------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 29 December 2001 Issue : 07/52 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
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CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + Musharraf rules out war: India responsible for tension + India's pressure on Pakistan may backfire: diplomats + Islamabad hits back + India has to achieve 'objectives': envoy + PIA to end flights on 4 routes + President to attend Saarc summit + Saarc: India says no to talks with Pakistan + Pressure mounts to stall war rhetoric + Missiles not shifted to border, says ISPR + Armed forces fully prepared, says PAF chief + Govt's policies have isolated Pakistan in the world + Pakistanis wanted by US identified + US declares LT, Jaish groups terrorist + UN move to freeze UTN accounts + Accounts of Lashkar, Ummah frozen + No crackdown on Madaris planned, CE tells Ulema + CE links action to provision of proof + Pakistan rejects charges against HC staffer + HC official beaten, stripped in Delhi + Osama may be tried at home if arrested + Envoy hints at Osama's death + Asif Zardari formally arrested in BMW case + Release orders for Asif issued + New Delhi planning tougher actions + Zaeef's plea for asylum to be processed: official + FBI grills Al-Qaeda detainees in Kohat + Tribal leader warns of war over US raids + UN resolution on security force for Afghanistan: text + 12 die as minibus falls off bridge + Permission sought to operate Kanupp beyond design life --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + ADB releases $150m loan for reforms + Situation ideal for investment: Musharraf + New bank on the cards to loan small enterprises + KSE escapes collapse thanks to circuit breaker --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + The enemy of ignorance Ardeshir Cowasjee + National honour is not on the line Ayaz Amir + Reclaiming our faith Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + Saeed Anwar withdraws from tour + Two neutral umpires from April, ICC says + ICC's anti-graft body to monitor Jr World Cup + Contingent for Games approved + Pakistani cueists enjoyed good year
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Musharraf rules out war: India responsible for tension ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ihtasham ul Haque ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has ruled out the possibility of war with India but said there could be some skirmishes on the Line of Control. "I can safely say that 95 per cent chances of war do not exist... but there are just 5 per cent such chances and that too in the shape of some skirmishes on the Line of Control," the president was quoted as having said during his luncheon meeting with members of the Economic Advisory Board. However, official sources said, the president had told the meeting that Pakistan was alert to take on the enemy should it tried to do any misadventure whether on the LoC or on the international borders. Gen Musharraf pointed out that the country was much better off today than in 70s when India had provided all military support for the creation of Bangladesh. "Our stock position in every respect is very satisfactory and our reserves are also gradually improving and have reached to an all time high in 53 years of the country's history," he was quoted as having said. If the enemy underestimated or miscalculated, it would be a big loser, he warned. The president said that India had raised a war temperature and was now experiencing difficulties to bring it down. He regretted that Indian leaders were sounding too arrogant and had refused to settle issues through peaceful means. Sources said the president had also told the meeting that all necessary measures had been taken to protect every inch of land and that the country's armed forces had been mobilized to face any eventuality. The president advised the EAB members, who included prominent investors, to invest in the country so that foreign investors could be encouraged to follow suit. The president inquired the investors about any complaint they had or assistance they needed, and said his government would provide all possible support to have more and more business activities in the country. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- India's pressure on Pakistan may backfire: diplomats ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: India's mounting pressure on Pakistan, unopposed by the United States and Britain, could hamper President Pervez Musharraf's attempts to curb radical groups, diplomats say. "If India pulls too hard on the cord, it could break," said a senior diplomat based in Islamabad. Pakistan has already frozen the assets of Lashkar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i- Mohammad and arrested the founding head of the Jaish, Maulana Masood Azhar. However, the public response from New Delhi has been dismissive. Western diplomats say the United States and Britain "seem to be helping relay the Indian message in order to extract more concessions from Islamabad" in cracking down on radical groups. However, analysts believe this "Indo-American collusion" is dangerous because the Pakistan government "cannot be allowed to lose face" over Kashmir. "It would be wiser to win the confidence of the Pakistani government and to let it implement, at its rate and rhythm, measures which it is weighing" against the religious extremists, said an Islamabad-based ambassador. The actions taken by India "complicate Musharraf's task, and risk delaying by six months measures that could have been taken right away", he said. Washington, which is pursuing its own goals in Afghanistan, is starting to become aware of the dangers of pushing Pakistan too far, particularly after it obliged by turning its back on the Taliban after Sept 11. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, anxious about the possibility that Pakistani troops massed at the Afghan border could be shifted east to Kashmir, stresses the importance of Islamabad's role in hunting down remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. Rumsfeld said it was "very encouraging" that Pakistan had not yet withdrawn forces from the Afghan border, and added that any redeployment "would be a big disappointment". On the India-Pakistan tensions, Rumsfeld said the United States had clearly informed the nuclear rivals that their rapidly escalating standoff could detract from its war on terrorism. "This is something we're keeping our eye on very carefully, and we have clearly made the interests we have in this subject known to both sides very carefully and with clarity," he said.-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Islamabad hits back ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Faraz Hashmi ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: In response to a move by New Delhi, Pakistan announced reducing the staff of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad by 50 per cent, limiting the movement of the embassy staff to the municipal limits of the capital, and banning its airspace to Indian Airlines flights from Jan 1. A Foreign Office spokesman in a press release said that the government of Pakistan had noted with disappointment the decisions of the Indian government to cut the staff strength of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by 50pc, restrict the movement of the HC officials within the municipal limits of New Delhi and deny Indian airspace to PIA flights from Jan 1. "While regretting the escalation measures announced by India, the government of Pakistan has been constrained to take reciprocal action in equal measure," he said. Another source said that India's deputy high commissioner Sudhir Vias was summoned to the Foreign Office and conveyed the decision taken by Pakistan. India had withdrawn its High Commissioner Vijay Nambiar last week as part of tough measures being taken in phases against Pakistan following the Dec 13 attack on its parliament. Pakistan, in line with its unilateral policy of maximum restraint, did not recall its High Commissioner from New Delhi, which was regarded in diplomatic circles a departure from the tit-for-tat tradition. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- India has to achieve 'objectives': envoy ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Intikhab Hanif and Amjad Mahmood LAHORE, Dec 27: Indian Deputy High Commissioner Sudhir Vyas refused to rule out war against Pakistan, saying, "India has some objectives which have to be achieved." Various options were open to India and a "final decision" would be taken as the situation evolved, he told Dawn at the Wagah checkpoint on his arrival from New Delhi. "No one wants war. But Pakistan must take action against the groups which, apparently, have been involved in violence and attack on Indian parliament," he said. Mr Vyas is in charge of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad after the withdrawal of HC Vijay Nambiar on December 21. He said the seriousness and enormity of the attack on parliament had left a deep impression on India and its people. "The incident was seen as an attack on our sovereignty and in response, Pakistan must take steps against the groups involved in it," he said in reply to the question whether India wanted to take a retaliatory action against Pakistan. Asked to explain the term "objectives" he had used the envoy said it was incumbent on Pakistan to take action against the groups "involved" in violence in India. "The objectives, which India wants to achieve, will have to be achieved," he reiterated. When pointed out that Pakistan had already taken action against some Jihadi groups and wanted to go further if India provided any evidence of their involvement in the attack, the envoy described the action as a cosmetic one. "These are only media reports and we want credible measures." He parried a question why India was not responding to Pakistan's offer for a joint investigation into the attack on parliament to find out who was really behind that. Asked what action Pakistan should take, Mr Vyas said: "There is no need to give details as Pakistan government already knows it." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- PIA to end flights on 4 routes ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Dec 28: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it would suspend flights to four Asian destinations because of India's decision to ban Pakistan overflights. PIA's Chief Operating Office Khursheed Anwar told Reuters that weekly flights for Colombo, Maldives, Manila and Singapore would be suspended from Jan 1 pending further decision. India decided to halt PIA overflights, halve India's diplomatic mission in Islamabad and Pakistan's mission in New Delhi and restrict the movement of Pakistani diplomats. PIA said around 23 of its weekly flights would be hit after the closure of Indian airspace. "Operations for these countries would no longer be economically viable...while we will incur extra cost on Bangkok and Tokyo operations which will be carried out through Chinese airspace," he added. Anwar said PIA would face a drop of five per cent in its annual operational revenues, "which is negligible." PIA cut 15 per cent of its flights in October because of a sharp drop in air travel since the Sept 11 attacks on the United States. Anwar said it had applied to India for permission to operate extra flights to New Delhi and Bombay before Jan 1 to bring Pakistanis home. "If Indian authorities allow us, we would operate extra flights," he added. PIA spokesman Imran Gardazi said India had asked the airlines to withdraw its staff in India within 48 hours after Jan 1.-Reuters DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- President to attend Saarc summit ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: President Pervez Musharraf will attend next week's South Asian summit in Nepal despite India's decision to close its airspace to Pakistani planes, officials said. "President Musharraf will attend the Saarc conference in Kathmandu," a foreign ministry official told AFP. India later said it would allow Gen Musharraf to fly through Indian airspace if Islamabad made a special request. Doubts surfaced about the viability of the Jan 4-6 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit after India on Thursday announced new sanctions, including barring Pakistani aircraft from its skies. Under Saarc's charter all members must be present for a meeting to take place, and the move was seen as making it difficult for Gen Musharraf to attend by forcing him to make a major detour. However, Pakistani officials said privately that after debate, it was decided to push ahead with the trip despite the difficult circumstances. The conference had been considered a valuable opportunity for the Indian and Pakistani leaders to meet and try to resolve their differences, particularly after July's failed summit in Agra. India said earlier this month that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would not meet Gen Musharraf given the current tensions. However, Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said that Gen Musharraf would be willing to meet Mr Vajpayee for talks during the summit. "We have always said that we want dialogue and talks at any level, any time and anywhere. It is for India to respond to our move. The ball is in India's court. We have done our part," he said. Saarc, founded in 1985, groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Saarc: India says no to talks with Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW DELHI, Dec 27: Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh rejected the possibility of talks with Pakistan, but added that next week's summit of South Asian leaders in Nepal would go ahead as scheduled. Singh said suggestions by the United States for the two countries to have a dialogue may be well meant, but it was not practical at this moment. "I don't think advocating of dialogue between India and Pakistan is any kind of evil. I might not accept the advocacy. That is different," he said, in response to a question about US Secretary of State Colin Powell's call for talks. "Of course, I think the secretary of state is fully entitled to suggest that the two countries have a dialogue. What difference does it make? (But) it is not practical, it is not possible. I have told him. He knows it." -AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pressure mounts to stall war rhetoric ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jawed Naqvi NEW DELHI, Dec 26: Urgent diplomatic moves were afoot involving key embassies in New Delhi and their worried governments back home to stall the spiralling nuclear rhetoric on both sides of the India- Pakistan border before it all begins to spin out of control, diplomats and analysts said. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to visit New Delhi early next month, ostensibly on a wide-ranging bilateral visit, but clearly to lend his voice to global worries on the stand-off with Pakistan too. By then, diplomats said, the United States, Russia and China will have already been busy consulting, advising and even cajoling New Delhi and Islamabad to back down from the precipice. "We could see some very important efforts out of Washington in the next couple of days or so," an informed source in the diplomatic corps told Dawn. "We will see it happening soon. They are a worried lot out there." There were indeed worrying signals in New Delhi where the government declared that "owing to the large-scale deployment of troops and armor along the borders following Pakistani military build-up," India's Army Day January 15 parade was being called off. The cancellation of the parade, when the might of the Indian Army is put on display at the military cantonment in Delhi, follows deployment of Army formations along the borders, a defense ministry official said. The government clarified however that the Republic Day parade, also involving military units, would be held on January 26 as usual. Despite the mounting tension, there were a few straws in the wind to suggest a little more reassuring picture. For example the news that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would certainly attend the SAARC summit in Kathmandu from January 4 was important, particularly the fact that it was announced by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh after a meeting of the Cabinet. Some diplomats cited reports about both sides moving their missile units close to strategic locations as a worrying development, the first such, they said, since 1987 and 1990 when the United States had intervened to effectively thwart a potential nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan. Most western embassies have cancelled their Christmas and New Year holiday plans to keep key personnel in the Indian capital as the war rhetoric looks more palpable with every fresh statement from New Delhi and Islamabad. And the rhetoric came from no insignificant quarters either. President Pervez Musharraf's tough words were joined by the head of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party who said if Pakistan "uses nuclear weapons against us, Pakistan will be wiped off from the face of the earth." Amid the gloom, newspaper surveys however showed that most Indians did not yet believe the rhetoric would lead to war. One online newspaper had 63 percent against 36 saying they did not believe a war was nigh. >From Moscow President Vladimir Putin spoke to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee shortly before the Christmas holidays and although details of their talks were not available Russia is believed to be seriously concerned about the military build-up on both sides. The Press Trust of India in a dispatch from Beijing quoted a senior official at the Asia Desk of the Chinese foreign ministry as urging India and Pakistan to exercise restraint. "We have paid attention to concerned reports. We appeal to the concerned sides to exercise restraint and maintain calm, from the point of view of protecting the overall peace and stability in South Asia," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said. "We also urge the concerned sides to hold peaceful talks and dialogue for solving the disputes," she said. The remarks prompted a withering Indian response. "China's call for restraint should be directed at Pakistan. It is for Pakistan to take action against the terrorist outfits operating from that country." There have been similar views expressed in senior political quarters about American calls for calm too, with people including Defence Minister George Fernandes hardly concealing their anger at the alleged double standards they say Washington has in the global fight against terrorism. The report from the apex Cabinet Committee on Security, which met at Vajpayee's residence, was an assortment of the grim laced with some assuring words too. A CCS review was rescheduled as Fernandes, touring the Himalayan frontline regions, was stranded there due to bad weather. "India has taken all measures required to protect its borders with Pakistan and would continue to be alert to the situation," External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, told reporters after the CCS chaired by Vajpayee. On Pakistan's claim of freezing assets of Lashkar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i-Mohammad, Singh said: "I must make it clear that a kind of trickery, that is simply changing names, shifting headquarters from one part of Pakistan to another or to indulge in cosmetic seizure of assets is really to make a mockery of the gravity of the situation and the enormity of the issues that we confront." Asked whether India would use other options to pressurize Pakistan, the minister merely said, "all issues were considered and will be re-examined in totality tomorrow when the CCS meets again." Singh said Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Vijay Nambiar would participate in CCS meeting. He said: "The High Commissioner will be called to the CCS and required to share whatever he discussed before departing from Islamabad". In an interview to Aaj Tak news channel, Defence Minister George Fernandes said diplomatic efforts are on to put pressure on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to stop supporting terrorism across the border. The minister added that both United States and United Kingdom have advised Pakistan on the issue, however, New Delhi is unsure whether their efforts will yield positive results. Fernandes was also quoted by PTI as saying that India's missile systems are "in position" and that the Indian Army's training exercises will be held as scheduled in Rajasthan and Punjab in the first half of January. Asked if there was a possibility of a change in the schedule for exercises in view of the Pakistani military build-up, Fernandes said "there has been no talk of change of schedule. They will be routine exercises". Some opposition parties, led by the Left front, have accused the government of whipping up war hysteria against Pakistan to benefit from a nationalist upsurge in key state elections. The Election Commission on Wednesday announced that the next round of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttaranchal and Manipur would be held between Feb 13 and 21 next year. Also, by-elections for six Lok Sabha and six Assembly seats in various states will be held simultaneously on February 21. Meanwhile, villagers in several border areas of Samba sector have moved to safer places due to continued firing by Pakistani troops from across the International Border in Jammu division, official sources were quoted by the PTI as saying. Due to "heavy exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops, people from many forward villages of Samba sector have been moving to the interiors since last four days," the sources said, adding some of them were taking shelter in government buildings or with their relatives in adjoining villages. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Missiles not shifted to border, says ISPR ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: Pakistan has not moved its missiles towards border and India is lying about it to justify its own military build-up, Director General, ISPR, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi said. In an interview to BBC television, he said it was absolutely incorrect to say that Pakistan was moving artillery and missiles towards the border. "It is another Indian lie. Pakistan has not moved missiles towards the border. India continues to tell lies in order to justify its own build-up," he said. "They (India) have moved all their formations to the border. We know it. We are monitoring that and as a defensive measure we will just move minimum troops, if we have to," he said, adding but at present Indians "are absolutely incorrect when they say Pakistan has moved missiles to the border." Pakistan is not engaged in any propaganda and is just telling the truth, he said in reply to a question. "It is India, which has done this after Sept 11, when they found to their frustration that the whole world has formed the coalition, including Pakistan, against terrorism," he added. He said India was frustrated, as it was not India that was being asked to assist, so they started making up things "which have no basis." They hijacked their own air-craft and blamed Pakistan for it. They arranged strange happenings in India and blamed Pakistan and its intelligence agencies for that. "So it is they who are engaged in propaganda," he maintained.-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Armed forces fully prepared, says PAF chief ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir said that the defence forces of Pakistan are fully prepared to give a matching response in case of any misadventure from across the border. "There is nothing to be worried about; Pakistan's armed forces are fully prepared," he said while talking to media-men after inaugurating a seminar on "Role of air power in the 21st century" at the Institute of Strategic Studies. "There is some military build-up and preparations across the eastern border and we are fully aware of the situation", he said adding that the commanders had been undertaking series of brain- storming sessions to streamline strategies to effectively counter in case of misadventure from across the border. "We are fully prepared and can take any challenge," he said when his attention was drawn to the recent build-up by India following fresh purchases of military hardware. He said India had 800 aircraft while Pakistan had 350 combat- ready planes, but "our efficient force can overwhelm them." The PAF chief said that, in addition to this, 10 Chinese-made F7-PG aircraft would be reaching Pakistan next week and a similar number of planes had already arrived in Pakistan. The remaining 20 aircraft, out of 40, according to a deal, would arrive in Pakistan in a couple of months. The first prototype of Super-7 aircraft (a Pak-China joint venture being executed in Pakistan Aeronautical Complex)) would roll out by June 2003, while its regular production was expected to start in 2004-05, the PAF chief added. "We are well aware that India had been preparing since the Kargil war and have inducted some new hardware and are in process of inducting some other. Seeing the situation, we have been making all out efforts to keep the minimum level of deterrence in the nuclear and conventional sectors", he said. Referring to Pakistan-China relations, with special regard to defence, he said:" We already have a number of pacts of strategic nature with our friendly countries which have always been standing with us through thick and thin". -APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Govt's policies have isolated Pakistan in the world ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter RAWALPINDI, Dec 28: Pakistan has been isolated in the world because of the government's wrong policies, the acting Jamaat-i- Islami Amir Rawalpindi city, Syed Uzair Hamid said. Syed Uzair Hamid lamented on the government's foreign policy which enabled India to become aggressive towards Pakistan. He said the United States was the biggest terrorist in the world, and demanded of the government to expel the Americans out of the country. He further criticized the double standards adopted by the US, and said: "If two US buildings are destroyed, it is terrorism, but, if tens of thousands of people are killed in Afghanistan, Kashmir and Palestine, it is not terrorism." The JI Amir Rawalpindi district, Abbas Butt, said India had gathered its forces along the Line of Control, and was ready to launch an attack on Pakistan. He asked the government to remain active and take political leaders, masses, lawyers, students and common men into confidence for a joint strategy to counter any Indian aggression. The naib amir JI Rawalpindi district, Maulana Abdul Jalil, said the country was passing through the worst economic and political crisis. The JI had always rendered sacrifices for the country and it would not hesitate to do so in future also, he added. He asked the government to release the leaders of religious parties and create an atmosphere that would enable all patriotic elements to form a joint strategy for the defence of the country. The president of Shabab Milli Rawalpindi, Haji Tahir Khan, in his speech, said the country was facing severe threats due to the government's policies. India is threatening Pakistan of dire consequences, but, the government was not taking steps to counter these threats. He demanded of the government to release JI Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad if it wanted peace in the country and public support. The Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan leader, Farooq Amin, said the government should release all detained leaders of the JI and Pakistan-Afghanistan Defence Council. Speaking to the participants of the rally, the former JI MPA, Chaudhry Tanveer held President Pervez Musharraf responsible for the killings of innocent people in Afghanistan. He warned the government to release Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, otherwise, the situation in the country would deteriorate. Heavy contingent of the police and elite force were also present on the occasion to avert any untoward incident. The police had blocked traffic from Fawara Chowk to Gawalmandi Chowk which caused inconvenience to the public. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistanis wanted by US identified ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Shamsul Islam Naz FAISALABAD, Dec 27: The federal government has circulated the names of four Pakistanis, reportedly wanted by the US in connection with the Sept 11 carnage, among the investigation agencies. Reliable sources told this correspondent that the government had directed Federal Investigation Agency, Special Branch and Intelligence Bureau to verify details furnished by the US government about the "wanted persons" accused of directly or indirectly involved in the New York and Washington attacks, and submit report at the earliest. Three of the wanted persons have an identical name but their passport numbers differ. The names, as furnished by the US, are: Ahmed Fayaz, date of birth 1973, passport No. E132230; Ashfaq Mohammad, date of birth 1954, passport No E925990; Ashfaq Mohammad, date of birth 1962, passport No C924913 and Ashfaq Mohammad, date of birth 1973, passport No B012156. One of the accused, Ashfaq Mohammad (passport No C924913), is a local but he told FIA that his passport was stolen sometime back. He also produced a copy of the FIR. Sources said the agencies had also been told by the government to collect bio-data, details about character, living standard, and moral activities of the accused. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US declares LT, Jaish groups terrorist ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Tahir Mirza WASHINGTON, Dec 26: The United States has formally placed Lashkar- i-Tayyaba and Jaish-i-Mohammad on the state department's list of officially designated terrorist organizations. The move was widely expected after the US last week blocked the financial assets of the two groups following the Dec 13 attack on the Indian parliament. The organizations were also publicly named by President George Bush as being responsible for terrorist activities against India, seeking to harm Indo-Pakistan relations, and working to undermine the authority of President Gen Pervez Musharraf. India has been blaming Jaish and the Lashkar for the parliament attack. Another organization with links to Kashmir, Harkatul Mujahideen, is already on the US list of designated terrorist organizations. In a statement, Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was designating the two as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations under US law. These groups, which claim to be supporting the people of Kashmir, have conducted numerous terrorist attacks in India and Pakistan. As the recent horrific attacks against the Indian parliament and the Srinagar state legislative assembly so clearly show, the Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Jaish-i-Mohammed, and their ilk seek to assault democracy, undermine peace and stability in South Asia, and destroy relations between India and Pakistan." By designating these groups as foreign terrorist organizations, Mr Powell said, "we implement the provisions of the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. This act makes it illegal for persons in the United States or subject to US jurisdiction to provide material support to these terrorist groups; it requires US financial institutions to block assets held by them; and it enables us to deny visas to representatives of these groups. I made this decision in consultation with the attorney general and the secretary of the treasury after an exhaustive review of these groups' violent activities. The United States looks forward to working with the governments of both India and Pakistan to shut these groups down". The state department's latest move amidst a tense standoff between Pakistan and India over New Delhi's demands for action against Pakistan-based militant organizations is interpreted here as a step designed to mollify India and restrain it from precipitating any military adventure. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- UN move to freeze UTN accounts ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent UNITED NATIONS, Dec 27: The UN security council's sanctions committee on Afghanistan ordered its members to freeze the finances of Ummah-Tameer-i-Nau (UTN) and three Pakistanis accused by the United States of offering to help Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network to make nuclear weapons. Seeking to punish the Taliban, Afghanistan's then rulers, for harbouring Osama, the Security Council voted a year ago to require all UN members to freeze any funds or financial assets under their control belonging to Osama or any group linked to him. The 15-nation council asked the committee to designate which groups and individuals should be covered by the vote. US blames Osama and Al Qaeda for the Sept 11 suicide attacks on the United States that killed more than 3,000 people. The United Nations has been working closely with the United States in a campaign to cut off the funding of suspected "terrorist" organizations. Washington announced that it was blocking the assets of Ummah Tameer-i-Nau and the three Pakistani nationals - UTN founder Sultan Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmood, nuclear fuels expert Abdul Majeed, and industrialist S.M. Tufail. Announcement by the UN sanctions committee tracks the US move. Mahmood was formerly the director for nuclear power at the Pakistani Atomic Energy Commission, and Majeed was a former high- ranking commission official. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Accounts of Lashkar, Ummah frozen ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Dec 24: The State Bank has advised all banks and non-bank financial institutions to freeze the accounts of Lashkar-i-Tayyaba and Ummah Tameer-i-Nau (UTN). Last week, the Bush administration had frozen the accounts of these organizations. An SBP spokesman said the State Bank had asked banks and NBFIs to furnish within a week the details of the assets of the two groups. Senior bankers said the SBP had also asked them to identify the holders of the assets belonging to the two outfits. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- No crackdown on Madaris planned, CE tells Ulema ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: President Gen Pervez Musharraf met a delegation of 39 Ulema from all over the country and took them into confidence over the situation developing on the eastern borders. President Musharraf also shared with the delegation the measures being taken by the government to streamline the Madaris (religious schools) in the country. The president said that the government was not planing any crackdown on the Madaris. He said that the government would not impose anything on the religious schools but encourage and support those willing to introduce subjects like English, mathematics, science and geography in their syllabus, Dr Khalid Raza of Zakori Sharif later told Dawn. Dr Raza, who was present at the meeting, said that the religious leaders subscribed to the official view that the Indian government was responsible for the escalation of tension, which was simply to divert the Indian public's attention from domestic problems. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- CE links action to provision of proof ------------------------------------------------------------------- BEIJING, Dec 24: President Pervez Musharraf vowed to crack down on groups, accused of attacking the Indian parliament provided the evidence was found. "Yes, if we find evidence of it, we would like to move against them," Gen Musharraf said in response to journalists' questions in southern Guangzhou city of Guangdong province. "We are already taking measures to move against all groups that are involved in any form of terrorism anywhere in the world," he said in television footage broadcast on CNN. Addressing the first-ever conference on promotion of trade and investment between China and Pakistan, he said: Gen Musharraf said that Pakistan felt secure and strong in the region because of Chinese assistance in the defence sector. "We are lucky to have Chinese assistance in the defence sector," he said. The conference was attended by 250 prominent Chinese businessmen and members of a 40-strong Pakistan trade delegation. It was aimed at exploring new avenues of economic cooperation between the two nations and increasing volume of their bilateral trade. The president assured the Chinese business community that the economic and political restructuring and reforms introduced by his government would remain unchanged, even after the election due next year. "The foreign investment would get legal cover," he added. The law and order situation in the country is quite satisfactory and conducive to business activities, he said, adding that a number of incentives had been provided to foreigners to ensure they got best possible return on their investment. Gen Musharraf described his visit to China as "highly successful". The leadership of the two countries had decided to strengthen their economic partnership and open a new chapter in their relations, he added. It has been decided to transform our political and strategic interaction into economic collaboration, the president said. He said Pakistan would learn from the experiences of Chinese in socio- economic development. -Agencies DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan rejects charges against HC staffer ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: Pakistan categorically rejected Indian allegations against Mohammad Sharif Khan, a staffer of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. A statement issued by the Foreign Office strongly refuted the allegations against Mr Sharif that he was involved in procurement of sensitive documents relating to defense, atomic energy, nuclear research, ship design and security of the Indian parliament. "These absurd Indian allegations represent yet another desperate attempt to implicate Pakistan in the Dec 13 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament" the statement said. It may be recalled that Mr Sharif was abducted by Indian intelligence operatives on Dec 22 while shopping in Karol Bagh market of New Delhi. Later, the Indian officials subjected Mr Sharif to severe beating and torture during his five-hour illegal detention. The Government of Pakistan lodged a strong protest with India for the brutal treatment meted out to its official in Indian capital and asked for a thorough investigation into the incident. Pakistan's deputy high commissioner in New Delhi was summoned to the ministry of external affairs and informed about the Indian government's decision to declare Mr Sharif as persona non grata. Accordingly, Mr Sharif has been asked to leave India within seven days. The deputy high commissioner rejected the baseless and concocted Indian allegations against the Pakistani official, the statement concluded. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011224 ------------------------------------------------------------------- HC official beaten, stripped in Delhi ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: Pakistan condemned the illegal detention and torture of Mohammad Sharif Khan, a staff member of Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi, by the intelligence operatives of the Indian government. In a statement, a foreign office spokesman said Mr Sharif was shopping in a New Delhi market when he was kidnapped at 5.30pm. During the interrogation, he was stripped naked, severely beaten up and tortured, resulting in visible and internal injuries, which were also confirmed in the medical report. Mr Khan was released after five hours, only when his signature had been taken under duress on a statement acknowledging involvement in espionage. The foreign office had lodged a strong protest with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad over this "reprehensible, provocative and unacceptable action" on the part of the Indian government. The government of India has been asked to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and take appropriate action against the culprits. Earlier, the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi had also lodged a protest with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The government of Pakistan, he said, would like to remind the Indian government of its obligations under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations and the bilateral code of conduct for the treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel agreed between Pakistan and India in 1992. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011224 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Osama may be tried at home if arrested ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent WASHINGTON, Dec 23: If Taliban leader Mulla Omar and Osama bin Laden are captured, they will be handed over to international justice but could also be tried in Afghanistan. An indication to this effect was given by the Chairman of the Afghan interim administration, Hamid Karzai, in an interview with CNN, a day after he assumed office in Kabul. "We will deliver him to international justice. We will deliver him to the United States," Mr Karzai said when asked how his administration would deal with Osama bin Laden if he was found. On Mulla Omar, about whose whereabouts some information was received "a couple of days ago", Mr Karzai said the Taliban leader was responsible for killing thousands of Afghans and for bringing suffering and terrorism to Afghanistan. He would be tried in Afghanistan and if there was a case against him internationally, "we will deliver him there also". Mr Karzai spoke quietly, without rhetoric, and came across in the interview as a serious, sober person. He said he had no precise information about Mulla Omar, but some indications were received two days ago. These were being followed. Asked whether he agreed with Gen Musharraf's assessment that Osama bin Laden might have been killed in the US bombing of Tora Bora, Mr Karzai said he had no information on this. If Osama bin Laden was dead, that would be good news because a "menace will no longer be there". DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Envoy hints at Osama's death ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: The spokesman for the US-led coalition indicated that Osama bin Laden might have been killed in the intense bombing of Tora Bora. "Yes it is quite possible that he might have been killed," Ambassador Kenton Keith told a regular briefing, adding the coalition planes had carried out extensive bombing in the area where Osama had been last sighted. The spokesman was asked to comment on the statement by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, made during his visit to China, that Osama might have been killed. "We have no specific information on that," he said, but added that it would not be surprising if Osama had been killed in the bombing. The spokesman ruled out the possibility of some Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters having fled to Kashmir. Asked whether the coalition was satisfied with the steps taken by Pakistan, he said, "coalition is extremely satisfied with what Pakistan has done." In reply to a question whether the coalition had monitored any shifting of Pakistani troops from Afghan borders to Indian border, he said they had observed no lessening in the commitment of Pakistan government to sealing off the Afghan border. Answering a question whether the hunt for Osama and Mulla Omar were still on, he said the search was still going on. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Asif Zardari formally arrested in BMW case ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: Asif Zardari was formally arrested in another corruption case, thwarting his attempts to come out of jail even after obtaining bail in thirteen cases. The arrest was formally made when Asif Zardari was taken to the court of Judge Shakhi Hussain Bukhari whose court was specially opened. All the accountability courts are closed till Jan 2. A PPP leader said that filing of fresh reference by the NAB after over five years against Asif Zardari only showed frustration of the military regime. The AC gave twelve days' remand of Zardari to the NAB authorities in a latest reference involving alleged evasion of duties in the import of BMW car by an alleged front man. According to the NAB, Asif Zardari is charged with fraudulent import of a bullet-proof BMW car. He allegedly kept the car in his use but it remained in the name of a fictitious person. Talking to journalists after his formal arrest, Zardari said he was first arrested on charges of keeping 70 mound of gold. Then he was accused of amassing US $2 billion. "Now they have come to lakhs, and one day they would go to hundreds," he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Release orders for Asif issued ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Dec 26: The release orders of Asif Ali Zardari who has been granted bail in all cases against him, were issued by the courts after surety bonds were furnished in the last three cases on his behalf. Two surety bonds, each in the sum of Rs1 million, were furnished for his release in the Mir Murtaza Bhutto murder case and another two, each in the sum of Rs 25,000, in two separate cases, both pertaining to alleged suicide attempt by Mr Zardari were also furnished. A session court of the district East issued the release orders of Asif Ali Zardari in the Mir Murtaza Bhutto case, and a judicial magistrate of district South ordered his release in the suicide attempt case. According to Farooq Naek, one of the counsel for the husband of the former prime minister, his client should be released as he has been granted bail in all cases against him. There are 13 cases against Mr Zardari, who was arrested on Nov 5, 1996, at the Punjab Governor House, following the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto government by the then president, Farooq Leghari. His counsel said if his client was arrested in any old reference, filed during the Nawaz government, it would be malafide and political victimization to obstruct the release of Mr Zardari. Asif Zardari, who was initially detained under the Maintenance of Public Order, was first arrested in the Murtaza Bhutto murder case in November 1996, after the high court set aside his detention under MPO. Later, he was charge-sheeted in the container case, Justice Nizam murder case, attempt to commit suicide case, Alam Baloch murder case, SGC reference, ARY Gold reference, tractor reference, Sajjad Ali murder case and Polo Ground reference. His counsel told Dawn that he had been granted bail in as many as 10 cases and in three cases he was not arrested. Mr Zardari was booked in 11 cases during the Nawaz Sharif government. He was booked in the Polo Ground reference and indicted in the Sajjad Ali murder case after the dismissal of the Nawaz government. Munawwar Soharwardi, a leader of the Pakistan People's Party, told Dawn that the release of Asif Zardari was expected very shortly as the surety bonds of the bails, obtained in all cases, had accordingly been furnished. "We have fulfilled all constitutional and legal requirements for the release of our leader," he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- New Delhi planning tougher actions ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jawed Naqvi NEW DELHI, Dec 22: India described its move to recall High Commissioner Vijay Nambiar from Islamabad as only the first step in a series of penal moves it planned against Pakistan, and officials said these could include the scrapping of the Indus Water Treaty and suspension of overflight facilities to Pakistani civilian planes. Saying that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had hinted at harsh measures against Pakistan in parliament recently, Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani told a TV channel: "Recalling the envoy was only the first in a series of steps we propose to take in this matter." He was quoted by The Hindustan Times as explaining the decision to recall Nambiar thus: "We said all options were open and we weighed the situation, took public perception into account and then took the decision, after the (cabinet committee on security) was briefed by the service chiefs and our intelligence agencies... All members were unanimous that Pakistan had to pay the price." Interestingly US Ambassador Robert Blackwill has been quoted as telling some BJP MPs at a dinner he hosted for them that they should follow Vajpayee's approach to the crisis, understood to be a moderate in the otherwise hawkish BJP. Advani denied that the government was divided. "We had to take action, which we have done. I want to make it clear that there are no hawks or doves in the government. We are all one. This constant refrain of differences between Atalji and me is simply not true," he told The Hindustan Times. Pro-government defence analyst Brahma Chellaney was among several advocates of harsh penalties on Pakistan. He wrote in the Hindustan Times: "India's first actions amount to nothing more than a slap on the Pakistani wrist, but the signal they send out internationally is unmistakable: New Delhi means business. A further downgrading of diplomatic relations is likely." India's graduated approach, through a measured exercize of options, seeks to penalize Pakistan not through immediate application of force but through controlled non-military retribution in the form of gradual, modulated steps up the punishment ladder, analysts said. Such is the degree of hostility towards Pakistan that no party barring the Left Front has come out to advocate moderation. BJP spokesman J.P. Mathur even slammed Islamabad's decision to keep its high commissioner in Delhi as an example of "ungraceful diplomacy." Communist Party of India and two other left groups said the government had taken decision without informing the opposition, a move that could recoil on its diplomatically. Foreign Secretary S.K. Singh, who has been an envoy to Pakistan, said Vajpayee was opposed to the idea of hot pursuit of militants inside Pakistan. But, he added: "He has other options in mind. For instance, ending the Indus Valley Water Treaty and starving Sindh and Punjab, scaling down of the mission," Singh said. The Indus Water Treaty of 1960 governs the distribution of water from the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan. "And when Pakistan has digested this, we can stop over flights. We don't need their airspace, they need ours," Singh was quoted by the newspapertoday online daily as saying. There was also a suggestion that India take the case of the terrorist assault on the Parliament House to the United Nations. "India will try to prepare a watertight case against Pakistan's involvement and take it to the United Nations," said Ajai Sahni, executive director of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, a counter-terrorism research body. "If the case is admitted in the United Nations, under the anti-terrorism Resolution 1373, Pakistan will be bound to follow the UN's instructions. Delegitimizing terrorism would be India's top priority," he said. The final word on the current tense standoff went to Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh who told reporters in Kabul that India's patience was not infinite. He described the decision to withdraw Nambiar as a signal to Pakistan to recognize the enormity of the crime. "The step was only a signal, a message to Pakistan so that it recognizes the enormity of the situation," Singh said when asked about New Delhi's decision to recall Nambiar. "India has been patient and waiting since Dec 13 for some kind of recognition from the Pakistan government about the enormity of the situation. Nothing of that sort came. The issue was deliberated by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) at great lengths and it was decided to pull out India's High Commissioner to Pakistan," Singh said. He ducked a question when asked whether India was considering a military option to deal with the situation saying "I am not in Kabul to discuss such options." Meanwhile the Press Trust of India reported intensified surveillance by the security forces along the border with Pakistan. "We have launched intensified surveillance and monitoring operations in different areas of Kargil, Jammu, Poonch and Kashmir sectors in order to tackle any type of situation emerging on the border, particularly in Jammu-Poonch Sector," said a PTI report from Jammu, quoting sources. Even in remote areas the security apparatus has been beefed. According to Border Security Force sources, the Army is taking up positions along the border in Rajasthan too, in a bid to thwart any adventure by Pakistan, even as BSF jawans are keeping a close watch on the movements of Pakistan Rangers across the border. Cemented bunkers on the east bank of the Ganga Canal in Rajasthan, constructed before the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, have been cleaned up and troops have taken up positions. Troop movement was also observed in many of the villages in the state as the Air Force installed mobile radars at several places. According to a PTI report, the Ganganagar district has witnessing enhanced movements of defence goods for the last three days. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Zaeef's plea for asylum to be processed: official ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: The government confirmed that former Taliban ambassador to Islamabad, Abdul Salam Zaeef, had requested political asylum in Pakistan. "We have received an application from Mr Zaeef for asylum and we will process it," a foreign ministry official told AFP. He said the application would be processed before a final decision was taken. "It has not been rejected, we will process it before taking any decision," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. Mr Zaeef told AFP he was seeking asylum in Pakistan but he did not elaborate. Sources close to Zaeef said that, in his application, he had said "the situation in Afghanistan is not conducive" for his return. "There is no more Taliban government and until the situation in Afghanistan returns to normal, I should be allowed to stay in Pakistan," he wrote in his asylum plea, they said. Zaeef, who has his home and family in Islamabad, said he was waiting for a response to his request. -AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- FBI grills Al-Qaeda detainees in Kohat ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Abdul Sami Paracha KOHAT, Dec 28: A six-member FBI team, assisted by top Pakistan Military Intelligence officials, is interrogating 139 Al-Qaeda men detained at the central prison, Kohat, to give its findings to their headquarters in the US for a final action against terrorist organizations all over the world, Dawn learnt from one of the interrogators. The US understands that this information would be the only first- hand report regarding the activities and members of the Al-Qaeda in other countries of the world. "They (the Al-Qaeda men) will be the only source to tell the Americans what plans Osama bin Laden had in his mind before and after the Sept 11 attacks," the source confided to Dawn on the condition of anonymity. So far they had been able only to know that Osama was alive, and efforts were under way to get more information from them. The source further said that the US authorities were very much satisfied with the progress so far made in this connection and appreciated the role of Pakistan in its war against terrorism. The military officials have hired the services of an Arabic- speaking man who translates the conversation between the FBI men and the Arab captives, including two French Muslims. Earlier, a team from Islamabad had interviewed all the Al-Qaeda men and prepared a report and another report is being prepared by another agency to tally both of them before a final assessment. The source quoted the Al-Qaeda men as telling the FBI team that Osama and Mulla Omar were still alive, inside Afghanistan and safe. "Till their (Al-Qaeda men's) arrest last week both (Osama and Omar) were alive and survived the heavy US bombing in the Tora Bora area," the Al-Qaeda men said. They also told the FBI team that there were still 6000 to 7000 Al-Qaeda men inside Afghanistan or astride the long unmanned border. The source further said that all Al-Qaeda men would be sent to their native countries for trial once the FBI got the required information about their links to the Sept 11 attacks. He said that Pakistan was not in a position to conduct trial of such a large number of foreign terrorists involved in crimes outside Pakistan. The source said that some of the Al-Qaeda terrorists had sneaked into Pakistan in small groups and were sheltering inside the tribal territory, protected by some tribesmen. He further said that efforts were under way to negotiate their handing over to the military authorities by the tribal elders but the terms and conditions had not been finalized yet. He hoped that a deal would soon be finalized. The Kohat airbase and the central prison had been cordoned off by Pakistan Army Special Services Group commandos and the security of the FBI team is being personally supervised by the head of the SSG, Brigadier Haroon. The FBI team had also hired the services of a handful of intelligence officers from the Arab countries who are assisting them in identifying the Al-Qaeda men and their connections with the hard-liners and terrorist organizations operating inside their countries. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011224 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tribal leader warns of war over US raids ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: A tribal leader in eastern Afghanistan threatened to launch a war against Afghan Interim Setup Chairman Hamid Karzai if US jets launched another attack on his area, Afghan Islamic Press reported. The warning from Gulab Din, head of the Zadran tribe in the Paktia province, came as the US government struggled to shake off accusations that its jets had attacked a convoy taking tribal elders and other local officials to Karzai's inauguration in Kabul. According to AIP, 65 people were killed in the attack on the convoy near the town of Khost. Senior US officials have insisted Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders were in the convoy. Din said the US attacks had killed only civilians, and warned: "If the US launches similar tyrannical attacks again, we will launch an armed struggle against Hamid Karzai's government." He accused the head of the Khost administration, Bacha Khan, of supplying wrong information to US forces and causing the attack on the convoy. "Bacha Khan is giving wrong information to the Americans. If he does it again, we will wage an armed struggle against him also." The tribal leader said there were no Taliban or Al-Qaeda fighters in the convoy. AIP quoted a wounded Afghan, Mazali, as saying that seven members of his family had been killed in the bombing. At least 14 houses in his village of Pakhari had been razed in the US attacks in which women and children had also died, he said. "We will start a Jihad against Karzai if US jets repeated such attacks." Gen Tommy Franks, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, insisted that US warplanes had been fired on before attacking the convoy. "Friendly forces don't fire surface-to-air missiles at you", he said in Kabul just before the inauguration of the interim government. "We believe it was a bad convoy. We have reason to believe it was a good target. Right now we have people on the ground investigating but we are convinced it was a good target." -AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- UN resolution on security force for Afghanistan: text ------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK, Dec 22: The following is the text of the resolution, number 1386, adopted unanimously by the Security Council authorizing international security force led by Britain for Afghanistan. THE SECURITY COUNCIL, REAFFIRMING its previous resolutions on Afghanistan, in particular its resolutions 1378 (2001) of 14 November 2001 and 1383 (2001) of 6 December 2001, SUPPORTING international efforts to root out terrorism, in keeping with the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirming also its resolutions 1368 (2001) of 12 September 2001 and 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001, WELCOMING developments in Afghanistan that will allow all Afghans to enjoy inalienable rights and freedom unfettered by oppression and terror, RECOGNIZING that the responsibility for providing security and law and order throughout the country resides with the Afghan themselves, REITERATING its endorsement of the Bonn Agreement, TAKING NOTE of the request to the Security Council in Annex 1, paragraph 3, to the Bonn Agreement to consider authorizing the early deployment to Afghanistan of an international security force, as well as the briefing on 14 December 2001 by the Special Representative of the Secretary General on his contacts with the Afghan authorities in which they welcome the deployment to Afghanistan of a United Nations authorized international security force, TAKING NOTE of the letter dated 19 December 2001 from Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to the President of the Security Council (S/2001/1223), WELCOMING the letter from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Secretary-General of 19 December 2001 (S/2001/ 1217), and taking note of the United Kingdom offer contained therein to t"he rights of women, and under international humanitarian law, REAFFIRMING its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan, DETERMINING that the situation in Afghanistan still constitutes a threat to international peace and security, DETERMINED to ensure the full implementation of the mandate of the International Security Assistance Force, in consultation with the Afghan Interim Authority established by the Bonn Agreement, ACTING FOR THESE REASONS UNDER CHAPTER VII OF THE CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS, 1. AUTHORIZES, as envisaged in Annex 1 to the Bonn Agreement, the establishment for 6 months of an International Security Assistance Force to assist the Afghan Interim Authority in the maintenance of security in Kabul and its surrounding areas, so that the Afghan Interim Authority as well as the personnel of the United Nations can operate in a secure environment; 2. CALLS UPON Member States to contribute personnel, equipment and other resources to the International Security Assistance Force, and invites those Member States to inform the leadership of the Force and the Secretary-General; 3. AUTHORIZES the member states participating in the International Security Assistance Force to take all necessary measures to fulfil its mandate; 4. CALLS UPON all Afghans to cooperate with the International Force and relevant international governmental and non-governmental organizations, and welcomes the commitment of the parties to the Bonn Agreement to do all within their means and influence to ensure security, including to ensure the safety, security and freedom of movement of all United Nations personnel and all other personnel of international governmental and non-governmental organizations deployed in Afghanistan; 5. TAKES NOTE of the pledge made by the Afghan parties to the Bonn Agreement in Annex 1 to that Agreement to withdraw all military units from Kabul, and calls upon them to implement this pledge in cooperation with the International Security Assistance Force; 6. ENCOURAGES neighboring States and other Member States to provide to the International Security Assistance Force such necessary assistance as may be requested, including the provision of over flight clearances and transit; 7. STRESSES that the expenses of the International Security Assistance Force will be borne by the participating Member States concerned, requests the Secretary-General to establish a trust fund through which contributions could be channelled to the Member States or operations concerned, and encourages Member States to contribute to such a fund; 8. REQUESTS the leadership of the International Security Assistance Force to provide periodic reports on progress towards the implementation of its mandate through the Secretary-General; 9. CALLS ON Member States participating in the International Security Assistance Force to provide assistance to help the Afghan Interim Authority in the establishment and training of new Afghan security and armed forces; 10. DECIDES to remain actively seized of the matter. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011224 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 die as minibus falls off bridge ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Dec 23: Twelve people died and 14 others suffered injuries, four of them seriously, when a recklessly driven minibus, they were travelling in, fell off the Malir bridge. Eyewitnesses said the driver was carelessly driving the minibus in a zigzag motion. The minibus went out of his control when he tried to save two motorcycles, moving ahead of the minibus on the bridge, and the minibus fell off breaking the railing of the bridge. The dead and injured were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre by Edhi ambulances where seven dead were identified as Sajan, Mohammad Bakhtawar Khan, Abdul Sattar, Abdur Rahim, Mohammad Yusuf, Sher Mohammad and Habibur Rehman. Four others remained unidentified. Seriously injured Rashid Hussain was moved to a private hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Those injured were identified as Tariq, 30; Fawad, 30; driver Islamuddin, 30; Fayyaz, 35; Rambil, 40; Sakina, 35; Ashraf, 35; Abdul Kaleem, 40; Mehboob, 8; and the names of five could not be ascertained. An injured passenger, Ashraf, who got to the ill-fated minibus at Daud Chowrangi and witnessed the scene which led to the gory incident, said: "The minibus was moving fast from Qaudiabad to Sohrab Goth when a truck appeared from the opposite side overtaking a vehicle moving ahead of it. The minibus driver took the vehicle on his extreme left where two motorcycles were moving ahead of the minibus. The driver tried to halt the minibus with a screech of brakes but he lost his control and then we flew into the air and landed with a bang. Then I don't know what happened next." Another injured, Tariq, a labourer and resident of Future Colony, who got into the minibus at Daud Chowrangi for Gulshan-i- Iqbal, said: "The driver of the minibus was driving fast in a zigzag movement overtaking the vehicles. He tried to save two motorcycles, travelling ahead of the minibus on Malir bridge when he lost his control over the steering and I heard a bang. What came next, I don't know as I was not in my senses." The conductor of ill-fated minibus of route D-7 (PE-0088), 16-year- old Hikmat Ali said it was his first day on the minibus. He could not speak further as he was in a semi-conscious state. The minibus driver Islamuddin was not in a state of uttering any statement as he was badly injured. Ali and Hasan, labourers at a nearby hydrant beneath the Malir Bridge told Dawn that they were present at the hydrant when they heard a bang and saw the minibus falling from the bridge. The minibus fell upside down on the rough and rocky surface. The passengers were crying and yelling for help. Ali said: "I and my colleague tied the minibus with hard ropes and dragged it by two trucks to turn it around. In the meantime, Edhi ambulances reached the spot." He said the people from adjoining areas came to rescue the passengers. As the spot was inaccessible for vehicles, the rescue workers took the injured and bodies to the ambulances parked near the riverbed. A visit to the spot showed that the vehicular traffic was jammed and only two traffic policemen were controlling the traffic movement on the bridge. The people on the spot said a police mobile of Malir City police station came to inspect the scene and went away thereafter. Since, there was no police mobile. The people were peeping into the wreckage of the minibus, the seats of which were blood stained and the belongings of the passengers were littered in and around. At the JPMC, the doctors at the hospital said that emergency was declared at the hospital and injured were being provided with prompt treatment. The medicolegal officials were also performing postmortems on the bodies so that their relatives could take the bodies without any delay. However, the doctors at the hospital complained that the relevant police station sent only two police officials to complete the legal formalities and paper work. The two officials were not adequate to complete the formalities without delay. The doctors said the police officials took hours to complete the legal formalities, which had irritated the relatives of the dead as they could not take the bodies away without the permission of the police officials. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Permission sought to operate Kanupp beyond design life ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) has submitted an application to the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) to seek permission to operate the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant(Kanupp) beyond its design life. The Kanupp, being operated by the PAEC, is the first power plant of Pakistan, which is completing its design life in October 2002. An official announcement says that the Kanupp has unblemished record of 30 years of safe operation recognized by different safety reviews carried out by the national regulatory authority and a number of international organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEC). The statement said that the PAEC, on the basis of the operating experience, had initiated different projects in the late eighties to combat aging problems and for safety upgrades of the plant. The objective of these projects was to ensure the safe operation of the plant during its design life and to assess if it could be operated safely beyond its design life. Now the Kanupp, after the extension application, was required to fulfil the PNRA requirements for re-licensing like submission of detailed documentation and safety evaluation. The announcement said that normally it took about three years to complete the regulatory review, but PNRA was likely to carry out the review before October 2002, depending upon the timely submissions by the Kanupp/PAEC. The PNRA will also conduct inspections for the verification of the implementation work to the acceptable standards for re- licensing of the plant. Special adviser to the president on strategic studies Dr Ishfaq Ahmad in his lecture on sustainable development and nuclear technology had recently stated that through the indigenous efforts the design life of the Kanupp could be extended to another 20 years.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ADB releases $150m loan for reforms ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 27: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it had released 150 million dollars in loans to Pakistan to fund judicial and police reforms, and the restructuring of trade and industry. The loans will support the government's efforts to strengthen legal protection for the poor and other vulnerable groups and to liberalize and modernize the trade and industry sectors, the ADB said in a statement. A $100 million loan under the Access to Justice Program is the first installment of $350 million in funding approved by the bank last week. "The Access to Justice Program will enable the poor to exercise their rights guaranteed under the law and to protect their property from being taken away by the bureaucratic or political elite," it said. "It will also provide, through a legal empowerment fund, free legal advice and advocacy for the poor by civil society groups, including lawyers and NGOs." The ADB said the program would strengthen the rule of law by providing resources to reform the judiciary and the police.-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Situation ideal for investment: Musharraf ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: President General Pervez Musharraf has asked the investors and business community to take full advantage of the prevailing situation and the most conducive environment for investment in Pakistan since many years. "We have provide you the facilities, right environment and support of international community, now it is up to you to take advantage of the situation," the President said while chairing the 9th meeting of Economic Advisory Board. "You have now to take initiatives for investment which would certainly be a encouraging signal to the foreign investors and they would also invest here, " Gen Musharraf said. Your investment, the president said would create new job opportunities and also boost the production and exports as well. "The European Union's incentive for Pakistani exporters could bear fruit only when you will take steps in the right direction." He said Pakistan could earn one billion dollars if we succeed in properly exploring the textile market in Europe as the EU has already enhanced our quota by 15 per cent and reduced the import duty on our products. The president told the businessmen that Gwadar Port and Coastal High way would be functional in the next 36 months and you should start planning now where you are going to establish industry in that area. He also assured the private sector that the irritants, which do exist at the federal and provincial levels, will be addressed and even better environment for investment will be created in the country. President Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries Iftikhar Malik said that the whole business community in Pakistan fully supports the policies of the government and the decision taken by the president on Afghanistan and in relation to India. He said he is going to Katmandu to attend the SAARC conference where he would meet the Presidents of the Chambers of all the SAARC countries. "We will work as pressure group so that India should de- escalate the tension. If India would not pay heed to our demands we would also not accept Most Favoured Nation status for India."-APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- New bank on the cards to loan small enterprises ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ihtashamul Haque ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: The government has decided to establish Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Bank with an initial capital of one billion rupees to offer loans to small and medium enterprises. "This new SME bank will be inaugurated on Jan I to arrange considerable loans for our small and medium enterprises in order to further strengthen pace of industrialisation in the country," said Minister for Finance Shaukat Aziz. Talking to Dawn, he said that Small Business Finance Corporation (SBFC) and Regional Development Finance Corporation (RDFC) were being merged into one organization to be called SME Bank. He said that SME Bank would work like Micro Finance Bank and would be run by highly competent professionals, a number of whom had just been recruited from the private sector. "We are making a powerful Board of the SME Bank so that it could function without any outside interference," the Finance Minister said. He said the Board would be totally independent to take vital decisions to promote SMEs in all the four provinces. "And after having streamlined on modern lines the SME Bank will be privatized," Mr Aziz said, adding that the government would ensure that the new bank should offer loans to deserving small and medium enterprises. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- KSE escapes collapse thanks to circuit breaker ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Dec 24: The fears of war with India halted the last week's upward drive amid panic selling but the presence of circuit breaker forestalled the market's possible collapse after the KSE index plunged by 6 per cent or 81 points at 1,323.05. Many leading brokers claim the market should have collapsed if the KSE authorities had not applied the rule of circuit breaker under which a fall or rise beyond Rs.1.50 in a single session is not allowed to protect the interest of small investors as well as market manipulation by the "big ones". However, this was not the largest single-session fall as it has dropped more than once in late 90s above 100 points, the largest being 129 points on various negative news including dismissal of elected prime ministers and no confidence moves against them. "There were sellers all around but not many buyers allowing the prices to drop like nine pins across the board under the lead of heavily-capitalised shares such as PTCL, Hub-Power, PSO and ICI Pakistan, having a formidable weightage in the index," stock analysts at the W.E.Financial Services said. An idea of war fears followed by massive panic-selling on the local market may well be had from the fact that it battered the index by 81 points, while its Indian counterpart Bombay Stock Exchange index showed only a modest decline of 12 points, they added. "Unlike the previous market destabilisers, the money did not outflow to dollar, although it ruled strong on some other counts and so did gold," brokers said. It was in this background that the broader market showed widespread losses, while the pivotal, notably the index shares received massive battering under the lead of leading base shares, the largest decline of Rs.2.70 and 6.35 being in ICI Pakistan and PSO respectively. Minus signs dominated the list under the lead of energy and some foreign shares under the lead of PSO, Shell Pakistan, Al-Ghazi Tractors, BOC Pakistan, Engro Chemical, Adamjee Insurance, Fauji Fertilizer and Glaxo-Wellcome Pakistan, off Rs.2.20 to 8.55, largest decline being in Shell Pakistan. But the largest decline of Rs.20 was recorded in Grays of Cambridge followed by Lever Brothers, down Rs.11.00. All other leading shares also fell in unison. Among the 13 gainers, Dewan Mushtaq Textiles, Abbas Engineering and Wah Noble Chemical were leading, up by one rupee to Rs.1.38, while others rose fractionally. Trading volume did not keep pace with the mounting selling offers in the absence of buyers and rose modestly to 89m shares as losers forced a strong lead over the gainers at 134 to 13, with 41 holding on to the last levels. PTCL topped the list of most actives, off Rs.1.50 at Rs.14.65 on 32m shares followed by Hub-Power, lower Rs.1.45 at Rs.16.95 on 30m shares, PSO, sharply lower by Rs.6.35 at Rs.95 on 6m shares, Sui Northern Gas, off Rs.1.15 at Rs.8.80 on 4m shares and ICI Pakistan, down Rs.2.70 at Rs.39.35 on 3m shares. Other actives were led by Engro Chemical, off Rs.4.25 on 2.197m shares, MCB, lower Rs.1.70 on 1,737m shares, Fauji Fertilizer, easy Rs.2.20 on 1.641m shares, FFC Jordan Fertilizer, lower 55 paisa on 1.273m shares and Nishat Mills, down Rs.1.50 on 1.205m shares. FUTURE CONTRACTS: Speculative issues on the forward counter also received massive battering in line with steep decline in their ready counterparts and finished at their career-lowest levels on persistent war-related selling. The biggest fall of Rs.5.35 to Rs.6 was recorded in PSO, both settlements at Rs.95.80 and 96 on 0.116 and 0.117m shares followed by ICI Pakistan and Engro Chemical, off Rs.2.90 and 4.20 to 4.30 at Rs.40, 54 and 53.20 for both the contracts respectively. The highest volume of 2.335m shares was noted in PTCL at Rs.14.72, off Rs.1.43 and 1.50 for both settlements followed by Hub-Power, easy Rs.1.49 at Rs.16.91 on 1.490m shares. DEFAULTER COMPANIES: Allied Motors was the only share, which came in for trading and fell by 30 paisa at Rs.3 on 4,000 shares.Back to the top
EDITORIALS & FEATURES 20011223 ------------------------------------------------------------------- The enemy of ignorance ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ardeshir Cowasjee What fun! The day after tomorrow we celebrate the official birthday of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder and maker of Pakistan. With great foresight, the man chose the date to be the same as that celebrated world-wide as being the day of the birth of the Second in Trinity, December 25th. Guns will be fired, flags unfurled and hoisted, the people will flock to his Mazar to listen to today's 'high-ups' tell them what was that Jinnah visualized for the country he made for them. This will, of course, conform to the narrow expedient governmental vision. However, luckily this time around it may not be so dire, as a few of those who now lead have read and digested what Jinnah expounded on February 19 1948: "But make no mistake, Pakistan is not a theocracy or anything like it. Islam demands from us the tolerance of other creeds and we welcome in closest association with us all those who of whatever creed are themselves willing and ready to play their part as true and loyal citizens of Pakistan." A few days later, he reiterated: "In any case, Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims - Hindus, Christians and Parsis. They are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan." There is no one alive who can recount today Jinnah's speech to the Imperial Legislative Council in April 1912, and one can be pretty sure that few have even read it. In the collection of Jinnah's speeches and writings between the years 1912 and 1917, can be found what he said in support of Gopal Krishna Gokhale's Elementary Education Bill. Jinnah opened up by expressing his regrets that although there were certain of his colleagues who opposed the bill, no council member could possibly deny its paramount importance, and that even those opposing it were bound to admit the fact that it had the support of the great majority of their countrymen, Hindus and Muslims alike. He praised Gokhale for the masterly way in which he had dealt with the question of elementary education and for the services he had rendered to the country, adding: "I only pray that India may have many more sons like him." To kill the enemy of ignorance, the gradual extension of the system that had existed for 150 years - the voluntary system principle - was no answer. He reproached the British for their neglect of elementary education. For the 150 years they had ruled, they had dealt with education at a 'jog trot pace' which, if continued, as Gokhale's figures conclusively proved, it would take a further 175 years in order to get all school-going age children to school and 600 years to get all the girls to school. There could be no salvation for the masses unless the principle of compulsory education was introduced. This has been proven time and again, for in no country has elementary education become universal without compulsion. Admittedly, as Sir Harcourt Butler, one opponent to the bill, had stated, India could not be compared to other countries of the world as in certain respects its conditions differed radically. But its people belonged to the same species, human beings and in that respect they resembled all other nations of the world. Conditions may well have been different and that is where the statesmen and the politicians came into play. It was up to them to meet those special conditions and provide the necessary safeguards. Elementary education had nothing to do with the fact that India had many castes, many creeds and many languages, but provision had to be made for them. There was much force in the argument that there were not sufficient school buildings, nor sufficient teachers, but if the money was there schools could be built, and teachers trained and paid. The opponents who insisted that the money was not there were merely repeating the very, very old story. Jinnah's answer to them: "All I can say is this, find money ! Find money !! Find money !!! I appeal to the president, not as president but as the finance minister. I say, find money. If you say you have not got enough money, discover and tap new sources....." The people were already taxed, yes, he admitted. And if the government imposed further taxes to fund the purpose and provisions of the bill, the government would be faced with a good deal of unpopularity. But so what? What they would be doing is benefiting the masses of the country to whom the government owed a greater duty than to anybody else. He appealed to the British to remove the reproach justly levelled against their rule - the neglect of elementary education. "It is the duty of every civilized government to educate the masses, and if you have to face unpopularity, if you have to face a certain amount of danger, face it boldly in the name of duty ..... You will have the whole educated public with you in the struggle on the battlefield." Having dealt with the issue of the voluntary system versus compulsion, he moved on to the dangers cited - the political danger and the social danger. Others, Nawab Majid and Muhammad Shafi amongst them, had opposed the bill on the ground that were the people to be given education, it would breed socialism and agitators who would organize strikes. Ridiculous, said Jinnah, to equate education with sedition. Frank and independent criticism of the government was the duty of every member of the state and fair, free and independent criticisms of the acts of government could in no way constitute sedition. Was it in any way logical to say that a boy who could read and write would automatically become a political agitator? Jinnah reminded the council members that it was they who knew the blessings of education, which the British government had given them - for the British were the first to open the eyes of the Indians to the importance of education. It was the British government, which had brought them up to the level where they were able to stand and deliberate upon the affairs of the nation and the country. He asked them, where would they all be but for education? As for another fear of the feudals - that the people would become 'too big for their boots', that they would not follow the occupations of their parents, that they would demand more rights, that they would agitate, that they would become socialists, was it the intention to keep millions and millions of people downtrodden merely out of fear that they may demand more rights? Were they to be kept in darkness and ignorance for all ages to come in case they stand up, after realizing that they do have certain rights, and ask for those rights? It was only those who were influenced by selfish reasons who were urging that universal elementary education was a mistake. Jinnah was firm - there was neither a social nor a political danger. In fact, those in government would have more friends, and more intelligent friends, who would understand them better so that their work would be made easier. They would have fewer unscrupulous people to deal with - those who were then in a position to impose upon the ignorant and provoke them. Compulsory universal elementary education was not only in the greater interests of the country, he told his fellow members, it was imperative. Now, let us think. Does Gokhale's bill and Jinnah's support still hold good today, particularly in the context of illiteracy in Pakistan? The answer: a glaring 'yes'. But how does one tackle the problem? On December 8, 2001, in this newspaper of record was printed a news item. The good news is that contraception in Pakistan has increased from 5.5 per cent to 23.9 per cent. The bad news is that despite this, 5.3 million babies are born in the country each year. Of these, 270,000 die at birth. This works out to a birth rate of approximately 10 babies per minute who live and, if they are lucky, reach the school-going age. Can one of our pundits elaborate how we can educate all these children? Should the mullahs and maulvis not be told to preach the benefits of birth control and education in their mosques rather than bigotry and the furtherance of violence? On a related plane, some more good news: Dr Syed Hussain Jafri, a secular progressive professor at the Aga Khan University, who holds the Chair of Islamic and Pakistan Studies of the Faculty of Health Sciences, has invited Professor Stanley Wolpert of UCLA, the historian and author of the best book yet written on Jinnah, to come to Karachi and address the growing and the grown at the Aga Khan University Auditorium on December 26. His subject: 'Quaid-i- Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah's Vision of Pakistan'. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- National honour is not on the line ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ayaz Amir At times such as these cliches come in handy. Faced with threats from India we should sink our differences, close ranks and rally round the flag and the commander-in-chief. There will be time enough to indulge the luxury of scepticism when the crisis passes. Precisely such an attitude took us into the folly of the 1965 war and the great tragedy of 1971 when half the country (or was it more than half?) just stood up and (and with no little Indian help) walked away. Patriotism is fine but any false notion of it should be no excuse for pulling down the shutters and refusing to think. What is the nature of the present heightened state of tension with India? We are faced with no Indian diktat regarding any aspect of national sovereignty. India, considering the circumstances propitious, is putting pressure on us to close down the 'jihadi' outfits which have been waging war (or whatever) in occupied Kashmir. For close on seven or eight years - that is, since 1994-95 when the Kashmir insurgency started being dominated by outside fighters - we could sustain this policy and get away with it. After September 11, and after our turnaround on the Taliban, it was for us to realize that the era of outside 'jihad' in Kashmir was over. What we failed to do on our own, we are being forced to do by the pressure of circumstances. National honour is not on the line. Only an aspect of national adventurism is being called into question. What sensible nations cannot sustain, they discard. When Britain could no longer afford to keep its empire it made a graceful exit from its colonies. France held on to its colonies long after it had the strength or ability to do so. The result was defeat in Vietnam (Dien Bien Phu) and rivers of blood in Algeria. The analogy doe not quite fit but the conclusion is clear. Clinging to a prize that is slipping from one's grasp is no sign of cleverness. What does 'Pakistan first' - the slogan raised by the Musharraf government in the first flush of its turnaround on Afghanistan - mean? If anything, it means that we should look to our own house and eschew foreign adventures. If this piece of priceless wisdom was relevant to Afghanistan, why not to Kashmir? We have been involved in occupied Kashmir for long. The world has come to know this in part because we blew our own disguise. Organizations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e- Mushammad had a free run of the entire country, holding rallies and easily collecting funds and recruits. India has not invented the substance of the charges against the Lashkar or Jaish. It has merely used and exploited the evidence we ourselves had accumulated. After all, since when were covert wars allowed to have an overt face? But since the great policy-masters of Pakistan - stretching from GHQ to ISI - allowed this to happen, they are the authors of their own misfortune. Nor was this simply a question of our cover being blown. Our forward policy in Kashmir was already becoming unsustainable. After September 11 we should have done some fast thinking and clamped down on the 'jihadi' outfits ourselves without waiting for circumstances to catch up with us. But we let the moment pass and so, after Afghanistan, another turnaround is being forced on us. Thank God for US help here too. By outlawing the Lashkar and Jaish it has made it easier for us to take action against these two organisations. From the US we can take anything. But from India nothing. And why should we? The only problem is we keep putting ourselves in untenable positions - as in 1965, in 1971 and as indeed during the Kargil affair in 1999. We say India is the great enemy. But if enmity be measured by injuries inflicted, we have harmed ourselves more than anything India could have done. Maybe India is the incarnation of evil and harbours malevolent designs against us. But the answer to that is not to constantly decry its motives or intentions (Pakistan Television's favourite pastime) but to improve national performance to such an extent that we are beyond the effect of its evil eye. As for the present crisis, how strangely flat-footed in it we have been. We failed to appreciate the gravity of the attack on the Lok Sabha and the outrage it triggered in India. Some of the initial statements made by some of our officials could have been avoided. And what occasion for President Musharraf to say that India was being "arrogant" in recalling its high commissioner from Islamabad? Strong words ill-suited to the situation. Now the pressure is all from the Indian side while we are at the receiving end. Washington is trying to calm sub-continental nerves but it is being quite unambiguous in telling Pakistan to close down the machinery of Kashmiri 'jihad'. Once again it is we who are twisting in the wind. But this is one twisting that should be seen as necessary penance for past folly. The most difficult operation in war is a graceful retreat. This in peacetime is what we are being called upon to execute: a graceful exit from our unsustainable posture in Kashmir. First Afghanistan, now Kashmir. Such are the hard lessons we are having to learn. The talons we had spread in all directions we are being called upon to draw in. A good thing that this is taking place under the strategic umbrella of the US or else the pain would have been excruciating. But if this physical withdrawal is to mean anything it has to be accompanied by an ideological retraction in the army command and the intelligence agencies operating under its wings. The days of external adventurism are over. Time to look inwards at our domestic plate. On top of any domestic agenda must come the re-education of the ISI. It must look to its essential task of gathering intelligence and countering foreign espionage and abandon politics and foreign policy, the two fields it has completely messed up. This is a tall order but one which must be fulfilled if the moves in Kashmir and Afghanistan are to make any sense. Secondly, the army has to redefine its role in national life. Will it rule the roost and intervene at will in political matters or will it allow the political process to find its bearings over a period of time? True, politicians have made their mistakes and paid dearly for them. But it is the overbearing presence of the military, which has retarded and distorted the political process. Today we find ourselves in a bizarre situation. The military cannot effectively manage national affairs on its own, all military strongmen having been disasters in one form or another. But repeated military interventions have turned politicians into pygmies, depriving them of the ability and confidence to shoulder national responsibilities. More than the waterlogging and salinity to hit our croplands, it is this desertification of politics which is our biggest problem. These are funny priorities, you will say. On the horizon the danger of war threatens while here I am speaking of a political restoration. But the two are inter-linked. It is the death of the political process, now and previously, which has led to the militarization of Pakistan's foreign policy and the repeated reverses we have suffered over the years. India's advantage lies not so much in numbers or size as in its democracy, and the consultative process that goes with it. We must overcome this advantage, not by raising further monuments to unrepresentative rule but by recognizing the separateness of the military and political spheres. Unless we get this right, we'll keep losing our way. It is not with any pleasure that a Pakistani recounts his nation's follies. Driving him is an overpowering sense of anger at the repeated spectacle of tiny coteries hijacking the nation's fortune. For their blunders the nation as a whole has then to pay the price. There is nothing wrong with the soil or air of Pakistan. Or indeed with its people, who, apart from a tendency to suffer fools in high places, have their eyes in the right direction. It is simply a problem of leadership, which has cast shadows over a land that could easily be happy and prosperous. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Reclaiming our faith ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Irfan Husain Not surprisingly, the man who attempted to blow up the American Airlines jet over the Atlantic last week has turned out to be a Muslim. According to Mr Abdul Haqq Baker, chairman of the Brixton mosque which was attended by Richard Reid, this young British subject had been converted to 'a less tolerant strand of Islam' by a jihadi group. As I write this from London, newspapers are full of speculation about his motive, background and political connections. One thing is certain, and that is the fact that he attempted to bring down a plane together with its crew and passengers. Again one wonders what kind of rage drives relatively well-off young men to commit atrocities of this nature. For a Palestinian to commit suicide in an attempt to strike back against his country's occupiers and tormentors is more comprehensible as he has so few options. But for a Briton to be similarly driven raises questions about the nature of the Islam that is being taught to the younger generation. Clearly, its political content far outweighs its spiritual element. The poetry and symbolism are marginalized as heavy emphasis is placed on jihad, martyrdom and florid descriptions of the joys that await a martyr in paradise. This indoctrination - it can hardly be called belief - has no place for love, tolerance and respect for other faiths. It is a bleak, monochromatic and joyless religion that is far removed from the Islam that was revealed by the Almighty. But even the faith that is followed by the majority of Muslims around the world has given rise to certain problems that need to be examined and discussed. Specifically, we need to ask why Muslim societies have provided such barren soil for democracy. In a recent survey conducted by Freedom House, an independent monitor of political rights, it was found that over 75 per cent of 145 non- Muslim countries are democracies to varying degrees. However, only 11 out of the 47 nations that are predominantly Muslim can claim to be democracies. In actual fact, only one Muslim state is genuinely democratic, and that is Mali (Mali?!). After Mali come Bangladesh, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait (!), Turkey and Morocco. Interestingly, out of the ten least free countries in the world according to this survey, seven are Muslim: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Turkmenistan. Depressingly, instead of agitating for greater freedom, young people in Muslim countries are going in the opposite direction by demanding stricter adherence to the letter of the Islamic law, thereby insisting on a narrow observance of ritual and a denial of rationalism and secularism, the two preconditions for democracy. Mercifully, these voices are relatively few in number, but they drown out the voices of sanity and reason by their shrillness and their claim to the fundamentalist high ground. Indeed, for the rest of the world, these people have become the face of Islam with their contorted, bearded faces spouting hate-filled slogans. For readers who might feel this is an unfair portrayal of the Muslim world, here is another statistic to conjure with: three out of every four refugees today are Muslims fleeing their countries for either political or economic reasons. Granted that Afghanistan has skewed the picture with its millions of refugees who have found shelter in neighbouring countries, but how are we to explain the flood of North African, Middle Eastern and South Asian Muslims who have flooded Europe and North America? Most of these millions have made homes elsewhere to escape the poverty, poor governance and lack of liberty that have come to characterize and define the Islamic world. Recognizing that they are in a small minority and will therefore never be voted into power, extremists condemn democracy as being 'un-Islamic'. They seek, instead, to influence the agenda of repressive regimes, much as Pakistan's religious parties supported Zia and thereby rewrote our laws, pushing the legal system several centuries back. Saudi Arabia has been exporting an extreme Wahabi strand of the faith for decades. No Muslim country today serves as a beacon for democracy, tolerance and progress, but several compete for being leading exemplars of repression, intolerance and backwardness. So in a sense, the two broad movements that today influence the Muslim psyche can be categorized as a suffocatingly anti- progressive tendency and a shrill, murderous radicalism. These competing dogmas have effectively squeezed the political space available for a debate on the need for liberalism and democracy. The radicals want to usher in an Islamic revolution that would sweep away the decadent regimes that today rule much of the Muslim world, but instead of replacing them with modern democracies, these zealots would install even more ferocious and repressive governments. In countries like Pakistan which (still) have some democratic traditions and aspirations, this competition to be holier than the others has moved the political agenda and rhetoric further to the right than ever before. The effect of this negative portrayal of Islam abroad has been devastating for those millions of Muslims who have been trying to make a new beginning for themselves and their families in the West. Understandably, people are nervous about wanting to fly with passengers who look even remotely 'Middle Eastern'. How many Western businesses would today take the risk of hiring Muslims? While we may complain of racism, the fact remains that in a competitive world, Muslims will be at a disadvantage as long as their coreligionists loudly proclaim their intention to destroy western institutions. As I have been arguing in these columns, there is a pressing need for a debate over the direction Islam has taken, not for the sake of Muslims who have left their homes, but in order to make sure that the next generation will not feel they have to leave to make a better life for themselves.
SPORTS 20011227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Saeed Anwar withdraws from tour ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Correspondent LAHORE, Dec 26: Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar pulled out of next month's Bangladesh tour after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left hand. The left-hander has been ruled out from competitive cricket for three months which practically ends his hopes of facing the West Indies who are due here on Jan 26 for three Tests and as many one-day internationals. The fracture was revealed in a bone scan. The batsman had suffered the injury during October's Sharjah Cup. On the basis of MRI tests and advice of a Dubai specialist, Saeed rested for six weeks before resuming his cricket this month. However, the injury aggravated which forced him to undergo bone scan. The PCB has not named his replacement though a place has become vacant which deserves to go to Shahid Afridi who picked up five wickets in his debut Test and followed up with a match winning century against India at Chennai in 1999. Shahid, however, has been named as three replacements for the one-day series, which follow the two Tests at Dhaka and Chittagong. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011229 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Two neutral umpires from April, ICC says ------------------------------------------------------------------- MELBOURNE, Dec 28: The International Cricket Council (ICC) will appoint two neutral umpires from a panel of eight for Test matches from April 2002, ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said. "We will have (a panel of) eight umpires that will do 95 percent of the Test matches," Speed said. "Then we will have a supporting panel which will consist of two umpires from each (Test-playing) country so in total there will be 28 umpires that will be eligible for international cricket. "In contrast we had 74 umpires who stood in international matches last year and that's too many." For one-day internationals from April, the ICC will use one home umpire and one international umpire as opposed to the current practice of two home umpires. A five-man panel of referees, to be headed by Sri Lankan Ranjan Madugalle, will also be appointed to oversee games. The elite panel of eight umpires would be announced in February, Speed said. There had been reports in newspapers that the ICC was considering backing away from its plan which would result in local umpires never again officiating in a Test match in their countries. Currently, one home umpire and one neutral umpire officiate in Test matches and while that may have eliminated allegations of bias, it has not necessarily improved the standard of umpiring. Umpires will be selected by Speed and chairman of the cricket playing committee, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. The referees and umpires will be on two-year contracts. Speed said the ICC would give players a chance to have their say on who should be appointed to the umpiring panel. Speed said with an elite panel of umpires the ICC would be able to provide far more assistance to umpires in a bid to eliminate poor decisions. "If an umpire is clearly out of form we will work with him and we will work a lot harder with umpires than we have done previously," he said. -Reuters/AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ICC's anti-graft body to monitor Jr World Cup ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Dec 25: The Anti-Corruption Unit of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to monitor next month's Junior World Cup in New Zealand in an effort to curb match-fixing, reports said. In letters sent to the boards of all the 16 competing nations, the unit informed that it intends deputing a team of officials who would keep an eye on activities of junior players during the biennial Junior World Cup. "Since most of these junior players would represent their country's senior teams in future, the ACU wants to create in them the awareness to avoid illegal practices," the letter mentioned. The unit said a two-member official team would give guidelines to youngsters to stay away from unconcerned people and make sure that they do not mix up with strangers. "I think it is a step in the right direction. After the Cronje episode, the ICC was under immense pressure to take such strict measures," Pakistan junior team coach Haroon Rasheed told SADA. "PCB has already included clauses on match-fixing and on doping in the contracts of these youngsters. We have briefed them on the menace," Haroon said. Haroon, who also coached Pakistan senior team, refused to accept that the ICC check would make junior players uncomfortable. "No. It's nothing that could pressurize them. It has now become part of the game," he said. Pakistan's junior team will also benefit from the weeklong coaching from former West Indian captain Clive Lloyd. -SADA DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Contingent for Games approved ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Correspondent LAHORE, Dec 24: The Pakistan Olympic Association general council has discussed the national sports policy-2001 in detail in a meeting. The general council has authorized its president Syed Wajid Ali Shah to form a delegation which will apprise federal sports ministry the concerns of the POA and the national sports federations as well as the complications likely to emerge as a result of the implementation of the sports policy. The meeting also discussed and approved the participation of Pakistan contingent in the 9th SAF Games to be held in Islamabad from March 30 to April 8, 2001. Earlier, the Games were scheduled to be held from Oct 6 to 15 but postponed due to the Sept 11 attacks in USA. In view of the new dates of the games, the federations whose sports were included in the programmes of these games were directed to send their fresh entries to the POA, six weeks before the start of the Games so that the consolidated entries could be sent to the Organising Committee. The director technical of the SAF Games Lt. Col (retd.) Mohammad Yahya also attended the meeting and advised the federations to ensure that the technical delegates and international judges/referees be called from the Asian continent as it would be economical in term of their travelling expenses. The POA secretary general apprised the house that the Organizing Committee of the XVII Commonwealth Games which are being held at Manchester from July 25 to Aug 4, 2002 had allotted a quota of 63 persons to Pakistan out of which 56 would be accommodated in the Manchester Main Village and seven persons shooting squad in Bisley Village. The POA secretary also informed the house about the details of the participation of Pakistan contingent in the 14th Asian Games to be held at Busan, South Korea from Sept 29 to Oct 14. It was decided that subject to the availability of funds maximum participation in all sports should be ensured, keeping in view the past performance in the last Asian Games and prospects of winning medals in the 14th Asian Games. The house supported the stand taken by the POA for organizing the 29th National Games at Quetta, subject to the availability of minimum facilities of one tartan track and one international standard swimming pool. The house approved the action of the POA president of suspending the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) on account of violation committed by the provincial association. The house unanimously elected Professor Dr Nishat Mallick, Patron Medical Commission of the POA as individual member of the POA on account of his valuable contribution to the promotion of sports medicine in Pakistan as well as in Asia and the world. The house also unanimously decided to urge Pakistan Sports Board to allow recognition of Pakistan Tug of War Federation and the Pakistan Wushu Federation. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011225 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistani cueists enjoyed good year ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ian Fyfe KARACHI, Dec 24: The year 2001 spelt a good year for Pakistan, when former world No.3 Saleh Mohammad, who missed the National Championship in Quetta stormed back in the Asian Snooker Championship to reach the semi-finals before he was outwitted by China's teenage sensation Jin Long. This was the third time that the Asian Snooker Championship was held in Pakistan. The previous two in 1991 and 1998, where the former world champion was crowned the new Asian champ, coming from behind to overhaul Thailand's top player in the final 11-10. But this year although Pakistan could not produce another Asian champion, the country fared well amongst the 18 participating nations. Off the eight players that comprised the Pakistan contingent, six, Mohammad Yousuf, Saleh Mohammad, Naveen Perwani, Khurram Agha, Mohammad Shafiq and Abu Salem, the babe of the team reached the last 16. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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