------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 3 November 2001 Issue : 07/44 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
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CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + Musharraf-Vajpayee meeting in Kathmandu likely + Nuclear secrets leakage reports trash, says Rashid + N-assets under foolproof controls: Sattar + Pakistan ensuring no help reaches Afghanistan: US + New Delhi threatens Islamabad with war + Four vital objectives achieved, says CE + Election on time, says president + Change in cabinet ruled out + Nuclear scientists not handed over to CIA: Qureshi + New setup for Kabul, UN aid discussed: Musharraf-Brahimi talks + UN official sees political games in Kashmir + US refutes report about plan to take out Pakistan's N-arms + KKH open, says NWFP govt + Pakistan to support US until aims are met: CE + US plans big aid package for Pakistan + Pakistan to allow more Afghan refugees + UN opens 15 new camps inside Pakistan + More fighters cross into Afghanistan + Bahawalpur carnage leaves 16 dead + Three die in Quetta bus blast + Pakistani scientist Mehmud released + Newspaper hit by anthrax + Train derails near Shorkot Cantt + SC issues warrants against 8 accused: Hakim Said case + Ghinwa, Fatima get their shares in property + Mansoor Bokhari passes away --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + Pakistan to get 'permanent debt relief' + IMF, Paris Club to fill $8bn gap + Germany revives economic assistance + NDFC to be merged with NBP + Boom-like conditions imminent on bourses + Buying in leading scrips lifts index by 21.94 points --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + Afghanistan Ardeshir Cowasjee + Crucial phase yet to come Henry Kissinger + Mistrust in the West Mohsin Hamid + Afloat (barely) on a sea of shame Ayaz Amir + Can the lemmings be wrong? Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + Naved shows class with 113 + Ruthless Pakistan thrash winless Zimbabwe + Sri Lanka beat Pakistan + No fear of being sacked, says Hanif + Jahangir blames coach for poor finish + Pakistan allocated 2005 world team event + Payments to seven cricketers stopped + Pakistan cricket stars in legal trap
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Musharraf-Vajpayee meeting in Kathmandu likely ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jawed Naqvi NEW DELHI, Nov 2: Almost like a one-day cricket match, the leaders of India and Pakistan are keeping the world tantalized about an as- yet-possible last minute meeting that everyone who is not a rightwing Hindu hardliner wants them to have in New York this month, although the official word from the Indian capital on Friday spoke of Kathmandu, in the first week of January, as the only confirmed rendezvous so far. Indian foreign secretary Chokila Iyer told a news conference that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf would be in the Nepali capital in January to attend a much delayed meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Significantly, both leaders are scheduled to address the UN General Assembly and separately meet US President George W. Bush too, and both are believed to have kept some time free on Nov 11. Ms Iyer acknowledged that some meetings were being arranged for Mr Vajpayee on Sunday, the last day of his stay in New York. Significantly too, she did not deny that one of those meetings could involve a dignitary from Pakistan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nuclear secrets leakage reports trash, says Rashid ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Hasan Akhtar ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: The director-general of Inter-Service Public Relations, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, denied reports that two former "scientists" of Pakistan's nuclear program had leaked secrets to the Taliban or any other outsiders. At the Foreign Office daily news briefing, he said the retired officers who now ran an NGO and had visited Afghanistan many times, were questioned by the secret services but they were now at their residences. Maj-Gen Qureshi described the reports as "trash, fictitious and baseless". DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011102 ------------------------------------------------------------------- N-assets under foolproof controls: Sattar ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Nov 1: Pakistan reassured the international community that its nuclear assets were under foolproof custodial controls, and brushed aside apprehensions about these falling into the hands of extremists. "Dedicated formations of specially equipped forces have been deployed for ensuring the security of Pakistan nuclear installations and assets," Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said in a statement read out at the daily briefing of the Foreign Office. Foreign governments, he said, were aware of the security and protection of Pakistan's nuclear assets but some analyst were expressing fears, which, he added, were unfounded. "In order to reassure the world community that Pakistan's strategic assets are under foolproof custodial controls, it is necessary to respond to concerns expressed in some foreign journals," Mr Sattar said. Pakistan, he said, had an impeccable record of custodial safety and security free of any incident of theft or leakage of nuclear material, equipment or technology. "The credit goes to the armed forces which are guardians of Pakistan's strategic assets," he said. Similarly, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission has an unblemished record of safety and security of the nuclear power plants and other civilian projects which are under safeguards, and subject to periodic inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. He said the government had constantly maintained, developed and upgraded command and control systems and custodial security procedures. It had invested requisite financial and personnel resources in order to devise and apply ironclad measures to deal with all contingencies of threat to strategic assets, he added. "Safe custody in storage is ensured by dedicated formations of specially equipped forces," he said. A strategic force command has been established for each of three armed services. Clear chains or responsibility have been prescribed and enforced to ensure that strategic weapons cannot be deployed without due authorization. Stringent measures have been enforced to minimize risks of accidental, unintentional or unauthorized launch. Mr Sattar recalled that the government had established the strategic plans division as secretariat for the country's strategic programme. Under the direct command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the armed forces, it developed and devised policies and procedures to ensure custodial security and command and control, and oversee their implementation. Its recommendations are considered and approved by the National Command Authority, which is headed by the president. He said the armed forces of Pakistan are known for their professionalism, discipline and institutional strength. Any apprehension that the assets might fall into the hands of extremists was entirely imaginary, perhaps a product of distortions caused by TV images magnifying the sights and sounds of protesters. "Demonstrations signifying compassion for innocent victims of stray bombs have been larger in Pakistan because of deep feelings of sympathy with the Afghan people with whom we share affinities of geography, history and culture. It is illogical to interpret such a natural reaction as danger to the stability of the state or the government," he said. The minister disclosed that US Secretary of State Colin Powell had offered training for Pakistani experts for security and protection of nuclear assets, which, he said, had been accepted. He explained that Pakistani experts would be apprised of the security measures being applied by the United States. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan ensuring no help reaches Afghanistan: US ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Tahir Mirza WASHINGTON, Nov 2: Senior US officials do not rule out the possibility that people in countries neighbouring Afghanistan may continue to have "unhelpful" dealings with the Taliban but believe that the Pakistan government is making every effort to make sure that no support goes to the Kabul regime. This is the impression gathered after official statements here following allegations in newspaper reports that the Taliban have been receiving military, fuel and other supplies covertly from Pakistan, allegedly with the tacit support of elements in the intelligence services. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a long and porous border that cannot always be effectively policed, and there has always been a thriving cross-border arms trade, with the so-called tribal areas awash with weapons. Other countries around Afghanistan have also had arms trading links with the Taliban. Apparently reflecting understanding of this situation, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld points out that states neighbouring Afghanistan have long histories and relationships, and says he does not "doubt for a minute that there are people in any number of those countries who have relationships and dealings across borders that are unhelpful to us". But, Mr Rumsfeld stressed at a Pentagon briefing, there was no question that Pakistan and the president of Pakistan and his government were "very much allied with us in this (anti-terrorism) effort and have been enormously supportive and helpful. So to suggest that it is a conscious effort on the part of the government would be a misunderstanding of the situation." He refused to say whether the issue would be discussed with Gen Pervez Musharraf "if and when" he meets the Pakistani leader. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice also struck more or less the same note, telling reporters at the White House that the US was getting "very good cooperation" from Pakistan, and that Islamabad was doing whatever it could to avoid a situation where help could be sent to the Taliban. At the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher said Pakistan had made every effort to prevent any aid of a military nature from going to the Taliban. He said: "We've excellent cooperation from Pakistan. We've got a lot of help and support in the campaign, and I think we have every indication that the Pakistani government will be trying to avoid anything like that (secret supplies). The Pakistani government has made every effort to make sure that no support goes to the Taliban." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011101 ------------------------------------------------------------------- New Delhi threatens Islamabad with war ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jawed Naqvi NEW DELHI, Oct 31: Two days after fuming at the UN's peace monitor in Kashmir for accusing India and Pakistan of playing games with the troubled Himalayan region, India's army and prime minister were making threatening statements against Islamabad that appeared to vindicate, not allay, fears that bilateral tensions between the two nuclear neighbours could yet spin out of control. On the one hand Lt Gen R K Nanvatty, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, warned that the Indian Army was prepared and would take military action against Pakistan if the need arose. On the other hand, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee used a political rally to warn President Pervez Musharraf not to take India's patience for granted. "The nuclearisation of the subcontinent may have altered the situation, but space still exists for limited conventional operations," General Nanavatty said in a meeting with reporters in Kashmir. "While every effort must be made politically, diplomatically and economically to deter Pakistan, we must remain prepared to exercise the military option." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011101 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Four vital objectives achieved, says CE ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ihtasham ul Haque ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said that his government's principled support to the international effort for combating terrorism has helped Pakistan achieve four major important national objectives including assuring integrity and security of Pakistan. Presiding over the cabinet meeting, he listed these objectives as integrity and security of Pakistan, safety of its strategic assets, avoiding any damage to the Kashmir cause and rehabilitation of the national economy. The meeting was also attended by the provincial governors. President Musharraf emphasized that the diplomatic and economic gains accruing from Pakistan's principled policy far outweighed the material losses it was suffering during the current crisis in the region. According to informed sources, the president said Pakistan has not gone for any quid pro quo or sought any deal for supporting the Americans to combat terrorism. He said he was happy to note that there was a growing realisation that Pakistan should be fully compensated through new access to markets as well as generous bilateral and multilateral support. The US government has lifted the remaining sanctions against Pakistan, with Congress allowing President Bush to extend any financial support to Pakistan. There were reports that US was considering to offer one billion dollar to Pakistan. Washington and its coalition partners have already committed $800 million cash grant beside $600 million for Afghan refugees. He said the people of Pakistan fully appreciated the efforts being made by the government to steer the country safely through these difficult times and prove to the world the responsible and progressive character of Pakistan. Pakistanis, he said, felt secure in the knowledge of being led by a government that believed in Pakistan first and everything else next. Referring to his meetings with leaders from different countries who have visited Pakistan in the past weeks, the president said he took satisfaction in the fact that there was a broad understanding and appreciation of Pakistan's point of view on the current situation. He said a consensus was also visible on the issue of future political dispensation for Afghanistan and the rehabilitation of the country and its people. He said there was also a general consensus amongst the world leaders on the need for broad based multi-ethnic government in Afghanistan to manage the affairs of that country. He said the international community owed it to the people of Afghanistan as any political vacuum would lead to anarchy and atrocities against innocent people. About the nature and the extent of the current action by the international coalition in Afghanistan, President Musharraf said it was in the interest of everyone that the operation comes to an early end. He, however, added that the conclusion of the current campaign depended on a number of factors. The president hoped that the miseries of the innocent Afghans would come to an early end as they have suffered more than enough over a period of two decades and deserved every help and support. The Cabinet approved a draft ordinance with a view to streamlining the working of commercial courts. Under the new ordinance a commercial court shall consist of a chairman who is or has been either a session judge or a high court judge and two members to be appointed by the federal government from amongst:- a) The officers of federal government not below BS-19 to be nominated by the ministry of commerce and b) Businessmen or executives whose names appear on the panel of such persons to be drawn by the federal government in consultation with the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The Cabinet granted ex post facto approval to an agreement on merchant shipping between the Government of Pakistan and the Government of Syrian Arab Republic. The agreement aims at strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation in the field of maritime sector. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011031 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Election on time, says president ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD Oct 30: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has assured politicians that the general election would be held on schedule, as announced by him earlier, and there should be no doubt about this. He was talking to a five-man delegation of the Pakistan Muslim League (LM), led by Mian Mohammad Azhar, at a meeting called by him. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011101 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Change in cabinet ruled out ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Hasan Akhtar ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: The president's spokesman emphatically said that no change in the cabinet by induction of politicians was contemplated and nothing of the sort had been discussed by Gen Pervez Musharraf in his recent interaction with political leaders. The president's spokesman repudiated reports that the change was in the offing after President Musharraf had held a meeting with some members of the Quaid-i-Azam Muslim League led by Mian Azhar. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011031 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Nuclear scientists not handed over to CIA: Qureshi ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: The president's spokesman Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi refuted reports that nuclear scientists Sultan Bashiruddin Mehmood and Chaudhry Majeed had been handed over to the United States authorities. "It is absolutely baseless and incorrect that they had been handed over to the FBI or CIA," Gen Qureshi said at a foreign office briefing. He denied reports that they were in government's custody. He said they had been questioned about their frequent visits to Afghanistan. Gen Qureshi said that both these scientist had never been associated with the nuclear weapons development program during their service. He further said that Mr Mehmood had been indisposed so he had to be hospitalized. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011031 ------------------------------------------------------------------- New setup for Kabul, UN aid discussed: Musharraf-Brahimi talks ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Faraz Hashmi ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: President Gen Pervez Musharraf met, separately, the special envoy of the UN secretary-general, Lakhdar Brahimi, and UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers. The discussion with Mr Brahimi remained focused on UN-sponsored process for setting up a broad-based government in Kabul; and the issue of providing humanitarian assistance to the refugees was discussed with Mr Lubbers, Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Khan said at the daily briefing. The president's spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, was also present at the briefing Mr Khan said the president in his talks with Mr Brahimi had underlined the need for setting in motion the peace process side by side with the military operation. He said it should also be followed by reconstruction of the war-ravaged country. The president, he added, had also emphasized that unity, territorial integrity and stability should be preserved and the future political dispensation should reflect the demographic realities of Afghanistan. He quoted President Musharraf as saying that the political dispensation should be allowed to emerge from within and must not be imposed from outside. The president, he said, had also put stress on shaping a plan for undertaking reconstruction of Afghanistan as soon as possible for bringing normalcy to the region. He called for focusing on reconstruction work in the area of land development and water management so that the agriculture base of the country "is developed and the Afghan refugees returned to their country." Mr Brahimi, he said, had expressed appreciation of Pakistan's support to the UN peace process. He agreed that there was a need to accelerate political process as well as to prepare a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Afghanistan. Mr Lubbers, who also met Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar, discussed ways and means for ensuring adequate humanitarian assistance to Afghans displaced inside their own country. He said there was a convergence of views on providing immediate assistance inside Afghanistan to avert a major human catastrophe. The emphasis was on providing assistance to the Afghan people inside their country and setting up of more camps within the Afghan territory, he added. Later, responding to a question about concern being expressed by the international community on setting up of camps inside the conflict zone, he said Pakistan had been very generous towards Afghan refugees in the past. He said no country in the world had played host to such a huge refugee population for such a long time. He said that till last year, only $13 a refugee a year had been contributed by the international community. He also cited reports that there were approximately five to six million Afghan people who had been placed in vulnerable group. Such a huge number of people "cannot be granted asylum or accepted as refugees," he said, adding that it would be more prudent to provide them assistance inside Afghanistan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011030 ------------------------------------------------------------------- UN official sees political games in Kashmir ------------------------------------------------------------------- SRINAGAR, Oct 29: Tensions are increasing between Pakistan and India over along the Line of Control (LoC), with both countries "playing political games" that may need to be resolved by the United States, the head of the UN observation force here charged. "My assessment is that the situation will become more tense in the time coming, not only along the LoC but also in the whole of Jammu and Kashmir state," said Maj Gen Hermann K. Loidolt, head of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). Loidolt was also critical of India's consistent rejection of any third-party mediation over Kashmir. "Without UN presence, the development of the situation could be unpredictable. If there would be no UNMOGIP here, in my opinion, in case of a new conflict, a new UN Security Council resolution and peacekeeping mission, in light of the standing Indian view, would be almost unimaginable." In unusually blunt remarks, Loidolt said it was obvious there were "games both parties are playing with this tormented country". "Whatever the reason is for playing political games, may it be a diversionary manoeuvre on the Pakistani side to make India the real enemy instead of the US, or may it be the dawning of the next election in India, it will be an issue for the US to solve," Loidolt said. "We all know there is no easy solution and especially that war is absolutely no solution for the issue of Kashmir," he added, in a statement read out to reporters. Loidolt's statement marks the first time the UNMOGIP has taken a political stand on the Kashmir dispute. The chief military observer stressed that UNMOGIP had no connection to the US, but noted that Washington may be able to play a role in the dispute.-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011030 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US refutes report about plan to take out Pakistan's N-arms ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Tahir Mirza WASHINGTON, Oct 29: The United States said there was no truth in a story published in an American journal that a special US unit was training with Israeli commandos to take out Pakistan's nuclear weapons in case of a coup against President Pervez Musharraf. The story, by Seymour Hersh, appears in this week's issue of the New Yorker magazine. It quotes both serving and retired US officials as sources. But, asked to comment on it, a senior State Department official refuted the story and said there was no truth in it. The official added that the US believed Pakistan was well aware of securing whatever nuclear components, materials and facilities it had and was confident that steps were in place to secure the safety of these assets. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- KKH open, says NWFP govt ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bureau Report PESHAWAR, Nov 2: The Karakoram Highway is open for traffic as there is no hurdle on way in shape of resistance or processions, the NWFP government said on Friday. In a press statement here on Friday evening, a spokesman for the NWFP government made it clear that the Karakurram Highway "is completely open for general traffic. "There is no one on the highway to resist or to take a procession," it adds. The statement, however, informed that the highway is blocked only at two places due to the landslides. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011028 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan to support US until aims are met: CE ------------------------------------------------------------------- LONDON, Oct 27: President Pervez Musharraf said he was determined to continue his support for the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan until the coalition's aims were achieved, a British daily reported on Saturday. "Any military campaign has to set objectives and those objectives need to be attained," Musharraf told The Times. "You can't cut a military campaign mid-way without achieving them. Then it would be failure," he added. "We haven't set any limits. We are part of the coalition. The reality on the ground needs to be constantly assessed. But my assessment is that we go on until the objectives are achieved," he said. However, he warned that as the campaign continued the greater would be the toll of civilian casualties and the more public support, not only in the Islamic world, would wane. "The operation must be as short as possible," he said. "We must try to achieve our objectives through military means, and if we are unable to do that within a certain duration, switch to a political strategy that would give us the same objectives," he added. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011028 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US plans big aid package for Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent NEW YORK, Oct 27: The Bush administration has put together an aid package for Pakistan that is likely to total several billion dollars and includes sweeping debt rescheduling, grants stretching over many years and trade benefits for its support to the US-led coalition against terrorism, the New York Times said in a report. The aid envisaged by Washington would make Pakistan the largest recipient of American aid after Israel and Egypt, the paper said. The NYT said that talks between officials of the State and Treasury departments and Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz had resulted in an agreement that the administration would work to secure four types of aid for Pakistan, the administration officials said. These include grants from the United States and other allies. In addition, the Bush administration is using its influence to support new loan programs by the IMF and the World Bank, including an anti- poverty loan worth about $500 million from the IMF and possibly a line of credit, at higher rates, of about $1 billion. The United States has already begun calculating how to reschedule payments on the $3 billion Pakistan owes Washington. It has urged allies to do the same, and Britain has already followed suit. Bilateral loans total about $12 billion out of the country's $38 billion foreign debt, the paper said. Pakistan may also secure a higher quota or lower tariffs for its textile exports to the United States. One senior administration official said the United States would, however, monitor closely how the money is used. But the official also acknowledged that Washington would support Pakistan's bid to get some extraordinary benefits, the paper said. While Pakistan is unlikely to receive all the concessions it now seeks, the administration's package amounts to the largest mobilization of low-interest loans and debt relief since allies showered benefits on Egypt during the Persian Gulf War, the paper said. Pockets of opposition are already becoming visible in Washington, among non-governmental organizations and, more quietly, in Japan. Japan recently rejected Pakistan's request to forgive the entire $5 billion. Tokyo has agreed, however, to delay payments on about $500 million in Pakistani debt. Some American lawmakers say the Bush administration may have too readily agreed to give Pakistan about $600 million in cash this year and next without a reliable way of ensuring that the money would be used to improve health and education rather than to underwrite the military expenses. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011031 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan to allow more Afghan refugees ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: Pakistan has agreed to allow more Afghan refugees to enter its borders following an understanding reached with the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR). This understanding came when UNHCR chief, Ruud Lubbers, met president General Pervez Musharraf. Speaking at a news conference Mr Lubbers said that site preparations were underway to accommodate up to 300,000 refugees in Pakistan initially, but around one million were expected to take refuge in Pakistan if the conflict in Afghanistan prolonged. Referring to his meeting, Mr Lubbers said that President Musharraf had agreed to allow entry to three broad categories of Afghans. First, humanitarian cases including the sick, women, children and the elderly; secondly, illegal Afghans who entered post September 11 would not be deported but allowed to settle in refugee camps, and thirdly, the "hardship cases." Mr Lubbers said that the UNHCR was asked to set up camps on the Afghan side of the border. However, the president was told that it was not feasible considering the security situation in Afghanistan as a number of young Afghans could face forced conscription by warring factions, the UNHCR chief said. He said president Musharraf expressed concern over the burden of three million Afghan refugees already in the country. "His concerns are genuine and the UNHCR will facilitate resettlement of Afghans once the situation returns to normal," Mr Lubbers said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011028 ------------------------------------------------------------------- UN opens 15 new camps inside Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent QUETTA, Oct 27: The head of the United Nations refugee agency announced the opening of 15 new camps in Pakistan for Afghans fleeing their country because of US-led military strikes. Ruud Lubbers, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told reporters in Quetta that these camps are located in the Northwest Frontier and Balochistan provinces and would receive new refugees. The UNHCR officials later said these camps could immediately take more than 50,000 Afghans who had already illegally entered Pakistan because of the military strikes but could accommodate up to 150,000 people. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- More fighters cross into Afghanistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent KHAAR, Nov 2: A second batch of about one thousand Tehrik-i-Nifaz- i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi activists crossed into Afghanistan to take part in Jihad. The first group of armed men had entered Afghanistan on Thursday. Riding pick-up trucks, the armed group crossed the Ghaki Pass border to enter the Kunar province around 12 noon. TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad who is in Afghanistan persuading the Taliban leadership to let his volunteers take part in fighting, has not returned. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011029 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Bahawalpur carnage leaves 16 dead ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent BAHAWALPUR, Oct 28: Sixteen Christians were killed and nine others were injured when four men opened fire on a church in Model Town-A on Sunday morning. The dead included 12 members of a family. The worshippers were about to complete their prayers at about 9am when, according to witnesses, four or five assailants entered the church after killing the constable on duty and resorted to indiscriminate fire. Eight people died on the spot while 16 others sustained injuries. The injured were taken to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital where seven of them were pronounced dead. Furious members of the Christian community tried to attack the Saddar DSP who reached the spot along with a police contingent in plainclothes after the massacre. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011029 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Three die in Quetta bus blast ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent QUETTA, Oct 28: Three people were killed and 18 others injured when a bomb exploded in a bus in the cantonment area here on Sunday, police said. "Two people died on the spot and one man succumbed to his injuries in hospital," police sources said, adding that the injured were taken to CMH. They said the explosion occurred when the bus bound for Hanna Urak, about 12 km from Quetta, was passing through the cantonment's Shabbir Sharif Market at about 5.15pm. The Balochistan Inspector-General of Police, Dr Shoaib Suddle, told Dawn that two army men-Naik Mohammad Nawaz and Lance Naik Zulfiqar Ali-and a civilian, Salahuddin Kakar, a resident of Hanna valley, had died in the bus blast. He said the " bomb was hidden in a radio set." He said the police were trying to find out whether the explosion was linked to the prevailing Afghan situation. The IGP added that the injured included some military personnel, five children and a woman. Police said they had detained the bus driver, Saleh Mohammad. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011029 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistani scientist Mehmud released ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ahmad Hassan ISLAMABAD Oct 28: Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmud, a renowned nuclear scientist who was nabbed by a sensitive agency last Wednesday for interrogations has been released after being cleared by the security agencies, official sources told Dawn. A staunch supporter of Taliban militia, Mahmud had resigned as a senior nuclear scientist from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in protest against government's consideration to sign CTBT. After that he visited Afghanistan a number of times to discuss with Taliban a number of development projects and had built a grand network in collaboration of Pakistani investors in last couple of years, under banners of "Ummah Tameer-i-Nau". He was suspected by FBI for transferring nuclear technology secrets to the Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden. He was picked up by an agency on October 24 on a report by the American intelligence authorities and since then was kept in a rest house for investigations. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Newspaper hit by anthrax ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Nov 2: Anthrax has surfaced in an Urdu daily with the laboratory which examined the contents of the envelope received by the paper confirming that they were anthrax spores. According to Jang, a reporter received a contaminated envelope about a week ago supposed to contain a press release. Instead, it contained white powder which was immediately sent to the Aga Khan hospital for examination. The newspaper said that doctors had prescribed antibiotics for the exposed staff, who worked mainly in the editorial department. Besides, the premises where the envelope had been opened was being disinfected. An international bank and a computer company have already received anthrax organisms in the shape of white powder. In the first confirmed anthrax case, the patient was released by the hospital about a week ago. The Aga Khan hospital, which has tested such suspected organisms (whose number has not been determined as yet), has so far come up with the confirmation of three positive cases. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011031 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Train derails near Shorkot Cantt ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent TOBA TEK SINGH, Oct 30: Four compartments of the Ravi Express which runs between Shorkot Cantonment and Lahore via Kamalia-Jaranwala section derailed six km away from the Shorkot Cantonment. A majority of passengers remained unhurt as the train was moving slowly. About half a dozen passengers sustained minor injuries. The passengers returned to Shorkot by tractor trolleys lent by villagers. Rail traffic on the track was suspended till 8pm. PR Lahore division engineer Chaudhry Farzand Ali visited the site. He told newsmen the aging track needed replacement. He said wooden sleepers where the accident took place were too weak to bear the load. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011102 ------------------------------------------------------------------- SC issues warrants against 8 accused: Hakim Said case ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Nov 1: The Supreme Court issued non-bailable warrants of eight accused in Hakim Said murder case, and directed the Sindh government to keep them in Central Jail Karachi till the decision of the apex court on the state appeals against their acquittal. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011101 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ghinwa, Fatima get their shares in property ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Oct 31: Ghinwa Bhutto, chief of PPP(SB), received cheques for her share from some of the assets of her husband, Mir Murtaza Bhutto from Nazir of the Sindh High Court. The total assets from which the share was distributed was Rs2006013.96. Ghinwa Bhutto's share was Rs87,694. Equivalent amount, in the form of Defence Savings Certificate was retained by the Nazir in the name of first wife of Murtaza Bhutto. She also received a cheque for Rs3,31,291.20 on behalf of Fatima Bhutto, daughter of Murtaza, by filing power of attorney on her behalf. The share of Begum Nusrat Bhutto from this amount was Rs2,33,852.56. The share of Master Zulfikar Bhutto (Rs6,62,482) was retained by the Nazir in the form of certificates and will be encashed when he become adult. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mansoor Bokhari passes away ------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Correspondent KARACHI, Nov 2: Syed Mansoor Bokhari died here of a massive heart attack on Friday morning and was buried at the Defence Housing Authority graveyard. He was 74. Mansoor Bokhari, son of Ahmad Shah Bokhari (better known as Patras) was born in Peshawar. He was an honours graduate from St.Stephens College, Delhi. He worked for Pakistan Tobacco Company and then joined EMI (Pakistan) where he worked for two decades as its managing director, in which capacity he helped a number of struggling singers and composers. Under his stewardship EMI did quite a few pioneering things, one of which was the recording of the holy Quran.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY 20011028 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan to get 'permanent debt relief' ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jawaid Bokhari KARACHI, Oct 27: Pakistan is likely to get "permanent debt relief" from Paris Club due to meet in December that would reduce the huge bilateral debts to sustainable levels. Sources here said that Pakistan is seeking permanent re-profiling of debt by the Paris Club to reduce its debt servicing burden, which would be on better terms than short-term debt rescheduling it has so far got under the Housten terms. Pakistan is not looking for debt write-off under Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) although, technically, it would qualify for this facility. The sources here said that the debt relief will be provided on the basis of net present value (NPV) of the current debt stock of $12 billion. The bilateral donors are generally expected to reschedule obligations, with a 80-90 per cent reduction in the net present value. According to the IMF, the face value of the external debt stock is not a good measure of a country's debt burden if a significant part of it has been obtained on concessional terms with an interest rate below the prevailing market rate. The debt-relief will be preceded by the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement between Pakistan and the IMF just weeks before the meeting of the Paris Club. The PRFG will make Pakistan eligible for debt relief. Apart from the IMF's own commitment, the PRFG fiscal package would indicate pledges from World Bank, Asian Development Bank and traditional bilateral donors. Another PRGF component would be debt relief. The sources said that Pakistan was now working with the IFIs and the bilateral donors on a five-point agenda to obtain a range of concessions. These are: 1) Permanent re-profile of bilateral debt so as to reduce the debt servicing burden, 2) to obtain concessional loans and grants from bilateral and multilateral donors, 3) to finance the expenditure associated with Afghan campaign out of exceptional grants from coalition partners, 4) to raise the spending on education, health, poverty reduction and job creation, 5) to increase Pakistan's access to EU and US markets by removal of tariff and quota restrictions. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011028 ------------------------------------------------------------------- IMF, Paris Club to fill $8bn gap ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Oct 27: The International Monetary Fund and the Paris Club have assured Pakistan to fill $8 billion financing gap during the next three years in order to provide a major relief to the economy of the country. "We have reached a broad understanding with the IMF and the Paris Club for filling Pakistan's $8 billion financing gap through generous bilateral and multilateral support by 2004", said Minister for Finance Shaukat Aziz. Speaking at a joint news conference along with Minister for Commerce Razak Daud here on Saturday, the finance minister termed his visit to Paris very productive and meaningful to help improve the country's economy. He said he had held detailed meetings with Paris Club's President and the IMF senior Director Paul Shabrier on rescheduling Pakistan's debt and getting Poverty Reduction Growth Facility package respectively. "The good thing is that the IMF board will meet on Dec 5 to consider and approve the PRGF, and the Paris Club is meeting on Dec 12 to get our loans rescheduled", Mr Aziz said. The draft report of the IMF, he pointed out, has been provided to the government about the PRGF. He said he was leaving for Tokyo on Monday as the special envoy of President Pervez Musharraf to have an increased economic cooperation with Japan. He said it was a welcoming gesture that Japan has lifted international sanctions against Pakistan. "I would discuss with the Japanese authorities the issue of debt relief and at the same time pursue for the resumption of annual 400 to 500 million dollar assistance for Pakistan", he said. Nevertheless, he said, he still had to discuss the modalities of the assistance whether it will be in the shape of Official Development Assistance (ODA) or in shape of any other funding package. Mr Aziz did not offer any comment when asked by a journalist that whether the government of Pakistan will sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). "The issue of non-proliferation is very important but we can discuss this issue with you some other time", he added. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011029 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany revives economic assistance ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Oct 28: Germany agreed on Sunday to provide 150 million Deutschmark(DM) financial support to Pakistan that includes DM 50 million economic aid and DM 100 million debt- equity swap for two years. Besides this, DM 100 million will be made available through Hermez Bank as supplier's credit. Germany will also assist Pakistan in getting financial support and debt relief from multilateral and bilateral forums. Germany has also declared Pakistan "the priority- partner country", said Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz. Speaking at a joint press conference with Mr Aziz, the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, said the two sides had discussed all areas of development cooperation, including economic and financial support for Pakistan from international financial institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. She said her country appreciated Pakistan's initiatives for poverty reduction, and offered its services to support Pakistan's efforts. The German minister said her country had already provided DM 70 million for Afghan refugees and another DM 15 million would be added to this amount. Mr Aziz said that over $1 billion German debt could be turned into grant if new human development projects were launched by Pakistan. He said Germany had revived economic aid to Pakistan and, as a first step, would provide DM 50 million under this head. In addition to this, Germany had offered DM 50 million debt equity swap for the current year and another DM 50 million for the next year for utilization in investment, education and health sectors, he said. This amount, he added, Pakistan used to pay back but since this would be used for human development, it would be converted into grant. Mr Aziz said that another DM 100 million would be provided by Hermez Bank and this amount could be increased according to requirements. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011030 ------------------------------------------------------------------- NDFC to be merged with NBP ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Oct 29: The State Bank said that National Development Finance Corporation (NDFC) will stand amalgamated with the state- run National Bank from (November 1). The central bank said the government had approved the scheme of amalgamation. The SBP said in a press release that from Nov 1 all the NDFC depositors would be free to withdraw full amount standing to their credit as on August 27 minus any withdrawal that they had made since then. On August 27 the government had slapped a moratorium on the NDFC to prepare it for amalgamation with the NBP. The step was taken in the wake of "colossal losses suffered by the corporation during recent years." The SBP had then allowed small depositors, trusts and welfare institutions to withdraw up to Rs 250,000 from their suspended accounts. The NDFC sources say a little less than Rs4 billion has so far been withdrawn by more than 30,000 depositors. Under amalgamation scheme "the assets and liabilities of the NDFC will be transferred to the NBP as on October 31, 2001 to offset the losses sustained by the NDFC. "Under this scheme the federal government and the State Bank have decided to write off Rs15.86 billion worth of loans/credit to fill in the gap between the assets and liabilities of the corporation. The SBP release says though depositors are allowed to make withdrawals from their deposits from November 1, they also have the choice to negotiate with the NBP for availing any of its investment schemes. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011029 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Boom-like conditions imminent on bourses ------------------------------------------------------------------- Muhammad Aslam The market's spectacular performance was well reflected in a 13 per cent increase in the KSE 100-share index and Rs30 billion growth in the market capitalization at Rs343 billion, followed by a price flare-up in the leading blue chips, notably Adamjee Insurance, the PSO, Shell Pakistan, Hub-Power, Nestle MilkPak, Lever Brothers, Attock Refinery and several others. The market advance was, however, led by the PTCL on massive buying ahead of the board meeting and the Hub-Power on reports that its board will meet on Nov 5 and may declare a final dividend of 30 per cent plus an interim, for the next year. The earning per share is rumoured around Rs8 to 9 on an estimated profit of Rs11 billion. After breaking the barrier of 1,300 and 1,400 points, the increase in the KSE 100-share index finally ended at 1,401.51 after partially reacting to 1,363.00 on late weekend selling. The total market capitalization swelled by Rs30 billion to Rs343 billion. Two per cent cut in the discount rate by the central bank to 10 per cent was widely welcomed as it triggered strong speculative support from all and sundry but what seems to have generated general buying from most of the genuine investors was the perception of a robust economy if all the aid promised by the western world pours in and the hopes of foreign debt write-off materializes. "The bank credits may not be that cheaper as the speculative forces make them look like as only post-cut weeks will show how the lenders treat their clientele but the reaction was positive and in line with the future investor-perception", stock analysts at the WE financials predict. A 13 per cent increase in the index, which raised the total gain to 20 per cent during the last couple of weeks, may owe its strength to some solid insider information not shared by the local leading foreign fund managers but followed the lead more actively as was reflected by a large single-session volume of 275 million shares, they say. The 13 per cent rise in the index means an increase of over Rs30 billion at Rs343 billion in the total market capitalization, although it needs a dozen more such pushes to attain its pre- reaction level of Rs610 billion touched in the mid-90s boom. However, the increase added to the savings of small investors significantly. The index finally breached through the two psychological barrier of 1,300 and 1,400 points as compared to 1,267.05 at the last weekend. Volume soared to a recent peak level of 1 billion shares. The highest-ever figure is 500 million shares in a session recorded couple of years back. It was a big rise in the backdrop of the war-like conditions but not the largest as the market has on its record half a dozen single session gains of well over 100 points including the highest some years back. "The market virtually witnessed a scramble for the blue chips at the current levels reminiscent of boom conditions as both the bulls and the bears have joined hands to demonstrate that the bull-run will prevail", Salman Ahmad a stock analyst at the Finex Securities say. It was a judicious blend of massive local as well as foreign buying, reflecting that no one among them was inclined to miss the rising market at the prevailing attractively lower levels, although it was terribly selective and did not go beyond certain blue chips shares, he adds. Apart from the big cut in the discount rate, which could well lead to cheaper credit lines for the investors, expectations of a big aid package as promised by the various visiting western ministers to compensate for the economic losses because of the US and allies attacks on Afghanistan against war on terrorism kept the market morale terribly bullish, he adds. "It was not a single positive factor, which triggered the buystops from all and sundry but a combination of stimulating news, which did not allow the investors to sit on the sidelines", stock analysts at the Alireza and the Moosani Securities commenting on the market's spectacular upward journey say. The reports of higher final dividend by the Hubco management, worrying results from the PTCL and a relative slowdown in the US attacks on Afghanistan, which investors think could lead to ceasefire in the coming days. But the 20 per cent interim dividend by the Engro Chemical (20 per cent interim already paid), fell below the market expectations as was reflected by the late selling in its shares. The big gainers were led by the Millat Tractors, Gul Ahmed Textiles, Liberty Mills, the PSO, Al-Ghazi tractors, Glaxo-Wellcome Pakistan and the Nestle MilkPak. But the biggest price flare-up was noted in Shell Pakistan, Lever Brothers and Wyeth Pakistan. All other shares also rose under the lead of textiles and energy sector. The trading volume soared to 1.301 billion shares after about a year owing to heavy trading in the PTCL and the Hub-Power, which together accounted for 75 per cent of the total. Other actives were led by the PSO, the ICI Pakistan, Adamjee Insurance, Engro Chemical, Fauji Fertiliser, Sui Northern, the MCB, Dewan Salman, Nishat Mills, hereto inactive Japan Power, still ruling well below its face at Rs3.70 and several others in other groups. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Buying in leading scrips lifts index by 21.94 points ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Nov 2: The buying flurry was so strong on the selected counters, notably PTCL, that at one stage it lifted the KSE 100- share index well above the barrier of 1,400 points, although late selling allowed it to finish slightly below this level at 1,399.81, up 21.94 points from the overnight close of 1,377.87. As widely speculated, the index is expected to settle well above the chart point of 1,400 as the relative strength of PTCL and Hubco, which together hold a weightage of 43 per cent in it will not allow to fall below this level. The lower levels most of the leading equities have attained during the last couple of sessions sell-off provided an attractive bait to investors who covered positions in the pivotals such as PSO, Engro Chemical, Fauji Fertilizer and Sui Northern Gas. But ICI Pakistan came in for active selling after early sharp rise to Rs.52.35, the day's highest bid but finally ended lower by Rs.1.50 at Rs.49.35, off Rs.3 from the day's best rate. Meanwhile, the Hub-Power management has announced that it has extended the date of book closure from Dec 22 to 30 in view of intervening holidays. Its share is currently being quoted on spot basis but continues to attract strong speculative buying in anticipation of higher final dividend when its board meets on Nov 5, 2001. Traded volume was light at 97m shares owing to Friday session but gainers forced a strong lead over the losers at 77 to 49, out of 158 actives. PTCL was actively traded, up 60 paisa at Rs.18.15 on 57 shares followed by PSO, higher by Rs.3.05 at Rs.109.10 on 9m shares, ICI Pakistan, off Rs.1.50 at Rs.49.35 on 6m shares, Hub-Power being quoted spot, up 70 paisa at Rs.23.20 on 6m shares and Sui Northern Gas, steady by 15 paisa at Rs.10.95 on 5m shares. FUTURE CONTRACTS: Speculative issues on the forward counter also followed the lead of ready section under the lead of PTCL, which showed a sympathetic rise on large volume. Hubco, Fauji Fertilizer, PSO and Engro Chemical followed it. BOARD MEETINGS: Berger Paints Pakistan, Karam Ceramics, Frontier Ceramic, Pioneer Cables, B.F. Modaraba, all on Nov 8, Trust Modaraba, on Nov 9, Millat Tractors, and Bolan Casting on Nov 12, and Pakistan Services Nov 14.Back to the top
EDITORIALS & FEATURES 20011028 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Afghanistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ardeshir Cowasjee Back in the 1960s someone described Islamabad as being half the size of Arlington cemetery and twice as dead. Whoever it was had obviously read and borrowed from "Dust in the Lion's Paw" written by the English traveler and writer Freya Stark and published in 1961, for in her book, reproducing a letter she had written in 1945, she had remarked: "Karachi, the Americans say, 'is half the size of Chicago cemetery and twice as dead'." Karachi has changed, and so has the Islamabad of autumn 2001. It is stuffed to the brim with the world's media people, it is a hustling bustling city, and the atmosphere in its main hotel is highly reminiscent of Casablanca (but sadly there is no Rick's bar) in the early years of World War II. This war now being fought will be a long drawn-out war. Those, such as President General Pervez Musharraf, who wish for a short, sharp encounter with a swift resolution will surely be disappointed. However, if the coalition does not manage to find Osama, there are hundreds of other bin Ladens on whom they can more easily lay hands, hundreds fuelled by ignorance in the guise of religion. An illustrative story is told of Mulla Omar by those who went to visit him and try to persuade him not to upset members of the Buddhist faith, to leave the Bamiyan Buddhas alone, to tell him that they had been there long before the arrival of Islam, and that down the hundreds of years after the arrival of Islam no Muslim had objected to them. Omar's reply was that he wished he could leave them as they were, but that in a dream God had instructed him to destroy them, and that was that. Experts on Afghanistan are many, experts on the Taliban are few. Many of the western embassies in Islamabad have dug out their old Afghan experts and sent for them so that they may be guided and informed. But all the old experts date back to the Afghanistan of the days of King Zahir Shah and of the Soviet occupation - none are versed in the ways of the Taliban. But we in Pakistan are fortunate; we have our own homegrown man, who knows the Taliban backwards, who has studied them and their terrible ways for 20 years while covering Afghanistan as a reporter. Ahmed Rashid's book 'Taliban - Islam, Oil and the New Great Game in Central Asia' took him 21 years to write. It was published in 2000 by I B Taurus of London and New York when 3,000 copies rolled off their press. As recounts a Reuters' report of October 21, "The initial print run soon climbed as the hijacking by would-be Afghan refugees of an Ariana Airlines flight to London sparked a brief spurt of interest in Afghanistan. By September 11 this year, Rashid had been picked up by Yale University Press and more than 25,000 copies had run off the presses. 'Taliban' had been translated into nine languages, including Japanese, Swedish, Dutch, Urdu and Dari - or Persian." After the events of September 11 the print run in the US has soared to 350,000 copies and in Britain to 80,000 copies and, says Reuters: "Last week Ahmed's book on the once little-known fundamentalist militia hit number one on The New York Times bestseller list for paperback nonfiction, and after bobbing up and down on the list of the most popular books on sale by on-line retailer Amazon.com, it also hit the top spot there.... "The book gives a vivid account of the Taliban, based on numerous first-hand interviews and meetings, widespread travel over many years to Afghanistan and its neighbours, and describes the bewildering politics and ethnic mix that is Afghanistan..... In the prescient conclusion, Rashid issued a warning to the United States that their decision to abandon the Afghans to their own internecine and bloody battle for power after the Soviet threat disappeared with the withdrawal of their occupying forces in 1989 could return to haunt them... "Today's policymakers are reading his book in a race for knowledge about the Islamic movement they ignored for so long. In Downing Street, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is said to refer to it, the book is a must-read at Japan's Foreign Ministry and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer cites it in public." Have our men in Pakistan even read it? And if so, have they attempted to learn from it? One chapter of the book is devoted to bin Laden and the training camps he has set up across Afghanistan. The ISI, struggling without success to provide intelligence information to their coalition partners, would do well to have a look at it. Ahmed himself says the value of the book is broader than just the Taliban, that it is a primer for the new Islamic radicalism now fast spreading. Ahmed Rashid is himself quite clear on how Pakistan should now approach the issue of a post-Taliban Afghan government. He now concludes: "We should not try to create another Pakhtoon alternative (such as Pir Sayed Ahmad Gailani or Jalaluddin Haqqani) as a rival to King Zahir Shah. We should go along with the king and try to deliver to him a strong Pakhtoon element. The international community will back the king, and if Musharraf and his government are seen to be at odds with them we will once again be isolated, unable to repair our relations with neighbours Iran, Russia, and the Central Asian states. We can reduce the influence of the Northern Alliance only if we are backed by the international community, and that means supporting the king. Pakistan and its national interest have nothing to fear from supporting Zahir Shah. He will not now be anti-Pakistan. Afghanistan has been destroyed to such an extent that no future government will be able to be anti-Pakistan. "As it is, Pakistan has lost all credibility with all Afghans of all ethnic groups because of its gross interference, mismanagement and the insane short-sighted backing of the Taliban. To win the trust of the Afghans we must go along with what they and the international community want - and that basically is a king-led government. "When the 800-odd Afghan Pakhtoon leaders met in Peshawar last Wednesday with the purpose of setting up a counter-weight to the non-Pakhtoon anti-Taliban United Front, the Pakistan-backed Gailani, said to be a 'moderate' spiritual leader, told them that he had met the king in Rome, had told him of the need to set up a 'leadership council' of men who have the support of the majority of the Afghan people, and that the council would elect one member as chairman, and that member would certainly be the king. But, what Gailani did not tell them was that the king has already formed a 120-man council in alliance with the United Front, and that his next step would be to call a Loya Jirga and select a new government. "The feeling of the king's men is that Pakistan is backing Gailani in an effort to bypass the king and the United Front, and that the Americans are going along with it as they need Pakistan for their military campaign. "Meanwhile, leaders loyal to the king are busy trying to create some sort of anti-Taliban resistance in the Pakhtoon belt of southern Afghanistan, hoping to speed up the military operations and the creation of the Loya Jirga. They are having a tough time. Neither the Americans nor the British are helping with money, equipment or supplies, and Pakistan's ISI has either lost its touch or is purposefully holding back help on the intelligence side. Pakistan needs to get into some sort of gear and deliver on its promise that it would create Taliban defectors. It has been unable to so far deliver anything and its western allies are surely getting impatient." Such are the views of our Afghan man, for whatever they may be worth. Whilst Ahmed Rashid is courted by the foreign media and by foreign diplomats, our government continues to ignore him. Truly amazing, for they should now be seeking counsel from wherever they can find it and from whoever can enlighten them, no matter how controversial. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011029 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Crucial phase yet to come ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Henry Kissinger A new epoch in America's relations with the world began at 8:41 a.m. on Sept. 11 when the first hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center. By imposing on America a sense of vulnerability, the attack also introduced the country to a new form of warfare - without battle lines and specific demands and not resolvable, as some wars are, by negotiation, only by victory. The reaction has been defiant national unity. Partisan debate on foreign policy has been suspended. No significant disagreement exists on the strategy for defeating global terrorism put forward eloquently by President George W. Bush. For all its shadowy nature, the new warfare permits a clear definition of what is needed to bring it under control. The terrorist attacks - from the hostages in Lebanon of the 1980s, to the bombed embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and the crippled American destroyer in Yemen in 2000 - took place far away and while the United States was reluctant to put sustained pressure on the countries harboring terrorists. In the new approach, the terrorists will be viewed in the proper perspective. They are ruthless but not numerous. They control no territory permanently. If their activities are harassed by the security forces of all countries - if no country will harbour them - they will become outlaws and increasingly obliged to devote efforts to elemental survival. If they attempt to commandeer a part of a country, as happened to some extent in Afghanistan and in Colombia, they can be hunted down by military operations. The key to anti-terrorism strategy is to eliminate safe havens. These safe havens come about in various ways. In some countries, domestic legislation or constitutional restraints inhibit surveillance in the absence of demonstrated criminal acts, or prevent the transmittal of ostensibly domestic intelligence to other countries - as seems to be the case in Germany and, to some extent, in the United States. Remedial measures with respect to these situations are in train. But the overwhelming majority of safe havens occurs when a government closes its eyes because it agrees with at least some of the objectives of the terrorists - as in Afghanistan, to some extent in Iran and Syria and, until recently, Pakistan. Even ostensibly friendly countries that have been cooperating with the United States on general strategy, such as Saudi Arabia, sometimes make a tacit bargain with terrorists so long as terrorist actions are not directed against the host government. A serious anti-terrorism campaign must break this nexus. Many of the host governments know more than they have been prepared to communicate before Sept. 11. Incentives must be created for the sharing of intelligence. The anti-terrorism campaign must improve security cooperation, interrupt the flow of funds, harass terrorist communications and subject the countries that provide safe haven to pressures including, in the extreme case, military pressure. In the aftermath of the attack on American soil, the Bush administration resisted arguments urging immediate military action against known terrorist centres, especially those that had supported previous terrorist attacks against Americans. The challenge is to guard against the temptation to treat cooperation on Afghanistan as meeting the challenge and to use it as an alibi for avoiding the necessary succeeding phases. This is why military operations in Afghanistan should be limited to the shattering of the Taliban and the disintegration of the bin Laden network. Using military forces for nation-building would involve us in a quagmire comparable to what drained the Soviet Union. The conventional wisdom of creating a broad-based coalition to govern Afghanistan is desirable but not encouraged by the historical record. The likely - perhaps optimum - outcome is a central Kabul government of limited reach while tribal autonomy prevails in the various regions. This essential enterprise should be put under the aegis of the United Nations, with generous economic support from the United States and other advanced industrial countries. A contact group could be created composed of Afghanistan's neighbors (minus Iraq), India, the United States and those NATO allies that participated in the military operations. This would provide a mechanism to reintroduce Iran to the international system, provided it genuinely abandons its support of terrorism. The crucial phase of America's anti-terrorism strategy will begin as the Afghanistan military campaign winds down, and its focus will have to be outside Afghanistan. At that point, the coalition will come under strain. So far, the issue of long-term goals has been avoided by the formula that the members of the global coalition are free to choose the degree of their involvement. A la carte coalition management worked well when membership required little more than affirming opposition to terrorism in principle. Its continued usefulness will depend on how coalition obligations are defined in the next phase. Should the convoy move at the pace of the slowest ship or should some parts of it be able to sail by themselves? If the former, the coalition effort will gradually be defined by the least-common-denominator compromises that killed the U.N. inspection system in Iraq and are on the verge of eliminating the U.N. sanctions against that country. Alternatively, the coalition can be conceived as a group united by common objectives but permitting autonomous action by whatever consensus can be created - or, in the extreme case, by the United States alone. Those who argue for priority for the widest possible coalition - in other words, for a coalition veto - often cite the experience of the Gulf War. But the differences are significant. The Gulf War was triggered by a clear case of aggression that threatened Saudi Arabia, whose security had been deemed crucial by a bipartisan succession of American presidents. The United States decided to undo Saddam's adventure in the few months available before the summer heat made large-scale ground operations impossible. Several hundred thousand American troops were dispatched before any attempt at coalition building was undertaken. Since the United States would obviously act alone if necessary, participating in the coalition became the most effective means for influencing events. The direction of the current coalition is more ambiguous. President Bush has frequently and forcefully emphasized that he is determined to press the anti-terrorism campaign beyond Afghanistan. In due course, he will supplement his policy pronouncements with specific proposals. That will be the point at which the scope of the operational coalition will become clear. There could be disagreement on what constitutes a terrorist safe haven; what measures states should take to cut off the flow of funds; what penalties there are for non-compliance; in what manner, whether and by whom force should be used. Just as in the Gulf War the pressures for American unilateral action provided the cement to bring a coalition together, so, in the anti-terrorism war, American determination and that of allies of comparable views are needed. A firm strategy becomes all the more important as biological weapons appear to have entered the arsenals of terrorism. Preventive action is becoming imperative. States known to possess such facilities and to have previously used them must be obliged to open themselves to strict, conclusive international inspections with obligatory enforcement mechanisms. This applies particularly to Iraq, with its long history of threats to all its neighbors and the use of chemical weapons, both against its neighbours and its own population. The conditions of international support for a firm policy exist. For the attack on the United States has produced an extraordinary congruence of interests among the major powers. None wants to be vulnerable to shadowy groups that have emerged from Southeast Asia to the edge of Europe. Few have the means to resist alone. The NATO allies have ended the debate about whether, after the end of the Cold War, there is still a need for an Atlantic security structure. Our Asian allies, Japan and Korea being democratic and industrialized, share this conviction. India, profoundly threatened by domestic Islamic fundamentalism, has much to lose by abandoning a common course. Russia perceives a common interest due to its contiguous Islamic southern regions. China shares a similar concern with respect to its western regions and has an added incentive to bring an end to global terrorism well before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Paradoxically, terrorism has evoked a sense of world community that has eluded theoretical pleas for world order. In the Islamic world, attitudes are more ambiguous. Many Islamic nations, though deeply concerned about fundamentalism, are constrained by their public opinion from avowing public support, and a few may sympathize with some aspects of the terrorist agenda. An understanding American attitude toward traditional friends of America, like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, is appropriate. Their leaders are quite well aware that they have made compromises imposed on them by brutal domestic necessities. The administration clearly should make every effort to help them overcome these circumstances, to improve intelligence sharing and the control of money flows. But it must not press to a point that undermines these governments for, in the short term, any foreseeable alternative would be worse for our interests and for the peoples involved. Yet there are limits beyond which a serious policy cannot go. There is no reason for treating as members of the coalition countries whose state-supported media advocate and justify terrorism, withhold intelligence vital to the security of potential victims and permit terrorist groups to operate from their territory. These considerations apply especially to Iran. Geopolitics argues for improved U.S.-Iranian relations. To welcome Iran into an anti- terrorism coalition has as a prerequisite the abandonment of its current role as the leading supporter of global terrorism, as both the State Department and the bipartisan Bremer Commission have reported. An Iranian relationship with the West can prosper only when both sides feel the need for it. Both sides - and not only the West - must make fundamental choices. The same is true to a somewhat lesser degree of Syria. The war on terrorism is not just about hunting down terrorists. It, above all, is to protect the extraordinary opportunity that has come about to recast the international system. The North Atlantic nations, having understood their common dangers, can turn to a new definition of common purposes. Relations with former adversaries can go beyond liquidating the vestiges of the cold war and find a new role for Russia in its post-imperial phase, and for China as it emerges into great power status. India is emerging as an important global player. After measurable success in the anti-terrorism campaign, when it does not appear as concession to the terrorists, the Middle East peace process should be urgently resumed. These and other prospects must not be allowed to vanish because those that have the ability to prevail shrink from what their opportunities require. -Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, a division of Tribune Media Services. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011101 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mistrust in the West ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mohsin Hamid It may be hard, with bearded rioters filling their televisions, for westerners to see Pakistan as a bride left at the altar. But that is how many Pakistanis view their relationship with the fickle West, and they have good reason to do so. In the 1980s, when Pakistan signed up as America's ally in the West's last war in Afghanistan, the war against the Soviets, Pakistan was rewarded with billions of dollars of military hardware and economic aid. But Pakistan paid a price: heroin flooded our cities, Kalashnikovs became common on our streets and young boys were left trained for jihad instead of university. When the Soviets were defeated, Pakistan did not share in the long- awaited peace dividend. Although the country was making its transition from dictatorship to democracy, aid began to dwindle and the rhetoric of western governments became increasingly unfriendly. Pakistan was left with training camps for religious guerrillas, a mountain of debt, two million Afghan refugees and little else. Certainly, Pakistan's own leaders bear much of the blame. Corrupt, ineffectual and often deeply hypocritical, the governments of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif tried to go forward and backward at once, burnishing their religious credentials while hoping to attract western investors. But, at the same time, the West did recoil from us with unseemly haste once its war was won. It began treating Pakistan like an impoverished Muslim nation with no oil to export. But Pakistan had been this all along. To ignore a girl's hairy moles the night before, when one's need is strong, and then to shame her for them in the morning, well, as the Texans say, that's not real nice. It is not surprising that most Pakistanis do not support America's bombardment of Afghanistan. The Afghans are neighbours on the brink of starvation and devastated by war. America has shown itself to be untrustworthy, a superpower that uses its values as a scabbard for its sword. Avenging the horrible deaths of thousands by putting millions more at risk is an act deeply lacking in compassion, and one unlikely to reduce the hatred that makes America unsafe. Yet, forced to decide whether to back their government in a showdown with our own religious extremists, most Pakistanis are clear about the future they desire. They do not want a medieval theocracy. They want jobs and access to the markets and knowledge and entertainment of the wider world. What many in the West do not realize is that Pakistan is a land where satellite dishes are not uncommon, where teenagers who have never been to America manage to smuggle in bits and pieces of American accents. In the decade of democracy that lasted through the '90s, religious parties never captured more than a few per cent of the vote. But when the economy is stagnant, democracy has sputtered out and growing numbers of young people find themselves ill-equipped for a workforce that they in any case lack the right connections to enter, then the appeal of an Islamist ideology that challenges these injustices grows strong. Pakistan is making a dangerous gamble by confronting its religious right. The country is betting that it will not be torn in two, that its leader will not be assassinated, that it will not be plunged into anarchy. Now that it has taken this risk, the country needs the West to stand firm beside it. Not by providing weaponry. Not even by rescheduling debt, though that, of course, will help. What Pakistan mainly needs is the openness that comes when fear recedes, but Pakistan needs that openness now, when the West is still fearful. Pakistanis need jobs. We need access to purchasers for our goods, investors in our industries. With these things come greater growth and stability, which then become self-reinforcing. Pakistan needs a partnership to start this process, a coming together for the long term. Without it, the three million people who swell our population each year will sink deeper into poverty, and the ideologies that appeal to memories of a better past will gain appeal. The writer is a well known novelist living in the US DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011102 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Afloat (barely) on a sea of shame ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ayaz Amir Across the globe, and now hesitantly even in the United States, doubts are rising about the morality and sense of America's war on Afghanistan. Yet Pakistan's military government is living in a world of its own. Having committed the country to a course whose only virtue was expediency, it is trying to convince itself and the nation that signing up for a leading role in an enterprise detested throughout the Muslim world has been the best thing Pakistan ever did. No other country in the world has offered its services so readily, or as completely, to the US as Pakistan. Even America's closest allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia have withheld the kind of support expected of them. We are alone in this - with only that other great democracy, Uzbekistan, for company. Is this a war against terror? Had this been so it should have begun from the Palestinian occupied territories where for 50 years Israel has been practising the worst kind of terror with the full support and understanding of the United States. Stripped of the self- righteous rhetoric which covers it, this is a war of blind vengeance but one which is already going astray because of the commanding fallacy on which it was based: that unable to withstand the knockout effect of air power, the Taliban would collapse in a matter of days. To the growing discomfiture of the US and Pakistan this is not happening. With little on their side except spirit and determination, the Taliban are absorbing punishment but not giving up. The concern is beginning to show on American faces. Some reluctant admissions have also been made about the doggedness of Taliban resistance. As for Pakistan, the opinion expressed initially by its chief strategist, General Musharraf, that the days of the Taliban were numbered, may yet come to haunt him. Why did we hasten to assume the role of bag-carrier? The argument advanced, almost as if it was self-evident, that we had little choice and that it was a question of choosing between national survival and national destruction is patently false. How was our national survival on the line? It took the US nearly three weeks of preparation before launching air strikes on Afghanistan. We succumbed and offered everything the Americans were demanding after a few angry statements from Bush and a mere phone call from Colin Powell, a day or two after September 11. If we had asked for time to weigh the pros and cons and to consult friends would that have meant inviting US anger and getting our nuclear facilities flattened? Prudence and caution are good things but capitulation has a different ring to it. Surely a strange nation which in so many things has pursued self- defeating policies and closed its eyes to real dangers but which succumbs at the first threat of an imaginary danger. The name given to this vacillation of spirit is "national interest" (without the definite article, please note) - "national interest" being the new name for short-sighted expediency in Pakistan. What crimes in our history have been committed at the altar of the national interest, what follies not consecrated in its name. But what Pakistan is now doing takes the prize. In helping the US carry out its strikes on Afghanistan, our hands are also now covered in Afghan and Muslim blood. Why blame the Americans alone? We are accessories before and after the fact. No amount of references to the national interest will wash these stains away in a hurry. The oft-repeated charge that we helped create the Taliban is disproved by this very fact. A nation as weak in spirit as ours could never have created a force with the resolve and fortitude of the Taliban. The Taliban are a product of the lawlessness which engulfed Afghanistan after the fall of Najibullah. We merely helped them along. Our government could not withstand the threat implicit in a phone call. How can we lay claim to a movement defying the fury of the mightiest military force in the world? To be sure, inviting destruction is no sign of wisdom. So it is possible to fault the Taliban for their foolhardiness. But this is not the whole truth. Even in the US it is now being admitted that in various ways the Taliban had signaled their readiness to be flexible on the question of Osama bin Laden. The Americans were just too angry, or too arrogant, to read those signals or give them the importance they deserved. The Taliban were left with no option. They could either have let their noses be rubbed in the dust, which is what accepting American demands would have amounted to, or stood up to American threats. That they chose the honourable course, if also the more difficult one, is a tribute to their spirit. Far from demoralizing them, American bombing has only strengthened their resolve while we have been left to cite the Treaty of Hudaybia - in which the Prophet, on whom be peace, made peace with the infidels of Makkah. Whenever a Muslim ruler embarks upon the path of compromise he remembers nothing else from the entire pantheon of Islam except the Treaty of Hudaybia. That treaty gave the Prophet a respite during which he was able to gather his strength before setting out for the final conquest of Makkah. For which conquest of Makkah is the Musharraf government conserving Pakistan's strength? While the government congratulates itself for the fictional advantages of selling the country to the US, it is oblivious to the real dangers whose seeds are being scattered across Pakistan's soil. What amount of aid can compensate Pakistan for the hordes of helpless Afghan refugees being driven across its borders? What can make up for the fissures opening up within Pakistan as a result of the Afghan war? The government is isolated but secure because it has the army behind it. The majority of Pakistanis are unhappy with their government but helpless to change its direction. This is a recipe for frustration and anger. And a dangerous erosion of national self-confidence. For the first time in Pakistan's history the religious parties are reflecting public opinion while the so-called mainstream parties are content to waddle in the government's shadow, dutifully chanting the mantra that Pakistan had no choice but to side with the United States. The bankruptcy of Pakistani politics is thus complete, with the only two relevant factors being the government and the religious parties. The PPP and the various rumps of the Muslim League still command the popular vote but no longer command popular passion or anger. Which Churchill will say this was Pakistan's finest hour? But while on the subject, let another delusion be nailed to the mast. A lot of Pakistanis - including, to my lasting shame, myself - took it for granted that the Taliban were exerting a reactionary influence on Pakistan. From this premise it was a small step to the conclusion that it was right to leave the Taliban in the lurch, and perhaps to their fate, as it served them right and this was also in Pakistan's best interests. Blind prejudice is no aid to clarity. Although there was a cross-border effect of Taliban rule on the two border provinces of the Frontier and Balochistan, the Taliban were not exporting their austere revolution to us. It is we who were imposing our patronage on them in the pursuit of such chimeras as strategic depth. Our problems are our own and not because of the Taliban. The corruption and lack of direction which characterize our national life are not faults we can lay at somebody else's door. If the Taliban had not existed we would still have been lost in the woods, the ISI would still have meddled in politics. Now that we are rid of supporting the Taliban the walls of which shining kingdom will we raise in Pakistan? In Iqbal's philosophy the bedrock of individual assertion and collective greatness is self-respect (a loose translation of his central concept of 'khudi'). With that lost, what is a nation left with? We have entered into a Faustian pact with the United States, handing over not just our air bases for use against the helpless people of Afghanistan but also the tattered remnants of our national pride. What can we possibly get in return for this? DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Can the lemmings be wrong? ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Irfan Husain A T-shirt that surfaced briefly in Oxford in the sixties proclaimed: "100,000 Lemmings Can't Be Wrong." Perhaps some enterprising manufacturer could resurrect it for all those supporting the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. Another image that comes to mind is the Pied Piper whose magic flute bewitched the children of Hamelin into following him wherever he led. But while the mental age of those crazed zealots who currently populate CNN and BBC newscasts is probably the same as the kids from the fairy tale, what excuse do educated and apparently sane people have? Recently, I wrote about the weird fantasy world so many Muslims have decided to live in, and no doubt will be forced to do so again. I am frequently exasperated by the refusal of even highly intelligent, cosmopolitan, widely travelled friends to face up to reality. Since we seem unable to talk about any topic other than Afghanistan, I am often the only one trying to keep the discussion focused on facts while the others dart off on the scent of some mad theory or other. The other day somebody voiced grave suspicion about the current rise of the rupee against the dollar: surely this was the work of some cabal trying to hurt our exports. I pointed out that perhaps it was simply due to the forces of supply and demand: since many of our debts are being rescheduled, the demand for the dollar has fallen. Another plausible explanation is that Pakistanis who had stashed their dollars abroad were afraid their accounts would be questioned as part of the on-going scrutiny of dubious holdings, specially in the Gulf, and had therefore transferred their greenbacks to Pakistan. Irrespective of the nature of the rumour, you can be sure it will immediately be believed by the credulous; my problem is that I had no idea there were so many of them out there. One reader sent me an e-mail demanding that I should only write against the Americans and the Jews, even if I had to lie. I told him I was not in the habit of lying in my columns. Furious, he called me a "fool", insisting it was the duty of all Muslims to fight America. One friend is sure the Americans are here because they want a base in Pakistan to "control China", just as they set up a base in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War. I pointed out that the Saudis had asked for American military presence, and this was unlikely to happen here. Indeed, the Americans had bases in Japan and South Korea to "control China" if that is what they wanted to do. Clearly, there is some deeper phenomenon at work here. The suspicion and anger that surround American actions in the Muslim world cannot be explained by recent events alone: it would seem that some profoundly atavistic feelings have been conjured up. Much has been written and said about the sense of impotence and powerlessness we Muslims are supposed to feel when faced with the power and wealth of the United States which flaunts its supremacy clumsily and arrogantly. Many Americans are convinced that we envy them their affluence and freedom. Other commentators ascribe the rage to the open-ended American support for the daily Israeli cruelties against Palestinians and the occupation of their lands, as well as the on-going humiliation of Iraq and the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children as a result of sanctions. I suspect that underlying these reasons, the community of Islam has a shared memory of the Crusades and the subsequent struggle for power between Islam and Christendom - a struggle the former lost when the balance of power shifted westward because Muslims refused to accept and internalize the new sciences that were transforming economies and armies alike. Indeed, for centuries before the crusades, the Persians had fought first the Greeks and then the Romans for supremacy over the known world. So perhaps the current "war against terrorism" should be seen as the latest chapter in the millennia-old war between East and West. But ancient power struggles do not suddenly move men to kill themselves and thousands of others as happened in America on September 11. For more immediate answers, perhaps we need to look in the festering Palestinian refugee camps and their beleaguered and impoverished cities in the West Bank, slums from Cairo to Karachi, the hospitals of Baghdad that are without medicines, and the black hole that Afghanistan has become. Apart from providing foot soldiers for the jihad, they also generate the rage that radicalizes young Muslims everywhere. The fact that hundreds of Britons of Pakistani origin are fighting with the Taliban is a sign of things to come in the West. But while the motivation of these committed people is clear, one is puzzled by the reaction of highly educated and sophisticated Pakistanis to recent events. For years, they had been complaining about the rise in religiosity and the decline of the economy. However, the tragedy that befell the United States on September 11 set into motion a fortuitous chain of events for Pakistan that might halt the advance of religious extremism and boost our stagnant economy. But instead of welcoming the positive aspects of these developments, they sit in their air-conditioned living rooms, muttering darkly about the conspiracies out there and criticising the bombing of Afghanistan. In fact, recent events have posed a real dilemma for the liberal- left all over the world; instinctively, they are against the Americans bombing a country already devastated by years of warfare and drought. But opposing military action puts them very close to the Taliban, a group they abhor. Clearly, no sensible person wants to see the battered and brutalized Afghan population suffer any more, but how are they to be rid of their repressive self-appointed leaders except through foreign intervention? The same Pakistani critics question General Musharraf's decision to join the American-led coalition and give Washington various facilities, including the use of specified airfields. According to one view, we jumped on the American bandwagon with undignified haste. But if a neighbour has suffered a major bereavement and comes for help, you don't negotiate the extent of your assistance on the doorstep. Others maintain that while we might have allowed Americans the use of our airspace, we shouldn't have given them access to our airfields. This is not unlike somebody wanting to retain part of his or her virginity. These people are all for the debt rescheduling (and possible write- offs), the lifting of tariffs and quotas on our exports and the sea of respectability conferred by the international community, but want to oppose the American action in Afghanistan. In short, they want their cake and eat it too. Welcome to the real world where there is no such thing as a free lunch. Perhaps they would like to wear the T-shirt that says "100,000 Lemmings Can't Be Wrong."
SPORTS 20011103 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Naved shows class with 113 ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Rehan Siddiqui SHARJAH, Nov 2: Pakistan, known to be bad chasers, proved everyone wrong by overhauling Sri Lanka's stiff 272 comfortably to earn a morale-boosting win by seven wickets in the dress rehearsal for Sunday's final of the Khaleej Times Trophy at the Sharjah Stadium. And the men who made the task look so simple were rookie opener Naved Latif, playing his second one-dayer and the cool as cucumber customer, big man Inzamam-ul-Haq. The youngster was later named Man-of-the-Match. Both hammered centuries in their massive third wicket stand of 219 after Pakistan had lost Shahid Afridi (11) and Yousuf Youhana (11) with the total 41. Naved reached his maiden hundred off 130 balls with eight fours and a six while Inzamam needed only 111 deliveries and hit 10 fours. When Naved eventually holed out to Prabath Nissanka on the deep mid-wicket boundary Pakistan required only 12 runs for an emphatic victory. He faced 141 deliveries for his 113 that contained nine fours and one six. Inzamam, during his innings, became the highest scorer at this venue overtaking his teammate Saeed Anwar while ending up with an unbeaten 118. He slammed two sixes and ten fours. Sri Lanka sorely Muttiah Muralitharan their prime strike bowler. He might have made some difference and the islanders also had a poor match in the field. They put down three simple sitters which proved expensive in the end. Inzamam was dropped by Muralitharan when 69 and Naved was missed twice once by Russel Arnold off his own bowling and wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, who had replaced Romesh Kaluwitharana, missed an easy catch behind the stumps. Earlier, Mahela Jayawardena's elegant 88 off 83 balls that contained one six and six fours provided Sri Lankan the big enough total Sanath Jayasuriya won the toss and elected to bat first in a match of no consequence. Given a solid start of 95 by Jayasuriya (36) and Avishka Gunawardena (57), the classy Jayawardena - certainly the best Sri Lankan batsman - carted Pakistan's wayward attack to all corners of the ground with a series of exciting strokes. Jayawardena shared two profitable partnerships. First he was involved in a stand worth 55 for the third wicket with Gunawardena and latter 66 for the fourth with in alliance with Russel Arnold. He was eventually got out going for a big hit in the closing overs off Shoaib Akhtar, the best of Pakistan's modest attack minus Wasim Akram, who was given a rest. The controversial pacer finished with the figures of three for 45 from 10 overs. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011029 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ruthless Pakistan thrash winless Zimbabwe ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Rehan Siddiqui SHARJAH, Oct 28: Zimbabwe's losing streak became 'unlucky' 13 as they predictably lost to Pakistan by a wide margin of 106 by runs in the Khaleej Times Trophy Sunday at the Sharjah Stadium. The defeat virtually condemned Zimbabwe out of Sunday's final. They will have to win their last two matches by massive margins, a big ask from a side which has neither bowling nor batting resources to achieve that impossible task. A victory for Zimbabwe was never on cards after the African nation allowed Pakistan to an almost unbeatable total of 279 considering their batting limitations. As it happened Zimbabwe were bowled out for 173 in 39.1 overs with only Andy Flower (51) and Stuart Carlisle showing resistance against a Pakistan attack that was nothing more than modest. The early loss of the openers, Doug Marillier and Grant Flower, with just five runs on the board pushed Zimbabwe on the back foot. Though the third wicket stand between Andy Flower and Carlisle raised hopes of a fight back but once the pair were separated by a needless run out of the latter it was all over bar shouting. **From 112 for three Zimbabwe plunged to nine for 146 with spinners Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi - later named Man-of-the-Match - shared five wickets as Zimbabwe middle order caved in without fight. Pakistan should have wrapped up the match much earlier if Abdur Razzaq had not dropped a regulation catch offered by Heath Streak and Rashid Latif missed a regulation stumping to remove Travis Friend. Earlier, taking optimum advantage of a mediocre Zimbabwe attack Pakistan batsmen found some sort of form to post a healthy looking 279 for six after Waqar Younis again won the toss and decided to bat first. A sparse crowd, not more than a few hundred, saw Shahid Afridi (67) and Saeed Anwar (64) put on 91 for the second wicket to lay the foundation of a huge total. Shahid and Saeed having failed against Sri Lanka batted with confidence specially the former who clubbed five sixes and three fours in his 81-ball innings. Saeed, who was more sedate, was bowled going for a big hit. He also hit a six and six fours and faced 80 deliveries. However, the real fireworks were provided by Abdur Razzaq and Wasim Akram in the slog overs. Razzaq appeared on his way to getting the fastest 50 but was run out by a direct throw from Zimbabwe skipper Brian Murphy. Razzaq had earlier struck the biggest six of the tournament, sending the ball soaring out of the ground and into the adjoining football field. His 46-ball gem contained two sixes and two fours. Later Wasim, the former captain, struck out lustily in the final two overs to score a rapid unbeaten 22 off only 14 balls that contained two sixes and a one four. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011028 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sri Lanka beat Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Correspondent SHARJAH, Oct 27: It was a mismatch with Pakistan well and truly whipped by a professional Sri Lankan team in a totally one-sided affair by seven wickets in the Khaleej Times Trophy at the Sharjah Stadium. A total of 176 to overhaul on a placid wicket was never going to be testing one barring a sensational collapse which never materialized as Pakistan's over-rated attack except Wasim Akram posed few problems to the Sri Lankan batsmen. The only bright spots for Pakistan in the field was Wasim Akram who bowled his heart out but was desperately unlucky not to be amongst wickets. While the bowling lacked penetration the buttered fingered fielders also compounded the problems. Sanath Jayasuriya was dropped by Shoaib Malik in Waqar Younis' third over. Aviskha Gunawardena, who enjoyed a charmed life especially during Wasim Akram's opening burst, too was put down by Saeed Anwar in the 60s. Later named Man-of-the-Match, Gunawardena was eventually dismissed for 88. He slammed 13 fours and faced 122 balls. Pakistan on this performance will have to improve beyond recognition to even beat the current 'whipping boys' Zimbabwe tomorrow to make next Sunday's final. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011029 ------------------------------------------------------------------- No fear of being sacked, says Hanif ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Shazad Ali KARACHI, Oct 28: Hanif Khan, said he has no fear of being sacked if the team fails to deliver in next month's Champions Trophy since he has not received an ultimatum from the game's administrators. "I am the national coach. I suppose I will continue to train the boys even if the team does not fare well in the Champions Trophy. I have no plans to step down even after team's defeat. "Nobody from the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) ever talked to me and never said I will be replaced or removed if the team faltered," Hanif disclosed from Lahore before leaving for Rotterdam with the national squad. Hanif's statement was a startling disclosure given the fact president of the PHF, Gen Aziz Khan, on Sept 22, gave the team management last opportunity to produce results or be ready to face the music. The PHF president had said team officials would be sacked and replaced by another set of management to raise a formidable outfit for next February's World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. The team officials are under fire since Pakistan's dismal performance at the Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur last August where the team secured fourth position. The showing at the Cup was the worst ever in the history of the tournament. "Had there been plans to remove me, the PHF could have done it a long time ago. I will be carrying no burden or apprehension during the Trophy. I have always served my country as player and a coach, not for anybody else," Hanif said. The former left-inner said he would like to carry on at least till the World Cup next year like the way the PHF had planned earlier. The PHF, appointing the team officials early this year had categorically said the officials would be at the helm at least until the World Cup. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011102 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Jahangir blames coach for poor finish ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Nov 1: Jahangir Khan said he was not satisfied with the Pakistan team's showing at the World Team Championship as the overall standard displayed during the tourney was not very high. "I am not at all satisfied with the 11th position finish simply because the overall standard of the Championship was not very high," Jahangir, winner of a record ten British Open titles, told SADA. Pakistan, six-time winner of the World Team title, finished an abysmal 11th in the Championship, failing to qualify for the quarterfinals. "Considering the efforts put in by the Pakistan Squash Federation the result is not encouraging and the players showed a lack of confidence and of proper coaching," he said. "The PSF has never held so many camps for a team in the past but I think the choice of coach was not correct and our team failed to live up to expectations." The Pakistan team was coached by former British Open Amateur champion Aftab Javed.-SADA DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011101 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan allocated 2005 world team event ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: Pakistan have been allotted the 2005 World Men's Team Squash Championship while they have also offered to host the World Junior tournament in 2004 in case Colombia are unable to do so because of security reasons. A press release of the Pakistan Squash Federation said that the decisions were taken at the 31st Annual General Meeting of the World Squash Federation in Melbourne recently. The AGM was attended by Air Marshal Syed Qaiser Hussain, Senior Vice President of the PSF along with Jahangir Khan who is a vice president of both the WSF and the Pakistan federation. In the meeting, reservations were expressed by some members about security in Colombia for the World Junior Championship. In this backdrop Pakistan filed a back-up bid to stage the competition. Security for the forthcoming World Open in India was also discussed. The representative of the Squash Rackets Federation of India assured the house that the participants would be provided tight security. He also said that players would be assisted in acquiring visas to ensure their participation in the tournament. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011031 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Payments to seven cricketers stopped ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, Oct 30: Coca Cola have stopped payments to seven Pakistan cricketers for their failure to respond to the letters of confirmation, sources said. Seven Pakistan players - Moin Khan, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Yousuf Youhana and Saeed Anwar - had signed lucrative deals with Coca Cola for appearing in the company's promotional campaign, through their agent, Sports Unlimited. But at least five of them - Waqar, Inzamam, Yousuf, Saqlain and Saeed - may face legal action as they have decided to revoke their contracts with Coca Cola. Sources at the cricket headquarters at Gaddafi Stadium claimed the players have sent their requests for termination of contracts. But Sports Limited argued that they have yet to receive any appeal. The players have been forced to revoke their contracts by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who are the aggrieved party in the entire scenario as their agreement with Pepsi as team sponsor was being affected. Pepsi pays $4.6million for using its logo on the players' kits. Knowledgeable sources said Coca Cola had paid the players four installments of their contracts. But the fifth installment with a bonus has now been put on hold. "Letters of confirmation were written to the players who have failed to respond. Until the players acknowledge, they will not be paid the fifth installment," sources said. The fifth installment was due to be paid on Oct 3. Moin Khan had signed the contract for Rs2.2million, Waqar for Rs1.3million, Inzamam Rs1.75million, Saeed Rs1.45million, Saqlain Rs1.25million, Mushtaq Rs800,000 and Youhana Rs900,000. The next year's contract was to be revised with an annual raise of 10 per cent to 20 per cent (depending upon the performance during 2001) over 2001. The first installment of 10 per cent of the annual amount was paid on Jan 15 while the second installment of 15 per cent of the amount was paid on Feb 10. The third and fourth installments (25 per cent each) were paid to the players on April 3 and July 3 respectively. In the fifth installment, Moin was to get Rs1.1million, Waqar Rs650,000, Inzamam Rs875,000, Saeed Rs723,000, Saqlain Rs615,000, Youhana Rs450,000 and Mushtaq Rs400,000. "In the letters, the players have been asked to confirm their availability for shooting of some commercials and other advertising drills. But unfortunately, the players haven't responded which left Coca Cola no other option than to temporarily stop their payments and adopt the wait-and-see policy," sources said. A spokesman of the Sports Unlimited said the decision about legal action would be taken by the regional office in Bahrain. "When Sports Unlimited get players' request, they would contact Coca Cola's country office who will then forward the request to Bahrain. "If Bahrain decides to take legal action against Sports Unlimited, Sports Unlimited, in turn, will press charges against the players. It should not be forgotten that Sports Unlimited had signed with Coca Cola on players' behalf." In the four instalments until Oct 3, Coca Cola has paid Rs2,096,000 to the seven players. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20011030 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan cricket stars in legal trap ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Samiul Hasan KARACHI, Oct 29: At least six current Pakistan cricketers may end up in a court of law after they were forced to terminate their lucrative two-year contracts by the cricket board. Highly placed sources said captain Waqar Younis, vice-captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Yousuf Youhana and Azhar Mahmood had filed requests to their agent - Sports Unlimited - for termination of the contracts before leaving for Sharjah. Three other players - Moin Khan, Mushtaq Ahmad and Saqlain Mushtaq - also had signed contracts with Sports Unlimited. But Saqlain is not representing the country because of his personal commitments whereas Moin and Mushtaq have not been asked to terminate their bond as they are currently not in the selectors' reckoning. According to a copy of the agreement, obtained by Dawn, "the players confirm to provide The Coca Cola Export Corporation (TCCEC) with the services of product celebrity for a period of two years commencing Jan 1, 2001." The agreement is to run from Jan 1, 2001 to Dec 31, 2002. Inzamam has signed the contract at Rs1.7million, Waqar Rs1.3million, Youhana Rs900,000, Saeed Rs1.4million and Moin Rs2.4million. However, the players are being pressurised to revoke their contracts as it directly clashes with the interests of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who have an agreement with Coca Cola's arch rival Pepsi which annually pays $4.6million to the PCB. While a spokesman of Sports Unlimited denied that he had received the plea of cancellation of contracts, he admitted that he wouldn't be surprised if the players came up with the request. "I wouldn't be surprised at all because I know they are under immense pressure to terminate their contracts. It's because of that pressure that they have not been following dates for product's publicity campaigns," Rafi Hasan, chief executive of Sports Unlimited, said. He added that this year, the players had appeared just once in commercial and had since then been dodging him as well as the sponsors. But Rafi said that he would take the players to the court of law if Coca Cola decided to take legal action against him. "If Coca Cola takes me to the court, naturally I would press charges against the players. The simple reason is that I have not violated any contract but it's the players who are backing out." He, however, emphasized that he would not initiate any charges against the players until forced to. The spokesman further said the players can only request for termination of the contracts but cannot revoke it. "If they decide to revoke it, they might face severe embarrassment," he said. Explaining his role and involvement in the entire scenario, he cited the example of Azhar Mahmood who returned the contract along with the initial amount to Coca Cola. "But it was not entertained because the players have a contract with Sports Unlimited and not with Coca Cola. It's me who has signed the contract with Coca Cola on players' behalf. This implies that Azhar is legally contracted with me no matter what he thinks," he said. While the PCB have promised to compensate the players with either a fresh contract or sign them with some other sponsor, rumours at the Gaddafi Stadium are that the PCB were also contemplating compensating Sports Unlimited by awarding stadia rights for three years at Rs50million. But Rafi Hasan dispelled the impression, saying: "We had bought cricket and hockey stadia rights for the cancelled events. We had, in fact, proposed the PCB to award us the contracts on a longer terms, say three years at Rs50million. "But it was our proposal and nothing more than that." Legal experts said the hands of the players were completed tied after signing the contract. "They cannot escape from the contract. It's a one-sided contract in which there is no termination clause. In fact, according to the contract, the players cannot appear for Coca Cola's rivals for six months after the termination of the contract," legal experts said. Clause 5 of the contract, a copy of which is with Dawn, says: "I (player) agree that during the term of this agreement and for a period of six (6) months after the expiry or earlier termination of this agreement, I will refrain from participating in, or lending or using my name, image of statement (both written or oral) for or in connection with, any programme, promotion or advertisement of any product which compensates with the products excluding mineral water, tea and coffee." The breakup of payments of Rs1,300,000 made to Waqar Younis is: Year 2001 (Year 1) 10% of the annual amount i.e. Rs195,000 to be paid on the 15th of January 2001 15% of the annual amount i.e. Rs325,000 to be paid on the 10th of February 2001 25% of the annual amount i.e. Rs325,000 to be paid on the 3rd of April 2001 25% of the annual amount i.e. Rs325,000 to be paid on the 3rd of July 2001 25% of the annual amount i.e. Rs325,000 to be paid on the 3rd of October 2001 25% of the annual amount i.e. Rs325,000 to be paid as bonus on the 3rd of October 2001. Year 2002 (Year 2) Annual increment of 10% to 20% (depending upon the performance during year 2001) over 2001 to be paid as follows: 25% of the annual amount will be paid on 3rd of January, 2002 25% of the annual amount will be paid on 3rd of April, 2002 25% of the annual amount will be paid on 3rd of July, 2002 25% of the annual amount will be paid on 3rd of October, 2002. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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