, called in the Pakistan government's guarantee of 
Wapda's debts, embarrassing the World Bank which has a $3 billion 
investment in the country, and the International Monetary Fund 
(IMF). The IMF is withholding a $280 million tranche of loans to 
Pakistan, because of the government's failure to resolve the 
spiralling power dispute.

Key to the disagreement is Wapda's poor finances. The utility 
suffers from line losses, believed to be a result of poor 
maintenance and theft, and has a severe bill payment problem.

One of Wapda's largest customers is the Pakistan government itself, 
which, in turn, is looking to the IMF for assistance.

A spokeswoman for the World Bank said that the institution could do 
no more to resolve the dispute and was refusing to act as a 
mediator. "These are commercial negotiations. It is not our role to 
act as middleman."

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991013
-------------------------------------------------------------------
CBR allows substitution of previous returns
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter

KARACHI, Oct 12: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has decided to 
allow taxpayers to substitute their previous returns with the new 
provided they declare higher income before Oct 15being the last 
date for filing of returns.

The CBR in a clarification with regard to Universal Self-Assessment 
Scheme (USAS) for assessment year '99-2000, dated Oct 12, stated 
that the decision has been taken in order to accommodate taxpayers 
who were unable to properly compute their incomes due to lack of 
adequate time for filing of returns by Sept 30, '99.

Taking advantage of the extended date (Oct 15) for filing of 
returns the CBR has allowed taxpayers to substitute their returns 
by fresh returns provided they show enhanced income to avail the 
benefit of USAS.

President Income Tax Bar Association, Karachi (ITBAK), Abdul Wahid 
Tejani said CBR should have taken the decision a little earlier to 
give full benefit to such taxpayers who were unable to properly 
compute their previous returns.

Due to shortage of time, he said, there had been common occurrence 
of mistakes and omissions in computation of income and tax in the 
previous returns but even now only three days are left for the last 
date i.e. Oct 15, 1999.

He hoped that some taxpayers may get time to file their new and 
revised returns and manage to remove the mistakes and omission 
carried in the previous returns filed up to Sept 30.

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991014 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Development schemes in Punjab almost at standstill
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaukat Ali

LAHORE, Oct 13: Work on most development schemes slowed down 
considerably in the Punjab province - the stronghold of the 
dismissed Nawaz Sharif government- as the word about prime 
minister's house arrest spread on Wednesday morning. 

"We are in a quandary. Funds were to be released these days to 
initiate development work on a number of schemes after completion 
of their paper-work in the first quarter of the current financial 
year. The dismissal of the (provincial) government has upset every 
thing. May be the province sees a complete reconstruction of its 
development strategy under the new set-up", senior Planning and 
Development Board officials told Dawn. 

They said so far hardly 10 per cent of the province's annual 
development plan had been spent in the first three months of the 
current fiscal year. The civil secretariat here was cordoned off by 
military and para military troops and no one was allowed to go in. 

 Some officials belonging to the provincial finance department and 
P and D board were seen at what is called the mini secretariat 
outside the main secretariat building. Under an uneasy calm they 
kept their fingers crossed about their own future in the sense of 
transfers and postings which one always expects under such 
government shakeups. 

"How can we ensure progress on financial matters of the province 
under this situation", an official of the finance department 
observed when asked whether the department was undertaking its 
everyday routine. 

The closure of banks, along with the news that the stock market's 
main entrance had been locked, kept the private sector away from 
routine business activities as well.

At the otherwise hurly-burly main grain market here the business 
activities were visibly slow. "I normally sell around 20 bags of 
gram, each of 40 kg, daily. Today it came down to six", Akbari 
Mandi Merchants Association Secretary Iqbal Shahid Butt lamented. 
Butt, himself a wholesale dealer of gram and pulses, said business 
all over the mandi was shocked by the developments taking place in 
Islamabad. 

Such changes (in the government), he said, always hit business as 
importers of various commodities would hardly place import orders 
until the dust of political chaos did not settle. 

Work on PM's Mera Ghar scheme at different points here also 
witnessed an abrupt halt. Many contractors had already been 
complaining about bouncing of their cheques for the last about a 
couple of weeks. 

"How can I spend any more money from my own pocket on a scheme 
which is not certain to continue", a contractor working on one such 
houses project under the scheme at the Raiwind Road asked. He 
claimed that he had already spent around Rs2.5 million on the 
building project. 

"Although I don't think my money is doomed, prospects for its 
recovery are dismal with the new situation ", he added. 

Officials of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority 
- a brainchild of Nawaz Sharif which bypassed routine official 
procedures to design and finalize national level development 
projects- looked dizzy.

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991012
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Black marketing of new prize bonds
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaukat Ali

LAHORE, Oct 11: The newly introduced Rs15,000 prize bonds by the 
federal government being sold through State Bank of Pakistan 
branches from the start of this month have begun finding ways into 
the black market.

For the last 11 days buyers are being toyed into long queues in 
front of specified windows at the central bank branches to get the 
new product which is actually a replacement of Rs10,000 bonds which 
are to-be-deleted by June next year and for which no more draws 
will be held. 

The rush is so great that buyers, bonds dealers in most cases, form 
queues much before the start of business hours. The individual 
buyers who want the bonds for personal use have been experiencing 
embarrassment at the windows and the queues.

Bonds' dealers who are making heavy investment in the new venture 
have already undertaken what is regarded as an illegal business of 
selling bonds in public on a price more then their face value. A 
Rs15,000 bond is being quoted at Rs15,050 at present in dealers' 
circles.

They hope the booty will rise to Rs150 per bond by the middle of 
coming December. First draw of Rs15,000 bonds will be held on 
January 1, next year with first prize carrying a cash of Rs20 
million, second Rs10 million (five prizes) and 775 prizes of 
Rs200,000 each for the third slot. The total number of prizes stand 
at 781 compared to 205 given previously on each draw of Rs10,000 
bonds with first prize of Rs12.5 million. 

The finance ministry is not entertaining a proposal made by many 
circles that all centres of national savings directorate and post 
offices should also be involved in selling the new bonds for the 
convenience of general public. "Black marketing of the fresh bonds 
will come to an end immediately if they are made available from 
other then central bank branches", a senior citizen at the Lahore 
SBP branch said.

 He lamented that he was only successful in getting three pieces of 
the new holdings by standing in the queue for almost two hours. 
Plight of other buyers is not much different. The black marketers 
are not shy to conceal their unlawful business as they can easily 
be marked selling bonds within the bank premises or just outside 
the main entrance of the bank.

Many willing to buy bonds generally get depressed by seeing the 
long queues and are easily hooked by the profiteers. "We anticipate 
a sharp rise in our business in coming months as all bonds of old 
denomination are being replaced by the new ones", a bond dealer 
near the duty free shops said. The duty free shops is the venue 
where illegal bonds and currencies' business is done in the evening 
in connivance with many government agencies.

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991015
-------------------------------------------------------------------
'All foreign payments to be made on time'
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter

KARACHI, Oct 14: State Bank Governor Dr Muhammad Yaqub warned all 
commercial banks on Thursday that the central bank would take stern 
action on any violation of cash margin conditions imposed on 
imports on Thursday.

The warning came at a meeting of heads of banks chaired by Dr Yaqub 
at SBP head office, participants of the meeting told Dawn.

"He warned us that any violation of or manipulation in cash margin 
conditions would not be condoned and SBP would take stern action 
against those involved in such things," said a participant of the 
meeting.

He said SBP chief also warned the banks that any delay in arrival 
of home remittances would also be dealt with seriously and the 
bankers responsible for it would be taken to task.

Participants of the meeting said Dr Yaqub made it clear to all 
banks that they were supposed to ensure that the avenues still open 
for outward foreign remittances were not misused for illegal or 
unusual transfer of foreign exchange abroad.

They quoted him as saying that the banks were supposed to monitor 
closely release of foreign exchange under travel and education 
quota after the ban on back-to-back remittance.

SBP on Thursday imposed 10-35 per cent cash margin on imports and 
withdrew the facility of outward remittance of foreign exchange 
against surrender of foreign currency in Pakistan to check capital 
flight in the wake of the military coup.

Participants of the meeting said the governor told the banks to 
speed up recovery of loans and check further growth in loan 
defaults. They said the SBP chief advised them to observe fully the 
relevant prudential regulations in making fresh advances.

The participants quoted Dr Yaqub as saying that the State Bank 
would likely increase the capital adequacy requirement in future.

They further quoted him as saying that if the banks faced problems 
in meeting increased capital adequacy requirement they could opt 
for mergers besides generating additional funds.

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991016
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan faces $3.8 billion payments deficit this fiscal
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Haris Anwar

KARACHI, Oct 15: Pakistan faces a balance of payments deficit of 
about $ 3.8 billion this year provided the multilateral and 
bilateral support remains intact, according to an official 
forecast.

"These are the projections we have at this stage and were agreed 
upon with the IMF for the year 1999-2000 before the military 
takeover", an official source said.

Sources said the new set-up would have to cope with an extremely 
grim economic scenario where inflows during the current fiscal year 
were drastically lower than last year, and their pick-up was 
unlikely because of the political uncertainty facing the country.

Pakistan recorded a whopping $405 million current account deficit 
during July-August, 1999-2000 against the surplus of $6 million for 
the same period last year. During the first nine months of last 
year, current account deficit in goods and services was over $ 1.5 
billion.

Foreign remittances in the first two months were lower by about 
$100 million to $131 million. About $90 million were deposited in 
the resident accounts.

The services deficit was $353 million compared to $265 million 
recorded for the same period last year.

In the first quarter (July-Sept) of 1999-2000, Pakistan recorded a 
trade deficit of about $380 million as exports inched up by 4.9 per 
cent, while imports increased by 13 per cent compared to the same 
period last year.

Pakistan depends heavily on multilateral and bilateral financing to 
meet its balance of payments deficit. The Nawaz government was in 
the middle of negotiations with the IMF to get the $280 million 
tranche released out of a total $1.6 billion aid package when it 
was sacked this week.

But it is uncertain whether the required multilateral support will 
still be coming. IMF managing director Michael Camdessus warned on 
Wednesday Pakistan could lose its aid if democracy was not 
restored. The position of the United States and other bilateral 
creditors is yet not clear.

Central bank governor Dr Muhammad Yaqub tried to calm the markets 
by saying that Pakistan would fulfil all criteria set by the IMF 
and continue to meet all foreign payments.

The State Bank also took some measures to preserve foreign exchange 
and arrest the flight of capital. These measures included cash 
margins on imports and restriction on forward exchange dealings.

"I think these measures would depress the imports and especially 
non-essential imports as we witnessed last year when same controls 
were imposed," one banker said.

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991015
-------------------------------------------------------------------
10-35% cash margins imposed on imports
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohiuddin Aazim

KARACHI, Oct 14: The State Bank on Thursday imposed 10-35 per cent 
cash margin on imports and stopped banks from remitting foreign 
exchange abroad against surrender of foreign currency in Pakistan.

Senior bankers said the twin measures were taken to keep the rupee 
stable and foreign exchange reserves intact. Pakistan had $1.468 
billion worth of forex reserves on Oct 9, 1999, according to the 
latest SBP report.

A State Bank circular (BPRD no. 33) said cash margin of 10 per cent 
was imposed on imports of industrial raw material and 20 per cent 
on imports of all kinds of machinery and their spare parts. It said 
35 per cent cash margin was imposed on the import of all other 
goods. The circular said the following categories of import items 
would be exempt from cash margin:

(i) crude petroleum (ii) petroleum products (iii) edible oils of 
all sorts (iv) pharmaceuticals and raw material thereof (v) 
pesticides etc./insecticides/fertilizers (vi) seeds and plants 
(vii) items imported against various schemes of temporary import 
for exports (viii) imports by federal and provincial governments 
and their attached departments under specific cash allocation (ix) 
imports under commodity loans/credits/aid whether in public or 
private sectors (x) import against suppliers credit/loan registered 
with the State Bank/Economic affairs division and (xi) wheat.

Another circular (F.E. no. 24) said the State Bank had decided to 
withdraw "till further orders the facility of back-to-back 
remittance and release of foreign currency against surrender of an 
equivalent amount of foreign currency."

Jargons aside the first circular means that importers of all items 
except for the 11 specified categories will have to submit to their 
banks 10-35 per cent of import value in rupees before opening 
import letters of credit. "This will contain imports as well as the 
demand for foreign exchange. That in turn would keep the rupee from 
falling," explained treasurer of a foreign bank.

The second circular means that people would not be allowed to remit 
foreign exchange abroad by surrendering an equal amount of it to 
the banks here in Pakistan. It means people would also not be 
allowed to buy one particular foreign currency by surrendering 
another foreign currency of equivalent amount.

"This has been done to prevent speculators from buying dollars from 
the kerb market and remitting the same abroad. This would also 
prevent people from panic-buying of dollars in exchange of any 
other foreign currency," the banker said.

Senior bankers said the State Bank had placed no restrictions on 
other avenues of remitting foreign exchange abroad or taking out 
foreign exchange for travel and education purposes. But they said 
the Sate Bank Governor Dr Muhammad Yaqub had warned heads of all 
banks on Thursday afternoon to ensure that forex quota for overseas 
travelling and foreign education was not misused by the 
speculators.

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991015
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Gold prices surge by Rs111 per 10 gms
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter

KARACHI, Oct 14: Gold prices surged by Rs 111 per 10 grams in the 
bullion market on Thursday and jewellers claimed the demand for 
yellow metal went up after the closure of the bullion market on 
Wednesday.

The 24 karat gold was quoted at Rs 5,555 per 10 grams on Thursday 
as against Rs 5,444 per 10 grams on Tuesday. The market remained 
closed on Monday as a result of closure of banks, foreign exchange 
markets, stock market etc.

A spokesman of the Karachi Sarafa Jewellers Group (KSJG) ruled out 
the possibility that the price hike was caused by change in 
political scenario.

'There is almost a complete suspension of gold import from Dubai 
since the prices have gone beyond feasible levels,' the spokesman 
said adding, 'the gold is in short supply these days.'

Back to the top
=================================================================== 
 EDITORIALS & FEATURES
991010
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Credibility 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee

WE can go round and round in circles, forwards, backwards, 
sideways, but we end up always with one man, a man who knew what 
sort of a country he wanted to make for what sort of people, and 
who went about it as best he could, on his own. Since he left us, 
all who have ruled have made such a complete hash of it, to the 
extent that half of his country was lost within 25 years of its 
birth.

Way back in 1946, Jinnah, realizing that a modern state must have a 
progressive economy generated by men of ability, integrity, and, 
most importantly, credibility, took stock of who and what was 
available.

For banks, he had the Habibs and the Habib Bank and the Adamjees 
and The Muslim Commercial Bank. For insurance, he had the Eastern 
Federal Union Insurance Company of which the Ispahanis were large 
shareholders. For tea merchants he had the Ispahanis. For the jute 
industry he had the Adamjees. He organized the formation of an 
airline, Orient Airways, forerunner of PIA, run by the Ispahanis 
and the Adamjees. He had the credible merchant houses of Bantwa and 
Dhoraji, Hussain Kassim Dada and Abdul Rahman Abdul Ghani amongst 
them, backing him.

He needed a shipping company, so his trusted lieutenant Yusuf 
Haroon was asked to request the premier shipowner of Karachi, 
Rustom Cowasjee, to come to Bombay to meet him. Jinnah told Rustom 
what he wanted, and that was the start of Muhammadi Steamship 
Company. Rustom delivered, and within one month of Pakistan's birth 
Muhammadi's flag was flying on Muhammadi's ships. More on this some 
other time.

Now back to 1880, when in Kathiawar a son, Adam, was born to Haji 
Dawood, a merchant of Jetpur, and his wife Hajra. As the boy grew 
the secret of success was slowly and inexorably ingrained into him 
- hard work, more hard work, and yet more hard work, and, above 
all, that hard work had to be complemented by integrity without 
which there can be no credibility. A man's word must be his bond. 
Adam grew up to be a fine businessman. His businesses multiplied. 
Integrity, wisdom, respect and age added to Adam's name first the 
suffix 'jee' and later the prefix 'Sir' which title he later 
renounced when Jinnah joined the fight for India's freedom.The 
headquarters of the Adamjee businesses was in Burma and one of his 
ventures there became an international adventure. Realizing that 
Burma grew the right type and sufficient quantity of wood to 
support the manufacture of matches in abundance, Adamjee 
established Asia's largest and most modern factory at Pazundawung, 
near Rangoon. He imported machinery from Germany and Japan, he 
employed German engineers and technicians, assigning them the task 
of teaching the Indians. The factory commenced production in 1923, 
and attracted the attention of the Swedish financier, Ivar Krueger, 
born also in 1880, known to the world as "The Match King."

Krueger's ambition was to gain a worldwide monopoly over the 
production of matches. Based in Sweden, himself an engineer, he 
realized the danger posed to his plan by Adamjee's factory. So he 
travelled to Rangoon to strike a deal with Adamjee and hopefully 
take over his factory. Krueger's overtures were rejected, cut-
throat competition followed and losses were made which Adamjee 
bore. Clever Kreuger made peace.

The Adamjee family and businesses have survived the vicissitudes of 
time and tide. After World War II, they had to leave Burma for 
Calcutta, then with the advent of Pakistan they moved to Dacca, and 
with the loss of East Pakistan they are now concentrated in what is 
left of our country, with their headquarters in Karachi. The family 
has branched out into many other businesses and one branch, 
Hanif's, owns and controls the Adamjee Insurance Company, 
Pakistan's largest and most trusted insurance concern.

On August 14, 1999, the government honoured Sir Adamjee Haji Dawood 
by minting a stamp showing his portrait as one of the men honoured 
in the series entitled 'Pioneers of Freedom.'

A month later, on September 17 at 1800 hours, extortionists of this 
irresponsible government, men of the sales tax department with a 
bevy of policemen, swooped down on the offices of Adamjee Diesel 
Engineering and conducted an illegal raid. The department had 
previously asked for an audit, Adamjees had asked for a 
postponement up to October 11, and their application, unrejected, 
stood on the records. The raiders forcefully entered the premises, 
no warrants were shown or served. Filing cabinets were broken open, 
and files, records, computers, diskettes etc. were impounded, the 
telephones disconnected, and the offices ransacked. No inventory 
was made of what was seized and taken away. The chairman of the 
company, 70-year old Hamid Adamjee, grandson of Sir Adamjee, a 
heart patient who has twice had bypass surgery, was forcibly taken 
out of his office, put in the sales tax men's jeep, and driven to 
their offices in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Whatever was done was illegal, mala fide, and violative of the 
rules of natural justice. No notice of any demand was served, nor 
was any wrongdoing alleged. No cases were pending against the 
company in respect of any non-payment of sales tax. Hamid was 
illegally detained and held incommunicado until 2200 hours that day 
when his son, Zahid, the managing director of the company, 
voluntarily offered to be held in place of his ailing father.

Throughout Zahid's custody that night, he was threatened with what 
might happen to his person and how he would be treated in jail, 
where they intended moving him. He was only freed from his illegal 
detention after the sales tax men had managed to get from him pay 
orders and postdated cheques drawn in favour of the Collector of 
Sales Tax (West), totalling Rs.12.5 million, to meet the demands 
for which no notices had been served.

When all this came to the notice of Senator Khwaja Qutubuddin, he 
immediately appraised Sindh Governor Mamnoon Hussain, who, to his 
credit, acted as a governor should act. He sent for the sales tax 
people and laid into them. He then informed Finance Minister Dar of 
the highhandedness of his men and also informed the prime minister. 
Mamnoon, an IBA MBA and himself a businessman, knows well how 
corrupt the taxmen are, how they extort by claiming taxes that are 
not due. Zahid was freed at 0300 hours on the 18th.

The Adamjees naturally moved the High Court of Sindh. On September 
23, the court ordered, inter alia: "at present postdated cheques 
amounting to Rs.95 lakhs are lying with the defendants [Sales Tax 
Department] which according to the plaintiffs [Adamjees] were 
obtained under duress and coercion. In the backdrop of these 
allegations defendants are restrained from encashing the same till 
the next date subject to the condition that the plaintiffs will 
submit bank guarantees in the amount of Rs.9.5 million to the 
satisfaction of the Nazir of this Court within one week. . . . . . 
Notice for 28.9.99. Till then defendants are restrained from 
adopting any coercive methods against the plaintiffs. . . . . . ".

The methods of the tax collectors, the corruption that prevails in 
the tax department, and the ways and means of extortion are well 
known to citizens of Pakistan here and abroad and to the 
multinationals which remain encaged in this country.

How do we describe Finance and Commerce Minister Ishaq Dar of the 
Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the virtual deputy prime minister, of 
late displaying arrogance? He is not straight enough to be able to 
force the loan defaulters, ministers and members of his party who 
have robbed the banks and the exchequer to repay their loans. He 
issues orders and notifications at will, he breaks promises, he has 
issued savings certificates and documents promising to pay certain 
amounts to the depositors on the date of maturity and has reneged, 
not paying the promised amounts. He does not pay back billions of 
rupees worth of undisputed tax refunds due to be paid back to the 
taxpayers. He constantly threatens to raise the price of fuel and 
power. He naturally has a problem raising loans from abroad, with 
his taxmen abducting company executives and holding them in 
unlawful detention. He persists in saying we may soon expect 
billions of dollars of foreign investments, though no one believes 
him. All that has so far come in are bun-maskawallahs and moorgi-
chaapwallahs. Has Mr Dar calculated how much the hamburger man 
brings in and how much he takes out?

In yesterday's Dawn there appeared an article headed "Overhaul of 
system needed to take country out of crisis : Burki." Shahid Javed 
Burki recently said in London that "the savings and assets of 
overseas Pakistanis living in the US were estimated at $ 20 
billion; $ 15 billion in the Middle East; and $ 8 billion in the 
UK."

What is Shahid's advice to his fellow compatriots living abroad? 
Send your money to Pakistan? Or, save it where it is?

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991015
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What now?
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Ayaz Amir

FIRST a few words, by way of an obituary, regarding the dolt (no 
other description fits him) who took a step too far and who had not 
the wit to understand that it is only so much incompetent audacity 
the furies can stand.

There could not be a sadder commentary on the Pakistani ethos than 
that a person such as Nawaz Sharif, with his limited ability and 
unbounded greed for money and power, should have risen to the 
highest position in the land. In few other democratic dispensations 
would this have happened.

The army's hand was forced. If it had not done what it did it would 
have stood condemned before the bar of history. The Sharifs were 
wanting to do to the army what it had done to the Supreme Court: 
sow the seeds of dissension in its higher echelons so as to render 
it ineffective as a check on their ambitions. Had the Sharifs 
succeeded in their designs they would have had two Rana Maqbools in 
their service: one as the IGP Sindh and the other, in the form of 
Lt Gen Khawaja Ziauddin, as head of the army.

To most Pakistanis all this is very clear but the Americans are 
having a hard time understanding it. Or rather accepting it because 
the Sharifs, as their internal difficulties mounted, had started 
clinging to America's coat-tails, in the process becoming the 
greatest lackeys of the Americans that we have ever had. Benazir 
too kowtows in that direction and thinks nothing of exchanging 
inanities with second-ranking officials in the State Department. 
But the Sharifs beat her hollow. They bartered national self-
respect in a bid to seek American support.

It takes no special wisdom to see that the condemnation of the 
Taliban by the two Sharif brothers in the week before their ouster 
was the quid pro quo for the State Department statements issued 
earlier in their support - statements warning the army against any 
extra-constitutional steps.

It is now coming out in the American press that during their visits 
to Washington Shahbaz Sharif and Gen Ziauddin had informed the 
Americans about the action contemplated against Gen Parvez 
Musharraf. Had the coup against Musharraf succeeded, the Americans, 
who consider the Pakistan army an obstacle to how they want to see 
Pakistan behave, would not have been displeased. The successful 
sacking of Musharraf would have diminished the army by dealing it a 
blow to its self-esteem and confidence. No wonder the Americans 
seem unhappy with the coup. This is not what they had been banking 
on.

As for their protestations about democracy, not much attention need 
be paid to that. When it suits them, the Americans can go along 
readily with coups, as in Algeria, and with unrepresentative 
regimes, as all over the Middle East. Since when were Egypt, 
Morocco and Jordan, not to mention the monarchies of the Arabian 
peninsula, democracies? But the Americans have not the slightest 
problem there. Had Sharif been anti-American and Musharraf a 
willing toady, the American attitude would have been vastly 
different.

This does not mean that any government in Pakistan should bait the 
US. That would be foolish. Only this that American sensitivities 
should be considered only up to a point and even then when they do 
not conflict with our own view of things - that is, in the limited 
number of instances when we do have an independent viewpoint. God 
knows we are a subservient and begging nation but there should be 
limits to the extent we allow ourselves to be kicked.

But more important than dissecting the past is to consider the 
present. What now? Already there has been too much dithering and 
too much want of clarity on the army's part. On the evening of the 
coup the army's handling of the public relations front was dumb. 
Admittedly, it had its hands full with other things but even so it 
should not have been too difficult to send someone on television to 
reassure a very confused nation about what was happening. On the 
day following the coup there was still no attempt to take the 
public into confidence. It is always better to treat such matters 
with more openness because then you take the people with you. But 
this lesson has yet to be learnt in Pakistan.

The army basically has two options: to fall into the clutches of 
lawyers in an attempt to square its constitutional difficulties or, 
riding the elan and momentum of its coup, deal swiftly and 
energetically with the confusing situation before it.

The first course would dissipate the army's energies. Legal 
niceties are important but the army should avoid getting bogged 
down in them. Whatever its reasons, the army has mounted a coup. In 
other words, it has overthrown an elected government by force, a 
government which had not lost its democratic mandate. There is 
nothing constitutional about this step. But it has been taken and, 
what is more, it has been welcomed by the people and tacitly 
accepted by many of the parliamentarians of the erstwhile ruling 
party who, far from joining any protest, are eyeing their chances 
in the next government. So much for party loyalty in this country.

This is the real situation on the ground as opposed to the 
constitutional scenarios which Pakistani lawyers are so good at 
making. Constitutional propriety is of importance in a country 
where the rule of law in the right sense of the term prevails. In 
Pakistan the Constitution has been violated more often than the 
honour of a woman who regularly walks the streets. So what are we 
talking about? Since the logic of the bayonet has prevailed, it is 
by the sharp edge of the same logic that the army should cut 
through its present difficulties. Told by the Oracle of Delphi that 
whoever opened the Gordian Knot would conquer the world, Alexander 
simply took out his sword and cut it. He did not go about opening 
it with his teeth. An example to follow in the present 
circumstances.

The imposition of martial law should be out as an option. It would 
do incalculable harm to the country and the army and turn Pakistan 
into another Burma (Myanmar). The army should make up its mind 
about who would be the best choice as prime minister (leaving this 
to the National Assembly would be like opening a can of worms). 
Then a session of the National Assembly should be summoned and with 
a crack guard surrounding the building, the honourable members of 
the august house should be told what is in their best interests: 
anoint the army's choice and have done with the sorry business or 
have themselves dissolved to fight another election.

This should take place in just one sitting. As soon as the prime 
minister is 'elected', a bill should be placed before the National 
Assembly granting immunity to the army for the actions it has 
taken. This too should take place in the same sitting. This 
Sharifian assembly has had ample experience of working at a furious 
pace. On at least two occasions it amended the Constitution in a 
matter of a few hours. It can work at the same speed again.

If need be, the Supreme Court could also be asked to provide its 
blessings. It will never be said of Pakistan's highest court that 
it has not risen to emergencies. Justice Munir's Supreme Court 
justified the dismissal of the constituent assembly in 1954. The 
same Supreme Court sanctified Ayub Khan's martial law in the Dosso 
case. Justice Anwar-ul-Haq's Supreme Court gave its seal of 
approval to General Zia-ul-Haq's martial law and even empowered the 
general to amend the Constitution. All these judgments were 
delivered at the altar of the doctrine of necessity and in the 
larger public interest. There is no reason to think that the apex 
court will not rise to the occasion once again and see which way 
the winds of pragmatism blow. But the army must do this its own way 
and not get caught in lawyers' arguments.

Having done this, the army should flee to its barracks and let the 
new leadership that emerges grapple with the nation's problems. 
Governing the country, or cleaning up WAPDA, is not the army's 
business. Nor its forte.

As for President Rafiq Tarar, on no account should he be touched. 
He is the mirror to the Pakistani soul and to look at him is to get 
an immediate idea of what we have done to ourselves as a nation. In 
lonely and isolated splendour let him stew in his own juice and let 
us, by looking at him, take warning for our sins.

If the army is not to be trapped by lawyers' arguments or by the 
prospect of another martial law, it should also not be tempted by 
the vision of accountability or a caretaker government for two 
years or more. The army is not a body of angels or reformers. It is 
not the Bolshevik Party of Lenin or the Communist Party of Mao. It 
does not have any Mustafa Kamal in its ranks. Therefore 
accountability of the kind that Pakistan stands in need of is 
beyond its capabilities. The Sharifs went after Benazir Bhutto and 
Asif Zardari both of whom were corrupt to the bone. It should now 
be the turn of the Sharifs, the Chaudries of Gujrat, the Saifur 
Rehmans, the Humayun Akhtars and the other fat cats of the Muslim 
League who have robbed the public sector banks. If the army can 
manage just this, it should be sufficient. It should not bite more 
than it can chew.

The army should specially beware of fly-by-night reformers, ex 
World Bank executives who, in speaking of turning the country 
around, are the greatest exponents of a prolonged caretaker regime. 
In resisting their advances the army should bear in mind that the 
best technocrats, when working on their own and not under some sort 
of a political direction, as in the times of Ayub Khan and Zia-ul-
Haq, have invariably brought disaster to the country. Ghulam Ishaq 
Khan, Mahbubul Haq, Sartaj Aziz all worked on General Zia's behalf. 
What good did they do? The 1973 Constitution has proved a 
remarkably flexible document. It can be stretched this way and that 
but it probably will not recover from a prolonged caretaker 
experiment.

In any event, the army should not dither. It may have been forced 
into a situation not of its own choosing but it should get out of 
it quickly without getting caught in the smooth talk of would-be 
reformers salivating at the mouth as they look for jobs. No martial 
law, no prolonged caretaker set-up, only a quick session of the 
National Assembly under the shadow of bayonets (the only language 
our political class understands) to ratify the army's choice as 
prime minister and give the army constitutional indemnity for the 
actions it takes.

All this within a week, or at worst a fortnight but not more, for 
the army must not outstay its welcome. During this period the 
American ambassador should be kept at arm's length. No interference 
should be allowed from that quarter. When the return to barracks is 
complete he can be summoned and informed that whatever has happened 
was strictly in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution and 
the greater good of the Pakistani people.

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991016
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Democracy in the doldrums
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Irfan Husain

AS I write this, the generals have been in full control for three 
days, and have finally decided to run the show themselves without 
civilian intermediaries. Seizing power was the easy bit: deciding 
what to do with it is the hard part.

Whatever scenario ultimately plays out, one thing is clear: there 
are no easy options available. I have often thought that Pakistan 
must be one of the most ungovernable states in the world. Over the 
years, institutions have been destroyed by successive rulers to 
such an extent that achieving power has now very little to do with 
governing effectively. This breakdown in governance began early in 
Pakistan's brief and ill-starred history, and has now virtually 
paralysed the entire system.

Wherever we look - from the railways to the police; and from the 
civil bureaucracy to parliamentary democracy - an unbroken vista of 
institutional rubble, broken promises and failed potential meets 
the eye. Wherever there has been progress, it has been largely due 
to individual initiative and determination. True, roads, schools 
and hospitals have been built, but the management skills and 
institutional support needed to run the infrastructure have 
virtually been eradicated through nepotism and corruption, and 
public education and health have entered a state of collapse.

As a people, we have been unable to evolve a consensus about most 
of the fundamental issues. Even something relatively simple like 
changing the very colonial name of the North-West Frontier Province 
to Pukhtoonistan caused the collapse of the ruling PML-ANP 
alliance. While lip-service is paid to Urdu as a national language, 
the official language remains English, and the elite continue to 
send their children to private English-medium schools. The 
resulting two-track system has widened the gulf between the haves 
and have-nots. Successive governments have shied away from defusing 
the population bomb, and as a result we have one of the highest 
growth rates in the world. Having added over a 110 million 
Pakistanis to the 35 million counted in the 1951 census, we should 
not be surprised to find that rampant unemployment has swollen the 
ranks of various ethnic and religious militias that have 
transformed Pakistan into a powder keg.

But the most dangerous and pervasive trend to have emerged is the 
complete devaluation of the state's writ. In the minds of the
people, there are no longer any checks and balances to curb the 
power of the influential. Far too often, the interests of the 
government of the day and the personal interests of the rulers are 
blurred and interchangeable. If rules are followed and laws obeyed, 
it is not because these are perceived to be for the common good, 
but out of fear of getting caught. And this fear has evaporated 
among the well connected as they know they will not be prosecuted. 
Thus, people like Nawaz Sharif and his henchmen default on billions 
in bank loans and evade taxes on a massive scale, bringing the 
economy to the verge of collapse. 

In bringing the country to this sorry pass, politicians, generals, 
bureaucrats, feudals and industrialists have all contributed and 
colluded in varying degrees. Given this dismal backdrop of failure 
and disillusionment, one would think it would take a brave man to 
assume the helm of this sinking ship of state. Far from it. With 
scores of political parties, we have plenty of would-be rulers to 
choose from. Indeed, with a military interregnum now staring us in 
the face, many unelectable politicians are probably sitting by the 
phone, waiting for that call from GHQ to pick up crumbs from the 
high table.

While I have opposed military rule all my adult life, I must 
confess that it is hard to defend the likes of Nawaz Sharif and 
Benazir Bhutto. Both have frittered away innumerable opportunities 
to give this benighted country decent governance, and both have 
created the void necessary for the army to retain its central 
position in Pakistan's power equation. In nearly 12 years of 
elected civilian rule, neither has managed to prove to the average 
Pakistani that democracy is immeasurably superior to dictatorship. 
This is why nobody is shedding a tear for the sacked Nawaz Sharif 
government, just as nobody lamented the dismissal of Benazir 
Bhutto's government three years ago.

But to be fair to both these incompetent and greedy politicians, 
even if they had been models of integrity and good management, the 
problems Pakistan faces today are of such a magnitude that I doubt 
they would have made much headway in solving them. Equally, the 
army certainly has no magic wand. Indeed, our long and painful 
experience of military rule indicates that they are even less 
equipped than our pathetic politicians to tackle the issues that 
face us. If past military regimes appear to be less corrupt and 
incompetent than elected civilian governments, it is because they 
were not subjected to the close media scrutiny political leaders 
are. Operating under tight censorship, their crooked deals and 
bungling escaped the public gaze.

Perhaps the saddest part of recent events is how little public 
resentment there has been against the coup. For all the long years 
under Zia's jackboot, thousands of Pakistanis demonstrated against 
martial law, went to jail and were flogged.

If there is a consensus over anything in this deeply divided 
country, it is on democracy. And yet, the army chief can today 
order the takeover of state institutions and the dismissal of an 
elected, constitutional government without worrying about any 
public outcry or backlash. For this state of apathy, both Nawaz 
Sharif and Benazir Bhutto share the blame. In their two stints 
apiece, they have failed to deliver on a single promise. All they 
have done is to feather their nests and allow their creatures to 
fatten themselves at the trough of the public exchequer. Neither 
cares a fig for democratic norms, using the electoral process to 
grab power.

It is my guess that the army is extremely reluctant to declare 
martial law and abrogate the Constitution. Its high command knows 
very well that it has no answers to Pakistan's innumerable 
problems. The generals would therefore prefer to stay in the 
background and have a government of so-called technocrats in an 
open-ended caretaker arrangement, even though it is a contradiction 
in terms. Elections will be deferred until both mainstream parties 
are subjected to thorough accountability. This arrangement would be 
no worse than what we have been living through these past few 
years. The proclamation declaring the COAS to be the chief 
executive reflects the constitutional difficulties in putting this 
kind of civilian fig-leaf in place. I have no doubt Pakistan's 
imaginative lawyers will find a solution, and our pliable higher 
judiciary will swallow these arrangements without gagging.

Alas, the only people who will squeal in protest will be the out-
of-work politicians who will be thrown off the gravy train.


===================================================================
SPORTS
991013
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9th SAF Games a challenge
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter

ISLAMABAD, Oct 12: Organising secretary 9th SAF Games Senator Aqil 
Shah has vowed that their province will take the staging of the 
gala at Peshawar as a challenge since the regional event has opened 
up new doors for development.

The senator was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of International 
Olympic Solidarity Weightlifting Course for Coaches and 
Administrators on Tuesday.

The organising secretary urged the government that the development 
package of Rs 700 million announced for the staging of the games is 
expected to be completed by July 2001. The development package will 
include a SAF athletes village, a new stadium, three indoor halls, 
a media centre and a doping centre. There will be 14 disciplines 
contested during the games, out of which women swimming will be 
held at the covered pool at Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad.

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991012
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Mujeeb wants Pakistan cricket to don a new look
-------------------------------------------------------------------

DUBAI, Oct 11: The new helmsman of Pakistan cricket Mujibur Rahman 
has said "Gone are the days of so called player-power. Everyone 
including the players know that I am the last person to tolerate 
nonsense."

"I am ready to give them as much money as they want but I am not 
going to tolerate indiscipline," he told Khaleej Times in Dubai 
where he had come to attend the annual International Cricket 
Council ICC executive board meeting.

"Pakistan cricket badly needed a vision and a new approach to shed 
its old image and don a new look after living in a world of 
allegations and controversies for a long time," said Mujib.

"The PCB has always been run by bureaucrats and non-professionals 
who just maintained the status quo in the past. They (the previous 
board chiefs) disappointed the cricket public. I was given the job 
with all the powers to improve things which I believe I am doing," 
he said.

He said his first task is to overhaul and improve the domestic 
cricket structure in Pakistan." As a first step we are 
concentrating on infrastructure. The work on installation of 
floodlights at National Stadium Karachi is already under way and 
you can see that public have started taking interest in domestic 
games in the country. We have introduced coloured clothing and 
night games in Pakistan's premier domestic tournament - the Tissot 
Cup - and the change is there to see. We are bringing the people 
back to cricket grounds once again for domestic competitios," he 
stated. -PPI

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991011
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Sharjah Trophy '99: Pakistan hot favorite
-------------------------------------------------------------------
M. Shoaib Ahmed

The Champion's Trophy 1999 is all set to roll under floodlights at 
Sharjah Cricket Stadium from October 13-22, 1999. And the lights 
will not be the only source of illumination during the pleasant 
winter evenings in Sharjah as the tournament also boasts of a 
galaxy of stars from some of the finest cricketing outfits in the 
world including biggest crowd-pullers Pakistan, West Indies and Sri 
Lanka.

Apart from the winners and runners-up prizes, there are attractive 
packages for the fastest fifty, best bowlers and best fielders. 
Sharjah is the circuit's busiest venue of One-day International 
cricket, since 1983-84.

 With a total of 146 such contests, twenty-five tournaments have 
been played here over the last fifteen years ever since the Sharjah 
matches were recognised internationally.

 Pakistan leads the way with ten successes. In fact Pakistan has 
won every trophy in Sharjah held from March 1989 to February 1993. 
The Indians hold the second position with six wins. India won the 
first two recognised tournaments held at Sharjah but have 
experienced a lean patch till 1995.

Pakistan's Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Rameez Raja and Javed 
Miandad, India's Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Navjot 
Sidhu and Sri Lanka's Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga 
crossed the 1000-run mark on Sharjah soil. Similarly the Pakistani 
skipper Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis have achieved the distinction 
of 50-wickets in Sharjah. After the performance in Toronto against 
West Indies, Pakistan remain the favourites to clinch the Sharjah 
Champions' trophy '99, in which the other teams are West Indies and 
Sri Lanka.

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991015
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan crush West Indies by 130 runs in Sharjah Cup
-------------------------------------------------------------------

SHARJAH (United Arab Emirates), Oct 14: Wasim Akram's Pakistan 
showed off their awesome firepower during a 130-run romp over the 
West Indies in the Sharjah Cup here on Thursday.

Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq hit sparkling half-centuries as 
Pakistan piled up 260 for five and then bowled out the lethargic 
West Indians for 130 in the day-night One-day International.

It was Pakistan's fifth successive one-day victory over Brian 
Lara's team, having beaten them in the preliminary league of the 
World Cup in May and thrice in Canada last month.

The West Indians showed none of the flair that won them Wednesday's 
opener against Sri Lanka, allowing Pakistan to dominate proceedings 
the moment Wasim Akram won the toss and elected to bat.

The West Indians were handicapped by the absence of Jimmy Adams, 
the Man-of-the-Match against Sri Lanka, who hobbled off the field 
with a tendon injury after sending down just 10 deliveries.

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