------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 23 December 2000 Issue : 06/49 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
Extracts, not exceeding 50 lines, can be used provided that this
entire header is included at the beginning of each extract.
We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at:
e-mail dws-owner@dawn.com
WWW http://dawn.com/
fax +92(21) 568-3188 & 568-3801
mail DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Please send all Editorials and Letters to the Editor at
letters@dawn.com
(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 2000
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + Pakistan to pull out part of troops from LoC + No interim setup planned, says CE + Many army officers dismissed + Nawaz exile to usher in harmony: CE + Exile deal made govt unpopular: NYT + Petrol adulterated with kerosene + 0.3 million Afghans facing starvation + Sharifs' property not yet taken over + Assemblies' revival possible + India should respond to LoC pullout + JI keen to restore army's credibility, says Qazi + Govt chasing IMF target: Net bank borrowing up in Nov + PML demands elections --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + Tariff row with Hubco resolved + Minimum daily CRR cut to 3%: Banks asked to buy more special TBs + CE to be briefed on tax survey estimates + Cement barons squabbling leads to closure of plants + Pakistan needs to qualify for ADB farm loan + Govt to increase drug prices + ADB okays $707m for seven projects: $250m for KESC restructuring + State Bank injects Rs12 billion: Money market still tight + Early deregulation of diesel prices doubtful + KESC gets loan guarantee + SBP allows evening banking --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Nawaz speaks Ardeshir Cowasjee + As spoke not Zarathustra Ayaz Amir + Days of rage Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + Islah appointed director of international wing + Fit-again Shoaib eyes NZ, England + Akram, Afridi clinch double wicket title
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 20001221 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan to pull out part of troops from LoC ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 20: Pakistan took another bold initiative on Wednesday by announcing that it will withdraw part of its forces deployed along the line of control. An Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) press release said, "As a followup of the policy of exercising maximum restraint along the line of actual contact and line of control, Pakistan has unilaterally taken another bold initiative to withdraw part of its forces deployed along the line of control. "The move back has already commenced and the troops have started moving towards cantonments" the press release stated. However, necessary safeguards had been taken against any possible Indian misadventure across the line of control and to ensure protection of the local population, it added. It said: "This action manifests Pakistan's earnest and genuine desire to de-escalate the situation in order to facilitate the process of meaningful dialogue on the issue", and hoped that "India would also reciprocate in a similar manner and de-induct part of its 700,000 strong force deployed in Indian occupied Kashmir."-H.A. Faraz Hashmi adds: Pakistan has decided to withdraw parts of its troops from the Line of Control with the hopes that India will reciprocate and agree on tripartite talks for resolving the Kashmir issue, said Lt- Gen Rashid Qureshi. "A number of troops are being pulled back," said the official spokesman of the Pakistan army without disclosing the exact number of troops cautioned to march back to the cantonments. However, he said, "no gaps or vulnerable points" would be left at the LoC while scaling down the deployment of soldier, from the area of highest military concentration in the world. When asked if the withdrawal of Pakistani troops would be monitored by the United Nation Observers deployed at LoC, he said, the UN observers have not been asked to formally monitor the troops' withdrawal. "However Indians posted at the LoC will certainly feel the scaling down and withdrawal of Pakistan troops," he said. Mr Qureshi pointed out that it was not the first withdrawal of Pakistani forces from the LoC. He said the first one had been carried out just after the October 12, 1999, military takeover by Gen Pervez Musharraf. The latest initiative has been taken with a view to expose Indian's "theoretical" measures. India has only been paying lip service to the Kashmir issue, he added. The announcement of ceasefire by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during Ramazan was only "verbal" as Indian military operations in the occupied territories had been going on as usual, he remarked. Thepractical steps taken by Pakistan from announcementof maintaining maximum restraint to scaling down of troops have been mounting pressure on India, he said. "We want to show to India and the world that Pakistan means what it says," he said adding, "India should reciprocate to show the "genuineness," of its pronouncements regarding talks on the Kashmir issue. Welcome: Meanwhile, Kashmiri leaders in Srinagar welcomed on Wednesday the one-month extension of the Indian forces' ceasefire, but stressed the need for a permanent peace, adds AFP. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- No interim setup planned, says CE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Dec 21: Chief Executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf denied on Thursday rumours being spread by the vested interests that the present government was planning to step down to make way for an interim setup in its place. He also denied that local bodies elections would be postponed, adding that he would complete his mission. Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating Daraban Khurd-Roda Road, some 17 kilometres from here, the chief executive said: "I don't intend to leave the field." "I will not leave my mission unaccomplished - which is aimed at developing the country." General Musharraf said that poverty alleviation was the top priority of the government. He said the government desired to replace the existing system with a revolutionary system in order to make the country and the masses prosperous. He said that Rs35 billion had been allocated for the poverty alleviation programme which had now been renamed as "Khushal Pakistan Programme." Gen Musharraf said, radical changes would be made in the Zakat and Baitul Maal system to make it more effective for the deserving people. He said under the proposed system, Rs15,000 to Rs50,000, would be given to needy persons in order to make them self-reliant and their names would be deleted from the Mustahiqeen's list. He said new Zakat committees would be set up all over the country, comprising honest and sincere people. Federal Minister Mehmood Ghazi has been assigned the task to suggest and recommend measures for effecting changes in the system. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Many army officers dismissed ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ansar Abbasi ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: An unusual number of army officers have been sacked for tampering with their service record in an attempt to improve their promotion prospects, it is learnt. Those sacked - compulsorily retired - include brigadiers, colonels and even a major-general. The total number of those officers could not be ascertained but it is said to be "extraordinary." The military authorities neither confirmed nor denied the action. However, some termed it a perfect example of the in-built accountability system in the army. It was detected recently that many officers had been tampering with the service record, the annual performance evaluation reports, to better their promotion prospects or help their favourites. The military secretary branch of the GHQ is the custodian of the service record of all officers. The tampering was reportedly committed in collusion with some insiders. Those found involved are being issued letters of compulsory retirement in small batches. It is said that pensionary benefits are also being denied to them to make them an example for others. Army spokesman Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi said he had no knowledge of any such development. When Dawn insisted on getting the report confirmed or denied from the relevant quarters, he replied: "No one will speak about this." Accountability in the military, he explained, was an on-going process and officers found guilty of offences of different nature were punished accordingly. "But for the sake of armymen's morale we don't publicize such punishments," Gen Qureshi said, adding, "those who face bullet are not dishonoured publicly." In certain cases however, he said, such developments were circulated within the army circles. He further said that the punishment in military was severer than in civil service where one could easily get away with anything. "Even two and three star generals have not been spared." The adjutant-general of GHQ, Lt-Gen Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai, who handles the disciplinary cases, said the issue of tampering of record did not fall in his jurisdiction. He, however, said that he had not heard of en bloc sacking. Gen Orakzai said the reported sacking of "many" might be an exaggeration of facts and maintained that there was nothing unusual to be excited about or given any importance. "There is nothing to be worried about," he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001221 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nawaz exile to usher in harmony: CE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nasir Malick ISLAMABAD, Dec 20: Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday, justified his decision of sending Nawaz Sharif into exile, saying it would usher in an era of political harmony and economic development. The General divided his hour-long speech to the nation on radio and television in two parts -- justifying his action of sending Nawaz Sharif and his family into exile in the first half and explaining his government's devolution plan in the second. Dressed in commando uniform, the General spoke in Urdu using English sentences excessively, in what appeared to be an attempt to reach the international audience simultaneously. The CE also accused both Nawaz Sharif and Ms Benazir Bhutto of working against the military government's "devolution plan" and gave an impression as if the decision of sending Nawaz Sharif was indirectly related to this issue as well. He said: "There must have been some good reason that I took this decision." He, however, did not explain those reasons. "There is a difference between a popular decision and a correct decision," he said indirectly saying that his decision was correct. The CE also accepted that a Saudi prince had intervened to seek the release of Nawaz Sharif. Accusing the Nawaz and Benazir governments of institutionalizing corruption, he said, "all institutions were corrupted by the two parties, I will not name those institutions because all of you understand what I mean." Ignoring the basic principle of politics that today's foes could be friends tomorrow, the General accused Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif of trying to join hands. Without naming them, he said: "Two political leaders, Pakistan's political stalwarts, who hated each other till yesterday, were shamelessly trying to join hands in an attempt to jointly loot the country, if anything had been left from looting." Similarly, he also regretted that veteran politician Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan (without naming him) had been helping and supporting these leaders to come closer and once again loot the country. Defending his decision, the General claimed that it had been appreciated and acknowledged internationally. On the issue of dealing with political leadership, General Musharraf took a completely different line from what was taken by his predecessor General Ziaul Haq, who had sent a deposed prime minister to the gallows. "Extreme actions against the political leaders do not go well with the international community as such (extreme) actions are considered (a sign of) backwardness and rigidity," he explained. "Besides they (extreme actions) have a negative impact on foreign investment." He indirectly hinted that several investment-related issues were also linked with this decision and especially mentioned that the long-standing dispute with Hubco, whose majority shares are owned by a Saudi national, was resolved after sending Nawaz Sharif into exile. Similarly, he said, since sending Nawaz Sharif into exile, many international investors had shown great interest in the purchase of Pakistan Telecommunications. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001218 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Exile deal made govt unpopular: NYT ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent NEW YORK, Dec 17: General Pervez Musharraf's decision to let former prime minister Nawaz Sharif go into exile "is only part of the disillusionment with his rule, which was initially greeted with an almost giddy hope that a tough-guy military man could whip the country into shape," the New York Times said in an article on Sunday. "Mr Musharraf promised nothing short of Pakistan's moral and economic rejuvenation when he took power, but he has found it very difficult to deliver, particularly on people's bread-and- butter hopes. At a time of political uncertainty, both foreign and domestic investment in the country have lagged," the newspaper said. The New York Times observed that "already Gen Musharraf is feeling the discontent of the public and the press, largely because there is an absence of fear about speaking out against his government". It also noted that "the military dictators of earlier eras crushed dissent. But the current rulers have tolerated scathing press criticism. Perhaps it is because Gen Musharraf is more liberal. Or perhaps it is because they fear a crackdown would up- end their cooperative relationships with international lenders on whom Pakistan depends financially". "Fourteen months into Gen Musharraf's rule, the military - often described here as Pakistan's last viable, effective institution - stands demystified. Most people still credit the general with good intentions, but he is often depicted as a bumbler whose government has been too weak to halt sectarian killings or to stand up to Islamic fundamentalists," the paper said. However, the New York Times said that "the general has one big thing going for him: the lack of an inspiring civilian leader to challenge him. Benazir Bhutto, who was Mr Sharif's main national rival for power, has been convicted on corruption charges and is living in London. And now the general has removed Mr Sharif from Pakistan - and in such a way that Mr Sharif's character has been further discredited." The paper says that "members of Mr Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League, say he was a man accustomed to a life of luxury and power who apparently could not tolerate the rigours of prison life. He had always had it easy. He rose to positions of power in the 1980s with the backing of the military. He and his family amassed fabulous wealth during his time in office". "He loved being chauffeured in a black Mercedes. He had a taste for expensive watches and fancy shoes. Before the coup, he was close to moving into a 22-room mansion with stuffed lions and rococo furniture," Shaikh Rashid, a former minister in Sharif's cabinet, told the New York Times. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Petrol adulterated with kerosene ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: More than 40 per cent of the samples of petrol collected from petrol pumps all over Pakistan are adulterated, on average, with 13 per cent kerosene oil. This is one of the startling conclusions of a sample survey conducted recently by M/s Hagler Bailly, consultants on energy and environment. As if this was not enough, the petrol pumps generally indulge in creating shortage of supply thus cheating their customers of 3.7 per cent petrol/diesel on each litre purchased by them. Explaining the details of the survey, Waqar Zakriya, Chief Executive of Hagler Bailly, advised the people to occasionally ask the petrol pump management to measure one litre of oil in a graduated cylinder which is mandatory on all petrol pumps to keep. "It is the customer's legal and moral right to ensure that he gets full measure," he remarked. The problem here was that many petrol pumps did not keep these cylinders - in disregard of the legal requirement in this respect. Research had also established that 70 per cent of all the kerosene oil consumed in Pakistan was used to mix in diesel. The incentive for this crime was given by increasing the difference between the prices of diesel and kerosene oil to Rs three per litre. Another disturbing observation made by him was that 60 per cent of lubricant oils did not meet the specifications. The almost universal indulgence in these irregularities was attributed mainly to the fact that under the law, the only person authorized to collect petrol/diesel samples was the DG Oil in the ministry of petroleum. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.3 million Afghans facing starvation ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The drought currently affecting Afghanistan has put at risk lives of approximately 50,000 families (300,000 people) in the western region, a UN report said. The report issued here on Friday by the office of the UN Coordinator for Afghanistan also disclosed that due to insufficient response to funding requests, conditions in camps, established for displaced persons outside Herat city, were poor. "In the newest and largest camp, Maslagh, new arrivals had to sleep out in the open air despite freezing temperatures. At present, there is a shortfall of at least 2,500 shelters." The report added that while some non-food items were in stock, there were shortfalls of all non-food items including blankets, tents, quilts and other supplies. Most of the families in the camps had few assets and therefore were in need of both food and non-food items. "To complicate matters further, the World Food Programme (WFP) will run out of food in April 2001, if further pledges are not forthcoming," the report feared. In a six-day period from Dec 11 to 16, the report said, just under 800 displaced families, comprised over 4,600 people, arrived in a camp for displaced persons outside Herat city in western Afghanistan. Of the six existing IDP camps in Herat, five are already full. The Herat camps, the report said, now housed over 11,000 families or 68,000 people. However, it is not known that how many people in western Afghanistan had gravitated into Herat city (not the camps) or crossed the border. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sharifs' property not yet taken over ------------------------------------------------------------------- Reporter LAHORE, Dec 21: Notwithstanding official claims, the government has so far not taken over any property of the deposed prime minister, Nawaz Sharif or any member of his family. Though all belongings were removed from the Model Town residence of the former prime minister on Dec 10, the day Sharifs were exiled to Saudi Arabia, the former Punjab chief minister's son, Hamza Sharif, is still living there with his family. Sources close to the family said on Thursday that so far everything was with the Sharifs and the government had not taken over anything. Empress Road offices of various industrial units of Sharifs are still lying sealed and nobody can enter there. Hamza Shahbaz has set up offices in a Muslim Town building. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Assemblies' revival possible' ------------------------------------------------------------------- Reporter LAHORE, Dec 21: PML Vice-President Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri believes that the suspended assemblies can still be revived as the chief executive did not rule out the possibility in his Wednesday address to the nation. In a statement here on Thursday, he said Gen Pervez Musharraf could have easily stated that he was not going to restore assemblies, but he did not say any such thing. He said the general had ruled out the establishment of an interim set-up which was something totally different from the fate of assemblies. Mr Kasuri said the hanging of Mr Bhutto was being criticized as a wrong decision even three decades after the tragic incident took place although he was convicted on criminal charges. He said time would prove that the banishment of Mr Nawaz Sharif was a right decision taken by the present government. He said the historian would appreciate the decision. In his opinion with Mr Sharif going into exile, political tension in the country would scale down and a conducive atmosphere for economic development would emerge. He said the chief executive had deplored that in the past there was no continuity of policies because of which development projects launched by one government were shelved by its successor. He said fresh elections or revival of assemblies were the only two options available to the government and in the present circumstances restoration of assemblies was a better option. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 'India should respond to LoC pullout' ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 21: Director General, ISPR, Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi has said that New Delhi should respond positively to pull out its troops from some areas of Line of Control in Kashmir by reducing the Indian troops in the Held Kashmir and pave the way for talks. "This step has been taken so that India may reciprocate it and should reduce its troops in Kashmir," he told BBC Radio. He said, this step will help defuse tension and there will be possibility of resumption of talks on the issue of Kashmir. Qureshi said, Pakistan welcomes every such step which defuses escalation in Kashmir and helps in finding out a solution of the dispute. Replying to a question, he said, Pakistan has taken a big step and added: "We are not only making announcements, rather our troops have already started movement." Pakistan, he said, has always said it is prepared for talks. "It says that talks should be held and some solution to Kashmir issue ought to be found out. Now it seems that the world and specially the West has exerted pressure on India that when Pakistan is prepared for talks why India is hesitant to resume the process," he added. When asked if any indirect talks are going on between the two countries at any level, Qureshi replied that "individuals do make such efforts." He said, in the beginning India had been completely refusing to resume talk. Now from the statement of Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee, it seems that India was willing. "If Vajpayee is saying all this sincerely, talks should be resumed immediately, he added. Troops movement: The director-general said troops are being withdrawn from some areas of the line of control. He said troops have started moving. "I believe we have taken a very big step. This step has been taken so that India may reciprocate it and should reduce its troops in Kashmir. This will help defuse tension and there will be possibility of resumption of talks. We welcome every such step which defuses escalation in tension in Kashmir and helps in finding out a solution to this issue," he added. He said now it was up to India to reciprocate by withdrawing its troops from the line of control and making headway for resumption of talks. "I think it is a very big step that Pakistan has taken. We are not only making announcement, rather, our troops have already started moving." Brig Qureshi said it seems that the world, specially the West, had exerted pressure on India to resume negotiations.-APP/NNI DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- JI keen to restore army's credibility, says Qazi ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent RAWALPINDI, Dec 21: The Jamaat-i-Islami Amir, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, on Thursday, dispelled the impression that the Jamaat was out to damage the institution of the army. In fact, he said, the Jamaat was keen to restore the army's credibility and desirous of boosting its morale. Speaking at a "Meet the Press" session organized by the Rawalpindi Press Club, he said his party never wanted to create dissensions within the ranks of the army. All that the Jamaat-i- Islami wanted was to restore the credibility of the army and boost its morale. He said his party believed in the integrity of the army and its prestige. Qazi Hussain Ahmed announced that after Eidul Fitr, the Jamaat would organize a wide-ranging convention of all sections of the society including retired generals, former diplomats and bureaucrats , intellectuals, journalists to find a way for the military government to extricate itself out of the present quagmire. The JI chief claimed that all the ills in the society were the creations of the army. He said, the army was no solution to the problems afflicting the people, adding that after the exile of Nawaz Sharif from Pakistan, there was no justification for continuing the accountability process. On the principle of provincial autonomy, the JI chief said the quantum of provincial autonomy allowed in the 1973 constitution, had not been implemented by any government in the country. He described Gen Pervez Musharraf as the "biggest politician of all." He asked the CE as to who had given him the mandate to bring in a new system - as there was no justification at all for a long agenda. He said the army should not interfere in a task which was not entrusted to it. He said, all the politicians were not bad, adding, many of the bad politicians were the creation of the army. Talking about the unilateral withdrawal of Pakistan troops from the Line of Control, the JI chief described it as a wrong move. He said, the decision taken by the government showed as if it recognized the occupation of Kashmir by the Indian troops. Heemphasized that India must announce that Kashmir was a disputed territory and that there were three parties to the dispute. Qazi Hussain urged the government to apprise the nation in detail about its offer of unilateral ceasefire along the Line of Control. He also wanted the government to inform the masses about the justification of intervention if Nawaz was to be sent into exile. He accused the army of disrupting the democratic process, adding that all the ills facing the country were due to the army; and the new system to be ushered in the country was directed at eliminating the constitutional institutions. He announced his decision to go to the electorate and seek its opinion. He said, his party would go to the streets and seek the masses' decision. He said if the people supported the party, the JI would live up to their expectations. He criticized the "politics of alliances" as the politics of hypocrisy. He hinted that India was responsible for sectarian terrorism and subversion taking place in Pakistan. Qazi Hussain Ahmed also criticized the devolution plan of the present government. However, he said, despite its reservations about the plan, the JI would take part in the local bodies polls. He wanted to know why the government had banned the political parties from participating in the LB elections. "Why is the government shy of facing the masses," he asked. The government wanted the feudals to field their maid- servants for the women's seats, the JI amir remarked. About the latest UNSC sanctions on the Taliban, he said, the imposition of more sanctions against the brave people of Afghanistan was not only condemnable but it would add to the misery of the people of Afghanistan, adding that in the time of trial and tribulations his party would fully cooperate with the Taliban government. He said the negative impact of the sanctions would affect not only Afghanistan but Pakistan and Iran as well. Qazi Hussain appealed to the Taliban government to set itself in the right direction and asked the regime to listen to those elements that had supported the Afghans in their brave struggle against a super power. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001221 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt chasing IMF target: Net bank borrowing up in Nov ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Dec 20: Net government bank borrowing that stood at Rs22 billion at end-October rose to Rs26 billion at the end of November. But sources close to the ministry of finance say the government is making all efforts to bring down its net bank borrowing from Rs26 billion as on December 2 to Rs6.4 billion by the end of the month to meet the IMF target. This is a herculean task particularly because the tax revenue collection at Rs135 billion between July-November has fallen short of Rs150 billion target. They say tax collection target of Rs430 billion for entire fiscal year (July-June) 2000-2001 may also remain unaccomplished. Senior bankers said the government borrowed Rs47 billion for budgetary support in the first five months of this fiscal year- between July 1 and December 2, 2000. But at the same time it also placed Rs21 billion in its debt retirement account thus reducing the net borrowing to Rs26 billion. The government keeps in this account with the State Bank the rupee equivalent of rescheduled foreign debts so that SBP could pay these debts on maturity by converting the rupee amount into foreign currencies. The conditions attached with $596 million IMF loan require the government to keep its net bank borrowing for budgetary support at Rs6.4 billion by end-December 2000; at Rs19.9 billion by end-March 2001 and finally at minus Rs16.7 billion at end-June 2001. Pakistan received $192 million first tranche of the standby loan on November 30. In early November, Pakistan had agreed to this and many other tough conditions that were to be tagged with the 10-month loan. Even before that the ministry of finance had realized the need for containing government bank borrowing which they knew would help the country in meeting the IMF performance criteria. What leads one to draw this conclusion is that government borrowing started to come down from October. In the first quarter (July-September) of this fiscal year, net government bank borrowing for budgetary support stood at Rs35.8 billion that fell to Rs22 billion at end-October but then rose again to Rs26 billion on December 2. On November 12, the government also raised Rs4.4 billion worth of non-bank credit through maiden auction of Pakistan Investment Bonds. This helped in keeping the government bank borrowing from shooting up. The second auction of the bonds is due on December 26. The State Bank has set a sale target of Rs10 billion. If it succeeds in raising Rs10 billion non-bank credit the government would easily cut down its net bank borrowing by the same amount. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001220 ------------------------------------------------------------------- PML demands elections ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: The Pakistan Muslim League has rejected the proposal of restoring assemblies in favour of immediate holding of fair, free and impartial elections. An informal meeting of the party's advisory board held here at the residence of Kulsoom Nawaz concluded that only fresh general elections could steer the country out of present political crisis. The meeting, presided over by Raja Zafarul Haq, also endorsed the decision of Nawaz Sharif to leave the country and accept exile. Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Mr Haq said: "We held deliberations for keeping the party united and strive for restoration of democracy and holding of elections." Acting president Javed Hashmi said they reviewed the situation and reposed confidence in the leadership of Nawaz Sharif.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY 20001217 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tariff row with Hubco resolved ------------------------------------------------------------------- Faraz Hashmi ISLAMABAD, Dec 16: The three-year long electricity tariff dispute between Wapda and Hubco was resolved on Saturday night when the two sides reached at a "mutually agreed tariff," a government official said. Though the two sides were reluctant to give the agreed tariff, a highly-placed source told Dawn that the Hubco had agreed on Wapda's offer of 5.6 cents a unit. The Hubco had initially demanded 6.4 cents but finally agreed to Wapda's offer. The source said that it would result in an annual saving of $63 million to Wapda. He added that the two sides also agreed to withdraw cases against each other. The government had filed criminal cases against Hubco officials, which would be withdrawn as a result of the agreement, the sources added. Hubco would also withdraw its application for the international arbitration in the dispute. Soon after reaching the agreement before Iftar on Saturday, the government and Hubco negotiators called on Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf to inform him about the it. Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, who was heading the government side, termed the agreement as "beneficial" for both sides. "It is a win-win situation for both sides," Mr Aziz told Dawn without disclosing the details. The minister said he would disclose at a press conference on Sunday what had been agreed on after intense negotiations that virtually continued day and night since the arrival of the Hubco team here on Wednesday. "Hubco will get good return," said Mr Aziz when this correspondent insisted to divulge the agreed tariff. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Minimum daily CRR cut to 3%: Banks asked to buy more special TBs ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Dec 22: The State Bank of Pakistan on Friday asked banks to buy two-week treasury bills out of the rupee equivalent of institutional foreign currency swap deposits, senior bankers told Dawn. The rupee equivalent of these deposits worth more than Rs30 billion are lying with the State Bank and banks are earning a high return of a little over 15 per cent on the same. Bankers said the interest on two-week T-bills so purchased would be equal to the return banks are already getting on the rupee equivalent of swap deposits placed with SBP i.e. around 15 per cent. SBP chief spokesman confirmed it when reached by telephone. Meanwhile, SBP also lowered the minimum daily cash reserves for banks from four to three per cent of their total deposits. A circular issued to all banks said the one per cent reduction in minimum daily cash reserves was effective for one week only i.e. from December 30, 2000 to January 5, 2001. The circular said average weekly cash reserves would, however, continue to be five per cent of the total time and demand liabilities of banks. Senior bankers said the twin moves would ease off a severe year-end liquidity crisis in inter-bank market and help SBP meet an important IMF target attached with its $596 million standby loan. The IMF approved the 10-month loan for Pakistan on November 30. Senior bankers said SBP had asked them to purchase two-week T-bills out of the rupee equivalent of institutional FCY swap deposits to reduce its net domestic assets to minus Rs26.3 billion by the year- end, under the conditions attached with IMF's standby loan. SBP recently sold to banks about $250 million in one-month swap against rupees to ease off the year-end liquidity crunch so that banks do not borrow short-term funds from the central bank increasing its NDA. It also lowered weekly cash reserves requirement from seven to five per cent and asked banks to buy special treasury bills out of the rupee funds so released. Again, the purpose was to reduce SBP's NDA. Net domestic assets of SBP move up when it injects rupee funds into the market and they come down when it mops up excessive liquidity. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- CE to be briefed on tax survey estimates ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ikram Hoti ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: Revised revenue estimates from the Tax Survey for the financial year 2000-01 would be presented to Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday. Chairman, Central Board of Revenue (CBR), Riaz Hussain Naqvi and members of different tax department would brief the CE on the survey achievements and the performance of CBR in collecting taxes during the first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal. The initial estimates of revenue receipts survey for documentation of economy for 2000-01 were of Rs100 billion. However, these estimates had to be revised as the achievements of the survey have remained partial. Official sources told Dawn that the revised estimates from the survey are for achieving net receipts of Rs40 billion. The additional revenue estimates are being based on the increase in registration of taxpayers and better coverage of taxable activities. The Income Tax department, which has already recorded an increase of about 80,000 in its registered persons' list, is expected to add to its revenues by Rs20 billion from the survey. The sales tax department is also expecting to improve its coverage of trade and industry on the basis of survey and collect another Rs20 billion in the remaining half of the current financial year (January-July 2001). The briefing would also focus on a "New Tax Strategy" for achieving the current fiscal year's revenue targets (Rs430 billion) as per commitments made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The CBR has collected Rs141 billion in five months, and needs to collect another Rs300 billion in the remaining seven months of the financial year, at the rate of about Rs43 billion per month. So far, the CBR has collected revenues at the rate of Rs23.5 billion. The CBR officials would explain to the CE about their plan to increase the per month collection by Rs19.5 billion. The new strategy, to be implemented from January 1, 2001, aims to fulfil the IMF demands for covering the hitherto out-of- net and partially taxed areas of the economy. These include fertilizers, agriculture, services and savings in a number of categories. It also aims at minimising the tax officials' discretionary powers, maximise revenue collection, revise tax rates under income and sales tax nomenclatures and introduce administrative reforms for quick disposal of tax litigation cases. The Central Board of Revenue officials would also submit replies on queries made by the CE Secretariat on the strategy. The CE Secretariat had earlier prepared a report on taxation issues in which it had questioned the performance and fresh changes in tax laws. It termed Sales Tax penal laws and the procedure for refund as "draconian" saying that "these (laws) suit the bureaucracy for corruption purposes." On the administrative side, the tax automation experts would be presenting to the CE their reports on sales tax refund automation, the performance of the automated import assessment system (EASY), and the changes to be made in income tax challan submission system. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cement barons squabbling leads to closure of plants ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sabihuddin Ghausi KARACHI, Dec 22: The squabbling of cement barons has eventually led to the closure of two plants - Gharibwal and Dhandot - last Sunday in Punjab following the severing of their supply. With a little over a million ton annual cement production capacity, the two plants are owned by a single group of overseas Pakistani investors and have more than 2,000 employees who have now been rendered jobless. A top official of the Sui Northern Gas company confirmed to Dawn from Lahore by the telephone on Friday the discontinuation of gas supply to the two cement plants since December 16 on instructions of the ministry. The ministry is reviewing a petition from other cement manufacturers, who contended that their units were based on furnace oil, which has shown a steep price rise in the recent past throwing them at a disadvantageous position as compared with those cement plants, which operate on gas. He pointed out that under the gas supply agreement with more than 900 industries in the Northern areas, the SNGPL is empowered to discontinue gas supply for three months, from December 1 to February 28 to any of these industries. This is because of the mounting gas demand from the domestic sector, when temperature touches freezing and sub freezing points. "But with prudent management practices, we have been able to save enough gas last winter and this year too, and maintaining an uninterrupted gas supply to all the industry," he said. The SNGPL spokesman said that under the agreement gas supply to any industry could be suspended for three months. He hoped that the gas supply to Gharibwal and Dhandot would be resumed after the ministry worked out a fresh tariff, which should ensure an even playing field for those, who depend on furnace oil or gas. Gharibwal was established in 1962 and since then was operating on gas. Since it is based on wet process, the switch over to furnace oil will render this unit sick and finally closure. Dhandot was secured by a Chakwal-based well known business group. It remained close for more than three years and was revived in March this year, after Gharibwal management took it over and worked out a deal with the financing banks and other institutions to adjust over Rs2 billion liabilities. The deal is based on a cash flow generated from gas run operations at the current tariff and management fears that any upward revision would force them permanent closure. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan needs to qualify for ADB farm loan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has asked Pakistan to take steps to meet farm agreements conditions singed by it under the WTO regime to qualify for a $250 million loan. ADB is giving loan to the farm sector under its second agriculture sector programme. Before releasing the loan, the ADB has also obtained a number of reports from Islamabad on certain issues highlighting bottlenecks in the agriculture sector's growth, investment in the farm sector and export that can easily be identified and lead to rapid reforms. The ADB said it was necessary for Pakistan to qualify for the second agriculture sector programme loan of $250 million to bring about institutional reforms in the farm sector. Sources said ADB's Raymond Renfro in a recent letter to the government of Pakistan has pointed out that the bank's team held discussion in Islamabad during Nov 28-30 with the senior officials of ministries of finance, food and agriculture. The ADB had also met the finance minister Shaukat Aziz and agriculture minister Khair Mohammad Junejo. The ADB has now submitted its comments on these meetings to the concerned officials. The ADB said to complete the process of loaning under the Agriculture Sector Programme, ADB needed more studies to address those aspects for which there is little information available. It said the bank needs information on the production of agriculture commodities markets, future trading and integration of 4.5 existing agriculture commodity markets. It also required information on market imperfections (domestic and export/import market) including private sector cartels. The ADB has sought details about the agro processing and storage problem as well as private sector development and marketing of new products and technologies. It also needs report on the agriculture finance issues such as reforms of ADBP, new agriculture credit banks in the private sectors etc. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt to increase drug prices ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The government will continue to increase the prices of drugs annually in accordance with the 1994 pricing formula approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet. Official sources told Dawn on Friday that the decision to this effect had been taken by Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz at an ECC meeting earlier this week. Earlier at its meeting on March 2, the ECC had called for a revision of the six-year-old pricing formula and constituted a committee to recommend changes in it. The ECC sub-committee after long deliberations informed the ECC at its last meeting about the recommendations it had sent to the health ministry. Consequently, the health ministry submitted a summary to the ECC for a final decision. In its recommendations, the committee said that there was no need to change the formula as it was very rationally crafted. The health ministry, too, believed that it would not be desirable to reopen this issue. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ADB okays $707m for seven projects: $250m for KESC restructuring ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Dec 21: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a record level of assistance worth $707 million for seven projects in Pakistan. Senior Economic Advisor of the ADB Naved Hamid said that out of the approved amount, $150 million were recently disbursed and another $100 million would be disbursed by March next year. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday along with ADB's senior Project Implementation Officer Katsuji Matsunami, Hamid said the rest of the funding would be disbursed in 2002 after the clearance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). All the seven loans were approved in the energy sector restructuring, export promotion, poverty reduction, judicial and legal reforms and debt and risk management. He said $350 million had been approved for the energy sector, which also included $250 million for the restructuring of Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation (KESC) and the $100 million would be offered for the corporatization of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). Other major objectives include improving governance and the legal and regulatory framework, strengthening the capacity of the National Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), and creating an enabling environment for a competitive market. In addition, a soft loan of $5 million in technical assistance is being provided to build up capacity for energy sector. There would be a $150 million loan for promoting the development of the microfinance sector of Pakistan and the aim is to finance 1.6 million small income generating activities and 4,500 small scale community based infrastructure projects, during the next six years. "And then another $150 million are approved to boost Pakistan's export by improving trade financing for small and medium sized enterprises," he said. A partial risk guarantee up to maximum aggregate liability of $150 million was also approved to reduce risk associated with the letters of credit issued by Pakistani banks to import goods for export production. The project, he said, is expected to increase Pakistan's export by around $350 million annually and help create 135,000 new jobs. He said a $52 million concessional loan would be for helping farm families in the barani area of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The project will raise incomes by providing a range of measures to increase agricultural productivity and by providing earning opportunities. In addition, six technical grant assistance (TA) for a total of $6.8 million were approved and "we expect approval of two more TA for $1.2 million in December 2000 to support capacity building and institution building," Hamid added. A $2.9 million TA is for strengthening institutional capacity for judicial and legal reforms in Pakistan. "This could later lead to disbursement of $80 million for carrying out legal and judicial reforms. He said about $5 million would be extended for institutional strengthening of Export Promotion Bureau and some other organizations. Responding to a question, he said the delay in carrying out the restructuring of KESC, was causing a loss of over Rs1 billion annually in the shape of line losses. "This loss is equal to 70 per cent of the spending of the bank in the social sector," he added. "We have lined up huge resources for Pakistan and now the ball is the government's court to qualify for all these loans by implementing certain conditionalities attached to the programme," he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- State Bank injects Rs12 billion: Money market still tight ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Dec 21: The State Bank on Thursday injected Rs12.25 billion into cash-starved inter-bank money market. But that had a little impact on lending rates in the face of an outflow of Rs19 billion from the market through maturity of previous injections. Senior bankers said the SBP injected Rs12.25 billion for one week in reverse repo of treasury bills at 11 per cent. But that failed to hold high lending rates down. Bankers said overnight repo and call rates moved in the range of 12.5-13 per cent and 14-14.5 per cent, respectively. In plain words, the central bank purchased treasury bills from banks for one week and paid them Rs12.25 billion in cash. It will sell the bills back to the banks at the same rate after one week. This arrangement known as reverse repo of securities helps central banks in keeping the inter-bank money market liquid when necessary. Bankers said though the injection failed in lowering lending rates, it helped banks in squaring their daily positions without borrowing overnight funds from the State Bank. Inter-bank money market has been short of liquidity for past several weeks as the SBP is making moves to contain monetary expansion and is particularly trying to cut expansion in its net domestic assets. The central bank is supposed to keep its net domestic assets at minus Rs26.3 billion by the year-end under the terms of the $596 million IMF standby loan. Pakistan received the first $192 million tranche of this loan on November 30. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001221 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Early deregulation of diesel prices doubtful ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aamir Shafaat Khan KARACHI, DEC 20: Diesel prices may not be deregulated in 2001 as the government intends to allow oil marketing companies (OMCs) to import the product directly from April next year to avert any price surge, sources in oil industry said. The biggest obstacle in price deregulation is how to dismantle the freight pool system under which the government ensures uniformity in prices throughout the country, sources told Dawn on Wednesday. The freight pool administered by the petroleum ministry reimburses the actual transport cost for movement of petroleum by rail, road and pipeline, and presently is about Rs8-9 billion (after the deregulation of furnace oil and its removal from the freight pool). The reimbursement follows the nearest depot concept whereby actual cost for primary transport (from key supply point to depot) is paid only to the nearest depot of any OMC. Besides, the issue of subsidy on diesel will also be considered before price deregulation as the government imports diesel at higher prices and sells to the consumers at lower prices with a difference of Rs2-3 per litre. The government manages subsidy in order to avert any price distortion in the domestic market, they said. The government had planned to deregulate diesel imports in December but later on decided to extend it to early next year due to booking of 360,000 tons of gasoline for October-December 2000 delivery. And again similar situation has emerged as the ministry of petroleum & natural resources has already awarded tender to Bakri Trading for supply of 300,000 tons of diesel for January- March delivery. "This tender seems as the last tender before deregulation of imports," an official in an OMC said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001220 ------------------------------------------------------------------- KESC gets loan guarantee ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nasir Malick ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: The Economic Coordination Committee of the federal cabinet has agreed to provide a government guarantee to the commercial banks, to enable Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) in obtaining a loan of three billion rupees, for bailing itself out from the "worst financial crises", a reliable source told Dawn. The KESC is also the recipient of a $250 million Asian Development Bank loan, approved on December 15, for restructuring the organization. The source said the looming threat over the KESC, regarding deduction of Rs3 billion from the current year's budgetary allocations by Islamabad, on account of recovery of foreign relent loans; had been removed after the ECC decided to provide a supplementary grant from the federal government, to the corporation, to overcome its problems. Because of the serious financial crises, the KESC had earlier sought a short-term loan of Rs1.0 billion, from a consortium of Pakistani banks in October. The government had provided unconditional and irrevocable financial guarantees through the ministry of finance for the repayment of the principal amount and the 15 per cent mark-up on maturity of that loan on December 31, 2000. The ministry had given an undertaking to National Bank of Pakistan (Rs339 million), Habib Bank Ltd (Rs288 million), Muslim Commercial Bank (Rs154 million), United Bank (Rs144 million) and Allied Bank (Rs102 million), to repay the facility from the proceeds of a loan from Asian Development Bank. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001217 ------------------------------------------------------------------- SBP allows evening banking ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Dec 16: The State Bank has allowed evening banking facility at all banks in the country to facilitate the people, specially business community, with banking hours from 2.30pm to 8:30pm. It had been a longstanding demand from the general public and business community to provide evening banking facility as they were encountered various problems, particularly for the payment of utility bills, the SBP said on Saturday. The central bank through a circular on Saturday also directed all banks to show the transacted amount in their trial balances for the next working day. "All banking transactions conducted during the said period shall form part of the bank's trial balance for the next business day," it said. The State Bank further asked the banks to provide it the list of their branches where the evening banking would be conducted.-APPBack to the top
EDITORIALS & FEATURES 20001217 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nawaz speaks ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ardeshir Cowasjee My fellow Pakistanis, that Sunday columnist of the Dawn newspaper, the Parsi, whose writings were printed on Fridays before I reconverted our weekly holiday to Sunday, for which act he said he would present me with a rusted brass medal, is completely incapable of understanding the Muslim mind. He has often repeated himself by writing and rewriting the same two paragraphs : "Every citizen of this country who can read, write and think, can say without any fear of contradiction that it is, and always has been, the intent of all our leaders (barring the first), to enforce their will, to tailor the Constitution and all of the laws of the land and to interpret them to suit their own special needs so that they may remain in power for ever. During the early years, the leaders did make some sort of effort to pretend that they had the interests of the country and its people at heart, bogus though it may have been, but since 1971 even pretence has been discarded. Now, it is total blatant glasnost ; machinations, schemes and scams are publicly, fearlessly and contemptuously aired. "The whole wise world knows that whatsoever be the foundation of a democratic government, whether it be the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite, the Objectives Resolution, or whatever, the democratic grundnorm is firmly based on the belief expostulated by Jefferson: "that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Cowasjee has consistently maintained that Mohammad Ali Jinnah was our sole statesman and every leader who has followed him has been a good-for-nothing selfish uneducated man, a robber and a crook. One cannot deny him his right to his opinion. On the last of our Friday holidays , on February 21 1997, he wrote : "As for the new ringmaster, Nawaz, by now he must find himself walking a slack rope without either a pole to balance him or anyone handy to take up the slack. The ordinary citizen cannot afford the luxury of being a party to what he is likely to do, but he could write for Nawaz the speech he might give at the inaugural session of our latest National Assembly : " 'My dear countrymen, my fellow travellers, my brothers, my sisters, my supporters, my opponents : I stand before you as your leader. My aim is to save this country, bankrupted by the excesses of the last three democratic governments - two of Benazir and one of mine. The president said that Benazir and her husband have robbed you , the people, of $1.5 billion, of which there is no proof. I must declare that my family, my friends and myself have been accused of robbing you, the people, of the lesser sum of $1 billion, of which there is also no proof. " 'However, I have vowed that my new government will not victimize anyone, friend or enemy, but, at the same time, will continue the process of accountability, barely started, and will spare no one, not even the president or my talented brother, Shahbaz. Cases in court against us and the Chaudhrys which have been adjourned for good reason will not be withdrawn. " 'The president has committed a gross indiscretion. Knowing how broke we are, just before Eid this month, he chose to fly in a 200- seater Boeing 707 to perform Umra at your expense. Had he felt that it was below his dignity to travel by PIA, or Saudia as I did, he could have arranged to charter a Tiger Moth. Vain pomp and glory we can no longer afford. I hold him accountable and will be asking him to make good our loss. In the interests of open government I will make the issue public. " 'Following Mr Jinnah, who said in his inaugural speech that his first priority was to maintain law and order, my government will ensure the safety of life and property and will take action against those responsible for political extra-judicial killings. The culprits will be found and punished, as will the killers of Editor Salahuddin, whose heirs suspect that it was the MQM that had him murdered, of Lawyer Nizam Ahmed and his son who it is suspected were murdered by the PPP, and the killers of Mir Murtaza the beloved brother of our former prime minister. " 'Congratulating me in the assembly on February 17, Benazir seemingly said that the goose that lays the golden eggs is now on a life-support system, the eggs broken and scrambled. Let us now unscramble them. The task is onerous but with help I can succeed. To work is a basic human need, which maxim we must heed and work harder. " 'Whatever I will do on the economic front will of necessity be harsh, stringent and incisive. The bitter pill will have to be swallowed for many a long year. " 'Not wishing to emulate Churchill, I offer you nothing but sweat, toil and tears. Again, not wishing to emulate Garibaldi, I say to anyone who loves his country - Follow me'." Now today I speak to you from heaven on earth, the Kingdom of my Brothers of Saudi Arabia. I am at peace with the world and the world I now know is at peace with me. I will soon be accommodated in my temporarily permanent abode, close to that of my Brother Field Marshal for Life Idi Amin Dada, VC, Iron Cross, Croix de Guerre, Purple Heart, who is in good health, well-fed and enjoying the company of his nineteen wives. Now, read on, and forgive me if you can. I was happily spending my life as the son of a blacksmith when in 1981 I was picked up by none other than the Doon School educated General Ghulam Jilani, army dictator-general Zia-ul-Haq's chief spymaster, and installed as the finance minister of Punjab. In 1985 I was made chief minister of my province and in 1990 prime minister of my country. Because of a silly misunderstanding I was removed from that position in 1993, but brought back again by the army in 1996. During each of my terms in office I made as much money as possible and to the best of my ability helped my family and friends follow suit. After all, of what use was it being in power if I could not use it to my advantage ? Some termed this corruption, but most of my fellow travellers in Pakistan voiced no objections. By picking me up in 1981 the army did not do anything which by their standards was unique. In the 1950s, President Colonel Iskander Mirza and Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army General Ayub Khan picked up a stray named Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. How much did he rob and plunder? And did he not lose half our country before he was hanged by General Zia-ul-Haq ? His legacy persists, and the present army is quite capable of making peace with his daughter, the incompetent and corrupt Benazir, and of installing her yet again as prime minister, of pardoning and freeing her husband and allowing her to have him by her side as her minister of plunder. The third army pick-up was Altaf Hussain of the terrorist party, the MQM. How many people have suffered at its hands, how many has it killed and maimed, how much did it rob ? Now, having been deprived of a lucrative job, arrested, tried, and imprisoned by the same army which picked me up, I have managed to extricate myself from my dire predicament. I have been sold by the generals for more than my weight in gold. The country will benefit from the gift of free oil from my Saudi brothers, oil which costs millions of dollars a day, which gift will continue to flow for as long as I am at liberty. My brothers have also sent Ali Reza of HUBCO to strike a settlement of that ongoing bitter dispute. As you all know, apart from Benazir and a few Egyptians of the World Bank, I was also involved in the shady deal made between the government of Pakistan and HUBCO. However, now I will indirectly be the saviour in the matter. I have aided in the destruction of my country, I have robbed the national till, but all has now been made good. The moral of the story, my brothers and sisters, is that success and luck lies in the choice of one9s friends. Can Benazir, Asif or Altaf Bhai boast of friends who will pay billions to rescue them ? My friends from the Holy Land, God bless them, have prevailed upon General Pervez Musharraf to maintain my honour and not speak out about terms of the ransom agreed. As payment is being made by the day, I am worth more to my country alive than dead. If Allah should will it, as said Colonel Douglas MacDonald of Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1942 when he was forced to leave Corregidor, "I shall return". Until then, Pakistan Paindabad. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- As spoke not Zarathustra ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ayaz Amir I HAVE come to the reluctant conclusion that there is no point in analyzing this government's actions according to common standards of right and wrong, so profound being this government's divorce from reality. People are concerned about other things. Our generals are operating on a wavelength all their own. There is little sign this gulf will ever close. Just consider the flow of the General's arguments in his speech Thursday evening. At one point he said he feared no one except God and said the decision to let Nawaz Sharif go was not due to any panic. In almost the same breath he denounced Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto for trying to come together (in the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy) in order to loot the country once again. If nothing else, does not this textual evidence betray the suspicion that the General might have been protesting too much? Who helps him with his speeches? But this is nitpicking. Instead of answering public concerns expressed in the wake of the Sharifs' great escape, the General merely reinforced the impression that like so many other things he and his colleagues had muffed this issue as well. The justifications offered were poor and would not satisfy the chairman of a union council: the departure of the Sharifs would usher in a new era of confrontation-free politics; it would be to the economic good of the country. Outwardly the General was calm. In his starched commando uniform he even looked impressive and stern. But this impression might best have been left for parachute jumping. It was of little help in a speech resting on weak arguments and riddled with inconsistencies. There was also in it the rhetorical device to which most Pakistani rulers resort when they are in difficulties. General Musharraf said that the Almighty had chosen him to lead the Pakistani nation and it was the Almighty Who would guide him in this endeavour. In the lexicon of Pakistani leadership this is the oldest trick. If General Musharraf can use this argument, cannot Benazir and Nawaz Sharif say that they too were the chosen of the Almighty? And what about the more rounded scoundrels of Pakistani history - Yahya and Zia? Faith in God is the necessary weapon of every Muslim but why must it be used to condone failure? We are all here because of a grand design. So at least we believe. But how does this circumstance mitigate individual sin and folly? In truth, however, I no longer have the heart to criticize this military government. It was fun doing so when people were looking upon General Musharraf as a messiah and expecting him to perform miracles. But when criticism of its performance has become near- universal there is no fun in joining the pack and running with the rest of the hounds. This government has been a disaster, no doubt about it. But at the same time, exceptions apart, it has not been a vicious or cruel government. Whether the times make repression more difficult I cannot say. But this much I can aver that as a journalist I have never felt more free or unfettered as during this period of extended ineptitude. During Nawaz Sharif's time I may not have deserved the midnight knock but I feared it. Not any more. I therefore have a vested interest in the continuation of this freedom and would hate to see it go under. At this point may I be permitted to say that I have few illusions about press freedom. In their giddier moments journalists are wont to say they won this freedom through hard and protracted struggle. If so, I must have missed this Long March. Most newspapers that we now see got permission to publish in the Zia regime. Press curbs that remained were lifted by the interim government installed after Zia's death. As I say, if there was any life-and-death struggle for press freedom I missed it. They say that the freest period in Russia was the Kerensky interlude between the fall of the Czarist monarchy and the triumph of the Bolshevik Revolution. Political activity was free and papers could publish what they liked. And although Lenin went into hiding the Bolshevik party preached revolution. In darker moments I am assailed by the thought that we are living through similar times, a discredited democracy having come to its natural death, an interlude of gathering uncertainty and freedom and ahead a dark future. In Russia's case the future was the long night of Stalinism. What might it be in our case? When out for my lonely evening walks I sometimes think Stalinism to be the right medicine for us (provided of course I was not touched by its terror). But Stalinism and the transformation of Russia was not the work of pygmies. It was wrought by giant hands. Where are the giant hands in our puny and confused Republic? Stalinism or its oriental variant, Khomeinism, are therefore out as political options. What then remains? A choice between a pallid democracy, bumbling militarism and a crude fundamentalism, the last taking heart from the weakening writ of the Pakistani state and the triumph of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Note in the context of the last of these choices Qazi Hussain Ahmed's soaring vituperation. No one before him has ever called in quite the same words for the overthrow of a ruling general. Or termed a ruling general as a security risk. I can lay any bet that the Jamaat-i-Islami or anything like it will never come to power in Pakistan. The anger of the Furies cannot go that far. A Jamaat- dominated university or college is no place for learning. I shudder to think what a Jamaat-dominated country would be like. Certainly not worth living in. Still, it is a mark of the times that a political leader should be giving such open calls to sedition and rebellion. Another throwback to the anarchic freedom of the Kerensky era. Many of the leading lights in this dispensation I personally know. This after all is my generation coming of age and coming to power - and making such a hash of both. Mahmood, master of ISI and the man who got things moving on October 12, was a year senior to me at Lawrence College. Amjad, formerly of NAB and now corps commander Multan, was also a year above me. Farooq Adam who has now left NAB was our senior by several years. Ehsan who now commands MI was with me at Kakul. Tanvir Naqvi I and many others were impressed by when we heard him talking during General Beg's Zarb-I-Momin exercise. General Musharraf I have had the privilege of meeting once or twice. He is what he comes across, a man without subterfuge (although for his sake and ours I wish he had some in him). Individually, all fine men. Collectively, a disaster. If Major Nadir Pervaiz and the others had succeeded in overthrowing Bhutto in 1973 (the Attock Conspiracy Case) we would have seen much the same results because putschism is a dry political vessel and no answer to Pakistan's problems. Still I ask, why are these men, all sound professionals, so clueless about politics? Do they have no idea of what they are doing and what opprobrium they are bringing on the army's head? They must get their act together or we've had it. The Kerensky period was good while it lasted. But after that came the deluge. Why are these generals obsessed with politician-bashing? Why do they ignore the need for wise political counsel? Akbar had his Nine Jewels. Are these men greater than Akbar? The curtains have to be drawn around this shambles and the country taken out of the woods. But first this dyarchic method of government must end whereby corps commanders are acting like so many petty governors. To each his own. The corps commanders had better look to their troops while administration and road-inspecting were best left to others. And then, if the Fates be kind, a game-plan for democracy. None of this is complicated mathematics. But for some odd reason the generals of my generation are having a hard time grasping even the rudiments of politics. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Days of rage ------------------------------------------------------------------- Irfan Husain IN the current carnage in Palestine, we have become so hardened to the images and descriptions of barbarity and bloodshed that we often only count the casualties in terms of the dead and the wounded. To remind us of the human dimension of the tragedy, and to bear witness to the injustice being perpetrated against the Palestinian people by Israel, and to only a slightly lesser extent, by the rest of the world, Ahdaf Soueif ventures into the heart of darkness. The gifted Egyptian writer (now settled in England) is the author of Sandpiper, In the Eye of the Sun and, recently, The Map of Love and has published her searing impressions of her journey to Jerusalem and the West Bank in two recent issues of The Guardian. In many ways, Soueif is the ideal person to undertake this wrenching journey: a practising Muslim, she has been educated in England and is intimately familiar with the idiom of secularism. With courage and honesty, she explores the trauma that has shaped the intellectual and emotional response of two generations of Muslims towards the West. However, there is no attempt at academic objectivity here: Soueif declares her sympathies in the opening paragraph of her narrative: "I have never, to my knowledge, seen an Israeli except on television. I have never spoken to one. I cannot say I wanted to. My life, like the life of every Egyptian of my generation, has been overcast by the shadow of Israel. I have longed to go to Palestine, but have not wished to go to Israel. And now I am going there." I, too, have long wished to visit Jerusalem, but have vowed not to set foot in the city as long as it is an occupied territory. No doubt I will be long dead before it is liberated, but given Israel's short-sighted policies of violent land-grabbing and overbearing arrogance, I can see a point of time in this century when the effete and supine Arab governments will be forced by their own populations to adopt a firmer stance against the occupying power. In the not-too-distant future, Muslim voters in America will get more organized and lobby for a more even-handed Middle East policy. Once Israel can no longer count on Washington's blind financial, military and diplomatic support, it will be forced to review its actions and policies. These changes will take time, but Israel's current bully-boy tactics have made them inevitable.In many ways the ancient city of Al-Khalil (or Hebron) typifies the Israel- Palestinian conflict. A city of 40,000 is being forced to live under curfew to protect a maximum of 400 Israeli settlers. Twelve thousand children cannot go to school, and fifteen mosques have been closed down. Soueif describes the plight of a local taxi driver who broke the curfew to drive a woman home from the hospital after she had had a baby. Israeli soldiers slashed two tyres of his taxi, forcing the woman to walk home with her baby, and the driver to try and change his tyres. The settlers deliberately throw their weight around, provoking the Arabs, secure in the knowledge that they will be protected by Israeli soldiers. Muslims across the world have been dismayed and disgusted by the complicit attitude the West has adopted towards Israeli actions. They cannot fathom why the UN Security Council resolutions against the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait must be enforced rigorously and immediately, while SC Resolution 242 demanding that Israel returns to its pre-1967 boundaries can be wilfully and contemptuously ignored. Clearly, international morality and law is not equally applied. Paradoxically, the Palestinians with their stones and slings are viewed as the aggressors while the Israelis with their US-supplied arsenal of missiles and helicopter gunships are the victims. But as the casualties mount, Palestinian resolve is growing firmer: an unarmed uprising is being transformed into a low-intensity guerilla war with Israeli settlers and soldiers being increasingly targeted by Palestinian militants. And yet the West viewed Afghan freedom fighters with admiration as they fought the Soviet invaders of their land. Going back further in time, the French resistance fighters were heroes in the eyes of the West as they launched attacks on the Nazis. Others who have resisted foreign occupation have received praise and support. Why is it that almost uniquely, the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine is not condemned? Indeed, it is the Palestinian resistance that is criticized, and the Palestinians are daily urged to accept whatever bits of land and scraps of autonomy the Israelis are generous enough to offer in a final settlement. In Oslo, Arafat inexplicably accepted that Israel would control access to the towns his Palestinian Authority controlled, and his people would have to show their ID cards to Israeli soldiers. Now they have simply blocked this access and it is at these choke- points that clashes occur daily. These are the battle-lines where over 300 Palestinians have been killed and thousands of others wounded. Westerners often ask why parents permit teenagers to go out and join the intifada, implying that they do not care for their children as much as Europeans and Americans do. They ignore the fact that it is impossible to keep kids locked up in small houses for weeks on end. Often, children returning from school join the crowds confronting the Israeli army. As one mother tells Soueif: "We do not send our children to the Israeli soldiers! The soldiers come to us!" It is easy to demonize all Israelis, tarring them with the same brush of brutality and arrogance. But the truth is that except for the soldiers and settlers who are in regular contact with the Palestinians, most Israelis living at a distance from the occupied areas simply ignore the problem. Liberals among them would be happy to hand over the settlements and accept a Palestinian state. But even the most liberal Israeli will not accept that Jerusalem could become a shared capital between the two people. And as long as Washington continues its knee-jerk support of this position, it is difficult to see how this deadlock can be broken. Americans are often puzzled by the depth of resentment and hatred they encounter in much of the Muslim world. They see themselves as even-handed referees in the Middle East conflict and benefactors of countries like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. For Muslims generally, and the younger generation specially, the creation of Israel and the decades of humiliation at its hand can be directly attributed to American policies. Indeed, in Muslim eyes the Zionist state is an adjunct of America, and is seen as a dagger planted in the heart of the Arab world. On her return to London, Soueif writes: "I am angrier than before I went. And more incredulous that what is happening in Palestine - every day - to men, women and children, should be allowed by the world to continue. The choices are in the hands of Israel. They can hand over the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem and live within their borders as a nation among nations. There are no choices for the people of Palestine."
SPORTS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Islah appointed director of international wing ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohammad Yaqoob LAHORE,Dec 21: Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui was appointed director of International Wing of the PHF while "Flying Horse" Samiullah was named director of the Domestic Wing. The announcement was made by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Brigadier Musarratullah Khan during a Press conference at a local hotel on Thursday. The PHF secretary also announced two years (2001-2002) international and domestic activity programme of the federation. BrigMusarratullah Khan said that, besides the international and domestic wings, three other wings had also been formed of the PHF as part of resurrecting of the game in the country. The PHF secretary said that Islahuddin would assist him in dealing with all the international home and away activities of the team. Samiullah would helped the PHF secretary in monitoring all the domestic activities, he added. Both the directors would be paid TA/DA, he said. The other three wings formed are technical, marketing and administrative but no director was appointed for these wings. He said that major reason behind the declining of standard of the game in Pakistan was lacking in expertise for which the technical wing was formed. To prepare well-trained coaches and umpires, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) had provided two technical experts, both from Netherlands, who would conduct courses for coaches and umpires, separately. Moris Hendrick would conduct the course for coaches at Lahore from Jan 10 to 24 while Peter Van Rath would organise course for umpires side-by- side the 48th National Hockey Championship at Lahore from Jan 14 to 24, the PHF secretary said. The PHF had invited all the 30 coaches, who had served the Pakistan team in this department but would only pick 15 from them to attend the course. Three more similar courses would be held for coaches before hosting the 23rd Champions Trophy which was scheduled to be held at Lahore from Nov 3 to 11. Only those would be appointed as coaches of Pakistan senior and junior teams who would attend these courses, he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001222 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Fit-again Shoaib eyes NZ, England ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Dec 21: Pace ace Shoaib Akhtar is back to full fitness in an ominous sign for New Zealand and England, who will host Pakistan in the new year. Shoaib said on Thursday he was bowling at full speed again after seven months out of the game due to injury. "I have been bowling in the nets for a week now and have found no problem. It looks like a rebirth for me," Akhtar told AFP. Tagged the "Rawalpindi Express" for his thunderbolts, Shoaib Akhtar has not played international cricket since May due to problems with his ribs, knees and shoulders. "I have missed a lot of cricket but the new year will definitely bring some good cricket for me. "I look forward to the New Zealand and England tours next year and will now try to maintain my fitness." Shoaib has clocked 99 miles (158.4 kilometres) per hour, close to the world bowling record of 99.6 miles per hour set by Australian firebrand Jeff Thomson in the 1970s. He is currently under the care of Tauseef Ahmed, a nutritionist and physical trainer, who says Shoaib is "totally reconstructed." "We have rectified all his problems and he can play anytime from now. He is a much better athlete now," Tauseef said. "Shoaib Akhtar has broken two stumps with his deliveries in the nets and by that you can judge he is bowling at his fastest again. "We have six weeks before the New Zealand tour and in that time he will shape up to his best."-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001220 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Akram, Afridi clinch double wicket title ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Dec 19: Belligerent batting by Wasim Akram and Shahid Afridi carried Pakistan Blues to a thrilling 19-run victory over Pakistan Greens in the final of the Shell-Pepsi International Double Wicket Floodlit Cricket Championship which concluded at the National Stadium in the early hours of Tuesday. Aggressive Afridi produced highly entertaining and enterprising batting display to grab $500 Man-of-the-Match award both in the semi-final and the final. After smashing a pugnacious 102 off 39 balls with 11 boundaries and eight sixes in the semi-final against New Zealand, Afridi hammered 95 in 39 balls with eight boundaries and seven sixes in the final. The strong crowd of over 15,000 turned wild amid flurries of sixes and fours in a blazing batting display. Some of sixes landed in the stands. Batting first, Pakistan Blues powered to 162 for five in stipulated 12 overs. They finished with a net total of 112 after being dismissed five times. Afridi was dismissed three times in his brisk 95. Wasim Akram blasted 61 with eight boundaries and a six off 37 balls but got out twice. Aamir Sohail took four for 84 with his left arm spin. The Pakistan Greens pair of Aamir Sohail and Abdur Razzaq were cruising towards victory with 25 required in the last two overs. But Aamir was brilliantly run out off a direct throw from Mohammad Masroor in the 11th over. The left-handed Aamir was in punishing mood hitting 66 off 45 balls with five huge sixes and five boundaries. But in the process he got out four times, becoming Wasim's victim on three occasions.-APP ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
Dawn page
Webbed by Philip McEldowney
Last update:
.