------------------------------------------------------------------- DAWN WIRE SERVICE ------------------------------------------------------------------- Week Ending : 02 Mar 2002 Issue : 08/09 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
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CONTENTS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS + Pakistan asks India to explain position + No arms race with India: Pakistan + Narayanan's remarks unfortunate, says ISPR + No talks unless demands fulfilled: Indian president + $5m reward for Pearl's killer's clue + Omar to be tried first in Pakistan, says official + Omar may be handed over to US, says official + Musharraf, Chamberlin discuss Omar extradition + Another accused records statement: Daniel Pearl case + Court extends remand of suspects in Pearl case + Pearl's widow feels no ill will against Pakistan + Plan afoot to set free some held militants + Qazi Husain formally released + Special court releases Qazi Husain on bail + 10 shot dead in mosque attack + Scuffle at PAF base: 6 airmen killed + New law on reserved seats soon + Five judges appointed to LHC + Plea to produce Zardari rejected + APNS voices concern over delay in press laws + US plane comes under fire + Electronic media rules spelt out + All hospitals put on high alert: Kasi: �Congo fever� outbreak + Two killed, 11 injured as prison van ambushed + 12 killed as two clans of Marri tribe clash --------------------------------- BUSINESS & ECONOMY + Japan to provide $300m + Heavy buying in PTCL features stock market trading --------------------------------------- EDITORIALS & FEATURES + How many generals can a country afford? Ayaz Amir + Is the US becoming a 'rogue' state? Eric S. Margolis + Dangerous liaisons Irfan Husain ----------- SPORTS + Aussie officials play down security concerns + Wasim Raja in match referees panel + Pakistan axe Wasim for Asian final + Argentina stun Pakistan + Alert Qasim comes to Pakistan's rescue + Pakistan launch World Cup campaign in style
DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS =================================================================== NATIONAL NEWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan asks India to explain position ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Khaleeq Kiani ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: Pakistan has sought a report from India on an alleged construction of a gate-structure on the Chenab river for diversion of its water in violation of the Indus Basin Treaty, 1960. This is for the first time since the inception of the treaty that a water-related issue other than Wullar Barrage is being taken up at the official diplomatic level instead of relevant agencies like the Permanent Indus Commission (Pic) or the Federal Flood Commission (FFC). The Foreign Office has formally asked India to provide details about the gate-structure on the Chenab that is apparently meant for the construction of a 450-mw Baglihar Power Project in occupied Kashmir. A senior government official told Dawn that the Foreign Office has officially expressed concern over the alleged violation of the Indus Basin Treaty with India and has asked for a report. The Foreign Office was asked by the Ministry of Water and Power that India was not responding to the relevant channels of the Pic that had expressed concern over the reports that the decades-old treaty was being violated through a gate-structure. A visit of the Pakistan commissioner on Pic scheduled for December 2001 was cancelled at the last moment following refusal by the Indian Pic commissioner to arrange his visit of the areas in the Kashmir region for the inspection of rivers, particularly the Chenab. A senior official of the power ministry said India was quoting prevailing tense situation and military build-up at the Line of Control as an excuse to show its inability to facilitate the visit and subsequent inspection. The two sides had agreed in May last year during annual meeting of the Pic in Islamabad that Pakistan commissioner would visit the river areas for verification and till then India would not proceed on the proposed project unless cleared by Pakistan. "At least that commitment has not been honoured by the Indian side," said a power ministry official. He said there was no official word available from India despite repeated requests on Baglihar project for quite some time but media reports obviously emanating from across the border suggest India had started proceeding on the hydel power project. "We had asked the Foreign Office to use its offices and sources for a report on the Chenab waters diversion since we have not been able to have Indian response," the official said. In May last year, Pakistan had formally registered its concern over the construction of Baglihar project with unequivocal stand that the existing project design was unacceptable to it. The Chenab River belonged to Pakistan but India could construct run-of-the river power projects and the ones that did not divert or reduce the water flow. India had agreed to come up with a revised design and data for further discussion and facilitate the visit of Pakistani engineers to inspect the site. On the question of the gate-structure, the treaty says: "If the conditions at the site of a plant make a gated spillway necessary, the bottom level of the gates in normal closed position shall be located at the highest level consistent with sound and economical design and satisfactory construction and operation of the works." Under the treaty, Pakistan has exclusive rights to use water of western rivers - Indus, Jehlum and Chenab - while eastern rivers - Ravi, Sutlej and Beas - have been assigned to India. Brokered by the World Bank, that is also a guarantor, the 1960 treaty had helped resolve a severe resource distribution problem in the aftermath of partition. In early 1980s, too, India breached the treaty and tried to construct Wullar Barrage over Jehlum river. Though the Indian attempt was thwarted yet the issue continues to be on the bilateral agenda for monitors. Except this and some minor differences from time to time, the river-sharing arrangement has, so far, worked well and survived wars and periods of high tension. Under Article VIII of the treaty: "If either party plans to construct any engineering work which would cause interference with the waters of any of the Rivers and which, in its opinion, would affect the other party materially, it shall notify the other party of its plans and shall supply such date relating to the work as may be available and as would enable the other party to inform itself of the nature, magnitude and effect of the work." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020301 ------------------------------------------------------------------- No arms race with India: Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Hasan Akhtar ISLAMABAD, Feb 28: Pakistan may reassess its defence requirements in the light of the proposed big increase in the allocation for armed forces in the Indian budget, Director-General of the Inter- Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi said at a joint news briefing at the Foreign Office, though reiterating Islamabad was not in arms race with its neighbour. He said: "Just because India has raised its defence budget is no reason for Pakistan to react, or follow suit." DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020226 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Narayanan's remarks unfortunate, says ISPR ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: The spokesman for President Musharraf, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, termed Indian President K.R. Narayanan's speech in the Indian Parliament "unfortunate and disappointing." When asked to comment, ISPR director-general said Mr Narayanan in his speech before the Indian parliament "had spoken in aggressive and hostile language." He said: "Pakistan rejects these allegations with all force, at its command. Pakistan wants to make it clear that it would never deviate from its principled stand in its fight against terrorism and curbing of extremism," he said, adding emphatically: "No tactics of India would ever succeed in intimidating Pakistan." The international community, he said, had already condemned the aggressive posture adopted by India, by always advising New Delhi to enter into dialogue with Pakistan, and desist from escalating tension or resorting to any act of adventurism. Mr Qureshi said India should face the reality and desist from resorting to the state terrorism. He emphatically declared that Pakistan would never hold talks on the terms dictated by India. Such conditions, he said, did not reflect sincerity of India, rather it carried vested interest of New Delhi. Gen Qureshi said the BJP had conducted election campaign in the recent polls by carrying out baseless propaganda against Pakistan. "But, it suffered a humiliating defeat in these elections which included the largest Indian State of Uttar Pradesh." He said: "This amply proved that the people of India had rejected the hostile posture of the BJP leadership." The Indians, he added, had thus proved to the BJP government the need for resolving the Kashmir dispute and other issues with Pakistan. "But, it seems, the Indian leadership have not learnt any lesson from their defeat and rejected the sentiments of their own people." The spokesman said: "In fact, the expectations of the Indian people stand outrightly frustrated on the basis of the actions of the BJP leadership." He said if the Indian government had any interest in the peace and stability of South Asia, the Indian President would have advised his government to withdraw its forces from the borders and immediately resume talks with Pakistan on Kashmir dispute. -APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020226 ------------------------------------------------------------------- No talks unless demands fulfilled: Indian president ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jawed Naqvi NEW DELHI, Feb 25: The Indian government responded to an arriving political crisis with calls for a military preparedness that would deter Pakistan and some other unnamed countries that may threaten its security, and said a massive troop deployment on its western borders was there to stay until Islamabad met some key conditions. President K.R. Narayanan, opening the parliament's budget session a day after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was declared routed in key state polls, said there could be no talks with Pakistan unless Islamabad gave evidence of steps to stop cross-border terrorism in Kashmir. Narayanan accused Pakistan of having helped the terrorists who it says attacked the Indian parliament on Dec 13 with the aim of eliminating politicians and MPs present there. Spelling out the measures against Pakistan, Narayanan said: "The necessary level of military strength and preparedness will be maintained to deter any aggression. On a parallel track, we have taken several diplomatic and political measures against Pakistan. The Indian president, who is due to retire in August if he does not seek a second term, spelt out conditions for resuming talks with Pakistan. "We keep hearing calls of resumption of dialogue with Pakistan. Terrorism and dialogue cannot go together. Recent history is witness to the fact that, whereas India has always been ready for meaningful and fruitful talks with Pakistan, it is Pakistan that has ensured their failure with its acts of betrayal." He said India was prepared to resume the dialogue process with Pakistan, provided Islamabad satisfies New Delhi "that it has indeed taken effective steps to end the training, equipping and financing of the terrorists and stop their infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India. "We also demand that Islamabad hand over to us the 20 terrorists who have committed grave crimes in India and who continue to receive shelter in Pakistan. Positive action by Islamabad on these demands is the test of its sincerity to end its hostility against India and to pave the way for discussing all the outstanding issues, including that of Jammu and Kashmir, in a peaceful manner, through bilateral dialogue," Narayanan said. Narayanan spoke of some other problems India was having with its neighbours but did not name them. He said the recent test-firing of the nuclear capable Agni missile was a step towards checking these threats. Narayanan also spoke of domestic problems brewing in the town of Ayodhya where Hindu zealots tore down a mosque in 1992. "The Ayodhya dispute is one of the contentious issues before the nation. Its amicable and speedy resolution is crucial for communal harmony and national integration. The government is firmly of the view that this dispute can be resolved, either through mutual agreement among all the parties concerned, or through a verdict of the judiciary," Narayanan said. "The government of India, being the statutory receiver, is duty- bound to maintain the status quo at the disputed site in Ayodhya. It will also ensure that all necessary measures will be taken to ensure the preservation of law and order," he said. Narayanan said militancy and extremism in India's north-eastern states were the chief obstacles to tranquillity, prosperity, and welfare in the region. He also offered India's help to Nepal to help fight a raging Maoist insurgency in the kingdom. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- $5m reward for Pearl's killer's clue ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Feb 27: Pakistan was considering the US requests to extradite British-born militant Sheikh Omar, the confessed mastermind of slain US reporter Daniel Pearl's abduction, as Washington offered a five-million-dollar reward for information on the journalist's killers. "Today we are announcing a five-million-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of who is responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters in Washington.-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020302 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Omar to be tried first in Pakistan, says official ------------------------------------------------------------------- TOKYO, March 1: Government said it reserved the right to put the confessed mastermind behind the abduction of murdered US journalist Daniel Pearl on trial in one of its own courts. Pakistan Foreign Secretary Inam-ul-Haque said his government was still considering US request to extradite British-born militant Shaikh Omar, the confessed organiser of Pearl's kidnapping. "I am not ruling out the possibilities of extradition," Haque told a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. "The government is examining the request." But he added Pakistan has "the first right" to try to punish Omar in a domestic court. Washington has stepped up pressure on the Pakistan government to extradite Omar, while offering a five-million-dollar reward for information on the Wall Street Journal correspondent's killers. Britain said it would not object to the London-born Omar's extradition. Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan confirmed on Thursday that extradition "has been discussed" between Islamabad and Washington, but added: "For the moment we will continue with our investigations." In the wake of Pearl's abduction and gruesome murder, Haque also promised his government would make "maximum efforts to provide protection for all Pakistanis and non- Pakistani residents in Pakistan." But he continued: "Certain basic precautions should also be taken by those who are living in Pakistan because the threat certainly has not disappeared completely." Haque, Pakistan's most senior foreign ministry mandarin, was visiting Tokyo to prepare a visit to Japan by President Pervez Musharraf later this month.-AFP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Omar may be handed over to US, says official ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: According to the extradition treaty with the United States which Pakistan adopted in 1947, British-born militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, main suspect in Pearl's kidnap and murder can be handed over to the US if his Pakistani citizenship is established, as authorities are not sure whether he is Pakistani national. "It is not confirmed that he (Omar Sheikh) is a Pakistani national, this has to be checked," Abdur Rashid Khan, additional secretary and official spokesman for the Interior Ministry told Dawn. He said: "Unless he renounces his Pakistani citizenship, the presumption is that he is holding double nationality." Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh, whose parents hail from the occupied Kashmir, was born and educated in England, entered into Pakistan in 1999 from Afghanistan along with Maulana Azhar Masood- both were brought in Kandhar by Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh for the release of Indian hijacked plan. Contrary to reports emanating from the United States that no extradition treaty exists, Pakistan has extradited about 20 persons in last 10 years. Majority of those so far extradited were alleged drug smugglers. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Musharraf, Chamberlin discuss Omar extradition ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: President Pervez Musharraf and the US ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin discussed the possible extradition to the United States of the suspected mastermind of the kidnap of murdered American reporter Daniel Pearl, a US spokesman said. The meeting comes a day after President Bush said Washington wanted to put the British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh on trial in the United States and could use a colonial era treaty to extradite him. "The ambassador thanked the Pakistan president for the ongoing police cooperation and further movement on the Pearl case," a US embassy spokesman said in Islamabad. "The other subject that was raised was the question of extradition," the spokesman said, adding, "there are no details". Asked if President Musharraf expressed support for extradition, the spokesman said: "This is an ongoing investigation. There is not a whole lot we can say on this." In Washington, law-enforcement officials said the US Justice Department was strongly considering bringing criminal charges in Pearl's kidnapping and murder. US officials said Washington considered a 1931 extradition treaty with Britain - then the colonial ruler of the territory on which Pakistan was established in 1947 - was still in effect. The US embassy spokesman confirmed extraditions from Pakistan to the United States had occurred in the past under the treaty, but declined to give details of the cases. -Reuters DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020302 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Another accused records statement: Daniel Pearl case ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, March 1: Judicial magistrate Karachi, South, Ms Erum Jehangir, recorded the confessional statement of another accused in the U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl's abduction and murder case. The accused, Syed Salman Saqib, was produced before the court amid tight security. His confessional statement ended at about 1:10 pm and he was sent to jail in an armoured personnel carrier. According to the prosecution, the accused acted as a contact between the main accused Ahmed Omar Shaikh and the co-accused Fahad Naseem who allegedly sent emails regarding the abduction of Daniel Pearl. No details were available regarding the confessional statement. However, the counsel for the accused, Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, told newsmen in the premises of the City Courts that the accused had perhaps stated his role in the crime. According to Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, the magistrate had refused to supply to him and the police the copies of the confessional statement and directed him to get the copies of the statements of the accused Fahad and Salman from the trial court, on the beginning of the trial. "This time the magistrate did not allow me to read the statement saying that I had disclosed the confessional statement of the accused Fahad Nasim to the media", he said. The defence counsel also stated that the accused had complained to the magistrate that he was not feeling well due to his old injuries. The magistrate ordered the jail authorities to provide the accused with all basic medical facilities. She also directed Khwaja Naveed to file an application before the administrative judge of the Anti-Terrorism Courts regarding the medical treatment of the accused. Khwaja Naveed said that Salman had been in custody since February 11, 2002, while his statement was recorded now. He added that any statement made after such a long period had no value. The administrative judge for the ATCs on February 25, 2002, had extended the police remand of three accused, Salman Saqib, Shaikh Muhammad Adil and Ahmed Omar Saeed Shaikh, till March 12, 2002. The fourth arrested accused, Fahad Nasim, had earlier recorded his confessional statement.-PPI/APP DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020226 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Court extends remand of suspects in Pearl case ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, Feb 25: The prime suspect in the Daniel Pearl case, Ahmed Omar Saeed Shaikh, and two others told the Administrative Judge of the anti- terrorism courts that police had forcibly obtained their signatures on blank papers, while police obtained their further remand for 14 days, till March 12. Justice Shabbir Ahmed in his order directed police not to coerce the accused for obtaining confessions nor signatures on blank papers during custody. Ahmad Omar Saeed Shaikh, Mohammed Salman and Mohammed Adil were brought to the Sindh High Court amid tight security with their faces muffled with white cloth, to obtain their further remand from Justice Shabbir Ahmed, who is also the Administrative Judge of the anti-terrorism courts. Raja Qureshi, the Advocate-General Sindh, who was accompanied by the SP investigations II, Manzoor Mughal, and the investigation officer, told newsmen that police obtained a further remand for 14 days under sub-section 5 of section 19 of the amended ATA laws. The police remand had been obtained to enable them to find the dead body of Daniel Pearl and recover weapons, he said. Answering a question, he said it would not be an indefinite process. He claimed that the prosecution had discovered a new piece of evidence but did not present it today before the Administrative Judge. It would be presented in the final challan, he said. He claimed that the suspects told the Administrative Judge that they were not manhandled or tortured during custody. While granting the remand, Justice Ahmed in his order said one of the accused, Ahmed Omar Shaikh, had stated that during custody police had been pressured to obtain his confession and his signature on blank paper which had been obtained. So was the statement of the two other accused. Justice Ahmed in his order also directed police not to coerce the accused and not to obtain their signatures on blank paper during the remand. Khawaja Naveed Ahmed, counsel for Salman and Adil, told newsmen after police obtained remand that Omar Shaikh told Justice Ahmed that "he has been in police custody for 20 days and now they are seeking my signatures for extracting my confession, which I do not want to make. Yesterday I was forced to sign blank papers." The other two accused complained of the same, he said. The prime suspect in the Daniel Pearl kidnapping case, Ahmed Omar Saeed Shaikh, had on Feb 14 stated before an ATC judge that as far as he understood the US journalist was dead. He had also stated that "I did kidnap him," adding: "I don't want to defend the case." Khawaja Naveed told newsmen that police had shown Ahmed Omar Saeed Shaikh, Syed Salman Saqib, Mohammed Adil and Fahad Naseem in custody. Fahad has been remanded in jail custody after recording his section 164 statement. The names of the absconders are Amjad Husain Farooqi alias Hyder Farooqi alias Hasan Mansoor, Asim alias Qasim, Hashim alias Arif, Hasan, Imtiaz Siddiqui, Ahmed Bhai and an unknown person who took photographs of Daniel Pearl in captivity with camera and sent these through e-mail to the international media. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pearl's widow feels no ill will against Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON, Feb 26: The pregnant widow of Daniel Pearl said she still had great affection for Pakistan despite her husband's murder and praised investigators who tried to rescue him. In her first interviews since her husband's videotaped killing by his captors was disclosed last week, Mariane Pearl said the Pakistani people, and especially investigators, had shown her great compassion and empathy during the ordeal. "My feelings and my affection for this country have not changed because of what happened here. On the contrary, the people have shown tremendous support to me. They have shared my sorrow," said Mrs Pearl in an interview with CNN from Karachi. "I know they feel bad, ashamed, sad about what happened," added Mrs Pearl, a French national. Mariane Pearl, who is seven months pregnant with the couple's first child, said Pakistani investigators had shown unlimited amounts of courage despite having limited resources. -Reuters DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020301 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Plan afoot to set free some held militants ------------------------------------------------------------------- ISLAMABAD, Feb 28: Pakistan is considering the release of some of 2,060 Muslim militants detained in a sweep last month despite its current crackdown on such activists, a senior government official said. The militants are from five banned Islamic groups, including two India accuses of carrying out a Dec-13 suicide raid on the Indian parliament. "We are in the process of categorising these people to see who are innocent and who are dangerous," Brig Javed Iqbal Cheema, head of the Interior Ministry's Crisis Management Cell, told Reuters. The cell oversees the crackdown on Muslim militants ordered by President Gen Pervez Musharraf in his address on Jan 12. "We are working on a policy to deal with them. It will take some time to finalise this policy," Cheema said. "We may ask them to fill a surety bond and give guarantee that they will not indulge in such (militant) activities before releasing them," he added.-Reuters DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020301 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Qazi Husain formally released ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Feb 28: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Amir Qazi Husain Ahmad was formally released following acceptance of his bail bonds by Judge Maqbool Mahmood Bajwa of the anti-terrorist court. The release was delayed on account of rejection of his first bail bonds on the ground that registration deed accompanying the same was old. Fresh bail bonds were then furnished with another registration deed. As a result, the JI leader could not address the Jamaat workers gathered in the morning at Mansoora to greet him. Instead, JI (Punjab) Amir Hafiz Muhammad Idrees read his message issued from the hospital where he awaited release. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Special court releases Qazi Husain on bail ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Feb 27: Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmed was released following the acceptance of his bail application by Anti-Terrorist Court Judge Mahmood Maqbul Bajwa. He will leave his hospital bed for a few hours to visit Mansoora to meet Jamaat workers. He will return to hospital after the meetings. The court ordered the release of the JI amir on furnishing two bail bonds of Rs100,000 each which were furnished accordingly. Qazi Husain Ahmed was not produced in the court because he was indisposed and admitted to hospital. Qazi Husain Ahmed had been arrested on Jan 28 in a case registered against him and several others in connection with the protest demonstrations on arrival of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpaee in the provincial metropolis in 1999. All the co-accused named in the FIR had been granted bail. The court heard arguments on his bail application and reserved judgement. His judicial remand, which was ending, was also extended by one day. Meanwhile, Qazi Husain Ahmed has proposed observing of a national solidarity day by all religious factions to combat terrorist activities of enemies of Islam. In a statement issued from the Johar Town hospital before being released on bail on the orders of the Anti-Terrorist Court, the JI amir said that the firing on the Rawalpindi mosque was an anti- Islamic act but the imperialist agents were trying to bring a bad name to the religious elements by giving it a sectarian colour. He said that the government officials served the interest of the enemy and brought a bad name to Islam by giving a sectarian colour to the acts of terrorism. He called upon the ulema of all the sects to forge unity in their rank and file to face the conspiracy to divide the Muslims by giving a sectarian colour to acts of terrorism. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 shot dead in mosque attack ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mohammad Asghar and Baqir Sajjad Syed RAWALPINDI, Feb 26: Ten people were shot dead and 16 others critically injured in a sectarian-related terrorism, hospital and police sources told Dawn. The hospital authorities feared that the death toll may rise as the condition of around four injured was serious. The injured and the dead were taken to the Holy Family Hospital and later some of them were removed to the Rawalpindi General Hospital. According to the eyewitnesses, three terrorists on a motorcycle came outside Shah-i-Najaf mosque, when the Maghrib prayers were being offered. Two of the assailants walked into the mosque and locked the door from inside and the third one stood outside. "The two men, wearing shalwar kameez, first started hurling abuses and then sprayed bullets on the Namazis," Shabir Zaki one of the injured told Dawn. Another eyewitness said one of the attackers fired shots at the worshippers while the other loaded the empty gun and continued targeting. One of the injured, describing from the hospital bed the appearance of the assailants, said they were fair colored and well-built and approximately five-and-a-half feet high. They were having well-trimmed beards, he added. As soon as the shooting started, the Namazis, who were around 40 in number, fell on the ground and their screams and groaning could be heard loudly, an eyewitness said. "It was a horrible scene, bodies were lying in a pool of blood as I rushed to switch on the public address system of the mosque to seek the help of the neighbours," Mr Zaki, in charge of the mosque said. The private guard of the mosque, who was supposed to be on duty, was himself saying prayers and was killed in the attack. Moving scenes were witnessed in the hospital as the heirs came to identify the bodies of the victims. The charged heirs of the deceased and injured who had gathered in a large number outside the emergency ward of the HFH, chanted slogans against the government and accused the police and district administration of not making adequate preventive measures that led to the massacre. They said the administration had refused to allow them to construct a boundary wall around the mosque, which could have prevented the incident. Police guards had been removed from the city's worship places few days back. The newly appointed Rawalpindi Senior Superintendent of Police, Morawat Shah, said it was almost impossible to depute police guards at each and every mosque and Imambargah. "We cannot term it police negligence," the SSP said. Rawalpindi Range Deputy Inspector-General of Police Fareed Nawaz said the killing appeared to be sectarian motivated, and it was most probable that the killers had fled to neighboring Islamabad. "They might have crossed over to Islamabad. We have alerted the federal capital administration in this connection and have asked them to keep an eye on suspicious persons," the DIG further said. After a session with the commander of the 111 brigade, Brig Shafquat Ahmed, the DIG said they had decided to conduct raids at the places of known sectarian activists to track down the killers. But Brig Shafquat, who had been monitoring police performance, refused to comment on the gory incident. He ruled out the possibility of calling in troops for maintaining law and order, and said their role would only be limited to the investigation side of the tragedy. The weapon used in the attack has been identified by the police as Kalashnikov. However, no arrest had been made by the police till the filing of this report. It was the first major attack of this kind since President Pervez Musharraf announced a crackdown on extremist and sectarian groups last month. The IG of Punjab Police, announced Rs500,000 reward for giving information about the assailants of the incident. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Scuffle at PAF base: 6 airmen killed ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporters ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: Air Chief Marshal Musaf Ali Mir presented a report to President Gen Pervez Musharraf about the tragic killing of six airmen at Sargodha airbase. The air chief apprised the President that special investigation bureau of Pakistan Air Force had already been detailed to conduct thorough investigation into the incident. According to a PAF source, one airman belonging to Kohat opened fire with his service weapon on fellow colleagues following a minor scuffle while playing an indoor game. "While playing indoor games at PAF base Sargodha, a scuffle took place amongst the airmen. In this unfortunate incident one of them started indiscriminate shooting which resulted in the death of six airmen," a PAF press release said. The accused has been arrested and a court of inquiry has been convened by the PAF authorities to establish the facts of the incident, it added. The PAF public relations wing when contacted said that they had no information about the number of injured. According to reports the men were playing a board game when the fight broke out. Sources said four people died. FGCM: The PAF authorities are considering the option of holding a Field General Court Martial of the airman who killed his six colleagues, senior officials told Dawn. The matter would be decided in a few days, Air Commodore Qadeer Hashmi said. About probable causes, he said: "The initial investigations into the incident ruled out the possibility of sectarian or ethnic causes." The officials said the Special Investigation Bureau is looking into the possibility if there was an enmity among the airmen or was the tragedy simply an act of a man who lost his cool and went berserk. The actual causes would be clear in a day or two, he said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020226 ------------------------------------------------------------------- New law on reserved seats soon ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Rafaqat Ali ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: The government is all set to introduce a law under which the political parties getting less than 10 per cent of votes for the general seats, will not be entitled to contest elections for the seats reserved for women and technocrats. Official sources said that an ordinance had been sent to President Pervez Musharraf for signature and it would be promulgated within days. Any political party securing less than 10 per cent of the total votes in the general seats will not be entitled to contest for any reserved seats. However, an exception is likely to be created for a situation in which only one party secured 10 per cent of votes. In that case the next party with five per cent of votes will be entitled to nominate candidates for reserved seats on the basis of votes it secured in the national and provincial assembly elections. Election to general seats of National Assembly and provincial assemblies will be held on the basis of single member territorial constituency method and they will be elected by a direct vote. The whole province will be a constituency for the reserved seats of women and technocrats. Such seats will be allocated on the basis of population. The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) is at present working on a definition of the technocrat which shall be acceptable to all quarters. The NRB definition says a technocrat means a person with at least masters' degree or equivalent professional qualification and is a person of distinction, recognized nationally and internationally for his professional competence and has a minimum of 15 years' experience at a high level, either in administration or management or in the field of his specialization. The NRB definition so far is being opposed by certain quarters who think that it will generate a lot of controversy. According to the NRB definition very few prominent lawyers, engineers or scientists, having national and international recognition, will qualify for the reserved seats. "Even persons like Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan will not be qualified for a technocrat's seat," the official source said. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Five judges appointed to LHC ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: President Pervez Musharraf appointed five district and sessions judges, working as accountability courts' judges, as ad hoc judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC) for two years, it was officially notified. Those appointed are Pervez Ahmad, judge Accountability Court (AC) Attock; Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain, judge AC Lahore; Farrukh Latif, judge AC Lahore; Syed Sakhi Hussain Bukhari, judge AC Rawalpindi and Justice Rustam Ali Malik, judge AC Rawalpindi. After the appointments, number of the LHC judges has been increased to 42. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020226 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Plea to produce Zardari rejected ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter LAHORE, Feb 25: The Lahore High Court rejected a plea to order production of former PPP federal minister Asif Ali Zardari to contest a government appeal against grant of bail to him by a sessions court. Mr Zardari was granted bail in a narcotics case and the prosecution moved an appeal against the trial court order. Advocate Latif Khan Khosa appeared for him before a division bench comprising Justices Karamat Nazir Bhandari and Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry. He requested that the accused be allowed to appear to appoint his counsel. He also sought time for preparation. The bench pointed out that Mr Khosa was already appearing for the respondent and there was no need to order his production. It fixed March 11 for regular hearing of the prosecution appeal. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020301 ------------------------------------------------------------------- APNS voices concern over delay in press laws ------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI, Feb 28: The APNS Executive Committee has expressed its dismay over the delay in the promulgation of press laws, and decided to recommend to the Annual General Council of the society to devise appropriate actions to press the government for enactment of these laws without further delay, says a press release. APNS secretary-general, releasing the resolutions and decisions of the executive committee at a meeting held in Karachi under the chairmanship of Mr Hameed Haroon, stated that despite various assurances the federal government has failed to promulgate the press laws including formation of the Press Council of Pakistan, Freedom of Information Ordinance and Registration of Newspapers and Press Ordinance. This state of affairs was considered by the members of the print media with concern, and they have decided to urge upon the government for immediate action on its part. The laws have been duly agreed upon by the APNS, CPNE and the Ministry of Information, and have also been cleared by the Law Ministry. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- US plane comes under fire ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Correspondent SUKKUR, Feb 26: US transport aircraft, C-130, came under heavy fire when it took off for a routine flight to Afghanistan. The pilot of the C-130 on seeing the spark of gunfire, which was aimed at his aircraft, decided to return to the Shahbaz Air Base, Jacobabad, where he landed safely. Later, a heavy contingent of the rangers, police, and other law enforcement agencies surrounded ten villages near the Shahbaz Air Base and arrested eight villagers. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020302 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic media rules spelt out ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, March 1: The President promulgated ordinance establishing Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority which has been empowered to issue licences for establishment of radio, television, cable television, and closed circuit television. The ordinance called Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Ordinance, 2002, would issue licences for establishing and operating broadcast or CTV stations. Broadcast media has been defined by the law as "broadcast by radio, television, including cable television, closed circuit television, direct broadcasting, multi-point multi-channel distribution system for radio and television." No foreigner or foreign company would be entitled to apply for licence. The objective of the law is stated to be improvement in the standards of information, education, entertainment and to enlarge the choice available to the people of Pakistan in the media for news, current affairs, religious knowledge, art, culture, science, technology, economic development, social sector concerns, music, sports, drama, and other subjects of public and national interest. The principal office of the authority will be at Islamabad. The PEMRA will be responsible for regulating the establishment and operation of all broadcast and CTV stations in Pakistan established for the purpose of international, national, provincial, district, local or special target audience. The law empowers the federal government to issue directives to PEMRA on policy matters and such directives would be binding on the authority. If a question arises whether any matter was a matter of policy or not, the decision of the federal government would be final. The authority will consist of a chairman and nine members to be appointed by the President. The chairman will be an eminent professional of known integrity and competence having substantial experience in media, business, management, finance, economics or law. Out of nine members, one will be nominated by the federal government on full time basis and five would be eminent citizens chosen to ensure representation of all provinces. Federal information and interior secretaries will be ex-officio members. The law requires that chairman and members of the authority will not associate themselves with any person or entity engaged in applying for a licence or operating a broadcast station established within the purview of the authority or in providing services or products to the authority. A PEMRA fund would be established with the seed money by the federal government, fees for issuance of licences of operating. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020302 ------------------------------------------------------------------- All hospitals put on high alert: Kasi: 'Congo fever' outbreak ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, March 1: All federal and provincial hospitals have been put on high alert after the outbreak of 'Congo fever', the federal health minister, Dr Abdul Malik Kasi, said. The Punjab health department has been asked to involve animal husbandry to check the epidemic, Mr Kasi said. The federal health authorities have requested the Punjab government to destroy 'ticks', the apparent source of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), by asking the animal husbandry department to spray chemicals. Dr Kasi told reporters here at his Secretariat that Congo fever was under control as both the federal as well as the provincial governments had taken appropriate preventive measures. Besides, efforts were also being made to acquire 20 doses of intravenous vaccines as the present stock of six had depleted to two only. The medicine is very expensive with each course costing $10,000. He also appealed to the people not to be scared as the disease's early warning system was fully operational at the National Institute of Health (NIH) and was monitoring the entire situation in the country. The minister was talking to reporters in the wake of four recent deaths due to Congo virus in Rawalpindi. The director-general, Health, Rear Admiral Mohammad Aslam, NIH's executive director, Dr Athar Saeed Dil, Pims' executive director Prof Azhar Mahmood Qureshi, Medical Superintendent (MS), Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH), Dr Javaid Chaudhry and MS, Holy Family hospital (HFH), Rawalpindi, Dr Nisar Cheema were also present. The reporters were told that a team of specialists had been sent to Bagh in Azad Kashmir from where the first patient came to the HFH. Dr Athar Saeed Dil informed that the blood samples of 15 affected Congo virus patients had been dispatched to laboratories in South Africa, as Pakistan, like many other countries, lacked a sophisticated laboratory which required P-3 level facilities. However, the NIH was trying to develop such a sophisticated laboratory at its premises. Similarly, the hospital staff has been informed about the preventive measures. The report from South Africa is likely to arrive in a week's time. Meanwhile, Prof Abbas Hayat Baloch, professor of pathology in the Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC), said 49 people were under strict surveillance as they had direct or indirect contacts with the Congo virus-affected patients, who died in the hospital. The HFH management had a list of 131 people who came into close contact with the Congo virus patients. It has admitted 12 patients who have been kept under isolation which also includes two doctors. They have been put on prophylactic treatment which costs Rs4,115 per patient. To a question, Dr Athar warned the people not to take oral anti- virus medicines, as these were very strong medicines though cheap and manufactured locally. He also suggested that the doctors, especially the paramedics, should take extra care and insist on the history of a patient before treating him or her because the symptoms of CCHF were quite similar to that of common flu. He also assured that the virus could be treated if detected at an initial stage. Giving details, he said 192 cases of the CCHF had been reported from 1976 till date, out of which 63 people died with 30 per cent mortality rate. The first case was reported in 1976 in Chaghi and Loralai (Balochistan). The Pims' executive director also informed that the blood bank and the hospital's pathology laboratories, which the management had sealed, would soon be reopened after NIH certification. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020301 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Two killed, 11 injured as prison van ambushed ------------------------------------------------------------------- By S. Raza Hassan KARACHI, Feb 28: Two persons, a policeman and a prisoner, died and 11 others, including police officials, prisoners and a shopkeeper, were wounded when unknown assailants ambushed a prisoner van in the built-up area of Bhorapir. It seemed that the ambush had been aimed at freeing some of the prisoners, a senior police official observed. A senior police official told Dawn that the firing had been so intense that the policeman sitting in the back of the van could not return the fire. Two police officials present at a police picket located near the Chuna Chowk returned the fire, forcing the assailants to flee, said SSP Manzoor Mughal. He said the assailants had been travelling in a yellow cab. At least 28 bullet holes had been spotted on the prisoner van, on the back side alone, he added. "Had the two policemen not returned the fire, the assailants could have freed some of the prisoners," the SSP maintained. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020226 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 killed as two clans of Marri tribe clash ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Saleem Shahid QUETTA, Feb 25: At least 12 tribesmen were killed and four others injured, two of them seriously, in an armed clash between two rival clans of Marri tribe, in Khatmundai area of Sibi district. "Firing between the two groups lasted several hours with both sides used automatic weapons," Executive District Officer Sibi, Sardar Khan Bugti said while confirming the incident. Sources said some people of Kalwani and Kingrani, two clans of Marri tribe, exchanged hot wards on Saturday over a dispute on distribution of water for wheat crop in Khatmundai area, 35km from Sibi. However, some elders intervened and resolved the issue at the time. People belonging to Kingrani clan had beaten up a person of other clan who was passing through the fields on a camel. This incident led to an armed clash as tribesmen of both the sides took up positions in the early morning and started firing on each other. The firing, which started around 10am, continued for at least eight hours. The warring groups fired rockets on each other's positions, which resulted in killing of 12 persons from both sides. District administration of Sibi rushed to Khatmundai after receiving information about the gun battle and started efforts to stop firing. With the help of elders of Marri tribe the administered succeeded in stopping firing between the two groups after several hours' efforts. Later, 16 people were brought to Civil Hospital Sibi where doctors confirmed death of 12 persons. Four injured people were admitted to the hospital. Later two of them shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta in view of their serious condition. The tribesmen who were killed in the clashes include brothers and close relatives. They were identified as Kalay Khan, Sydal Khan, Bhutta Khan, Bahar Khan, Sobat Khan, Hayat Khan, Bado Khan, Karo Khan, Ghani Khan, Washal Khan, Jalal Khan and Mohammad Khan, while injured include Dur Mohammad Khan, Jamsher Khan, Ali Khan and Galay Kahn.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY 20020228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Japan to provide $300m ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: Japan will provide $300 million for improving the social sector and the quality of water in the textile sector of Karachi's industrial area. This was stated by a five-member delegation of the Japan External Trade Organizations (Jetro) during a meeting with Commerce and Production Minister Abdul Razzak Dawood. The delegation, led by Jetro director-general Osamu Mizui, apprised the minister about Japan's investment in the areas of health, education, poverty reduction and textile machinery. Mr Dawood hoped that President Gen Pervez Musharraf's visit to Japan next month would strengthen economic relations. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020302 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Heavy buying in PTCL features stock market trading ------------------------------------------------------------------- Staff Reporter KARACHI, March 1: Blue chips maintained their upward drive and mostly finished further higher under the lead of PTCL and some other pivotals barring PSO, which ran into profit-selling at the inflated levels. The KSE 100-share index gained another 8.55 points at 1,774.51 amid another massively traded session. The rising volumes though in selected shares, notably those which are under the process of privatization, show that buying interest is expanding to the broader market, which well mean that investors are taking long positions and for good reasons too. Heavy buying in PTCL featured the trading on the stock market where current favourites managed to finish the weekend session on a firm note despite larger unloading by jobbers and sundry speculators. The KSE 100-share index eying the next chart point of 1,800, maintained its upward steady drive on the strength of leading base shares notably the PTCL and ended with a fresh rise of 8.55 points at 1,774.51 as compared with 1,765.96 a day earlier. Big gainers were led by Javed Omer, Sapphire Fibre, Attock Refinery, Rupali Polyester, Dawood Hercules, Clariant Pakistan, Pakistan Gum Chemicals, Murree Brewery, EFU Life Insurance, IGI Insurance and Security Papers, which posted gains ranging from Rs1.20 to Rs2.95. Losers were led by PSO, Shell Pakistan, Siemens Pakistan, Burewala Textiles and Nestle MilkPak, falling by Rs2.05 to Rs6.95, the largest decline being in Nestle MilkPak. Chashma Sugar, Dewan Sugar and Engro Chemical also fell by Rs1.40 to Rs1.55 and so did some others. Trading volume was maintained on the higher side thanks to heavy turnover in the pivotals totalling 263m shares as gainers held a fair lead over the losers at 107 to 92, out of the 238 actives. PTCL topped the list of most actives, up 40 paisa at Rs19.55 on 110m shares followed by Hub-Power, also up by the same amount at Rs29.50 on 77m shares, Sui Northern, firm by 15 paisa at Rs14 on 16m shares, PSO, off Rs2.25 at Rs146.25 on 15m shares and FFC- Jordan Fertiliser, steady by five paisa at Rs5.60 on 10m shares. Fuaji Fertiliser followed them, firm by 10 paisa on 6.356m shares, National Bank, up 25 paisa on 4.220m shares, KESC, lower 25 paisa on 3.480m shares, ICI Pakistan, off 50 paisa on 2.696m shares and Maple Leaf Cement, up 60 paisa on 2.532m shares. FUTURE CONTRACTS: Forward counters showed easy trend where leading shares notably, ICI Pakistan, PSO and Engro Chemical came in for active selling and finished with losses ranging from 45 paisa to Rs1.55, the largest Rs2.10 being in PSO at Rs145.90. Engro Chemical fell by Rs1.45 at Rs72.70. Hub-Power again proved one of the most active scrips, up 20 paisa at Rs26.05 on 4.750m shares. The interesting feature was that the spread between the ready and forward rates widened to Rs3.45, giving a massive manoeuvring leverage to investors for rolling of either-way positions. PTCL was also actively traded in line with its ready delivery and rose by 45 paisa at Rs19.65 on 5.774m shares. DEFAULTER COMPANIES: Shares of three companies came in for modest support under the lead of Automotive Battery, up five paisa at Rs5.00 on 2,000 shares followed by Pangrio Sugar, unchanged at Rs1.00 on 1,000 shares and Mehran Jute, lower 25 paisa at Rs0.25 on 500 shares. DIVIDEND: Shadman Cotton cash 20 per cent, Nagina Cotton 25 per cent, Premier Sugar 37.5 per cent and Ellcot Spinning 20 per cent.Back to the top
EDITORIALS & FEATURES 20020301 ------------------------------------------------------------------- How many generals can a country afford? ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ayaz Amir If other sectors of national life are stagnating, one by the grace of Allah is flourishing: the assembly line, which produces the military's higher officers. This year, to no one's surprise, 27 brigadiers - including three from the Army Medical Corps - have been approved for promotion to the rank of major general. Last year 22 entered this charmed circle. Of glistening hardware we may have a shortage but of potential Napoleons we obviously have none. Once upon a time (how long ago it seems) generals were a rarity in the Pakistan army, figures of awe and not a little mystique. Nowadays, as the long line of cars streaming out of General Headquarters in Rawalpindi at close of day so eloquently testifies, they are close to becoming a demographic wonder. How many are they in all? Of four-star generals, the heaviest artillery going, the Pakistan army has three: the Chief himself, Gen Aziz and Gen Yousaf. Lieutenant generals, over 25 (at last count 29, including several doctors). Major generals, over a hundred. No doubt some retire but like the national birth-rate is more than the economic growth rate, promotions outstrip retirements. Moreover, since soldiers never die, and in Pakistan they do not even fade away, a general's retirement does not mean his being put out to grass. A hundred sinecures ensure his profitable re- employment. A look into the masonic underworld of retired generals holding grimly on to top positions in government and semi- government organizations would make a fascinating subject for a doctoral thesis. Of course a large body of troops requires an adequate number of commanders. If my counting is correct we have 14 armoured brigades and 19 infantry divisions. Which makes for a large army. Even so, a hundred and twenty generals of all stripes would beggar any military force, no matter how large. How many generals did Hitler have? How many the Red Army? Proportion-wise I am sure we beat both these examples hollow. The air force and navy do not lag behind in this respect. At one time the air force was happy with one air marshal (Asghar Khan) and Pakistan Airlines with another (Nur Khan). In Ayub Khan's time the navy got by with a rear admiral (A. R. Khan). Nowadays getting an accurate count of all the air marshals, air vice marshals, admirals and rear admirals strutting about in uniform would qualify as a major undertaking. Real command positions being few, it is no wonder if more and more senior officers on the active list are looking for lucrative jobs in other government organizations. For the past three years Wapda is being run by what is virtually a corps formation. The boss is a lieut gen (a genial and helpful man but that is beside the point). The various sectors are under the command of brigadiers. Ogdc is the same--serving officers filling the most important jobs. Indeed serving and retired military officers are everywhere including the Federal Public Service Commission and the Punjab Public Service Commission, both headed by retired military officers. The Railways have not been spared. Nor the hapless Post Office, one of the last remaining success stories of Pakistan, which has passed into the care of a retired maj gen. Even the fresh list of major generals makes for instructive reading. Of the 15 who have so far received posting orders, nearly half have got command appointments in the fighting arms while the rest have been posted in such places as Military Land and Cantonments, the Accountability Bureau, the Research Wing of the National Defence College and, yes, the real centre of power, the Chief Executive's Secretariat. An army of course needs desk jobs but the impression here is of excuses being found to accommodate an ever-increasing mass of brass. Who is serving whom? The military serving the country or the country at the service of the military? No doubt all bureaucracies are greedy and tenacious, their instinct being to proliferate and suck life out of other organisms. But the bureaucratization of the military leaves even the earlier exploits of the CSP cadre in the shade. No longer is the military relying on the bureaucracy for advice and the implementation of policy. It is doing everything itself, both macro and micro-management (apart from financial matters which it does not understand). As a result, the old mandarin-military coalition which dominated Pakistan's skyline lies broken. With the babus eclipsed (and good riddance to them) the military is sole arbiter of national affairs. >From this hegemony three questions arise. First, what makes the military think it has a monopoly on wisdom and competence? History certainly lends no support to this illusion, major disasters having struck the country during military rule. Nor is this fiction supported by current performance. Speed and decisiveness are the only things that justify military rule. Steps which slow-moving civilian rulers balk at, a military strongman takes. This is the theory. This the example of Alexander who when told at Delphi that he who 'untied' the Gordian Knot would rule the world, simply 'slashed' it with his sword. In two-and-a-half years Napoleon had reformed the administration of France and conquered half of Europe. In two and a half years Ataturk had expelled the Greek army from Turkish soil and laid the foundations of modern Turkey. In two and a half years Hitler's armies stood at the gates of Moscow and Leningrad. In two and a half years what have Pakistan's lieutenant and major generals - all one hundred and twenty of them--accomplished? Rhetoric of reform aside, Pakistan is much the same place as General Musharraf discovered when he seized power. Little has changed: not the judicial system, not the legal system, the police system or the education and health systems. To be sure, the foreign policy agenda has shifted, mainly because of external pressure. But the life of the ordinary Pakistani remains much as before, living on hope and feeding on false promises. What does the government then have to show for the time it has been in power? The second question has to do with the military's effectiveness as a fighting force. Do officers who get a taste of civilian life, with its perks and privileges, remain fit to command troops in the field? Does their fighting spirit remain unimpaired? Soldiering is a hard profession which requires single-minded devotion. Nothing blunts it so much as civilian distractions. Just as a conflict of interest leads to bad ethics, a conflict of purpose leads to bad soldiering. So many generals on the active list, a battalion of generals on the retired list, serving and retired officers seeking jobs and good housing: this is a vast system of perks and privileges. A poor nation cannot afford this. If it affords this, it must forgo other things, usually education and health for the masses. The necessity of an effective fighting force is not in question. A predatory neighbourhood leaves us with no other choice. The point is altogether different: can we afford a cake whose icing is heavier than the rest of the cake? Can the frontiers of military privilege be rolled back? Can military expenses come under public scrutiny? It seems unlikely because no class likes losing its privileges, least of all a class holding a monopoly of coercive power. So the third question arises which relates to democracy. Can democracy survive, let alone prosper, in such a climate? A strong and growing military caste jealously guarding its privileges and a vibrant, self-confident democracy are antithetical concepts. That is why it takes no clairvoyant to see that what we are headed for is an experiment in Indonesian democracy: where the president, anchored firmly in his military constituency, calls the shots while prime minister and parliament walk dutifully in his shadow. We have been here before. Since we are again preparing to revisit familiar haunts, these are not happy tidings for the future. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Is the US becoming a 'rogue' state? ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Eric S. Margolis 'The world now thinks the US has lost its mind.' This response to President George Bush's bombastic state of the union address did not come from 'axis of evil' Iraq, Iran, or North Korea, but from former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She is dead right. America's allies and friends were initially reluctant to openly criticize Bush's Philippic, but in recent days the president's aggressive, triumphalist policies have come under fierce attack around the world, and particularly so in Europe. France's normally cautious foreign minister, Hubert Vedrine, called Bush's views on terrorism 'simplistic.' He warned about Bush policy that 'reduces all problems in the world to the struggle against terrorism,' predicting Europe would go its own way if the US maintained its policy of unilateralism. More sharp criticism came from Germany, Italy, Spain, the EU, Asia and US Mideast allies. Even Britain, America's most faithful satrap, warned against attacking Iraq or Iran. South Korea's government angrily blasted Washington for derailing efforts to promote better relations with North Korea. European leaders also took aim at American-Israeli efforts to eclipse Yasser Arafat and crush Palestinian resistance. 'European countries do not agree with the White House Middle East policy and think it is a mistake to support Ariel Sharon's purely repressive policies,' said Vedrine, speaking for the entire European Union. Bush Administration spokesmen reject all foreign criticism. Secretary of State Colin Powell increased war fever by blasting Iran for 'meddling' in Afghanistan. This is rich, coming from the US, which just invaded Afghanistan, overthrew its government, installed a client regime in Kabul, and is setting up permanent military bases there. Threatening war against Iran for seeking to advance its interests in neighboring Afghanistan shows just how irrational and imperially arrogant the Bush Administration is becoming. India and Russia are also deeply involved in Afghanistan; in fact, Russia has virtually taken over the north. Yet there was not a peep from Washington about these interlopers. As part of the growing merging of policy between Washington and Jerusalem, the Bush Administration's super-hawks have adopted two longstanding Israeli arguments to justify aggressive actions. First, 'we have suffered enormously. This gives us the absolute right to attack anyone we deem a threat, including assassinating potentially dangerous individuals.' Second, 'we are faced by a mortal threat from terrorists. To hell with world, we'll do precisely as we see fit. The UN, the EU, the Geneva Convention, international law - all of them be damned.' Fifty years of painful efforts to build a framework of international law are being swept away by the Bush crusaders, who seem to have convinced themselves that they are re-fighting World War II rather than dealing with a dangerous criminal conspiracy made up of a few thousand individuals. Listening to the Bush people preach about the need to liberate Iranians and Iraqis from oppression is Olympic-class hypocrisy. If Bush really wanted to promote justice and human rights abroad, he should begin with those nations that are American protectorates. While most Americans continue to cheer Bush's bellicose, adolescent rhetoric and crusading zeal, quiet opposition is developing, particularly among the thinking classes. Given the current climate of war fever, few Americans are ready to criticize government actions. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020302 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dangerous liaisons ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Irfan Husain As we come to terms with the unfortunate Daniel Pearl's brutal and cold-blooded murder, we should be honest enough to accept that a major part of the blame must rest with our unstated but official policy of permitting terrorists the run of the land. Sheikh Omar Saeed, the main suspect and the self-confessed organizer of the American journalist's kidnapping, was one of those released from an Indian jail as part of the deal to end the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines airliner. Having spent five years in prison on a kidnapping charge, surely he was not somebody to whom our government should have given sanctuary. As a British citizen, he could simply have been deported to the country of his birth without any legal complications. Had this normal, civilized path been followed, Daniel Pearl might still have been alive. Another Indian prisoner who was released as a result of that hijacking is Maulana Azhar Masood who, upon reaching Pakistan was soon seen at public rallies (at a time political activities were banned by the military government of General Musharraf), surrounded by armed guards, fulminating against India and the United States. Indeed, his strident threats soon drew a formal protest from Washington. When his Harkatul Mujahideen was declared a terrorist organization by the American State Department, he launched the Jaish-i-Mohammad, the jihadi outfit that initially claimed credit for the attack on the Kashmir assembly building in Srinagar last September. Had it not been for the events of September 11, he would have still been running loose today, and the government would still have been covertly sponsoring the Maulana and his ilk. As it is, he and several hundred of his followers are in custody, but how long will they stay there is not clear. Several dozen extremists were released recently for 'lack of evidence', so it is entirely likely that Maulana Azhar will soon be free. It seems that preaching hatred is not enough to convict anybody. There is already talk about releasing most of the two thousand zealots arrested a few weeks ago in the wake of General Musharraf's 'historic' speech. I have just finished reading "Holy War, Inc" by Peter Bergen, a fascinating account of Osama Bin Laden and his al Qaeda, as well as sundry Islamic terrorist organizations. As a Pakistani, I found it deeply troubling to read how much this country has become an integral part of the global terrorist nexus. Although hardly surprising, given the events of the last couple of decades, the author details the comings and goings of dozens of Arab and other foreign terrorists to Afghanistan and Pakistan. On several visits to Afghanistan, he discovers that thousands of Pakistanis were fighting alongside the Taliban, and hundreds more were being trained in al Qaeda camps. Surely none of this could have taken place without the full knowledge and connivance of successive Pakistani governments. Firstly, tourist visas were given to all kinds of shady characters who had been in and out of the country on many occasions. Most of these people travelled to Afghanistan from Peshawar without let or hindrance. Hundreds of young Pakistani men went across the border when it was common knowledge that they were going for training in camps operated by al Qaeda, as well as to fight against the Northern Alliance. If the present Afghan government feels aggrieved against Pakistan, it is with good reason for we helped prolong the civil war next door. According to a brief paper on terrorism in Pakistan circulated by the American Information Resource Centre of the US Consulate- General in Karachi, "... Pakistan's intelligence services - known as the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI - have provided covert but well-documented support to terrorist groups fighting against India in the disputed territory of Kashmir..." The report goes on to say: "... The New York Times reported in October 2001 that ISI had an 'indirect but longstanding' relationship with al Qaeda and has used al Qaeda camps to train operatives for terrorist attacks against India..." But we don't really need the American Consulate to tell us these unpleasant home truths: our media has been covering these realities for years. A year or so ago, the monthly Newsline ran a cover story giving details of training camps being run for jihadis in Punjab and the Frontier province. Outfits like the Lashkar-i-Tayaba and the Jaish-i-Mohammad, to name only two, have been openly collecting funds for the 'Kashmir jihad'. When a state permits and encourages the training of its young men to take part in illegal military operations abroad, it should expect these terrorists to target its enemies within its borders as well. This is specially true when these groups accuse the state of not being sufficiently 'Islamic', and hence a legitimate target. The surge of sectarian and religious violence we have witnessed over the last decade is a direct result of the encouragement the militants have received from state institutions. General Musharraf's U-turn in the government's attitude towards jihad and jihadis is more a declaration of intent than a call to arms against these organizations. So far, those militants who have been locked up have not been charged. Indeed, it is not clear what offence they can be charged with, other than being members of outfits that have now been banned. The recent slaughter of ten Shias in a mosque in Rawalpindi is a chilling reminder about the power of these sectarian groups and the weakness of the state in confronting them. Terrorism flourishes where the writ of the state is neither enforced nor respected. It is no coincidence that countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen are considered as safe havens for groups like al Qaeda. When the laws of the land are ignored by both citizens and those charged with their enforcement, a vacuum of authority is created and quickly filled by criminals of every kind ranging from drug smugglers to a wide range of terrorists. Thus, there are around 1500 kidnappings in Yemen every year. Heroin and marijuana are an integral part of Pakistan's underground economy. And food convoys are being routinely looted in Afghanistan. In order to restore the writ of the state, tough decisions have to be taken and implemented. Pious intentions are not enough. Although Pakistan's many holy warriors are currently subdued after the Taliban's abject surrender, it is only a matter of time before they reassert themselves. Their cause in Afghanistan is lost, and they will soon turn their attention to Kashmir, despite General Musharraf's reversal of policy about supporting the jihad. The root cause of so many of our policies that haunt us today is the Kashmir conflict; the sooner we resolve it, the sooner we can return to a normal existence.
SPORTS 20020302 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Aussie officials play down security concerns ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, March 1: The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) played down security concerns in Pakistan but admitted that September's ICC Champions Trophy would take the chunk out of October's tour. "Pakistan is no different from anywhere in the world. We don't treat Pakistan as any different from Sri Lanka or England or South Africa," ACB's operations chief Richard Watson told reporters at the National Stadium. "We don't pick one country from another. Every country is treated the same. Everywhere the Australian team now plays, we send our representatives to do a pre-tour visit," Watson said. Tim May, the chief executive of the Australian Players Association, said: "This is normal that some places are different from others. "There is no feedback from the ACB and we are here to take the feedback," he said, adding: "We are here for one day and are very impressed with everything that is set." The three-man ACB delegation arrived and inspected the facilities at the National Stadium. The visitors will gauge the players facilities, training, food and security of the players - off and on the field - at Faisalabad, Multan, Sheikhupura, Lahore besides Karachi. New Zealand cancelled their tour in September while the West Indies refused to tour Pakistan but honoured its commitment in Sharjah. "We are doing our pre-tour check on the basis that the tour will go ahead and once the facilities and security of our players is confirmed, there will be no cause of concern for us," Watson said. May said Australian captain Steve Waugh, who has vehemently advocated for players security, had no specific thoughts about the tour. "He (Steve Waugh) knows my position as chief executive of the ACA and understands that I would look at all the aspects." Nevertheless, Watson agreed that the ICC Champions Trophy would affect the tour schedule. "The ICC Champions Trophy has taken the whole chunk out of what would normally be our touring time. We have to arrange with the PCB to fit in our criterion of matches - three Tests and one-dayers. "If we can fit three Tests and three or five one-dayers, that's what we would do. The schedule is tight but we will do our best," Watson said. The ICC Champions Trophy is proposed between Sept 13 and 30 at Sri Lanka while the first Ashes Test begins from Nov 7. That practically leaves only 39 days between the two events in which Australia and Pakistan will try to squeeze the series. The Pakistan Cricket Board plans a double league tri-series also involving New Zealand. Watson, unlike the NZC, said his board trusted the PCB and would not demand for additional assurances from the government on players security. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020302 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Wasim Raja in match referees panel ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, March 1: Pakistan's Wasim Raja was named in the International Cricket Council's match referees panel that was released. India's Gundappa Viswanath, South African Mike Proctor and West Indian Clive Lloyd also earned two-year full time contracts with the ICC. Sri Lankan Ranjan Madugalle is the fifth official who is also the chief referee. The panel comes into effect from April 1. There are three Asians in the panel and if Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is to be trusted, Proctor is also part of the Asian alliance. However, Wasim's appointment came out of the blue as the former Test star was neither Pakistan's representative in the defunct panel nor ever served as match referee in country's domestic circuit. Wasim played in 57 Tests and 54 one-day internationals for Pakistan. He was also appointed Pakistan coach for a brief period in 1999. Wasim was selected ahead of Naushad Ali and Talat Ali who served as Pakistan's representative in the outgoing match referees panel. The five were selected out of 30 nominations the 10 Test playing countries had sent. The list was finalized by ICC chief executive Mal Speed and Sunil Gavaskar (ICC cricket management committee- playing) after Madugalle had trimmed the tally of candidates to 12. The ICC will release the eight members of the elite panel of umpires on March 4. PCB DELIGHTED The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was delighted with the selection of its candidate in the match referees panel and said the game's controlling body have proved that it was a neutral body. The chairman of the PCB, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, further said from Rawalpindi that it was very nice of the ICC to include Wasim Raja. "Wasim was a late inclusion. We added his name after we came to know that he was free in the next two years. But I must thank the ICC that they considered Wasim for selection and eventually picked him," Tauqir said. He added: "I am delighted and happy because now there is a Pakistani in the mainstream of the ICC. "It shows the neutrality of the ICC. It has shown that the origin of the candidate is of no consequence when it comes to picking the best men for the toughest jobs." Tauqir, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Board (ACC), hoped that the latest ICC decision would help defuse the tension between the two establishments. "We have never challenged the authority of the ICC. It is the supreme body and we respect and trust it. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020227 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan axe Wasim for Asian final ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports Reporter KARACHI, Feb 26: Barely 24 hours after Allan Donald announced his retirement from Test cricket, the end of an illustrious career of another great name of the game was signalled when Pakistan selectors dropped Wasim Akram from the Asian Test Championship final against Sri Lanka. The match will be played at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium between March 6 and 10. In an another surprise decision, the selectors overlooked wrist spinner Danish Kaneria but named two finger spinners in Shoaib Malik and Saqlain Mushtaq. Danish has 32 wickets in seven Tests. But in the last two Tests, he picked up three wickets while his 25 wickets have come in three Tests against Bangladesh. "Shahid Afridi is a utility wrist spinner and can be used," a PCB spokesman said. Interestingly, that theory was not followed until Afridi was picked for the second Test against the West Indies (after missing eight matches) in which he scored a century and picked up a few wickets. Wasim's exclusion is the third biggest cricket news this month. Earlier, Steve Waugh was sacked as Australia's one-day captain and Donald decided to hang in boots after hobbling off the ground in the first Test between Australia and South Africa. Wasim, who had made himself available for the match, was not in the country to hear the news of his dropping. But when the news gets to him, he would only blame his lack of form and fitness that has deserted him in the last couple of years. Wasim, the 36-year-old veteran has 414 Tests and 447 one- day wickets missed the final Test against England in 2000 because of hamstring injury and then skipped the three-Test series against New Zealand two months later. He made a lacklustre comeback against England in England and then went wicketless in the Asian Test Championship match against Bangladesh at Multan. He made it for the tour to Bangladesh earlier this year but his trip was restricted to just 20 balls before he limped off with a hamstring injury. In the last six Tests, Wasim has captured just seven wickets, which confirms the fact that the Sultan of Reverse Swing has surely past his brilliant best. It has been an amazing turn-around for Wasim who captured successive hat tricks against Sri Lanka - at Lahore and Dhaka - when the two teams clashed in the inaugural championship in 1999. The selectors retained Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami and also named Mohammad Zahid whose comeback to international cricket was derailed with the sad demise of his father. He had to return from Sharjah after joining the team a day later owing to delay in completion of his travel formalities. However, Pakistan captain Waqar Younis disagreed that the world had seen Wasim for the last time in Tests. "He is a great cricketer and still has (Test) cricket left in him. He has not been picked solely because he lacks fitness. "It's a one-off Test against Sri Lanka but I am sure if Wasim regains complete fitness and form, he would be back for the series against New Zealand," Waqar said. Waqar hoped that the forthcoming domestic one-day matches would help Wasim regain the lost magical touch. Waqar further said the management has not decided to play Wasim in selected matches. "If he is fit, he will play in Tests and one-dayers." However, the chairman of the PCB Lt Gen Tauqir Zia said Wasim was being saved for next year's World Cup starting Feb 9. Pakistan plays opener against Australia at Johannesburg on Feb 11. "We are saving him for the World Cup. A lot of cricket has to be played upto the World Cup but we will include him in crunch and selective matches," he said. The PCB chairman added that Wasim's Test career was far from over. The chairman of selectors, Wasim Bari was unavailable for comments. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020301 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Argentina stun Pakistan ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Imran Naeem Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28: Pakistan failed in what was their first real World Cup test losing 1-2 to Argentina on the fifth day of the tournament. Despite defending champions Netherlands and Spain doing them a favour by drawing their game 1-1, Pakistan slipped to fourth in the tough Pool A. The defeat left Pakistan with nine points from four games, making their task of qualifying for the semi-finals more difficult. Their remaining games are now against top teams in the group Netherlands, runner-up of the 1998 World Cup Spain and title- favourites Germany who leap-frogged to third place with a 3-0 victory against win-less Belgium. Argentina's Matias Paredes dealt the body blow to Pakistan late in the game, sending a shot past goalkeeper Muhammad Qasim to seal a memorable victory over the four-time champions. Pakistan seized a timely lead, Sohail Abbas shooting in from a short corner for his fifth goal of the tournament. However Argentina then launched a series of attacks forcing a number of penalty corners with marksman Jorge Lombi making several attempts all of which did not produce any goals. Aregntina stepped up the pressure in the second half and were duly rewarded with a goal from Tomas MacCormik before Paredes pushed in the match-winner. Pakistan made desperate attempts in search of the equalizer earning two late penalty corners but Sohail Abbas could not save his side from defeat. Although manager Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar used the cliche of "missed chances", the primary reason for Pakistan's loss was that their forwards did not click and seemed to lack commitment. Shahbaz Ahmed, 34, who Pakistan still hope can help them get through, made a few dangerous runs spraying several defence splitting passes, only to see his ending in frustration. Midfielder Waseem Ahmed had an outstanding match and worked really hard. Argentina's coach, Jorge Ruiz, whose side had 12 short corners all of them not utilized, joked at the post-match news conference that it could be some sort of a record. "We wanted to win this game and I am happy that we won." The Pakistan manager felt that his boys did "alright" and added that it was a good competition. "Argentina did very well, we had our chances but then a 1-0 lead is nothing." Champions Netherlands who drew with Spain stayed at the top of Group A with 10 points from four matches on goal difference. The Dutch scored first through Karel Klaver in field play with 21 minutes gone but Spain bounced back with a 55th minute equalizer from Jordi Quintana. Spain, also with 10 points are second in the pool with Germany, who beat Belgium, in third place. The European champions put in two goals with Sebestian Biederlack and Sascha being on target in the first half. Then a late third goal was scored by Bjorn Michel. After four matches, Belgium remained without a point in the tournament. In another game New Zealand collected their first points in Pool A with a 2-1 defeat of South Africa who are still to score a win. After the Kiwis scored early in the first session, a goal from captain Simon Towns, South Africa hit back to level the scores on the stroke of half-time. New Zealand's winner came on the 59th minute through a short corner. South Africa remain without a victory after four matches. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020228 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Alert Qasim comes to Pakistan's rescue ------------------------------------------------------------------- By Imran Naeem Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27: Pakistan continued their chase for a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup thanks largely to veteran Shahbaz Ahmed chipping in his first goal of the tournament and the heroics of Mohammed Qasim under the bar for a 2-0 victory over pointless New Zealand. But the win was unimpressive. The four-time champions failed to score in the first half of play. It required a determined 39th minute effort from Shahbaz for Pakistan to step up a gear after a 'boring' opening session. The 34-year-old star of the 1994 World Cup, brought in all the experience to flick in a Kashif Jawad pass while Khalid Saleem scored Pakistan's second, his shot from the left deflecting into the net off a defender's stick. Although Pakistan picked up three more points they would have to raise their game considerably as they bid to win the tournament for a record fifth time. There was nothing much in the first half in which both sides forced a short corner each, with Sohail Abbas being blocked from a 23rd minute set-piece. Minutes before, at the other end, goalkeeper Muhammad Qasim was called upon to make a spectacular save off a penalty corner shot taken by Hayden Shaw, rapidly developing into a reliable short corner striker. While the first half was listless there were some good moves in the second half. After Shahbaz opened the scoring, the Kiwis went defensive for a good while. But they woke up after going 2-0 down and forced three penalty corners, two of them going wide and Qasim springing into action to save the third. The New Zealanders could have equalised on the 45th when Ryan Archibald's hit deflected onto the cross bar. With the forwards not making any impression, it was Qasim, who stood out with his spectacular saves. The talented net-minder is indeed fast becoming a life-saver for Pakistan. DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS*DWS 20020226 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan launch World Cup campaign in style ------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Representative KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25: Pakistan, powered by a brace each from Atif Bashir and Sohail Abbas, routed South Africa 5-0 for a cracking start to the 10th men's World Cup Hockey Tournament. The four-time champions after some initial hiccups that saw South Africa nearly score with the game barely 10 minutes old, got their act together and went one up, Atif Bashir chipping in from close range. Returning to the team after missing the six-nation tournament here in January, the professional doctor was set up by captain Muhammad Sarwar who had weaved his way through with precision. Sohail Abbas, Pakistan's top short corner striker put in the second on the 39th minute to make the score look more respectable from his side's second short corner. Muhammad Shabbir sent in a rocket after combining well with Khalid Saleem on the 54th minute while Atif sprang into action again to score the fourth, result of some work done by Khalid on the left flank. An intelligent short corner drill earned Pakistan their fifth, with Sohail firing in again. The South Africans, competing in only their second World Cup after Sydney 1994, had looked good early on in the game and came close to scoring at least four times. Their best chance came at the start of play, their forward Greg Nicol hitting the cross bar. The dangerous Nicol, got quite a few more chances but some good keeping by Pakistan goalkeeper Muhammad Qasim spoiled their efforts. Pakistan manager Khalid Sajjad Khokhar terming the victory as 'satisfying' said the boys needed to put in more in the matches ahead, the most immediate being the game against Belgium. He conceded that defenders Tariq Imran and Sohail Abbas gave South African forwards room to attack. "There were some lapses on their part but since this was the first game, I am sure they'll settle down quickly." Shahbaz Ahmed, the architect of Pakistan's victory in the Sydney World Cup, had a quiet game. Wearing sixties-style shorts, he did make a couple of dangerous runs that unsettled the South African defence. "Shahbaz was an average player today but still he did what was expected of him." he added. Pakistan, wary that it might come down to goal average in the end, did well in firing home five although they could have added at least two more but for some scrappy finishing in front of goal. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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