------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 8 December 2001 Issue : 07/49 -------------------------------------------------------------------
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CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + Italians here for N-safety talks + Scientists' pleas referred to CJ for larger bench + Washington may supply F-16 spares + Islamabad, Tehran to increase mly cooperation + Screening job at airports not given to FBI, says Anwar + Doubts about FIA's new role + Taliban can play role in future govt, says Karzai + Coalition rules out amnesty for Omar + Amnesty for all declared: No revenge, vows new chief + Afghans sign power-sharing agreement + CIA seeks help to track down Osama: Talks held with Musharraf + Islamabad cooperating with US: envoy + No Pakistani jets flew into Afghanistan, says US + Rumsfeld stresses mly ties with Pakistan + Coalition under fire + Fatal errors that led to Qala-i-Jangi massacre + Pakistan seeks access to detained suspects + Convicts might be barred from contesting poll + Preparation of electoral rolls begins: Election 2002 + Shahbaz was banished 'against his consent' + Ejaz seeks sedition case against Benazir + PML-N concerned over Benazir's statement + Court orders release of Farooquis + Govt sets condition to end Fazl's detention + Foreign newsman expelled + Musharraf's wife not buying house in US + 22 killed in Kashmir clashes + Former MNA convicted --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + IMF okays $1.3bn facility + IMF allows Pakistan to raise deficit target + IMF asked for $1.3 billion loan + Germany to give DM300m aid + US targets $5 trillion oil, gas reserves + Investment down in first quarter: SBP + Former chief of BEL jailed for seven years + EC's 50m euros for DPs camps --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Fire ! Fire ! Ardeshir Cowasjee + Now for a Loya Jirga for Pakistan Ayaz Amir + A return to relevance Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + Waqar and Mudassar get extensions + Shoaib cleared again, but not yet by ICC + Wasim denies he was under pressure + Pakistani appointed ACC offical + Bi-annual league system to be introduced + New rules to be tried after World Cup
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 20011206 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Italians here for N-safety talks ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 5: Two physicists of the Italian Arms Control Centre, Landau Network Centro Volta, have arrived on a five-day visit, ending Dec 7, to prepare a report on the status of nuclear security in Pakistan. Sources said the visiting scientists, Prof Paolo Cotta-Ramusino and Prof Maurizio Martellini, would be looking at certain key questions relating to safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, the percentage of nuclear weapons that are assembled, effects of the Sept 11 attacks and the Afghan crisis on the nuclear posture of Pakistan, Pakistan's reaction to possible Indian attack and the public perception of the nuclear weapons. The report would later be submitted to the Italian government, they said. The scientists, visiting under the auspices of the foreign ministry of Italy, have held deliberations with the foreign ministry officials and think-tanks to assess the safety of nuclear weapons and the risks of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to terrorists and rogue states, the sources said, adding that a similar nuclear risk assessment visit to India is not on the itinerary of the scientists for the time being. In a synopsis, co-authored by the two scientists for their visit, it is said the situation of Pakistan is crucial, specially considering the terrorist attacks on the United States, the dimension of the world-wide spread of the relevant terrorist network and the ensuing Afghan conflict. "The situation has raised serious concerns about the possibility that terrorist groups have acquired weapons of mass destruction or may be striving to acquire such weapons." The scientists said Pakistan is an important country from the point of view of global stability, its long border with Afghanistan, a sizeable section of the public that supports radical Islamic parties and scientists and technicians who are capable of building nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, in addition to the fact that the country has fissile materials and nuclear weapons. Some of the questions being asked by the two scientists have raised concern in the security establishment. The sources said that in terms of the nuclear proliferation risks the scientists are exploring the possible links of Pakistani nuclear scientists with the Afghan Taliban and the Arab Afghans in the past and present scenarios, effectiveness of control over Pakistani fissile material storage and production facilities, possible transfer of illicit nuclear material through Pakistan and Afghanistan and the effectiveness of control of Pakistan's radioactive sources and their potential illicit traffic. They said that in terms of the chemical and biological weapons the scientists have the questions about effective control of materials of concern for chemical and biological weapons transfer and diffusion, Pakistan Afghan border in recent history and transfer of illicit biological, chemical agents and dual use equipment through the border. Some of the questions being asked relate to transfer of nuclear scientists and experts to Afghanistan or any other country and the impact of recent events on the scientific community, particularly on the community of scientists involved in military and defense activities. The sources said the scientists would also report the impact of Pakistan's nuclear program on the role of Islamic countries in the international arena and whether Pakistan's nuclearization has contributed to any change in the role of the Islamic countries. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011205 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Scientists' pleas referred to CJ for larger bench ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Shujaat Ali Khan LAHORE, Dec 4: The scientists' habeas corpus petitions were referred to the chief justice for consideration by a larger bench of the Lahore High Court. Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, who made the reference, dismissed a plea by Advocate A.K. Dogar, petitioner-lawyer M.D. Tahir's new counsel, to order the production of the detenus in the meanwhile. He said Mr Tahir, who filed a habeas corpus petition on Nov 5 for the release of all the detenus, had already moved an application in this behalf. Earlier, speaking on behalf of detained scientist Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood's mother, Advocate Ismail Qureshi submitted that to enjoy the protection of law and to be treated in accordance with law is the inalienable right of every citizen, wherever he may be, and of every other person for the timebeing in Pakistan. No action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person can be taken except in accordance with law. Politicians and scientists are equally protected. Justice Ramday observed that all the past cases cited by him, including the Zahur Ilahi and Shorish Kashmiri cases, were decided by larger benches. A larger bench must also hear the present petitions. He referred the petitions to Chief Justice Falak Sher for constitution of a larger bench to consider it. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington may supply F-16 spares ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Tahir Mirza WASHINGTON, Dec 1: The United States intends to provide Pakistan with military spare parts sought by Islamabad following the lifting of US sanctions on military and economic aid. This was stated by a senior Pentagon official who was asked for a comment on a Dawn report last week that Pakistan had put in a request for spare parts immediately after the sanctions waiver and was waiting for a response from Washington. The official said most of the spare parts related to Pakistan's F- 16 aircraft. The spare parts were ordered before the recent events but were held up because of the embargo on US military sales to Pakistan. All US sanctions imposed before the nuclear tests in the subcontinent and those slapped subsequent to the tests, as well as the so-called democracy sanctions, have been waived by the Bush administration. The waiver was being considered even before the Sept 11 events, but the process was speeded up after the attacks and Pakistan's decision to back the US anti-terrorism drive. Pakistan sources say the embassy's defence officials have been looking at the required spare parts that are located at various points in the US to see whether their shelf life remains valid. They said that apart from technical reasons there was no political impediment to the acquisition of spare parts. During his meeting with President George Bush in New York in October, Gen Pervez Musharraf had also raised the question of getting additional F-16s, but the proposal was turned down. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Islamabad, Tehran to increase mly cooperation ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: Pakistan and Iran have decided to enhance military cooperation for manufacturing of small arms, ammunitions, artillery tank ammunition, propellant and various kinds of explosives. Gen Qayyum said that increased military cooperation would not lead to any joint venture in the nuclear field. "I must clarify here that our military cooperation will be limited to the manufacturing of tactical weapons and not nuclear weapons," he added. He said that Iranian deputy defence minister had visited POF Wah and was briefed about the whole range of products being manufactured according to international standards and western specifications. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011203 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Screening job at airports not given to FBI, says Anwar ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter RAWALPINDI, Dec 2: The federal information secretary, Anwar Mehmood, dispelled the impression that the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been provided facilities at airports to screen suspected passengers. "Such misreporting is regrettable", he said while talking to journalists. The secretary said, under an agreement last year, the US was to train Pakistani immigration staff on the use of some new equipment being installed at the airports. Under that agreement now, a US team has arrived to install 'passport-readable machinery' at the airports and train the immigration officials in this regard. He said no airport screening contract had been given to the FBI as reported in some newspapers. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011206 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Doubts about FIA's new role ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Dec 5: Reports of an anti-terrorism role for the Federal Investigation Agency have generated a debate within the Agency on whether it was prepared for the assignment. Objectors to the new role maintain that like a secretariat most of FIA's time and effort were taken by record keeping. It did not have, as a result, the resources and training required investigating, pre-empting and dealing with terrorist activities. "A cursory look at the investigative procedure and backlog of cases at the Agency reveal its basic weakness," an official says. It takes years, he says, to file a first information report with the Agency. Once an investigating officer completes an inquiry, it goes to the deputy director concerned, who, in turn, marks it to the legal branch. If the file returns with some objections, the investigator is asked to remove them. Once the lacunas are removed, the case goes to the regional director, who once again seeks legal opinion and removal of objections, if any. The file then moves to the central headquarter where the procedure is repeated. Once FIA is finished with a report, it is referred to the Ministry of Interior, which again seeking a legal opinion and removal of objections before deciding whether the person concerned should be prosecuted. If it is decided to prosecute the offender, the file is sent back to FIA's central headquarters, to the regional director, to the deputy director concerned and ultimately to the investigation officer. This generates mammoth volumes of correspondence that keep people busy at the Agency. Should the court acquit the accused and the FIA decide to appeal against the judgement, the file travels in a similar manner to the Ministry of Law and back. The Agency has backlog of cases including some registered in the early '90s, says another insider. Given its style of a plodding turtle, assigning it a role requiring the speed of a rabbit, would hardly be a welcome development. A severe manpower shortage at the Agency is an additional drag. "The Lahore office has a strength of 117, including the director and the office peon. Considering that all government offices work at about 80 per cent the total strength, with the remaining 20 per cent on leave, there are around 100 people at the FIA at a given time. Outs of these, around 25 are currently working with the National Accountability Bureau. This leaves only 75 people, including 55 to 60 investigation officers looking after nine circles and around five wings of the Agency," says an officer. How can the government expect the Agency to take an additional load without additional manpower, he asks. About the proposed role of the US Federal Bureau of Investigations in the training, another official says it is limited to what the US calls the PISES program. It is a three years old program that was shelved for political reasons. Under the program, the FBI and Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau were to join hands to track down international terrorists. The FIA does not have the required computer facilities at the airports. Its exit control list comprises people wanted for political reasons or defaults on payment of bank loans. The US, however, wishes it to nab those wanted by the Interpol. For this reason, the US has launched the PISES program and is paying for the necessary equipment to establish the 'enabled' immigration counters. The IB-FBI joint venture has nothing to do with the FIA. The recent visit to various airports by an FBI team was designed to finalize lay out arrangements for the proposed counters. Inducting women officers for checking is also an idea discussed first during the former PML government, an FIA officer said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011207 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Taliban can play role in future govt, says Karzai ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent LONDON, Dec 6: The head of the newly-appointed Afghan interim administration, Hamid Karzai, has said former Taliban figures could play a role in a future government if the Afghan people wanted them but that "foreign terrorists" must be expelled. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Karzai said: "Foreign terrorists that have made Afghanistan their base and have brought unbelievable sufferings to our people and my country must be brought to justice." He said his country needed economic opportunities and democratic elections in order to move forward. Mr Karzai told the BBC that the Afghan people must make decisions about the type of the government the country would have and who it would include. He also said that if local forces could not provide "security at this critical time of transition, then the presence of a UN force would be a good thing". He was talking by satellite phone from Kandahar. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011207 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Coalition rules out amnesty for Omar ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 6: The very first decision taken by the head of the newly-appointed Afghan interim government, Hamid Karzai, to grant general amnesty has been vetoed by the US-led coalition. Coalition spokesman Kenton Keith at the daily briefing ruled out the possibility of granting amnesty for Mulla Omar and other top leaders of the Taliban. Mr Keith, who had earlier characterized Taliban as those involved in domestic terrorism and Al-Qaeda members as those guilty of international terrorism, said senior Taliban leaders were "inextricably bound with Al-Qaeda network." "There are those among the Taliban leaders who definitely have blood on their hands and it is expected that they would be brought to justice," Mr Keith said. On the issue of amnesty announced by Mr Karzai within hours of his nomination as the interim prime minister, Mr Keith said that the agreement reached at Bonn did not contain any such reference. "We have seen the statement of Mr Karzai," he said, adding that they had taken note of the Bonn agreement, which clearly stated that international terrorists would be pursued by the transitional authority. "We do not see anything to change that," he said. "We are happy that the agreement reached at Bonn specifically contains this reference." On the negotiations going on between Mr Karzai and Mulla Omar in Kandahar, he said they had independent reports that it had reached a decisive phase. "We would welcome any agreement that would spare bloodshed in Kandahar," he remarked. He did not give any details about the agreement, saying that it would be speculative to predict what would be the terms of the agreement. However, he noted that Mr Karzai was a signatory of the Bonn agreement that international terrorists would be pursued and brought to justice. This principle would be embodied in every negotiation, he added. On the reports that Gen Dostum and some other leaders had raised objections to the constitution of the interim government, he said nobody ever pretended that the setting up of the interim government would be a smooth process. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011206 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Amnesty for all declared: No revenge, vows new chief ------------------------------------------------------------------- By M. Ismail Khan PESHAWAR, Dec 5: The interim Afghan Prime Minister, Hamid Karzai, announced general amnesty hours after he was nominated the head of the transitional government. "I have declared general amnesty to all. Let there be no revenge and no vendetta," the 44-year-old Pakhtoon tribal leader, who belongs to politically influential Populzai tribe, told Dawn. Karzai said he would work hard to bring peace and reconciliation to his homeland. "This will be my ultimate goal and I pray that Allah gives me the strength to achieve the objective." The son of an Afghan parliamentarian, who had served during the rule of former King Zahir Shah, Karzai started off as secretary to Mujahideen leader Prof. Sibghatullah Mojaddedi. He lived in Peshawar for some time before moving to Quetta. His father, Ahad Karzai, a royalist, was killed in Quetta in 1999. The Taliban were blamed for the killing. Hamid Karzai joined the so-called Rome Process in 1997 when the former king, announced his plan to bring peace to Afghanistan. He left for Kandahar in late October to fight the Taliban. Speaking by telephone from northern Kandahar, where he was fighting the Taliban to oust them from their last stronghold, Karzai said he would make all-out efforts to convene the traditional Loya Jirga within the stipulated six-month time given to him under the UN- brokered agreement. "This is the best way to lasting peace." The Afghan interim prime minister said he would favour the UN peacekeeping forces in Kabul and other places to ensure peace if his new administration could not mobilize enough resources to do so on its own. "If we face problems in restoring peace due to paucity of funds, then I would favour UN forces to help us out." He appealed to the international community to come forward and help Afghans in their effort to rebuild and reconstruct their country devastated by decades of infighting. Outlining his foreign policy, Hamid Karzai, who was a deputy foreign minister in the Mujahideen government led by Prof. Sibghatullah Mojaddedi in 1992, said he wanted friendly ties with all the countries. "We want friendly relations with all the countries including our neighbours." He particularly mentioned Pakistan and Iran and said that he wanted extremely good relations with these two countries. "I would like strong, brotherly and good-neighbourly relations with Pakistan and Iran which had stood with us during the Jihad." Speaking of the injury caused by the American bombing, he said a bomb exploded nearby, shattering windowpanes. Shrapnel also hit him in the face slightly wounding him. "There is nothing serious," he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011206 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Afghans sign power-sharing agreement ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Amanullah Ghilzai LONDON, Dec 5: Afghan factions meeting in Bonn signed an agreement to end 23 years of civil war and to lead their country towards rebuilding and democracy. Delegates continued their discussions until dawn to finally agree on a post-Taliban government to be headed by Hamid Karzai, a Pakhtoon and supporter of ex-king Zahir Shah. The signing ceremony was also attended by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Mr Ahmad Fawzi, a spokesman for the United Nations, said all the delegates had agreed upon the names of 30 people put forward, but 11 of those named still needed to be contacted for getting their consent. He said the new government would start functioning on Dec 22. It will rule for six months. After the expiry of the six-month period, former king Zahir Shah will call a Loya Jirga (grand assembly) to appoint a transitional government for the subsequent 18 months. The deal was sealed just in time for a donors conference at Berlin, which is expected to approve immediate emergency humanitarian assistance. The new administration faces a mammoth rebuilding task requiring billions of dollars in Western aid. The Northern Alliance keeps the three most powerful ministries - Yunis Qanuni will serve as interior minister, Mohammad Fahim as defence minister and Abdullah Abdullah as foreign minister. The three are Tajiks from the Panjsher Valley, the base of legendary guerilla leader Ahmad Shah Masood, who was assassinated on Sept 9. There are women in the cabinet. The accord asks the UN Security Council to send peacekeepers to guarantee security in Kabul. The new interim administration has so far not specified a role for Northern Alliance leader Burhanuddin Rabbani, the UN-recognized president of Afghanistan. The newly appointed foreign minister, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, had said last week that his side was seeking no role for Prof Rabbani, signalling a rift between its younger and older members. But the UN blueprint contains an addition obviously intended to mollify the Alliance leader, expressing "deep appreciation to His Excellency Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani for his readiness to transfer power to an interim authority". Mr Karzai, selected for the top post, has an advantage of representing the Pakhtoons, Afghanistan's biggest ethnic group. A strong supporter of former king Zahir Shah, Mr Karzai came under attack by Taliban forces a few weeks ago when he tried to rally Pakhtoons living in the south of the country to support efforts for a new government. WOMAN DEPUTY PM: A woman has been named to become deputy prime minister in Afghanistan's future interim administration, Abdul Sattar Sirat from the ex-king's entourage in the Bonn negotiations, said. add agencies. Sima Samar is to hold the portfolios of deputy premiership and the public health ministry. Main points of Bonn accord The agreement: * acknowledges the right of the people of Afghanistan to freely determine their own political future in accordance with the principles of Islam, democracy, pluralism and social justice, and expresses appreciation of the Afghan mujahedin for their years of combat and sacrifice for the defence of the country's independence. * notes that these interim arrangements are intended as a first step toward the establishment of a broad-based, gender-sensitive, multi-ethnic and fully representative government. * establishes an Interim Authority consisting of a 30-member Interim Administration presided over by a Chairman, a Special Independent Commission for the Convening of the Emergency Loya Jirga, a Central Bank and a Supreme Court. * lays down that an Emergency Loya Jirga or assembly of elders shall be convened within six months of the establishment of the Interim Authority. The Emergency Loya Jirga will be opened by His Majesty Mohammed Zahir Shah, the former King of Afghanistan. * the Emergency Loya Jirga shall decide on a Transitional Authority, including a broad-based transitional administration, to lead Afghanistan until a fully representative government can be elected through free and fair elections held no later than two years from the date of the convening of the Emergency Loya Jirga. * The agreement says that a Constitutional Loya Jirga shall be convened within eighteen months of the establishment of the Transitional Authority, in order to adopt a new constitution for Afghanistan. * The agreement also essentially restores the constitution of 1964, save for the role given to the monarchy. * It commits the Interim Administration to establish an independent Human Rights Commission with UN help to monitor human rights and investigate violations. * The Special Independent Commission to convene the Emergency Loya Jirga will ensure that due attention is paid to the representation in the Emergency Loya Jirga of a significant number of women as well as all other segments of the Afghan population. * The Emergency Loya Jirga will elect a Head of the State for the Transitional Administration. Annex I to the agreement provides for an international security force * this says that while responsibility for law and order lies with the Afghans themselves, some time may be needed for Afghans to establish new security and armed forces. * the participants to the talks therefore request the United Nations Security Council to consider authorizing the early deployment to Afghanistan of a United Nations mandated force. This force will assist in the maintenance of security for Kabul and its surrounding areas. Such a force could, as appropriate, be progressively expanded to other urban centres and other areas. * the participants pledge to withdraw all military units from Kabul and other urban centers or other areas in which the UN-mandated force is deployed. The text of the agreement can be accessed at www.uno.de List of ministers BONN, Dec 5: Following is an approved but still incomplete list of members of an interim government that will lead Afghanistan for a six-month period. Of the 30 posts, 18 are from the Northern Alliance, 11 are from the Rome group, and one from the Peshawar group. Chairman: Hamid Karzai (Rome) Vice-Chair and Women's Affairs: Dr Sima Samar (Rome) Vice-Chair and Defence: Mohammad Qaseem Fahim (United Front) Vice-Chair and Planning: Haji Muhammad Mohaqqeq (United Front) Vice-Chair and Water and Electricity: Shaker Kargar (United Front) Vice-Chair and Finance: Hedayat Amin Arsala (Rome) Members: Dept of Foreign Affairs: Dr Abdullah Abdullah (United Front) Dept of the Interior: Mohammad Yunus Qanooni (United Front) Dept of Commerce: Seyyed Mustafa Kazemi (United Front) Dept of Mines and Industries: Mohammad Alem Razm (United Front) Dept of Small Industries: Aref Noorzai (United Front) Dept of Information and Culture: Dr. Raheen Makhdoom (Rome) Dept of Communication: Abdul Rahim (United Front) Dept of Labour and Social Affairs: Mir Wais Sadeq (United Front) Dept of Hajj et Auqaf: Mohammad Hanif Hanif Balkhi (United Front) Dept of Martyrs et Disabled: Adbullah Wardak (United Front) Dept of Higher Education: Dr Sharif Faez (United Front) Dept of Public Health: Suhaila Siddiq (United Front) Dept of Rural Development: Abdul Malik Anwar (Rome) Dept of Urban Development: Haji Abdul Qadir (United Front) Dept of Transport: Sultan Hamid Hamid (Rome) Dept for the Return of Refugees: Enayatullah Nazeri (United Front) Dept of Agriculture: Sayed Hussein Anwari (United Front) Dept of Irrigation: Haji Mangal Hussein (Peshawar) Dept of Justice: Abdul Rahim Karimi (United Front) Dept of Air Transport and Tourism: Rahim Wardak (Rome) Dept of Border Affairs: Amanullah Zadran (Rome) Dept of Education: to be confirmed (Rome) Dept of Public Works: to be confirmed (Rome) Dept of Reconstruction: to be confirmed (Rome) -AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011205 ------------------------------------------------------------------- CIA seeks help to track down Osama: Talks held with Musharraf ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent NEW YORK, Dec 4: George J. Tenet, the director of Central Intelligence Agency, met President Gen Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad and sought tactical assistance for an assault on a mountain base in eastern Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden is suspected of hiding, said The New York Times. During meetings with Gen Musharraf and top ISI officials, Mr Tenet outlined aspects of the next phase of the war in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been quietly expanding the use of three isolated military bases by American Special Operations forces, the paper said. American Officials told the paper that Mr Tenet also said the US planned to send more intelligence operatives into southern Afghanistan. They urged President Musharraf to go further in cracking down militant religious figures and other extremists. Other officials told the paper that talks were the "strongest attempt" to-date by the CIA to push Pakistan to rein in religious extremists and monitor activities of pro-Taliban elements inside and outside the government. The American push comes as Gen Musharraf appears to have gained new confidence in his ability to restrain outspoken religious leaders and religious parties who have failed to ignite widespread outrage over Pakistan's assistance to the US-led coalition. CIA officials told their Pakistani counterparts that they would need more help on the ground in coming weeks. One of the most pressing requests was for more information about the base formerly used by the anti-Soviet Mujahideen in the mountainous Tora Bora region where some people think Osama might be hiding, the paper said. A senior Pakistani official said the Americans wanted help in formulating plans to block exits from the remote region and information about how to reach the maze of elaborate caves and tunnels that may be Osama's last refuge. Officials did not say what the Pakistani response was to that particular request, but said the Pakistanis had been generally helpful to the alliance in providing that sort of assistance when requested, the Times said. Officials said Mr Tenet and members of his team had also described plans to expand the covert war in southern Afghanistan by increasing the number of operatives working there. They are expected to stage a variety of missions aimed at helping track down members of Al Qaeda and providing more money to buy the loyalty of anti-Taliban forces and secure defections from the Taliban commanders, the officials said. The NYT said that providing assistance to the American intelligence agency underscored Pakistan's determination to cast its lot with the coalition, but that has not eased all of the suspicions among the Americans about the Pakistani military and intelligence services. Substantial elements of both are known to remain strongly pro-Taliban and to resent Pakistan's growing alliance with the United States. But Lt-Gen Ehsan ul-Haq, appointed by Gen Musharraf as director of the ISI in October, is regarded as a moderate who is respected by American intelligence officials and appears willing to cooperate with them, officials said. Mr Tenet left Islamabad on Saturday for Germany where he boarded the plane that carried the body of Johnny Michael Spann, the CIA officer killed last week in a so-called prison revolt in northern Afghanistan. The plane arrived in the United States on Sunday. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011204 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Islamabad cooperating with US: envoy ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report PESHAWAR, Dec 3: Islamabad is cooperating with the United States on preventing 'undesirables' from crossing over to its side of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with the two countries working jointly to get information from those arrested when sneaking into Pakistan recently. "I am quite confident that the government of Pakistan is committed absolutely to preventing any of al-Qaeda or senior Taliban (member from escaping)," US ambassador to Islamabad Windey Chamberlin said. During her day-long visit to Peshawar, the US ambassador held meetings with the NWFP governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, Corps Commander of the 11-corps Lt-Gen Ali Mohammed Jan Orakzai. She was also briefed about the refugees' affairs in the NWFP by the Commissioner Afghan Refugees, NWFP, Mr Mohammed Naeem Khan. Without disclosing the number of 'undesirables' intercepted after they entered Pakistan, she said "we are working jointly to get information (from them)." Pakistani authorities are holding three of the Taliban's foreign troops who were arrested by the border security forces as they tried to sneak into this side of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. "I can't give you the numbers," she said, when asked how many al- Qaeda members or Taliban leaders had been arrested upon their arrival in Pakistan. "It is a long, 1,500-mile border; it is porous and rugged and it would be hard to make any hard and fast statements," she said concerning the number of al-Qaeda members and Taliban leaders who have crossed over to Pakistan. With Corps Commander Lt-Gen Ali Mohammed Jan Orakzai, Chamberlin said issues relating to Pakistan border security came under discussion, particularly the $73m assistance the US was extending to Islamabad for enhancing its security on the country's border with Afghanistan. "Congress has appropriated the money. We are actively putting it together as we speak," she told this correspondent. The assistance, she said, was meant to help Pakistan strengthen its ability to protect the border with Afghanistan in the long term. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011203 ------------------------------------------------------------------- No Pakistani jets flew into Afghanistan, says US ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Masood Haider NEW YORK, Dec 2: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that he was convinced that Pakistan did not fly any airplanes or helicopters into Afghanistan to evacuate any Pakistani prisoners from there. In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press", Rumsfeld said: "According to my information neither Pakistan nor any other country flew any planes into Afghanistan to evacuate anybody." He said Pakistan was cooperating fully with the United States in its campaign against terrorism as it had deployed crack troops on the border with Afghanistan to stop anyone from escaping into Pakistan. He said the US had been monitoring the skies in Afghanistan as skillfully as possible and that he had not seen any evidence of any planes flying to evacuate anybody to Pakistan or any other country. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rumsfeld stresses mly ties with Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld said in an interview with PTV that Pakistan-US defence cooperation should not become victim of ups and downs in the political relationship. He said, military-to-military linkages should be maintained. He pointed out that military contacts and exchanges programs have benefited both Pakistan and the United States. To a question about West's apprehensions about Pakistan's nuclear assets, Mr Rumsfeld said that I fully respect the assertion of President Musharraf and his government's nuclear programs and assets were being managed safely and handled with responsibility. He appreciated that President Musharraf recognized the responsibility that comes with the weapons of mass destruction and he is taking proper steps to ensure their safe management. Asked what role the United States can play to help resolve the Kashmir dispute, Mr Rumsfeld said President Bush and secretary of state Colin Powell had repeatedly expressed American interest in the peaceful resolution of the disputes and differences including Kashmir. To a question Mr Rumsfeld said that the United States had no intention to station troops in Afghanistan on long term basis. "Our only interest in Afghanistan is to deal with Al Qaeda and change the leadership to pave way for stable and broad-based government." Dr Condoleezza Rice, assistant to US President on national security affairs, also in a interview with Radio Pakistan and PTV at the White House, said that the United States was working on big plans to build a long-term relationship with Pakistan. She said the United States believes that Pakistan is not just important to American security interests but important to peace and security in South Asia and the world. She categorically stated that the United States will not turn away from Pakistan after the current crisis. Instead, she said, "Washington expects it to be a long-term relationship to build a prosperous Pakistan." She hoped that President Musharraf's commitment to hold elections in October next would bring more stability to Pakistan.-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Coalition under fire ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: The US-led coalition fighting in Afghanistan and the Northern Alliance came under fire for ruling out an inquiry into the killing of hundreds of Taliban prisoners. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, dismissing calls for an investigation, said in an interview with the BBC: "The idea that at this moment we could have a judicial inquiry into the difficult circumstances of Mazar-i-Sharif is frankly not on." Amnesty condemned Britain's stance. It said "serious abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law may have been committed". "The rejection of an inquiry by the United Kingdom into what is apparently the single most bloody incident of the war ... raises questions about their commitment to the rule of law," Amnesty said in a statement." What can there be to fear from an inquiry except the truth and a clear message that impunity will not be tolerated?" Amnesty said an international investigation involving the United Nations should be considered if the US-led coalition refused to do its own.-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Fatal errors that led to Qala-i-Jangi massacre ------------------------------------------------------------------- Guardian staff writers LONDON, Dec 1: A single, horrific, atrocity has provided a defining moment in every war of the modern age. America is still facing demands to apologize for the 1968 My Lai massacre in Vietnam, while the remains of charred Iraqi soldiers on the Mutla Ridge, outside Kuwait, provided a chilling illustration of Washington's overwhelming firepower during the Gulf war. Questions are being asked about whether the bloody end to this week's prison siege at the 19th-century Qala-i-Jangi, outside Mazar-i-Sharif, will provide the defining moment of the Afghan war. Pictures of aid workers picking their way through the corpses of hundreds of Taliban prisoners, killed by a combination of US bombing and Northern Alliance savagery, have caused revulsion around the world. As pressure grows on Britain and the US to hold an inquiry into the killings, Guardian has pieced together a minute-by-minute account of this week's events. This suggests that from the very first, when Taliban soldiers fell into the hands of the Alliance after the fall of Kunduz, a series of catastrophic errors were made. Amir Jan, a Pakhtoon commander who defected to the anti-Taliban opposition earlier this year, said that the elite foreign fighters from Kunduz were never supposed to turn up in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan's main northern city. The foreigners - Arabs, Pakistanis, Chechens and Uzbeks - were meant to surrender at Erganak, a mountainous frontline position 20kms west of Kunduz. Instead, they travelled across the desert through the night and arrived on the outskirts of Mazar, in a wilderness of desert and telegraph poles, at 3am last Saturday. Mullah Fahzel, the Taliban's commander at Kunduz, had instructed the foreign fighters to give up their weapons - but failed to tell them that they would then be taken into custody. "The foreigners thought that after surrendering to the Northern Alliance they would be free," Jan said. "They didn't think they would be put in jail." While US soldiers dressed in desert khaki set up satellite links, soldiers loyal to the alliance warlord General Rashid Dostam took up attack positions. After three to four hours' negotiation, the Taliban fighters agreed to surrender again - but only to Amir Jan, whom they trusted because of his Pakhtoon roots and Taliban history. Dostam's militia then began disarming the Taliban fighters and piling their weapons into a green lorry. Dostam had arranged to take the prisoners to Mazar-i-Sharif's large Soviet-built airfield, well away from the centre of the city. But American special forces vetoed the plan, saying that the runway could be needed for military operations, Jan revealed. Instead, Dostam would take the prisoners to his own personal fortress on the muddy outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif, the Qala-i- Jangi. Over the previous two weeks several American officers had secretly spent many hours in the castle. They knew it was full of heavy weaponry. Nonetheless, they agreed with Dostam's impromptu scheme. By mid- afternoon on Saturday, the prisoners had been piled into five trucks. Said Kamal, Dostam's head of security, arranged for prisoners in the first three trucks to be body searched. But with dusk approaching, the convoy set off with the last two trucks not searched. This proved to be disastrous. While Dostam set off with the bulk of his army towards Kunduz, the convoy rolled the other way into the Qala-i-Jangi, where a comparatively small number of guards had been left behind. Nader Ali, Dostam's chief of police, made another attempt to search the prisoners soon after they arrived in late afternoon. As he was about to be frisked a Taliban fighter detonated a hidden grenade killing himself, Ali and another Dostam aide. While the dying Ali was carried away, soldiers then bundled the Taliban fighters into the stable area to the north of the compound. The search was abandoned. That night eight of Osama bin Laden's fighters blew themselves up in a room in the prisoners' compound, Jan said. It soon became clear that a large minority of the Taliban were still armed with grenades. "After that I decided they were hardliners, that they were dangerous," Jan added. "We agreed it would be better to tie up their hands and put them in the basement." The following morning (Sunday) guards prepared to implement the new order. At the same time Simon Brooks, the head of the International Committee for the Red Cross in northern Afghanistan, swept into the Qala-i-Jangi in his white Red Cross vehicle. He had come to seek reassurances from Kamal that the prisoners would be treated humanely. The Red Cross also wanted to register the prisoners' names and allow them to send a message back to their families. Brooks was not the only person interested in the new Arab, Pakistani and Chechen detainees. CIA AGENTS: Two CIA agents, Johnny "Mike" Spann and "Dave", had also been instructed to screen the Taliban fighters for possible links with al-Qaida. From a distance Dave looked Afghan. He even spoke Uzbek, the language of Dostam's soldiers, and wore a shalwar kameez beneath a long coat. But his square-cropped haircut gave the game away, and revealed him as an American. Two television crews - from Reuters and the German station ARD - had also turned up at the fort. They were in the prisoners' compound, together with Dave and Mike, who had begun interviewing suspects. At 11:25am the Taliban fighters were marched to the central grassy compound of their mini-citadel. The guards tied up the first eight prisoners, Jan said. "The prisoners suspected they were about to be shot. They attacked one of the guards and grabbed his gun," he added. The foreign fighters had also assumed that the television journalists were American soldiers who had come to film their execution. Another prisoner grabbed Mike and set off a grenade, blowing him up. This conflicts with the CIA account of his death which says that he was shot. All hell then broke loose: the prisoners shot dead five guards and grabbed their weapons, while the journalists ran for cover. Dave only managed to escape by shooting dead at least one Taliban prisoner with his pistol. A firefight blew up between the prisoners, now in charge of their own fortified area, and soldiers sitting in Dostam's headquarters building 300 metres away, down a line of trees. "Dave managed to reach the rooftop [of Dostam's HQ] about 15 minutes after fighting broke out," Brooks said. "One of the Taliban who had obviously been wired with explosives simply grabbed the other American and the bomb detonated." "I met Dave in the building. He was absolutely completely shocked and really quite scared. I can now understand why: he witnessed his friend being blown up. He had managed to shoot his way out and run 150 metres out of the building." Soon the firefight had developed into a major battle, as the Taliban prisoners broke into the arms depot in their compound and helped themselves to mortars and rocket launchers. From the rooftop, Dave borrowed a satellite phone from the German television crew and phoned the American embassy in Uzbekistan. "We have lost control of the situation. Send in helicopters and troops," he said. The call appeared to work. As the Red Cross vehicle blazed in the car park, and Brooks slithered down the mud battlements to safety, the Pentagon prepared to send in the airforce. Most of the eight prisoners who had been tied up when the battle broke out were shot dead in the early minutes; the others were able to take cover. Their bodies were still there four days later when Dostam's troops were finally able to re-enter the compound. At 3:30pm the jets dispatched by the Pentagon fired nine or 10 missiles directly into the Taliban's positions. All of them hit their target - apart from the last one, which sank into a field more than one kilometre away. In the confusion, a small group of at least 10 prisoners escaped. The following day the remaining Taliban, some armed with rocket launchers, held out as B-52 bombers flew repeatedly overhead. Alarmed by the resilience of the Taliban fighters, further special forces arrived at the base on Tuesday. They reportedly advised the alliance to flush out the remaining Taliban by pouring oil into the basement and setting fire to it. It took a tank and an intensification of bombings from the air to finish them off. Confident that the way was clear, the alliance regained control of the fortress on Wednesday. But on Thursday it emerged that a lone Taliban was still holed up in a basement of the fortress where he was surviving on horse meat. High above the lone survivor, the imposing figure of Dostam toured the fortress where the full horror of the siege was on display. A photographer saw the bodies of up to 50 Taliban fighters, whose hands had been bound by scarves, laid out in a field in the southern part of the fort. The photographer watched as alliance fighters cut the scarves from the hands of some of the corpses; at least one picked gold fillings from a corpse. WAR CRIMES: As Washington attempted to wash its hands of the episode, saying that the alliance was responsible for the prisoners, human rights lawyers warned that the Geneva convention may have been breached on two counts. This is over the degrading treatment of the Taliban, when they were tied up, and the huge firepower directed at them by US warplanes. On the first count, article 13 of the convention says: "Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated." On the second count, the convention permits the use of force against prisoners. But it says that this must be proportionate. Christopher Greenwood, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and joint editor of International Law Reports, said that killing people with hands tied behind their backs was illegal. "If it was heavy-handed overreaction, it was illegal,", he said. Amid the doubts about the legality of the US and alliance response, there were also questions about the conduct of the two CIA officers. Adam Roberts, professor of international relations at Oxford University and a leading authority on the laws of war, described their conduct as "incredibly stupid and unprofessional". Angered by the death of Spann - the first American to die in the conflict - CIA director George Tenet swept aside the criticism as he accused the Taliban of premeditated murder. "Their prison uprising - which has murder as its goal - claimed many lives, among them that of a very brave American," he said of Spann, who worked in the directorate of operations, which analysts say is involved in "paramilitary" activities. As the final bodies are cleared, the battle has now moved to Britain and America, where both governments have rejected calls by Amnesty International for an inquiry. Amnesty hit back, saying that this raised questions about their commitment to the rule of law. A head of steam is unlikely to build up around this issue, however. At his weekly appearance in the Commons this week, British Prime Minister Tony Blair faced only one question about Afghanistan and that was about Marjan, the one-eyed lion at Kabul zoo.-Dawn/The Guardian News Service. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan seeks access to detained suspects ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent WASHINGTON, Dec 1: Pakistan ambassador Dr Maleeha Lodhi met Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca to discuss the issue of people of Pakistani origin detained in the United States following the events of September 11. This has been an ongoing subject of discussion between Pakistan and US officials for the past many weeks. According to Justice Department figures released last week, 208 persons born in Pakistan are being held on immigration charges. Their names have not been announced. According to an embassy press release, the ambassador informed Ms Rocca that they would like the US authorities to provide the names of all Pakistani detainees, the location of the detention centres, and specific charges under which they had been detained. The ambassador also requested consular access to the detainees and reiterated the earlier offer that Pakistani missions in the US would be ready to facilitate the deportation process in cases where the detainees agreed not to contest their deportation. Ms Rocca was said to have reaffirmed the US authorities' desire to be helpful in this matter. The press release said it had been assured by the American officials that the detainees would be treated in accordance with the US law and that the US government would fulfil its obligations under the Vienna Convention. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011204 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Convicts might be barred from contesting poll ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Dec 3: Pakistan Awami Tehrik chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri thinks that the government will soon issue an ordinance to bar convicted leaders from taking part in politics or heading any party. Talking to reporters, he said President Musharraf in his meetings with PPP leaders had made it amply clear that Ms Bhutto could not take part in politics. But, he regretted PPP leaders after coming out of the meeting hall had issued quite different statements about the outcome of their meeting. He believed that the elections as well as the transfer of power would take place in October. He proposed that elections should be held under the judicial control of the Election Commission and administrative control of the army. Answering a question, Dr Qadri said so far as he knew that the government had no favourites for the transfer of power. He hoped that a ban on political activity would be lifted by March. Answering a question, he said, if invited the PAT would certainly participate in the APC being called by Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan. However, he said, there was no need for such a conference at this juncture. He said the PAT supported the government's right to amend the Constitution, as also explained by the apex court. He said only a few seminaries had exploited the sacred name of jihad and misused the funds they had collected to give a bad name to the entire religious community and the country. He said the government must end "madressah politics" and deal with those besmirching the name of Pakistan. For achieving this goal, he said, it was necessary to strengthen the country economically, end poverty and illiteracy. It was necessary to enlighten the youth through modern education and scientific research. Pakistan had put a lot at stake for a fight against terrorism but the international community was yet to respond in kind to its sacrifice, he said. The world must help Pakistan in every way to put it back on its economic feet, he emphasised. The international community had pledged over $20 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, it would not be proper on its part to ignore Pakistan in its reconstruction effort. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011203 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Preparation of electoral rolls begins: Election 2002 ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Habib Khan Ghori KARACHI, Dec 2: Preparations for new electoral rolls have started for the promised October 2002 general elections in the country. Persons of 21 years of age and above on Jan 1st, 2002, will be enrolled as voters in the draft, which will be ready for inviting objections by Dec 20. After decision on objections on the draft lists, a door-to-door campaign for verification of the rolls would be launched from January 1st, which will be completed within twenty days. For this purpose, about 72,000 election staff will be recruited from the employees of education department, banks, financial institutions and other government organizations. Although the elections will be held on a party basis, so far except demands by certain leaders for holding fair and free polls, no political party has initiated any exercise to warm up its party cadres. The political leaders appear to be demoralized, particularly in the case of three main rivals - PPP, PML and MQM - whose top leaders have taken refuge abroad. They pointed out that President Pervez Musharraf will unveil a detailed election schedule on Aug 14, and by that time all ground rules would have also been announced. Only after that the political parties would be in a position to take decision on how to jump into the fray. But, this will leave very little time for electioneering. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011203 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Shahbaz was banished 'against his consent' ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Dec 2: Almost a year after being exiled to Saudi Arabia along with the rest of the Sharif family members, former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif alleged that he was banished against his consent. In the first ever formal statement issued through his former press secretary, Mr Shahbaz disputed official spokesman's assertion that the return of some female members of the Sharif family to Pakistan was a violative of the agreement. Rejecting the statement as absurd and false, he said there was no such agreement under which the women members of the family could not live in Pakistan. The statement said that it was Dec 7 last year when he was in Landhi Jail, Karachi, that a "representative" from Islamabad came to him to tell that the Sharif family was being sent out of the country, and he, too, was among them. Shahbaz Sharif said he refused to leave the country. On this, the emissary told him that in case he refused, his ailing father, mother and other family members would also not be allowed to go. The message was astonishing, Shahbaz Sharif said, as on the one hand the government had implicated them in baseless cases and on the other he was being blackmailed in the name of his family. The former chief minister said that he was told in plain terms that he would have to leave the country. Shahbaz Sharif said he asked the emissary that Gen Musharraf should be told that the former was reluctant to leave Pakistan and that he should not be forced. However, the message from Islamabad was that the ex-chief minister would have to do as told. Shahbaz Sharif said people who brought him out of his jail cell shared the view that it was an injustice but they could not help him talk to the corps commander. He was first brought to Multan and then to Lahore where his brother Abbas Sharif was already present. According to the statement, the highest military authority told him before his flight for Jeddah took off that he had great respect for him (the former chief minister). In response, he said, if it was really so, he should not force him to leave the country. He also requested that he should be sent back to Landhi Jail. The military authority, he said, told him that it was not possible for him to oblige him and that for the time being he would have to leave the country. Mr Shahbaz Sharif asked the army if it was justified for the institution, meant to defend the country and honour of the people, to force women to leave the country. He said such tactics could not demoralize the Sharifs nor could they keep them away from their people and the country for long. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011203 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ejaz seeks sedition case against Benazir ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Dec 2: PML-QA Senior Vice-President Ejazul Haq demanded a sedition case against PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto for her reckless utterances during her recent visit to India on the Kashmir issue which were in conflict with the country's consistent national stand on the issue. Talking to reporters Mr Ejaz alleged that the PPP chairperson had gone desperate and she was making statements just to please some important countries to win their support. He urged the 'patriotic workers' of the PPP to take a serious notice of the statements issued by their leader. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011204 ------------------------------------------------------------------- PML-N concerned over Benazir's statement ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Dec 3: The PML(N) expressed concern over the reported statements of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto on the freedom movement in occupied Kashmir and Pakistan's role in it during her visit to India. A resolution adopted at a meeting of the divisional scrutiny committees, held under the chairmanship of Zulfiqar Khosa, said these statements were in conflict with national interests. The PML- N and the PPP are allies in the ARD. Mr Khosa said in his speech that by adopting a viewpoint of Afghanistan which was contrary to the national aspirations, and supporting Indian point of view on the freedom movement in occupied Kashmir, the PPP chairperson had hurt the feelings of the entire nation. He ruled out alliance with the PML-QA, saying the PML-N would make adjustments with the recognized political forces. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011207 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Court orders release of Farooquis ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Dec 6: An accountability court ordered release of the former chief of Pakistan Steel, Mohammad Usman Farooqui, his wife and their daughter in a reference. Judge Rahmat Hussain Jafferi of AC-3 ordered the release after Mr Farooqui and his family surrendered over Rs330 million assets. Mr Farooqui, his wife, Aneesa Farooqui, and their daughter, Sharmila Farooqui, had been charged with acquiring movable and immovable properties and assets through illegal means. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011206 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt sets condition to end Fazl's detention ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Dec 5: The Peshawar High Court was told that if Jamiat Ulema Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was ready to submit a bond that he will obey the government and not cause any disorder, the NWFP government would not extend his detention after Thursday. Deputy Advocate General Shaukat Hayat Khakwani said that if Maulana Rehman was not ready to make such a commitment, the Home office would resist his release even on bonds. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011203 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreign newsman expelled ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent QUETTA, Dec 2: The government expelled another journalist for his alleged involvement in undesirable activities. Rajiv Chandrasekaran of the Washington Post, was asked by officials to leave the country immediately. He was taken into custody by the local authorities and detained at the Railways Rest House before being sent to Islamabad by a PIA flight in the afternoon. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Musharraf's wife not buying house in US ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent WASHINGTON, Dec 1: The Pakistan embassy here has dismissed as utterly baseless and motivated a report said to have been published in India that the wife of Gen Pervez Musharraf has been visiting Washington, looking for a house to buy in the US. The report was mentioned by an Indian journalist at the White House briefing. The journalist asked Mr Fleischer to comment on the report "that Mrs Musharraf, was in Washington twice recently last week, looking for a house. Is there something... and senior US officials helped her to look some houses in Washington, DC, and in New York. Is there something..." Fleischer: I have not heard anything about that, to confirm that, or shed any light on that. I have not heard that. Q: She is planning to move to the US. Fleischer: I have not heard anything about that, so I have nothing to offer on it. I don't know if that's true or not. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 killed in Kashmir clashes ------------------------------------------------------------------- SRINAGAR, Dec 1: At least 22 people were killed in clashes in Kashmir, police said. Unidentified men disguised as policemen killed six people in Udhampur district, including four belonging to a village defence committee, police said. Police have launched search and rescue operations in the hilly forested area, but so far have failed to arrest any of the assailants. At Sonamulla village, in Kupwara district, Indian army soldiers and police shot dead three freedom fighters. Indian forces claimed killing four Mujahideen at the villages of Dub Magam and Machil, in Kupwara, police said. Two more Mujahideen were shot dead in the districts of Anantnag and Pulwama overnight, police said. Six more people, four of them Mujahideen, were killed elsewhere in held Kashmir on Friday evening or Saturday, police said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011204 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Former MNA convicted ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Dec 3: Akbar Ali Bhatti, ex-MNA from Vehari and former owner-cum-editor of an Urdu daily, was convicted by an accountability court and sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 11.8 million for willful default in payment of government dues and misuse of public office. Announcing the judgment, Judge Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain also disqualified the former MNA from holding public office and securing loans from banks for 10 years. According to the prosecution, Mr Akbar Ali Bhatti misused his public office as MNA for acquiring the Palla Pond government land in Maillsi (Vehari) on lease for his company, the Akbar Brothers, but did not pay the requisite dues. Mr Bhatti, however, denied the charges.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY 20011208 ------------------------------------------------------------------- IMF okays $1.3bn facility ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent WASHINGTON, Dec 7: The International Monetary Fund's executive board agreed to lend $1.3 billion to Pakistan for Poverty Alleviation Program. A detailed Press release, possibly detailing conditions on which the lending is based, was still awaited at noon on Friday, but Mr William Murray, an IMF spokesman, confirmed that the board had approved a three-year arrangement for Pakistan under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), totalling SDR 1.033 billion (about US$1.309). As a result of this decision, he said, Pakistan would be able to draw SDR 86.16 million (about US$109 million) under the arrangement. PRGF loans carry an annual interest of 0.5 per cent, and are repayable over 10 years with a five-and-a-half-year grace period on principal payments. The new package follows earlier aid to Pakistan and opens the way for favorable consideration of Pakistan's case for debt relief and assistance at the forthcoming Paris Club meeting. Pakistan can access $109 million immediately as part of the $1.3 billion approved on Thursday. The IMF executive board meeting had continued almost all day. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011208 ------------------------------------------------------------------- IMF allows Pakistan to raise deficit target ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Dec 7: In a major policy shift, the International Monetary Fund has allowed Pakistan a budgetary deficit target of 5.7 per cent for 2001-2002, to effectively help address concerns on poverty and stimulate growth in the country. "We had earlier agreed to enhance budgetary deficit target from the original 4.9 per cent to 5.3 per cent, but now we are allowing Pakistan government to stretch this target further to 5.7 per cent for substantially alleviating poverty and accelerating growth," disclosed a senior IMF official. Talking to Dawn, the IMF Senior Representative in Pakistan, Henri Ghesquiere, however, said the government would have to increase funding for social sector under the Khushal Pakistan program to justify relaxation in budget deficit target. All the three IMF lending programs offered during the last one decade had four per cent of the GDP as the end-year budgetary deficit target, which was never met and hence no program was completed. Only the ten-month-long $596 million Standby Agreement (SBA) that ended on September 30 this year was successfully completed, though the target set for the budgetary deficit for the whole year still looks far from achievable. Still, ostensibly on the basis of the completion of this program, a new three-year $1.3 billion Poverty Reduction Growth Facility was approved by the IMF Executive Board in Washington on Thursday. The first installment of the $109 million 36-month lending program, the IMF official said would be disbursed to Pakistan next week. "There will be 12 equal instalments of the new lending program," he said, adding that countries like Pakistan generally had a 60 per cent lending quota under Special Drawing Rights, which had now been increased to 100 per cent as a special favour by the IMF Executive Board. Mr Ghesquiere said as a result of the fallout of Sept 11 events; the Central Board of Revenue could not achieve desired revenue targets during the first quarter of the current financial year. This was also one of the reasons for the IMF to initially allow the relaxation in the budget deficit target from 4.9 per cent to 5.3 per cent. "We have agreed with the government that revenue target will now be Rs430 billion and not Rs457 billion which was set at the time of the announcement of the federal budget in June this year," he further disclosed. Nevertheless, he made it clear that now the CBR would have to effectively carry out various reforms under its restructuring program. "Mobilizing domestic revenues will be essential for the CBR to enable the government to have the much-needed funds for social sector," he said. There had been an exceptional impact on revenues due to Sept 11 events which specially hurt customs duties, he said. "Now when the new IMF lending program has been approved, issues relating to governance, economic growth, financial stability and poverty will have to be taken up seriously by the government," the IMF official said. Responding to a question, he said approval of the IMF lending program had paved the way for "re-profiling of debts" by the Paris Club which was meeting in Paris next week. "The Paris Club will re-profile Pakistan's loans rather than going for their rescheduling which is very beneficial for Pakistan," the IMF official said, adding that re-profiling would help the writing off of certain loans and reduction of interest rate. He said Pakistan's $3.2 billion financing gap for the current financial year would be jointly filled by the IMF, Paris Club and some other creditors. The Paris Club is expected to cover this gap by extending $700 million to $900 million to Pakistan. Pakistan's three-year financing gap is estimated to be 8 to 9 billion dollars. Asked about Pakistan's huge foreign debt, the IMF official said that a certain coherent strategy was needed to be worked out to avoid debt trap. To a question, he said Pakistan was expected to achieve 3.7 per cent GDP growth rate during 2001-2002. The level of foreign exchange reserves, he said, would have to be equal to three months of imports, he added. Mr Henri also said that a decision had been taken that no objections would be raised to Pakistan's central bank buying dollar from the open market. Pakistan's exports, he said, should not become incompetitive for which trends of the dollar would have to be observed carefully. He said the current rate of inflation was estimated to be 2.5 percent, which, he added, was very good for Pakistan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011206 ------------------------------------------------------------------- IMF asked for $1.3 billion loan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 5: The government has asked the International Monetary Fund for grant of about $1.3 billion of concessional loan, equivalent to 100 per cent of Pakistan's Special Drawing Rights (SDR) quota, from the Fund's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. The IMF Board is meeting in Washington to consider Pakistan's request for the loan. Under the PRGF terms of eligibility, a country may borrow up to a maximum of 140 per cent of its IMF quota of SDRs, although this limit may be increased under exceptional circumstances to a maximum of 185 per cent of quota. The IMF had indicated that it was prepared to allocate to Pakistan a loan of about $700 million, equivalent to about 60 per cent of Pakistan's quota, totalling 1.03 billion SDRs or about $1.3 billion. "We have asked for a loan equivalent to 100 per cent of our SDR quota and hopefully we will get roughly $1.3 billion new funding line under the PRGF program," said Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz. Talking to Dawn before leaving for Germany, Italy and France, he said prospects for getting the PRGF with increased funding were bright due to improved economic situation. He said the IMF Executive Board was meeting in Washington to discuss and approve the PRGF for Pakistan. "The approval of the PRGF will help us in getting our substantial loans rescheduled by the Paris Club," the finance minister said. Giving details of his visit, he said that bilateral talks would be held with Germany, Italy and France to get enhanced financial support and to secure additional market access for Pakistani goods. "I will be reaching Berlin first and we hope to get additional 100 million DM from Germany," he said, adding that there were also expectations for enhanced trade and economic relations between the two sides. "We are also expecting a major debt relief from Germany," Aziz said. He also hoped to get one billion-dollar German loan converted into social sector funding. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011207 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany to give DM300m aid ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 6: Germany has decided to offer DM300 million assistance to Pakistan, which included DM100 million for debt swap. This debt swap is for two years, and as such DM50 million will be offered this year and another DM50 million will be made available next year. The amount of debt would now be spent for development purposes. Also, the new German aid included DM75 million of fresh loan/grant for economic assistance as well as DM110 million for reprogramming of old assistance. According to an official announcement made by the ministry of finance, negotiations were finalized in Bonn by Pakistani delegation. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US targets $5 trillion oil, gas reserves ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Khaleeq Kiani ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: While Pakistan expects realization of $2 billion Pakistan-Turkmenistan gas pipeline in the post-Afghan war situation, the United States is targeting to capture around $5 trillion of oil and gas' proven reserves in the Central Asian States. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan jointly hold around 15-30 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and around 240 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves in the Caspian Sea Region. At last year's market rate, these reserves were valued at $4-5 trillion, according to independent studies. Some energy experts in Pakistan believe that as the United States launched the Desert Storm operation in the Gulf in early 1990s to take hold of Arab reserves, the same pattern is being followed in Afghanistan to put its foot in the Caspian Sea Region. The Heritage Foundation in a testimony to the house of representatives in 1999 said that Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan together "have 15 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and gas deposits totalling over nine trillion cubic meters." These analysts believe that a peaceful Afghanistan can play a role of connecting pipelines from Central Asia to international markets of Europe and South Asia besides its own large oil and gas deposits that remained untapped because of unending war for over two decades. The US-based Unocal withdrew its leading role from Centgas consortium as that had signed an agreement with Pakistan for laying a 1600-km pipeline from Daulatabad in Turkmenistan to Multan in Pakistan through Afghanistan. But before withdrawal, officials of US intelligence agencies made comprehensive surveys of the prospective zones and pipeline routes. Many in the petroleum ministry in Islamabad suggested that pipeline tariff finalized in the agreement was so low than other competitors from Iran and Qatar that they saw it with skepticism. Another $600 million investment could have linked this pipeline to India. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011208 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Investment down in first quarter: SBP ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mohiuddin Aazim KARACHI, Dec 7: The State Bank of Pakistan says doubts will linger on about Pakistan's economic prospects - and about the speed with which things will return to normal - until "there is a credible solution to the Afghan situation." Meanwhile, the country "should shore up confidence by taking difficult steps in terms of fiscal reforms," says SBP's first quarterly report released. The report says Pakistan should also go for merging the inter- bank and open foreign exchange markets, dismantling subsidies and improving the financial viability of state-owned enterprises. It says if proper steps are taken to help the agriculture sector and weather conditions remain favourable a certain level of the economic growth could be assured. Earlier, the SBP had said in its annual report for the outgoing fiscal year, that Pakistan's economy could grow by 2.5-3.75 per cent in the current fiscal year. The quarterly report that covers the events of July-September 2001 says although uncertainty still remains following September 11, the reforms implemented during the past year have improved Pakistan's macroeconomic fundamentals. That, in turn, has made the economy more resilient to such shocks. The report says though the war in Afghanistan has entered a new phase with the strategic retreat of Taliban forces...the implications for Pakistan are still unclear. But it points out that the war-risk premium has been taking a toll on both importers and exporters. The report says the actual implications of the Afghan war will only be realized in the second quarter of this fiscal year - between October-December 2001. "In the post-war uncertainty, the exporters suffered not just in terms of the war premium and higher transportation costs, but also due to the appreciating rupee and reduced orders from the US and EU. "There is also a real fear that even if conditions return to normal, Pakistani exporters may not be able to recapture lost market outlets in the West," the report warned. It says though efforts are under way to secure special access to Western markets, the degree of market access that Pakistani exporters are expecting may not materialize. The reason is the global recession is making G-7 countries more introverted in their short-term trade outlook. The report further says though certain promises by the US and EU for special assistance to Pakistan have been made (and some formalized) it will take time before this funding is actually realized. The report clarifies that contrary to popular belief, the debt rescheduling agreements that have been signed since September 11 are unrelated to Pakistan's enhanced stature in the global order. "These agreements are mere formalities following certain decisions taken in the rescheduling talks that took place in January 2001 as part of the IMF stabilization program," the report said. "The approach developed by the government for discussion on Pakistan's external debt is a significant departure from the conventional rescheduling and entails debt re-profiling," said the report. "This will provide Pakistan an opportunity to tailor (on a permanent basis) its debt servicing payment in accordance with its capacity to pay." MOST CRITICAL DEVELOPMENT: The report says global awareness of the Hundi system and certain steps taken in the UAE have changed the behavior of moneychangers. It says that in October 2001 the average kerb premium was just 0.7 per cent compared to 4.1 per cent in September. "Although this trend may seem temporary in nature, the threat of international scrutiny is almost equivalent to a structural change in the kerb market," says the report. "If international pressure remains, it is unlikely that the kerb premium will return to pre- October levels." The report says that the SBP has been purchasing hard currency from both the inter-bank and kerb markets to ensure that the rupee does not appreciate too much. "During the month of October alone, net purchases from the inter-bank market were $317 million, while kerb purchases were only $79 million." The report says the purchases from both markets are continuing. FIRST QUARTER OVERVIEW: 1. AGRICULTURE: The SBP report says agriculture sector has shown signs of improvement in the first quarter of this fiscal year. It says initial estimates point towards higher than targetted production of sugar cane, cotton and improved varieties of rice. The report says the cotton crop is expected to be in the range of 10.2-10.5 million (ex-gin) bales against the original target of 8.7 million bales. "In effect, Pakistan could witness its third bumper cotton crop in three consecutive years." A table attached with the report shows that sugarcane production could also rise to 46.5 million tons against the original target of 38.1 million tons. The report links the improvement in the agricultural production to more than expected rainfall. But it makes it clear that in case of rice "the outlook may not be as encouraging since this crop is more dependent on canal water than rainfall." LARGE-SCALE MANUFACTURING: The report says that large-scale manufacturing grew by only 5.3 per cent in the first quarter of this fiscal year against 8.1 per cent in a year ago period. It says that all industries, with the exception of metal and engineering, grew in nominal terms. But only few showed improved performance over last year. The report says that in a sharp contrast to last year, textiles slowed down despite depressed lint cotton prices at the start of the cotton season. During the first quarter of this fiscal year, textile sector grew by only 2.2 per cent compared to 5.1 per cent in the corresponding period last year. "As most manufactured textile items are exported, the impact of global recession on local industry cannot be ignored," says the report. "Although, the quantum of textile exports has not declined, the spillover effects of recession are clearly evident from declining prices of textile products in the world market." So manufacturers curtailed production in the first quarter anticipating further deepening of the recessionary trend. FISCAL DEVELOPMENTS: Tax collection in the first quarter of this fiscal year showed negative growth compared to a buoyant performance a year-ago. Total tax collection in July-September 2001 stood at Rs77.5 billion down by Rs2.4 billion from Rs79.9 collection realized a year ago. This was mainly due to (i) a significant decline in dutiable imports, which in turn form the base of custom duties and sales tax on imported goods; and (ii) large payment of refunds/rebates. The SBP report says Rs21.1 billion were paid in refunds/rebate in July-September 2001 against Rs15.7 billion in July-September 2000. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011205 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Former chief of BEL jailed for seven years ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Dec 4: An accountability court sentenced Rauf B. Qadri, former chief of the Bankers' Equity Limited, to a seven-year term for financial fruad. Judge Dr. Qamaruddin Bohra of AC-1 also imposed a fine of Rs1 million on the former banker, who would have to undergo an additional one-year term in case of default on the payment. The same court had earlier ordered the release of co-accused Ashfaq Y. Tola, former president of the BEL, after he voluntarily returned Rs1 million. The case against the two was lodged in 1999 by the Commercial Banking Circle (CBC) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a complaint filed by Majeeduddin Khan, chief executive of the BEL. It was alleged that the BEL had approved a lease finance facility to the tune of Rs14.336 million to the Quality Knits (Pvt) Ltd for leasing of machinery for five years, repayable in 20 quarterly installments. The lease finance facility was extended in violation of company's policy and rules. However, subsequently the request of Quality Knits was approved on Jan 4, 1999, by accused Rauf B. Qadri, who was the chairman of the BEL. Later, final settlement of Rs11.765 million was effected on the instruction Qadri and the borrower returned the amount through two cheques of Rs9.756 million and Rs2 million. However, only an amount of Rs9.765 million was adjusted against the termination of the facility, thereby causing a loss of Rs2 million to the BEL. The cheque of Rs2 million, delivered for the termination of lease facility, was recorded in the account of 'Miscellaneous Payable Project'. The cheque was deposited in he BEL's account at Muslim Commercial Bank, FTC branch, and the money was used as payment account instead of depositing it in the collection account. The amount was later withdrawn in cash through a crossed cheque No. 19191266 on Jan 8, 1999. The case was withdrawn on behalf of accused Raub B. Qadri by Ashfaque Tola and they converted the same for their own use. "In view of my findings, I am of irresistible view that the accused persons were entrusted with bank affairs and having dominion over financial matters have committed criminal breach of trust and accused Ashfaque Tola is soley responsible for falsification of the account books of the bank, thus they are liable to be punished", the judge observed. The judge also disqualified for 10 years for seeking or from being elected, chosen, appointed or nominated as a member or representative of any public body or any statutory or local authority or in service of Pakistan or of any province under section 15 of the NAB Ordinance, 1999. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011207 ------------------------------------------------------------------- EC's 50m euros for DPs camps ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 6: The European Commission has decided to pool in 50 million euros to help Pakistan bear the burden of Afghan refugees and help set up refugee camps. Speaking at a news conference, European Union Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Paul Nielson said that under a new five-year perspective of cooperation plan, relations with Pakistan would be beefed up, specially in the education sector. Mr Nielson said during the past four days, he held meetings with President Gen Parvez Musharraf, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar and the Education Minister Zobaida Jalal. To a question about reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, he said the European Commission planned to spend 100 million euros for humanitarian assistance in the war-ravaged country. Welcoming the Bonn accord, he said it was a turning point for peace in Afghanistan. Expressing commitment to the global efforts for Afghanistan's revival, he said the European Commission would assist in the implementation of Bonn agreement.Back to the top
EDITORIALS & FEATURES 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Fire ! Fire ! ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ardeshir Cowasjee SADDAR Bazaar of old Karachi was a pleasant, calm, clean, treelined area where, in the first half of last century, it was safe for all to walk, to meet, to talk, to loiter. There were, of course, far more bicycles than cars and it was a common sight to see women strolling along under the shade of their parasols. It was the central shopping area of Karachi in which could be bought all that was needed for life in those distant days. For schoolchildren, there was the famous tiny stationery store, Makanjee Damjee, opening straight onto the street, with old Makanjee sitting on his haunches with all his wares - exercise books, pencils, biscuits, nuts - within easy stretching distance so that he never had to rise to serve his customers. Now, at the start of this century, under the recently introduced devolution scheme, this old Saddar Bazaar area and its surroundings have evolved into Saddar Town, the 18th town of Karachi, and its elected nazim, Farooq Ahmed Faria, is its administrator. Since partition Saddar has radically changed. It is now chock-a- block with shops, departmental stores, and street vendors who have encroached upon the pavements. Traffic is so congested, there are so many people, that it is difficult to either move, hear or breathe in the rush, the noise and the pollution. Shopping malls have sprouted up all over the place contravening all building and town planning rules and regulations. The entire area, with its congestion and illegal structures, is now a veritable fire trap. We in Karachi have all read about the recent fire in the monstrous mall, Karim Centre. After the fire, a non-governmental organization was asked to carry out a survey and its report makes alarming reading. Those citizens of Karachi who are concerned about their own safety and that of their fellow citizens may read on. Karim Centre is built on four plots in the pre-partition Saddar Bazar area straddling Zaibunissa Street (old Elphinstone Street) and Abdullah Haroon Road (old Victoria Road) near the Post Office. In the mid-1970s, Dedhi Builders had construction plans approved from the Karachi Development Authority for ground plus five floors (with basement parking) on Plots 3/2, 4 and 5/SB-7, and ground plus three floors (without parking) on part of Plot 6/SB-7. With its atrocious quality of construction, poor circulation planning, sagging floor slabs, excess floors, and its permanently temporary wiring, the project (as all other such shopping malls) has evolved into a disaster zone. Virtually the approximately 300,000 square feet of Karim Centre has been built in excess of the approved plans and stands ground plus six storeys high. All the mandatory parking spaces have been converted and let as tailors' sweatshops. The plethora of substandard shops, all less than 100 sq feet in area, on the seven floors, with their mass of inflammable ware - cloth, all extending into the passageways and balconies, festooned internally and externally with loose electric wiring, has ensured that this shopping mall is a prime fire-trap. Just after midnight on November 20, while workers were preparing for the anticipated Ramzan-Eid rush, disaster struck. Some 150 shops on the first, second and third floors were gutted. The poorly equipped and inadequately manned fire brigades of the city arrived in due course and did their best to fight the conflagration whilst rushing around Karachi the entire day trying to find the non- existent hydrants and water. Luck was with the trapped people in the building. They managed to get to the roof or on to the balconies, shouted for help and were rescued. It is amazing that there were no fatalities. Despite the fact that the apparent fire-distress 'signals' in the concrete slabs of the affected areas were noted after the fire by the preliminary inspection team of the Karachi Building Control Authority, the faults have not been repaired. All have been suppressed and no action has been taken, or is planned to be taken, by the Sindh government's regulatory bodies. The burnt structural members are being hurriedly painted over, and the shops are being recommissioned without any structural repair work, or improvement in the hazardous electric wiring, so that they can reopen for the pre-Eid shopping spree. Petrol generators, begging for disaster, continue to chug away in all congested corridors. Although KDA recognized thirty years ago the illegal building proclivities of the builders involved, to date they have not been warned or penalized, nor have any of their projects, all equally dangerous, been demolished. They have unsavoury and political contacts, and during the 1980s and '90s managed to construct numerous other unauthorized buildings, including multi-storeyed flats/shops in Jamshed Quarters and Garden East that are counted among KBCA's infamous '260 sealed buildings' of 1996. This week, the KBCA proclaimed in a prominent advertisement in this newspaper: "The allegation with regard to unfettered, unauthorized construction in the city is not wholly true. KBCA makes considerable effort to promptly take cognizance of all such deviations/violations whenever these are observed." (Interestingly the KBCA admits to the allegations being somewhat though not 'wholly' true.) Similar 'cognizance' was taken by KDA and KBCA as far back as 1975. But 25 years down the line, Karim Centre's illegalities stand tall and prominent as a badge of shame on the local government of this city. The KBCA has also 'taken cognizance' (but no lawful action against the illicit project, the criminal builder, or its own colluding officials) of the under-construction and 140 per cent overbuilt Capital Centre next door to Karim Centre. The mandatory parking spaces and fire-escape stairs have not been provided by the builder, nor have any of the fire-fighting and fire-resistant structural requirements demanded by law been met. The building is now being progressively occupied without the mandatory KBCA 'Occupancy Certificate' having been issued and KBCA is taking no action. In blatant violation of applicable laws, and with the whole-hearted cooperation of the concerned government agencies (including the Sindh EPA, the KDA/KBCA, Sindh Board of Revenue, the Sindh government's electric inspector, the KESC), a large part of Saddar Town is being surreptitiously converted into crowded, over-built, unhygienic, fire-hazardous, polluted structures, housing garment factories, gold-smith furnaces/workshops, and other semi-industrial concerns. In 1994, a major explosion in a goldsmith's workshop on Shahrah-e- Iraq killed eight people. Frequent fires and explosions over the years from ever-increasing hazardous misuse of commercial and residential premises have cost numerous lives. The situation is exacerbated by appalling wiring installations and dangerous petrol- generators. This week the local press highlighted the perilous situation at Sarah Hotel on Parr Street, which is being converted into a sarafa bazaar (gold-smiths' bazaar), the shops having their unauthorized workshops and furnaces (fire ?) in the same building. Other commercial areas in the city are no better. The recent fire in Khaliq Cloth Market at Liaquatabad is mute testimony to the apathy and collusion of the statutory agencies set up to protect the public interest. The Clifton Road hosts numerous illegally commercialized and constructed buildings, with congested passages, flammable sale goods, dangerous permanent temporary wiring, and with no fire-escape or fire-fighting facilities. The Building Regulations of 1979 state: "The requirements for providing space about buildings are governed by hygienic and fire- fighting considerations." In order to ensure adequate space for fire-fighting, the rescue of persons endangered by fire, and access for fire brigades to the rear of buildings, there must be fire- stairs, compulsory open spaces and other such facilities. Periodically, the 'friends' Karachi's builders have managed to make in the Sindh government suggest bartering away these non- implemented mandatory requirements in return for due compensation for regularization. What can the citizens expect? Can the local government of this city be expected to graduate from 'taking cognizance' to 'taking action'? Can it be expected to actually implement the law? Can it be expected to sacrifice the 'noora- kushti' that generates crores of rupees in illegal kickbacks to bureaucrats, other servants of the public, and politicians? Can it be expected to uphold the fundamental rights of the citizens of Karachi? The Saddar Town nazim, Farooq Ahmed Faria, has promised to improve the state of affairs. A tall order indeed. We wish him luck. He will soon be tested. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011207 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Now for a Loya Jirga for Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ayaz Amir With Afghanistan being purged slowly from our system - it is noticeable how both the anguish and enthusiasm set off by the American onslaught on Afghanistan are draining away - it is time to turn our attention to the state of the stables in Pakistan. But before proceeding any further a small note of gratitude is in order. Leaving aside the question of whether their war on Afghanistan has been just or not, we have to be thankful to the Americans for curing us of this particular obsession. If September 11 and its aftermath had not occurred, we would still have been stuck with the Taliban and all the myths and half-truths which have defined our Afghan policy these past 20 years. Like all new converts to a cause we are quite gung-ho about our born-again liberalism. But let us not forget where the original impulse came from. We thus owe a vote of thanks to Colin Powell for putting the matter starkly in his now-famous telephone call to Pakistan's commander-in-chief and supreme leader. He left us no room for waffling. To say, as I have foolishly been doing since September 11, that we should have behaved with greater dignity, or a greater regard for national independence, is like crying for the moon. Our indebtedness and the guilt complex arising from our support of the Taliban left us with no real choice except to swallow, with what grace we could muster, whatever the Americans wanted to thrust down our throats. But there is more to it than this. We have been a dependent power since our birth, our leaders more than our people always relying upon external props to shore up the nation's defences or its sense of self-esteem. This will not change unless two things happen: (1) we get out of India's shadow and stop seeing everything through its prism; and (2) for a change we start learning to stand on our feet. Even nations far poorer than us do not forsake the requirements of national honour so readily as we do. Whether our struggle for independence wasn't hard enough, or because of something in the air of the subcontinent, we have been cursed with a leadership style whose arrogance at home is perfectly balanced by its obsequiousness abroad. I can't say what precisely is the sense of insecurity which lies behind this attitude. The Afghans have a truly devastated homeland on their hands but even in the midst of all their misery they conduct themselves with greater self-assurance than we do. It took the UN, and US handlers working from the sidelines, nine exhausting days to seal a settlement between the contending Afghan factions in Bonn. Consider for a moment if this had been a conference to settle Pakistan's affairs. Some leader would have been satisfied with a green card for his offspring, another with scholarships for his sons and daughters while someone else would have aimed higher and angled for an arms deal down the road. In any case, it would have taken at the outside two and not nine days to sign an accord. But these musings aside, the Bonn accord may work or come unstuck when it is tested against Afghan realities. But at least it holds the promise of a "broad-based" government for Afghanistan two and a half years from now. The question that strikes the Pakistani mind is, when are we going to get a broad-based government for ourselves? At the moment we have a government whose only justification in democratic theory rests upon two shaky premises: a Supreme Court verdict and what General Musharraf claims as the support of the 'silent majority'. But with the supreme commander saying that although national elections will be held he, in the national interest, will continue as president, the future promises to be no different from the past. At this rate, we might find Afghanistan outstripping us in the race for democracy. This issue is hardly academic. People keep asking what is the Pakistani problem. One does not have to look into the Dead Sea scrolls for an answer. Quite simply it has been our inability to create and sustain a stable polity. What has been the national record? Two and a half decades of wobbly civilian rule matched by two and a half decades of disastrous militarism, with institutions, as a consequence, destroyed and the nation bereft of a sense of direction. Is there a Pakistani dream? If there is, what does it mean? It is not easy getting the right answers. Every now and then brilliant economists suggest that we need to invest in education and our manpower to attract foreign investment. Investing in education is a political decision and can only come when an enduring political order is in place - an order committed to long-term policies, spread over 25-50 years, and not to the short-term needs, such as those of survival and legitimacy, of insecure leaders. The key, therefore, is politics and how we manage our affairs. Everything else - whether spending more on education, getting money from overseas or enhancing exports - comes afterwards. Instability in the political sphere, therefore, is Pakistan's bane, destroying continuity of effort and breeding frustration and cynicism in its wake. It is often said Pakistanis are compulsive critics who should be more positive in their outlook. Positive about what? The corruption of their leaders? The incompetence on display by successive relays of mandarins, politicians and generals? The Republic's history is an invitation to rebellion or apathy. A positive outlook, the kind beloved of officialdom or retired salary men, hardly fits into such a dialectic. Not the governing class which has proved its bankruptcy thrice over but the common people of the four provinces (and I daresay Kashmir) are keeping Pakistan aloft and allowing it to brave the many storms which have beset its path. But how long must things continue in this fashion? When will we set aside the theatrical accompaniments of ad-hocism and learn to conduct our affairs on the strength of institutions rather than the whim or uncertain competence of individuals? The cult of the strongman, or even the benevolent dictator, has had its day in Pakistan. Repeated experiments along this line - from the time of the first strongman, Ayub Khan, down to the present - have destroyed the country's elan and vitality, the legacy of military rule being sign-posted with unnecessary wars and foolish adventures. As a result, we can't stand up to our reflection in the mirror. How can we stand up to the US and its bullying? A grand retreat, therefore, is called for. Not from the great game as played in Afghanistan - the US having taken care of that particular line in adventure travelling - but from the wide, open spaces of Pakistani politics. There is no Colin Powell who will help the Pakistani military to come to this decision. Nor can the 'silent majority' do anything in this regard. The 'silent majority' is living up to its name, choosing to remain silent under all circumstances. This decision must come from within. The conductor's baton is in the supreme commander's hands. It is he who must orchestrate the new score in which lies the country's hope for the future. Between self-interest and the common good it is only he who can decide - the tribunes of the people, Benazir and Nawaz Sharif, being busy with other things. The Beards, and pundits such as myself, are smarting from their Afghan wounds (not that pundits matter in any game of power). Musharraf has the field to himself to do with it as he pleases. But what do the stars say? The Agra summit and the destruction of the Taliban have been to Musharraf what the French defeat in World War Two was to Hitler: his self-confidence has been bolstered. From this high horse it will not be easy stepping down. All oligarchs think they are the best definers and arbiters of the national interest. This is their occupational hazard: a mounting suspicion of all opposition and a growing belief in their infallibility. How many times have we not been here before? An experimental lab for would-be saviours: for much of its history this is what Pakistan has been. Surely some witch's spell is at work here. For how else to explain our failure to break out of this grind? DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011208 ------------------------------------------------------------------- A return to relevance ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Irfan Husain Benazir Bhutto's recent statements in India have predictably triggered a flurry of critical letters and statements in the press. Her new-found desire for peace between India and Pakistan has ruffled the feathers of pro-establishment types here. But this brief blip aside, Pakistan's two-time prime minister (and perpetual claimant to the post) has virtually disappeared from the political radar. Similarly, the Sharif family was in the spotlight for a day or so last week only because the ex-PM's sister-in-law returned from exile in Saudi Arabia and embarrassed the government. Again, this intrusion into the public consciousness ended with Mr Shahbaz Sharif's wife and daughters being swiftly put on a plane to Jeddah. This about sums up the extent of the contribution of Pakistan's two major political leaders to the public discourse in these critical days. While Nawaz Sharif has been prevented from sending us his pearls of wisdom from his comfortable exile by the terms of his deal with General Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto's support for the government has been qualified by her self-serving demands for an early return to civilian rule. Meanwhile, Muslim League rebels have distinguished themselves with their incoherent stand on this government's support of the American-led coalition. The only politicians to be clear in their stand in this crisis have been the leaders of the extremist religious groups who have opposed the military regime's position tooth and nail. Even though we may disagree with their support of Osama bin Laden and the taliban, at least they have not waffled about it: in public rallies and statements, they have been vociferous in their condemnation of the government's policies, and their supporters have flocked to their banners. Followers of our two mainstream parties (and sundry Muslim League fragments), on the other hand, have been confused and demoralized by their leaders' lack of clarity and coherence. There has been no attempt among our politicians to analyze the situation and give their party members a direction and a focus as the nation has attempted to come to terms with the momentous events next door. Neither of the two contenders for power has in any way attempted to help the refugees who have fled their country in the wake of the on-going bombing. No discussions or seminars have been organized to debate the issues. In other words, our two major political parties have been exposed yet again as redundant and irrelevant to the situation we confront today. While the MQM has been more forthright in its support for the government's position, its earlier bizarre boycott of the local bodies elections has marginalized it still further. Also, in a situation full of ironies, Altaf Hussain's condemnation of terrorism from his London home takes the cake for sheer gall. The British government's odd decision to grant him citizenship will no doubt serve as encouragement to others of his ilk. Given the pathetic role of our politicians, the road back to democracy seems a bumpy one. Even before September 11, the Pakistani public was weary of its leaders. Their endless scams, their self-serving histrionics and their rank opportunism had not endeared them to us, and this is why we accepted yet another round of military rule without protest. And now that the national and provincial elections are less than a year away, there is some concern about the return of the same discredited politicians. So far, Benazir Bhutto is persona non grata with the military-led government, and Nawaz Sharif is unlikely to risk upsetting his Saudi hosts who brokered the deal sending him into exile. In Ms Bhutto's absence, the PPP has retained its unity while the PML has splintered without Nawaz Sharif to hold it together in these difficult days. But the Muslim League has hardly ever been a party of the opposition, and its post-independence history is replete with shady characters running off with its name in their sleazy quest for power. This time around has been no different with the Chaudris of Gujrat being easily persuaded by the military rulers to ditch Nawaz Sharif. As a reward, they were not put through the accountability grinder, and were given all kinds of help by the generals in the recent local body polls. It is wonderful how a whiff of power can change loyalties. With the religious extremists in disarray because of the debacle of the Taliban and the mainstream parties either split or demoralized or both, General Musharraf is in a strong position to dictate terms and make the rules that suit him. And as he has declared his intention to continue as president well after the elections, it is clear that he is not going to be a figurehead. Chances are that he will be very much the dominant partner, exercising control over defence and foreign affairs while the elected Prime Minister looks after the social sector and the economy. The latter, however, will not be the PM's exclusive preserve as the president will take more than a passing interest in the subject. Under such a dispensation, it will not be long before tensions surface. Even somebody like Junejo, elected on the basis of a non- party election, found it difficult to toe the line. How much more difficult this cohabitation will be for an elected politician with political debts to pay off, constituents to satisfy and high expectations to meet, can be easily imagined. The intention of this analysis is not to question the need for democracy. To me, at least, a democratic dispensation is the sine qua non of progress and decent government. The fact that our politicians have disappointed us consistently is at least partly due to the constant interference they have had to endure from the army and our plethora of intelligence agencies. This time, it is certain that the military's role will be institutionalized, and it is possible that the system will be more robust as a result. But once clear prerequisite for power-sharing is that the army must be seen as neutral, and both major contenders for power should have a level playing field. Unfortunately, these conditions have not been met. There is a clear tilt towards the rump faction of the Muslim League controlled by the Gujrat Chaudris, even though the PPP has staged a dramatic turn-around after its shattering defeat in the last national elections. It is high time our politicians showed us that they are still relevant to the situation and can make democracy work in Pakistan.
SPORTS 20011208 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Waqar and Mudassar get extensions ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Samiul Hasan KARACHI, Dec 7: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gave Waqar Younis and Mudassar Nazar extensions until the home series against the West Indies. "The PCB has decided to retain Waqar Younis as captain and Mudassar Nazar as coach until the home series against the West Indies," chairman of the PCB Lt Gen Tauqir Zia told Dawn from Lahore. Waqar was initially named captain until the series against New Zealand but got an automatic extension for next month's Bangladesh tour after the Black Caps cancelled a scheduled tour because of Sept 11 attacks. Mudassar was last month appointed coach for the Sharjah triangular series and for next month's tour to Bangladesh. "Although the combination of Waqar and Mudassar has worked in just one tournament, it appears to be a nice pair. The two deserve extension purely on merit," the PCB chairman said. Waqar's men comprehensively defeated Sri Lanka in the Sharjah final, which, ironically, was Pakistan's first international assignment since August. "The two united their boys and played professionally (in Sharjah). The performance of the team reflected that there was some purpose and planning. "But the most enterprising part is that they played like a team which is so very crucial to our build up for the World Cup," Tauqir said. Tauqir said Waqar's tenure up to the World Cup depended on his fitness and form but added that he would talk to Mudassar before awarding him a 12-month contract. "If Waqar keeps himself fit, he remains our top priority. "Mudassar's contract with the PCB expires in February. I would certainly like to have him but before that certain modalities have to be finalized. "I will discuss the subject with him at the right time." The general, however, dismissed the return of England-born and South Africa-based Richard Pybus. "He is presently not in the running because of political uncertainty in the region," he said. But when pointed out that situation seems to have eased out after the West Indies agreed to tour Pakistan, Tauqir said: "True, but Richard is low on our priority list." Pybus coached Pakistan for two weeks before returning home in the wake of terrorist attacks on Washington and New York. However, insiders in the board say Pybus' demand of full authority and objections on the working of the PCB has irked the officials who have decided in principle to fall back on a local man. Mudassar, besides the current Pakistan side, has the support of some of the best cricketers, including Imran Khan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011208 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Shoaib cleared again, but not yet by ICC ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Correspondent LAHORE, Dec 7: The University of Western Australia has reiterated its earlier findings regarding Shoaib Akhtar's bowling action calling it peculiar anatomical characteristic that leads to the erroneous perception of throwing. Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman said that the report of the university had been received by the board in which nothing was new. Shoaib Akhtar's bowling action was reported for the third time during the Sharjah tri-series earlier last month by South African match referee Denis Lindsay. On it, the International Cricket Council had advised the PCB to hire Michael Holding for rectifying Shoaib's action and to submit a report by Feb 7. However the PCB decided to send the footage of Shoaib's bowling to the University of Western Australia again which had already examined the case and cleared him with a report that the bowling arm of the controversial pacer was deformed. Announcing the next action of the PCB its director Munawar Ahmad Rana said that the board was considering the fresh report of the university and was in touch with the ICC to proceed with the matter in a logical and amicable way, so that Shoaib Akhtar could continue to bowl without any further undue pressure as soon as possible. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011202 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Wasim denies he was under pressure ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Correspondent LAHORE, Dec 1: Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has denied that he was under government pressure to lose a World Cup match against Bangladesh in 1999. He was recording his statement before the one-man judicial commission headed by Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari which is investigating the match -fixing allegation against Pakistan team for deliberately losing two World Cup matches, against Bangladesh and India. Wasim, who was leading the team, refuted the charges that he bowed down to any pressure from the government in order to let Bangladesh get Test status. Wasim said though the Pakistan team was stronger than Bangladesh, they lost the match only due to over confidence. He said that two run-outs, one of Saeed Anwar and other of Azhar Mahmood in that match were not deliberate but were due to misjudgments. Wasim denied that his assets were beyond his income and that he had earned money through match fixing. He said that cricket was his lone financial source and his entire income was on record. He also refuted Sarfraz Nawaz's statement that he had advised him (Akram) on the day of match against Bangladesh to avoid a defeat because there was hue and cry in the public that Pakistan would lose it. He said that he talked to Sarfraz Nawaz last time some five years ago. Reacting to Majid Khan's statement recorded before the commission, he said that Majid must give strong evidence for accusations against the Pakistan team. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011204 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistani appointed ACC offical ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 3: Zakir Hussain Syed has been appointed Development Manager for Asia by the Asian Cricket Council. His responsibilities would involve promotion and development of cricket in Asia, especially in the non-Test playing countries with greater emphasis on institution based development. Zakir was reportedly the unanimous choice of the chief executives of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, chairman of the Asian Cricket Foundation, Jagmohan Dalmiya and others. The ACC had earlier appointed Roger Binny (India), Rumesh Ratnayake (Sri Lanka) and Iqbal Sikander (Pakistan) as development officers with proper country-wise distribution of work. The International Cricket Council has released a sum of $6.5 million to the ACC for a two-year period for cricket development with a commitment for a similar amount every two years until 2007. The amount is 50 per cent net profit of ICC knockout tournaments, which has been accepted as the rightful share of the Asian region. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011204 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bi-annual league system to be introduced ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Imran Naeem Ahmad ISLAMABAD, Dec 3: The Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) is to introduce a bi-annual league system for players involving promotion and relegation by February next year. Sqd. Ldr Sajid Waheed, Secretary of the PSF speaking to Dawn said that the new system of play would keep the players on their toes in a competitive environment. According to the plan initiated by PSF president Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir the league would initially see a senior team and a junior one comprising eight players each playing against one other. Explaining the system, Sajid said that the top players would play with those at a lower tier and in the end points would be calculated. "Those achieving a set number of points would gain promotion while those in the top rung not making the grade would be relegated." Sajid said that in the league the senior players would also play the promoted juniors like those in the under-19 age group. "This would help the juniors to break away from the age bracket and give them confidence." Sajid explained that the league would be played on the pattern of those in Malaysia and Singapore. "These countries even invite foreign players to compete." But the secretary said no foreigner would be asked to play in the Pakistan league, the base of which would eventually be extended. "Soon we may have 16 to 20 players with two senior and two junior sides." "The league system would also help us identify the top four senior and as many junior players without going through the process of selection trials." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011204 ------------------------------------------------------------------- New rules to be tried after World Cup ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, Dec 3: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has decided not to have changes in the game's rules until next year's World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, an official said. Islahuddin Siddique, a member of the Hockey Rules Board, who attended the meeting of the Board in Brussels, said the one of the three trial rules would also be tried after the World Cup. "The rule to be tried after World Cup will be enhancing of the goal-scoring area. It will be tried during an international tournament after the World Cup," he said. The three rules tried were, enhancing of the scoring area to 23- metre, presence of only eight defenders inside 25-yard line during the field play, and only eight defenders during the penalty corners. The FIH had asked 28 countries for the feedback of the three rules to be tried. Five countries have submitted their recommendations so far, including Pakistan, India, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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