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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 18 September 1999 Issue : 05/38
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Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
Extracts, not exceeding 50 lines, can be used provided that this
entire header is included at the beginning of each extract.
We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at:
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mail DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
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
+ Pakistan, China to work for peace
+ Centre to collect toll: Provinces told to hand over highways
+ Opposition closing ranks: 19 parties launch grand alliance
+ PM asks for report on fall in farm growth rate
+ US suggests Pakistan, India should hold talks
+ Sixty more battalions sent to Kashmir
+ Karachi response partial: Complete strike in Hyderabad
+ Two Indian soldiers handed over to ICRC
+ PPP raps Saif for more cases against Benazir
+ Naik denies making remarks on Kargil
+ Washington to continue working with Nawaz govt
+ 16 nations pledge to boost peace, democracy
+ Nawaz's NY visit cancelled
+ Newsmen deplore setting up of press council
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BUSINESS & ECONOMY
+ Paris Club allows Pakistan to pay Eurobond dues
+ PM wants faster economic recovery
+ Dar's visit to focus on suspended loans
+ GST deduction rules for food supply notified
+ Cabinet body mulls over bank for expatriates
+ Gas companies ready to renegotiate prices
+ Body set up to monitor development tax on traders
+ 15% hike in furnace oil prices soon
+ Rules for GST collection on gas
+ T-bills yield may be raised to stabilize rupee
+ KSE 100-share index down by 8.5 points
EDITORIALS & FEATURES
+ Karachi : earthquake scene - 3 Ardeshir Cowasjee
+ Testing ponies and waiting stallions Ayaz Amir
+ Out of step Irfan Husain
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SPORTS
+ Akram reinstated as captain for Toronto series
+ Pakistan Win by 15 Runs against West Indies
+ Qasim named as interim selector
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NATIONAL NEWS
990918
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Pakistan, China to work for peace
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Hasan Akhtar
ISLAMABAD, Sept 17: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday expressed
Pakistan's "unswerving resolve to continue to nurturing
cooperation" with China in all fields of mutual interest.
He said this when he received a six-member Chinese foreign ministry
delegation in connection with the 50th anniversary of the founding
of the People's Republic of China. He also highlighted the special
celebrations planned by the government here to mark the Chinese
landmark event.
Wang Yi, the Chinese assistant foreign minister who headed the
team, conveyed to the prime minister greetings from the Chinese
leadership and expressed the confidence that Pakistan- China
relations in the 21st Century would develop into a "comprehensive
partnership for peace and stability both at regional and global
levels", an official statement said.
Pakistan's efforts to maintain regional peace and to resolve
peacefully all outstanding issues with India, including the core
issue of Kashmir, were underlined by the prime minister.
Mr Nawaz Sharif pointed out the potentially destabilising nature of
India's nuclear doctrine draft. He stated that the doctrine aimed
at establishing New Delhi's hegemony over the Indian Ocean sea-
lanes and exposing the countries in the area to a grave security
threat.
The Chinese delegation leader also reaffirmed his government's
desire to continue to work for promotion of mutually-beneficial
relations between the two countries.
TALKS AT FOREIGN MINISTRY: The entire range of bilateral relations
between Pakistan and China as well as regional and global issues of
mutual concern came under review at more than four hours of talks
held here at the foreign office with the Chinese team.
The delegation, assisted by the Chinese ambassador in Islamabad, Li
Shulin, held talks with the foreign secretary, Shamshad Ahmad, and
his team of senior officials.
The talks were described to be "in the tradition of extensive
bilateral consultations" between the two countries to coordinate
their policies prior to the UN General Assembly session in New
York.
The global and regional issues of mutual concern, including
Kashmir, Afghanistan, peace and security situation, coupled with
nuclear developments in the region, came under extensive review.
Both sides emphasized that the close, friendly relations between
Pakistan and China were based on mutual trust and confidence and
commonality of their interests and objectives for peace, stability
and progress in the region.
Special emphasis was laid on the need for an early and just
settlement of the Kashmir dispute which was the cause of all
tensions in South Asia, the officials said.
The Chinese side appreciated Pakistan's initiatives for reducing
tensions and seeking resolution of all issues, particularly the
long-standing Kashmir dispute.
The Chinese delegation also appreciated Pakistan's recent peace
initiative for Afghanistan and the two sides agreed that durable
peace in the war-torn country could only be achieved through
negotiations among the Afghan parties.
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990918
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Centre to collect toll: Provinces told to hand over highways
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept 17: The federal government has directed the
provinces to hand over the national highways, from where they are
collecting toll, to the ministry of communications, it was
announced on Friday.
The federal government has decided that due to financial
constraints it is necessary that operation of the national highways
be placed on commercial lines through award of concessions.
Consequently, the Karachi-Hyderabad superhighway and the Grand
Truck Road will stand transferred to the National Highway Authority
which will hand them over to the Fauji Foundation and National
Logistics Cell (NLC) respectively.
The federal government has specifically asked the Punjab government
to give back five bridges on the GT Road to NHA.
NHA has entered into agreement with NLC for the maintenance of the
road. Toll will now be collected by NLC. The Punjab government,
which was earlier collecting toll on these bridges, had opposed the
federal government move for their handing over to NLC.
The prime minister's directive in this regard stated that all the
national highways would be operated on commercial lines and the
revenue generated from these roads would be used for building new
roads and improving the existing ones.
Operation and maintenance contractors would collect toll from
traffic on bridges and bypasses. They would be required to ensure
routine maintenance of the highways and set up and manage weighing
stations.
The two-paged directive, after making a lengthy introduction of the
prime minister's desire to lay a network of highways and motorways,
stated that NHA had signed the first operation and maintenance
agreement with NLC for the Lahore-Rawalpindi section, N-
5(G.T.Road).
The prime minister's directive said that for making the arrangement
with NLC commercially feasible, it was necessary that NHA exercised
full right, vested in it under Article 10(2)(vii) of the NHA Act,
1991, to levy, collect and cause to collect toll on all national
highway and roads.
The directive stated:" The prime minister has been pleased to
direct that the rights to collect toll on the national highways
wherever presently being exercised by the provincial governments
will henceforth stand transferred to the federal government/NHA of
the ministry of communications."
In case of Punjab, the prime minister directed that the right to
collect toll on the following bridges be immediately transferred to
the NHA: Ravi Bridge (at Shahdara); Chenab Bridge (South Band);
Jhelum Bridge; Sutlej Bridge; and Ghazi Ghat Bridge.
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990915
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Opposition closing ranks: 19 parties launch grand alliance
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept 14: Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, Chief of the Pakistan
Democratic Alliance, on Tuesday afternoon announced the formation
of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) to continue the struggle for
dislodging the Nawaz Sharif government.
He also announced that the GDA would stage a historic public
meeting at Multan at a date to be set later. He said that a public
rally at Peshawar would be held in the first week of October.
The GDA was formed after a meeting of the opposition leaders from
all the provinces was held at the residence of Nawabzada Nasrullah
Khan. It was attended, among others, by PPP Senior Vice Chairman
Amin Fahim, ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan, PML-J President Ch
Hamid Nasir Chattha and PML (Jinnah) President Manzur Wattoo.
Nasrullah Khan, at his press conference, gave the details of the
treatment meted out to the leaders by the Sindh administration.
He strongly condemned the lathi-charge and tear-gassing of
senators, MNAs and MPAs at Karachi and Hyderabad and their arrest
without warrants. He described the strike organised in Karachi and
Hyderabad a great success.
Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan deplored the deportation of politicians
from the NWFP, Balochistan and Punjab from Karachi and described
this step against the concept of Federalism.
He said that the government, led by Nawaz Sharif, had been totally
isolated and through its actions it showed that it had been
deprived of the support of public opinion.
In the evening, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan and Chaudhry Hamid Nasir
Chattha watched the proceedings of the Senate.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Aitzaz Ahsan, drew the
attention of the Chairman Senate Wasim Sajjad to the presence of
the two distinguished politicians in the visitors gallery. The
opposition benches greeted the two politicians by thumping their
desks.
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990917
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PM asks for report on fall in farm growth rate
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Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: The prime minister secretariat has directed the
ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (MINFAL) to submit a
comprehensive report in the backdrop of what appears to be a
virtual collapse of the farm sector in recent years.
According to a directive No 706/99-SSC, the MINFAL has been
informed that the matter is of 'most urgent nature', and should be
treated on top priority basis and reach the PM secretariat within
one week time', the letter said.
Official sources claimed that five MINFAL commissioners of minor
crops, special crops, wheat, cotton & sugarcane and senior
Agriculture engineer, director general Soil Survey (Lahore)), DG
Federal Seed Certification (Islamabad) and head of Pakistan Central
Cotton Committee (PCCC) have been directed to submit their reports
to the PM secretariat for evaluation.
Earlier,sources said the prime minister had also expressed serious
concern over the drastic fall in agriculture growth rate from 3.82%
in '97-98 to 0.35% in '98-99. And in this regard, an explanation
from agriculture ministry was sought some two months back.
Sources said, in its previous report to the PM, the MINFAL
authorities had blamed unfavourable weather conditions responsible
for low farm output. But, sources think that the fresh directive
showed that the explanation had failed to convince the prime
minister who is reportedly not satisfied with the performance of
the agriculture ministry and that was that is why, a fresh report
has been sought to have a complete analysis of agricultural
debacle.
Official sources believed that drastic fall in farm growth rate in
'98-99 has dealt a serious blow to government's claim that it was
giving top priority to agriculture sector.
Officials said in '97-98 new support price policy of wheat and
sugarcane had helped greatly the farm sector and there was a bumper
crop of wheat, sugarcane, rice, potato, maize etc. But, in the
outgoing year ('98-99), support price policy was discontinued
despite increase in the cost of production of different major
crops.
They said the government had failed to implement support prices it
had itself fixed for procurement of sugarcane, potato, maize etc
which resulted in huge financial losses to growers. These factors,
led to negative growth in the farm sector in '98-99. Sources also
claimed that the fact that the MINFAL functions without a full time
secretary for the last 10 months has contributed to the disarray in
the sector and the MINFAL has failed to frame policies for the
revival of farm sector.
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990916
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US suggests Pakistan, India should hold talks
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WASHINGTON, Sept 15: The State Department reacted coolly on
Wednesday to proposals that it intervene and mediate the dispute
over Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
Spokesman James Rubin said US policy on the matter remained the
same and that no mediation efforts would be attempted until and
unless both India and Pakistan requested help.
"We would be prepared to be helpful if India and Pakistan sought
our assistance in mediation," he said, adding: "They have not done
so."
Rubin said Washington remained of the opinion that the best way to
deal with disputed territory - over which India and Pakistan have
fought two wars and nearly came to a third earlier this year - was
for the two countries to solve it between themselves.
"The key solution is for India and Pakistan to develop the kind of
bilateral relationship that permits problems to be solved through
direct dialogue," he said.
Rubin's comments came in response to a call from US lawmakers, to
be made public on Thursday, for the United States to take an active
role in the crisis by appointing a special mediator.
At least 62 lawmakers have signed a letter making the request
saying it would be irresponsible for the United States not to act
since both India and Pakistan now have atomic weapons and Kashmir
is a potential flashpoint for nuclear war.-AFP
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990917
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Sixty more battalions sent to Kashmir
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SRINAGAR (Occupied), Sept 16: India has sent massive troop
reinforcements to occupied Kashmir to counter the resurgent freedom
fighters.
"Sixty battalions of the army have been moved into the state,,"
said occupied Kashmir's police chief.
He said a major offensive would be launched against Mujahideen, who
have intensified their activities following the Kargil conflict and
in the run-up to the general election.
The Kargil conflict required a large redeployment of forces along
the Line of Control, easing the pressure on Mujahideen operating in
the held valley and other areas.
"Instead of hiding in the forests, these militants came down near
the villages and there were incidents where they managed to sneak
into heavily guarded camps," Jagat said.
The Mujahideen have enforced a boycott of the ongoing elections in
held Kashmir, attacking candidates, party supporters and election
officials.
"In the afternoon, an IED (improvised explosive device) fitted in a
gas cylinder planted by militants near Iqbal market in Sopore went
off when a bus carrying security force personnel on election duty
passed by that way," a police statement said. Reuters/AFP
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990914
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Karachi response partial: Complete strike in Hyderabad
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Correspondent
HYDERABAD, Sept 13: Complete strike was observed amid fear of
violence here on Monday, the second day of the two-day strike
called by the opposition alliance against the use of brute force on
political leaders and activists in Hyderabad and Karachi.
Except for two powerful cracker explosions at Hyderabad Chowk in
the evening and one at Chotki Ghitti, no untoward incident was
reported from anywhere in the city.
Main markets of Tower, Timber Market, Gul Centre, District Council
Shopping Centre, Station Road, Resham Bazaar, Lajpat Road and all
units of Latifabad remained closed throughout the day.
The local administration continued blockade of all major roads. The
people were subjected to body search at police posts and snap
checking was conducted by patrol units. The main grain market and
fruit market remained open, however, attendance in schools and
offices was almost nil.
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990917
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Two Indian soldiers handed over to ICRC
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ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: Pakistan on Thursday handed over two Indian
soldiers, taken prisoners last month in an attack on the Pakistani
positions across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, to the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The two Indian soldiers, Lance Naik Ram Singh No:2984373 and Sepoy
Bajinder Singh No:2996593 of 3rd Rajput Battalion of 9th Indian
Regiment, "were released on humanitarian grounds after ICRC
certified that they were found to be in sound health," said a
Foreign Office statement.
The two Indian soldiers were handed over to the ICRC officials at
9.15 p.m.
The Indian armymen were captured by the Pakistan Army during an
Indian attack on Pakistani post in Shyok-Turkok Sector across the
LoC in Kashmir on August 30.
"While the Government of Pakistan has been willing to release these
two Indian soldiers, the Indian government has procrastinated for
nearly two weeks before agreeing to take them back," the statement
said.
On Tuesday last, when all the arrangements had been made to hand
over the Indian soldiers to the ICRC, the Indian government
insisted upon a last minute pre-condition that they should not be
handed over to the ICRC in the presence of media. The handing over
was, therefore, postponed.
"Pakistan has all along stressed the involvement of ICRC and
international media in order to preempt the possibility of Indian
propaganda of maltreatment of soldiers as had been done by India at
the time of return of six bodies of Indian soldiers during the
Kargil crisis."-APP
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990916
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PPP raps Saif for more cases against Benazir
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Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 15: The PPP said on Wednesday that Ehtesab Bureau
chief's disclosure that 10 more references against opposition
leader Benazir Bhutto were in the pipeline, had exposed the "farce
and vindictive" nature of the accountability process.
Addressing a news conference at the Bilawal House, Sindh PPP chief
Nisar Khuhro said the threat indicated nervousness of the
government owing to massive public support to anti-government
rallies.
Mr Khuhro said the country and the people had been isolated and
humiliated because of the ill-conceived policies of the regime
which had unleased a reign of terror for voicing the dissent.
He said the regime, which had equated dissent with treason, had
forced the people to commit suicide, and to come out on the streets
to fight for their rights.
Mr Khuhro said the "farce" of Ehtesab was also exposed from the
fact that Senator Saifur Rahman had "boasted" that he also had
references against some members of the ruling party, but had not
proceeded against them. On the other hand there was no let-up in
media trail of the leader of opposition.
The PPP leader regretted that Ms Bhutto's petition against the
media trail was still pending in the court. But, he added, her
character assassination by the state-controlled electronic media
was continuing.
He said the cases against Nawaz Sharif and Saifur Rahman were not
being taken up but references against Ms Bhutto were being pursued
with great zeal.
The former federal minister, Nawab Yusuf Talpur, cautioned the
Ehtesab Bureau chief against attempt to attach Ms Bhutto's
property.
Refuting the charges of corruption against himself in the tractor
scheme, Mr Talpur said that the tractor he had offered at Rs150,000
was being provided by the present regime at Rs450,000.
Aftab Shahban Mirani alleged that 110 air-hostesses had been
recruited in the PIA on the orders of the prime minister without
following any procedure.
He demanded of the prime minister to declare how much income tax
had he paid during the past 10 years as he had taken bank loans of
Rs970 million.
N.D. Khan accused the regime of being a threat to national security
and called for its early removal. He accused the prime minister of
plundering national wealth and cited in this context the land
acquisition for Mera Ghar scheme. Mr Khuhro demanded action against
Senator Saifur Rahman for the "scandal".
Akbar Lasi alleged that Rs40 billion had been taken from the
Employees Old Age Benefit fund for the Mera Ghar project.
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990917
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Naik denies making remarks on Kargil
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Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: Former foreign secretary Niaz A. Naik has
denied making such remarks as reported by an Urdu daily of Karachi
that" the programme and the informal diplomacy which could have led
to the resolution of Kashmir dispute by September/ October this
year was derailed by Kargil" or that " there was no coordination
between the armed forces and the civilian leadership".
In a signed press statement issued in Islamabad on Thursday, Mr
Naik said he had never made such remarks, nor would he indulge in
any such "irresponsible speculation".
Reacting to the report appearing in daily Jang of Sept 14, he said
that indeed he would not have considered this baseless report
worthy of a reaction from him but for the fact that it was causing
serious misunderstandings and controversies which also undermined
his integrity and credentials.
Mr Naik said he was a retired diplomat and had been involved in
Track 11 efforts in good faith and for a good cause." I cannot
afford my reputation to be sullied by irresponsible and malicious
reporting".
He expected that the newspaper would remedy the situation and
redress the damage caused by the misreporting. He said he reserved
the right to take legal action against the paper.
Mr Naik said that following a Pakistan-China Friendship Society
function to which he had been invited as keynote speaker, when
refreshments were being served he was surrounded by a large number
of reporters who put many questions to him relating to the informal
diplomacy and the Kargil issue.
Mr Naik said he had thought it appropriate not to make any comments
or respond to any question. He said that had he stated what had
been wrongfully attributed to him, all newspapers whose
correspondents were present on the occasion would have carried the
story.
Mr Naik pointed out that immediately after his address, he had
answered a few questions put to him from the rostrum about his
visit to New Delhi, which did not appear in any newspaper.
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990917
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Washington to continue working with Nawaz govt
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Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Sept 16: The State Department said on Wednesday the US
would continue to work with the Nawaz Sharif government as it was
its policy to work with "the Government of Pakistan."
"Our policy is based on working with the Government of Pakistan,
and we will continue to work with the Sharif government," Spokesman
Jamie Rubin told his regular briefing when asked about the demand
by opposition leader Imran Khan that the US should not support the
present "corrupt" government.
The spokesman was asked: "The former (cricket captain) of Pakistan
and now a politician, speaking at the CSIS the other day, said that
the US and the IMF should not support the corrupt government of
Nawaz Sharif, number one.
"Number two, Mr.Sharif has cancelled his visit to the UN. He was
supposed to meet with the secretary and the president, and I
understand, according to Mr.Khan, that because he does not want to
sign the CTBT which he promised last year next year he will sign at
the UN."
Rubin replied: "Well, may be Mr.Khan has developed the role of
spokesman for Mr. Sharif and, therefore, if you have any other
questions about Mr. Sharif's intentions or desires, you can direct
further questions at Mr. Khan. But from our standpoint, we believe
that the path we've taken in working with Pakistan on a number of
issues, but also imposing restrictions as a result of their nuclear
testing, is the right course. Our policy is based on working with
the Government of Pakistan, and we will continue to work with the
Sharif government."
Officials also clarified that Mr.Imran Khan could not see Assistant
Secretary Karl Inderfurth because the US official had a sudden
engagement and their meeting was called off at the last minute.
A senior American official said that Imran Khan did come to the
State Department to meet Inderfurth but instead he could see
Inderfurth's Deputy Mr. Eastham.
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990915
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16 nations pledge to boost peace, democracy
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ALMATY, Sept 14: Foreign ministers from 16 nations pledged on
Tuesday to work together to boost peace and democracy in Central,
South and West Asia, regions plagued by ethnic and territorial
conflicts, drug trading and terrorism.
The participants at the Conference for Interaction and Confidence
Building Measures in Asia (CICA) declared a special commitment to
wiping out terrorism from the world's most populous continent, home
to 3.5 billion people.
The meeting comes at a time when Russia is fighting insurgency in
its troubled North Caucasus region and a series of terrorist bomb
attacks in Moscow which have killed more than 200 people.
"Asia is torn apart by conflicts and mistrust," said Kazakhstan's
president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who first proposed the forum in
1992. "Special importance must be attached to terrorism and
extremism because of the volatile situation in Asia today."
The conference includes Russia and ex-Soviet states Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan. The other members are
Pakistan, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Israel, Egypt,
Turkey and the Palestine.
Kyrgyzstan is battling guerillas, members of groups which are
gaining popularity in Central Asia.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said the fight against
terrorism and extremism was of the greatest concern in view of the
events in the Caucasus and Moscow.
Many CICA members could be directly affected by developments in
the Caucasus, he said.
"The resolution commits member states to desist from aiding
organizations and groups engaging in terrorism and to prevent their
activities on their territories," Ivanov told reporters.
Despite the agreement, undercurrents of discord between some CICA
members were evident. Iran said it disapproved of Israel's
presence, and Pakistan cited the Kashmir issue as a stumbling block
to peace in the area.
Jan Kubic, General Secretary of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said the forum would take time to
evolve and gradually iron out differences. The OSCE and the UN were
present as observers.
"It is normal that different participants have different national
interests and as this is a forum for political dialogue, it is
natural that they are coming with their concerns," Kubic told
Reuters in an interview.
"Looking at our own experience, it took us some time to mature and
to put into practice our own principles," he said. "I have no doubt
that this is a good beginning for a similar development here."-
Reuters
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990915
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Nawaz's NY visit cancelled
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Hasan Akhtar
ISLAMABAD, Sept 14: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to New
York, to address the UN General Assembly on September 22, has been
called off.
The foreign office spokesman, Tariq Altaf, said here on Tuesday
that the prime minister "has no plan to go to New York". He made
this one-line response to a question at a news briefing here
whether Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's programme to visit the United
States had been finalised.
Mr Altaf said the prime minister had planned to attend the UN
General Assembly session. However, he added that it was not always
the case that the head of a government or state attended the
session.
This time, the PM's proposed visit evoked considerable interest in
political and diplomatic circles in Islamabad since it was to
follow the Kargil crisis and the exceptionally-high tension in the
nuclearized South Asia.
Particular concern was expressed at the renewed pressure the US
could mount on Pakistan to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
(CTBT).
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had, at the last General Assembly
session, declared that his government would sign the CTBT by
September 1999 in case international coercive atmosphere,
particularly the economic sanctions imposed by the US Congress on
Pakistan, was removed.
In Pakistan's view, that has not happened and the possibility of it
signing the CTBT at present does not exist.
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990916
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Newsmen deplore setting up of press council
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Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 15: Representative bodies of journalists observed a
"black day" on Wednesday to protest against the proposed setting up
of a press council and against police excesses on newsmen as well
as the siege of Karachi Press Club.
Speaking at a protest meeting of the Karachi Union of Journalists
(KUJ), Karachi Press Club and Pakistan Association of Press
Photographers at the Karachi Press Club, the office-bearers of
journalists organizations demanded registration of criminal cases
against the policemen involved in the manhandling of journalists
during an opposition rally on Sept 11.
A resolution adopted at the meeting unanimously demanded abolition
of all black laws concerning the press, enactment of an access to
information act, the abolition of the ministry of information, as
well as of the government plan to set up a press council.
It demanded that the electronic media be freed from government
control, and TV, Radio and the APP be given the status of
autonomous bodies. Demands were also made for an end to the press
advice system and the use of newsprint quota as a means of
blackmailing the press.
The resolution declared that unless cases were registered against
the police officials guilty of assaulting newspapermen and the
photographers whose equipment was damaged, were fairly compensated,
the journalistic community would not make itself a part of any
government or administrative committee set up to investigate the
matter.
It was also decided that in addition to the KUJ, Rawalpindi-
Islamabad Union of Journalists, Punjab Union of Journalists, Khyber
Union of Journalists and Balochistan Union of Journalists would
devise a common strategy to raise their voice against excesses on
journalists in various parts of Sindh.
The chairman Senate committee on information and broadcasting and
deputy secretary-general of the Pakistan People's Party, Senator
Raza Rabbani, in his message deplored the "naked state power used
against peaceful political activists and journalists on the 11th
and 12th September at Karachi and Hyderabad" and reiterated support
to the "just cause and struggle" of the journalist community.
In his message, which was read out by Nisar Khuhro, President of
Sindh PPP, Sen Rabbani said the regime had embarked on a path of
dismantling the democratic process, debasing institutions,
circumventing the Constitution and depriving the federating units
of their rights guaranteed under law and the Constitution.
===================================================================
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
990916
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Paris Club allows Pakistan to pay Eurobond dues
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Haris Anwar
KARACHI, Sept 15: Pakistan has paid principal amount of $17.5
million to two Middle Eastern banks to avoid being first rated
sovereign to default on Eurobonds.
"We got a one-time permission from the Paris Club to pay two Middle
Eastern banks, who were holding this amount in put options. This
was an attempt to avoid being a first bad guy in the international
market as after this payment Russian maturities were falling ahead
of Pakistan," a source said.
Well-placed sources said Pakistan had made these payments on June
21 fell due on Citibank's $150 million bond issue.
But Pakistan could still be the first to default on these bonds as
Russia was later exempted from bond rescheduling due to its nuclear
muscles. Pakistan's first bond issue is maturing on December, 1999.
Pakistan paid $7.5 million in principal amount to Gulf
International Bank and $10 million to Abu Dhabi Investment Agency.
Put option is a right under which a bond-holder can ask for
redemption before the actual maturity of the bond.
The Paris Club of sovereign lenders told Pakistan earlier this year
that it must effectively default on $470 million Eurobonds falling
due by December 2000 before it would approve a deal to reschedule a
bilateral loans.
But Pakistan showed some reluctance and continued to pay coupon
payments on these bonds until Paris Club devised a mechanism how to
reschedule these instruments.
Pakistan has two floating rate notes (FRNs) and two sovereign
bonds, totalling over $600 million, of which $470 million will
mature by December 2000.
According to reports, there has been understanding reached with the
Paris Club that Pakistan would reschedule these bonds in a manner
that principal payments were staggered.
Sources, however, said Pakistan's agreement with the London Club of
creditors prohibited it to give a better deal to bond-holders.
"According to a clause in term-sheet, Pakistan cannot stretch
maturities better than the London Club of commercial creditors," a
source in the foreign bank said.
Pakistan has signed a tentative agreement with commercial lenders
to reschedule its $877 million commercial loans for three years.
The quarterly payments on principal will start from Jan 1, 2001,
ending by June 30, 2002 with interest rates ranging from 1 to 1.5
per cent over LIBOR.
Pakistan has yet to sign a master trade maintenance facility to
formalize the agreement, which, at present, is under consideration
of Law Ministry.
Pakistan was chosen as a test case due to its little exposure in
the international bond market. Other huge borrowers like Romania
and Ecuador are next in line to get their Eurobonds rescheduled.
But this has put Pakistan into a trouble as rescheduling of
Eurobonds would further downgrade Pakistan's credit rating, making
it almost impossible to finance its deficit from these market
sources.
According to external financing arrangements projected in IMF
sponsored ESAF programme, Pakistan, still, needs to arrange new
short- and medium-term commercial loans of about $1.7 billion out
of total $19 billion external requirements by 2000-01 to avoid
foreign exchange crisis even during a period of debt relief.
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990916
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PM wants faster economic recovery
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: The federal cabinet here on Wednesday expressed
its grave concern over the continuous failure of the relevant
agencies to optimise revenue mobilisation efforts and increase the
flow of foreign investment.
The cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif, also reportedly regretted that the confidence of the
overseas Pakistanis was still at a very low ebb and they had not
yet forgotten the experience of the May 1998 FCA freeze.
Later, a high-level ministerial committee was constituted, headed
by Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, to prepare a comprehensive package
aimed at restoring the confidence of the people and investors in
the banking sector.
The prime minister emphasised the need for bold initiatives and
said that the proposed package should include legal measures to
restore the confidence of the people in "our financial sector which
will stimulate economic revival".
The members of the committee are Minister for Water and Power
Mr.Gohar Ayub Khan, Minister for Law and Justice, Mr.Khalid Anwar,
Minister for Labour and Manpower Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Minister
of State for Water and Power, Mr.Haleem Siddiqui. The committee
will submit its recommendations to the cabinet at its next meeting.
The federal cabinet was given a comprehensive briefing by the
Chairman of the Central Board of Revenue (CBR), Mian Iqbal Farid,
on the steps taken to improve the tax recovery system and revenue
collection.
"We have to increase the inflow of foreign investment by
facilitating the investors and it cannot happen unless we restore
the confidence of foreign investors," said a ministerial source
quoting the prime minister. He said that the cabinet was told that
Rs 6 billion were paid by the salaried classes as income tax, Rs 48
billion were paid by non-corporate sector while the corporate
sector paid Rs 24 billion annually.
The prime minister in his comments said that radical measures were
needed to bring about structural changes in the tax administration
so that a basis could be laid for not only introducing tax culture
in the country but also to make the tax system more effective and
efficient.
The prime minister asked all the ministers to come up with concrete
suggestions in this regard for consideration in the next meeting of
the cabinet.
"We have a committee on resource mobilisation and it has formulated
certain recommendations which will be put up in the next cabinet
meeting", said Deputy Chairman Planning Commission and Chairman
Programme 2010 Ahsan Iqbal.
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990916
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dar's visit to focus on suspended loans
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Kamal Siddiqi
KARACHI, Sept 15: As finance minister Ishaq Dar prepares to go
Washington to attend the annual meetings of the IMF and the World
Bank in the coming week, at the top of his agenda will be the
request to restore the suspended loan programme for Pakistan,
under which a tranche of $280 million has been with held by IMF.
Ishaq Dar, however, contends that he is going to Washington to
attend the meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. Dar is hopeful
that the talks for the release of the tranche will be finalized
before he steps on to the plane for Washington. Senior finance
ministry officials believe otherwise.
For Pakistan, which currently has over $1.5 billion in foreign
exchange reserves, it is more the IMF endorsement and less the
actual funds that the government is hoping will be given to it at
this stage.
"If the IMF resumes its programme by releasing the tranche to
Pakistan, it will be an endorsement that Pakistan desperately
needs", says economist Akbar Zaidi. The signal that IMF has
accepted the deviations that Pakistan has made in its initial
agreement in January, that paved way for the restoration of the
$1.6 billion funding programme.
For its part, the IMF is in an unforgiving mood. Despite
pronouncements to the contrary, it has not taken kindly to the
Prime Minister's Housing Programme and the inability of Pakistan to
sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a promise that prime
minister Nawaz Sharif had given in December 1998. While foreign
minister Sartaj Aziz insists that Pakistan had given the
precondition that US sanctions against Pakistan be lifted before
Pakistan signs on the dotted line, IMF officials say that this is
not the case.
The decision by the prime minister to drop plans to visit the UN
General Assembly in New York later this month should also be seen
in this light.
Dar's job has been further complicated by the infighting within the
cabinet and the political grand-standing of the government.
The letter of intent (LOI), that Dar says will be signed within the
week has been eluding Pakistan for the past two months. The LOI is
the basis of the resumption of funding to Pakistan.
As far as the "Apna Ghar" project is concerned, Dar has been a
strong critic of this, insiders in Islamabad say. But political
compulsions of the prime minister, especially after the Kargil
debacle, have forced the PM to take this route.
The IMF and other donor agencies are unhappy with the programme,
which is seen as a political gimmick which will leave public sector
banks holding yet more billions in defaulted loans. Bank say that
they are against the scheme because it will create a liquidity
shortage in the market and force interest rates. "The fact of the
matter is that banks are afraid of the potential defaults of such a
scheme", said Nadeem Naqvi, an investment advisor with
International Asset Management Co (IAMC) in Karachi.
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990917
-------------------------------------------------------------------
GST deduction rules for food supply notified
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD; Sept 16: Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has notified
rules for deduction of GST from food-supplying sector including
clubs, caterers, hotels hotels, restaurants, kitchens each having
an annual turnover exceeding Rs2.5m.
SRO 1039 (I)/99, dated Sept 14, '99, says: Every person supplying
food, in or from the premises of clubs, caterers, kitchens, hotels
or restaurants shall be liable to charge and pay sales tax at the
rate specified in sub-sec (1) of Sec 3 of the Act irrespective of
the fact whether food is consumed in that premises or supplied
outside or as take-aways.
The taxable supplies made by the said person shall not be subjected
to the further tax leviable under sub-sec (1A) of Sec 3 of the Act.
Any such person, whose total annual turnover exceeds rupees two and
a half million during the last twelve months, shall be liable to
registration and shall get himself registered under the Act, if not
already registered.
The sales tax on food served in a tax period shall be calculated in
accordance with the following formula, namely:
Amount of total value of supply due from consumer or recipient of
food divided by 100 + rate of sales tax multiplied by sales tax.
Every person shall submit the monthly return as prescribed in the
Act. The tax due along with monthly return shall be deposited in
the government treasury under the relevant head '0220000-sales tax'
by the 15th day of the month following the month in which supplies
were made.
Provided that in respect of supplies made by clubs, the date shall
be 15th day of the second month following the month in which
supplies were made by the club.
If the supplies are made free of charge or for some other
consideration or a consideration lower than the listed prices, the
sales tax shall be charged as if it were supplied at the price
listed in the menu card in terms of sub-clause (a) of clause (46)
of Sec 2 of the Act.
Such person shall be entitled for input tax credit for the tax paid
on his purchases or utilities consumed for preparation or supply of
food against out put tax payable subject to the limitations imposed
under Sec 8 of the Act or the notifications issued thereunder:
provided that the input tax credit shall only be admissible for
amount of tax which was paid on the purchases made during that tax
period for which return is being submitted.
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990917
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Cabinet body mulls over bank for expatriates
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: A five-member committee, constituted by the
federal cabinet on Wednesday to restore the confidence of the
foreign investors, discussed here on Thursday the possibility of
establishing a "separate bank" for overseas Pakistanis.
"We have discussed various proposals including the setting of a
separate bank for the overseas Pakistanis so that they do not have
any problem in sending their remittances to Pakistan", said the
Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, Sheikh
Rashid Ahmad.
He told Dawn after the meeting, which was chaired by Minister for
Finance and Commerce Ishaq Dar, that there was a likelihood for
having a bank which will exclusively deal with the overseas
Pakistanis. "The bank if established will adequately remove the
growing problems of the Pakistanis living abroad".
The labour minister said that he had informed the meeting that
25,000 Pakistanis have been given legal status in Greece while a
sizable number of Pakistanis currently living in Spain and
Australia were expected to get the similar status in future. "Then
there are about 50,000 Pakistanis in Italy who are also expected to
get a legal status soon", he said adding that the growing number of
Pakistanis, having legal status in different countries would
eventually be sending their remittances through a proposed separate
bank.
The meeting considered various options/incentives aimed at re-
building the confidence of the foreign investors and expatriate
Pakistanis to invest in Pakistan.
The committee reviewed the level of remittances by expatriate
Pakistanis on a monthly basis and discussed various measures to
encourage them to send their remittances through normal banking
channels instead of "Hundi".
The committee will meet shortly again to consider some specific
proposals. It was attended by ministers for law and justice,
manpower and overseas Pakistanis and the minister of state for
water and power.
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990917
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Gas companies ready to renegotiate prices
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: International oil and gas exploration companies
have told the government that they are ready for renegotiations on
the prices of gas for "specific short-term period of interim
relief".
In a representation to the Ministry of Industry, Pakistan Petroleum
Exploration and Production Companies Association (PPECA) stated
that the government's attempts to renegotiate producer gas prices
had reduced the confidence of the investor in Pakistan.
It, however, offered that discussion with the government regarding
price renegotiations should be on the basis of a specific short-
term period of interim relief after which the petroleum policy
price would prevail. "This will provide incentives both the
development of new fields and new exploration expenditure as well
as providing relief to the economy."
The government and the exploration companies are engaged in
negotiation on producer gas prices. The government is of the view
that it is under no obligation to buy gas from the producers if the
companies fail to agree on price formula.
The association of exploration companies stated that Pakistan had
attained negative international investor perception due to its
treatment of IPP investors, freezing of foreign currency accounts
and concerns about regional stability in the wake of nuclearisation
and tension with the neighbouring countries.
The exploration companies said that though the government was using
"legally legitimate loophole to support its negotiation position,
the industry's confidence had been reduced."
"This lack of confidence is evident in the current low levels of
drilling activity by the foreign investors in Pakistan as well as
the dramatic drop in signature of new concession agreements."
The PPECA argued that the government's approach to renegotiate
long-term gas prices had made the existing projects uncompetitive
as well as dampening the enthusiasm for new risk exploration
investment.
According to its estimates, if all the gas discoveries were
appraised, the petroleum sector had the ability to reduce the trade
deficit by 10-20 % over a period of 3-5 years.
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990915
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Body set up to monitor development tax on traders
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Sept 14: The government has constituted a Development
Tax Advisory Committee (DTAC) to enforce and monitor the collection
of the Development Tax imposed at the rate of 0.75 per cent on
shopkeepers whose annual turnover is less than Rs 5 million.
The shopkeepers and retailers of the same category selling 12
specified food items will pay the tax at the rate of 0.5 per cent.
The DTAC will comprise six members from each province and two
members from the federal capital territory. The committee may form
provincial, divisional, district, city/town and market committees.
Initially the DTAC will meet every month to ensure proper
compliance and implementation of the DTS.
According to the notification issued by the CBR here on Tuesday,
the Development Tax shall be paid quarterly in any of the branches
of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) through a challan payable by the
last working day of September, December, March and June for the
quarters ending Sept 15, Dec 15, and June 15.
Circular No 2/99, dated Sept 14, 1999, explains the new tax as
follows: In pursuance of unanimous decision taken in the meetings
with representatives of trade community held on Sept 8 and 9, it
has been decided that the shopkeepers and retailers, other than a
private limited company or a public limited company, whose annual
turnover during the last 12 months was less than Rs 5 million,
shall, in lieu of 2% turnover tax payable under section 3A of the
Sales Tax Act, 1990, and 1% income tax payable under the Income Tax
Ordinance 1979, in the manner hereinafter provided, the sum (known
as Development Tax) at the rate of 0.75% of the turnover on all
supplies except the food items on which the rate of Development Tax
shall be 0.5% (Development Tax Scheme).
The Development Tax shall be payable across the board and shall be
compulsory for all shopkeepers and retailers whose annual turnover
does not exceed Rs 5 million. The Development Tax shall be payable
with effect from Sept 16, 1999 and shall remain in force up to June
30, 2001.
The shopkeepers and retailers with annual turnover of less than Rs
5 million shall have the option to get themselves registered under
the Sales Tax Act and pay GST at the rate of 15% under the normal
Value-Added Tax (VAT) regime.
The DTS shall not affect the following: The normal GST regime which
shall remain in force for manufacturers, importers, wholesalers
(including dealers), distributors (including stockists), suppliers
and such shopkeepers and retailers whose annual turnover exceeds Rs
5m.
The persons not registered under the normal GST regime shall
continue to pay further tax at the rate of 3% under section 3 1A)
of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, in addition to the standard rate of 15%
on taxable supplies made to them.
The persons not registered under the normal GST regime shall not be
allowed to claim any input sales tax credit/adjustment/refund etc.
Such persons shall not be allowed to issue the prescribed sales tax
invoices.
The right of a taxpayer, under the Sales Tax Act, 1990, to opt for
sales tax registration for payment of sales tax at the standard
rate in a normal VAT-mode, instead of payment of Development Tax.
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990912
-------------------------------------------------------------------
15% hike in furnace oil prices soon
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Sept 11: The government has decided to increase prices
of furnace oil by 15 per cent in keeping with one of the IMF
conditionalities agreed under the structural reforms programme.
Official sources told Dawn on Saturday that the petroleum ministry
was likely to issue a notification to this effect within 48 hours.
They said the increase in the prices of POL products would also be
announced very shortly.
"Since the government has linked the domestic prices of oil with
international market, we have no option but to increase the prices
of furnace oil and POL products whenever the world oil prices
increased", said a source in the petroleum ministry.
He said the furnace oil prices had increased from $50 to $90 per
ton in the international market forcing the government to enhance
the prices of the commodity.
Sources said that the government had planned to increase the prices
of furnace oil and POL products in the second quarter of 1999--
2000, starting from October. However, the dramatic increases in the
world oil prices in recent weeks and also the need to improve the
depressing revenue collection position forced the government to
increase the prices a month earlier.
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990916
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rules for GST collection on gas
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: The Central Board of Revenue has issued rules
for collection and payment of GST on natural gas, LPG and CNG.
A
CBR notification No 1040 (I)/99, dated Sept 15, 1999, says:
These rules, coming into force at once, shall apply for collection
and payment of sales tax on natural gas including compressed
natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imported,
produced, transmitted and supplied by gas well-head companies and
gas transmission and distribution companies licensed under Natural
Gas Rules, 1960, including their distributors, dealers, sales
agents, retailers or by any other person hereinafter called the
"person" for the purposes of these rules and dealing in
importation, production or distribution and supply of natural gas
including CNG and LPG.
Under these rules, every person who supplies natural gas shall be
liable to registration and shall charge and pay ST at the rate
specified in sub-section (1) of section 3 of the ST Act 1990.
ST on natural gas shall be levied and collected at the following
stages in the following manner: (i) in case of its importation, the
responsibility to pay ST shall be of the person importing natural
gas who shall pay in the manner prescribed in sub-section (1) of
section 6 of the Act and the value thereof shall be the value as
determined under section 25 or 25B of the Customs Act, 1969, read
with section 31-A thereof including the amount of customs duties
and Central Excise Duties levied thereon.
(ii) In case of production and supply from the bore-holes and
wells, the person responsible to charge and pay sales tax shall be
the person making the supply at the bore-holes or the well-heads.
The value for the purposes of levy of ST shall include price of
natural gas, charges, rents, commissions and all duties and taxes
local/provincial/federal, but excluding the amount of ST as
provided in clause (46) of section 2 of ST Act. (iii) In case of
supply of natural gas by the gas transmission and distribution
(T&D) company, the person responsible to charge, collect and
deposit ST shall be the gas T&D company and the value for the
purposes of tax shall be the total amount billed including price of
natural gas, charges, rents, commissions and all duties and taxes
local/provincial/federal, but excluding the amount of ST as
provided in clause (46) of section 2 of ST Act. (iv) In case of
supply of CNG, the person responsible to charge, collect and pay ST
shall be the person supplying the gas to its customers and
consumers and the value of supply in case of CNG shall include
price of CNG, charges, rents, commissions and all duties and taxes
local/provincial/federal, but excluding the amount of ST as
provided in clause (46) of section 2 of ST Act. (v) In case of
supply of LPG, the person responsible to charge, collect and
deposit ST shall be the person who is a dealer, distributor or a
retailer of LPG and the value of LPG for levy of ST shall include
price of CNG, charges, rents, commissions and all duties and taxes
local/provincial/federal, but excluding the amount of ST as
provided in clause (46) of section 2 of ST Act.
All natural gas suppliers shall have to fulfil the following
conditions: registration with ST department; printing of bills or
invoice (as the case may be); mention of ST in bill/invoice;
submitting monthly return; deposit tax in head 0220000-Sales Tax by
15th day of each month for the last month of supply; in case of
billing directly on monthly basis the ST payment date would 15th of
the second month; free/below-charging-rate supplies would be
treated open-market price; input tax credit allowed subject to
restrictions of section 8 of ST Act.
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990918
-------------------------------------------------------------------
T-bills yield may be raised to stabilize rupee
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohiuddin Aazim
KARACHI, Sept 17: The State Bank of Pakistan may increase the yield
on treasury bills to check such distortions in inter-bank foreign
exchange market that may keep the rupee under pressure.
Senior bankers say the yield on the treasury bills has seen a
progressive increase in the past few auctions and open market
operations and it seems that the trend may continue.
"The State Bank would likely increase the yield by 1-2 percentage
points in the coming months to check some distortions in inter-bank
market and stabilize the rupee," said treasurer of a nationalized
bank.
At its recent open market operation, the State Bank sucked in Rs 5
billion from inter-bank market through three-month repo of treasury
bills on a maximum yield of 8.95 per cent.
On Sept 8, SBP had auctioned on behalf of the government Rs 17.8
billion worth of treasury bills-Rs 12 billion of six-month T-bills
at 10.28 per cent and Rs 5.8 billion of one-year T-bills at 10.69
per cent.
Senior bankers say these rates are higher by around 1-2 percentage
points when compared to the rates prevailing a few months ago.
"This trend is likely to continue," said treasury manager of a
local bank. He said the progressive increase in the yield on TBs
indicates that the SBP is fully aware of how some corporates and
banks are creating distortions in the system.
"The falling yield on TBs in the past few months resulted in cuts
in lending rates to the corporates that started reinvesting the
borrowed money instead of employing them in industrial activity,"
he explained.
Senior bankers say many of their corporate clients got cheaper
loans and reinvested them in national saving schemes which still
offer up to 14 per cent annual return.
"Indications are that the SBP would squeeze the market liquidity at
higher yields on T- bills which in return make corporate credit
dearer and corporates would not find it easier to reinvest the
borrowed money in saving schemes," treasurer of a state-run bank
said.
He said faster and larger lifting of liquidity from the money
market coupled with slower and thinner reinvestment of borrowed
funds in government schemes should keep the rupee stable in the
months to come.
Many bankers say if the government makes further cuts in the return
on national saving schemes the achievement of the desired goal
would be easier.
The rupee has been under pressure both at inter-bank as well as
free foreign exchange market since the start of this month on
rising demand for the US dollars.
The dollar is trading around Rs 51.80 in the inter-bank market and
past Rs 54.30 in the open market: the spread between the two has
risen to Rs 2.40 per dollar.
Senior bankers say the demand for the greenback has gone up in the
inter-bank market on capital outflows from the stock market; debt
servicing and rising imports.
They say that the demand for foreign exchange is so high and supply
so low that the rupee may slide steeply if SBP lifts what they call
an unofficial cap on exchange rate.
Money changers say the US dollar has been up with the start of Haj
season as those intending to perform Haj under sponsorship scheme
buy foreign exchange from the open market. They say that some of
stock market investors-particularly the foreign ones are also
diverting themselves to the free foreign exchange market as bourses
are currently under slump.
"The rupee has been under pressure in the inter-bank market as
there has been an increased demand for the dollar for some time,"
said treasury manager of a foreign bank. "Though the market seems
to be calm and cool the undercurrents indicate that banks may not
be able to keep the dollar below Rs 52.0 by the end of the year."
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990918
-------------------------------------------------------------------
KSE 100-share index down by 8.5 points
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 17: Stocks failed to extend the overnight rally on
Friday as weekend selling in the pivotals pushed the KSE 100-share
index down by more than eight points.
The market showed either-way erratic movement amid conflicting
rumours about a possible accord with the management of Hubco and
the release of fourth tranche of $280 million by the IMF. The index
was early up by eight points and managed to hold the initial gains
until the late weekend selling in Hub-Power and PTCL again pushed
it down.
Larger decline was,however, averted as selling was mainly confined
to current favourites, notably Hub-Power and PTCL and some other
blue chips.
'About 80% of the business remains confined to these two shares as
investors are not inclined to move out of the safe havens for
obvious reasons including the political uncertainty', said a KSE
member.
He said the market might not fall from the current levels, there is
also a remote possibility of a big turnaround either owing to
prevailing political situation.
It was perhaps in this background that the market is essentially
thriving on rumours brought in regularly by some vested interest to
suit their financial interest, he added.
The KSE 100-share index fell 8.54 points at 1,155.63 as compared to
1,164.17 points, erasing the overnight gain as leading shares base
shares failed to hold on to their previous gains. It was up by the
same amount in the morning on Hub-co settlement rumours.
Analysts said market talk of an imminent settlement of the tariff
issue with Hubco and other foreign Independent Power Producers
(IPPs), continued to inspire renewed buying in the energy sector,
although there is no official confirmation on the subject.
'It appears to be a back-channel diplomacy apparently leading to
secret talks between WAPDA and the Hubco management', they added.
But some others said the rumours about the accord are speculative
and are floated by some vested interests to push the share value of
Hub-Power higher and then to liquidate positions.
'The credence to rumours of an imminent agreement with Hubco on the
tariff issue was apparently given the finance minister's statement
that agreement will signed soon', said a leading broker.
Minus signs dominated the list under the lead of Islamic Bank,
Shell Pakistan, Fauji Fertiliser and Quetta Textiles, falling by
Rs2.50 to Rs4.50. Other prominent losers were led by PSO, Al-Ghazi
Tractors, Balochistan Wheels and Reckitt and Colman, which ended
lower by one rupee to Rs2.00.
Barring Nestle Milkpak, Gadoon Textiles 16th ICP and Balochistan
Glass, which posted gains ranging from one rupee to Rs8.00, all
other gains were fractional.
Back to the top
===================================================================
EDITORIALS & FEATURES
990912
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Karachi : earthquake scene - 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
IN my first column of this series (Aug 29) those living in
dangerous highrises, which is to say, all highrises standing in
Karachi, were informed that anyone requesting assistance and
information from SHEHRI would be given a full report on the
construction and state of his/her building. We were expecting a
spate of requests from anxious citizens. Number so far received :
zero. Are we to feel relieved that no one cares, or horrified?
More from Turkey: 27,000 buildings collapsed and the authorities
expect this figure to reach 35,000 when their on-going survey is
completed, 54,294 building were heavily damaged, 38,362 buildings
were less damaged, and the government now feels that as many as
280,000 housing units will have to be built to accommodate the
600,000 rendered homeless, of which 253,000 are still shelterless
and waiting for tents to be supplied to them. Independent analysts
estimate that the toll of the quake on the Turkish economy will be
around $ 25 billion. This is apart from the human loss which
carries no price. The reason for the alarming amount is mainly due
to the fact that the larger number of buildings that collapsed were
not built according to the required standards.
To Greece: Last week an earthquake struck the Athens region, but
luckily of a low intensity. Buildings and structures built well
over 2,000 years ago still stand, unshaken, uncracked. Buildings
built over the past few years fell, or were cracked. The death
count is less than a hundred, an equal number is missing and some
2,000 were injured.
How many in Pakistan now remember, or bother to remember, what
happened in Quetta in 1935? 60,000 people of a population of less
than 90,000 living in the earthquake area lost their lives in the
great earthquake of that year.
Fortunately for us all, there is a handful of concerned citizens
who worry about the welfare of the people, who fight on, hoping to
be able to impress upon someone someday that building standards
must be adhered to for reasons of safety and of the environment.
One of the handful is young Qazi Faez Isa, an active member of
SHEHRI, a barrister of Karachi, whose family has lived in Quetta
for several generations. Reproduced are excerpts from his column
printed in this newspaper on June 10 1988:"Presently buildings in
Quetta are coming up at a frightening rate and speed with scant
regard to the earthquake factor. There seems to be no supervision
or planning. In an earthquake area it is essential that there be
open spaces and parks in congested areas of the city where citizens
may collect when buildings start coming down on them. Quetta city
has the unique distinction of having a solitary park, the Liaquat
Park, which is away from the congested city area.
"A golden opportunity presented itself to the authorities to have a
park in the heart of the city when a decision was taken to move to
another location the well-laid-out vegetable and fruit market
situated in Kandahari Bazaar. Meetings held by citizens of Quetta
demanded that when the market was pulled down a park be set up in
its stead. But the municipality and the authorities recommended a
multi-storeyed shopping complex. This betrayal of trust was
undoubtedly motivated by the money which is to be made on the
allotment and sale of shops.
"After the earthquake, all of Quetta city was rebuilt in accordance
with regulations set out by Harry Oddin-Taylor (O.T.), one of the
builders of the Sukkur Barrage. O.T. set out specific regulations
and prescribed even the quantity of cement to be used. The
construction of every building was watched and monitored at every
stage. A checking system was introduced involving coloured cards
which builders had to produce at each of the seven stages of
building. Those who did not comply with the regulations had their
buildings pulled down.
"It was a testament to the integrity of those men that when another
earthquake of similar intensity to that of the one of 1935 hit
Quetta six years later,no building came down."
'Those men' left in 1947 and we blame them for leaving us as
'jungley' as we are !
"To arrest the irregular and illegal building growth in Quetta,
Begum Saida Qazi Isa, Qazi Azmat Isa and Qazi Faez Isa filed a
petition (No.125/95) in the High Court of Balochistan against the
Quetta Municipal Corporation, Quetta Development Authority,
Government of Balochistan, and Others. The Bench headed by Justice
Amirul Mulk Mengal and Justice Javed Iqbal. Justice Mengal wrote a
judgment [ PLD 1997 Quetta 1] which will stand the test of time. It
was significant in that it applies to each and every building
coming up in Quetta, as well as those planned in the future. By
this one judgment, the High Court came to the assistance of and
gave relief to each and every inhabitant of the city, thwarted the
machinations of all illegal builders and put a stop to the abetment
and connivance by officials who were responsible for the
implementation of the building laws but who were failing in their
responsibility." (Faez Isa, Dawn, August 22 1996)
*From Justice Mengal's judgment:"An aggrieved person within the
meaning of Article 199 of the Constitution would not necessarily
mean a person having a strict legal right. Even a person who was
deprived of benefit, privilege, etc, by an illegal act or omission
could be considered as an aggrieved person . . ."
"We appreciate that petitioners have come before the court to
invoke constitutional jurisdiction of this court as regards the
dangerous situation which has arisen due to construction of multi-
storeyed buildings in Quetta town without observing provisions of
building code, thus putting into peril the lives of inhabitants and
passers-by. The entire population of Quetta cannot be allowed to be
put in danger for the benefit of a few builders who are
constructing plazas and multi-storeyed buildings as against the
provisions of Building Code 1937 . . . . . . . ."
"The population of Quetta, if construction of such [irregular]
buildings are allowed, shall be put to the threshold of horrible
destruction in case, God forbid, any earthquake of high grade jolts
the town, In such circumstances we are entitled to hold that the
petitioners have rightly approached this court."
In conclusion, the High Court was pleased to "direct the Chief
Secretary, Government of Balochistan, to issue directions to
Administrator, Quetta Municipal Corporation, to find out the number
of under-construction multi-storeyed buildings in Quetta town and
to issue notices to owners/ builders and after [an] opportunity of
hearing them, order such amendment/alteration in the building
plans, commensurate with the Building Code, particularly as far as
height of building is concerned. No concession shall be given to
the builders."
The builders filed an appeal against this judgment in the Supreme
Court which was dismissed. The judgment has been endorsed by the
Supreme Court and it has attained finality. It now requires
implementation by the Government and its functionaries.
Quetta has acted. This week we read in "Dawn" on September 10 :
"The Quetta Municipal Corporation (QMC) has imposed a ban on
highrise buildings in the city to implement the code of the
building control department controlling town planning.
"This was decided at a meeting of the QMC building control
department presided over by Mayor Rahim Kakar . . . . .
"All the maps and site plans approved in violation of the code
would be cancelled with immediate effect, an official announcement
said."
Justice Mengal later became the Chief Justice of the Balochistan
High Court. The people of Balochistan felt safe and secure with him
as their CJ; the government did not. Earlier this year, the
government got rid of him from Balochistan and neutralized him by
elevating him to the Supreme Court. Rather than be shunted out to a
Bench where he would be relatively helpless, the good judge chose
to resign.Though the people of Quetta were unable to save the open
space made available when their vegetable market was shifted, the
people of Karachi hope to save the Sabzi Mandi space and the few
other open spaces that remain to them. SHEHRI and concerned
citizens will have to go to court to protect themselves against the
numerous land grabbers, including those grabbing for the prime
minister's disastrous 'Mera Ghar' scheme. Money is needed for this.
Who is willing to help?
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990917
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Testing ponies and waiting stallions
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayaz Amir
THE sad truth is that a popular movement or agitation has never
brought down a Pakistani government before. It is not going to do
so in this season. If the only threat to the empire of the heavy
mandate was from the 19-party alliance, now expansively dubbed the
Grand Democratic Alliance, Mian Nawaz Sharif would have little to
fear. His real concern is different and arises from another
quarter: his relationship with Rawalpindi which, not to put too
fine a point on it, is fraught and tense because of the great
Kargil fiasco.
The public owning of responsibility is a tradition which has never
existed in Pakistan. If there was no night of the long knives after
Pakistan was dismembered in 1971, it is too much to expect that
there would be an outburst of honesty or blood-letting because of
Kargil in 1999. The Islamic Republic in crisis has always seen the
ruling elites closing ranks and protecting their own so as to pull
a blanket of discretion over even their greatest follies.
There is a telling and crucial difference this time. Kargil has
dealt a blow to the unity of the governing class, driving a wedge
between the heavy mandate and Rawalpindi. While both have had their
fingers burnt, both are trying to put the blame for this fiasco on
the shoulders of the other. In the shades of Islamabad this is the
real cat-and-mouse game being played. Compared to this game the
opposition agitation in the rest of the country, for all its sound
and fury, is a side-show.
To be sure this agitation is not without significance, for the more
it picks up steam the more rattled and disoriented becomes the
heavy mandate. But it is not of decisive importance. The key to
political change has never been in the hands of the people.
The great objection being levelled at the opposition alliance is
that it does not have a common programme or a single candidate for
prime minister. This objection is pointless. Even if the present
opposition had Karl Marx to write its manifesto, and Akbar the
Great as its prime minister-in-waiting, it would still make no
difference. Change in Islamabad, even when undertaken in pursuance
of a constitutional clause such as the now-defunct Article 58(2)b,
has always occurred after a nod or signal of active support from
Rawalpindi. Any political hopeful forgetting this elementary
principle of Pakistani politics is not likely to carry his
ambitions very far.
Mian Nawaz Sharif should know the truth of this since the
inexorable rise to glory and power of Ittefaq Inc. is a direct
outcome of military benevolence. Without generous help from that
quarter, Nawaz Sharif would have been another industrialist living
the good life in Lahore.
Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan also knows this eternal verity of
Pakistani politics. Although he has spent his life putting together
political alliances, some of them quite amazing, against autocratic
regimes (except for that one time when he found himself supping at
General Zia-ul-Haq's lurid table), who should know better than him
that as often as not democratic movements have served as the
enabling instruments of dictatorial ambition? Thus it was in 1968-
69 when the movement against
Field Marshal Ayub Khan culminated in the coup d'etat of General
Yahya Khan. Thus again in 1977 when General Zia-ul-Haq stole the
fruits of the agitation against Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto. There are of
course fearless knights in Pakistan, and not a few of them in the
English press, who angrily declare that never again will they
tolerate another adventurer. If only wishes were horses and
adventurers could be stopped from riding into power by searing
columns in the English language press.
On stud farms, as aficionados of equine matters are well aware,
mares are put in the right frame of mind by horses called 'testing
ponies'. Only when things reach the desired pitch does the stallion
who is supposed to do the final honours brought on the scene. The
pity of democratic politics in Pakistan is that opposition
alliances, in all sincerity and with the best intentions in the
world, have played the role of testing ponies to Bonapartist
stallions. When things get hot, someone else appears on the scene
to carry the prize away. This is not to disparage democratic
politics but merely to point out one of the structural defects of
our Republic. What's more, till such time that the Republic's
stables are thoroughly cleaned (by what Herculean process we do not
know) this structural defect will remain. Indeed, if George Orwell
were to rise from the dead and write a book on Pakistan he would
have to call it Stud Farm not Animal Farm.
But if the opposition has problems, Nawaz Sharif has problems of
his own which are of a much more serious nature. How will the
stallions behave? That's his problem and not what pranks the
testing ponies of the opposition are getting up to. Why then curse
or belittle the opposition parties as Mian Nawaz Sharif and his
loudspeakers are increasingly doing? And what point in working the
crowds in Santnagar, Mian Azhar's home base in Lahore? If Mian
Azhar was the only threat which Nawaz Sharif faced, he could play
cricket to his heart's content and resume his foreign travels, now
sadly interrupted because of his domestic preoccupations. From all
of which the conclusion can be drawn that instead of tilting at
windmills, the rattled barons of the heavy mandate should be seeing
the larger picture and trying to put their own house in order.
But this precisely is the problem. It is difficult changing course
in mid-stream. If a particular style of government is confused and
bumbling, there is no instant formula which can turn it overnight
into a model of vigour and clarity. What Dostoyevsky said about the
second half of a man's life - that it is mostly a repetition of the
first half - is also true of statecraft. If you do not have this
gift in you, acquiring it is difficult. That is why it will take
more than magic to make the second half of the heavy mandate look
any different from what we have seen of it in the first half. So
Nawaz Sharif's problem is not that he should become a more
efficient and effective ruler. That is not going to happen. His
problem is stark in its simplicity: how to disperse the testing
ponies and keep the stallions tethered firmly in their proper
place.
Therein lies the rub. In the giant stables in Rawalpindi where
Pakistan's champion stallions are kept, the mood is dark; some
would go so far as to say even dangerous. One indication of this is
the almost permanent scowl that has come to sit on the army chief's
face. A carefree man before Kargil, he now looks visibly unhappy.
Niaz Naik has only made matters worse. Whatever he may have meant
to convey, his remarks in Karachi will be taken by the army high
command as another attempt at putting the entire blame for Kargil
on its shoulders while absolving the civilian leadership of all
responsibility.
Naik has said that because of poor coordination among those
planning the Kargil venture, the prime minister was not fully in
the know of it, the implication being that had he known what was
going on he would have put a stop to it - which is to put more
faith in the prime minister's powers of observation than even his
partisans might be willing to allow. Naik has gone on to say that
back-channel contacts between India and Pakistan (of which Naik was
a part from the Pakistani side) were leading to some sort of an
agreement on Kashmir but that the possibility of any progress was
spiked by the fighting in Kargil.
This is a travesty of the facts. Whatever secret contacts there
were between India and Pakistan were post and not pre-Kargil and
for Naik to imply anything different is irresponsible, especially
at a time when there is tension and growing distrust between
Rawalpindi and the heavy mandate.
In private, senior army officers are not above conceding that the
army high command was guilty of serious errors of judgment about
the Kargil expedition. What they resent are attempts to put the
entire blame for this fiasco on the army command while giving a
clean chit to the prime minister. This too is a travesty of the
facts. The PM was in the know from the beginning.
I have been accused by friends of writing about Kargil endlessly. I
write about it not because I am fond of the subject but because
Kargil is stuck in the throats of the civilian and military
leaderships and unless they can get it out from there it will keep
causing problems all around. In any other half-mature country the
government would have taken the lead and owned up to the blunder
committed, asked for some sort of public forgiveness and then tried
to get on with life. But this would have required a breadth of
vision and a largeness of heart that on the political stage are
nowhere to be seen.
This is precisely why the disease instead of being cured continues
to linger. Since it lingers the big question remains: will the
sullen mood that can be felt in Rawalpindi pass or will it gel into
something harder? To know the answer to this question is to
understand how Pakistani politics will unfold in the critical
months that lie ahead.
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990918
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Out of step
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Irfan Husain
NOT very long ago, Pakistanis were proud of their hospitality to
strangers. No longer. Now, foreigners are killed by terrorists and
threatened by politicians; as a result, Pakistan is on the list of
no-go areas of overseas travel agents and governments alike.
Over the last two decades, Pakistan has become more and more
insular and inward looking as politicians have sought scapegoats
abroad to cover up their own inadequacies. Religious leaders have
simultaneously endeavoured to convince their respective followers
that their woes are the direct result of the anti-Pakistan plots
woven by their Western, Zionist and Indian foes. These converging
attitudes have fed a growing xenophobia as a substantial majority
of Pakistanis is now convinced that the rest of the world is
against us.
In this 'Them versus Us' environment, few people are any longer
appalled when leading religious leaders like Maulana Fazlur Rahman
openly threaten foreigners for the acts of their governments. A
number of Iranians and Americans have been killed by terrorists on
our soil with a minimal official response. The whole issue of the
government's mishandling of the independent power producers (IPPs)
is a case in point. Here are major overseas investors who have come
in with significant amounts to build or buy power plants under
legally binding agreements with the previous government.
Now, in the name of so-called accountability, they are being
harassed and their contracts are being flouted. Why anybody would
invest in such a climate is a question only Senator Saifur Rehman,
head of the Accountability Cell, can answer. The impression is
gaining currency that these IPPs are being targeted because the
kickbacks they are alleged to have given only went to members of
the previous government, and the present lot was ignored.
As the global village shrinks and the world economy becomes more
tightly integrated, people everywhere are lowering national
frontiers to the free flow of foreign products and ideas. Once
trade barriers are effectively abolished in 2005 under the World
Trade Organisation agreements we are signatory to, we will be
flooded with goods from all over the world that are not only
cheaper, but better made than domestic products. As (more)
Pakistani businesses go to the wall and unemployment increases, we
can expect industrialists and labour unions to join the anti-
foreigner chorus.
But the world will not sit still and wait for us to shed our
hangovers and phobias. While we fall further and further behind,
together with countries like Afghanistan, Somalia and Serbia, the
rest of the world will move ahead and develop and grow. Inevitably,
there will be pockets of poverty in this brave new world, but they
will strive to catch up. We, on the other hand, will have convinced
ourselves that as the rest of the world is against us, it is
pointless making the effort to progress.
However, Pakistan's self-imposed isolation is not unique: in much
of the Muslim world, a similar retreat from reality can be
witnessed. Specifically, the fundamentalist agenda calls for
turning our backs on modern education, based as it is on reason and
rationality, and harking back to the norms and values that
prevailed centuries ago in Arabia. For the religious right, this is
the panacea for all our ills. But this kind of wishful thinking
flies in the face of the logic that underpins the modern, Western
culture that now holds sway in much of the world. Even ideological
states like China now order their economies along the lines of the
Western, capitalist model, and their policies are pragmatic and
rational instead of being rigid and socialist.
As the Muslim world falls further and further behind, powerful
fundamentalist elements see this failure as the direct outcome of
the secular model adopted by many of the ruling elites.
Furthermore, since Western nations have based their governments on
liberal democracy, these values are all viewed with suspicion and
hostility by religious parties and groups, as are any ideas and
ideals that are in any way "Western". Politicians in much of the
Muslim world now try and avoid being smeared with the secular,
liberal brush. Thus, the space available to these ideas is
constantly shrinking to be replaced with retrogressive models. In
Pakistan, at least, the fundamentalists won the debate by default
years ago.
In this prevailing environment of sullen defeatism, it becomes easy
to transfer blame for our backwardness to foreigners. If we lose
the cricket World Cup, either the umpires were against us or our
players sold out to Indian bookies. We cannot accept that somebody
else played better than our team. If we were forced to pull out of
Kargil, we do not ask why our soldiers were placed in such an
untenable position, but we do blame Clinton for pressuring Nawaz
Sharif. And so on.
But at the end of the day, we are the only losers: by not accepting
reality, we cannot progress. Once we convince ourselves that
somebody else is to blame for our troubles, we have no incentive to
change things. By forever wallowing in self-pity and dreaming of a
long-distant past, we ensure that we will never pull ourselves out
of the pit we have dug. And by transferring the fault for our own
backwardness to foreigners, we increase the distance between us and
the global mainstream.
Another reason for our self-imposed isolation is that even
sophisticated, well-travelled Pakistanis are often unaware of how
the rest of the world really functions. For instance, during the
recent Kosovo crisis, Turkey lost hundreds of thousands of tourists
this summer because to many foreigners, the bombing was taking
place in the same region, never mind that the two countries are far
apart. Given the anti-Western rhetoric our politicians are prone
to, as well as the well-publicized attacks on foreigners, how does
Information Minister Mushahid Hussain think he will lure tourists
to Pakistan in his much-touted 'Visit Pakistan' year in 2001?
These attitudes transfer to foreign policy as well: countries seen
in the rest of the world as 'rogue states' will get no sympathy or
support for their economy or their territorial claims. So whatever
the validity of our legal claim to Kashmir, no amount of government
propaganda or junkets by official delegates is going to cut any ice
with foreigners as long as we are perceived as the bad guys. And we
will continue being seen in this light as long as we remain out of
step with the rest of the world.
===================================================================
SPORTS
990914
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Akram reinstated as captain for Toronto series
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nasir Malick
LONDON, Sept 13: Wasim Akram was reinstated as Pakistan cricket
captain for the three-match one-day international series against
the West Indies starting at Toronto from Thursday, chairman of the
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ad hoc committee Mujeeb-ur-Rehman
announced at a press conference here on Monday.
Wasim Akram, who was suspended by the board alongwith Salim Malik
and Ijaz Ahmad, pending completion of inquiry by High Court Judge
Justice Qayyum on match-fixing charges, was present at the news
conference held at Pakistan High Commission this morning.
Though Justice Qayyum has yet to submit his inquiry report to
President Rafiq Tarar, the PCB chairman claimed that no charge has
been established against these players during the internal inquiry
conducted by the board.
"Our lawyers who contacted Justice Qayyum have been informed by the
judge that there is no ban on Wasim Akram to play so we are
appointing him as captain of the Pakistani team," Mujeeb-ur-Rehman
told reporters.
The PCB had earlier appointed wicket-keeper Moin Khan to lead the
Pakistani team at Toronto.
The Pakistan cricket team will be arriving in London on Monday
afternoon and will leave for Toronto on Tuesday.
Wasim Akram, who is working for a county club in Birmingham to
"hunt Asian talent", will be joining the Pakistani team from
London, as will be Pakistani spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who is
playing for Surrey.
Mujeeb said the inquiries conducted by the PCB as well as by
Ehtesab Bureau Chief Saif-ur-Rehman, who is his elder brother, have
failed to establish any wrong-doing by these players.
The PCB chairman said that the judicial inquiry report has been
sent to President Rafiq Tarar and will be made public within two or
three days.
He, however, could not satisfy reporters as to how Wasim Akram has
been nominated as captain when the inquiry report has yet to be
submitted to the President or what would happen if the report bars
Wasim Akram from playing.
Asked whether Wasim and other players have been absolved by the
judge, he said he had no knowledge.
"However, PCB lawyers have been told that there is no ban on the
playing of these cricketers."
He said Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmad have not been selected by the
PCB selection committee because of their performance. He said the
team selection for Toronto series has been made on merit and on the
basis of the players' performance.
He said the names of Ijaz Ahmad and Salim Malik were also on the
list, from which the team was finally selected.
Mujeeb said that PCB has asked all the players to declare their
assets to avoid allegations of match-fixings in future.
Referring to differences between Wasim Akram and Aamir Sohail, the
PCB chairman said that Aaamir Sohail has been included in the team
and hoped that the differences between the two players would soon
be settled.
The PCB chairman agreed that an international syndicate is involved
in "match-fixings" but asserted that it was too difficult to get a
match fixed.
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990917
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan Win by 15 Runs against West Indies
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
TORONTO: Pakistan won the first match of the DMC Trophy against
West Indies by 15 runs.
Batting first, Pakistan scored 230 runs in the allotted 50 overs.
Pakistan were off to a flying start with Saeed Anwer (63) and Wasti
(40), but later the score was slowed down by West Indian bowlers.
Azhar Mahmood scored 19 runs in the last over which took the total
to respectable 230 runs. In reply, the West Indian team scored 215
runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 50 overs. Saeed Anwer was
awarded "the Man of the Match".
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990915
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Qasim named as interim selector
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 14: Former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim was appointed as
an interim chairman of Karachi seleectors by the Sindh High Court,
says a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ad hoc committee press release.
The press statement said Justice Rashid Rizvi nominated Iqbal Qasim
in place of Hanif Mohammad who has left for Toronto.
The next date of hearing was fixed for Sept 24 but Justice Rizvi
ordered that the teams will play in the National One-day
Championship under Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) banner.
Iqbal Qasim soon after his appointment, announced the schedule for
trials for the selection of two Karachi teams in the ongoing
National One-day Championship.
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