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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 16 October 1999 Issue : 05/42
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Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
Extracts, not exceeding 50 lines, can be used provided that this
entire header is included at the beginning of each extract.
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Please send all Editorials and Letters to the Editor at
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(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1999
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CONTENTS
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NATIONAL NEWS
+ 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Black marketing of new prize bonds
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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
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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
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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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