------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 21 October 2000 Issue : 06/40 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
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CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + Musharraf wants Clinton to intervene + No evidence against Shahbaz, court told + Plane case: contradictions highlighted + Private experts to handle white-collar crime + Leaders to be dealt with strictly over Anti-Pakistan utterances + Commanders conference ends: New law & order plan discussed + Pakistan HC official in UK resigns + Wahid Bhutto case: Mumtaz demands inquiry by SHC judge + Offshore oil exploration policy okayed + Corrupt politicians cannot contest polls + Pakistan Muslim League wants APC to launch movement + Pakistan, Russia, CAR to discuss regional stability + ECNEC to probe PM secretariat affairs --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + Dollar below Rs56 in inter-bank + Shaukat seeks help to meet IMF terms + Plan to achieve 6% GDP growth finalized + Furnace oil: Yet another increase by PSO + Failure to submit survey forms + New petroleum package likely + Govt rejects CBR proposal over 20pc duty on smuggled goods + Handing over of textile quota to private sector + Stocks come in for renewed selling --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Platinum-gold Ardeshir Cowasjee + On the high seas Ayaz Amir + Intolerable intolerance Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + Miandad unhappy over reports of revolt
=================================================================== DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 001015 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Musharraf wants Clinton to intervene ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ansar Abbasi ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: The Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf has sought President Clinton's immediate intervention to stop Israel's latest wave of aggression against innocent Palestinians and to get the Middle East peace process back on track. In a letter, he sent to the US President on Saturday, the chief executive urged President Clinton "to persist in the revival of the peace process for which he has made an outstanding contribution in the past". Gen Musharraf has also sent a separate letter to President Yasser Arafat to convey the sympathies and condolences over the loss of valuable Palestinian lives in Israeli army attack. He also expressed his anguish and dismay over the Israeli violence. In his letter to President Clinton the chief executive, according to a foreign office press release, conveyed the deep concern of the government of Pakistan over the explosive situation obtaining in the Middle East, resulting in the loss of 100 innocent Palestinians and injuries to over a thousand others as a result of Israel's indiscriminate use of military force. The CE message, the FO said further conveyed the sympathy and condolence over the loss of US Naval personnel as a result of the attack on USS Cole in Aden. Though the FO release did not give further details of the letter's contents, sources in the foreign ministry said that the communication also conveyed to the US President of Pakistan's perception on the issue. These sources said that the letter reflected what was stated by the foreign office spokesman, in his briefing a few days back, on the subject. Pakistan has condemned the Israeli violence against unarmed Palestinians and reiterated its support for Palestinians in their just struggle to regain their inalienable rights. Pakistan has also backed the Palestinians demand for an impartial international inquiry into the recent troubles and Israeli violence. Islamabad has also emphasised that Israeli must honour all agreements reached with Palestinian leadership in accordance with the Security Council resolutions 242 and 338. Pakistan has also asserted that once again Israel had resorted to aggression and use of force violating the principle of justice and international law to impose its own preferences in the Middle East conflict. This, however, it was said, would not bring durable peace. Foreign minister Abdul Sattar told newsmen on Friday that hopes for durable peace in Middle East that were encouraged by President Clinton's peace process had been threatened with serious setback. YASSER ARAFAT: In his letter to President Yasser Arafat, the CE conveyed the sympathies and condolences over the loss of valuable Palestinian lives in Gaza and West Bank as a result of indiscriminate use of excessive force by Israeli armed forces. The latter also conveyed Pakistan's anguish and dismay at the upsurge of violence in Palestinian territories and condemned Israel's highhandedness for its bombing of Palestinian authority offices and populated neighbourhoods. It called for the international community to take appropriate steps to put an immediate end and complete cessation of the spate of violence against the Palestinians and for a resumption of dialogue for peace. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- No evidence against Shahbaz, court told ------------------------------------------------------------------- Shamim-ur-Rahman KARACHI, Oct 20: The counsel for former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif in the plane hijacking case claimed on Friday that there was not an iota of even circumstantial evidence, remotely indicating any conspiracy between his client and other respondents in the case. Khawaja Haris Ahmed was making initial submissions before a full bench of the Sindh High Court, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Wahid Bux Brohi. The bench was hearing state's appeal against the acquittal of his client and five others in the Oct 12 plane case. At the outset he summarized the allegations of the prosecution against his client. He said that the prosecution had implicated Shahbaz Sharif on the ground that he was present in the TV lounge of the prime minister house with Saifur Rehman and Saeed Mehdi and his personal guard was outside. Shahbaz's mere presence there was interpreted as union of mind by the prosecution. Mr Ahmed, however, submitted that the prosecution's case against his client was based on utterances attributed to Mr Mehdi and Mr Rahman but there were no overt act or utterances attributed to Mr Shahbaz to implicate him in conspiracy of hijacking, attempted murder, kidnapping and terrorism charges. The prosecution was under obligation to first establish that there was a conspiracy and then prove that my client was a party to it, he contended. "Being brother of the prime minister is not a reasonable ground that Shahbaz Sharif was aware of and participated in the conspiracy", the counsel submitted. Mr Ahmed argued that there was no written documentary evidence, no one heard any conversation which would constitute agreement of mind between Shahbaz and the other co-accused or indicate existence of any such conspiracy. He also discussed the prosecution's contention about the application of Article 23 of Qanoon-i-Shahadat. He cited extensively from Bhutto case and argued that utterances attributed to his client by a third person had to be proved by an independent evidence. He was formulating his arguments on this point when the proceedings were adjourned till Monday morning. Earlier, Shaikh Mir Mohammad, counsel for Mr Mehdi concluded his arguments during which he referred to the testimony of Brig Javed Iqbal, military secretary to Nawaz Sharif and said that it appeared that every thing had been done either by him or Commander Zahid Mehmood, who was protocol officer at the PM house. Mr Shaikh claimed that his client had left prime minister's house at 4:30pm. When Mr Mehdi arrived there, Mr Sharif was in his private chamber and his client remained there till the deposed premier left for president house at 4:30pm. He claimed that Mr Mehdi was not at the PM house when the army arrived there which was also substantiated by the fact that he was rounded up from his residence. "After photo session (of Ziauddin's appointment as the new COAS) Saeed Mehdi was not there," he said. In response to the observation of Justice Osmany about the charge against the respondent, he referred to the cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses, DSP Mehboob, Mohammed Asif and Brig Javed Iqbal and claimed that they had deliberately improved on their statements. He submitted that Brig Iqbal in his statement had not said any thing about Mr Mehdi, who, he claimed, was roped in falsely. Mr Asif's testimony was all based on assumption that he was telephone operator at the PM house whereas according to his own testimony he was telephone operator at the PM secretariat, contended Mr Shaikh. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Plane case: contradictions highlighted ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Shamim-ur-Rahman KARACHI, Oct 19: Counsel for Syed Ghous Ali Shah and Saeed Mehdi argued before the Sindh High Court on Thursday that it should uphold the ATC verdict in their favour and dismiss the state appeal for their conviction. The full bench, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Wahid Bux Brohi, was hearing the state appeal against the acquittal of Shahbaz Sharif and five others in the plane case. Thrust of their argument was that none of the six respondents could be convicted of the charge for which the principal accused had not been penalized. Aftab Farrukh, counsel for Syed Ghous Ali Shah, focused on the testimony of prosecution witness Mohammad Asif, telephone operator at the PM's House, to highlight contradictions in his statements before the judicial magistrate and the trial court. Mr Farrukh claimed that this witness was not a free agent and that he had made the statement under section 161 of the CrPC under duress after being brought from Lahore to Rawalpindi where he was produced before the National Accountability Bureau. He said it was a strong indication that the witness, while in custody, was being treated as an accused until he gave the statement. "If he was a free man then what was the impediment in recording 161 and 164 statements in Lahore," he argued. The lawyer pointed out that the prosecution had not produced any supporting bills for the telephone calls. Therefore, he submitted, the trial court had rightly concluded that PW Asif could not be relied upon without a corroborative piece of evidence. The lawyer then referred to PW Asif's statement in which he had stated that he had received a call on mobile from Syed Ghous Ali Shah to the then prime minister at about 6.15pm which was connected to Brig Javed, military secretary to the then prime minister. Brig Javed appeared before the court, but he did not depose that he had received any call from Mr Shah, the counsel said. Mr Farrukh contended that when the witness was disbelieved there was no evidence left to connect any contact between Mr Shah and the PM's House. He also pointed out contradictions in the statements of Rukhsar Ahmad, Mohammad Akbar, Bashir Memon and Col Atiquzzaman Kiyani. He stated that according to Col Atiq both Mr Akbar and Bashir Memon were at the airport before the arrival of the army, i.e. before 6.45pm. But Mr Akbar and Mr Memon belied Col Atiq when they said that they had reached the airport by 7.35/40pm, by which time the army was in control of the airport and the plane was almost in landing position. The counsel claimed that the prosecution story with regard to summoning of the APC and five SSPs was a pure concoction. When he drifted in details of how the movements of police officers were maintained together with the details of ammunition used and deposited, the CJ observed: "we are all are aware of these details, why are you wasting time of the court?" He claimed that there was no presumption in the law that even in the absence of "agreement" or "union of minds" and any overt act having been proved, a visit (to the airport) could be presumed to be a step towards the hijacking of plane. Shaikh Mir Mohammad, counsel for Saeed Mehdi, principal secretary to the then prime minister, argued that the name of his client did not appear in the FIR. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Private experts to handle white-collar crime ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ansar Abbasi ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: The government has decided to hire experts from the private sector to help the FIA in detecting white-collar crimes like bank frauds, kickbacks and bribery. Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider, who visited the FIA headquarters on Friday, said that "properly qualified" people would be inducted in the FIA to investigate complicated cases of white- collar crime. The minister approved the hiring of private individuals and companies, such as chartered accountants, auditors and cyber experts in cases where the FIA did not have expertise. The minister announced that immigration and passports cells of the agency would be separated from it and handed over to the NADRA, says a press release. The minister was briefed on the structure, administration, efficiency and discipline, operations, charter of duties and other matters of the FIA. He cited the examples of land scams, property builders, visa agents and investment partnerships on which a large number of public complaints had been registered. "People spend lots of money in these areas and one day someone disappears with it," the minister was quoted as saying. He directed the FIA officials to prepare recommendations and suggestions so that such complaints could be taken care of. The minister told the concerned officials to review those laws which had become redundant and obsolete with the passage of time and were usually misused by the corrupt elements in the department to harass the people and extort money from them. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001019 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Leaders to be dealt with strictly: Anti-Pakistan utterances :govt ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The cabinet on Wednesday decided to take serious action against those political and regional leaders who were making anti-Pakistan statements in and outside the country. The meeting, presided over by Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf, consumed most of its time in discussing the statements being made from London by MQM chief Altaf Hussain, Ataullah Mengal, Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Syed Imdad Shah against the two-nation theory, Pakistan and army, sources said. "Gen Haider sahib, people are talking against the national security, the army, the two-nation theory and geographical boundaries...why don't you take action against them?," the CE was quoted as having asked Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider during the meeting. He directed the minister to find out what could be done immediately to prevent such statements and ensure strict punishment to those responsible. The CE asked how an MQM delegation had gone to India and made statements against Pakistan there despite the fact that some of its members were on the exist control list. "You better know what is the punishment for talking against the Constitution", an interior ministry official told Dawn after the meeting, adding the government had decided to be "real tough" with those who were anti-Pakistan and that this time they could not escape punishment. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Commanders conference ends: New law & order plan discussed ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: A two-day corps commanders conference, which ended here on Friday, discussed the internal situation with an emphasis on improving the law and order situation in the country. Informed sources said that the meeting, presided over by Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf, was briefed about a new law and order plan, prepared by the interior minister, Moinuddin Haider. The chief executive told the corps commanders and principal staff officers (PSOs) that maintenance of law and order was the top priority of his government and that the criminals and saboteurs would be dealt with severely. The meeting was also told that measures had been taken to eliminate terrorism being encouraged from across the border. In this behalf the arrest of some saboteurs recently was also discussed with the concerned officials. It was stated that the government had solid proof of the involvement of the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, in the recent incidents of terrorism in various parts of the country. Sources said that Gen Musharraf had also talked about the proposed devolution plan and expressed the hope that the new set up would ensure law and order with the participation of the elected people. Gen Musharraf also briefed the commanders about his meetings with the politicians, they added. According to the sources, the CE said that he would continue the process to seek the view of the politicians on various issues. Sources said that Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Qadeer Chauhdry and the chairman, National Reconciliation Bureau (NRB), also briefed the meeting about various issues relating to local bodies elections and the implementation of the devolution plan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan HC official in UK resigns ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: The adviser/press minister in the Pakistan High Commission in the United Kingdom, Tariq Azeem, has tendered his resignation to the government, it is learnt. Mr Azeem, who is currently in Pakistan, reportedly called on the press secretary of the chief executive, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, to tender his resignation. He has cited "personal reasons" for tendering his resignation but informed sources say he has resigned because of the obstacles created for him by a certain department. A businessman by profession, Mr Azeem was appointed adviser/press minister by the former high commissioner, Dr Akbar S. Ahmad, in January. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Wahid Bhutto case: Mumtaz demands inquiry by SHC judge ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent LARKANA, Oct 20: Sindh National Front chief Mumtaz Bhutto has demanded, in a letter to Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf, an inquiry into the Sardar Wahid Bukhsh Bhutto case by a high court judge. In a press statement, issued here on Friday, he said an honest judge, having no political commitments, could conduct proper investigations. He said he could not understand how the servants of Sardar Bhutto could dare kill and burn their master and throw away the bones of his body into a ditch simply on the instructions of an "innocent boy". He claimed that truth could come out from Furrukh Qadri if the inquiry was conducted in a right way. "We have proofs about the contacts between Furrukh Qadri and local PPP leaders and his statements before police and magistrate are quite different." Mr Bhutto alleged that police had tortured Qadri, one of the accused, to implicate him to save the "actual" killer. He claimed that it had become clear that the murder was aimed at re-opening the already settled issue of the Sardari of the Bhutto clan. He alleged that the investigation team was pro-PPP. The SSP was a close relative of former federal minister Ahmed Muhktiar and former Khairpur Mirs SSP against whom he (Mumtaz Bhutto) had lodged cases, he added. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001019 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Offshore oil exploration policy okayed ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The cabinet on Wednesday approved an "offshore petroleum exploration and production policy package and model production sharing agreement" to attract foreign investors. Under the new package the previously designated deep-water zone has been redefined and divided into deep and ultra deep- water zones. The meeting decided to rename the Micro Finance Bank as "Khushhali Bank". Reviewing a CBR report on measures for controlling smuggling, the cabinet decided to retain dry ports in the country. Dry ports, it was observed, had not only facilitated importers and exporters but also helped generate economic activities. It, however, directed the CBR to ensure a clean and transparent functioning of these ports. The cabinet approved ratification of an agreement on science and technology cooperation between Pakistan and South Africa. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001018 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Corrupt politicians cannot contest polls ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nasir Malick ISLAMABAD, Oct 17: Chief Executive Gen Pervez said on Tuesday that he would not allow any corrupt politician to contest elections. Gen Musharraf made this assurance to Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Allama Tahirul Qadri who called on him today. The chief executive, who also met Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan chief Shah Ahmad Noorani and speaker of the suspended National Assembly, Ilahi Bukhsh Soomro, separately, told the PAT chief that no one would escape accountability. Mr Qadri told reporters after his two-and-a-half hours meeting with the chief executive that he had been assured by Gen Musharraf that no corrupt MNA, MPA or senator would enter the assembly. He said that Lt-Gen Ghulam Mohammad and Lt-Gen Akram were also present at the occasion. Mr Noorani and Mr Soomro were not available to reporters after the meeting. Mr Soomro went to Tank in NWFP after the meeting. When Dawn contacted him by telephone there, an attendant said that the former speaker did not want to attend the call. The whereabouts of Mr Noorani were not even known to his family members. When contacted at his residence in Karachi to seek Mr Noorani's telephone number in Islamabad, a family member said they had no informa-tion where Mr Noorani was staying. Mr Qadri, who had so far been demanding accountability before elections told reporters that he discussed political and economic issues with the CE. "I also presented to him a charter of demands, which contained our demand of holding accountability before elections," he said. He said he also presented an "economic relief package" to the government for implementation which called for reducing non- developmental expenditure and steps for controlling the price spiral. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001016 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan Muslim League wants APC to launch movement ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ashraf Mumtaz LAHORE, Oct 15: The PML, ruling out the possibility of formally joiningany political alliance, hasapproachedNawabzada Nasrullah Khan with the request that he should activate the APC as a political platform to launch a movement against the government. The party's secretary-general Saranjaam Khan told Dawn on Sunday that the PML was in favour of an immediate movement against the present rulers from the APC's platform. The Nawabzada, the PML leader said, had assured him that he would take necessary steps for the purpose. Over three dozen parties, including religious, had participated in the APC and the PML thinks that this forum may be more effective than any other. Saranjaam Khan said the PML was not in favour of alliance with other parties, specially the PPP, because the two parties were political rivals and would contest elections against each other. But, he said, cooperation between the two parties for the restoration of democracy was possible from the APC's platform. "I enjoy the blessings of party president Nawaz Sharif on the subject". Saranjaam Khan said he, along with Raja Zafarul Haq, would soon meet the Nawabzada to discuss further details of the matter. The Nawabzada has gone to Khangarh to take rest for a few weeks. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001015 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan, Russia, CAR to discuss regional stability ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent WASHINGTON, Oct 14: The interior ministers of Pakistan, Russia and the Central Asian Republics bordering Afghanistan are to meet next month to discuss regional stability and how to deal with training centres for militants in Afghanistan. This is stated in a Christian Science Monitor report from the paper's New Delhi correspondent. The report expresses the correspondent's belief that the Taliban regime is coming close to enforcing its writ on the whole of Afghanistan. In another report in the same paper, it is said the credentials committee of the United Nations will meet later this month to again consider a Taliban request to be recognized as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. A Taliban delegation was in Washington this month for talks with senior US State Department officials, but no progress was said to have been made on this or other issues. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has declared that the Taliban's UN membership bid will be opposed, since the regime is still giving shelter to Osama bin Laden. The Taliban have recently succeeded in mollifying some of the resistance in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian Republics in dealing with Kabul. But Moscow remains worried at the incursion of militancy from Afghanistan and has also held counter-terrorism talks with India. The US too has been coordinating efforts with New Delhi on the same issue. However, it is pointed out that Moscow broke a long hands-off policy by sending its foreign minister to Islamabad. The chief of the ISI, regarded both in Pakistan and abroad as the master-mind behind the Taliban, also went on a two- week visit to Russia in August. The Christian Science Monitor quotes former US National Security adviser Zbignew Brezezinski as saying that turning "Islamic fundamentalism" into an enemy was a dangerous "intellectual short- cut". "Islam is one of the world's great religions, and if there is a tendency to try and find partners to unify against an 'Islamic threat', you are going to have a self-fulfilling prophecy," Mr Brzezinski told a gathering in Delhi last week. But the paper also underlines the difficulties faced by Pakistan because of the rise of the Taliban and refers to an unnamed American as saying that "Pakistan feels as much a threat from the Taliban as many other neighbours". DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ECNEC to probe PM secretariat affairs ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Friday approved various development projects worth Rs15.7 billion. Presided over by Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, the committee gave approval to an 18mw hydel power station at Naltar in Gilgit. It sanctioned the feasibility study of Basha dam project for stage- I. The proposed dam would be a 200m high rock fill with a storage capacity of 7.3 million acre feet and with 3360mw power generation capacity and would be located on the Indus River. In the communication sector, the construction of a third lane on the Islamabad Highway from Faizabad interchange to the flying club was approved. The revised projects for track circulating of PR's Karachi- Peshawar route and improvement of over 9,000 freight wagons were accorded approval. Reviewing the revised project cost of the PM's Secretariat, the committee decided to hold an inquiry into the irregularities committed by the CDA. It recommended that "letters of displeasure" be conveyed to the CDA as well as the project consultants. It was also decided that the case be referred to the Pakistan Engineering Council for censure. The planning commission pointed out that exorbitant amounts had been spent on the construction of the PM's Secretariat. The original cost of the project approved by Ecnec was Rs170 million which ultimately reached the Rs1.4 billion mark. It was pointed out that Rs500,000 had been spent for an office door and the carpet bought for the office was worth Rs3 million while a chandelier cost Rs20 million. The project came to Ecnec for ex-post facto approval which was a fait accompli. Ecnec members recommended that an appropriate action be taken against all those involved. In the water sector, Ecnec approved a revised project to eliminate water-logging and salinity for optimum agricultural development in Faisalabad, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh districts. The other revised schemes in this sector were drainage projects for controlling water-logging and salinity through installation of drainage tubewells. A report on the special education centres to be constructed at the divisional/district headquarters in all the provinces for mentally, physically and visually-retarded children was presented to the committee. The possibility of handing over this project to provincial governments was also considered. The Balochistan community irrigation and agriculture project envisaging construction of irrigation and flood schemes was approved. Another project for Balochistan approved was the establishment/upgrading of 200 primary schools to the middle level, 52 technical trade centres and five hostels for women teachers. In the health sector, Ecnec approved the extended programme of immunization to be executed with the assistance of the government of Japan to protect children from major diseases.
=================================================================== BUSINESS & ECONOMY 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dollar below Rs56 in inter-bank ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Oct 20: The greenback pales-and the rupee shines in the inter-bank market as it is time for the importers to sell back the dollars they had bought in panic just a few months ago. The dollar finished at Rs 55.95/Rs 56.15 to a dollar in the afternoon session against the previous close of Rs 56.85/Rs 56.95 showing an eighty paisa gain in selling in a single session. In the open market, the rupee rose to 60.40/60.50 to a dollar for spot buying and selling up 100 paisa from the previous close of 61.30/61.40. Currency dealers said the rupee moved up because the State Bank stopped purchasing dollars from the open market and speculators remained on sidelines. Senior bankers say since the economic fundamentals are to weak to support a rising rupee for long the dollar may rebound soon. The dollar slipped below Rs 56 in inter-bank market on Friday as banks closed out scores of forward contracts reached with the importers and repurchased the dollars they had earlier sold to them. The importers had to put up with it because they had failed to report timely shipments of the consignments against which they had purchased the greenback in forward. "That has enhanced the supply of the dollar thereby making it cheaper against the rupee," explained treasurer of a local bank. Bankers say this is in addition to a progressive increase in the dollar supply due to faster inflow of export proceeds against a fast-saturating import-led demand. Exporters are out to sell encash export bills on time because they cannot hold them up when the dollar is throwing extra weight off. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Shaukat seeks help to meet IMF terms: Commanders briefed on economy ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ikram Hoti ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz informed the corps commanders' conference at Rawalpindi on Thursday that though the country's economic indicators were showing improvement, talks with the IMF might face difficulties over non-economic issues. Invited to brief the conference on the economic and financial situation after one year of the military rule, the minister is reported to have explained that his ministry had no answer to questions being asked by the IMF for a bailout package to Pakistan. Mr Aziz is said to have asked the government high-ups to "devise" an answer to this situation. Giving details on the spending and receipt situation, and the expansion in tax net through tax survey, the minister said none of the indicators reflected an alarming situation. However, he explained, the country was in dire need of finances to meet the "liabilities" which, in the present situation of cash inflow, were proving harder and harder. The list of the liabilities, he said, topped debt-servicing which, if carried out according to the schedule, left no room for meeting other public finance requirements. In such a situation, the minister said, the country either needed to enter an agreement with the IMF on conditions being attached to the bailout package, or go all out for a contingency plan. Efforts to raise cash under a contingency plan could only result in Pakistan accepting harsh commercial mark-up rates. Such rates, he is said to have explained, would have to be accepted in case Pakistan did not opt for accepting the IMF conditions attached to its soft-mark-up, long-term loan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Plan to achieve 6% GDP growth finalized ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: The government has finalized a three-year macroeconomic framework that seeks to achieve 6% GDP growth rate in 2002-03 against a 4.5% GDP growth of 99-00. A "Three Year Development Programme-2000-03", prepared by the Planning Commission which is expected to be approved by the cabinet also plans to reduce the present fiscal deficit of 6% to 3.5% of GDP by 02-03, based largely on tax/GDP ratio. Investment requirements have been increased from 15% of GDP in the base year to 18% in the terminal year of the development programme. Keeping in view the privatized structure of the economy, nearly 2% of this incremental investment will have to come from the private sector and about 1% from the public sector. Mobilization of savings for the incremental investment is an even more daunting task, but one necessary to give meaning to the objectives of self reliant growth. In 99-00, national savings were 12.5% in an investment rate of 15%. But the terminal year of the three years perspective, the national saving rate will have to increase to 17.5% of GDP with only 0.5% of foreign savings. "To raise the rate of saving a wide ranging strategy is being prepared", says the three years development programme which has just been circulated to the provinces for comments. Measures are in place to rationalize the tax culture to expand the tax base. The process will be reinforced by fiscal autonomy being envisaged under Local Government Plan 2000. As a result of the reforms and policy changes, corporate sector is expected to plough back its savings into new investment. Household savings will be encouraged by a climate of low inflation and positive real returns. Monetary expansion will be kept in line with GDP nominal growth at 11.1% per annum. The current account deficit will be brought down from 2.5% of the GDP in the base year to 0.5% in 2003. According to the programme, agriculture sector will grow from 5.5% of 99-00 to 5.7% 00-03, manufacturing from 1.6% to 6.9%, others by 4.9% to 5.9%, total investment 15.0% to 18.0%, fixed investment 13.4% to 16.2%, trade deficit to reduce from $1.7bn to $657m, exports to increase from 10.2% to 15.0%, current account deficit to reduce from 2.5% to 0.5% of the GDP ratio, fiscal and monetary sector from 5.8% to 3.5%, rate of inflation from 3.6% to 4.0% and money supply from 7.1% to 11.7%. The main objective of agricultural development will be to achieve self reliance in key commodities, ensure food security, improve crops, livestock and fisheries productivity and promote sustainable development. The record wheat harvest of 22m tons in the winter of '99 is expected to set the pattern for the sustained growth. The framework however warned that in the absence of debt rescheduling from Jan 1, external debt service payments falling due will be $2.9bn in 00-01, $3.3bn in 01-02 and $3.4bn in 02-03. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Furnace oil: Yet another increase by PSO ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aamir Shafaat Khan KARACHI, Oct 19: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has raised the furnace oil prices by 3.34 per cent to Rs12,882 per metric tons from Rs12,465 per metric tons (inclusive of sales tax). The new price is effective from Thursday, said an official at the PSO terminal. However, the a senior PSO official said the company had increased the prices but he did not give the actual amount of increase. PSO, on September 27, rose the fuel oil prices by 7.4 per cent or Rs861 per metric tons to Rs12,465pmt (inclusive of sales tax) from Rs 11,604pmt. PSO manages its stocks by issuing quarterly spot tenders for the import and through local refineries. The state owned-company had surged the fuel oil prices by over Rs3,000 since July 26. Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) and National Refinery Limited (NRL) had also increased the prices of fuel oil to Rs11,085pmt from Rs10,750pmt as a result of rising spurt in international oil prices. Refineries main buyers of fuel oil are Shell Pakistan and Caltex Pakistan. An official in a refinery said that the global price of fuel oil has gone up to $175pmt as compared to $160-163pmt two weeks back and the situation is further compounded by the downward journey of rupee since July 20. PSO took at least at least 20 days to pass on the impact of rising global oil prices to fuel oil clients due to unsold stocks. The company keeps a 14 day inventory in storage. According to a an analyst at a brokerage house, PSO has delayed two of its shipments of 55,000 metric tons of fuel oil due to slower sales of fuel oil. With rising international oil prices and weakening rupee, the current situation may offer PSO a blessing in disguise in the form of an inventory gain, the analyst said adding that the sales of PSO's furnace oil fell by six per cent last year. On Monday, Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) had also hiked the furnace oil price by Rs287.50 per metric tons to Rs12,822.50 per metric tons from Rs12,535 per metric tons due to price hike made by local refineries. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Failure to submit survey forms ------------------------------------------------------------------- Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana KARACHI, Oct 19: The Income Tax Department (Southern Region) from Monday, will start taking legal action against those who have so far failed to submit tax survey forms and have been declared defaulters under first phase of documentation of the economy, official sources disclosed Thursday. This was decided in a review meeting of commissioners of the income tax department of the southern region held under the chairmanship of Commissioner of Income Tax, Southern Region. It was decided that beside taking departmental action under section 56 of the Income Tax Ordinance, the list of such defaulters should be handed over to army and civil administration for action under Ord-2000, which suggests penalty up to Rs25,000 and imprisonment for 3 months or both. The commissioners' review and information meeting took serious note of massive misdeclarations under Tax Amnesty Scheme, 2000 and recommended action against those who have made substantial evasion in their declarations under TAS-2000. The department has already started verification work on tax survey forms and TAS-2000, with the assistance of their internal and external survey and is going to serve notices upon those who have mis-declared or concealed their wealth/assets. Sources privy to meeting told Dawn that all such cases will be reopened where evasion and concealments are detected. However, such cases will be picked up through parametric selection. The income tax authorities will further gather information and serve notices against taxpayers who have not submitted their survey forms under phase one of the documentation of the economy which ended on 30th of last month, sources said. The declarations made under TAS-2000 and information given in tax survey forms will be verified and contested by the department through utility bills. However, those who have given correct information and made no concealment of undeclared wealth\assets would be obliged by the tax authorities on accepting their documents on the face value. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001018 ------------------------------------------------------------------- New petroleum package likely ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report ISLAMABAD, Oct 17: The federal cabinet is likely to consider a new petroleum exploration package when it meets on Wednesday, informed sources told Dawn on Tuesday. They said the government has shaped a new offshore petroleum exploration and production policy package to attract foreign investment. The cabinet, he said, would also consider a model production sharing agreement and give its approval. It will also consider the application of laws under the Pakistan Essential Services (Maintenance) Act 1952, to oil and gas companies including Pakistan Petroleum Limit-ed. The source said that the finance minister will also place a recommendation to change the name of the Micro-Finance Bank to "Khushali Bak". DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001019 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt rejects CBR proposal over 20pc duty on smuggled goods ------------------------------------------------------------------- Correspondent ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The interior ministry has rejected a proposal of the Central Board of Revenue to levy 20 per cent tax on smuggled goods and asked for imposing only a 10 per cent duty for one-time clearance of these goods. The CBR proposal was initially sought by the ministry for curbing the sale of smuggled goods throughout the country. The failure of shutter tax to stamp out the Bara markets has prompted another scheme for smuggled items. The ministry and the CBR officials were reported to have held three meetings to finalize a draft of the new scheme over the past one month, but to little gains, sources said. The CBR has been insisting that the duty rate should be 20 per cent and the interior ministry deemed it "too harsh". The CBR proposed that a follow-up action should be taken in the post- clearance period which was also unacceptable to the ministry, they said. The ministry insists that the CBR should extract at least Rs25 billion from this levy whereas the CBR says that there would be no more than Rs4 billion deposits from the scheme even by levying 20 per cent duty. A draft of the scheme, prepared last month, envisaged that the duty be levied at 20 per cent, the post-clearance follow-up should be conducted jointly by the interior ministry, civil armed forces and the customs officials. The creation of new checkposts and posting of more customs officials to the existing checkpoints was also proposed. The ministry sources said that the CBR's proposal for giving it a leading role in establishing the checkposts in the border areas had been opposed and the rate of 10 per cent had been proposed which was not acceptable to the CBR. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Handing over of textile quota to private sector: Exporters dispute ------------------------------------------------------------------- Parvaiz Ishfaq Rana KARACHI, Oct 20: Exporters are divided over the issue of handing over the management of textile quotas to private sector under Quota Supervisory Council (QSC) which is headed by a chairman from the private sector. "Undoubtedly there had been big scams when textile quotas were looked after by Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) but who will deny that when it was handed over to private sector, there were no such problems," a leading exporter alleged. The previous government in the year 1998-99, in order to make the quota distribution and allocation free of corruption formed QSC in private sector and banished Textile Quota Management Directorate (TQMD). A large number of exporters are of the firm opinion that if the government wants to see an end to nepotism and embezzlements in textile quota distribution and management, it should once again handed it over to EPB, a body better placed to safeguard the national interest without being prejudiced to any one. Responding to a question, another exporter alleged that the QSC had favoured many parties by allocating huge quantities of quotas to individual parties which resulted in the loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer. "It is an open secret that in category 666 of USA the QSC allocated much higher quantity of quota in order to oblige a single party which resulted in losses to the tune of Rs 10 to 15 million to the coffer," another exporter said. The government in the draft [proposal of its Textile Quota Management Policy 2001-2004, has suggested to hand over the management of quotas to EPB, but exporters are divided on the issue having diverse logic and reasons to their respective claims. The secretary minister of commerce last week held a meeting with exporters for seeking views and recommendations on the four years quotas policy. During the meeting many matters came under discussion, including handing over of the quota management to EPB. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Stocks come in for renewed selling ------------------------------------------------------------------- Reporter KARACHI, Oct 19: Stocks on Thursday came in for renewed selling under the lead of blue chips and generally finished further shaded as leading institutional traders kept to the sidelines. The KSE 100-share index was off 14.65 points at 1,505.84, indicating it may breach the barrier of 1,500 points during the last session of the week if bulls did not resume covering operations. "If it breaches through the barrier of 1,500 point index level, there could be a free for all at least for the near-term," stock analysts at the Taurus Securities predict. But some others said, the market is currently thriving on rumours categorised as negative and positive ones and even if there is none, "someone circulates it and that is a bad thing for it". "Essentially, the market currently is at the mercy of bears and until bull decide to resume short-covering at the falling prices at least on the blue chip counters, the current downward drift could persist for a longer period than many may have fresh thoughts", stock analysts at the Finex Securities believe. Corporate performance reports based on selective survey conducted by the KSE team showing an impressive increase in profits and earnings should have generated a good bit of speculative support but leading bargain-hunters were not buoyed, they add. A section of speculative traders late on Wednesday evening circulated a rumour that the chairman of Hubco Syed Alireza has arrived in Lahore and will hold talks with the WAPDA chief on the tariff issue and settle it. Hubco share, which is ruling around Rs17.60 jumped up by one rupee to finish near the day's best bid of Rs18.65 but as the rumour was false it came in for renewed selling and fell to close lower at Rs17.85. "The Hubco share being heavily capitalised and having a weightage of 11% in the KSE 100-share index, has in the recent past assumed the role of market trend setter ", analysts said. Other blue chips generally follow its trend as sellers took profit fearing further decline. PSO, PTCL and some others also remained under pressure. Minus signs again dominated the list under the lead of MNCs falling by Rs1.15 to 14.00 for Engro Chemical, Fauji Fertiliser, Knoll, Abbottl, Shell Pakistan, Al-Ghazi Tractors and some others. Among the locals, Adamjee Insurance, Sapphire Textiles, Sakrand Sugar, PSO, and Nazir Cotton were leading, which finished with declines of Rs 2.40 to 5.00. Most of the gains were fractional, reflecting the absence of leading buyers but Gulistan Textiles, Sindh Abadgar's Sugar,Back to the top
=================================================================== EDITORIALS & FEATURES 001015 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Platinum-gold ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ardeshir Cowasjee FOR once, it makes a pleasant change to write about something different from the usual, something positive, successful, controversy-free, and of unblemished integrity. How many know that there are women in today's Pakistan who dare to play cricket and that there is a Pakistan Women's Cricket Control Association (PWCCA) with a team of cricketing women who go abroad and play for Pakistan? Shaiza and Sharmeen Khan of Karachi started playing cricket with their elder brother and his friends when they were about the same height as a cricket bat. Shaiza took to batting and Sharmeen to bowling. Their parents habitually spent an annual summer holiday in England, so when the girls were in their early teens they joined the Winchmore Hill Cricket Club and started playing in earnest. Their cricketing skills grew whilst they were at boarding school in Shropshire, where as cricketers they graduated from club level to league and county levels. At Leeds University in 1992 Shaiza was appointed the first non- British captain of the ladies team, and after she graduated Sharmeen took over the captaincy. The Leeds team under Shaiza rose from a rating of 32 to the trophy holders of the 300-odd women's university and college teams in England. The resolve to form a women's cricketing body in Pakistan which would be accepted by the International Women's Cricket Council (IWCC) came to the two sisters when they were summoned to Headingley to provide bowling practice to the England squad who were preparing for the 1993 Women's World Cup (the fifth of the series). The resolve was strengthened when they sat at Lord's watching England play New Zealand in the finals, and they vowed to themselves that they would bring honour and accolades to their motherland and be members of a team from Pakistan when the next World Cup series came around. They returned to Pakistan in 1995 and set about forming an association that would qualify for the IWCC and travelling around Pakistan looking for good cricketing girls. They found them and by 1996 women's teams were raised from Punjab and Sindh. The first national tournament was held at the Karachi Gymkhana and Sindh won convincingly in the three matches played. By the end of the year, confirmation of the PWCCA's membership was received from the IWCC. The next step was the international debut of the Pakistani team, and both Australia and New Zealand agreed to a tour. Three international one day matches played outside Pakistan were all that was needed to qualify for the sixth Women's World Cup to be held in India at the end of 1997. They played 18 matches in New Zealand, including two one day matches, winning thirteen. In Australia they played one one-dayer and five side matches against the champions and though beaten in all matches gained valuable experience. To gain further experience for the World Cup, that summer six players signed on for the English cricket season, and in October they rendezvoused at Lahore to set up a camp for the World Cup. After the usual trials and tribulations blockages, and the general nationally adopted negative non-cooperative attitude towards anything innovative, the Army stepped in and provided the team with a cricket ground at Tufail Road. Women's Cricket Australia and the Australian Sports Commission sponsored a coach, Jodie Davis, a former player. Word was spread that a team was being raised and 3,000 girls turned up at the camp, an amazing number proving that in the male-oriented society of the Republic of Pakistan women still had high hopes. A team was selected in mid-November and set off for Delhi for the opening ceremony on December 5 1997. They played five matches against Denmark, England, Australia, South Africa and Ireland. Excusably and expectedly, all were lost, the team being the babies of women cricket at a mere three weeks of age. All the women's' cricket teams of the Western world have been playing for over fifty years, India has had a team for 35 years, and Sri Lanka for 13 years. In April 1998 the team toured Sri Lanka, where it played its debut test and three one-day matches, again losing all to an experienced team on its home ground. That summer six players again went to play in England, a practice now established on an annual basis. In 1999 Shaiza was asked to play for the MCC in its debut match in May at the Bank of England cricket ground, the first time in 212 years since the founding of the MCC that a women's team had found acceptance. Shaiza faced the first ball in this historic match, scored the first run, and hit the first boundary for the MCC Women's Cricket Team. There were four fixtures for the 1999 season, and Sharmeen and Kiran Baloch, an all-rounder, arrived to also play for the MCC in the last two matches. The three girls were the only overseas players to participate. In July 2000 the team toured Ireland, playing four one-day matches, and their second test, again losing all. In August the team arrived in England to play their first match there, a forty-over one-dayer against High Wycombe (Kiran's old team which she has captained since 1998), which they won easily. They scored 297 for 5 off 40 overs, with Shaiza, the Captain, at 76 not out, Sharmeen, the Vice-Captain scoring 48, Nazia Nazeer, 36, and Kiran 38. High Wycombe were all out for 101, Sharmeen, Nazi and 12-year old Sajida Shah (the youngest international player ever) each taking three wickets. They moved on to Charterhouse School at Guildford where they played against the MCC and scored a famous victory. It was a rain-hit match. The MCC batting first scored 143 for 2 off 40 overs and Pakistan made 144 for 3 off 29.1 overs. The winning streak is on. A team from Europe has been invited to play here in Pakistan next year. All this is due to the determination of the two sisters, both working women, both educated and knowledgeable, both earning their keep and paying for their cricketing expenses. It is also due to the generosity and understanding of their father, Mohammad Said Khan, and a few family friends and supporters, who provided the initial financing and much of the subsequent financing for the team. The present MD of PIA, Sher Afghan, has been most helpful in giving discounted tickets. As for moral support, they have been propped up and encouraged by the team's patron, Anita Ghulam Ali, our forward-looking educationist and provincial minister, by Omar Kureishi, Arif Abbasi, Hanif Mohammad, She editor Zohra Karim and Women's Cricket International editor Afia Salam. The sporting press of Pakistan in general has also been most supportive. The only discouraging and blocking factor has been the cricketing bureaucracy of Pakistan which has done its very best to ensure that the team was not formed, and when against all odds it was formed, that it was not allowed to play in Pakistan or elsewhere. Fortunately, the bureaucracy is not always invincible. When not playing cricket or involved in cricket affairs, Shazia who qualified at Leeds University in industrial textile Engineering, and Sharmeen who qualified in textile management, are business executives in their father's enterprise. The company manufactures and exports Axminster and Wilton carpets, but now is suffering and working only one shift a day due to the unfair competition faced from smuggled carpets. This is not a joke. Carpet rolls of 12 feet width and 30 feet length are regularly smuggled into the country and are bought by all the major establishments and large buyers such as hotels. Pakistan may not have won a bronze, silver or gold medal at the Olympics, but our young girls have won the first MCC international one-dayer, the equal of a platinum-gold, and the Pakistan Women's Cricket Team stands tall. They are proud of the letter of congratulations received from patron of the MCC, Queen Elizabeth. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- On the high seas ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ayaz Amir A floundering ship and no way of abandoning it. Even rats have a choice which they exercise when they smell danger. Between a creaking ship and an ocean of confusion what choice do the bewildered people of Pakistan have? Strange destiny: a country which should have everything going for it reduced to desperation by a succession of rulers it has pleased the Almighty to place over it. The list of heroes bears repeating. Zia: what did we do to deserve him? Ishaq and General Beg, with the Queen of Destiny dancing to their tune: surely penance for undisclosed sins. As if all this was not enough, then Nawaz Sharif, his intellect more than his person an apt commentary on the Republic's affairs. Then another spot of Benazir, followed once more by the Wonder of Raiwind. We call this the era of democracy. It would be far more accurate to call it the era of ISI democracy: democracy corrupted by its own masters (and mistresses) and also mangled and made a mockery of by the military and intelligence establishment-- an establishment too big, its presence too overweening and its influence on government too suffocating for democracy to have much of a chance of surviving. True, a slightly better cast of characters could have helped liberate democracy and pull it out of the shadows. But with destiny decreeing that the flag-bearers of democracy should be Benazir and Nawaz Sharif (for which also read Asif Ali Zardari and Mian Muhammad Sharif) that hope was still-born. Past bitterness is alleviated by present happiness. But what is our present? A collection of Great Pilots on the deck with no idea of where they are going. Anyone not blind or congenitally stupid can see that the ship they are trying to steer is leaking and the waves rising above the deck. But the Great Pilots at the helm are plowing on regardless - convinced no doubt that provided they stay long enough they will see themselves through the storm. In 12 months, military rule has been analysed to death. The last conceivable parallel with previous bouts of military rule has been drawn and the conclusions painstakingly enumerated. By every known and unknown pundit in the land the last word has been uttered, for the most part portentously. But the Pilots on board ship remain unmoved, not a whit deterred in their judgment that the course they have charted - if the prevailing confusion can be so dignified - is for the best.In 1971 we at least had the consolation of sleep- walking - walking to the edge and inviting disaster without knowing what we were doing. No such comfort is afforded us this time. With euphoria vanishing and cynicism setting in once again, the scales have fallen from most eyes (although, admittedly, some die-hard pockets of optimism remain). But of what use is this self-awareness if it leads to no corrective action? If the nation cannot take its destiny into its hands, of what use the enlightenment of the Buddha? This is our problem: an incubus on the nation's back which the nation cannot throw of. The incubus is too powerful, the democratic current too weak and flickering. On whose shoulders should the hope of resistance rest? Benazir, Kulsoom Nawaz, the Chaudries Shujaat and Pervez, Mian Azhar, Ajmal Khattak, Imran Khan, His Holiness Tahirul Qadri? This list, which can be expanded, is enough to induce depression. This is what we have brought ourselves to: a nation not without intelligence and talent reduced to the level of such unrelieved buffoons. What to talk of fighting for democracy, all our heroes have been willing at one time or another during the last 12 months to cut a deal with the military government. It is another matter that the government has lacked the sense to appreciate the advantages of civilian support, convinced as it is that it has the answer to every question. The government has also not been impressed by the efforts to bring about its demise, or its transformation into something civilian, through punditry and analysis. Death by analysis, the forte of the national press, has had no impact, unless the guillotining of Javed Jabbar be counted as such. The impasse we face is thus complete. The army is no answer to the nation's political problems - never has been, never will be. Yet the army is not budging from the political arena, and the nation's politicians are proving singularly incompetent at presenting alternatives or marshalling resistance. The most serious opposition the military government faces is accordingly from the irresistible sources of its own ineptitude. But it will be some time before this factor plays itself out. Until then say a prayer for the nation's vibrancy, or what remains of it, because it is being worn down by a combination of military shortsightedness and political bankruptcy. It helps to keep things in perspective by remembering that what the British gave India through the Minto-Morley proposals of 1909 seems revolutionary compared to what the military government at this stage is prepared to give the people of Pakistan. The Minto-Morley reforms were a step, albeit a small one, towards eventual self- government. Which means that in 1909 and even much before that the British accepted the principle of self-government for the people of India. As time passed this principle was articulated more clearly and robustly. Yet consider our luck that in the year 2000 our military rulers are saying that local democracy, in its scope more limited than the Minto-Morley proposals, is the best form of democracy. The British never confused the principle of democracy with the requirements of empire. Yet in our case every military ruler who comes (from Ayub till today) begins by inventing a new concept of democracy. After Ziaul Haq what did we get? The ISI and Hamid Gul brand of democracy. What will we get after Musharraf? Probably a form of democracy hobbled with so many conditions and safeguards - national security council, a permanent political role for the military and such-like shibboleths - that it will hardly be able to stand upright. And then the military will say that politicians are no good. Tailpiece 1: If the above be abstract issues, consider the concrete issues with which the government is grappling. Meeting on October 18, the federal cabinet took serious notice of the "anti-Pakistan" utterances of such political figures as Altaf Hussain, Attaullah Mengal, Mahmood Achakzai, etc, and vowed to take stern action against them. The people of Pakistan have grown up. When will the Pakistani establishment grow up? 'Anti-state elements' and 'anti- Pakistan utterances' are the oldest chestnuts in the national security repertoire of Pakistan. Anyone speaking against the centralizing tendencies of the state has been dubbed an enemy agent or an anti-state element. We should have learned to discard this jargon after East Pakistan. But here we are at it again, revealing our immaturity and the grave sense of insecurity which still besets us. Is Pakistan such a fragile vessel that it will break because of a few speeches? The UK is not the weaker for talk of Scottish or Welsh independence. There are people in Canada who preach independence for Quebec, enthusiasts in the US who still wave the Confederate flag. Why do we get so scared if someone raises the banner of Sindhi or Baloch rights? This is all part of the political process and should be dealt with in a rational manner, deploying argument against argument and not the 'anti-state' stock- in-trade of the national security establishment. Tailpiece 2: A still more serious threat to national security: a farewell party held in New Delhi by one of our departing diplomats, a Ms Tasnim Aslam, who is reputed, according to a newspaper in the forefront of guarding our national ideology, to have sung on the occasion a classical song, which is bad enough. She made matters worse by singing a duet with her Indian ustad. But, worst of all, she served liquor to her guests (who, take it from a sinner, would not have been amused if they had been served with anything else). The reporter who filed this report has said that all this has seriously tarnished the country's image. A senior columnist, who has surprised me by taking up this issue, has termed this a serious matter calling for an investigation. Pakistan is a vulnerable country indeed, its security imperilled by mere speeches and its image tarnished by the serving of liquor in a foreign land - assuming, of course, that the diplomat in question had the taste and good sense to serve something suitable to her non-Muslim guests. Constitutions we can abrogate, prime ministers hang, defeats suffer, half the country lose and win no medals in any games but the smell of liquor, even if offered to pagan guests (who will roast in hell in any case), we cannot abide. No one can say we don't have our priorities right. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 001021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Intolerable intolerance ------------------------------------------------------------------- Irfan Husain WHILE the government and its spokesmen have been untiring in their efforts to convince us that we are better off than we were a year ago when the army took over, the minorities at least can be excused for any scepticism they may feel. Many of us were taken in by the liberal outlook displayed by General Pervez Musharraf, and expected a rollback of earlier policies that had steadily eroded the rights of non-Muslims. Indeed, in its early, heady days (how quickly a year can pass!), the military government even spoke of ending the evil and divisive system of separate electorate. For me, at least, this was justification enough for a military coup as neither Nawaz Sharif nor Benazir Bhutto had shown any inclination of even trying to stem the fundamentalist tide of repressive and retrogressive laws. I though that the army was the only institution strong enough to stand up to the might of the religious parties. Wrong again! It turns out that the army has neither the will nor the inclination to confront the zealots who have occupied the political high ground despite being hammered in every election. Politicians and generals tread warily when dealing with jihadi parties who now virtually dictate the political agenda. But the real brunt of Pakistan's steady slide into religious fanaticism has been borne by its non-Muslim population. From being equal citizens in Jinnah's vision of Pakistan, they have become virtually disenfranchized and besieged through separate electorates and the blasphemy law. But the stage for this growing intolerance had been set earlier when Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims in the mid-seventies under Bhutto's supposedly progressive government. So much so that today it is a crime for an Ahmadi to publicly utter or write the common Muslim prayer of "Bismillah ur Rahman al Rahim". Some Ahmadis are rotting in jail for committing this "crime." One case study should open the eyes of the Muslim majority to just how bad things are: In 1989, Mirza Mubarak Ahmad was arrested in Tando Adam for distributing pamphlets. While in police custody, he offered ritual Muslim prayers, and was accused of "posing himself as Muslim and injuring religious feelings of Muslims." The trial lasted 11 years, and in his judgment delivered last May, Fida Hussain Mighal, judicial magistrate, Hyderabad, found the accused guilty of committing an offence under section 289C, imprisoned him for two months and 21 days and imposed a fine of 3,000 rupees. Apart from this punishment, the accused has had to undergo mental torture for 11 years for the "crime" of praying according to Islamic ritual. In his defence, he admitted to having indeed offered his prayers as accused, but claimed that in terms of Article 20 of the Constitution, every citizen had the right to practise his faith in accordance with the tenets of his religion. Although Ahmadis have been declared non-Muslims, this does not alter the fact that they still consider themselves to be believers, and therefore enjoined by their faith to pray as other Muslims do. This judgment was sent to me by a reader from Rabwah. It says something for the intolerant and violent times we in Pakistan are living in. For his safety, I will not name him here. But if it is any consolation, he and his fellow Ahmadis are not alone in being persecuted. The blasphemy law has been misused blatantly and viciously to imprison and even execute non-Muslims. Usually, this law is invoked to target hapless Christians and Hindus for personal reasons far removed from any real or imagined blasphemy. In the most recent case in a remote town of Balochistan called Dalbandin, the temple and several houses belonging to Hindus were burned down by a mob. The reason for this barbaric act was that an illiterate Hindu housewife had allegedly distributed sweets wrapped in pages from a textbook that contained religious verses. Even if this true, the fact that she was illiterate did not prevent the local religious worthies from setting a gang of bigoted thugs on her family and their neighbours. And to compound this crime, the police, instead of locking up the leaders of the mob, have instead arrested some of the victims. We in Pakistan never tire of criticizing what we perceive as religious persecution in India. Indeed, that country has a poor record of safeguarding the rights of its minorities, specially in certain pockets in Gujrat and Orissa. But the fact is that in the eyes of the law, non-Hindus have the right to appeal to the courts for justice if their rights are infringed. In Pakistan, certain specific laws are aimed at non-Muslims, depriving them of some of their fundamental rights, and relegating them to the status of second class citizens. In an imperfect world, the first stage in obtaining rights is their legal recognition by the state and its functionaries. This de facto legalization and institutionalization of religious persecution has earned us richly deserved criticism from around the world. Human rights organizations (including our own Human Rights Commission)have catalogued the depressingly long list of abuses under the blasphemy law, and named the unfortunate non-Muslims who are languishing in jails across the country for alleged blasphemy. Not surprisingly, the intolerant environment generated by such legislation has emboldened fanatics to take the law into their own hands; opportunists have used it to settle scores or take over property; and the police see in it an excuse for inaction when non- Muslims have been attacked. Unfortunately, the military government of General Musharraf has chosen to back away when confronted by the religious parties on any issue. Thus, there is no more talk of ending the system of separate electorates introduced by Zia two decades ago, just as the proposal to eliminate some of the more iniquitous elements of the blasphemy law has been conveniently dropped. At a time when we are so isolated on many counts ranging from our nuclear policy to our active support for fundamentalist forces in Afghanistan and Kashmir, we need to step back and see how the rest of the world perceives us. Religious persecution is a hangover from medieval times and is no longer tolerated. Granted that differences in faith still trigger atavistic conflicts, but these are generally aberrations without legal sanction. In Pakistan, some laws have marginalized non-Muslims, and these need urgent review and change. If the military regime can tinker with articles of the Constitution and other laws, surely it can and must pay attention to unjust legislation that has been so catastrophic to millions of Ahmadis, Hindus and Christians.
=================================================================== SPORTS 001020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Miandad unhappy over reports of revolt ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Oct 19: Pakistan cricket coach Javed Miandad on Thursday said he was dismayed by reports of a revolt against him by several players ahead of the one-day and Test home series against England. "I am disappointed with all such reports of revolt and bitterness which are baseless and hope that things will fall at the right place before we face off England," Miandad told AFP. The row centered on the players' complaint that Miandad's share in the 150,000-dollar prize money won at the recent ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya was too large, one senior team member said. "I think it's an intrigue against the team. I don't know why people drag me in money matters, I want to serve Pakistan cricket," Miandad said. "Last month some reports said I asked for 7.2 million rupees (116,666 dollars) from the board, which was wrong. I am the least paid in the team," the coach said. "One defeat in the ICC Knockout event spread things like that and I have nothing against the players," Miandad said. "I am with the team for the last eight months and there are no complaints, we have been playing well," he said. -AFP ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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