------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 18 November 2000 Issue : 06/44 -------------------------------------------------------------------
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CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + IDEAS-2000 ends with aerobatics show + Saudi Arabia, Malaysia interested in Agosta + Al-Khalid's mass production soon: Sanctions not to hit defence + Govt rules out opening of border for Afghan DPs + Closure of border not to affect ties: Afghan FM + Pakistan ban on Afghan DPs defended + Foreign delegates call on Musharraf + Ordinance for quick disposal of default cases + Pakistan asks UN to send peace force + Pakistan rejects Indian allegation in helicopter crash + Pakistan, India urged to work on nuclear risk reduction + Govt may enforce dumping laws soon + EC rejects Nadra voters' list: LB polls on old rolls + PML decision on GDA on 20th --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + Bandwidth rates will be slashed to $3000 for ISPs + Ishrat hopeful about IMF loan: No to short-term debt + NBP to check money laundering + Ex-RCB official gets 3-year term + Lack of funds a snag in scientific development: CE + WAPDA seeks 51 paisa increase in rate + Oil, gas exploration accords signeds + Sindh to incur Rs2 billion subsidy on wheat + Provinces refused additional funds + Banks agree to roll over $1 billion FCY funds --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Once upon a time Ardeshir Cowasjee + Poverty of collective imagination Ayaz Amir + Reinventing the wheel Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + Saqlain scoops career best 8 wickets in first test match + Slow bowlers expected to dominate the proceedings + Miandad pulls out of selection body
=================================================================== DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- IDEAS-2000 ends with aerobatics show ------------------------------------------------------------------- SONMIANI (Balochistan), Nov 17: The four-day international defence exhibition ended here with an impressive aerobatics show at the Pakistan Air Force tactical range here on Friday. "It was a joint venture of army and air-force in which tanks and fighter planes and Super Mushshak trainers participated," an official told AFP. He said the Al-Khalid and Al-Zarar tanks, built with Chinese assistance, fired at designated targets and proved to be the main attraction. Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are among several countries to have shown interest in buying arms from Pakistan, officials told the French news agency. "Saudi Arabia is interested in the Mushshak trainer aircraft and Malaysia is keen on anti-tank missile systems and the Agosta submarines," said Maj-Gen Ali Hamid, chief coordinator of the show. The exhibition, the first of its kind in Pakistan, was attended by defence chiefs and ministers from some 40 countries, it said. APP adds: The aerobatics, air-to-ground, ground-to-ground and ground-to-air fire display impressed the foreign dignitaries. Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf was the chief guest on the occasion. Foreign delegates, diplomats, and experts commended the achievements made by Pakistan in the field of defence production. The joint display started at 10am with the two 35-year-old F-6 planes, presenting salute to the participants at Sonminani. The indigenously-developed 'Super Mushshak' plane presented dazzling aerobatics, which was followed by the Karakoram-8, advanced trainer aircraft, presenting a very high rate of rolls of 300 degree a second. A single Mirage aircraft passed through with a supersonic speed creating an impression as if a bomb had exploded with a bang. The commentator announced that Pakistan was carrying out modifications and overhauls of engines, airframe and avionics of the aircraft at PAC Kamra. It followed the firing demonstration by the indigenously-developed T-59M-II (Al-Zarrar), which is ranked among the most modern tanks. The trawler anti-mine's (TAM) demonstration registered complete success when it minutely exploded two anti-tank mines. The firing of ANZA (locally-developed ground-to-air missile system) was also demonstrated. Another battle tank T-85 (Al-Khalid) also pounded a number of shells on the targets hidden behind a thick wall of the bushes. The "Baktar Shikan" (ground-to-ground missile), used for destroying the thick-walled rolling stock besides tanks and other machinery, was also demonstrated. The last round of the aerial display and firing demonstration comprised over the pounding of high and medium intensity bombs, shells, and firing of rounds. Chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Pervaiz Mehdi Qureshi, Naval chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza, governors of Sindh and Balochistan, federal ministers and senior officials from the three forces and civil administration were also present, besides noted scientists Dr Qadeer Khan and Dr Samar Mubarakmand. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001117 ------------------------------------------------------------------- S. Arabia, Malaysia interested in Agosta ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Shamim-ur-Rahman KARACHI, Nov 16: Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have expressed interest in Pakistan's expertise for building the French-designed Agosta 90- B submarines and explored the possibilities for striking a deal in this regard. This was stated by the naval chief, Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza while briefing newsmen on navy's efforts for self-reliance at the media centre of Ideas 2000 defence exhibition on Thursday. "We have been successful in the sale of midgets and we are also exploring the possibility of selling Agosta 90-B submarines to a regional country," he said. Admiral Mirza added that Saudi Arabia and Malaysia were interested in the product. Qatar was also a buyer of Pakistan-built midgets, he said. Delegation of these countries visited the surface ships and submarine rebuild and manufacturing facilities at the naval dockyard. He said that any tri-lateral deal with regard to Agosta 90-B would not only boost Pakistan's image and credibility in international market, but also help in earning sizable foreign exchange, required for future development programmes of the services. A deal in this regard would also result in considerable savings for the prospective buyers, he added. Admiral Mirza said the navy was looking for regional and other markets for its products. He said that the second Agosta, now being built at the dockyard, would be delivered in 2002 and the third would be commissioned in 2004. Over 750 people were working on the project. Of them 500 had been trained in France, he added. As the production gathers momentum, "we will certainly go for deletions for producing spare parts, which will enable us to reduce dependence on others", the admiral said. He said Pakistan believed in transfer of technology and told a questioner that we have paid for all the assistance on transfer of technology to France, which figured out at $1 billion and with mark-up came at $1.4 billion. It included expenses incurred on setting up of workshops and upgradation of the shipyard. Pakistan's public sector defence companies and overhaul rebuild capabilities were engaged in a wide-range of activities that could be utilized by friendly nations, he said. Mr Mirza maintained that owing to the prevailing regional environment the outlay on defence was high and the expenditure could be off set by commercializing the defence industry and other allied sectors like training and repair/maintenance facilities. The navy, he said, had gone in a big way for indigenization in shipbuilding with Chinese assistance. He said those countries, who were using similar type of vessels, could also benefit from Pakistan's expertise for training of its personnel besides repair and maintenance of the vessels. Replying to a question about grounding of French-built P-3 Orion reconnaissance plane, the naval chief said those were being conserved for use in emergency. He added that because of the international sanctions in 1998 there were some difficulties with regard to its spares. Therefore, it was decided to conserve our energy. "But if needed we can fly the plane," he said. The French authorities had come under pressure from the European Union, after 1998, but that was a temporary phase which was over and "we have the best of relationship", the admiral said Responding to a question with regard to the possibility of Karachi's blockade by India the naval chief said, "we can give you assurance this situation will not arise and there is no possibility of Karachi's blockade." He said as Pakistan could not compare ship-to-ship or man-to-man with India, the strategy, based on "selective deterrence", had given a definite edge to it in selected areas. Admiral Mirza said, Pakistan had acquired superior submarine technology, like Agosta class submarines besides ships and petrol boats, and was able to manufacture spare parts from its own expertise and those based on transfer of technology. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001116 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Al-Khalid's mass production soon: Sanctions not to hit defence: CE ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Shamim-ur-Rahman KARACHI, Nov 15: Pakistan will soon start mass production of Al- Khalid battle tank which will symbolize its capability in defence field domestically and internationally. This was stated by the chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf while talking to newsmen after visiting the Ideas 2000 defence exhibition and seminar at the Expo Centre here on Wednesday. The 46 tone, three-man tank has a maximum speed of 65 kilometres an hour and a cruising range of 400 kilometres. "Pilot production of nine tanks is now in progress and mass production will start next year," said the chief executive. He said that Al-Khalid was one of the top tanks of the world, equipped with modern armoury. The tank had been developed with Chinese assistance. Gen Musharraf, who had earlier seen the mobility and static display of the locally-manufactured hardware, referred to the development of Al-Khalid and Al-Zarrar tanks as well as the APC. He said India had spent 25 years on the development of Arjun tank, which was rejected by its army because of its heavy weight of over 58 tons. Its system was defective and mobility was not upto the mark owing to which it bogged down in the operational terrain. Consequently India had to import Russian tanks. He said Al-Khalid was initiated in 1991 and today it was one of the best and lightest tanks in the world, which would be the main battle tank of the Pakistan army, said Gen Musharraf, adding that the project would also save millions in foreign exchange. He disclosed that Al-Khalid was 47 tons, having the best gun in the world of 125-millimetres with the best fire control and night vision system besides excellent armour protection. He was of the view that the two-year sanctions, imposed on Pakistan following nuclear tests in May 1998, would have not effect on the country's defence and export of weapons. "US sanctions will not stop us building our own defence products and exporting them to the international market," he said. "We have demonstrated a poor nation's option for acquiring required weapons", he said adding, "we have reached a stage where we find that the defence production is worth showing." He said there were positive indications that the exhibition would generate economic interest in Pakistan and it would be an initiator of more such ventures in various fields of production. But, the CE said, he could not quantify the earnings from export of defence equipment. The chief executive also referred to development of advanced electronic devices, guns, and other weapon system through reverse engineering. Referring to his meeting with some of the foreign delegates Gen Musharraf was hopeful about the outcome in the near future. He was sure that the share of defence equipment in exports would increase significantly, but he could not quantify in terms of money. "We should earn in billions", he said, hoping that this year Pakistan's total exports would cross the level of $10 billion. He called for aggressive marketing for the country's defence production. Replying to a question he said there was no restriction on Pakistan on indigenization and "we will make what is required by us." Earlier, Gen Musharraf visited various pavilions, met foreign delegations and witnessed mobility demonstration on the second day of the exhibition. At the mobility demonstration there was also a display of infantry weapons and equipment and armoured personnel carrier (APC) with 12.7mm machine gun, manufactured by the Pakistan Ordnance Factory. Agencies add: Pakistan would soon have a defence export and exhibition directorate to be located in Rawalpindi, displaying defence products, disclosed the Gen Musharraf. Much of Pakistan's advanced weaponry has been built with Chinese cooperation, including nuclear capable, long-range missiles and the new Al-Khalid battle tank. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001116 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt rules out opening of border for Afghan DPs ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Nov 15: The government announced on Wednesday that under the present circumstances it would not open its borders for Afghan refugees despite Kabul's request. Speaking at a news briefing, Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Abbas Sarfraz, who also deals with refugees' issue in the country, said that Pakistan was monitoring the situation closely and only if human catastrophic conditions developed inside Afghanistan then it would review its decision. "Pakistan cannot solve this refugees problem on its own. The international community needs to come forward with lots of financial assistance to address this issue," Sarfraz said, adding that Pakistan had its own problems so it could not be pushed around by anyone neither could its territory be used to dump everyone. "We won't allow a free-for-all situation. There is a need to take hard decisions and swallow bitter pills," the minister said while showing his complete dissatisfaction over the international community's apathy towards the resolution of Afghan refugees problem. Sarfraz cited economic reasons and law and order situation in Pakistan as the main problems which forced the government to take the latest decision. In view of the large number of Afghans trying to seek refuge in Pakistan, he said the government was trying to regulate the traffic to ensure that refugee status was given to only those who were genuinely displaced. The government, he informed, was considering placing scrutiny committees comprising government and UNHCR officials to verify the antecedents of those wanting to seek refuge and to desist economic migrants etc from entering Pakistan. The UNHCR has been requested to establish camps for the displaced persons within Afghanistan to restrain those not entitled to refugee status from entering Pakistan. "We have also requested the UNHCR and the WFP to provide assistance to the displaced persons in the proposed camps", he disclosed. The Afghan refugees, the minister said, were suffering primarily because of the apathy of some of the rich nations. "Regularly reducing aid to them for any reasons is in no way going to make them go back," Sarfraz said, adding, "Pakistan in spite of hosting the largest population of refugees, this year received 1.7 per cent of UNHCR's total budget." Under the present circumstances it was essentially required that additional funds were provided for the fresh arrivals of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Sarfraz pleaded. The government, he said, was pursuing a two-pronged strategy which discouraged fresh arrivals but treated existing refugees in a civilised manner and trying to get them repatriated with full honour. The minister refused to accept the general impression that Afghan refugees dispersed all over the country had any role in the deterioration of the law and order situation. Secretary Kashmir Affairs Javed Akram, who was assisting the minister in the press briefing, told newsmen that the official figures showed that only 3 per cent crimes were committed by the Afghan nationals. The minister acknowledged that dispersion of the refugees all over Pakistan was a cause of concern but he said there were no quick fixes to such problems.He said the government had no intention to pull the Afghans out of the settled areas and confined them to refugees camps. "The problem needs to be addressed through a well thought out long-term strategy," he argued. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Closure of border not to affect ties: Afghan FM ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent QUETTA, Nov 17: The United States has no justification for attacking Afghanistan on the pretext of the presence of Osama bin Laden the Saudi billionaire, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, Wakil Ahmed Mutawakil, said while talking to newsmen in Quetta on his return from the OIC conference in Doha on Friday. The minister said that there was no change in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan after the closure of the border, conceding that it was an internal problem if Pakistan refuses entry to Afghan refugees. He said that there were no terrorist camps in Afghanistan, nor was there an agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan to extradite criminals and fugitives from justice between the two countries. Mr Wakil Ahmed Mutawakil said that both the countries would continue cooperation between the two countries as good neighbours as any conflict would not hamper their cordial relations. He said that the Afghan government was trying to improve its relations with the other countries as he represented his country at the OIC summit as an observer, interacting with the brotherly countries. The Afghan foreign minister said that the Afghan emirate has banned cultivation of poppy, thus the Islamic countries should help Afghanistan in its crop substitution programme. He sought material help for displaced persons affected in the Afghan civil war, and also for the Afghan refugees still residing in Pakistan. Mr Wakil sought a role for OIC countries to facilitate talks between Afghanistan and its Northern opponents, and has been seeking a ban on all military supplies to Afghanistan's opponents. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001112 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan ban on Afghan DPs defended ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report PESHAWAR, Nov 11: NWFP Governor Lt Gen Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Saturday defended ban on more Afghan refugees and said "it is based on the realization that the province can not bear the burden of more arrivals due to its financial constraints". Talking to newsmen here he clarified that the ban had no nexus with any effort of the government to expel Afghan refugees already lodged in the province. He said there was pressure on the government from local businessmen and the general public for imposing restrictions on the movement of refugees and also to stop their fresh flow. "Our action was also prompted by the press reports of huge exodus of people from Afghanistan," he said adding the step was also influenced by the reports that terrorist may be entering Pakistan in the garb of Afghan refugees. The governor said, "the decision was well thought out and in the larger interest of the people and it was taken after consultation and getting the positive nod from the chief executive". He clarified that there was no discrimination between the supporters of northern alliance or the Taliban as the impression was being created by media. Referring to the UNHCR objection to the decision, the governor said, "why don't they (UN) arrange the same facilities across the border which they were offering on this side of the border. We have our own problems and we have to tackle them according to our own circumstances," he added. Gen Iftikhar said, "we are already shouldering the burden of some two million Afghan refugees whose presence entails special social and economic problems as such we are unable to absorb more of them." Answering a question he said the performance of his cabinet was under constant watch and anyone found lacking would be sent home. He however hinted an increase of at least couple of more ministers to shed some burden from over-worked ministers. When asked as to what changes he had brought during his three months in power in terms of betterment of civic facilities in the provincial metropolis, the governor admitted his failure in doing anything worthwhile because of financial crunch. The governor admitted communication gap during the recent jail unrest and attributed the incident to the reaction of some miscreants who were affected by the actions of the jail superintendent. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001117 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreign delegates call on Musharraf ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Our Reporter KARACHI, Nov 16: The chief executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, met a number of delegations at the exhibition and discussed with them matters of mutual interest. Those who met Gen Musharraf, included Ukraine's first deputy chairman of national security council, Bosnia's defence minister, Malaysia's air chief, Qatar's chief of staff and French rear admiral. He also visited the international pavilions where foreign manufacturers had displayed their products. The chief executive also visited pavilions of the Chinese manufacturers many of who were engaged in joint ventures with Pakistan, such as K-8 jets, tanks and other military vehicles, avionics, shipping and other related fields. He also visited the stalls of French, Italian, Swiss and other European manufacturers of defence equipment and was briefed on their performance. At the Ukraine stall he was assured of fulfilment of agreements already signed with Pakistan besides meeting future requirements. During his visit the London-based regional sales director of the RBR International, Ridha Mahjoub, offered to invest one million pound sterling for setting up a factory in Pakistan to manufacture bullet-proof personal protection jackets being used by the military and police personnel. Mr Mahjoub said he was willing to enter into collaboration with the public sector in this regard if the chief executive approved it. APP adds: At each stall the chief executive showed keen interest in the products on display and made searching queries about their operational performances. At hall 1 and 3 where European companies as well as China, Turkey and Ukraine had set up their stalls, the particular interest were DCN International, RBR International, Litton Italia, Alcatel, Kharkov Morozov Machine-building, Mass International, Hueawei Technologies, Gerrett Electronics, FIAR the co-venturer with Pakistan for Grifo-7 Radar, James Info Group, Marine Group, Cos- Mo.s. Italy, Rom Arm, Romania. DCN International is the commercial branch of DCN, the French naval shipbuilding company whose expertise is demonstrated in every field of technology. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ordinance for quick disposal of default cases ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rafaqat Ali ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The President on Friday promul-gated the 'Non- Performing Assets and Rehabilitation of Industrial Undertaking (Legal Proceeding) Ordinance, 2000,' providing a mechanism for quick disposal of bank default cases. The ordinance, called Corporate and Industrial Restructuring Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2000, provides a legal framework for the recovery of stuck-up loans. Law Minister Aziz A. Munshi told Dawn that the law removed fears of the investors and at the same time, it reassured the bank of realization of what was due. The minister said that the law intended to rehabilitate economy and it provided legal remedy and protection to both borrowers and banks. Under the new ordinance, the defaulters whose cases are pending the courts will be entitled to get the outstanding amount recalculated from the State Bank's verification committee. Sources said that the law was drafted in the light of the military leadership's considered opinion that figures quoted by banks with regard to stuck-up loans were highly exaggerated. The law provides that the court, which is seized of any of the loan default case, would be empowered to refer the matter to the verification committee for fresh determination of defaulted amounts. The law provides that banks, while trying to recover defaulted loans, would make all possible efforts for reviving the sick unit. The verification committee would consist of a senior officer of the State Bank, and two chartered accountants nominated by the SBP governor and one chartered accountant nominated by the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan, Karachi. The verification committee will examine the case of fraud, mis- representation, breach of any provision of law regarding the calculation, existence and repayment of a financial obligation, outstanding loan, mark-up or interest, and correct determination and calculation. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001113 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan asks UN to send peace force ------------------------------------------------------------------- DOHA, Nov 12: Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on Sunday reiterated Pakistan's unflinching support to the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people. In a statement at the evening session of the 9th Islamic Summit, devoted exclusively to the crisis in the Middle East, the Chief Executive said this motivation was driven by the same conviction and commitment that determines Pakistan's resolve to defend its own independence. "We uphold and support the right of the Palestinians to establish an independent state in Palestine," he told the leaders of the 56- member organisation. The Chief Executive said the Israeli design to annex Al-Quds Al- Sharif is contrary to the principles of justice. Al-Quds, he declared, must return to the Palestinian sovereignty and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland must be respected. "These demands are rooted in international law and morality, universally accepted norms and decisions of the United Nations," Gen Musharraf said. Pakistan, he said, salutes the farsighted leadership of Chairman Yasser Arafat who has been equally brave in negotiations and as a legendary freedom fighter. The Chief Executive said Pakistan applauded the strategic choice Arafat and his colleagues made for pursuing the cause of Palestinians liberation through negotiations and trust in international mediation. "This is a sombre undertaking which has tested their patience and restraint in the extreme," the Chief Executive maintained. In the present crisis when Israel has opted to act with arrogance and brute force, the Palestinians need our steadfast support, said the Chief Executive. He called for demonstrating unity and sagacity as the best way to serve the Palestinian cause. "We must send a strong message that in our heart and soul one billion Muslims are with their Palestinian brothers." General Pervez Musharraf said the peace process would be meaningful only if Israel respects and implements all existing agreements and time frames for a comprehensive settlement. The peace process, he argued, could not be compartmentalised. "For durable peace in the Middle East, first and foremost, the historical injustice in Palestine must be addressed," he said adding that OIC message should clearly identify the costs of Israeli intransigence and violence to the world and the danger posed to regional and international peace. The Chief Executive declared that the people of Pakistan espoused the Palestinian cause when they were struggling for their own independence. "Part of our national ethos, our support for the legitimate cause of the Palestinian people is strong and abiding. We are confident they will prevail." General Musharraf said the daily massacres of Palestinians by the ruthless Israel military machine have caused outrage worldwide. "It has shocked all those who reposed hope in the success of the peace process," he stated. Condemnation of Israel by the overwhelming majority of the UN reflects global sentiment, he said. The Chief Executive demanded immediate end to Israeli violence and urged the UN to dispatch a peace force to save innocent Palestinians from Israeli crimes. "We in the Muslim world with strong ties of history and culture are deeply pained and agitated. We have come to Doha to demonstrate solidarity with our Palestinian brothers." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001115 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan rejects Indian allegation in helicopter crash ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Nov 14: Navy Chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza on Tuesday rejected speculations about Pakistan's involvement in an Indian Air Force helicopter crash near the border. "This is out of the question. Pakistan is not involved in the incident," Admiral Mirza told reporters here. He said Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes had also ruled out any Pakistani involvement. India has launched an investigation into Sunday's crash, 90 kilometres south of the Gujarat district of Nalia, in which seven of the 12 military personnel on board had perished. Indian Air Force chief A.Y. Tipnis suspected the helicopter might have been shot down. "It is premature to say so at this moment, but that's one of the things we will investigate," Tipnis said on Monday. The Indian Air Force was recovering on Tuesday the wreckage of the helicopter near the Pakistan border. "We are not ruling out anything," IAF spokesman Squadron Leader R.K. Dhingra said, adding that a court of inquiry had been set up to determine the cause of the crash. Dhingra said the helicopter had been hovering over three unidentified fishing boats in the marshy area when the incident had occurred. "The surviving co-pilot said they had descended to 50 metres above sea level and were settling over the three boats. "The next thing he remembers was being in the water," Dhingra said. Four helicopters were working to winch up the wreckage on Tuesday, while navy divers sought to recover the dead bodies. "Examining the wreckage will be crucial to determining the cause," Dhingra said. Indian Air Force chief Tipnis, who visited the site of the crash and spoke to the co-pilot of the Russian made MI-8 helicopter, ruled out engine failure as a cause.-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001117 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan, India urged to work on nuclear risk reduction ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Our Reporter KARACHI, Nov 16: Pakistan and India were asked to work on nuclear risk reduction. This suggestion was made during a presentation on the last day of a two-day international seminar on defence production, being held in connection with Ideas-2000, on Thursday. The changing nature of the international arms market, role of private sector in defence technology and the significance of transfer of such technology to the Third World countries and a host of geo-political issues were focused upon. Owing to a major shift in geostrategy and the changing nature of warfare with more lethal weapons and growing cost-ineffectiveness of the military, it was emphasised that Pakistan should develop indigenous arms production base so that there was a civilian fallout from the technological developments in the military sector. In view of Pakistan's threat perception, which is focused on India in the backdrop of freedom struggle in Kashmir, it was emphasised that Pakistan's nuclear weapon status required a reframing of strategic doctrines and reshaping of policies. For Pakistan, there could not be a distinction between strategy and tactics as far as nuclear weapons were concerned. While Pakistan's primary security threat perception was from India, it should not ignore its western borders. The impact of resource constraints on the market trends was also examined in one of the presentations. It was noted that the international arms market was increasingly being driven by economic, rather than political considerations. Due to this attitudes and practices of arms manufacturers had come to resemble their civilian counterparts. In a presentation on the development of the aviation industry it was suggested that the Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, at Kamra, should be designated as the core unit of the envisaged aviation industry of the country. It was also suggested that all future aircraft deals be penned down with a precondition that the transfer of technology relating to manufacturing would be part of the overall package. It was also emphasised that a dedicated deletion of foreign vendor items should be initiated besides initiating a phased programme for the induction of generic aviation-related technologies, facilities and products be made and implemented. In order to develop the role of the private sector in defence production it was suggested that it should be provided the same facilities which were available to the state-owned enterprises in this sector. A detailed analysis was made of the changing trends in the international arms market. Now, instead of buying new equipment, many financially-constrained nations were looking to modernizing their existing inventories through upgrade packages which would give them increased combat capability. It was learnt that commercial off-the-shelf technologies were increasingly being used to meet military requirements. It was also noted that market pressures were forcing standardization in some product areas and strategic business alliances and joint ventures in others, were the order of the day. It was noted that the arms markets would increasingly lay more emphasis on international rather that domestic considerations, as was the case in the past. Domestic orders would remain important but would be increasingly eclipsed by the need to export because that is what would be needed in order to survive. As a consequence of this, off-shore production of military components might eventually become common place as was the case with consumer electronics, automobiles and civilian passenger aircraft. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001115 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt may enforce dumping laws soon ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Our Staff Reporter KARACHI, Nov 14: Commerce Minister Abdul Razzak Dawood has said that the anti-dumping law will be enforced from next month to protect the local industry. In a meeting with the members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Tuesday, he said that the associations and trade bodies would have to work in line with the government to prove the dumping of goods by foreign countries at cheaper rates. "We would have to prove the material injury to our industries at the international courts in case any country would challenge our dumping charges," he said adding that every industry should gear up its efforts in arranging relevant data, so that dumping duties could be imposed on solid grounds. Anti dumping law, which was initiated in 1996 to protect the domestic industries, could not be promulgated due to various reasons relating to the WTO, he said. Regarding other issues, he said the sugar prices would come down very soon as millers were expected to resume full-fledged cane crushing shortly. A KCCI member asked the minister to remove taxes and duties, which account for Rs8 per kg so that prices could be stabilized. The minister refused the proposal, saying, "I will not ask the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) for any tariff cut." On textile quota policy, he said we have already prepared a draft and invited comments from various associations. He said the policy would cover a period of three years. We like to wrap up the matter before Ramazan so that we could finalize it at a meeting in Karachi on November 25. In response to a demand for further slashing export refinance from eight per cent, he rejected the proposal of the business community. "It cannot be done right now," he added. He said IMF and other donor agencies are deadly against this facility, urging the government to do away with it but "we are fighting on it in Islamabad." On export credit guarantee scheme, he said a private company had been formed under the umbrella of this scheme, which would be operational from January next to help value added and garment sectors. Besides, a window of $150 million would also be available for exporters to benefit from this facility, in case they face any running capital problems. In order to increase exports of non-traditional items, Dawood said a Rs1 billion production facility and upgradation fund was set up, which would soon start working. Regarding SRO 417, he said the decision on this issue was delayed due to outdoor engagements of the finance minister and myself coupled with preparations of IDEAS 2000 exhibition. He said that there would be another round of meeting, shortly to finalize the decision. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001112 ------------------------------------------------------------------- EC rejects Nadra voters' list: LB polls on old rolls ------------------------------------------------------------------- Faraz Hashmi ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: The Election Commission of Pakistan has rejected the computerised voters lists prepared by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in view of large number of complaints of errors and omissions received from across the country, a spokesman for the Election Commission told Dawn on Saturday. The Commission has now decided to use voters lists prepared manually during census and later verified by the army in its door- to-door verification survey from Sept 25 to Oct 20. These manual lists would now be displayed in the 18 districts where local bodies elections are to be held on Dec 31, EC spokesman Kanwar Dilshad said. "Now elections will be held on the basis of lists prepared manually and not on the basis of computerized lists of Nadra," he said. He said Nadra had used the data of these manual lists for preparing the computerized lists but because of large-scale errors and omissions, the EC has decided to use the original manual lists for holding elections. The EC has also extended the date for filing claims or objections or applications for correction till Nov 16. The date for hearing the claims and objections on these lists has been extended to Nov 20. Two copies of the lists will be prepared for publication after the hearing of objections and claims, he said. The final lists would be available by Nov 28, the spokesman said. Asked whether rejection of Nadra lists could cause delay in elections, the spokesman replied in the negative. "There will be no delay in the election as we had kept enough cushion for such delays," he said. When asked whether the EC would also withdraw Urdu language lists from Sindh and replace them with Sindhi language lists, as was being demanded by the province, the spokesman said that Nadra and Sindhi Language Authority at present were engaged in discussions. "We hope they will find out a way for preparing the electoral rolls in Sindhi language," the spokesman said. This is the second time that the EC has extended the last date for filing of public claims. Earlier the last date of filing claims, objections or corrections was extended from Nov 7 to Nov 12. Originally Nov 7 was fixed as the last date for verification or correction of the electoral rolls DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001117 ------------------------------------------------------------------- PML decision on GDA on 20th ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: The Pakistan Muslim League has called a meeting of its central working committee on Nov 20 in the federal capital to decide joining of the Grand Democratic Alliance. The decision was taken at an informal meeting of senior party leaders, which was also attended by Kulsoom Nawaz. Party rebels, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Pervez Illahi and Ijazul Haq did not attend the meeting. They held their own meeting at Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's residence, which was attended among others by Pervez Illahi, Ijazul Haq, Mian Munir, Tariq Aziz, Humayun Akhtar and Maqbool Sheikh. "Had we gone to the meeting the PML would have been divided into two groups," Mr Hussain told reporters. "By staying away from the meeting, we have saved the party". But, the convener of the PML coordination committee, Raja Zafarul Haq said the "informal meeting", had been called just for holding consultations. "It was a consultative or preparatory meeting for the CWC meeting," Mr Haq said at a briefing. He recalled that it had been decided at the July 30 CWC meeting the party should contact all the political parties to adopt a common strategy for the restoration of democracy. Portraying a bleak picture of economy, social and political situation, the party convener said, the situation called for launching a joint struggle by all the political forces. When asked to comment on the refusal of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Pervez Illahi to attend the meeting, he said: "I pay tribute to them for their efforts to save the party from division." He today's meeting was held to avoid an embarrassing situation, which had been created at the July 30 meeting. Asked whether the PML leadership still considered Pakistan People's Party and Benazir Bhutto as a security risk for the country, Mr Haq said: "PPP is not a risk." Questioned whether the PML would also demand the release of Asif Ali Zardari, he said, "it is a judicial matter." Mr Hussain, who was critical of the informal meeting, said his group had no rift with any individual "but with a typical mind-set" and policies.
=================================================================== BUSINESS & ECONOMY DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bandwidth rates will be slashed to $3000 for ISPs ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Nov 17: The government has decided to make sharp reduction in bandwidth rates for software companies, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and information technology-related businesses. This was stated by the Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Attaur Rahman during a brief chat with newsmen at a seminar on "e- commerce: enablement for Pakistani banks" at Habib Bank Plaza on Friday. He said the announcement in this regard will be made at a press conference to be held on 21st of this month. According to the minister, the bandwidth rates for software companies, IT related-business and institutes will be slashed to $3,000 per megabit (PMB) from $32,000 PMB and for ISPs to $15,000 PMB. With this sharp decline, the bandwidth rates in Pakistan will go much below the rates prevalent in India. On domestic bandwidth rates, he informed to touch this issue sometimes later. He said the government has already signed agreements with various companies of USA and Singapore to increase their present capacity, and added to provide more details in the press conference. Pakistan makes large bandwidth purchases from USA. It may be mentioned here that a year back, the bandwidth rates were over $130,000 PMB. Earlier, addressing the seminar, he asked the banks to prepare a road-map to achieve target of implementing e-commerce in 18 months because it is now a matter of survival in the global world. He said every banks should check its performance after every three months so that objectives of e-commerce could be accomplished in time. He said the worldwide e-commerce trading now currently stands at $17 billion per annum, which is set to reach at $1.4 trillion in the next two years and $3 trillion in the next four years. He said currently 11 working groups have sped-up their efforts to implement the e-commerce solutions in Pakistan. Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Dr Ishrat Hussain said there is a need to increase awareness of e-commerce amongst the banks so that their presence could be felt in the global banking scenario. He said we will miss the opportunities in case our banks fail to accelerate their efforts. He said few months back, the SBP Task Force was formed and now I want results of its achievement. SBP chief said that the banks can work as catalysts, helping the country to foster its foreign exchange earnings from exports. He assured full support to the local banks in materializing the task of e-commerce. Dr Syed Irfan Hyder, head of e-commerce working group, Ministry of Science and Technology, said if electronic clearing system commences, the cost of transaction will fall to Rs30 per branch from the existing Rs 70-100 per branch. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001112 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ishrat hopeful about IMF loan: No to short-term debt ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim Karachi, Nov 11: State Bank Governor Dr Ishrat Husain said on Saturday Pakistan is unlikely to seek short term commercial debt (in foreign currency) and will continue to manage its balance of payments through other sources. At the same time he said he hoped that the IMF board of executive directors would approve a ($580 million) standby loan for Pakistan on November 29. "We are not ready to go for short term commercial debts," the governor told a press conference here on Saturday. "No question of going for the commercial debt," he reiterated recalling how traditionally expensive short-term commercial debt landed Pakistan into troubled waters in the past. "This makes no sense," he remarked referring to past practice of raising short-term commercial debt at 4 per cent and more over LIBOR to retire foreign loans. He explained in detail how Pakistan managed its tricky balance of payments in the last fiscal year while refraining from seeking short term commercial debt-and in a near absence of inflows from international financial institutions. The only inflow the country witnessed was of $125 million from Asian Development Bank (as the second tranche of the Capital Market Development Program loan. His remarks on the short-term commercial debt served him well in explaining the rationale behind the SBP buying of $1.6 billion dollars from open currency market in 1999-2000. He said the IMF board of executive directors would hopefully approve a standby loan for Pakistan when it meets on November 29 in Washington. He pinned his hope on the fact that the IMF had agreed not to make the settlement of HUBCO issue a condition for offering the loan. "HUBCO leverage is over," he remarked. But he appreciated the recent gesture of the World Bank on the HUBCO issue saying that the Bank is coming out as an honest broker now. Dr Husain said Pakistan signed the letter of intent for the standby loan last week. He said approval of the loan by the IMF board of executive directors would also pave the way for $2.2 billion worth of further rescheduling on $32.7 billion foreign debt. Replying a question about key conditions for the IMF loan, he said the contents of LOI would be made public after the approval of the IMF board of directors. He would not come out with a clear answer when asked whether international finance institutions want Pakistan to sign CTBT to qualify for their assistance. He would only say that Japan is had ready to revive as much of financing to Pakistan as was flowing in before May 1998 i.e. $500-$600 million per year-if Islamabad signs CTBT. Speaking about the prospects of economic growth in the current fiscal year, the governor said as a high 7.2 per cent growth in agriculture sector has enlarged the base a further jump in it is not very expected. "We have to discount some of agricultural," he said citing water shortage for Rabi crops as another reason for it. He said the Rs 430 billion revenue target set for this fiscal year is very ambitious compared to last year revenue collection of Rs 346 billion. Does this mean this and other targets for this year are unrealistic? "I do not think these are unrealistic," he said. Explaining the rationale for setting macroeconomic targets at high levels the governor recalled a downward trend witnessed in various sectors of the economy fiscal 1995-96 through 1998-99. "We have to have stretch targets," he said meaning that it is time for compensating the downward trend in exports and revenue collection in previous years. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- NBP to check money laundering ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Nov 17: State-run National Bank plans to induct anti money laundering officers at all of its 1400 plus branches. The officers "would monitor customer account openings and banking transactions to ensure that the bank is not used for any unlawful activity," reveals an NBP document. The document does not elaborate on this issue but bankers say the idea is worth implementing. It is not known whether any other state-run bank has a similar plan but their officials do not rule out the possibility of following suit. NBP would possibly select anti money laundering officers from amongst the staff of a central compliance cell. The cell is being set up to co-ordinate with every layer of decision making in the bank for rectification of irregularities pointed out by internal and external auditors. The staff of the compliance cell and anti money laundering officers would form part of the newly created operations group. Top bankers and brokers say it is good on the part of a state -run bank to check money laundering but they believe this would not cut deep into the roots of this evil. "Money laundering can be checked effectively only if there is more strict checks on the business of money changers who serve as a main vehicle for it," said a banker close to State Bank. (An SBP report on money changers identifies them as operators of parallel economy.) President of Forex Association of Pakistan Malik Bostan denies the charge on behalf of about 400 money changers registered with the State Bank. "Those who are not registered (their number runs into hundreds) may be involved...but majority of the registered money changers have nothing to do with money laundering," Bostan told Dawn. When questioned further, he admitted that "a couple of big (registered) money changers are also involved. Declining to name them he said: "I am sure the government agencies know them." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex-RCB official gets 3-year term ------------------------------------------------------------------- Reporter LAHORE, Nov 17: An accountability court on Friday awarded former Rawalpindi Cantonment Board military lands director Hashim Babar three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs2 million in a corruption case. In case of non-payment of the fine he will have to undergo an additional imprisonment of 18 months, declared the accountability court judge. The National Accountability Court had filed the reference against Mr Babar for purchasing a Rs3 million bungalow in Islamabad and spending Rs2 million on its renovation and alteration in 1989, which was incompatible to his known means of income. The court did not convict him on two other charges regarding the purchase of Rs1.8 million furniture and fixture for the bungalow and handed over it to his wife after converting it into a rest house. The convict was allowed to file an appeal before the Lahore High Court within 10 days. The reference was filed in the Lahore High Court's Ehtesab bench in May 1997 but shifted to the accountability court after its constitution under the NAB Ordinance last year. MANZOOR WATTOO CASE: The court adjourned hearing of the reference against former Punjab Chief Minister Mian Manzoor Wattoo till Nov 30 as the court was told that he could not appear before it on the instructions of doctors who have advised him a two-week bed rest for backache. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Lack of funds a snag in scientific development: CE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nizamuddin Siddiqui KARACHI, Nov 17: The government fully realizes the importance of education and science but cannot invest in these sectors in a big way at the moment because it's strapped for cash, said Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf on Friday. He was speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine & Drug Development to be completed at a cost of $5 million. The independent research centre on Karachi University's campus is going to have a formal link with the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry. The centre will be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia that will focus on the development of innovative gene-based treatments of health disorders and promote the understanding of disease patterns in Pakistan. Nadira Panjwani has donated $2.5 million towards the establishment of this centre in memory of her father, the late Dr Mohammad Hussain Panjwani. In recognition and support, the government has approved a PC-1 of an equal amount for the centre. "All my colleagues in the cabinet realize that human resources development is very important for the progress and prosperity of the country," said Gen Musharraf, adding, "and we have had many new and innovative IDEAS in our meetings. However, we have many problems as well. And the problem which is the most difficult to resolve is the lack of finances or funds. This problem appears in front of us like a brick wall whenever we think of doing something meaningful for the country." In order to be able to make big investments in the fields of education and science the government must first invest in projects and programmes which could generate the much-needed funds, he said. That's why the government was not in a position to invest a lot in the human resources development sector at present. The CE stated that his government wanted to create an environment in which universities and research institutes could produce more and more PhDs in science. "We remain committed to this task and will pump as much funds as possible in this area." Appreciating Dr Nadira for providing $2.5 million for the centre, the CE said it should serve as an example to be emulated by other industrialists and businesspersons. The federal minister for science and technology and director of the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, Prof Attaur Rehman, said in his speech that many universities in the United States and Europe boasted research centres established with the funds provided by philanthropists. "This, however, is not very common in Pakistan," he remarked. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- WAPDA seeks 51 paisa increase in rate ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Faraz Hashmi ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), concluded on Friday a hearing on WAPDA's request for increasing power rate by 51 paisa a kw/h from September, 2000. WAPDA's general manager, finance, Javed Nizam concluding his arguments responded to the objections raised by officials of some ministries over the increase in tariff, sought by his organization. The Water and Power Development Authority had earlier sought 31 paisa increase but on Thursday it submitted a revised petition asking for 51 paisa hike. The commerce ministry and planning division opposed the request, saying it will affect the country's exports and increase poverty. "WAPDA alone cannot be blamed for high power cost as the overall economic conditions and many other factors are pushing up the power rates," the WAPDA finance GM said. He added that his organization was being portrayed as a villain and cause of all the economic ills. "Nobody has ever questioned the petroleum ministry for fixing the fuel price mechanism for WAPDA," he said. Nepra had decided to hear the case for three days but cut short the hearing by one day as no one turned up to defend the consumers' interest. Earlier, the planning division's head of power wing, Ghulam Haider, opposed the WAPDA's plea for 51 paisa increase in tariff. Giving facts and figures about the poor performance of WAPDA's power plants, he stressed that it should also be taken into account before allowing power utility to put additional burden on the consumers. Mr Haider called for careful examination of WAPDA's plea before it was allowed to introduce fuel price indexation factor. He asked Napra to put off the hearing for four days to minutely evaluate WAPDA's request for automatic adjustment of fuel price increase. However, WAPDA's general manager said the 1994 power policy allowed the independent power producers to pass on the fuel price hike to their consumers. He added that the planning commission was part of the policy-framing exercise but it did not object to this clause and was having a second thought now. The commission, he said, had also supported the deregulation policy of the petroleum ministry without taking into account that the international price index of the oil would surely affect price structure. "Why this deregulation policy was approved by the planning commission if it is opposed to the automatic price adjustment mechanism"? Mr Nizam asked. He added that the oil prices had shot up by 107 per cent since the government deregulated its prices. "Why the petroleum ministry and its distributing agencies are not being questioned as it was this (petroleum) ministry which had worked out the price mechanism for fuel oil" Mr Nizam said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001117 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Oil, gas exploration accords signed ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Rafaqat Ali ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: The government on Thursday signed two agreements with international companies for onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration. Onshore petroleum exploration licence was granted to the joint venture of Union Texas (UT), Occidental Petroleum (OP), and Government Holdings for exploration in Mehran Block No 2467-4 in the Thatta district, covering about 577.42 sq-km. The other licence was granted to Ocean Pakistan (OP) and Government Holding for off-shore Makran Central Block No 2462-4, covering some 6,000sq-km. The agreements were inked at a ceremony at the petroleum ministry. Under the three-year licence, UT will conduct geological and geophysical studies and acquire 70km of 3d seismic data and drill four exploratory wells. The block was awarded through a competitive bidding process and UT was assigned the role of operator in the joint venture. The total commitment in the Mehran Block is $5,070,000, according to an official announcement. Ocean Pakistan will carry out geological and geophysical studies and acquire process, and evaluate a minimum of 200sq-km of 3d seismic data. This survey will be part of a much larger 3D seismic programme covering nearly 2,100sq-km in the three Makran blocks operated by the company. The total cost of the overall programme is estimated at over $10 million. Union Texas has drilled 120 exploratory wells and made 53 successful oil discoveries in Pakistan with the result that it is now the largest oil producer in the country. Its total oil production is 24,000 barrels a day and total gas production is about 200 million cubic feet a day. The UT is a wholly owned subsidy of the BP Group, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies. Ocean Pakistan is a subsidiary of the Ocean Energy Inc, one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in North America. Its main operations are in the West African countries of Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Cote d'Ivore, and in Egypt, Russia (Tatarstan), Yemen and Pakistan. Ocean Pakistan has remained active in Pakistan's energy sector and made discoveries in Dhurnal, Ratana, and Bhangali. At present, it holds two exploration blocks - Kohlu and Zamudan. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation of USA. The agreements were signed by Petroleum Secretary Abdullah Yousaf on behalf of the President, Shahid Ahmad, director-general of Petroleum Concessions on behalf of the Government Holdings, UT president David Knox, OP president Dick Oringderff, and OP general manager Kamil Lodhi. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001115 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sindh to incur Rs2 billion subsidy on wheat ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sabihuddin Ghausi KARACHI, Nov 14: A cash-strapped Sindh government is moving towards incurring more than two billion rupees subsidy on wheat trade this season for which it has so far already borrowed Rs11 billion from the banking system. Borrowed at the rate of 12 per cent mark-up under the commodity finance programme, the Sindh government procured 630,000 tons of wheat from the farmers within the province and has also received more than half a million tons from the Punjab. It will get one million tons from Punjab for which the federal government has created a credit line of Rs8.3 billion in the provincial food account. Out of this, Sindh has utilized Rs5.5 billion so far and an equal amount was borrowed for the procurement of wheat from the farmers in the province. At present the Sindh government is reported to be maintaining more than 925,000 tons of wheat stocks which is something unprecedented. While the wheat is still trickling in from Punjab, the offtake of wheat from the government stocks in Sindh has remained very low this season. Millers and traders have preferred to pick up wheat from the open market, where it was available at Rs830 for a 100-kilogram bag till early this week as against official issue price of Rs850. This slow offtake and piling up of the wheat stocks in government godowns is proving to be a costly affair for the Sindh government as it has to provide Rs300 million for transportation and stocking besides the financial cost. Sindh is reported to have given Rs250 million to the National Logistic Cell for lifting wheat from Punjab and Rs51 million to the Trading Corporation of Pakistan for providing godowns. Now with the month of November entering the second week, the officials in Sindh government foresee a "wheat lean period" setting in and expect 125 millers of the province demanding wheat from the government stocks. A set of officials in the Sindh government look desperate to dispose of this entire stock at the rate of Rs875 for a 100- kilogram bag and adjust the bank loan at earliest so as to incur minimum financial cost. However, the planners foresee a relatively lean harvest next season as persisting drought and a shortage of irrigation water has affected wheat sowing. "Wheat output will not be 3 million tons next season" is the considered opinion of a well-known agriculturist and initial estimate is that next crop may give anywhere up to 2.5 million tons of wheat at the most. One of the options available to the government is to do away with the entire subsidy on wheat trade. The government may procure 600,000 tons for its stocks. The traders may be allowed to buy wheat from the open market and if needed private sector be given permission to import wheat. The Sindh government has accepted the federal government's claim of Rs6 billion in respect of wheat trade and has released Rs500 million. Well-placed sources said that the Sindh government is expected to release another instalment of Rs500 million before next month. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001114 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Provinces refused additional funds ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Nov 13: The Centre has turned down a demand of the provinces for an increase in their funds and asked them to substantially cut their expenditures. Official sources said here on Monday that the finance ministers of the four provinces had met the finance secretary, Moeen Afzal, on Saturday and demanded an increase in their funding, under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. Sindh and Balochistan were of the view that they needed additional funds to pull through the current financial year as their budgeted annual allocations were not enough to initiate any new projects in education, health and rural development sectors. Sources said that they had also demanded the reconstitution of the NFC award so that they could get their adequate share. The secretary-general asked the economists of the finance ministry and the planning division to give their recommendations for cutting down the running expenditure of the federal government and the provinces. One of them, the sources said, proposed that the public sector development programme (PSDP) should be wound up. However, this was not accepted, with the secretary-general saying it will stop the development process. But, the sources said, the immediate casualty will be the current PSDP, which was likely to be slashed by Rs5bn from Rs120bn to Rs115bn. The participants of the meeting were also of the view that in the first place the defence budget should be slashed and if that was not possible it should be made "efficient". DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001114 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Banks agree to roll over $1 billion FCY funds ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Nov 13: The stage is set for a second roll-over of 75 per cent of foreign currency swap deposits mobilized by local and foreign banks before May 1998. Senior bankers say the State Bank has succeeded in persuading these banks to roll-over the deposits for second time. Banks had agreed to roll-over more than $1.5 billion swap deposits for two years for the first time in 1998 to ease off the balance of payment problem the country had to face after going nuclear on May 28, 1998. Bankers say the roll-over of swap deposits will help Pakistan in seeking rescheduling of Paris Club and London Club loans after the approval of a $580 million standby arrangement by the IMF board of executive directors. Pakistan has already signed the letter of intent (LoI) for it and hopes that the board would approve the facility when it meets in Washington on November 29. The bankers say the State Bank has agreed to pay 25 per cent of the swap deposits in foreign currency on their maturity starting from next month. This means that the actual roll-over will be in case of 75 per cent of the total $1 billion worth of swap deposits. A letter sent by SBP to the banks said that the roll-over would be for two years but some bankers close to the central bank said the period was yet to be decided. The bankers say since the State Bank has agreed to pay 25 per cent of the swap funds in foreign currency this will result in an outflow of at least $250 million between December 15, 2000 and March 31 2001.Back to the top
EDITORIALS & FEATURES 001112 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Once Once eupon a time ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ardeshir Cowasjee OMAR Kureishi's book, 'Once Upon a Time', was published last month. The dust cover does it no justice. It depicts an ill-proportioned Gateway of India and a young boy wearing Taliban-style knee- concealing shorts which no self-respecting lad would have worn in those far off days. The publisher's blurb tells the prospective reader : "It can truly be said of Omar Kureishi that he needs no introduction. His is a household name and he is a living legend. He is a man of many parts and sets the highest standards in all of them. Best known as a cricket commentator, his voice became his signature; as a writer, he has a distinctive style and his canvas ranges from cricket to politics which he examines with a sharp, analytical mind that shows him as a bit of an iconoclast. "He is a man of honest opinions with not a trace of malice or bitterness in him and is in control of the rage within him. Born in Murree of a Punjabi father and a Kashmiri mother, he was one of nine brothers and two sisters. His schooling was in Poona and Bombay and he is a graduate of the University of Southern California. He has been editor of 'The Times of Karachi', an English language daily newspaper, now defunct, and was director of public affairs in Pakistan International Airlines before he returned to freelance journalism as one of the leading columnists of the country. "He has written for some of the most prestigious newspapers and magazines of the world. He is the author of 'Black Moods', 'Out to Lunch', 'The System', and 'The Other Side of Daylight', none of them about cricket. 'Cricket is something I enjoy, not so the subjects I have written about in these books,' he says. Omar Kureishi lives his life on his own terms." Very cleverly, it ends there. It does not go on to say how 'life' lives with him on its terms. Omar suggested that I write a preface of some 500 words. Difficult, I told him. What do I write? 'This is a well-written book by my friend Omar Kureishi. It is about his life as he lived it up to the birth of Pakistan. It is a good read for those interested in either remembering or realizing what life was like in those far off days. Omar tells a good story. Read his book.' That would be my preface. A tenth of what is needed. Omar has presented me with a copy of his book in which he has inscribed, 'Our friendship has survived almost half a century and is getting stronger. This defies logic. Are we both mad?'His question is not difficult to answer. We are both as sane as the people and circumstances surrounding us allow us to be. Our views are divergent and each suffers the opinions of the other without rancour or ill-feeling. We are tolerant and we have the ability to laugh not only at each other but at ourselves. A paragraph from an early chapter took me back to my school and college days : "It is hard to describe exactly what an Irani restaurant was. It was obviously an eating house but with a distinct culture of its own. Its clientele was a mixed bag of office workers, shopkeepers, students, itinerant salesmen, the unemployed, the dead-beats, the great unwashed, those not likely to appear on the pages of 'Onlooker' the glossy society magazine of beautiful people. "Yet it was not downbeat and to go to an Irani restaurant was not considered slumming. The dicor was simplicity itself. Armless, bentwood chairs, and tables sometimes with a cheap marble top. There was no tablecloth, nor any napkins. You wiped your hands as best as you could or used a stained washbasin near the kitchen. There was no printed menu. The waiter, if one could describe him as such, rattled off what was available as if he was reciting a mantra and it all came out as one word, 'keemabahajiacutlasskorma'. "You needed all your wits to decipher it. All business transacted was oral. Your order was taken and it was bellowed to the kitchen and thus the entire restaurant knew that one had asked for 'aek adha keema, aek paon roti'. Or it could simply be 'aek adhi cha, aek slice sadha (no butter)'. When it came time to pay, the amount owing too was bellowed out and each customer would be identified, viz. 'Khaki pant wallah, lal kamiz wallah, topi wallah sabib, ainak wallah.' "The cashier was the Irani himself seated on a high chair behind a counter (gulla) near the exit like a sinister godfather or a king cobra guarding a treasure. Nothing that happened in the restaurant escaped him. He was constantly on the lookout for those who might sneak out without paying or members of his own staff who may try and short change him. My brothers, Humayun (Toto), Rafiushan (Shanoo), and I once ordered a plate of chips to be shared by the three of us. In our joyous feasting we consumed more than our entitlement of tomato (pronounced tamatar) sauce. "This profligacy did not escape the Irani. 'Char anna' , he said and added it to the bill. We protested and said that the tomato sauce came with the chips. 'Adhi batli nahin' ruled the jury, judge and executioner. Then he mumbled something rude under his breath. It was the Irani himself who was the ambience of the restaurant. His credit policy was no credit. Yet some regulars were able to establish a line of credit, the ceiling being five rupees and when it came time to pay, you paid. The Irani did not have to employ mawalis (hoodlums) to twist your arm. His threatening to do so was chilling enough. We spent many hours in the Irani restaurants and looking back they enrich the memories." Close to the school to which I went, Karachi's BVS, which stood where it still stands, was the Irani restaurant, Cafi George, named after King George V of Great Britain whose photograph (he in the uniform of an admiral of the fleet) graced the entrance, hung atop the door. The gulla was mounted by Faredoon, nephew of owner Bejan Irani, a giant of a man, who tolerated us schoolboys, was kind, and even gave us credit, being appreciative of the fact that the average pocket money received by each of us was four annas per week. He often forgot to remember the sum owed. Jovial Faredoon anglicized his name when he opened his own restaurant down the road which he called 'Frederick's'. Near the gulla in Frederick's stood a weighing machine on which one could weigh oneself by inserting an anna. When we were flush, we would collect one anna amongst ourselves and ask Frederick to stand upon it and weigh himself because he would tip the scale at 300 lbs, the end of the scale, at which a bell would ring and the entire clientele of the restaurant break out in applause. When we graduated to the Dayaram Jethmal Sind College (which still stands where it stood) we used to frequent the 'jaam and narial wallah' who had his establishment under a tree in the nearby Burn's Garden. Kassim was no Irani, he would extend no credit. So, from the second week of the month onwards, we would frequent the 'Avalon', Khodadad Mahabokhtar's Irani restaurant around the corner. Khodadad was another kind and jovial man who never complained when at times we could only order iced water for which there was no charge, and was never angry when the waiter bellowed 'Kuch nahine khaya, kuch nahin peeya, do gilass tora, bara anna.' Any time, any day - give me 'Cafi George', 'Frederick's', and the Avalon rather than MacDonald's, Kentucky Fried, or Pizza Hut! Frederick and his restaurant were still going in 1958 when martial law was declared and Ayub Khan took over the country. Martial law headquarters were situated in the Baloch Regiment's mess on Bonus Road. Frederick was awarded the contract to run the canteen in the mess. One fine day, a truck carrying a platoon of armed men drew up before 'Frederick's'. Frederick himself was up in his flat on the third floor of the adjacent building. His sidekick in the restaurant, Ahmad, rushed out on to the pavement, and shouted 'Faredoon, Faredoon, inja biya, inja biya.' Frederick appeared on his balcony, Ahmad pointed to the truck. Frederick, thinking the day of reckoning had come and he was to be picked up for having done fifty things which he should not have done, promptly fainted. He only came to when Ahmad rushed up with the news that all was well and that General Haq Nawaz, martial law administrator in Karachi, had merely sent round for his breakfast as the stoves in the mess had not yet been hotted up. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001117 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Poverty of collective imagination ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ayaz Amir IN Chakwal, which I am increasingly loth to leave as the years roll by, I am ready to go to bed after an early dinner. If I have the energy I have my daily fix of Pakistan Television's hit show, the nine o'clock news, which I try not to miss because the sight of the Chief Executive and the President of the Republic performing their routine functions (cutting tapes and so on) I find reassuring, the way I find the coming out of the stars and the waxing and waning of the moon reassuring. After that and a bit of reading it is lights out for me. You will say this is a grave disadvantage. Paris is where the lights are. Provincial places breed provincial minds. It is true that in other climes more salubrious than ours, small town life misses out on a great deal: no opera, ballet, Beethoven, Kishori Amonkar or theatre. Not even the can-can and the Moulin Rouge. Hard to build rich lives on such poor soil. But in our Republic this cultural distinction between town and country has been done away with and replaced with a perfect equality. If there is no Shakespeare or Wagner in Chakwal, it is no small consolation to know that there is none in Karachi or Lahore either. If not equality of opportunity at least equality of idiocy. Regarding such a happy state of affairs what Mencken said of the American South could, with slight variations, be said of the wide spaces of our Republic: "In that gargantuan paradise of the fourth- rate there is not a single picture gallery worth going into, or a single orchestra capable of playing the nine symphonies of Beethoven, or a single opera-house, or a single theatre devoted to decent plays, or a single public monument that is worth looking at, or a single workshop devoted to the making of beautiful things." The South must have had some orchestras, whether capable of playing grand music or not. We have brass bands which play at marriage ceremonies. For the recording of film music there must also be some orchestral playing. But beyond these two exceptions a vast desert stretches. Reading the announcement columns of the leading English newspapers can be an edifying exercise. In them you get notices of clothing and household linen exhibitions, art shows where pictures for the most part are not worth seeing, seminars and talks presided over by professional scarecrows with all too familiar expressions. None of this is fortuitous. Halaku burned Baghdad. No one has burned the cities of the Islamic Republic. We have simply pulled down whatever little we had. Let's leave Islamabad out of the reckoning, a city more in keeping with the national temper than we care to think because it faithfully mirrors the aridity and poverty of our collective imagination. To have laid down such a gridlock of crisscrossing roads or to have raised from the ground such hideous architecture is no easy task. Even half the greenery of this city is false, owing its cover to a single pernicious weed, the paper mulberry. It is a city which does not have its own water supply, which indeed has polluted the streams flowing from the Margalla Hills, is on no trade route, does not earn its keep and is therefore a burden on the public finances. Its only business is government and administration and even at these pursuits, right from the moment of its inauspicious birth, it has proved a signal failure. It is hard to justify such a city's existence. But Lahore and Karachi were supposed to be different. If the legends about these grand metropolitan centres are to be believed, they were once home to the better things of life. Looking at them today it is hard to imagine that such a time ever existed for they have become monuments to concrete and filth, noise and pollution. We like to believe that we are a people of immense talent. Perhaps even if the evidence for this belief is thin. Do we have a collective eye for beauty? Looking at the Chaghi replicas (in honour of our nuclear tests) and the rocket models we have erected in our major cities it is hard to think so. Even our parks we cannot keep clean or free of cement. As if there were yet more things for the army to take over, it has taken over the Ayub National Park in Rawalpindi to turn into a Heritage Museum. Don't be surprised if this last patch of green in that city is turned into another monument to concrete. What are the three outstanding national achievements of the last twelve months? Turning Gawalmandi in Lahore into a 'Food Street' as if there was a shortage of food outlets in that city, holding the much-touted Defence Exhibition in Karachi as if the world needed more reminders of our military prowess, and the trail-blazing work of the National Registration and Database Authority (NADRA) which has just given a comic turn to national voting lists. Just this morning (Thursday) there was a NADRA ad in the papers under the resonant title, 'The Gift of Bright Future' (no indefinite article, please, we're Pakistanis). Under the picture of a smiling mother and child comes this robust legend: "NADRA is laying down the concrete foundations for a bright future by undertaking the tremendous task of creating a comprehensive national database. This will bring about a system of government with better coordination and efficiency and help build a just and informed society." For the syntax alone the author of these inspired lines deserves a sound (and preferably public) whipping. As for the logic, it is impeccable. Once the last moron in the country is documented, a bright future, not to mention a just and informed society, will be ours for the grasping. And this is another army-controlled organization. The larger towns had the advantage over the countryside in two other respects: plumbing and red-light areas. In townhouses if you had the means you had indoor toilets with running water, an inescapable necessity for the reading man (and no doubt, woman) because at least in my experience civilization and a slow start in the mornings are closely inter-related. But in the last fifteen years this has changed. Rural artisans have become familiar with the installation of plumbing. If you want an indoor toilet, you can easily have one. This is one advantage, therefore, which is cancelled out. As for the other - that pertaining to the red-light areas - a change has occurred even there. Time was when the amorous soul who had it in his heart to throw money at a dancing girl travelled to cities for this purpose. Now, largely because of the sham puritanism that has had Pakistan in its grip since Zia ul Haq's time, dancing girls are happy to respond to invitations even from far-flung areas. There are any number of occasions when I have been invited to mujras in the surrounding villages of Chakwal and if I have not responded to all of them it may be because of my strict morality or the company (although not necessarily in this order). Farmers of course I don't mind (being one myself) but being in my cups with local grandees such as sub-inspectors of police, excise and taxation inspectors and naib and full tehsildars I find less than uplifting. (Come to think of it I don't like mixing my pleasures with officialdom of any sort.) This distinction too is therefore wiped out. It is only the greenhorn who now goes to listen to a mujra in a certified shahi mohalla. I am, however, no expert in this business because vicarious or distant pleasure - which is all that one gets in a mujra - has never thrilled me. When in the streets of Kabul a comely woman was pointed out to Emperor Babur he deigned not even to look in her direction, saying that what was it to him if the lady in question was sweet or saltish if her beauty was to remain the beat of a distant drum. In this thing if in no other I am one with the great emperor. As for moral sustenance, what with the good offices of the local Christian communities, small towns have become self-sufficient in this commodity too, with bottled happiness being just a phone call away. The only danger is adulteration, widely and perhaps dangerously practised in this business. But then which business is not adulterated in Pakistan? Why then blame the purveyors of moral sustenance alone? Such being the balance sheet, where is the brave heart who will tell me the advantages of living in one of Pakistan's great centres of art and learning. What will I find there - grand opera or symphony - that I am unlikely to get in Chakwal? DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Reinventing the wheel ------------------------------------------------------------------- Irfan Husain LIKE other Nadras I have known, NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority) is not famous for either accuracy or punctuality. With much fanfare, it produced electoral rolls for several districts which were so riddled with mistakes that the Election Commission had to withdraw them. Now NADRA has promised us error- free lists by November 28 so that local bodies elections can be completed in 18 districts by December 31. Good luck, is all I can say; however, I am taking no bets on NADRA's ability to deliver. I have been unable to comprehend the military mind's insistence on reinventing the wheel each time the army takes over. Since this happens with monotonous regularity in Pakistan, my failure to understand the psychology of successive juntas is a matter of some concern to me. In this particular case, we have an Election Commission and a Census Bureau, both of which have been performing as well as can be expected of government agencies. If our present rulers were unhappy with their performance, surely the answer lay in improving the existing departments instead of creating yet another bureaucracy. It seems odd that when all the talk in the corridors of power is about downsizing, a new Authority is created without closing down the existing agencies responsible for registering voters and issuing ID cards. When General Naqvi's National Reconstruction Bureau unveiled its grandiose devolution plan, it produced all the excitement of Hanif Mohammad grinding out a century in two days of defensive batting. The complicated set-up proposed in the plan, far from gripping the imagination, is virtually incomprehensible to the very people who are supposed to work the new system. Why a new local bodies system was necessary when a perfectly good one existed already is again beyond me. I suppose when you establish such a pompous-sounding agency like the NRB those put in charge feel they have to produce something grand. While I respect its head, General Naqvi, I'm afraid I simply don't see how his plan will lay the foundation for a brave new Pakistan. One big problem with the concept is that it attempts to administratively detach the district from the provincial government. By involving the central government in district administration, the plan strikes at the very heart of provincial autonomy. Ultimately, the blueprint produced by the NRB ensures that there will be constant tension between the federal and the provincial governments. Then, by declaring that these elections will be on a non-party basis this government has effectively reduced the participation level. Traditionally, political parties have brought out voters in Pakistan. In the currently planned exercise, candidates will be vetted, and those with declared party affiliations will be disbarred. Thus, an entire layer of political workers will be prevented from contesting the elections. Unknown faces with no party ties will find it difficult to motivate voters, and I can foresee a very low turnout. Then there is the whole business of ensuring that candidates are 'morally sound'. What does this mean, and who will pronounce on such a tricky issue? To me it smacks of an attempt to keep independent minded people out of the fray. In the last few months, General Naqvi has been touring the country to sell his devolution plan, and at a breakfast meeting, I pointed out to him that in recent elections, the ISI and the army have admitted to indulging in fairly blatant rigging. What assurance did we have that they would not similarly try to fix the results to suit themselves? The good general solemnly assured me that this would not happen. With the same solemnity, I am passing on his assurance to readers. Perhaps the biggest problem inherent in the scheme is that it has been rejected and roundly condemned by all the major political parties. Although the army can ram the plan through while it is in power, it is difficult to see how these local bodies will continue functioning after national and provincial elections are held by October 2002, as mandated by the Supreme Court. Why should popularly elected political governments finance and support local bodies created under a military government? When General Pervez Musharraf was asked this question a few months ago, he said in effect that the army would make sure that this system stayed intact even after the army had gone back to the barracks. I am not wholly convinced that having this permanent bone of contention between the defence forces and the civilian government is a good idea. A scheme without support from any significant political party is doomed to failure in the long run. None of this should be taken to mean that I oppose the growth of democratic institutions at the grassroots level. Far from it. I think our politicians have bypassed and generally ignored local councils because they found them inconvenient with the result that they have failed to take root. But I am far from convinced that the answer lies in discarding the previous system and replacing it with a complicated, cumbersome scheme that has not found acceptance in any quarter.The army high command has to realize that just because they (and most of us as well) are dissatisfied with the performance of our politicians, the remedy does not lie in trying to pervert the political process in order to eliminate them and render the entire class irrelevant. Like it or not, politics is an integral part of the life of any progressive, vibrant society. By artificially trying to suppress it, bypass it or marginalize it by any method, the army destroys viable institutions without replacing them with any sustainable ones. This is the problem we have been facing under various military governments, and is one reason why we are where we are today. Each time a new junta is in power, it seeks to neutralize politicians and replace them with a pliable crew of the army's choosing. Unfortunately, these people are unacceptable to voters. Instead of tinkering with political matters of which the generals have little experience, the junta would do far better to try and fix things like electricity and water supplies. Alas, its performance in these fields is also far from satisfactory. So perhaps the army should stay in the barracks, and when needed, at the border. If it is absolutely forced to intervene, it should play a purely caretaker role with a clear timeframe and an exit strategy. Above all, it should not try and reinvent the wheel each time it is in power.
SPORTS 001118 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Saqlain scoops career best 8 wickets in first test match ------------------------------------------------------------------- Samiul Hasan LAHORE, Nov 17: Saqlain Mushtaq missed a possible chance of picking up a 'perfect 10' while Pakistan had their tail between their legs against England at stumps on the third day of the first cricket Test at the Qadhafi Stadium on Friday. Saqlain captured all the eight wickets that fell and improved his previous best innings figures of six for 46 against Australia in the Hobart Test last season. But he was denied the chance of taking a shot at the remaining two as the tourists declared their first innings at the lunch score of 480 for eight. The 23-year-old spin wizard finished conceding 164 runs from 74 marathon overs - the most he has bowled in an innings. When fading light, which improved after the teams had left, stopped play with eight overs still to be bowled, Pakistan had reached 119 for the loss of both the openers. Salim Elahi (15) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (11) will resume Pakistan's long struggle on Saturday morning when play starts 30 minutes earlier to compensate for the lost time. Pakistan are now battling for survival as all their hopes and big claims to proceed to Faisalabad with a 1-0 lead now look out of question. England can only lose from this point if they bowl really poorly and bat horribly in the second innings. For Pakistan, the most important thing now is to reach 281 so that they can avert the anomaly of batting again in the match. They still require 162 which will not be as simple as it looks because the pitch is not conducive to stroke-play and Pakistan batsmen love to play their shots which can end in disaster as in the case of Shahid Afridi. He scored 52 off 68 balls with six fours and a six. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001115 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Slow bowlers expected to dominate the proceedings ------------------------------------------------------------------- Samiul Hasan LAHORE, Nov 14: Pakistan are set to entangle England in a spin web in the first cricket Test which begins here from Wednesday at the Qadhafi Stadium. Besides the champion spin duo of Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmad, Pakistan are certain to play leggie Shahid Afridi and award Test cap to Muridke's 18-year-old Qaisar Abbas to utilize his services as a left-arm spinner on a wicket which confirms that slow bowlers will dominate the Test. Before a ball has been bowled, cracks are visible on the surface. With the base of the strip appearing to be soft, the cracks are certain to get wider with progress of the game. To say that the wicket displays an ugly patch on a picturesque stadium would not be an understatement. Strategically, Pakistan has done the right thing to utilize the home advantage and prepare a wicket in accordance with their strength and the opposition's weakness. England are not only notoriously known for being vulnerable against quality spinners but also they don't possess spinners who could pose a threat to the Pakistan stroke-makers. Pakistan won the Lahore Test in the 1987-88 series through Abdul Qadir (9-56, still the best figures by a Pakistani bowler in a Test innings), who grabbed 13 scalps in Pakistan's innings and 87-run win. The remaining seven wickets were shared by the other two spinners - offie Tauseef Ahmed and the slow left-armer Iqbal Qasim. "Its a good flat surface and will potentially spin and keep low, this will be our biggest test for a long time," England captain Nasser Hussain realises what lay ahead for his team. The tourists will be hard pressed to match Pakistani "tweakers" through left-armer Ashley Giles and leg-spinner Ian Salisbury. But the two have yet to put up a performance to cause flutter in the Pakistan camp. In the two first-class matches leading up to the first Test, Giles has picked just six wickets conceding 128 runs while Salisbury has also bagged four wickets at the cost of 143 runs. The experience of the two Englishmen at the highest level is also not enough to give the visitors supporters any realistic chance in this Test. The two share 20 wickets from 13 Tests as compared to Mushtaq-Saqlain combination who share 297 wickets between from 76 Tests. England captain Nasser Hussain said his team was not here to make complains against pitches. "It has cracks, looks dry. But I will not call it a bad pitch. We get some pitches like this in England. "It definitely looks a two-spinner pitch but I have heard Pakistan are playing four." Hussain said it would be the test of character and ability of the England players to perform in this country and we look forward to this challenge," Hussain vowed. While Hussain said toss would play the vital role in the outcome of the match with the captain making the right call would bat first, his opposite number Moin Khan said he was not concerned about the toss at all. "Tosses were crucial in the one-dayers. Test cricket is a different ball game. "Whether we bat first or last, we will play real hard and positive cricket. We are in a proper frame of mind and the confidence of the boys is sky-high after a come-from-behind victory in the one-day series. "Of course we are favourites. Although I am not here to match player-by-player but the truth is that I have an experienced and well-balanced side. I have spin bowling options, good depth in the batting. As a captain, I don't have any scares in any areas of the game." Pakistan go into the Test as firm favourites because of the variety in their bowling. It would not be an overstatement but Pakistan has the bowling which can dismiss the opposition twice. The same cannot be said about England. Although Moin Khan said Pakistan might feel some pressure after three series defeats in a trot, "the positive thing is that we have not lost any of the five previous rubbers against England." Pakistan's biggest enemy in this game will not be England but complacency. Pakistan batting will once again be spearheaded by experienced trio of Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana while Shahid Afridi, Salim Elahi and debutant Qaisar Abbas will just try to play around under the wings of the three seasoned campaigners. On paper, England comprise a more formidable batting line-up in Michael Atherton, Marcus Trescothick, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Graeme Hick and Alec Stewart. Wednesday will be a big day for Qaisar Abbas. The teenager has the skill, temperament and confidence to play in big matches. Many might object to putting him on a turning track, but the fact is that even if he scores around 30-40 runs he should be rated as a good player. The great advantage of having player like Qaisar in the team is being a left-hander who can disturb the line of the bowler. Need not to say that he is a left-arm spinner who gives more punch to the Pakistan bowling. Qaisar is expected to play the same role that Aamir Sohail once did. Because of shorter days here, the day's play has been reduced from 90 overs to 83 overs. However, it is highly unlikely if 83 overs will be bowled because of expected late start owing to heavy morning dew and early sunset. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001114 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Miandad pulls out of selection body ------------------------------------------------------------------- Samiul Hasan LAHORE, Nov 13: Pakistan coach Javed Miandad has withdrawn as co- opted member of the national selection committee. Miandad, the former captain, said he has conveyed his decision to the chairman of the selectors Wasim Bari. He, however, said he was available to serve as tour selection committee boss. "I was called to attend the meeting on Monday. But I communicated my decision to Wasim Bari," Miandad said. He said he was withdrawing from the panel because he didn't want to be targeted as promoting individuals, indirectly hinting at his nephew Faisal Iqbal who has been wrongly targeted for getting support from his great uncle. "I am not interested in taking criticism for selecting certain individuals who didn't merit a place in the team. Although I am just a co-opted member, the general feeling is that I was calling the shots," Pakistan's leading run-getter in Tests said. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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