------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 12 August 2000 Issue : 06/30 -------------------------------------------------------------------
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CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + President amends Act: Convicts can't hold party office + Cease-fire ends, Hizbul Mujahideen to resume fighting + China increased missile sales to Pakistan: US + Pakistan troops urged to liberate Kashmir + Nuclear war feared possible over Kashmir: New York Times + India wants to divide Kashmiris: Foreign Office + Door to peace still open: FO + Devolution plan rejected: APC wants immediate timeframe for polls + Extradition talks with US expert make progress + Underemployment rising alarmingly + Plane hijacking case: Production of new papers in SC opposed + Supreme Court rejects Nawaz's petitions + Jabbar rules out talks with Nawaz + Musharraf dissatisfied with pace of Ehtesab --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + Federal tax ombudsman to try corrupt employees + Mark-up rate on loans to provinces cut + Exports drop by 23.75% in July + New FCY deposits cross $1 billion mark + Textile sector on govt priority + 3,500 CBR employees face dismissal + Pakistani banks' LCs refused + 3% black economy comes into tax net + National Finance Commission faces fiscal devolution issue + Rs90.3 billion paid to HUBCO + Wheat dues to be deducted at source + Meeting on turnover tax + Stocks finish on easy note --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Progressive Pakistan Ardeshir Cowasjee + Drones and brahmins Ayaz Amir ----------- SPORTS + Moin pulls out of Singapore series + Malik replies to show cause notice + 'Life ban on Malik not to be revoked'
=================================================================== DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 20000810 ------------------------------------------------------------------- President amends Act: Convicts can't hold party office ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: President Mohammad Rafiq Tarar amended Political Parties Act, providing that a convicted person or who is otherwise disqualified to be elected as a member of the parliament, will not be able to hold party office. The amendments in the Political Parties Act will hit the heads of Pakistan People's Party and PML as both Ms Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have been convicted by the accountability courts on the charges of corruption. Both have filed appeals against their convictions but the higher courts have not yet suspended the judgments of the trial courts. "It is a step towards political purification," Law Minister Aziz A. Munshi said at a press conference here on Wednesday night. He further said that amendments in the Political Parties Act were made to regulate the political activities in the country, adding: "criminalization of the society cannot and will not be allowed." He said that law was not violative of any fundamental rights and was in consonance with international norms. He told a questioner that in England, a convicted person loses even the right of vote. Answering a question when the law will come into operation, the minister said that government will take cognizance if the law was violated. The law has provided that any person violating the new law would be liable to be punished with imprisonment up to three years and can be fined or both. The ordinance called the Political Parties (Amendment) Ordinance 2000, has come into force. Amending section 4, of Political Parties Act, the amended law has added a new proviso which reads as: "Provided that person shall not be an office bearer of political party if he - a) is disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being a member of Majlis-i-Shoora (Parliament) under Article 63 of the Constitution or under any law for the time being in force; or ii) has been convicted of any criminal offence involving moral turpitude or offence under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 or offence involving public office order or morality and sentenced by a court of law to imprisonment for not less than two years, unless a period of five years elapsed since his release." The amended law has also substituted section 7 with the following section: "Any person who being disqualified to be an office bearer of a political party under this Act or who has been convicted of any criminal offence and sentenced by a court of law as mentioned in clause (ii) of proviso to sub-section (2) of section 4 of the Act as stated above, acts or hold himself out as office bearer of that party shall be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine or with both. 2) Any person who, after the dissolution of a political party under section 6, holds himself out as a member or office bearer of that party, or acts for or otherwise associates himself with that party, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both. 3) If any person who was an office bearer of a political party at the time of its dissolution under sub-section (2) of section 6 indulges or takes part in any political activity with seven years of its dissolution, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which extend to three years or with fine or with both." When asked the law was promulgated to remove Ms Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif from the political scene, the minister said that it was the assessment of the questioner and he was free to draw his conclusion. Law is very clear and there is no ambiguity in it, he added. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000809 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cease-fire ends, Hizbul Mujahideen to resume fighting ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ansar Abbasi ISLAMABAD, Aug 8: Hizbul Mujahideen called off its ceasefire and directed its field commanders to resume fighting against Indian occupation forces in Kashmir. Hizb supreme commander Syed Salahuddin told a press conference that they were withdrawing the ceasefire, announced unilaterally on July 24, owing to New Delhi's "rigidity" not to accept tripartite dialogue with Kashmiris and Pakistan for the resolution of the issue. He said India had derailed the peace initiative and added that "we have demolished the Indian propaganda that we are against a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir problem." He vowed to continue the armed struggle till the liberation of Kashmir from the Indian yoke, and directed the Hizb commanders and Mujahideen to immediately execute their target-oriented missions. The Hizb leader, however, agreed that a peaceful solution could be found either by implementing the UN resolutions or through tripartite talks. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000810 ------------------------------------------------------------------- China increased missile sales to Pakistan: US ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent WASHINGTON, Aug 9: The CIA in its latest semi-annual report to Congress alleges that China increased its missile-related sales to Pakistan last year and is continuing to supply nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and missile goods to North Korea, Libya and Iran. "Chinese missile-related technical assistance to Pakistan increased during this reporting period," the report stated. "In addition, firms in China provided missile-related items, raw materials, and/or assistance to several countries of proliferation concern such as Iran, North Korea and Libya." The report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times and is published in the paper's Wednesday issue, also states that "we cannot preclude" that China has ongoing contacts with Pakistani nuclear weapons officials contrary to a pledge made by Beijing in 1996 to halt aid to nuclear programs in Pakistan that are not under international controls. "China's involvement with Pakistan will continue to be monitored closely," the report said. Earlier, reported Chinese (and North Korean) missile sales were mentioned in reports which had surfaced just before the abortive test of the proposed American anti-missile nuclear shield. This was mentioned as one of the justifications for the so-called shield. While the Pakistan-China\North Korea link has often figured in Congressional debates, the CIA report also mentions the interesting fact that Iran gained nuclear technology from Russia. The Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating why additional arms proliferation activities by Beijing were left out of the unclassified report, a Senate aide is quoted as telling The Washington Times. "We welcome the report but the committee has some concerns over the content and whether certain information should have been included in the unclassified report that was not," said the aide. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000809 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan troops urged to liberate Kashmir ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tariq Naqash MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 8: Prof Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, chief of Markaz Dawa Wal Irshad, the parent organization of Lashkar-i-Taiba, asked Islamabad to send its troops across the Line of Control to liberate Kashmir. "It is the duty of the armed forces of Pakistan to cross the bloody line for the liberation of their Kashmiri brethren," he told a "Takmeel-i-Pakistan conference" held here at Upper Adda under the aegis of the Lashkar. India, he said, was blaming Pakistan for being behind the Kashmir liberation movement but it had forgot that it itself had sent its troops into East Pakistan in 1971 in violation of international laws to dismember Pakistan. "If Indian troops can cross the international border then why the Pakistan troops cannot cross the so-called LoC?," he said. It is not an appropriate time for holding negotiations with India because Delhi has always deceived the Kashmiris and Pakistan, he said. "We are not opposed to dialogue but we cannot favor it at this critical juncture of the liberation struggle because we believe that it will, as usual, provide India an opportunity to gain time to continue massacre of the Kashmiris." He said talks should be held only after the withdrawal of the Indian troops from Kashmir, otherwise, he declared, the Mujahideen would evict them by themselves. This was the unanimous stand of all Mujahideen groups, he added. "If any other stand is taken, I am afraid the sacrifices rendered by the people of Kashmir and the Mujahideen will be wasted." Hafiz Saeed declared that all Mujahideen groups, including the Hizbul Mujahideen, would strengthen mutual coordination and cooperation to continue Jihad till the liberation of Kashmir. He rejected Indian allegations that the Lashkar was involved in the recent massacre in occupied Kashmir. He said he was ready to prove before any international court that no Mujahideen group was involved in the killings. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000809 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nuclear war feared possible over Kashmir: New York Times ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent NEW YORK, Aug 8: The likelihood of a war between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir dispute "could erupt into a nuclear conflict had increased significantly," the New York Times said quoting US officials with access to the secret intelligence data. The US officials told Times that the CIA and the nation's other intelligence organizations had reached consensus after examining the nuclear capacities of the two countries and the growing tensions between them, in particular over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir. The assessment, known as a National Intelligence Estimate, began late last summer after Pakistan-backed militants crossed over the high mountain peaks of Kashmir into the Indian-controlled area of Kargil, setting off weeks of heavy fighting that included air strikes. At that time, the Clinton administration grew fearful that the conflict could escalate into a nuclear exchange, officials told Times, citing both states' relatively poor intelligence about each other's intentions and movements and their lack of direct communications. Several analysts who took part in drafting the assessment said the report had succeeded in underscoring the importance of working to ease political tensions between the two rivals that have fought three wars in the 50 years since their independence. In the past, the administration had focused mainly on trying to stop the development and spread of nuclear weapons on the subcontinent. Last week, for instance, President Clinton talked by telephone with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India, who is due on a state visit next month, said Samuel R. Berger, the national security adviser. Mr Berger added that he himself had held talks with Pakistan's military leader, Gen Pervez Musharraf, as part of the dialogue with Islamabad. Several officials and experts have been suggesting that the US should press the leaders of Indian and Pakistan to meet in New York when they come here to attend the millennium summit early September. Although Chief Executive Musharraf has offered to meet the Indian leader "anywhere, anytime," the Indian prime minister has not responded to the offer. The Times says President Clinton received the intelligence assessment shortly before his first visit to South Asia in March. And he clearly reflected the report's conclusions when he twice called the subcontinent "the most dangerous place in the world." India's president scolded Mr Clinton and called the description "alarmist." After the Kargil episode, the assessment, which remains secret, concluded that there was a sharply increased chance of a non- nuclear military conflict between India and Pakistan, possibly erupting into a nuclear exchange. The chances of such a non-nuclear conflict, one White House official said, were put in the "50-50 range. The likelihood of a nuclear conflict goes up and down," another US official told the paper. "It's less important to assign a probability to it than to warn senior officials that there is a serious threat here that demands immediate and focused attention and action," the paper said. Given the Kashmir dispute, diplomats and arms control experts see nuclear weapons on the subcontinent as particularly dangerous. India and Pakistan, unlike other nuclear powers - for example, the United States and Russia - share a common border, have had no sustained dialogue and lack even a framework to hold serious talks. After Pakistan moved into Kargil, Pakistan's rhetoric grew increasingly harsh and India prepared to mobilize a significant force that could have led to a dramatic escalation, experts say. The intelligence assessment contained no specific guidance on what the administration could do to reduce tensions, according to those familiar with the document. But Mr Clinton and other top officials have urged senior Indian and Pakistan officials in public and private meetings to open a direct political dialogue and give up their nuclear programs, warning them of the growing peril of an accidental or deliberate nuclear exchange. India continues to see its nuclear arsenal as necessary for its status as an emerging power and to deter not only Pakistan but also neighboring China, a Pakistan ally. Pakistan, less populous and poorer than India, sees its nuclear force as essential to counterbalance its rival's larger conventional forces, the NYT said. Additionally, analysts have warned if American plans for a missile defence prompt China to build up its nuclear arsenal, still more momentum will be added to the arms race across the region. Noting while President Clinton's visit has not prompted New Delhi or Islamabad to scale back its nuclear program, the paper says that many experts say the trip and subsequent administration diplomacy have helped to nurture other positive political developments. India has released some political prisoners related to Pakistan- backed militant groups in Kashmir, and last month one of the most important of those groups, the Hizbul Mujahideen, declared a unilateral three-month ceasefire. The group opened talks with India on Friday. But diplomats and other experts still see the chances of a lasting breakthrough as low, and violence has continued in Kashmir. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000808 ------------------------------------------------------------------- India wants to divide Kashmiris: Foreign Office ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hasan Akhtar ISLAMABAD Aug 7: Pakistan has asked India to accept it as one of the two principal parties to a just and peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the recognized international norms and the United Nations resolutions, says a foreign office spokesman. Riaz Mohammed Khan at a news briefing said that the unilateral cease-fire by Hizbul Mujahideen had put to test India's sincerity to a negotiated peaceful settlement of the issue and rejected any suggestion for a change in Pakistan's Kashmir policy. He said that the full involvement of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) as pre-requisite in any negotiations, was beyond any question. It was imperative that India must respond positively to Pakistan's call for dialogue for the success of the present developments, he stressed. Mr Khan cast serious doubts on the Indian attitude to the negotiated settlement of the dispute in the wake of the cease-fire enforced on July 24 by the Hizb and alleged that New Delhi wanted to exploit the situation to divide the Kashmir freedom struggle. If that course was pursued, he warned, the present developments would collapse. Indian attempt to divide freedom movement would fail as its endeavors to impose military solution on the people of Kashmir had met with fiasco in the past, he said. He further pointed out that the "upsurge" in Indian troops' massive repression against the Kashmiri people and freedom fighters by use of helicopter gunships will lead to serious doubts on India's sincerity to pursue a negotiated settlement of the dispute. Mr Khan emphasized that for the progress in the current developments it was imperative that India should sincerely stop all repressive actions. He called on India to stop massive human rights violations in the held Kashmir and respond to Islamabad's repeated calls for dialogue if it sincerely wished to seek the settlement of the longstanding dispute. He categorically said that the cease-fire decision of the Hizb was their own. However, the parties which did recognize Pakistan's moral and diplomatic support to their cause, were independent of any control by Islamabad. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 000810 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Door to peace still open: FO ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: Pakistan said the door to peace in occupied Kashmir was still open if India "changes its attitude" and agreed to unconditional tripartite peace talks. "If India changes its attitude and shows sincerity then surely there will be the possibility of progress towards a peaceful resolution and negotiated settlement," Foreign Ministry spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan told AFP. He said India only had itself to blame for the collapse on Tuesday of a landmark peace initiative by Hizbul Mujahideen. New Delhi was ignoring the demands of the international community for peace talks and was desperately trying to hide its failings by blaming Islamabad, he said. "It is nothing new for the Indians to routinely blame Pakistan. They think that by doing so they can get away with something they are responsible for. They have destroyed the possibility of a peace process and obviously they want to find a scapegoat." The spokesman said Pakistan did not control Mujahideen, but "it appears that their freedom struggle will continue. Whether it will continue with greater intensity or the same intensity, that is something to be seen, but surely it will continue".-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000807 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Devolution plan rejected: APC wants immediate timeframe for polls ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashraf Mumtaz LAHORE, Aug 6: Over three dozen political and religious parties and groups at an all-parties conference adopted a declaration calling on the government to give immediately a timeframe for free and fair elections in which participation of all political parties was ensured. The declaration means that the Pakistan Muslim League has dropped its earlier demand for the restoration of the suspended assemblies, although the PML leader Raja Zafarul Haq still insists that elections held under the supervision of a civil government of national complexion formed after the revival of assemblies could be more acceptable than the polls held under a military government. Many leaders, including Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, who presided over the APC, confirmed that the restoration of assemblies' issue did not come under discussion at all. The five-page declaration also said that the devolution plan, given by the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB), was "neither workable nor practically possible". It demanded that any restructuring of the system should be left to the elected representatives. It said that the local government was a provincial subject and holding of local bodies elections by the federal government would be violative of the Constitution and provincial autonomy, and non-party polls would be against the fundamental rights and a 1988 Supreme Court judgment. This was the first conference, held at such a large scale, after the military takeover. However, the Nawabzada smiled off repeated questions as to whether the moot could lead to the formation of a broad-based alliance against the government. Parties which participated in the APC include: the PPP, the PML, PML (Chattha), PML (Jinnah), Pakistan Democratic Party, Hizbe Jehad, Islamic Democratic Front, Solidarity Front, Jamiat-i- Mashaikh, Jamiat Ulema Ahle Hadees, Mazdoor Kissan Party, PML (Qasim), PML (Qayyum), Muttahida Ulema Forum, Urban Democratic Front, Christian National Party, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf, Pakistan Awami Tehrik, MQM, ANP, Jamiat Ahle Hadees (Yazdani), Jamaat-i- Islami, Functional Muslim League, NPP (Jatoi), JUI (F), JUI(S), JUP, JUP (Niazi), Jamiat Ahle Hadees, JWP, BNP, BNM, TJP, Khaksar Tehrik, Jamaat Ahle Hadees, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Pushtoon Qaumi Tehrik, Muttahida Deeni Mahaz, PNP (Hasil Bizenjo group) and Awami Qiyadat Party. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000810 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Extradition talks with US expert make progress ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ansar Abbasi ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: The Pakistani authorities and the visiting US Law and Justice Department consultant Harry Marshall held talks on extradition issue. Besides, having an introductory talks with the National Accountability Bureau chairman, Marshal also spoke at a seminar organized by the NAB for the officers of the bureau, interior ministry, foreign office and other government agencies. The NAB chairman, Lt-Gen Syed Amjad Hussain, told Dawn that the objective of Mr Marshall's visit was to educate the Pakistani authorities about the procedures and legal requirements that were needed to be adopted in taking up a solid case of extradition with the US. "We did not discuss any individual case of extradition rather tried to equip ourselves as how should we prepare the (extradition) case that can stand the examination of the US Law and Justice Department," the NAB chief said. He categorically denied that Mr Marshall was here to give any sort of assurance about the extradition of any particular person or group of persons sought by Pakistan. "Mr Marshall is not from State Department, neither he is here for the purpose of discussing extradition case of any particular person," Mr Amjad explained. He said the visiting official briefed the Pakistani authorities about the US laws pertaining to extradition. When asked to comment on the outcome of the first day of the discussions, the NAB chief said: "I can safely say that we made progress." He added that Pakistan, in the light of these discussions, would ensure in the future that by default its extradition requests were not turned down by the US authorities. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000809 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Underemployment rising alarmingly ------------------------------------------------------------------- M. Ziauddin ISLAMABAD, Aug 8: The open unemployment rate in Pakistan is estimated at 10 per cent and the phenomenon of underemployment is even more serious, according latest studies. Only about 60 per cent of the annual increment to the labor force, estimated around 1.2- 1.3 million, are expected to be gainfully absorbed, adding the remaining 500,000 or so persons to the pool of the unemployed annually. However, the estimates of unemployment, developed by various government departments and independent economists, differ quite substantially. Officially, out of a population of 136.9 million an estimated 39.28 million persons are in the labour force with male and female components being at 33.37 million and 5.91 million, respectively. It is further estimated that about 44 per cent of the employed labour force is in the agricultural sector and about 56 per cent in the non-agricultural sector - about 20 per cent in the formal sector and 36 per cent in the non-formal sector. According to official statistics, the overall open employment rate is 6.1 per cent for both sexes and the underemployment, not meticulously estimated, is reported to be a multiple of the open unemployment rate. Official statistics suggest the underemployment rate at 11 per cent and researchers in the private sector believe that it could be between 15 per cent and 40 per cent. The UNDP Human Development Report, 1997, has ranked Pakistan 92 out of 94 countries for which a relative gender employment measure was calculated in economic and political spheres of activities. The report shows that a large-scale under utilization of women resources in terms of duration for work, income, skills and productivity differentials has contributed heavily to the country's poverty. About two-thirds of the non-agricultural female employed labor force were engaged in informal sector activities - the proportion in rural areas being higher (75 per cent) than those in the urban areas (55 per cent). According to another study unemployment of high school certificate holders and above had reached 46 per cent in the late 1980s. As early as 1973, the Punjab Board of Inquiry had pointed out that 24 per cent of the graduates and post-graduates were unemployed in the country's largest province. It is quite clear that the nature and magnitude of open unemployment and underemployment are not entirely clear in the case of Pakistan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000810 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Plane hijacking case: Production of new papers in SC opposed ------------------------------------------------------------------- Shujaat Ali Khan LAHORE, Aug 9: The counsel for ousted premier Mian Nawaz Sharif and his alleged accomplices in the October 12, 1999, PIA plane hijack vehemently opposed production of new documents in the Supreme Court to prove government 'sanction' behind state appeals in the case being heard by a three-member special bench of the Sindh High Court. An SC bench comprising Justices Chaudhry Muhammad Arif, Munir A Sheikh and Qazi Mohammad Farooq fixed Thursday for arguments on the matter. The bench is hearing petitions filed by the ex-PM and his acquitted co-accused for permission to challenge the SHC order of May 25 upholding the maintainability of appeals despite the alleged absence of a notification under Section 25 (4) of the Anti- Terrorism Act. The provision says that no appeal for enhancement of sentence or against acquittals can be filed without a direction by the federal or the provincial government concerned to its principal law officer in this behalf. The 'sanction' appended to the appeals when they were filed on April 18 is a letter addressed by the registrar of special courts for the suppression of terrorist activities on April 8 on the provincial home department letterhead. The registrar says that he is directed to refer to the AG's letter of even date and the DIG (crimes) letter of April 7. "Necessary sanction is hereby accorded to prefer appeals/revision .....", he goes on to add. The petitioners' counsel, Advocate Ijaz Hussain Batalvi and Khwaja Haris Ahmad, say that under the rules it is the law department that deals with such matters. The STA special courts' registrar is nobody to give direction under Section 25 (4) of the ATA. Even if he is duly authorized, he has accorded 'sanction' and not given direction on behalf of the federal or provincial government. Even this 'sanction' was meant for the appeal against acquittals. An identical letter in respect of the appeal for enhancement of the ex-PM's life term to death penalty was 'surreptitiously' inserted in the record on May 15. The deficiency is fatal to the appeals and cannot be made up now that the limitation period has long expired. AG Raja Qureshi rejoins that copies of the same letter were mistakenly appended to the two appeals on April 18. The error was rectified by filing a separate 'sanction' for the enhancement plea on May 15 in accordance with the SHC rules and practice. He recalled that following the April 6 verdict, the Sindh police inspector-general wrote to the home secretary through the DIG (Crimes) on April 7 to consider moving an appeal against it. The AG, at his end, wrote to the law department to allow him to file an appeal. The outcome of this correspondence was a composite direction by the provincial governor for filing of appeals. The direction was sent to the home department, in pursuance of which the special courts' registrar addressed his 'sanction' letter to the AG. On Thursday, AG Qureshi showed the bench the record of correspondences. He also said that in the memo of appeals he had clearly stated that he had been directed to file them. Besides, a notification of appointment of prosecutors issued under Section 18 of the ATA says that they are to 'conduct' and 'pursue' the appeals. This notification, according to the impugned SHC order, amounts to a direction to file and prosecute the appeals. The petitioners' counsel, however, say that a notification of appointment of prosecutors for pursuing appeals under Section 18, which deals with the prosecutors' appointment for the trial (anti- terrorist) court. The ATA was amended on May 30 to bring superior courts within the purview of Section 18. In any case, a notification of appointment cannot be construed to mean a direction to file an appeal. About the May 30 amendments, the AG said on a cue from the bench that they had nothing to do with the appeal. Only a legal lacunae has been removed. Why have the amendments been given retrospective effect then? Mr Batalvi asked. He and Khwaja Haris requested the bench to direct the AG to furnish copies of new documents he wants the court to consider and then issue them notices to address arguments on the question whether they can be taken into consideration at this stage. The bench asked the AG to deliver the copies immediately and adjourned further proceedings to Thursday - the fourth day of preliminary hearing. The AG is not on notice but has entered a caveat. On the question of amendments, the AG said it is none of the judiciary's business to question the wisdom of law. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000811 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Supreme Court rejects Nawaz's petitions ------------------------------------------------------------------- Shujaat Ali Khan LAHORE, Aug 10: The Supreme Court allowed the Sindh advocate- general to produce additional documents to establish government sanction behind the state appeals in the plane hijack case and dismissed both petitions filed by Nawaz Sharif and other accused against their maintainability. Opposing AG Raja Qureshi's application for production of new documents, copies of which they received on Wednesday night, petitioners' counsel Ijaz Hussain Batalvi and Khwaja Haris Ahmad submitted before a three-member bench that no new document could be produced at this stage to cover up any deficiency in the state appeals under any rule of the SC or provision of the Constitution. The AG, Mr Batalvi said, has sought to invoke inherent powers of the court but they can be exercised to prevent abuse of process of court and not to encourage it. Having neglected all opportunities to comply with the requirements of Section 25(4) of the ATC, the prosecution seeks the indulgence of the apex court to let it produce extraneous evidence to prove sanction where none exists. Besides, the law requires a direction from the government and not a sanction from the registrar of special courts. If at all the court wants to consider the new documents, the two counsel said, they should be allowed time to analyze them. Mr Batalvi declared that the documents had been fabricated and he should be given an opportunity to prove his assertion. The bench observed that the court cannot launch a roving inquiry into the genuineness of documents; that, as stated by AG Qureshi, all but one of the new documents have been referred to in papers already submitted; that there is a presumption of regularity attached to all official acts; and that the Constitution empowers the court to make any order to do complete justice in any case. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000808 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Jabbar rules out talks with Nawaz ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent MULTAN, Aug 7: Federal information and Broadcasting Minister Javed Jabbar has ruled out the restoration of parliament and dialogue with Nawaz Sharif. Talking to newsmen, he said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan had declared Nawaz Sharif corrupt and thus "we cannot talk to a corrupt person". He said that we had already declared a timeframe for the restoration of democracy on March 23. He said that it was the first military government which had taken effective measures to strengthen democracy in the country in a shortest period. He said that holding of dialogue with politicians, preparation of computerized voters' lists, an independent and autonomous election commission were part of the plan. Mr Jabbar said that some elements who had enjoyed power in the past were demanding fresh elections immediately to escape accountability. He replied that there was no possibility of transfer of power to old guns. He said there was virtually no difference between the objectives of the present government and the APC with regard to restoration of democracy. He said that it was a pity that the APC did not address fundamental issues of party democracy, transparency and party reforms as part of its stated commitment to democratic process. He rejected the allegation made by certain participants in the APC that the accountability process was being used as a tool to victimize politicians. The fact, he said, is that the APC was attended by representatives of certain parties whose leadership had been convicted by courts on serious charges of corruption. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 000812 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Musharraf dissatisfied with pace of Ehtesab ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nadeem Saeed DERA GHAZI KHAN, Aug 11: The chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, on Friday said that the recent amendments to the Political Parties Act were within the limits of the constitution. "We have just extended the constitution," he told newsmen after inaugurating the first branch of the Micro-Finance Bank (MFB) at Basti Dur Mohammad near here. The CE expressed dissatisfaction at the pace of the accountability process, saying "it is slow because I cannot intervene in the judicial process. Had there been military courts the situation would have been different." Yet, he said, the government had managed to recover Rs24 billion through the accountability initiative. In reply to a question, the CE ruled out the possibility of giving the country a political set- up or restoring assemblies. About his offer for talks to India to resolve the Kashmir issue, he said Indian leaders were dilly-dallying on the issue. He told a questioner that the government would give loans strictly on merit and according to the needs of applicants irrespective of the fact that the loan-seeker is an individual or a firm. BANK OPENED: The Chief Executive opened the MFB by disbursing loans to some selected local applicants. Of the first 10 loan recipients, seven were women. The MFB has come into being through a presidential ordinance issued on Aug 4 with an aim to meet the credit needs of those involved in small business concerns. Speaking at a public gathering on the occasion, the CE said he was pleased to launch a bank to improve the financial condition of the deprived segments of society. He said the poor would not have to visit the bank offices as its officials would themselves knock at their doors to advance them loans to start their businesses. He urged the poor to take benefit of the government move and use their loans to make money. "Remove the evil of poverty by taking advantage of the Micro-Finance Bank loans," he said. The CE expressed dislike for the English name of the bank and asked for some indigenous title and then suggested "Khushhali Bank" for the first institution of its kind. Throughout his speech afterwards, he called it so. Giving reason for launching the Khushhali Bank in Dera Ghazi Khan, the CE said the town was situated in the middle of the country and it was identified as the most backward area in Punjab. He told the gathering that Rs280 million would be spent on 140 development schemes being carried out to eliminate poverty and backwardness in the area. He stated that a plan was being envisaged to utilize Zakat funds for interest-free loans to the poor for their economic rehabilitation instead of making them to live on Rs500 (Zakat) a month. A large number of women attended the public meeting whom the CE asked to get loans from the Khushhali Bank and shoulder responsibilities of their families. The main factor behind the success of 'Gramin' bank of Bangladesh was participation of women as debtor who repaid their loans dutifully, he pointed out.
=================================================================== BUSINESS & ECONOMY 000812 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Federal tax ombudsman to try corrupt employees ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rafaqat Ali ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: President Mohammad Rafiq Tarar on Friday promulgated an ordinance, establishing Federal Tax Ombudsman to hear complaints of corruption and maladministration by the tax department. The ordinance called Establishment of Office of Federal Tax Ombudsman Ordinance 2000, has come into force. The federal tax ombudsman, appointed by the president, for four years will enjoy vast powers and resources to investigate any compliant. He would have the powers to summon any tax official or any other official, in relation to the inquiry before him. Justice Saleem Akhtar, retired judge of the Supreme Court is likely to become the first federal tax ombudsman. Federal minister for finance Shaukat Aziz had announced his name as the first FTO. Formal notification, however, has not been issued. The law has defined the word maladministration as: "(1) a decision, process, recommendation, act of omission, or commission which; a) is contrary to law, rules or regulation or is a departure from established practice or procedure unless it is bona fide and for valid reason; b) is perverse, arbitrary, or unreasonable, unjust, biased, oppressive, or discriminatory; c) is based on irrelevant grounds; d) involves the exercise of power or failure to do so, for corrupt, or improper, motives, such bribery, jobbery, favouritism, nepotism, and administrative excesses." The FTO will have the powers to constitute inspection team consisting of one or more persons. The inspection team will have the power to enter into any premises where any article, accountants were suspected to be laying. The FTO, on a complaint by any aggrieved person or a reference by the president, the Senate or the national assembly, as the case may be, or on a motion of the Supreme Court or a high court made during the course of any proceedings before it or of his own motion, will investigate any allegation of maladministration on the part of the revenue division or any tax employee. The revenue division or any person aggrieved by a recommendation of the FTO, within 30 days of the recommendation, will be able to make representation to the president. The law is silent whether the president would be bound to dispose of the representation. The FTO, however, will be barred to investigate or inquire into matters which are subjudice before a court of competent jurisdiction or tribunal or board or authority on the date of the receipt of a complaint. He will also not be able to look into the matters relating to assessment of income or wealth, determination of law, rules and regulations, relating to such assessment, determination, classification or valuation in respect of which legal remedies of appeal, review or revision are available under the relevant legislation. The FTO will not entertain any complaint for investigation by or on behalf of a tax employee concerning matters relating to the revenue division in respect of any personal grievance relating to his service. For carrying out the objectives of Federal Ombudsman Office, the FTO would be empowered to arrange for studies to ascertain the causes of corrupt practices and injustice. In any case where the FTO decided not to conduct an investigation, he would be required to send to the complainant a statement of his reasons for not conducting the investigation. If the FTO comes to conclusion that the matter considered by him amounted to maladministration, he shall communicate his findings, with a recommendation, to the revenue division within a period of 60 days from the date of receipt of the complaint. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000810 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark-up rate on loans to provinces cut ------------------------------------------------------------------- M. Ziauddin ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: The government has prepared an 11-point action plan envisaging a strategic cut in the interest rates on loans to the provinces and a significant reduction in their salary bills, by "right-sizing" the provincial departments. The plan aims at improving the financial position of the provinces, suffering over the years from a restricted tax base and a burgeoning debt burden. Under the plan a medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) is being put together in order to better manage the expenses of the provinces and to properly harmonize their development and non- development expenditures. This is also seen as necessary in order to develop appropriate linkages between the development of physical infrastructure and to relate it with expenditure for its maintenance on scientific lines. The provincial governments are allocating, on the average about 18 per cent (14 per cent interest and 4 per cent principal) of its budget towards debt-servicing. It is felt that over the long time the provincial governments cannot sustain such a high burden and therefore, it has been proposed that the interest rates on cash development loan (CDL) and other such loans given to provinces be rationalized and reduced as a matter of priority. The provincial governments are traditionally shouldering the responsibility of social services with limited assistance from the centre. As this expenditure has now increased manifold, it is not possible for the provincial governments to sustain it for long, therefore, it has been proposed that the federal government and the provincial governments sit together and resolve the issue on an urgent basis. The pressure on provinces to generate revenues continues. The only option now left for them is to impose general sales tax (GST) on services which is broad-based tax having considerable potential. This has already been done in the current budget. However, a formula for the distribution of these resources is yet to be finalized as the collection of GST on services is being done by the CBR staff. The salary bills of the provincial governments are rising steeply. In order to bring some kind of an order here, it has been proposed that the provincial governments take in hand on urgent basis the task of downsizing in their departments. Other proposals include elimination of wheat subsidy (already done), comprehensive review of revenue sharing and revenue distribution formula, matching of external assistance in a sector with equal local tax efforts to avert developing that sector at the cost of other sectors, strengthening tax administration, separating accounting and auditing functions with provincializing the accounting functions and making local councils responsible for development expenditure on construction and maintenance. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000810 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Exports drop by 23.75% in July ------------------------------------------------------------------- Muhammad Ilyas ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: The year 2000-2001 has had a rather inauspicious start with the exports during its first month (July 2000) plummeting by 23.75% over the previous month, according to the trade statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics. The same month also registered descent of imports by 20.98% over the previous month. These amounted to $800.56m, compared to $1.01bn in June 2000, resulting in a trade deficit of $132.58m, down 3.26% from the previous month. The exports during the month totaled $667.98m over $208m less than in June, 2000, indicating loss of momentum in exports that was witnessed in recent months. The commerce minister in his Trade Policy 2000 has set $10bn as the target for exports for the current financial year. On this basis, the month's exports have fallen short of the average monthly target by about 20%. This probably was the reason the commerce minister prevented the release of aggregate trade figures for the month. The commerce ministry, it may be noted, had established a tradition of providing to the press aggregate figures for the preceding month, few days prior to the release of desegregated figures about exports and imports by the Federal Bureau of Statistics. This tradition has been broken this time. Due to sharp drop in exports, the proportion of imports covered by exports also slid down. In June 2000, the export figure was short of the import figure by 17.53%. In July 2000, this ratio went up to 16.56% of the imports. This means that the government will have to raise resources to cover the balance of payment deficit to that extent, whether by purchase of dollars from the open market or by loan from some foreign agency. When compared to July 1999, the performance of exports shows an increase of $66m or 11.06% in the month under report, while the imports have gone up by 1.46%. The balance of trade gap too, was down 29.30%, compared to July 1999. A comparison with the performance of exports for the month of July during the last five years, nevertheless, indicates some improvement. In July 1996, exports had totaled $575.46m, rising impressively to $662.94m in July 1997. The same month in 1998 and 1999, however, saw the exports figures remaining rather stagnant at $592.10m and $601.47m, respectively. Further analysis shows that the year 1998-99 had begun with the lowest trade deficit - $111.72m - in the last five years, denoting a sharp drop from $270.95m in July 1996 and $245.61m in July 1997. In July 1999, the trade deficit rose again to $187.54m. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000810 ------------------------------------------------------------------- New FCY deposits cross $1 billion mark ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Aug 9: Fresh foreign currency deposits of banks have recorded a growth of over $100 million during the past two months on declining rupee value. Senior bankers say foreign currency deposits of banks placed with the State Bank now stand around $430 million-up from $324 million as on May 31. Thus total fresh foreign currency deposits -including $600 million placed abroad-have crossed the mark of one billion dollars. They attribute this growth to the fall of the rupee in inter-bank market during this period. Inter-bank exchange rate was capped at Rs51.90 to a US dollar up to May 31. But on June 1, the State Bank placed the cap at 52.10 and on June 22 at Rs52.30. Finally it lifted the cap and allowed free float of the rupee on July 22 after which the rupee has almost stabilized at Rs53.40. Thus the rupee has seen an effective depreciation of 5.4 per cent in the past two months. Bankers say the fall of the rupee has accelerated the growth of fresh foreign currency deposits. "Foreign currency deposits began to grow immediately after the State Bank moved the cap on exchange rates from Rs51.90 a dollar to Rs 52.10," said a local banker. He said nominal growth had started taking place even before that in anticipation of the move triggered by reports of a declining Indian rupee. A Finance Ministry official said the build-up in fresh foreign currency deposits was not a good sign. "We can hardly afford the dollarization of economy. Suitable steps may be taken to reverse the trend," he observed. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000809 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Textile sector on govt priority ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Aug 8: Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf said the government is giving top priority to the revival of the national economy and the textile sector is the single most important area of its attention. He made these observations while chairing the 2nd meeting of the Export Promotion Board in Islamabad. Gen Pervez Musharraf said the government is committed to ensuring an investor-friendly and stable environment coupled with the continuity of policies to pave the way for boosting textile growth and exports. He welcomed the interaction among the government functionaries and representatives of private sector, adding that it was through integrated planning and execution that the country's export targets could be adequately met. He assured the participants of the meeting of continued support and incentives from the government.-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 000809 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3,500 CBR employees face dismissal ------------------------------------------------------------------- Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana KARACHI, Aug 8: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) in its second phase of downsizing plan is likely to retrench 3,500 employees from grade 1 to 16 during the next couple of days, sources say. The plan aimed at saving Rs240 million of the government coffers, CBR sources disclosed. The current lay-off would be in addition to the 1,000 higher grade personnel suspended on May 28, on various charges and had been made OSDs, they said. They claimed that the proposal sent some days back to the relevant authorities was expected to be approved during the next couple of days. They said the CBR was taking these measures on a study carried out by the director-general, training and research, Lahore, Farooq Ahmed Malik. The study proposes total elimination of those posts which are mostly occupied by lower cadre employees like lower division clerks (LDCs), upper division clerks (UDCs), stenographers etc, they added. This development has sent a shock-wave among the employees of the CBR, working in different revenue departments all over the country. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000808 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistani banks' LCs refused ------------------------------------------------------------------- Abdus Sattar Ghazali KUWAIT CITY, Aug 7: Kuwaiti banks are refusing to confirm letter of credits opened through the Pakistani national banks. Banking sources told Dawn the Kuwaiti banks are only confirming Letter of Credits opened by the Pakistani importers through the foreign banks operating in Pakistan. They said Kuwaiti banks are not confirming LCs because international financial agencies have downgraded the rating of Pakistani banks. Kuwaiti banks are even declining to accept confirmation of LC from Pakistani banks and the importers here are not paid against their shipment unless the Kuwaiti bank receives money from the Pakistani bank. The action of the Kuwaiti banks has caused difficulties for Pakistani exporters who are forced to open their LCs through foreign banks which often charge higher. The sources added that confidence in Pakistan banking system was shaken in May '98 when the government of Nawaz Sharif froze all foreign currency accounts. Since then, all government assurances have failed to restore the confidence, particularly of the foreign banks, in Pakistan's financial system, they said. Mushtaq Ahmad Merh, Ambassador of Pakistan, said that he was not aware of the situation and will take up the matter with the Kuwaiti banks as well as the State Bank. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000808 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3% black economy comes into tax net ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Aug 7: Around 3% of black assets, matching the size of Gross Domestic Product worth Rs3500 billion is exposed to tax net through tax amnesty arrangement. Over 80,000 new tax-payers have also been added to the list, out of total 91000 declarations made under Tax Amnesty Scheme expired on June 30, official sources said here on Monday. Sixty per cent of total declaration valuing Rs103 billion will continue to generate tax revenue every year, sources stating maintaining, 66% declared assets comprised jewellery, cash and prize bonds, etc while rest belonged to property assets. Total tax amount collected under all tax amnesty schemes through declaration till 1997 is to the tune of Rs one billion only while an amount of Rs41 million was collected as tax under the amnesty scheme in 1997. A total of Rs103 billion assets declared under the Tax Amnesty Scheme from different areas of the country include Rs. 39.6 billion from Southern Region (Karachi, Hyderabad etc.), Rs. 14.3 billion from Central Region (Multan etc.), Rs. 16.5 billion from Northern Region (Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar etc.), Rs. 24 billion from Eastern Region (Lahore etc.) and Rs. 8.7 billion from Corporate Region in Karachi.-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000808 ------------------------------------------------------------------- National Finance Commission faces fiscal devolution issue ------------------------------------------------------------------- Jawaid Bokhari KARACHI, Aug 7: Fiscal devolution will be the core issue on the agenda of the National Finance Commission (NFC), set up two years ahead of schedule, sources said. Officials concede that the NFC has been set up under pressure from the provincial governments which feel that the 1997 award has lost its relevance, with gap between its tax revenue projections and actual receipts widening day by day. The emerging fiscal scenario could not be ignored. Besides, massive resources have also to be found to fund the proposed district governments as "basic governance and development units" of the country. And finally the third factor that prompted the constitution of the NFC is the new tax in the shape of GST on services, seen a source of revenue generation with some potential. Unconfirmed initial reports indicate that an amount of Rs83 billion will have to be officially managed to put the district governments in place under the fresh mandated responsibilities. An independent study by Dr Aisha Ghaus and Dr Hafiz Pasha estimates that the combined expenditure budgets of all district governments will soar to Rs130 billion from the current Rs40 billion. Since the local self-governments work within the provincial framework, it could mean provincial transfers of Rs90 billion or 40 per cent of the combined provincial budgets to these institutions. The current resource position of the provincial governments would not permit any meaningful transfer of funds to the local institutions. Sources said the local self-governments may be funded in different ways: They can be given taxation powers to sustain financial autonomy, which appears to be unlikely in the current political and fiscal context, though their taxation powers may be enhanced. Federal and provincial transfers can, however, help the districts in self-financing of their expenditures and development requirements. The transfers can be in the form of sharing of tax revenues and grants to serve as financial equalizers to help less developed districts catch up with the relatively affluent ones. As provincial finance commissions (PFCs) are proposed to be set up on the pattern of NFC, there is enough indication that tax revenues of the provincial governments and local taxes may be pooled to be shared between provincial and district governments. Federal transfers to the provinces may be hiked up to facilitate funding of local governments. "Virtually, all social services and a major component of social and community services, which are currently the responsibility of the provincial governments, are proposed to be transferred to the district governments", says Dr Pasha. The World Bank has advised Pakistan to restrict district government responsibilities to existing functions for a kick- start. The advice has gone unheeded. Officials anticipate that the employees of the Sindh government would also be transferred to the district governments. It would mean some cost cutting for them. Similarly, there are reports that the federal government is also considering to shed some of its responsibilities that duplicate the efforts at the provincial levels. Current thinking is that health, education, agriculture, culture, tourism and social development should not be handled at the federal level. Sources said Sindh was now carrying out an exercise to determine the size of funds that would be required to run the district governments. Estimates are being compiled for local and provincial taxes collected in each district and the expenditure needs of each of them. Experts say that since the experience of sharing of revenue between the provincial and local governments has so far been restricted to urban immovable property tax, the composition of the divisible pool managed by the proposed PFCs will have to be carefully worked out. Fifteen per cent property tax is retained by the provincial governments. The financial autonomy to the local governments has to a great extent been eroded by the abolition of octroi/zila tax. When compared to terms of reference of the 1996 NFC, the new commission's mandate differs in two major aspects: (a) GST on services; and b) review of distribution of share of taxes to sustain fiscal discipline at the federal and provincial levels and ensuring consistency in maintaining an appropriate fiscal balance at the consolidated level. The question of appropriate consolidated fiscal balance has been a priority issue with the IMF. Now, the Fund is going to monitor and hold dialogue with the provincial governments on issues of its concerns and it will not restrict its negotiations to the federal government. The inclusion of GST on services in the NFC terms of reference (TOR) indicates that the federal government not only wants to retain but tighten its hold on the purse strings. As agent of the provincial governments, the net proceeds after collection charges, should have been distributed on the basis of actual receipts for each province. First, a decision has been secured that the distribution will be on the basis of population ratios for a period of one year. The next step is to consider the inclusion of GST proceeds from services in the divisible pool, to be shared between the federation and the provinces on whatever basis is recommended by the new commission. The current ratio is: 62.5:37.5. The provision in the 1990 award, that collection of net sales tax at retail level should be entrusted to the provinces, was removed in the 1997 award. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000806 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rs90.3 billion paid to HUBCO ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Aug 5: An amount of Rs 90.33 billion had been paid to HUBCO by WAPDA as a cost of energy purchased during the past three and a half year, a spokesman of WAPDA said here on Saturday. Denying HUBCO's allegation of non-payment of dues, the spokesman said WAPDA had never defaulted on payments to HUBCO. As far as payment of capacity charge was concerned, he said WAPDA had been paying to HUBCO an amount fixed by the Supreme Court. The spokesman said that during the year 1996-97 HUBCO was paid over Rs.22 billion for 5.9 billion units (Kwh) of energy at the rate of Rs4 per unit which was equivalent to US cents 10.585 per unit. During the year 1997-98, over Rs.27 billion were paid for 5.78 billion units of energy at the rate of Rs.4.68 per unit which was equivalent to US cents 11.32 per unit. During the year 1998-99, the Capacity Payment to HUBCO was capped on the orders of the Supreme Court. He said that unlike all other IPPs who are paid the Capacity Price Component in the subsequent month, HUBCO is being paid in advance for each month. He said WAPDA had purchased 24 billion units of power so far at an average rate of about Rs.3.36 per unit which was equivalent to US cents 8.50 per unit. The rate of HUBCO electricity without the Supreme Court cap would have been over US cents 10 per unit. WAPDA has also paid an amount of over Rs.1.77 billion in respect of the GST claim of HUBCO which was not covered under the PPA between WAPDA and HUBCO as such, the spokesman added. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000806 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Wheat dues to be deducted at source ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent ISLAMABAD, Aug 5: The Centre has told the provinces that it will deduct at source an amount of Rs15.84 billion on account of imported wheat supplied to them during the last couple of years. The federal government says that despite its repeated reminders the provincial food departments have not yet paid their outstanding dues. Official sources told Dawn here on Saturday that the center had directed the Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan to fix the final date for the payment of the same. The federal government, in this connection, had written letters to the provincial food secretaries. Earlier, the federal directorate of accounts, Karachi, had recommended to the government to recover the amount at source. In a letter to the government the directorate had pointed out that despite its repeated reminders, the provincial authorities were not ready to pay their dues, the sources said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000807 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Meeting on turnover tax ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent ISLAMABAD, Aug 6: The government-traders talks for finalizing a retail tax formula will be held in Islamabad on Tuesday, with the government side having accepted all other demands of trade bodies except for reducing the turnover tax rate from 2 to 0.5 per cent, sources said. Talks between the two sides broke down on June 26, however, an informal round of overtures took place and the trade bodies asked for a pre-negotiation assurances with regard to acceptance of their demands. The trade bodies had submitted a charter of demands on July 26, which received a "positive response" from the government negotiators. However, there could be no agreement on the rate of turnover tax, leading to suspension of the talks. Dawn has been informed by the government officials that the CBR has chalked out a new retail and wholesale tax policy package for a 12- month period. This package would be offered to the trade bodies next Tuesday at a meeting in Islamabad. It does not satisfy the traders' demand for reducing the turnover tax rate, however, the CBR sources said, this issue would be "amicably settled during the Tuesday talks". The package envisages that 3.5 per cent of the retailers' stocks would be subject to standard rate of income tax (not 2 per cent as demanded by traders), plus 2 per cent turnover tax. The wholesalers too would have to pay 2 per cent turnover tax. However, regarding wholesalers' income taxable stock-volume's benchmark remains undecided. "A final decision in this respect will be taken in consultation with the trade bodies", said official sources. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 000812 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Stocks finish on easy note ------------------------------------------------------------------- Reporter KARACHI, Aug 11: Stocks finished the weekend session on an easy note as late profit-selling in some of the leading shares by jobbers and day traders halted the market's initial run-up aided by reports of an imminent promulgation of privatization ordinance. The KSE 100-share index was off 5.55 points at 1,569.05 But at no stage the underlying sentiment demonstrated that the upward thrust is overdone as the promulgation of the ordinance on Aug 17, which will hasten the sell-off of the state-owned units did not allow them to keep off the market. "The promulgation of the ordinance is expected to give the much- needed strength to the market as it will provide an attractive bait to both- genuine investors and speculative forces", brokers said. After opening the conference of South Asian Federation Exchanges (SAFE) on Thursday finance minister, Shaukat Aziz disclosed that the government wants to sell all the about five dozen public sector units before the year is out and the ordinance will provide the legal cover to the foreign buyers. "The news was well-received in the market as investors rushed to corner the shares of mega energy shares including PSO and Sui Northern at the current lower levels for capital gains", stock brokers said, adding "an increase of 10 points in the KSE index reflected that investors are back in the rings with big fresh orders". The market always at the look out of fresh stimulants turned in an improved performance at the weekend session, which generally induce selling from the day traders and jobbers as well. "The market appears to be inching up to find a direction for itself in the backdrop of changing corporate scenario", they said adding "the news of privatization could lend it the required strength to behave orderly". The general perception is that the government will go all out to hasten the process of privatization, notably of mega issues such as HBL, UBL, PSO and Sui Southern as it needs money to retire in part foreign debt of $32 billion. "What seems to have enthused investors is that 10 per cent shares of each company will be disinvested through the stock exchanges and they are taking position in them," said a member of the KSE. It was perhaps in this background that investors opted for new buying at the weekend session, keeping the market in a good shape. Bulk of the buying was, however, confined to pivotals such as PTCL, PSO, ICI Pakistan, World Call Payphone and Sui Nothern. Unlike the previous sessions, price changes either-way were fractional and reflected a status quo between the bulls and bears, considered to be a good thing for the market. However, some of the leading shares managed to put on fresh gains under the lead of Shell Pakistan, which has lost a substantial ground owing to last couple of days persistent selling, Ferozsons Lab, Kohinoor Weaving, National Refinery and A.A.Textiles, up by Rs1.40 to 2.50. Leading losers were led by Packages, BOC Pakistan, Pakistan Cables, Ghandhara Diesel, Din Textiles, Bhanero Textiles and Gulshan Spinning, falling by one rupee to Rs3.00. The largest fall was, however, again recorded in Millat Tractors, which suffered fresh sharp decline of Rs5.30 on reports that it has stopped production owing to a dispute with the CBR on deletion programme. Trading volume fell to 122m shares from the previous 124m shares as losers held a modest edge over the gainers at 131 to 73 on late selling. PTCL topped the list of most actives, lower 25 paisa at Rs26.05 on 34m shares followed by Hub-Power, up 35 paisa at Rs16.80 on 21m shares, FFC-Jordan Fertiliser, off 60 paisa at Rs8.00 lon 9m shares, Sui Northern, up 50 paisa at Rs15.55 on 8m shares and PSO, higher 30 paisa at Rs175.50 on 7m shares. Other actives were led by Lucky Cement, off 35 paisa on 6m shares, KESC, easy 15 paisa on 5m shares, WorldCall, off 60 paisa also on 5m, Bank of Punjab, lower 20 paisa on 4m shares, ICI Pakistan, easy five paisa on 3m shares, Askari Bank, up 20 paisa on 2.583m shares and Adamjee Insurance, off 55 paisa on 2.384m shares. DEFAULTER COMPANIES: Colony Textiles came in for active support at the lower levels and was marked up by one rupee at Rs3.50 on 3,000 shares, followed by Allied Motors, unchanged at Rs1.50 on 2,000 shares and Shahpur Textiles, lower 20 paisa at Rs.1.20 on 1,500 shares. RIGHT SHARES: The board of directors of Pakistan Tobacco Co has announced to issue right shares at the rate of 700 per cent for the year 2,000.Back to the top
=================================================================== EDITORIALS & FEATURES 20000806 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Progressive Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ardeshir Cowasjee IN the early 1970s, our then worthy President, the great leader of the awam "had given directives to the Government of Sindh that development in Karachi should take place in a planned way and no effort should be spared to ensure recreational facilities for the people of Karachi...". "One of the special assignments over the re planning of Kehkashan, KDA Scheme No.5, Clifton, was the prime objective of developing it as a recreational complex.... It is a matter of satisfaction that the Town Planning Department of KDA has studied the problem in depth and come out with a Revised Concept Plan fulfilling the broad objectives in view. The revised scheme was presented to the President on December 5, 1972 and was finally approved by him for implementation." So read the foreword to a colourful brochure presented by Sindh's minister of housing and town planning, formidable devastator Jam Sadiq Ali of Sanghar to the peoples' president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The scheme reserved an area of 132 acres for the main park of the city, which was to extend down to the sea from the parade built by that generous Parsi philanthropist Jehangir Kothari, and it was named Bagh-i-Ibn-Qasim. The acreage was to contain amusement parks, recreational facilities, restaurants, refreshment stalls, swimming pools, ponds, rock and formal gardens, fountains and roller skating rink. Space was also reserved for the construction of a revolving restaurant atop an observation tower. Ever since the inception of this scheme it has been beset by marauding builders and unscrupulous developers ably assisted by our successive corrupt governments whose last thought has been for the preservation of the environment of the city or for the benefit of its people. The land use of many an amenity plot, or plots reserved for parks and public buildings, has been widely arbitrarily and illegally changed. Residential areas have been wholly commercialized and in flagrant violation of all rules and regulations highrises and shopping complexes have arisen where they were never intended to rise. Large scale irrevocable damage was done between 1988 to 1990 during the second PPP government under Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of the peoples' president. The blame for the wholesale desecration of Karachi must lie squarely on her head, that of her husband and of his crony Agha Siraj Durrani appointed as minister of housing and town planning. After the elections that followed the first dismissal of Benazir, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan appointed as chief minister of Sindh the man wanted by the Zia government for his many crimes who had been brought back from exile, the Jam of Sanghar. Jam was a likeable rogue and when I complained to him about his indiscriminate validation of all building permissions which had been invalidated, noting on all the files TDo so as a special case.' He used to tell me that I would remain for ever a fool and point to a loaded brief case and with a loud guffaw explain, that is a special case !" During Benazir's first round, the Bagh-i-Ibn-Qasim space reserved for constructing the observation tower with its revolving restaurant on top ended up by being allotted to Asif Zardari's cronies, Dr Zulfikar Mirza and his relatives and members of the Kazi Abid family. They decided to build a highrise complex and the drawings showed a restaurant of sorts perched thereon. Barrister Naim-ur-Rahman was aroused, the people went to court, starting with the Sindh High Court and moving on to the Supreme Court. After a nine year fight, it was in 1999 that the Supreme Court finally decided that the highrise complex could not be constructed on the observation tower plot and that what had been built should be demolished. The builders were given the option to provide a design for the construction of a proper tower. This they have done, trying to save what has been built, but it has not been approved by the present government. Orders have been passed for the demolition of what stands, but this has not been started as various excuses have been brought into play. The sketch drawn to scale shows what the world has done by way of constructing observation towers: Silhouette 1, the 553 metre CN Tower, Toronto; 2, the 540 m. Ostankino Tower, Moscow; 3, the 450 (not 540 as marked in the sketch) m. Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur; 4, the 443 m. Empire State Building, New York ; 5, the 421 m. KL Menara Tower, Kuala Lumpur ; 6, the 375 m. Tashkent Tower, Tashkent; 7, the 368 m. Fernsehturm, Berlin ; 8, the 350 m. Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas ; 9, the 333 m. Tokyo Tower, Tokyo; 10, the 320 m. Eiffel Tower, Paris ; 11, the 304 m. Sydney Tower, Sydney; 12, the 290 Olympia Tower, Munich ; 13, the 288 m. Barcelona Tower, Barcelona; 14, the 253 m. Rialto, Melbourne; 15, the 252 m. Donauturm, Vienna; 16, the 237 m. Seoul Tower, Seoul; 17, the 200 m. Cancun Tower, Mexico; 18, the 195 m. Telecom Tower, Canberra; 19, the 189 m. BT Tower, London; 20, the 185 m. Euromast, Rotterdam; 21, the 181 m. Latinoamericana, Mexico; 22, the 175 m. Olympic Tower, Montreal; 23, the 158 m. Blackpool Tower, England; 24, the latest design submitted by the builders, the 33 m. Costa Livina Tower, Progressive Pakistan. Yet another wonderful wonder of wondrous Pakistan, hereunder a transcript of a letter emanating from the "Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, No.951-FM/2000, dated 10/3/2000, from Shaukat Aziz, minister for finance & economic affairs to Air Marshal (R) Azeem Daudpota, Governor of Sindh, Karachi. Dear Mr Governor I am writing with reference to our telephonic conversation of today on the subject of regularization of incomplete building plans and structures in Karachi. 2. As I discussed with you, the Association of Builders and Developers, in their meeting with me, estimated a recovery of about Rs.2 to 3 billion in fines and fees if work is allowed to proceed on under-construction buildings and structures in Karachi by resolving outstanding objections to the violation of building plans and bye-laws. I appreciate that such a review will have to be carried out on a case to case basis and that gross and blatant violations will have to be treated separately. But I would propose that the exercise is carried out with a view to moving forward in completing the building works lying incomplete and recovering substantial revenue in the process by invoking appropriate penalties under the law. I also expect that reactivating construction work will generate considerable employment in the urban sector. 3.To demonstrate their earnestness in depositing the imposed fines and penalties the Association has proposed to place in advance in an escrow account with an acceptable bank a sum of Rs.250 million after which their proposal will be considered. 4. �The Chairman of the Association would also like to call upon you in Karachi to assure you of their commitment." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000811 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Drones and brahmins ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ayaz Amir HALF the world's discontent flows from brahmins and failed artists who, while having no vocation for work of any steady kind, are consumed by a craving for power. This they satisfy by choosing two of the glittering careers open to the "ambitious but lazy second- rater": politics and journalism (the words in commas being Gore Vidal's). The politician must get office or, if like Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan he has a gift for agitation, he must get a platform from where to harangue the world. Deny him office or the stage and you have a malcontent on your hands, forever dissatisfied with the universal condition. The journalist craves recognition, which can take either of two forms: adulation or dinner invitations. Provided he gets these, he is satisfied with himself. If he is more lucky and becomes a pundit, with a regular column to himself and able to vent his spleen (a gift which does not come readily to everyone), he has risen to the heights of his profession. Ambassadors call him, politicians on the make seek him out for his opinion and he is generally made much of in the charmed circles in which he moves. Sometimes a politician rises above the pack and becomes noticed for his distinction and intelligence. But such cases are rare. Politics requires a certain amount of hard talent not brilliance. Politicians must have an eye for the main chance, an instinct for the jugular. Which is to say they must know when to make a move, when to shift with the wind. Without this touch they will be missing the tide all the time (and quoting Shakespeare into the bargain). But politics does not call for original thought. In fact, to be able to think for oneself is often a grave disadvantage in politics for it sows doubts in the mind and makes one cautious. Benazir and Nawaz Sharif, despite their current disabilities, are successful politicians. Nor should this be surprising: "...the most effective men (and women) of action are often intellectually second-rate." (Russell) This applies to other climes as well. George W. in the US and Al Gore: not everyone's idea of original thinkers. Yet no one dare call them unsuccessful. It is a middle class conceit to shower the politician with contempt, an attitude flowing quite often from envy. It is like our attitude to money. If we do not have enough of it ourselves we make a virtue of idealism which, in the words of David Landes (The Wealth and Poverty of Nations--brilliant book), "...is the affectation of those who feel they have less than they deserve in the presence of those who have more." I myself am guilty of a lot of idealism. I think we have it wrong about the oldest profession. How could it come first? Put people together and the first thing they instinctively want is order and power and the creation of a hierarchy which places the strong above the weak. What else is politics? Everything else comes thereafter. Closely connected to politics is self-promotion which is nother name for journalism. In any honest rendering of human history these would have to be the first professions. And since men (and women) become tired of too much order and prudence they have from the beginning sought release in 'frenzy' and 'madness'--the madness which comes, not to put too fine a point on it, from the fruit of the vine. This is where the saloon-keeper comes in. After politics and self-promotion must have come the timeless art of the bartender. Call this art what you will: Bacchic ritual, Dionysian frenzy, bacchanalian orgy, or, in our less happy times, a night out with the boys. It has been an essential part of human existence. Here's another quote from Russell which I cite more for resonance than relevance: "Much of what is greatest in human achievement involves some element of (mental) intoxication, some sweeping away of prudence by passion. Without the Bacchic element, life would be uninteresting; with it, it is dangerous. Prudence versus passion is a conflict that runs through history." In Pakistan this conflict has been won conclusively by prudence. Look not for passion in our works or our politics. But what a dry prudence we have crowned which produces neither thrift nor prosperity? Am I mixing up my history of the world? I think so, for where does the musician, the potter and the wandering poet fit in it? But I was not striving for accuracy, merely trying to accord politics and journalism their proper places in the human pantheon. In a beautiful essay Charles Lamb says the two races of men are lenders and borrowers - the former worn by care, the latter pictures of fun and gaiety. Perhaps this theory could be improved upon. The human race today is split between drones and brahmins: those who have to work for a living - professionals, bankers, men of enterprise, captains of commerce and industry, professors of academe, etc; and those who are artists to varying degrees - poets, writers, conmen, charlatans, politicians and journalists.Provided they have a good liver, a more vital adjunct to happiness than anything else in the world, the brahmins get more out of life - zap and plain fun. But the proviso is important. Without good digestion nothing tastes well, not even love. Falstaff's zest, Pistol's braggadocio, Sir Toby's carousing: all based on hearty eating. Even Ghalib, I suspect, would not have been the man he was if he could not have put up with excess. I have been cursed with a weak liver which makes this one of my favourite verses: Hai Seemab us kee majboori, Jis ne kee ho shabab mein tauba. The spirit willing, nay eager; the flesh weak. Can a more malevolent fate befall mortal man? Military rule is a mixed blessing. While it encourages conmen, charlatans and those laying claim to sure remedies for the human condition, it kills the other brahminic professions like politics and journalism. While speaking of the ill-effects of military rule we tend to stress tangible things - that institutions, etc, are adversely affected. But more harmful than this is the psychic and spiritual effect of any dispensation which stresses conformity - in other words, prudence - and frowns upon the disorder of free expression and behavior - in other words, passion. Before Pakistan could get over the bad memories of the Ayub and Yahya Khan eras it got Ziaul Haq. Before it could truly get over him, it has got another dose of military rule. But one should count one's blessings and be grateful for small mercies. For one, journalism continues to flourish even if, and I am sure this feeling is widely shared, newspapers are serving weaker and colder porridge. For another, politicos can still issue statements (much the better part of Pakistani politics) and secure their names in print. Which means that despite everything, the brahminic professions remain alive even if after ten months they show signs of exhaustion. I count myself lucky even if my sense of good fortune is laced with regret. Ensconced in Chakwal, I cultivate my small patch of brahmanism away from the hurly-burly of big town life. Many things I wanted I have got but a bit late in the day. When I wanted some things badly the means were not at hand. When in the afternoon of my life I have the means, I find my appetite gone sickly. Which is a variation on what Proust said: "Everything comes about just as we desired, but only when we no longer desire it."
=================================================================== SPORTS 20000811 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Moin pulls out of Singapore series ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, Aug 10: Moin Khan pulled out of this month's Singapore triangular series leaving Azhar Mahmood as the frontline candidate to lead the national side. The 29-year-old wicketkeeper told reporters at the National Stadium that he had communicated his decision to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia earlier in the day. "The general was generous enough to understand my position. I trained for two days but the pain is still there. I don't want to aggravate the injury which could risk my participation in the other future commitments," Moin said. Moin's withdrawal is likely to hand Azhar Mahmood his first term as captain. Although the team and the captain would be announced on Saturday at the National Stadium, sources said the decision has already been made keeping in mind the future. "Azhar Mahmood will also have a taste of captaincy so that he can be handed over the team in future. A captain has to be groomed because Moin was the last choice the board had which it availed," sources said. Moin said he would require another two weeks to regain complete fitness. He said he has been in constant touch with former Pakistan team physiotherapist Dale Naylor and had been informing of his progress. He said Naylor had indicated to him when he went for treatment in England that he wouldn't make it to the Singapore tour. "I was hoping against hope to get fit in time and return to the arena. Unfortunately, I have lost the race against time. I will, however, continue my training as advised by the physio and my specialist." Moin said with most of the star players not available for the Singapore series, it would provide an excellent opportunity for the youngsters to get international exposure. He said the youngsters have already outnumbered the seniors but they still lacked experience. He was, however, confident that this series would be a great learning experience for them. "South Africa and New Zealand are tough opponents. And there is a great opportunity for the youngsters to perform against them and cement their places in the team," he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000808 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Malik replies to show cause notice ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, Aug 7: Former captain Salim Malik has claimed in his seven-page reply to the show cause notice that there was no legal or factual basis for banning him for life and imposing a cash penalty of Rs one million. According to the copy of reply to July 19 show cause notice issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Malik has also stated that he has not been given equal treatment under the articles 4 and 25 of the constitution and has been made a scapegoat because he was no longer good enough to represent Pakistan. Malik, who has hired former Governor of Punjab Shahid Hamid as his counsel, while stressed that the PCB had no authority under the law to impose any of Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum's recommendations, has urged the cricket establishment to withdraw the penalties and award him an opportunity to be heard in person and through his legal advisor. The PCB has forwarded Malik's reply to Naveed Rasool, former board legal advisor who is now evaluating assets of the players besides helping the board in other legal cases related to betting and match-fixing. Malik argued in his reply that he has been victimized because even though evidence against him and Wasim Akram were identical, he has been banned while the pacer continues to play for Pakistan. "Please compare the allegations against me and my dear brother Wasim Akram. Then compare the allegations against both of us and finally compare the findings and recommendations. "I am not to be denied equal treatment and discriminated against simply because I am no longer good enough to be the member of the Pakistan team while another of my respected colleague (Wasim Akram) still has the skills and caliber required for selection," Malik writes in his reply dated Aug 2. Malik, while citing extracts from Justice Qayyum's report, pointed out that the inquiry commission of Justice Qayyum ignored the settled law and the internationally recognized legal principle that an accused person is entitled to the benefit of every reasonable doubt and is not to be condemned on the testimony of self-confessed habitual gamblers who have taken bribes/presents from bookies and frequently consort with them. Malik was referring to the allegations of Australian Mark Waugh and Shane Warne who accused the Pakistani of offering them bribes during the first Test of the 1994 Test series in Pakistan. The Australian Cricket Board (ACB), in 1998, admitted that it secretly fined the two for accepted money to provide weather and pitch report in September 1994. "The IC (inquiry committee) should not have believed Shane Warne's testimony because of the admitted position that he himself is a self-confessed habitual gambler; because he took bribe/present from a bookie; because it is the case of his words against mine and his word is that of a self-confessed gambler. "The IC should not have believed Mark Waugh because again it is a case of his word against mine and his word is that of a self-confessed gambler who has admittedly taken a bribe from a bookie and remained in constant/frequent touch with him (bookie)." Malik contested that there were four specific allegations of match- fixing against him and he has not been found guilt in two of them. He said on the third charge, the IC has not given any finding as the IC as not yet been able to examine one Aftab Butt. On account of the fourth charge, Malik continued, he has not been found guilty but "attempting to fix the first Test match (against Australia in 1994)". "Is it not ironical that the one allegation �of which I have been convicted' is not that I was trying to make Pakistan lose but that I tried to ensure Pakistan's victory." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20000811 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Life ban on Malik not to be revoked' ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, Aug 10: A top Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official has said that even if Salim Malik goes to the Supreme Court, the life ban imposed on him would not be reversed. Website total-cricket.com quoted PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia as saying: "Withdrawing the life ban on Salim Malik is out of question. It is based on the recommendations made in the Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum report made on the basis of strong evidence. Malik can go to the Supreme Court of Pakistan if he likes to but the ban cannot be revoked." Salim Malik, banned for life and fined Rs one million after being found guilty of match-fixing, earlier this replied to the PCB show cause notice and urged the establishment not to deprive of his livelihood. The PCB has forwarded Malik's show cause notice to Naveed Rasool, former PCB legal advisor who is now investigation players assets besides reviewing Justice Qayyum's report. The general, commenting on Malik's contest that Wasim Akram has been left off despite the fact similar charges were investigated against him, said: "In his (Wasim Akram's) case, no evidence has been produced. "In the beginning, Ata-ur-Rehman did submit an affidavit saying that he was offered money by (Wasim) Akram to play below par. Later, he backtracked from the same and we didn't have any grounds on which to implicate Akram." ------------------------------------------------------------------- You can subscribe to DWS by sending an email to <subscribe.dws@dawn.com>, with the following text in the BODY of your message: subscribe dws To unsubscribe, send an email to <unsubscribe.dws@dawn.com>, with the following in the BODY of you message: unsubscribe dws ------------------------------------------------------------------- Back to the top.
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