------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 25 November 2000 Issue : 06/45 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
Extracts, not exceeding 50 lines, can be used provided that this
entire header is included at the beginning of each extract.
We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at:
e-mail dws-owner@dawn.com
WWW http://dawn.com/
fax +92(21) 568-3188 & 568-3801
mail DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan
Please send all Editorials and Letters to the Editor at
letters@dawn.com
(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 2000
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS
CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + US imposes missile sanctions on Pakistan + Pakistan says US sanctions unjustified: + Political link out: New setup to manage Zakat and Ushr + Rangers, BSF reach accord: Firing across working boundary to stop + PML blames government for split + Pakistan values its ties with China: CE + Rebels refuse to accept Nawaz as party president + Sattar says Govt backs Nawaz-Clinton agreement + Governors empowered to issue ordinances + Govt to end child labour, says CE + Ex-ISI chief faces court martial: ISPR + 50 Afghan families enter Pakistan daily + Ex-Balochistan minister gets nine-year RI --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + List of SBP primary dealers soon: Debt bonds next month + Islamabad seeking $250m cushion loan + Performance of petroleum sector discussed + Pakistan rich in oil, gas reserves: expert + Zakat not to be deducted from FCAs + Export of wood items on agenda + Govt cuts bank borrowing + Internet bandwidth rates reduced + Rightsizing plan being implemented, WB told --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Man bites dog Ardeshir Cowasjee + Old script, new situation Ayaz Amir + Riding the tiger Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + Tauqir Zia welcomes bid to revive Indian tour + Youhana hits century as 1st Test ends in a draw + Lifetime achievement awards for cricketers
=================================================================== DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 20001122 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US imposes missile sanctions on Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tahir Mirza WASHINGTON, Nov 21: The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions under the Missile Control Technology regime against the Pakistani Ministry of Defence and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Organization (Suparco) while lifting similar sanctions against China. The sanctions were announced by acting Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher at a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon. He said the sanctions would be for two years during which all commercial contacts with the entities concerned would be frozen. In reply to a question, Mr Boucher indicated that the US would be prepared to discuss a waiver with Pakistan. The new sanctions also apply to Iran, which along with Pakistan has been accused by the US of receiving missile technology development help from China. Asked whether it was not odd that China, which had allegedly transferred missile technology, was being taken off the hook while sanctions were being imposed on Pakistan and Iran, Mr Boucher said it was not a question of taking anyone off the hook or putting anyone on the hook. The US was concerned only with controlling the transfer of ballistic missile technology from any one country to another. Asked whether India, with its large missile arsenal, figured in US concerns in this context, Mr Boucher said India should welcome the assurances given by China that no further transfers of missile technology would take place. In his statement announcing the lifting of sanctions against China, Mr Boucher said in consideration of Beijing's commitment to strengthen its missile related export control system, "we have decided to waive economic sanctions required by US law for past assistance by Chinese entities to missile programmes in Pakistan and Iran." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001123 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan says US sanctions unjustified: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: Pakistan said on Wednesday that its indigenous missile development programme would be maintained and would not be affected by any discriminatory regimes such as Missile Technology Control Regime. Terming the US government decision to impose sanctions under the MTCR against Pakistan's Ministry of Defence and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Organisation (Suparco) as "unwarranted" and "unjustified," a Foreign Office spokesman said Pakistan's missile development programme would not be affected by the US announcement. The spokesman said: "Pakistan has indigenous missile development programme which is a part of our nuclear deterrent and indispensable to our security. This programme will be maintained and will not be affected by any discriminatory regimes such as MTCR." He said that the US had first raised the question of alleged transfer of missile technology by China to Pakistan in early nineties. The question resurfaced recently during the China-US consultations. At the time when this issue was first raised and subsequently, China had categorically stated that it had not supplied to Pakistan any missile technology or missiles which violated the MTCR guidelines accepted by China voluntarily, even though it was not a party to the regime. The spokesman said Pakistan had also stated that it had not received any transfer of technology from China in consistent with MTCR guidelines. The US has never provided any evidence of the alleged transfer nor did it discuss the matter with Pakistan in the recent past. The US decision announced on Tuesday to impose sanctions on Pakistan's Ministry of Defence and Suparco on the basis of the alleged transfer of technology is unwarranted and unjustified, he added. "It is our hope that the US will review the decision and remove these latest sanctions as well as those which it had imposed on many Pakistani civilian facilities two years ago," he added. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001124 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Political link out: New setup to manage Zakat and Ushr ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ansar Abbasi ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: The President promulgated an ordinance on Thursday dissolving all existing Zakat and Ushr committees throughout the country, with immediate effect. The ordinance to this effect was issued which has amended Section 9 and 16 of the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance 1980, besides inserting a new Section 29A, makes it mandatory for the government to reconstitute these committees - district Zakat and Ushr Committees, Tehsil Taluka and sub divisional Zakat and Ushr committee and local Zakat and Ushr committees - within three months. The ordinance also de-politicises the future constitution of these committee by barring the appointment of any person having political background as chairman or member of district committees. In an effort to check irregularities in the distribution of Zakat funds it has been made mandatory to make all the Zakat payments through crossed cheques. No cash payment would be allowed in future. The following is the operative part of the ordinance called the Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Ordinance 2000: "Amendment of Section 9, Ordinance XVIII of 1980- In the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance, 1980 (XVIII), hereinafter referred to as the said Ordinance, in section 9; i) in sub-section (2), after the world "to" the words "the Personal Ledger Account of the" shall be inserted; ii) In sub-section (3), after the words "funds" the words "through crossed cheques" shall be inserted; and iii) in sub- section (4), after the word "Fund", occurring for the first time, the word "through crossed cheques" shall be inserted. 4) Amendment of section 16, Ordinance XVIII of 1980.- In the said Ordinance in section 16, in sub-section (4) in the proviso. for the full stop at the end. a colon shall be substituted and thereafter the following new proviso shall be added. namely:- "Provided further that the Chairman and members of the District Committee shall be the persons who are of good moral character and are not commonly known as persons who violate Islamic injunctions and are of financial integrity and do not engage in political activities". 5) Insertion of new Section 29-A, Ordinance XVIII of 1980.- In the said Ordinance, after section 29. the following new section shall be inserted, namely; "29A, Dissolution and reconstitution of Committees:- Al existing District Zakat and Ushr Committees, Tehsil Taluka and sub-Divisional Zakat and Ushr Committees and Local Zakat and Ushr Committees shall stand dissolved and cease to function with immediate effect and new Committee shall be constituted under Sections 16, 17 and 18 within a period of three months from commencement of the Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Ordinance 2000". DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001124 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rangers, BSF reach accord: Firing across working boundary to stop ------------------------------------------------------------------- LAHORE, Nov 23: Major-General Abdul Qadir Baloch, DG, Sindh Rangers; and A. S. Aulakh, IG, Indian Border Security Force, signed minutes of a bi-annual meeting held at the Rangers Headquarters here on Thursday. The meeting discussed exchange of fire along the working boundary in the Jammu-Sialkot sector; joint patrolling;i llegal border crossing and maintenance of boundary pillars. The meeting also discussed ways for preventing smuggling of contraband items and narcotics. Both sides agreed that no attempts would be made to alter the status of the working boundary, i.e., erection of fence or establishment of defence-oriented structures, etc. They also agreed to immediately stop firing across the working boundary and targeting of innocent civilians. Officials of Survey, Works and Narcotics Control Departments of both the countries also attended the meeting. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the maintenance of boundary pillars and joint surveys conducted for the purpose, and agreed that more effective measures would be taken to stop smuggling and illegal immigration. They also agreed to use restraint while dealing with inadvertent border crossings. -APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001123 ------------------------------------------------------------------- PML blames government for split ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: The Pakistan Muslim League on Wednesday formally accused the military government of causing a split in the party and helping rebels occupy the PML central secretariat. "Three prime ministerial candidates, by the dint of military government's might, blocked the Margalla Road at midnight and took over the office of the country's biggest political party,"Syed Zafar Ali Shah told a joint press conference held at the residence of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz. Though he did not name anyone, this was apparently an indirect reference to Ejaz-ul-Haq, Caudhry Shujaat and Fakhr Imam. " First they (military regime) captured the Prime Minister's House, then the parliament house (on Oct 12, 1999), and now they have captured the Muslim League secretariat," Mr Shah said while accusing the government of supporting the rebel group, which includes scions of two former generals. Mr Shah lauded the sagacity of PML leadership, which, he said, had avoided a clash on Nov 20. "Had we sent our workers to the party office there could have been a clash and bloodshed," he said, praising Kulsoom Nawaz and Saranjam Khan who had immediately decided to change the venue of CWC meeting. Kulsoom Nawaz, when asked to comment on Nov 20 incident, said that it had shocked her. Secretary-General Saranjam Khan had earlier in the day, lodged a written complaint with the inspector-general of Police, Islamabad, asking him to get the PML's office vacated and investigate the Nov 20 "ugly incident." " A large number of people, armed with deadly weapons, came on vehicles arranged by some dissidents of the party," he said. " After criminally trespassing upon the PML House, they damaged the furniture and other fixtures in the office, manhandled the staff as well as some of the members who had come to attend the meeting," the secretary-general stated in his complaint to the police. "Islamabad is the capital where a large number of foreign missions are based. This ugly incident has brought a bad name to the country as well as the local administration, because the offences were committed in the presence of a large contingent of local police deployed around the PML secretariat at the time," he added. Mr Shah rejected the claims of dissidents that the Muslim League House was taken over by the workers as a reaction to the party's decision to join hands with the Pakistan People's Party. " Muslim League workers would never have damaged the portrait of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and party president Nawaz Sharif," he said. He termed the breakaway faction a "cow dung league," alleging that trucks carrying cow dung had been brought to block the Margalla Road. Responding to dissidents' demand for convening a meeting of the general council, the secretary-general said:" I am ready to convene a meeting of the council today if the party rebels give me an an assurance that they will give in if the body ( council) reposes confidence in Nawaz Sharif." Kulsoom Nawaz and others did not rule out the possibility of a rapprochement with the rebels, saying that nothing was final in politics. " There are no full stops in politics," said Saranjam Khan. Mr Shah said that those who had been issued show -cause notices had not yet replied. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001123 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan values its ties with China: CE ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf briefed a delegation of All China Lawyers Association(ACLA) on Wednesday on the agenda of the government and said Islamabad greatly valued its long-standing fraternal ties with Beijing. The delegation, headed by Fu Yang, Vice-President of ACLA, along with Chinese Ambassador Lu Shulin, called on him here. " Pakistan greatly values its long-standing fraternal ties with the People's Republic of China and interaction with members of the Chinese legal profession," said Gen Musharraf. The two sides agreed that there was a need for increasing cooperation between the judiciary and legal communities of Pakistan and China. They also expressed the desire to learn from each others' experience and explore ways and means for achieving this purpose. The chief executive apprised the delegation of the gvernment's reforms agenda, the legal system, process of accountability and other related matters, it was officially stated. Sweden: Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Wednesday that Pakistan wanted to enhance cooperation with Sweden in all fields, including defence production. He was talking to a Swedish delegation, comprising Soren Gindahl from Swedish Aerospace AB and Ekberg, President, Bofors AB; who,along with Chairman Wah Nobel Board of Directors, Lt-Gen Abdul Qayyum, called on him here. " Bofors of Sweden has 38 years of fruitful joint venture with POF and their meetings of board of directors are regularly held in Sweden and Pakistan", it was officially stated here.-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001122 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rebels refuse to accept Nawaz as party president ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Nov 21: Muslim League rebels have refused to accept Mian Nawaz Sharif as party president and announced to call a meeting of the general council - a body comprising former parliamentarians - in December for electing a new president and members of the Central Working Committee (CWC). Speaking at a joint press conference held at the occupied party PML Secretariat, the anti-Nawaz group refused to accept the CWC's decision of suspending the basic membership of Chaudhry Shujaat, Mian Azhar, Ejazul Haq and Faqir Hussain and termed the decision as "illegal". The news conference was participated by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Mian Muhammad Azhar, Ejazul Haq, Humayun Akhter, Fakhar Imam,Abdus Sattar Lalika, Begum Abida Hussain, ChaudhryPervez Elahi, Maqbool Sheikh and Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri. "We outrightly reject the ridiculous and so-called suspension announced by an illegally constituted body," said a statement distributed at the press conference. The rebels, who had not objected to CWC's legal status till Monday, said that its composition was not in accordance with Article 44 of the PML constitution. The Central Working Committee according to the Muslim League constitution could have a minimum of 12 members and a maximum of 40 members, Syed Fakhar Imam said. He said under the constitution only general council members were eligible to become CWC members. Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri recalled that they had been expressing their opinion independently and openly even when Nawaz Sharif was in power. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001125 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sattar says Govt backs Nawaz-Clinton agreement ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Nov 24: Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar has said the government is prepared to stand by the July 4, 1999 statement signed by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif and US President Bill Clinton. "Pakistan, having agreed to the (Washington) statement has an obligation to comply with it," Sattar told the Times of India in Islamabad on Thursday. Sattar said that although present government had no reservations about the Sharif-Clinton statement, "I don't know why one insists on observance of the July 4 statement when we have the Simla agreement to respect the LoC". When he was reminded that Musharraf has himself raised doubts about Simla, Sattar said the main issue was "India's refusal to implement the UN resolutions of 1948-49". Sattar rejected the suggestion that Pakistan has not done enough to stop unauthorized crossings of Line of Control. He said: "Both sides have an obligation but India, which has some 700,000 troops in Kashmir, is surely in a better position to prevent LoC crossings."-NNI DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001121 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Governors empowered to issue ordinances ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: The Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on Monday allowed the governors of the four provinces to promulgate ordinances and other legal instruments. The Order No 11 of 2000, called as Governor's Powers Order 2000 amends Article 4 of Chief Executive Order No 9 of 1999. The ordinance stated that the words "on the instructions of the Chief Executive" mentioned in Article 4 of Chief Executive Order 9 of 1999 "the words on instructions of the Chief Executive" shall be omitted. According to new provision it shall be duty of a governor to furnish information relating to any proposed ordinance to the Chief Executive. The CE order provides that the Chief Executive might at any time, whether before or after promulgation of an ordinance by the governor, issue directions or instruction to the governor including those to amend, alter or repeal ordinance, as the Chief Executive may deem fit. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001120 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt to end child labour, says CE ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Nov 19: President Muhammad Rafiq Tarar has said that the government is committed to provide a framework to ensure children's inalienable rights to survival. In his message on the occasion of the Universal Children's Day being observed on Monday, the President said that it is heartening to know that Pakistan joins international community to celebrate Universal Children's Day. CHIEF EXECUTIVE: In his message on the occasion of Universal Children's Day, Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf said that Universal Children's Day provides an opportunity to express solidarity with the children and to reaffirm the pledge for their welfare in order to enable them to become useful citizens of Pakistan and productive members of the global village. The Chief Executive said: "Our religion Islam has made it incumbent upon us to protect and guide for children." As a part of this commitment, we are proceeding with programmes aimed at protection of children. A national policy and plan of action for elimination of child labour has also been launched. Fund for the education of working children and their rehabilitation with an initial grant of Rs100 million has been set up.-NNI DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001119 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex-ISI chief faces court martial: ISPR ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: The government has decided to conduct the accountability of senior armed forces personnel and disciplinary action against former ISI chief Lt-Gen Ziauddin Butt and Brigadier Javed has already been initiated to court-martial them shortly. This was stated by the chief executive's press secretary, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, at a press conference on Saturday. "No one is above the law as the accountability process will take its course against corrupt people whether they belong to armed forces, judiciary and the media." Maj-Gen Qureshi, who is also director-general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, said that a special committee headed by the interior minister had completed its review of the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report which would be made public soon. "I would give you the exact date for the publication of the report after consulting the concerned officials". He said the government had no plan to hold general elections one year before the time set by the Supreme Court, as had been hinted by a section of the press. The military authorities, he said, had completed investigation against Lt-Gen Butt and Brig Javed, the former prime minister's ADC, for violating the army discipline on Oct 12, 1999. "All the evidence has been collected against them and you would soon see their court-martial by a competent military court," he said, adding that a former air chief had already been convicted recently by a accountability court for corruption. Without naming former Maj-Gen Zaheerul Islam Abbasi, he said that one senior military officer had been court-martialled in the past and imprisoned for violating the army's discipline. Similarly, he said, a serving major had been punished to death for killing innocent people in Sindh a few years ago. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001123 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 Afghan families enter Pakistan daily ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report PESHAWAR, Nov 22: An Afghan national was held at the Torkham border post after security personnel found US$100,000 in his possession. Abdul Qadir, son of Abdul Qadeer, from south eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan was on his way back home when during a routine search security personnel recovered a large amount of American dollars. After registering a case, the border security staff handed over the Afghan national to the assistant political agent of Landikotal for further investigation. Meanwhile, long queues of Afghan refugees including foreign aid workers continued to throng both sides of Torkham Pak Afghan borders on 14th day of a ban on fresh entry of Afghan refugees on Wednesday, eye witnesses coming from the border crossing told Dawn. Some 40 to 50 Afghan families are allowed into Pakistan from the Torkham gates daily, but not before a thorough check of their documents to prove they are registered with the Afghan Refugees Commissionerate authorities. The border check post which is under stiff check by reinforced security forces located atop the hills overlooking Torkham remains crowded all the day long as authorities on both sides of the border check identification papers of refugees. Those Afghan nationals who have identification papers are allowed into Pakistan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001121 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ex-Balochistan minister gets nine-year RI ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent QUETTA, Nov 20: An Accountability Court on Monday awarded nine-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs25 million to a former Balochistan Minister for Labour and Manpower, Mir Faiq Ali Khan Jamali on the charges of receiving illegal gratification. Judge Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi announced the judgment in the presence of accused. In case of default Mir Faiq Ali Jamali would have to undergo an additional three years rigorous imprisonment. The Regional Accountability Bureau had filed a reference against the former minister pertaining to receiving Rs25 million as illegal gratification from Shamrez Khan, a wheat supply contractor of Food Department, to help him obtain special permit from the federal ministry for the supply of wheat and flour.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001122 ------------------------------------------------------------------- List of SBP primary dealers soon: Debt bonds next month ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Nov 21: The State Bank will announce in a day or two the names of its primary dealers, who will partly underwrite long term government debt bonds and sell them in the secondary market. The government is eagerly waiting for a green signal from the State Bank to launch Pakistan Investment Bonds of three, five and 10-year maturity, sources close to the SBP said. The bonds, the specifics of which are yet to be announced, are likely to offer market-driven interest rates and can be held by both resident or non-resident individuals and the corporates. These bonds should be available for auction within weeks after the selection of primary dealers depending upon the conditions in the money market. Top bankers say the bonds will hit the market in December or January. The sources said the SBP had asked more than half a dozen short- listed banks and a leading brokerage house last week to confirm within three working days whether they would like to be appointed primary dealers on revised terms and conditions. By the close of the deadline on Tuesday more than half a dozen local and foreign banks had confirmed their willingness. It was not clear if the brokerage house had sent its confirmation. Stock market sources said the brokerage had some reservations over the revised terms and conditions particularly those relating to the paid up capital. The sources said the banks that confirmed their willingness to become primary dealers included such heavyweights as state-run National Bank and Habib Bank and private-sector Union Bank. They said some foreign banks, including a high profile American bank and two leading European banks also confirmed their willingness. Once selected as primary dealers, these banks will buy the long term bonds from the SBP and sell them onwards to individuals or corporates or even to other banks. They will also keep selling on other government securities in the secondary market on behalf of the central bank. Government officials say the purpose of launching new bonds is to bring back into financial system some long term institutional funds including pension and provident funds, whose investment in national savings scheme was stopped in March this year. But from the State Bank's point of view these bonds would help develop an yield curve for long term debt instruments. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001121 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Islamabad seeking $250m cushion loan ------------------------------------------------------------------- M. Ziauddin ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: The government has mobilized a rolling commercial loan of 100 million dollars from a consortium of foreign and local banks and it is negotiating a similar loan of 150 million dollars from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). This is half of the 500 million dollars of commercial loan which the government has been prospecting since the last two months under a contingency plan pending the approval of the 580 million dollars of relatively softer IMF loan by the Fund's Board later this month. Both these loans, the 100 million dollars from the commercial banks and the yet to be finalized 150 million dollars from the IDB are being arranged under what is called the Trade Enhancement Facility. And both carry tough commercial rates and conditions. Brief details of the 100 million dollar loan by the consortium of the commercial banks were published in the shape of an advertisement on Sunday in some of local newspapers according to which the loan was being arranged and structured by ABN AMRO Bank NV and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector window of the World Bank. The participating banks include Habib Bank Limited, Muslim Commercial Bank Limited, Askari Commercial Bank Limited, Soneri Bank Limited, Bank Al Habib Limited and ABN AMRO Bank, Pakistan. The request for a 150 million dollar loan from IDB was placed by finance minister Shaukat Aziz when he visited Beirut earlier this month to attend the Bank's Board of Governor's meeting. Under the Trade Enhancement Facility, the agencies arranging the facility stand guarantee for the LCs opened on behalf of Pakistani importers and in case there is a default by an importer, these agencies are obliged to meet the bill. Sources said the ABN AMRO/IFC facility has been offered on a roll- over basis which means the facility providers would keep replenishing the loan fund as and when the importers clear their dues. The facilitating agency will charge the usual commission between 0.25 per cent to 0.67 per cent from the importers for the cover. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001124 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Performance of petroleum sector discussed ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: World Bank has asked the Pakistani government to accelerate deregulating process of petroleum sector and limit the role of petroleum ministry to a regulator. Official sources told Dawn that the World Bank Vice President Ms Mieko Nishimizu held a detailed meeting with the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Usman Aminuddin on Thursday and discussed the performance of petroleum sector with special reference to deregulating it as early as possible. She was told that the petroleum ministry was being reduced to a police giving body which will have nothing to do with running the affairs of various petroleum organizations of the oil and gas sector. Sources said Ms Mieko Nishimizu was told that there were less chances for increasing the oil prices in Pakistan, though the issue would be reviewed next month. She was told that a policy has been devised under which oil prices were reviewed after every three months while furnace oil rates were reviewed every month. She was also told that boards of directors of public sector oil companies have been changed with a view to prepare them for privatization. Later, she held a separate meeting with the Chairman Privatization Commission, Altaf M. Saleem and discussed with him issues relating to disinvestment of the state sector. "I have informed Ms Mieko Nishimizu that the government has planned the privatization of many units that will give about $3 billion in next two years period", he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001120 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan rich in oil, gas reserves: expert ------------------------------------------------------------------- RAWALPINDI, Nov 19: Pakistan is situated in a zone which has abundant oil and gas reserves, said Dr Wasim Piracha, Geophysical Consultant. Talking to a group of journalists here on Sunday, Dr Wasim Piracha, who had been associated with the field of geophysics for the last 20 years in Copenhagen and Stolkhom, said Pakistan was located in a zone where they have tectonism, subduction and plain area full of oil and gas reserves. However, he said, professional and internationally reputed experts should be hired for gas and oil exploration. Besides modern equipment and trained manpower were also needed to make progress in that vital field. "We should train people who are not aware of oil exploration technologies being used by the major oil companies in Western countries and US," he said, adding the Pakistani companies engaged in oil and gas exploration and the ministry concerned should make structural geological maps of Pakistan for both on land and offshore exploration. The maps should be drawn by using satellite imaging techniques and geophysical interpretation of lower part of the earth. In this connection, Dr Wasim Piracha cited the example of Kohat and Potohar areas, which according to him were full of oil reserves but due to non-availability of related maps, no drilling could be done there. He said Makran was the third offshore subduction zone in the world and had huge oil reserves. Similarly, he said, Himalayan mountainous ranges also have oil reserves. He said in both the areas high quality of oil could be explored by deep drilling. Dr Wasim Piracha said oil resources could also be explored in Northern Himalayan zone and glaciers as Norway had oil field in snow-covered areas in the North of the country while in Greenland too Geological Survey of Denmark had found hydrocarbon prospects. He said there were two types of offshore basins in Pakistan one is Indus offshore zone and other is Makran offshore zone. These basins were divided by a ridge called Murray Ridge, which played an important role for hydrocarbon analysis and research due to its geo-dynamics and tectonic movement. He said Murray range and surrounding areas should be used for oil and gas exploration.-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001124 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Zakat not to be deducted from FCAs ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: A Spokesman for the Finance Ministry on Thursday termed as false the impression that Zakat will necessarily be deducted from the Foreign Currency Accounts (FCAs). The spokesman clarified that the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance is a basic and special law and the relaxation, given to the Foreign Currency Accounts through amendments in the Economic Reforms Act, 1992, will not be affected.-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001123 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Export of wood items on agenda ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rauf Klasra ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: The federal government is expected to allow the export of wood products made out of sustainable forest woods, sources said on Wednesday. The federal ministries of commerce and environment have jointly submitted a report in this regard to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, which is meeting here on Saturday after a month with Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz in the chair. The items which are being allowed to export include timber doors, window frames, flush doors, panel doors, mouldings, beading pallets, crates and cable drums in knock down condition, broom sticks and floorings, all made from sustainable forest wood. However, the government has decided that it would be mandatory for exporters to ensure that the value of export product should be at least 100pc more than the value at which the timber was purchased from factory. The two ministries have informed the ECC that the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) is receiving numbers of enquiries from various exporters for the export of lumbers, planks, doors, window frames, flush doors etc in knock down conditions and broom sticks and floorings made out of sustainable forest species like poplar, eucalyptus, mango and sumbal. Sources said the ECC was also informed that natural forests and timber were preserved throughout the world but man made forest or sustainable forests were encouraged for use in products for domestic as well as export markets. It said even countries with scarce resources in the natural forests, such as India, too have adopted a policy of encouraging export of products of sustainable man-made plantation, keeping strict controls on natural forests. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001123 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt cuts bank borrowing ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Nov 22: The government has started reducing its bank borrowing in an effort to meet the performance criteria that it has to meet to qualify for an IMF standby loan. Senior bankers said gross government borrowing stood at Rs39 billion between July-October 2000. But as the government had placed Rs17 billion in its debt retirement account in the same period, its net borrowing totalled Rs22 billion. Up to September, the gross government bank borrowing stood at Rs53 billion and net borrowing at Rs39 billion as the government had placed Rs14 billion in debt retirement account. Bankers link a Rs17 billion fall in net government borrowing to the performance criteria set by the IMF for every quarter of this fiscal year. This criteria has to be met by Pakistan to be able to convert a $580 million 10-month IMF standby loan into a long term poverty reduction and growth facility. The IMF board of executive directors is meeting in Washington on November 29 to approve the standby arrangement. Under the performance criteria for conversion of standby loan into PRGF, the government is to cut its net bank borrowing for budgetary support to Rs6.4bn by the end of December 2000. Bankers say a sharp reduction in net government borrowing from Rs39 billion upto September to Rs22 billion by the end of last month suggests that the government may bring it down to Rs6.4bn by end of December. The performance criteria requires the government to keep its net bank borrowing at Rs19.9 billion by the end of March 2001 and at minus Rs16.7 billion at the close of this fiscal year on June 30, 2001. Bankers said seven major state-run organisations retired bank credit worth more than Rs12 billion between July-October 2000 on net basis. These organisations include (i) WAPDA (ii) KESC (iii) PTCL (iv) SSGC (v) SNGPL (vi) OGDC and Pakistan Railways. Sources close to IMF say under the performance criteria set by the IMF, net borrowing of these organisations is supposed to be at Rs6.5 billion by the end of December. By the end of March next year, these organisations may keep their cumulative net borrowing at Rs9.5 billion that should not cross Rs 11.5 billion mark at the close of June 2001. Bankers say what has helped the government slash its borrowing from banks in the first four months of this fiscal year is that revenue collection has remained almost satisfactory. The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) reported about Rs 106 billion collection between July-October showing an increase of Rs7 billion over what was collected in a year-ago period. But this collection still fell short in relation to the full year target of Rs430 billion. That is why some financial analysts doubt the government's ability to cut its net bank borrowing to Rs16.7 billion at the end of this fiscal year. In a sharp contrast to declining government bank borrowing, the flow of credit to the private sector began picking up in October. Bankers said bank credit channelized towards private sector stood slightly over Rs16 billion at the end of last month. By the end of September, the private sector had made a net retirement of Rs5 billion bank credit, instead. In Pakistan, private sector credit starts picking up in October on cotton and sugar financing and continues through March next year. Between April and September every year, the private sector retires more credit than its borrowing from banks due to seasonal fluctuation in credit demand. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001122 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Internet bandwidth rates reduced ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Nov 21: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Prof Atta-ur-Rehman Tuesday announced further reduction in Internet bandwidth rates up to 50 per cent for the software companies, IT firms and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Addressing a crowded press conference at PID Press Centre here the minister said that government has reduced the bandwidth rate from $32,000/Mb to $3,600/Mb. He said that about six months ago the government had reduced the Internet bandwidth rates by 53 per cent. The minister said that the present reduction is linked with improvement of quality of services by ISPs. He said the bandwidth rate for educational institutions, IT and software firms will be $3,600/Mb while for ISP it will be $9,000/Mb. He said the present reduction has been made possible due to bulk purchase by PTCL without undermining its financial viability. The Minister said that for public sector universities free bandwidth and infrastructure of 256Kb/s will be provided for four years, which can be further extended for the same period. The private sector educational institutions, he said will also benefit from low bandwidth rate at the rate of $3,600.-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001125 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rightsizing plan being implemented, WB told ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Nov 24: The World Bank has been told that the government was implementing a detailed downsizing and rightsizing plan to cut non-developmental expenses of the federal and provincial governments. Informed sources told Dawn that the senior government officials including the finance minister and the State Bank governor held a meeting with the visiting World Bank delegation led by Vice President for South Asian Region, Ms Mieko Nishimizu, here on Friday and discussed with them various issues specially cut in non- developmental expenditures by shedding extra weight in the ministries, divisions and provinces. Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz told the World Bank delegation that the government was trying to bring financial discipline in the entire system by implementing a home-grown programme. This programme, he said, was aimed at removing all kinds of distortions. Secretary Establishment Division, Tariq Saeed Haroon gave a briefing about the downsizing and rightsizing in the government organisations. The sources said that the World Bank officials were informed that those appointed on political basis during the period of PML and PPP governments were being removed from their services. A number of them had already been sent home and that those who had indulged in corruption were facing criminal investigations by NAB and other agencies. The sources said that the World Bank vice president informed the government officials that the Bank was interested to provide $363 million to undertake three projects including $300 million for Structural Adjustment Loan (SAL) in 2000-2001. More talks will be held between the two sides on new loan for Pakistan. The government was expecting $300 million for SAL to carry out power, taxation and banking sectors reforms, beside certain funding for the restructuring of the CBR. Also, the World Bank was interested in extending $25 million each for On-Farm Water Management projects in Sindh and NWFP. Similarly, $10 million will be extended for Environmental Fund along with $3 million technical support for trade and transport assistance programme. Pakistan wanted to have a single tranche of $300 million for Structural Adjustment Loan (SAL) for which it has assured to implement necessary reforms in banking, taxation and power sectors. Sources said that Bank has made it clear to the government that in case reforms for various sectors were not carried out adequately, the Bank will not continue assistance for Pakistan.Back to the top
EDITORIALS & FEATURES DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001119 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Man bites dog ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ardeshir Cowasjee Progress must be applauded. One military government, that of General Ayub Khan, encouraged by super-bureaucrat Altaf Gauhar (who sadly died last week - may his soul rest in peace) promulgated the draconian black press laws. Another military government, that of General Pervez Musharraf, has decided to allow the press to print whatever it may choose to print. It has been left to the genius of the people of Pakistan to interpret in their own way what the learned have written and what the editors-in-chief many of whom are proprietor-editors, have deemed suitable and appropriate to print and publish. Reproduced hereunder is a collection of what is known in local parlance as 'nuggets' culled from the national press. Courtesy The Nation, November 15, 'Readers Column', letter from Sajjad Khawaja of Lahore: "A photo published in national English dailies on November 12 depicts the Governor Punjab shaking hands with a foreign lady with her husband looking on. It is un-Islamic to shake hands with women. I request the CE to take due action against the Governor." Courtesy The Friday Times, November 3, 'Nuggets from the Urdu Press': "According to 'Khabrain', the prostitutes of Malaysia have started bathing in Coca-Cola because they have solid proof that it prevents AIDS. The paper reports that before they have sex with their clients, Malaysian prostitutes wash themselves with Coca-Cola because they think the bubbles in the drink prevents AIDS." "According to 'Pakistan', transvestites in Hyderabad were attacked by traffic policemen who tried to sexually molest them. This happened at the annual urs of a local saint. The transvestites were attacked by drunk officers and were beaten in turn. The transvestites ripped off the policemen's clothes and then beat them. They also rained sandals on the policemen. The local people saved the naked traffic policemen." "It is reported in 'Khabrain' that a race took place in Sikhpur between a donkey and a horse. The donkey won the three kilometer race and was garlanded with rupee banknotes. The owner of the donkey was carried triumphantly to Sikhpur accompanied by beating drums while the owner of the horse that lost the race could not bear the sorrow and lost consciousness. The following day he died. People offered up to Rs.5 lakhs for the donkey but his owner refused to sell him." TFT 'Nuggets', November 10: "According to 'Jang', the wealth of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif cannot be calculated by ordinary calculators, and advanced scientific calculators have to be used to do a mathematical tally of their money. This was stated by Mohammad Ali Durrani, Chief Organizer of the Millat Party. Durrani said that the party had to buy special advanced calculators to add up BB's and NS's assets in order to prepare a white paper on their corruption." "According to 'Aussaf', a man in Chiniot visited a poor family and told them that he had found employment for their ten-year old son. He took the boy and handed him over to a maulvi and then disappeared. The maulvi immediately sodomized the boy, and when the child screamed people from the neighbourhood broke into the maulvi's place. They freed the boy and he ran away crying. But the maulvi waylaid the boy on the way home and kidnapped him. The police were informed, they mounted a search party, and recovered the boy." "According to 'Khabrain', Mulazim Abbas, an attendant at a tyre shop on Circular Road, Lahore, had a fight with 18-year old Ishfaq. He felled Ishfaq to the ground and forcibly pumped air into his stomach through his rectum. He then ran away. Ishfaq was rushed to Mayo Hospital where his stomach was deflated." TFT 'Nuggets', November 17: "According to 'Jang', Pir Pagaro, head of the Muslim League (Functional) is reported to have said that he would never again 'lend' a prime minister to the government of Pakistan because 'his' PMs get nationalized and taken over. He added that those who have the name of God on their lips carry the Quran in one hand and a Kalashnikov in the other. It is they who bring a bad name to religion. He said his understanding with Nawabzada Nasrullah is limited to gupshup and the dining table." "According to 'Pakistan', a cow gave birth to a calf and a python simultaneously in village Kaleki. Apparently, a baby snake entered the cow's womb at the very moment that she was fertilized by an ox. The snake grew along with the cow's embryo and when it was full term the cow gave birth to a calf along with a fully-grown python." Courtesy 'Qaumi Akhbar', November 13, and Editor Ilyas Shakir, elected Honorary Secretary of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors : Headlines - "For taking revenge, Cowasjee has influenced decision to demolish Mosque Aisha. Voice was raised about liquor stores of his relatives, therefore he used his influence. Cowasjee had put pressure on Mohtasib to order mosque demolition, which shall be resisted. Mohtasib Sindh issues directives on behalf of Cowasjee and Mehromal Jagwani. Some weeks back I spoke against Cowasjee at which he has flared up : Moulana Rashid Ansari. Under any circumstances, Khatm-i-Nabuwat conference shall be held in Mosque Aisha, North Karachi, today. Leaders of important religious organizations shall spell out strategy for resisting mosque demolition. Peaceful demonstrations shall be held, and if untoward incident occurs, administration shall be held responsible, leaders have said." News item - "Leaders of religious organizations have said that Khatam-i-Nabuwat conference shall be held today at Mosque Aisha, Sector 11-B North Karachi, under any circumstances. And today evening, in an emergency meeting, central office bearers of Jamiat- i-Ulema-i-Islam, Sipah-i-Sahaba, Pakistan Shariat Council, Sawad-i- Azam Ahl-i-Sunnat, International Khatam-i-Nabuwat, Tanzeem Ulema-i- Pakistan, Jaish Muhammad, Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami shall declare strategy for resisting mosque demolition. "Deputy Secretary General of Pakistan Shariat Council and head of Tehrik-i-Ansar-ul-Islam, Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ansari, has said in his statement that in the eyes of Mohtasib, liquor stores are sacred instead of mosque. Mohtasib has issued directions on the advice of English newspaper columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee and minorities member of dissolved Sindh Assembly, Mehromal Jagwani. He said that his crime was that some weeks back he had taken a strong stand and made a speech against Cowasjee in a local hotel and asked Mohtasib Haziq-ul-Khairi to cancel licence of liquor stores established in Muslim neighbourhoods and the selling of liquor to Muslims. "Mohtasib Sindh was given video film of liquor being sold to Muslims and was told that employees of these stores not only sold liquor to Muslims but these Hindu employees supply illegally to local five-star hotel. Cowasjee got out demolition order for Mosque Aisha by using his influence over Mohtasib Sindh, but licences for these liquor stores have not been cancelled; instead these stores remain open on Shab-i-Barat also. "Moulana Abdur Rashid Ansari has said that today, November 13, in Khatam-i-Nabuwat conference, prominent religious scholars Maulana Manzoor Ahmed Chinioti, Maulana Fida-ul-Rehman Darkhuasty, Maulana Ajmal Qadri, Maulana Asas Thanvi, Maulana Qari Sher Afzal, Maulana Asfandyar, Maulana Ikram-ul-Haq Khairi, Qari Saeed Qamar Qasmi and other shall address the gathering. Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, Maulana Azam Tariq and Maulana Masood Azhar have decided to come to Karachi. We want a peaceful demonstration but if administration creates any trouble, then it shall be responsible for any consequences." Needless to say, I do not know where the Mosque Aisha stands (or stood), I have not spoken to the Sindh Mohtasib, nor do I know Mr Jagwani, nor any of the honourable reverends, nor am I familiar with any of the reverential organizations mentioned in the newsitem. However, the mind does not boggle. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001124 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Old script, new situation ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ayaz Amir THE happenings in the Muslim League are nothing new. They are based on a script as old as the history of authoritarianism in Pakistan. Every incoming Caesar has needed a Muslim League. The Muslim League has always played an obliging hand and to every Caesar - be he Ayub or Zia - has provided a ready platform. The Convention Muslim League was Field Marshal Ayub Khan's political handmaiden. The Pakistan Muslim League, born of the National Assembly of 1985 and headed by Muhammad Khan Junejo, was the civilian face of the Zia regime. When Zia, miffed by Junejo's growing independence, axed the National Assembly and sent the Junejo premiership packing, the Muslim League split into two factions, the one in the wilderness still headed by Junejo, the one which closed ranks behind General Zia under the command of his most loyal protege, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. The meeting in which this split was sealed was held at the Islamabad Hotel. No speeches were made, no discussions held. Instead, the opposing factions hurled abuses and spoons at each other. All perfectly in character because the climate of the sub- continent does not favour the polite exchange of views. It is more conducive to platform oratory, slogan-shouting and even fisticuffs when tempers run high. Look at the politics of Bangladesh where Hasina Wajed and Khalida Zia are engaged in a never-ending conflict. Look at Indian politics where the sound of shouting rises above any whispered attempts at calm debate. Look at Pakistani politics the essence of which is mirrored in the politics of the Muslim League. In 1988 at the Islamabad Hotel the wounded democrat was Muhammad Khan Junejo and his adversary Nawaz Sharif. This time the prophet in chains is Nawaz Sharif and the King's Party is headed by the Gujrat Chaudries, Mian Azhar, Ejazul Haq (Zia's son), etc. As on the earlier occasion, rowdyism took the lead over gentle persuasion, the only difference being that whereas in 1988 distinguished parliamentarians went for each other's throats, this time 'workers' were bused in from Lahore and Gujrat to assault the Muslim League Secretariat. The more things change... Let it be noted in passing that while the culture of being unprincipled and siding with authority has a long tradition in the Muslim League, the culture of violence was largely absent from the party, factionalism in the League being conducted mostly along civilized lines. The use of strong-arm tactics took root when Nawaz Sharif as chief minister of Punjab was locked in a confrontation with Benazir Bhutto at the centre. In any event, the Kashmiris of Lahore, who count the Sharifs as their most famous sons, are known for two things: good eating and muscle-flexing (the storming of the Supreme Court in 1998 being not so much an aberration as an instinctive reaction from the new Muslim League shaped in the image of the Sharifs). That the same tactics have now been applied to them is a minor irony which I suspect would be lost on them. There is, however, one vital difference between king's factions past and the king's faction now taking shape within the Muslim League (and which no doubt will soon claim the mantle of legitimacy for itself by saying that it is the genuine article). The Convention League in Ayub Khan's time and the Muslim League in Zia's time were the B teams of powerful centres of authority. Ayub was a strong ruler and so was Zia. In both dispensations it paid to be a collaborator of the military and those who sided with those autocrats enjoyed long political innings. Ayub's martial law destroyed the pre-1958 political order and replaced it with a new class (its most famous alumnus being Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) which enjoyed a long stint in power. In much the same manner, the Zia regime, while not succeeding in demolishing the PPP or Bhuttoism, gave birth to a countervailing force in the form of a revived Muslim League which sat in the assemblies for close to 15 years, 1985-99, a record in Pakistani politics. It is different this time round. The gun is with General Musharraf and although it is hard to argue with that, the evidence of the past 12 months suggests that there is little which is impressive or durable about the dispensation he commands. How then to weigh the fruits of collaboration with him? Guided by better political sense the military could have split the Muslim League, and ensured the isolation and eclipse of Nawaz Sharif, soon after October 12, 2000 - that is, in those balmy days when military interventionism basked in the warm glow of public approbation. No wonder the generals rode the wind, thinking they would conquer the moon and set everything right (how precisely was never very clear, but that is beside the point). The necessity of garnering broader political support (a necessity not dismissed out of hand by patriarchs stronger than them) did not cross their minds. Or was not high on their agenda. So that golden moment was allowed to pass. Now times are different. After experiencing the performance of the past 12 months the public is in a bitter mood, unhappy with how things are and increasingly nostalgic about the way things were. Thanks to this state of affairs, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto are well advanced on the road to public rehabilitation. In Nawaz Sharif's case it has to be admitted that his resurgent image owes itself in no small measure to his defiance of military rule. In the summer of 1977 Bhutto was a discredited figure. When after his ouster he stood up to Zia, his popularity once again soared. Dissimilar in other respects, Bhutto and Sharif can be compared in their standing up to military rule. When Bhutto went to the gallows the PPP's cause looked hopeless. But it was not many years later when his daughter gathered the rewards of his courage. When this military chapter comes to a close, as in the nature of things sooner or later it must, it requires no clairvoyant to see as to who will still be riding the tide of public approval. That it should be Pakistan's destiny to remain in thrall to flawed and limited heroes is of course a different matter. But to return to our subject, the past seldom repeats itself in a mechanical manner. Ayub, Yahya and Zia were all military patriarchs but each faced a different set of challenges and each left a different set of problems in his wake. Ayub's legacy came to fruition in the form of Pakistan's breakup. Poor Yahya only came in at the finishing line, the dragon's teeth having been sown earlier, that too by the military-bureaucratic complex in West Pakistan. Zia in turn faced a different situation and left behind a legacy sordid and squalid in most respects. In between came the civilian tribune, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had a great opportunity before him and blew it because of his boundless lust for power. The situation today is wholly different. Once again we have a military government but different from its predecessors. The Musharraf regime has so much going against it, and so little in its favour, that it will take a brave man to bet on its longevity. What is more, the last thing that remained in Pakistan was the mystique of the uniform - that when the going got too rough the bugles would sound and the cavalry come charging in, to set wrongs right and put goodness on its throne. Now even this mystique is lost, the emperor close to being seen without his clothes. What new political order will arise from this shambles? How will collaboration flourish in this unpromising climate? The much-touted devolution plan, and the local elections, are increasingly taking on aspects of the bizarre and macabre. Judging by the groundwork laid, the success of these mighty enterprises looks as likely as that of the tax survey and documentation drive carried out earlier this summer. In other words, more trophies in the pantheon of failure. For the sake of the king's followers (Cavaliers as they were called in the English Civil War) I hope they are on to something, for some of them are earnest souls. But looking at the weather and the state of the heavens, I fear they have hitched their wagon to a waning star. (Not that I can fault the Chaudries for their smart move, long-standing investments always counting for more than shooting stars.) DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001125 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Riding the tiger ------------------------------------------------------------------- Irfan Husain IN a recent newspaper article, Farhatullah Babar reminded us that November 21 marked Professor Abdus Salam's sixth death anniversary. Apart from this article, I do not recall a single recent mention of this great scientist's contribution in the media. Had he been alive today, he would have been greatly pained by the recent wave of attacks on his fellow Ahmadis in Punjab. Indeed, as Kuldip Nayar reminded us in his latest column on these pages, there has been remarkably little condemnation of these barbaric incidents in the Pakistani press. I have received a number of e-mails from readers abroad expressing their horror and revulsion over these incidents. By sheer coincidence, I received a phone call last week from Kamal Afsar (not to be confused with the politician), a very dear friend, asking me to lunch as a common friend of ours, Hanif Bajwa, who was in town very briefly from the States. Not having met Hanif in over twenty years, I dropped everything and went across. He had changed remarkably little, his gentle humour intact and his intellect as honed as ever. He moved to the States in the mid- seventies with his family, and has lived there ever since. As an Ahmadi, he saw very little future for his two daughters in an increasingly hostile and intolerant Pakistan. Like thousands of other Ahmadis, they have made their lives abroad. I do not feel defensive about repeating myself on the subject of our treatment of Ahmadis as I think it deserves to be hammered home time and again. The fact is that ever since they were arbitrarily and whimsically declared non-Muslim, they have been increasingly marginalized. As they do not consider themselves to be a minority community, they do not participate in the elections that are based on the shameful separate electorate system. And yet, despite all the grievous provocation they are constantly subjected to, they are among the most hard working, honest and productive of Pakistanis, model citizens in every sense. In spite of their forbearance, they have been victimized to an unacceptable extent by a brutalized majority. For years, they have been arrested on the flimsiest grounds: reciting the kalma renders them liable to prosecution and imprisonment. I wrote recently about an Ahmadi who was convicted for praying in police custody. How can we claim to be civilized when we treat peaceful, decent human beings in this fashion? The late Professor Salam, Pakistan's only Nobel laureate, is more respected abroad than he is here. When he was alive, he tried to further the cause of science in Pakistan, but was largely ignored. When he was invited to campuses here, he was often not allowed to speak by Jamiat hoodlums. As Farhatullah Babar reminds us, "...in his home country, he was shunned, ignored and cold-shouldered... many in Zia's government also were opposed to honouring him..." And yet, the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, is named after him. He spent some of the most productive years of his life here. On the occasion of his first death anniversary, his successor said: "...let us celebrate the accomplishments of this extraordinary man and let us honour his memory by renaming this institution to which he devoted so much of his energy and intelligence, the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics. It's the right thing to do for the man and the institution." In Pakistan, not a single road or institution has been named after him. In his own country, he is unhonoured and unsung. Despite their many contributions to Pakistan, Ahmadis remain the targets of bigots and fanatics. On October 30, five Ahmadis were shot dead, and ten were wounded in a murderous attack in a village near Sialkot. Barely ten days later, another five were killed as they prayed together in Takht-Hazari, a village 30 miles away from Sargodha. Their mosque was burned down, and another dozen people were injured. No arrests have been made despite police assurances that they are investigating these brutal killings. Considering that our intelligence agencies have the time and resources to vet civil servants before they are promoted, you would think they would have penetrated armed gangs of militants, and made some arrests by now. Their failure to do so reflects equally on their incompetence as well as on how vulnerable our minorities are in an increasingly lawless state. The animosity shown by bigots towards Ahmadis has always amazed me. A difference of opinion is one matter, but to express such hatred for another community betrays a level of intolerance that is incompatible with the dictates of civilized behaviour. Whenever incidents of violence against them are reported, there is hardly a ripple. But this is at par with our treatment of other minorities. And yet we are forever ready to champion the cause of human rights from Palestine to Chechnya. There is growing concern in the outside world as well as among the dwindling numbers of thinking Pakistanis that we are drifting into a very dangerous zone of anarchy and lawlessness. As the effects of our involvement in Afghanistan and Kashmir spill back into Pakistan, and as armed militants are politically strengthened by state support for their questionable activities, all of us are at risk. What is happening to one community today may well begin happening to another tomorrow. In the ways that truly count, Ahmadis are far more religious than most of the rest of us. Professor Salam was a devout man right till the end, and Farhatullah Babar has quoted a marvellous phrase in his article: "Whenever faced with two competing theories for the same set of observations, I have always found that the theory that was more aesthetically satisfying is also the correct one." How can anybody who lives his life by this maxim not be wholly spiritual? At the outset of the army's takeover last year, we had hoped that General Musharraf would have the will to take on the obscurantists and rid us of militant sectarianism. We little realized that the government was using these same zealots to further its policies in Afghanistan and Kashmir, and would therefore be unwilling to rein them in. Another contradiction stems from the fact that fundamentalists consider themselves to be the ideologues of Pakistan, and so far, no government has contradicted them. Until these contradictions can be resolved, Ahmadis and many of the rest of us will continue to be at risk.
SPORTS DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001124 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tauqir Zia welcomes bid to revive Indian tour ------------------------------------------------------------------- DUBAI, Nov 23: Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, on Thursday welcomed a bid to revive the Indian tour of Pakistan, called off last week due to political tensions over Kashmir. Tauqir was reacting to a meeting in New Delhi between Rajsingh Dungarpur, a former Indian cricket board president, and External Affairs minister Jaswant Singh. Tauqir, in Sharjah for an Asian Cricket Council meeting, said: "It's a good development and we welcome it." A.C. Muthiah, president of the Indian cricket board, confirmed: "Efforts are on to revive the tour". But he added: "We have to respect the view of the government in the national interest." In New Delhi, a foreign ministry official said attempts to revive the tour were being made "by some people", but not the government. India had been due to play three Tests and five One-day Internationals from December to February.-Reuters DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001120 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Youhana hits century as 1st Test ends in a draw ------------------------------------------------------------------- Samiul Hasan LAHORE, Nov 19: Yousuf Youhana stroked a brilliant century as the first cricket Test between England and Pakistan ended in a draw at the Qadhafi Stadium here on Sunday. Youhana resumed this morning at 77 in Pakistan's 333 for eight and departed after scoring a top class 124 as the home team were dismissed for 401 shortly after lunch. England, who declared their first innings at 480 for eight and secured a 79-run lead, were 77 for four when the two captains decided to call off the match with 10.5 mandatory overs still to be bowled. Saqlain Mushtaq, adjudged Man-of-the-Match, added the wicket of last innings' centurion and Surrey team-mate Graham Thorpe to finish with match figures of nine for 178. The award was further justified after the 23-year-old local boy had contributed a dogged unbeaten 32. Pakistan might have succeeded to cause some more dent in the England confidence when twice on successive balls they came close to picking up the wicket of Alec Stewart who finished unbeaten on 27. But once the ball sped fast Saeed Anwar at short gully and the second time Salim Elahi failed to hold on to a sharp catch at silly point. The opportunities came in the last over before tea and the sufferer was Mushtaq Ahmad. But snapping up England's four wickets for 77 runs would certainly give Pakistan the confidence to take another shot at the tourists `weak link' in the second Test which begins in Faisalabad from Nov 29. Nonetheless, the draw proved to be a big morale and confidence booster for the Englishmen who were considered to be weak in facing the quality spinners. Contrary to the pundits' prediction that the match would last for three days, it went on for five and England dominated the play almost for four days. England brought Pakistan on the brink of follow-on when they reduced them to 273 for eight. But it was a different story that despite having broken the back of top order, they couldn't overcome the resistance of Saqlain Mushtaq and Yousuf Youhana who featured in a 127-run stand in 228 minutes. For Pakistan, it was a narrow escape but a good one. It displayed Pakistan's grit and guts to fight when the chips are down. And the man who showed the way to his senior players was Yousuf Youhana who started on Sunday from where he had left the other evening. He looked purposeful and on a mission. He stroked the ball well and showed a compact defence in blocking good deliveries. The highlights of his innings was the shot selection. Nasser Hussain, the England captain, shuffled his bowlers and made quick changes to upset Youhana's concentration but failed. His dismissal cannot be put to poor shot but a very good delivery from Ashley Giles which spun just across him and took the outside edge of his bat and into the gloves of Alec Stewart. "The secret to his batting was his very good footwork and excellent timing," Pakistan coach Javed Miandad said, adding: "I have been working hard on him, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi. I am delighted that all delivered the goods, and specially Yousuf." Yousuf, who stroked his fourth career century and second on this ground, batted for 13 minutes over six hours and faced 308 balls. His innings spiced eight signature boundaries and a six. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20001120 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Lifetime achievement awards for cricketers ------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Representative LAHORE, Nov 19: Five celebrated Pakistan cricketers were bestowed with lifetime achievement awards by the Sindh Governor Mohammadmian Soomro in a glittering and impressive ceremony organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday evening. Wasim Akram was honoured for his over 400 wickets in Tests and one-day internationals, including four hat-tricks (two each in Tests and one-dayers); Waqar Younis was appreciated for his over 300 wickets in both the forms of the game; Inzamamul Haq for becoming country's leading one-day run-getter; Saeed Anwar for his record 194 in one- day internationals that also include 19 centuries; and Pakistan captain Moin Khan for his world record dismissals behind the wickets in limited overs internationals besides his numerous innings under crisis. The ceremony also served as reception for both the Pakistan and England cricket teams and was attended by International Cricket Council (ICC) dignitaries, former Pakistan captains and cricket administrators. A breath-taking display of fireworks was the feature event of the three-hour reception. Various types of crackers went in air after the five players received gold medals. The fireworks continued for nearly 20 minutes and was appreciated by not only the locals but the foreigners. In his brief speech, the president of the ICC Malcolm Gray condemned India's decision of not sending their team to the winter's tour of Pakistan. "All such decisions which deny exchange of relations between people and governments must be condemned," the newly-appointed Australian said, adding: "Cricket is going through a dark phase at the moment. But after watching several of thousands of players at various Lahore cricket fields, I am sure that the sport will come through this phase and flourish." Mohammadmian Soomro also expressed his disappointment over the cancellation of the three-Test and five one-day international series against India. PCB chairman Tauqir Zia said the sport required a lot of conviction, faith, sustained aggression, grit, flair and the right attitude. "I vouch for the restoration of its untainted image and for its return to the heights it really belongs." The chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Tim Lamb said his institution enjoyed a very good relationship with his Pakistan counterparts. "There may be a lot of people who think that England has not toured Pakistan because of the tension between the two boards. But this is not correct," he said. "My team has been looked after very well on this tour and the boys have enjoyed this visit." The official ceremony was followed up by a cultural, fashion and musical programme. ------------------------------------------------------------------- You can subscribe to DWS by sending an email to <subscribe.dws@dawn.com>, with the following text in the BODY of your message: subscribe dws To unsubscribe, send an email to <unsubscribe.dws@dawn.com>, with the following in the BODY of you message: unsubscribe dws ------------------------------------------------------------------- Back to the top.
Dawn page
Webbed by Philip McEldowney
Last update:
.