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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 07 September, 1995 Issue : 01/35
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The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
Extracts from DWS can be used provided that this entire header is
included at the beginning of each extract.
We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at:
e-mail dws%dawn@sdnpk.undp.org
DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Karachi 74400, Pakistan
(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1995
CONTENTS
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Karachi
..........2 MQM men killed in "encounter"
..........7 killed, dozen vehicles set ablaze in city
..........Six die as MQM protest hits life in city
MQM
..........PM didn't offer 'ceasefire'
..........Recording proves PM used word 'ceasefire'
..........Talks to continue
..........Troublemakers to be shot at sight: Babar
..........FIR registered against Altaf, says Babar
..........Altaf seeks views on return to Pakistan
Punjab Crisis
..........PML(J) MPAs seek Wattoo's ouster
..........Chattha, Saroop discuss Wattoo's replacement
..........Punjab Assembly suspended
..........Nawaz condemns 'attack on democracy'
..........PM in Lahore amid hectic activity
..........PML fields Pervaiz as chief minister
..........PPP claims support of 137 MPAs
Pakistan-India
..........Pakistan's raising of Kashmir issue upsets India
..........Gilani's speech was toned down to avoid Indian reaction
..........Delhi refuses to exchange Pakistanis for hostages
..........Chavan blames ISI for Beant's murder
..........Islamabad condemns insinuation
Brown amendment
..........Crucial Congress session tomorrow
..........Brown's amendment withdrawn
Begum Tyabji: the end of an era
Separation of judiciary from executive put off again
Private jail in city busted
Bureaucracy to undergo reshuffle at top
Benazir advocates more rights for women
PM's address evokes enthusiastic response
SSP patron freed
PAF to acquire 32 Mirages
Official killed, Envoy hurt as Pak embassy stormed in Kabul
Islamabad condemns attack on embassy
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IFC may collaborate with NDLC to form joint venture firm
Rs 1.2bn bunglings in Punjab
Import duty on newsprint cut to 1 pc
STOCK EXCHANGE
Ex-BCCI official rearrested
Court orders release of $393m seized from BCCI
Donors raise objections over SAP execution
PM orders probe into misuse of SAP funds
Singapore firm gets New City contract
Minister's disclosure shocks traders
FACC seeks details from PIA on lawsuits in NY
FACC threatens to abandon task
2 electronic giants may drop plans to invest in Pakistan
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The bare bones Ardeshir Cowasjee
The sleaze sweepstakes Mazdak
Supply side of corruption Omar Kureishi
An idea touching the depths of obscenity Ayaz Amir
To what purpose? Editorial Column
An inexcusable failure Editorial Column
Crisis in Punjab Editorial Column
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Jansher wins 7th Hong Kong title
Sri Lanka collapse in Pindi match
Salim files writ in High Court
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2 MQM men killed in 'encounter'
Staff Report
KARACHI, Sept 1: Two more MQM activists died in an "encounter" with
police in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Friday evening which their party
described as extra-judicial murder.
Baber, Malir sector committee member, and Yameen, a member of MQM
Nawabshah, were riding in a car when they were intercepted by a
police party of the CIA.
In the encounter, the two were killed instantly in their vehicle. The
CIA Saddar claimed that a spokesman for the police will issue an
official handout but it was not be received till late on Friday night.
The MQM, however, claimed that both the workers were stopped by
rangers and police during snap checking. "After their identification
by a PPP terrorist Moeen Kalia, the two were given a severely beaten.
Later, they were asked to leave the area. They were hardly 10 yards
away, when the rangers fired from the back," the MQM claimed.
TORTURE CELL RAIDED: Police on Friday safely recovered trainee police
constable Hafeez Awan and his friend Abul Qasim, during a raid on a
torture cell in Nasir Colony, Korangi.
The two were kidnapped by some youths in Korangi. The kidnappers later
demanded Rs 50,000 for their release.
DWS
950904
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7 killed, dozen vehicles set ablaze in city
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Sept 3: Seven people were killed and about a dozen vehicles
were set on fire in an upsurge of violence in the city on Sunday.
Youths took to the streets in parts of districts Central and South in
the late afternoon, intercepted public and private vehicles and put
them to torch.
In the Alfalah area of Malir, rangers and police cordoned off parts of
the locality, picked up scores of men and carried out house-to-house
search. The police claimed the operation was aimed at flushing out
terrorists. Residents, however, accused the rangers of insulting
behaviour and alleged that they had misbehaved with the women and used
abusive language. It could not be known how many suspects were finally
taken to rangers' interrogation centres.
Four armed men intercepted a passenger coach in Orangi, forced two
police constables out of the vehicle, killed one of them on the spot
and kidnapped the other.
DWS
950905
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Six die as MQM protest hits life in city
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Sept. 4: Large areas of the city ground to a halt on Monday
on the MQM's call for a strike to protest against the "humiliation of=
its women activists" at the hands of the police and rangers.
The government's order to shoot "trouble-makers" at sight, could not=
deter protesters who took to the streets early in the morning, erected
barricades, lit bonfires and set ablaze at least 10 public and private
vehicles, nearly all of them in the Central district.
Six people, including a policeman, fell victim to sporadic violence.
Armed youths exchanged fire with law enforcement agencies, injuring
three policemen and two rangers.
The overnight violence, a stern warning by the interior minister and
the mounting tension between the government and the MQM, made the
strike successful as most of the people preferred to remain indoors
fearing street violence in many localities.
DWS
950901
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PM didn't offer 'ceasefire'
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Staff Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug 31: An official spokesman has clarified that Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto, did not "offer a ceasefire" to the MQM as was
reported in the Press.
He denied that the term was used by the prime minister at any point
during her entire discussion.
The spokesman quoted from the transcript of the prime minister's
statement to remove any doubts about her words. These were: "If we are
to have an agreement on Local Bodies, then we must have at least six
months of peace. We must give confidence to the people of Karachi that
they can exercise their vote freely. So we must have six months of
peace".
DWS
950903
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Recording proves PM used word =91ceasefire'
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: An official denial of the prime minister's having
used the term "ceasefire" in her recent meeting with Islamabad-based
foreign journalists is factually incorrect, as proved by the
recordings of the meeting.
The denial, issued by a government spokesman and released through the
official news agency, APP, had stated that the "word ceasefire was not
used by the prime minister at any point during her entire discussion".
The taped recording of the prime minister's reply proves that she used
the word not once but twice. The prime minister's reply to a question
is reproduced below without any editing. She said: "Yes, Yes. If they
have six months of ceasefire we are willing to discuss with them local
bodies timetable as the first step, then a second ceasefire for
another six months from the time of the local bodies and so on, and
then power sharing formula between them and us and then another period
of six months of peace. Yes, we are prepared. We want a political
solution with the Altaf group. They are Pakistanis, they are part of
us, we are a part of them. If some have gone on the wrong path we want
to bring them back to the right path and we want to give them the
incentive to bring them back".
Asked about the wisdom of this "needless exercise", one of prime
minister's media managers replied:" The word ceasefire created the
image of war and of giving too much weight to Altaf's people."
DWS
950904
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Talks to continue
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Shamim-ur-Rehman
KARACHI, Sept 3: At the end of the sixth round of talks here on
Sunday, both the government and the MQM admitted that progress could
not be made, but agreed to resume negotiations here again on Thursday,
Sept 7.
"It is very unfortunate that because of the strike call, the desired
progress could not be achieved," said the chief government negotiator,
N. D. Khan after the talks. Mr Khan, who was optimistic about the
final outcome, told reporters that the main thrust of the talks was on
how to restore peace and normality in the city, as both sides
"frankly" expressed their respective points of views and assessment of
the prevailing situation.
The law minister and the chief government negotiator was of the view
that readiness of both the sides to meet again was a "positive
development."
"We have taken exception to the strike call which is totally uncalled
for," said the chief government negotiator emphasising that "if such a
call was not given, some concrete result of the negotiations held
during the last two sessions would have emerged today."
But according to Dehalvi the strike call was their "democratic right,
and if Mohajir localities continued to be besieged by law enforcement
agencies, custodial killings and mass arrest continued, no power on
earth can prevent Mohajirs from exercising this right."
He reiterated the government's offer of power-sharing and holding
local body elections within six months if peace was restored.
Dehlavi contended that whenever the date for negotiations came nearer
"some secret hand " conspired to pitch Mohajirs against other
communities by "engineering killings."
When asked about Naseerullah Babars statement in which stated that
anyone seen carrying a weapon and trying to disturb peace during the
strike, would be shot dead, Mr Dehlavi said: "It is unconstitutional
and illegal and should be condemned and the interior minister should
be tried for inciting murder."
DWS
950904
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Trouble-makers to be shot at sight: Babar
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Sept 3: Interior minister Naseerullah Babar on Sunday warned
that anyone trying to disrupt normal life and found to be using
weapons during the MQM's protest day on Monday, would be shot on
sight. He urged the people at large to "shed the burden of fear" and
assured them the government's "protection".
The MQM has called for a "peaceful day of protest" in Sindh on Monday
to protests against "continued arrests, insults and torture of Mohajir
women" by the government.
Babar was of the view that the MQM would "not be able to impose" its
decision as it did in the past though he agreed that the Central
district might be affected.
When his attention was drawn to the alleged high-handedness and
maltreatment of innocent people by the law-enforcement agencies, the
interior minister said the "government activities are not
discriminatory against the Urdu-speaking people but against
terrorists".
Replying to a question, he ruled out the possibility of any foreign
intervention in Pakistan owing to the prevailing law and order
situation in Karachi, which, he claimed had improved considerably
during the past two months.
DWS
950905
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FIR registered against Altaf, says Babar
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Staff Report
KARACHI, Sept. 4: In a televised statement, Federal Interior Minister
Naseerullah Babar said that an FIR had been registered against MQM's
exiled chief, Altaf Hussain and the members of the MQM Co-ordination
Committee in connection with inciting people for murder and arson.
DWS
950906
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Altaf seeks views on return to Pakistan
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Correspondents Report
LONDON, Sept. 5: MQM leader Altaf Hussain has asked his supporters
whether they would like him to return to Pakistan. He said if his
supporters, who had in the past advised him to stay abroad, asked him
to return he would without wasting any time.
A women's delegation of the MQM (UK) yesterday presented a petition to
the Chinese embassy in London, copies of which have already been sent
to heads of delegations attending the UN-sponsored women's conference
in Beijing. The petition accuses the Pakistan authorities of alleged
"high-handedness in arresting and maltreating women supporters of the
MQM". The delegation members later entered the Pakistan High
Commission premises to hand over a copy of the petition. The police
was called in by the High Commission officials, but it allowed the
women to disperse peacefully.
DWS
950901
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PML(J) MPAs seek Wattoo's ouster
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, Aug 31: Four important leaders of the PML(J), including Punjab
Assembly Deputy Speaker Mian Manzoor Ahmad Mohal, came out strongly on
Thursday against their chief minister. They said if the PDF coalition
in the Punjab had to be saved, Manzoor Wattoo must be replaced as
chief minister.
Speaking at a news conference, MPAs Manzoor Mohal, chief minister's
advisers Ahmad Hasan Khan and Chaudhry Sadaqat Ali and Mian Atta
Muhammad Maneka said newspapers had been wrongly briefed about
Wednesday's parliamentary meeting of the PML(J) in which it was
claimed that all members supported Wattoo remaining as chief minister.
They said differences in the PDF had come to light with greater
intensity in the recent past and this was because of the policies of
Wattoo and not because of the PML(J) as a party.
They said as decided in an earlier PML(J) meeting, it was Chattha who
would settle the issue. His decision would be acceptable to all
partymen and the PPP leadership. "It is clear that the entire system
should not be put at stake just to protect a single man."
Atta Maneka said it was Wattoo's responsibility to quit to keep the
party intact. "His own political well-being also lies in walking away
as desired by his colleagues."
He claimed that as many as 30 PML(J) MPAs wanted removal of Wattoo.
Those who were proclaiming to be loyal to Wattoo were doing so only to
protect their ministries. Maneka said the PPP had more than 100 MPAs
in the Punjab Assembly and it had the right to change Wattoo if it so
desired.
DWS
950903
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Chattha, Saroop discuss Wattoo's replacement
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Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: The Pakistan Muslim League (J) and the Pakistan
People's Party have decided that in case of replacing Wattoo or
bringing a vote of no-confidence against him, the move will be made by
PML (J), a PDF source said on Saturday.
The decision was taken at a meeting, which was attended by PML(J)
President Hamid Nasir Chattha, Punjab Governor Saroop Khan and Senior
Punjab Minister Makhdoom Altaf.
The source said Mr Chattha had made it clear to the PPP leadership
that in case of a change, the chief ministership of Punjab would be
retained by his party.
However, before making a final move, the source said, Wattoo would be
afforded an opportunity to be heard in person by his party chief.
The source said if the PML (J) decided to remove Wattoo, the party
chief would write a letter to the Punjab governor, informing him of
his party's decision on withdrawing Wattoo as the chief minister. He
would be requested to ask the new party nominee to take a vote of
confidence. Such a move, the source said, would save the PPP from
coming into any direct conflict with Wattoo. "He was recommended for
the chief ministership by the party which can withdraw him anytime and
replace him with some other party member," the source added.
"You should keep an eye on today's development in Punjab where Arif
Chattha, a distant relative of Hamid Nasir Chattha, has left Wattoo
and joined the dissident Manzoor Mohal group", he said. "That is a
clear indication that things are likely to change very soon", he
added.
The dissident group of PML (J) MPAs claim it has the support of many
more MPAs who would quit Wattoo's team at the last minute. While the
PPP leadership has reportedly asked Hamid Nasir Chattha to become
chief minister himself, there are at least two candidates for the same
position =97 Manzoor Mohal and Khush Akhtar.
The source said Chattha had made it clear to his party colleagues that
he would decide about the new nominee after meeting his party MPAs in
Lahore on Sunday.
DWS
950906
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Punjab Assembly suspended
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Mohammad Malick
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 5: President Farooq Leghari suspended the Punjab
Assembly on Tuesday by invoking Article 234 of the Constitution and
directed Punjab Governor Raja Saroop Khan to take control of the
affairs of the province.
According to unconfirmed reports, the governor has appointed Punjab
People's Party President Mushtaq Awan as his principal adviser, a move
tantamount to his appointment as the acting chief minister.
The presidential proclamation came as an expected culmination of 48
hours of hectic political activity in Punjab , which started with an
open rebellion against the now-suspended chief minister Mian Manzoor
Wattoo on Monday evening and reached a crescendo on Tuesday evening
with the resignation of all PPP members of the Wattoo cabinet, along
with four other non-PPP members.
The president was reportedly =91advised' by the Prime Minister during
their meeting. The decision to suspend the assembly was conveyed to
the concerned officials by 10 p.m.
It may be recalled that in the case of the suspension of the NWFP
Assembly, the court, in its decision on a petition of Sabir Shah and
others, had ruled that the Prime Minister's advice in this case was
binding on the president and therefore he did not have any other
option except to accede to it.
According to a close confidante of PML(J) President, Hamid Nasir
Chattha had not been taken into confidence by the prime minister.
Chattha reportedly received a phone call from the prime minister at
around 11.55 p.m., and she is reported to have told Chattha that the
decision had to be taken in a bit of a hurry". The source said that
the prime minister told Chattha that she wanted the PDF alliance to
continue and the she would call on him in Lahore on Wednesday. The
prime minister did not hint at Wattoo's replacement being from the
PML-J side.
According to Chattha camp insiders. resentment is running high at the
"bulldozing" of their government hut the party has yet to decide about
its future course of action and a lot is going to depend on the first
meeting between Chattha and Ms Bhutto the source added, however, that
even in the event of PML-J adopting a harsh stance, Wattoo would no
longer be their candidate for the job.
In technical terms Wattoo remains the chief minister of Punjab but
without any executive authority. In political terms what his erstwhile
PPP allies need to do now is to muster the required number of votes in
the House after which the president would revoke his suspension and
the governor, in turn, would ask Wattoo to take a vote of confidence
>from a 'reformed' House.
According to PPP stalwarts, the numbers game has to be won before the
expiry of the first two month term "because the last thing the Centre
would want is to face the verbal bickering in a joint session" as put
by PML leader Khawaja Asif.
According to a top PPP leader, requesting anonymity, the president
"had to be asked" because the PPP provincial set-up had failed to
muster the requisite majority inside the house. "It left the PPP
members of the Wattoo cabinet with no option but to resign and create
an atmosphere of political chaos" in the province.
On Sunday evening, PML turncoat Haji Nawaz Khokhar also met ASSP chief
Maulana Ziaur Rehman Farooqi, and offered the withdrawal of a
substantial number of criminal cases registered against him and his
party in exchange for the support of the two ASSP seats in the Punjab
Assembly.
While efforts were continuing to garner seats even in ones and twos, a
greater reliance was placed on an affirmative response by the
president. With the president leaving on an official visit to
Turkmenistan on Sept. 6, the matter took on an added urgency because
the PPP camp was sure that even a few hours delay was all that Wattoo
required to cut a deal with PML or win back most of his disgruntled
colleagues.
The camp of the beleaguered Punjab chief minister, meanwhile, had
appeared highly confident till the last minute about riding out this
toughest challenge to date to his hold on power. Commenting on the
resignation of the four non-PPP members of the Wattoo set-up along
with the en masse resigning of the PPP ministers from the cabinet, a
close confidante of Wattoo said that the "chief minister had taken the
decision to sack the rebels in a meeting at around 3 p.m.". Blaming a
leak, he said that the rebels had managed to pre-empt the chief
minister's move in an attempt to take political mileage out of this
action.
While the PPP leadership was trying to give the impression of the en
bloc resignations of its ministers in Punjab as a "decision of the
provincial party high command", no one in PML-J camp bought the story.
As one PML-J leader put it: "You have to be naive to imagine that
Makhdoom Altaf and Co. could have dared take a decision of this
magnitude and create a situation which harboured the potential of
exploitation by PML-N and could have serious consequences for the PPP
government in the centre".
According to the PML(J) camp, the prime minister "had to have given
the signal for this prior to her departure for China so she could come
back, claim ignorance of the extreme development and take the stance
that since her party had now gone so far in its anti-Wattoo crusade
there was limited manoeuvring room left for her. She would then offer
two stark choices to Chattha, either replace Wattoo or she would have
no option but to bring in a PPP man".
Until the evening of Sept. 1 the situation had appeared very much in
control, when it was conveyed to him by certain friends in PML-N that
Nawaz league would support him in the event of a no-confidence motion
provided he promised to hold elections after surviving the vote, and
the two leagues had agreed on a seat sharing formula.
The parliamentary opposition, meanwhile, has decided to requisition a
special session of the National Assembly to discuss the Punjab
situation and also to take the matter before a court of law.
DWS
950906
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Nawaz condemns =91attack on democracy'
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, Sept. 5: Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has condemned
suspension of the Punjab Assembly as an undemocratic act and an
unacceptable attack on democracy that has "again exposed President
Farooq Leghari as a PPP jiyala, hand-in-glove with Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto to destroy the system."
In a statement issued late on Tuesday night, he said the suspension of
the Punjab Assembly was the "action replay" of the NWFP Assembly
suspension in February 1994. He said the entire democratic system had
been put in jeopardy with the president a party to the fascist
ambitions and palace intrigues of the PPP.
He said the situation was bound to lead to horse-trading, blackmailing
and corruption. The decree, he said, was aimed at depriving the PML of
its right to form a government in Punjab. It was only meant to
facilitate the PPP to create an artificial majority in the Punjab
Assembly through a "grand horse-trading operation."
Sharif said there was no legal or moral basis for "this blatant
subversion of the Constitution." He said the PML was firmly of the
conviction that the democratic process must proceed unhindered so that
national institutions could flourish.
DWS
950907
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PM in Lahore amid hectic activity
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, Sept. 6: A day after having the Punjab government of Manzoor
Wattoo dismissed, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto flew into Lahore on
Wednesday and immediately went into a huddle with her partymen.
She had a crucial meeting with PML (J) chief Hamid Nasir Chattha,
while the opposition PML(N) parliamentary party, meeting under the
chairmanship of Mian Nawaz Sharif, decided to field Chaudhry Pervaiz
Elahi, acting leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly, as its
nominee for chief ministership of the province.
In a change of previous policy, the PML(N) also decided to accept in
its fold PML (J) men who were not ideologically committed to the PPP.
Wattoo, now openly under attack from the official media for alleged
corruption and wrongdoing, also met a number of partymen during the
course of the day.
Meanwhile, a government notification on Wednesday evening announced
large-scale transfers of officials, including many key people in the
chief minister's secretariat. The Punjab chief secretary, Javaid
Qureshi, was transferred on Tuesday night shortly after the dismissal
of the Wattoo administration and promulgation of Governor's rule.
DWS
950907
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PML fields Pervaiz as chief minister
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Ashraf Mumtaz
LAHORE, Sept. 6: Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif kicked off his party's
campaign to form a PML government in the Punjab by declaring on
Wednesday that his doors were open for "good people" in the PML(J) who=
"had not stabbed the PML(N) in the back and who were ideologically
opposed to the PPP".
Addressing a meeting of the opposition's parliamentary party, Sharif
nominated Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as his party's candidate for the
office of Punjab chief minister, now vacant following the imposition
of governor's rule in the province on Tuesday.
The opposition's meeting was of the view that the Punjab Assembly was
not suspended by Tuesday's proclamation and the opposition would
requisition a session on Thursday.
The meeting had been called to elicit opinion about the opposition's
future course of action in the wake of the crisis caused by
differences between the PPP and the PML(J). The decision to accept
"defectors" and PML(J) legislators was taken by party leaders in
recent meetings but was formalised at Wednesday's parliamentary
session. Most of those who were invited to speak requested the
opposition leader to "relax rules" to allow legislators from other
parties to provide the "head count" required to form a government in
the Punjab.
In the past, Nawaz Sharif was firm in saying that there was no room
for "political turncoats" in his party and that he would promote the
"politics of principle" in the country.
Justifying the change of heart which will allow the "defectors" to
rejoin the PML(N), Nawaz Sharif said there were also good people in
the PML(J) who never resorted to hypocrisy, nor stabbed the opposition
in the back. "We are ready to accept them back."
Warning his party leaders that the government could launch a fresh
campaign of victimisation against them to force them to change their
loyalties, Sharif exhorted them to stay steadfast as, he said, they
had been doing for the last two years.
The opposition leader declared that his party would offer any
sacrifice to prevent the PPP from forming its government in the
Punjab. He directed leaders of the PML(N) and its allied parties to
sit together to map out their future course of action. After that, he
proposed, they should also hold meetings with leaders of other
parties.
Mr Nawaz Sharif claimed that the opposition would shortly get the
support of 137 MPAs in the Punjab Assembly. At present, its
parliamentary party comprises 97 MPAs.
DWS
950907
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PPP claims support of 137 MPAs
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Mahmood Zaman
LAHORE, Sept. 6: The People's Party Punjab leadership told the Prime
Minister on Wednesday that it enjoyed a comfortable majority in the
legislature and was in a position to form a government in the
province.
The Prime Minister, who arrived in Lahore and met with party leaders
and MPAs, was quoted as saying that the sooner the assembly was
restored, the better.
There were indications that the Governor's rule in the Punjab might
extend to a maximum of two weeks. The PPP sources claimed that the
Punjab Assembly would be restored much before the end of the current
month. PPP, according to sources, was trying to form the government
by next Sunday.
As and when a signal from the PPP would be given, the president would
withdraw his proclamation under Article 234 of the Constitution
directing the Punjab governor to assume the administrative control of
the province.
Makhdoom Altaf and Mushtaq Awan are understood to have presented a
list of 137 MPAs to the prime minister claiming that the PPP was in a
comfortable position to form a government in the Punjab.
Makhdoom Altaf is being tipped as the PPP nominee for chief
ministership who has been assigned the task of forming his cabinet. He
has already started the exercise and is believed to have given a word
to the prime minister that the task would be accomplished in a day or
two and the PPP parliamentary party would be in a position to show its
strength by Sunday.
PDF INTACT: According to PPP sources, the PDF is intact and the PPP
will take along the PML(J) in the governance of the province.
Cabinet and semi-cabinet slots will be offered to the PML(J) MPAs who
resigned as chief minister's advisers on Tuesday. He hoped that PML(J)
President Hamid Nasir Chattha would also lend his support to the PPP
in forming the government.
But, according to sources, the power-sharing formula, agreed to in
October 1993 when the PDF governments were formed at the Centre and
the Punjab in the beginning and later in the NWFP, would have to be
changed. The new formula would give chief ministership to the PPP and
"reasonable number" of cabinet and semi-cabinet positions to the
PML(J) people.
DWS
950901
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Pakistan's raising of Kashmir issue upsets India
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Masood Haider
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 31: Angry and upset with Pakistan's delegation
which raised the Kashmir issue at the Inter-parliamentary Council
meeting at the United Nations on Wednesday, the Indian opposition
leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared: "It is Pakistan which is
flouting the United Nations resolution by not withdrawing its forces
from Kashmir."
Talking to reporters after the afternoon session of the Council
meeting being held here to mark the 50th anniversary of the United
Nations, Mr Vajpayee feigned complete ignorance of the UN Security
Council's resolutions and as to what they stipulate and mean.
In Mr Vajpayee's estimation "the UN resolutions only call upon
Pakistan =97 the occupying force to vacate the Jammu and Kashmir Area."
"You people create problem every time. You know the Kashmiri people
themselves acceded to India. First, the Maharaja then the Kashmiri
parliament both decided to go with India." Vajpayee added: "In my
speech on Thursday I will reply to the charges of Pakistan's
representative".
When pointed out that the UN resolutions call upon both India and
Pakistan to withdraw from the occupied areas and hold a plebiscite
under the auspices of the United Nations, he declared: "It's untrue,
Pakistan is the occupying force. Kashmiris acceded to India willingly
and even the United Nations accepted it. The UN Security Council
never asked India to withdraw its forces", he added.
The part of Pakistani speech which angered Mr Vajpayee had a reference
to Security Council's resolution which remain unimplemented and it
called upon the United Nations and the parliamentarians to help
resolve the Kashmir issue.
Pakistan stressed that the unresolved Kashmir issue continues to
"endanger peace and security in the South Asian region." Since the
theme of the three-day conference is "Peace and Development", Pakistan
availed of the opportunity to underscore the issue.
Earlier, Indian delegation to the meeting was not allowed to exercise
a right to reply sought by it, following the speech by Pakistan in
which the United Nations was exhorted to resolve the Kashmir issue.
National Assembly Speaker Yousuf Raza Gilani in his speech asked the
international community and parliamentarians to help resolve the
Kashmir issue in accordance with the relevant Security Council
resolutions.
Gilani also emphasised that the Kashmir issue would continue to
endanger peace and security in the region as long as the people of
Kashmir were denied their right to self-determination.
As soon as Mr Gilani ended his speech, the Indian delegate rose from
his seat and sought a right to reply.
The Indians were particularly incensed because in the statement in the
morning made by Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shivraj V. Patil, they did not
mention the Kashmir dispute.
SPEECH TONED DOWN: In a strategy, the speech delivered by the National
Assembly Speaker Yousuf Raza Gilani was toned down, so as to avoid
swift action by the Indian delegation in seeking a right to reply.
In the original speech Mr Gilani was to refer to India's brutal
suppression of the Kashmiris' freedom struggle and its consistent
violations of human rights. But, despite the toning down of the speech
the Indians reacted harshly and sought a right of reply.
DWS
950902
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Gilani's speech was toned down to avoid Indian reaction
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Masood Haider
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 1: In an unprecedented gesture of goodwill
towards the hostile Indian delegation at the Inter-parliamentary
Council's meeting here. Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations,
Ahmed Kamal, asked one of the second-secretary at the Pakistan's
mission to the United Nations to show the approved original text of
Speaker Yousuf Raza Gilani's speech to the Indian mission to ascertain
whether "they have any objection."
Informed sources told Dawn that Ambassador Kamal had instructed the
second secretary at a meeting on Wednesday to take the Indians into
confidence as he deemed it wise to get India's approval so that they
did not exercise their right of reply after the speech.
While almost every officer at the Pakistan mission here was surprised
at the suggestion of Ambassador Kamal, only objected and was told "You
don't understand this, you are new."
Meanwhile, the original text condemning human rights abuses in held
Kashmir which had been approved by NA Speaker Gilani was distributed
to the media here. But, when the Indians informed Ambassador Kamal
about their objections, the text was pulled hours before delivery.
Mild language, acceptable to the Indians was used with an
understanding that they would not exercise their right to reply.
The official news agency APP had run the story with the original text,
and it was instructed by Ambassador Kamal to kill the story. APP
correspondent here made an official call to Islamabad to stop the
dispatch.
But, interestingly, when Mr Gilani delivered his speech on Wednesday
afternoon, without mentioning India's human rights abuses in the
occupied territory and only asking the international community and the
United Nations to seek enforcement of the UN mandate, Indian delegates
jumped up and raised objection seeking a "right of reply." The
strategy devised by Ambassador Kamal had "backfired."
The Indian delegates meanwhile, raised much hue and cry. They went
around telling every delegate and journalist at the meeting that "in
fact it was Pakistan which was violating the UN resolution."
On Thursday morning India's opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
who is a member of the Indian delegation here, raised serious
objections to Pakistan's reference to India, saying: "It was not the
forum to discuss the issue since the Simla agreement signed between
the two countries provides the mechanism for the consideration of the
matter."
But Vajpayee did not stop there, he meant that Pakistan was sponsoring
terrorism when he said: "The problems between India and Pakistan can
be resolved only through bilateral discussion and dialogue, and not
through terrorism, low intensity warfare or war."
So the wisdom of checking with Indians before the delivery of the
speech did not pay off.
Diplomats and observers here say that Pakistan should have assumed
that any mention of the word Kashmir at any forum would anger Indians
anyway and they would have objected. So, a stronger language in
Speaker Gilani's speech would not have mattered, instead he would have
made a more vigorous case for the Kashmiris by mentioning India's
human rights abuses.
DWS
950902
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Delhi refuses to exchange 'Pakistanis' for hostages
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Report
SRINAGAR, Sept 1: According to Indian officials, India has rejected
the latest demands by guerrillas in occupied Kashmir for the release
of three jailed Pakistani activists in exchange for four Western
hostages they are holding.
The guerrillas, who earlier this week complied with demands from the
authorities for proof the hostages were alive and well despite death
threats, had indicated their patience was wearing thin and wanted a
reciprocal gesture from India.
Al-Faran has offered to release American Donald Hutchings, German Dirk
Hasert and Britons Keith Mangan and Paul Wells if India freed 15
Muslim activists from prison.
Among the 15 are three Pakistanis, belonging to the Harkat-ul-Ansar
militant group fighting Indian rule on occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
India has said it will not swap militants for the hostages, arguing
such a bargain would encourage future kidnappings.
New Delhi has said the three jailed Pakistanis are among 'hard-core
militants' belonging to Harkat-ul-Ansar, which the government says is
linked to Al-Faran.
Harkat-ul-Ansar denied the association with Al-Faran and condemned the
abductions.
DWS
950905
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Chavan blames ISI for Beant's murder
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Umashanker Phadnis
NEW DELHI, Sept. 4: The Indian Home Minister, S.B. Chavan, has held
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) responsible for the
assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and asked the
External Affairs Minister to take up the matter with Islamabad.
Although several legislators have already made such allegations this
is the first time that a senior member of the government has levelled
the charge.
Chavan cited the Beant Singh assassination as an instance of the
"Pakistani effort to step up its activities to destabilise the
government in (East) Punjab and (occupied) Kashmir." He said "I am
sure that my colleague in the External Affairs Ministry will be able
to protest against the way Pakistan is trying to destabilise Jammu and
Kashmir and other areas of the country. The recent incident is quite a
serious one."
Chavan alleged that "terrorists are being given asylum in Pakistan"
and added "I can say without fear of contradiction that the ISI is
behind the bomb blast which killed Beant." He maintained that the
agency was engaged in training guerrillas before sending them to
occupied Kashmir and East Punjab.
Although it is generally believed that the assassination was the
handiwork of the Babbar Khalsa International, Chavan refused to either
confirm or deny it. He was cautious enough to hold the view that it
was yet to be established through investigations.
According to Chavan, the blast was a case of "security lapse", not of=
"intelligence failure" and added "know what kind of information was=
available with them (the investigating team) but till the
investigation is completed, I do not want to hazard a guess."
DWS
950905
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Islamabad condemns insinuation
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 4: In what can be termed a retort from the
Government of Pakistan they have taken strong exception to Indian Home
Minister, S.B. Chavans "ridiculous, unfounded and extremely
irresponsible statement". In a press release given to APP, the foreign
office has responded in full to all the allegations made by the Indian
minister.
"The statement is an outrageous ploy to conceal the obvious serious
flaws in the security given to the chief minister of Indian Punjab,
either because of incompetence or because of an internal conspiracy.
Indian Ministry for Internal Security Rajesh Pilot, and Home Ministry
officials have already admitted the breaches in the high security
cover provided for the chief minister.
"It may be recalled that Beant Singh was clearly an unpopular leader
who came to power after an election which attracted less than 10 per
cent participation from an alienated electorate. This populace had
been aggrieved with Indian authorities since the storming of the
Golden Temple.
"Regrettably the Indian Home Minister has once again resorted to his
favourite past-time of accusing Pakistan of involvement in India's
internal matters. These accusations are too well understood as myths
to be taken seriously by any impartial observer of the Indian scene.
"The Government of Pakistan also takes strong exception to the
attempts made by Indian authorities as well as security agencies to
project a fabricated nexus between the separatist movement in the
Indian Punjab and the indigenous freedom movement, led by APHC, for
the inalienable right to self-determination in the internationally
recognised disputed territory of Indian-held Kashmir.
"Kashmir, on the other hand, is not and has never been an integral
part of India. It is a disputed territory whose status is to be
determined through a UN-supervised plebiscite in accordance with the
resolutions of the UN Security Council to which both India and
Pakistan are parties. Pakistan extends moral political and diplomatic
support in favour of the movement for the implementation of the UN
Resolutions."
DWS
950905
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Crucial Congress session tomorrow
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4: The US Congress returns to work after its summer
recess on Wednesday for a session crucial to both Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto and President Clinton, in their own ways.
Pakistan would be watching the Congress, specially Senate, on what it
does to the Hank Brown Amendment, if it were to be tabled in its
original form, seeking release of military equipment and easing of
Pressler sanctions.
Congressional observers say if no action was taken by Congress on the
Brown Amendment, or if meaningless and good-for-nothing changes were
made in the Pressler law, it would become almost impossible for
Pakistan and the Clinton Administration to give concrete concessions
to Pakistan later during the presidential election.
And Pakistan's friend Hank Brown would be retiring early next year
leaving a gap that Pakistani diplomats in Washington would find very
difficult, if not impossible, to bridge.
DWS
950906
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Brown's amendment withdrawn
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5: Senator Hank Brown's amendment, seeking lifting
of economic sanctions against Pakistan under the Pressler law, was
withdrawn in the US Senate.
Senator Strom Thurmond, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, got
up shortly after Brown had proposed an unrelated amendment to the
Defence Authorisation Bill, and moved the motion to withdraw the Brown
Amendment. The presiding officer asked the House if there was any
objection to the move, with no Senator including Brown objecting, he
ordered that the Amendment be withdrawn.
Senator Larry Pressler had raised the issue during the debate and had
asked for the Brown Amendment to be sent to the Appropriations
Committee so that it came up as part of the Foreign Operations Bill.
Pressler's demand has apparently been accepted by Brown but it is not
clear whether Pressler would soften his opposition to the easing of
sanctions imposed in 1990. All indications were that he would not.
Congressional observers said the withdrawal of the amendment was a
confirmation that Brown had decided not to use the Defence Bill as the
vehicle to get his amendment through. The most likely choice for Brown
would now be the Foreign Operations Bill, which would come up for
discussion in the Senate sometime in the third week of this month.
But if Brown decided to shift the vehicle to the Foreign Operations
Bill, it would mean going back to the Committee stage and the thumping
16-2 vote which Pakistan got in the Foreign Relations Committee would
become redundant.
A fresh vote would have to be taken in the Appropriations Committee
and if Pakistan did not get an equally thumping majority, as was
obtained in the Foreign Relations Committee, Pakistan's case would
definitely receive a serious setback, congressional experts said. The
move would give another chance to Pressler, John Glenn, Paul Sarbanes
and others, who are opposed to Pakistan getting any concessions, to
block the Brown Amendment at the Committee stage.
"This also means that Pakistan will technically have moved one step
backwards, although it is likely that the Appropriations Committee may
not debate the whole issue at length. Yet a vote would still be
required for inclusion of Brown's Amendment in the chairman's mark-up
which would be sent to the House."
No immediate explanation was available from Brown's office as to why
this had been done.
DWS
950903
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Begum Tyabji: the end of an era
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Muneeza Shamsie
KARACHI: THE passing of Begum Mariam Tyabji marks the end of a rare
and remarkable life, which spanned almost an entire century. She was
born in 1899 and belonged to one of the most eminent and enlightened
Muslim families in the subcontinent. Her famous father, Sir Akbar
Hydari, was prime minister to the Nizam of Hyderabad, founded Osmania
University and became a member of The Viceroy's Council. Her
progressive mother, Lady Amina Hydari, a Tyabji by birth, was the
first Muslim woman to be awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind Medal for relief
work.
Begum Tyajbi's parents set up the Mahboobia Girls School in Hyderabad,
where she did her senior Cambridge. She was married in 1917, moved to
Bombay and discarded purdah. Her supportive, scholarly husband, Hatim
Tyabji, was to become Chief Justice of Pakistan and was the son of Sir
Badruddin Tyabji, the third President of the Indian National Congress.
She was one of the few Muslim women in Sindh to be out of purdah and
was soon involved in community work. She was appointed to the
Municipal School Board and became a Visitor to the Lady Dufferin
Hospital, the Civil Hospital and Karachi Jail. She participated in the
welfare activities of the Empire Ladies Association, was a Justice of
the Peace too and an Honorary Magistrate.
Awarded the Sitara-i-Khidmat, Begum Tyabji is best known in Pakistan
for her services to the blind. She helped establish The Blind Centre,
which began with a small building in Keamari with corrugated roofs and
which developed into a large federation with its own building and a
braille printing press. Begum Tyabji continued to head the
organisation and took an active interest in its work, until her fall
last March.
DWS
950902
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Separation of judiciary from executive put off again
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Faraz Hashmi
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 1: The separation of judiciary from executive which
was scheduled to take place in the federal capital on Sept. 1 has been
deferred by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who now wants the
implementation of the constitutional obligation in all the provinces
and Islamabad at the same time.
The prime minister wants consensus among the four provinces and
Islamabad on the time frame for the simultaneous separation of
judiciary from executive, a source at the prime minister house said.
Earlier, the federal government had issued a notification to separate
the two organs of the state in Islamabad to set a precedence for the
provinces to follow.
The district management group which is said to be vigorously opposing
the move as it is likely to lose its judicial powers has nothing to do
with the deferment, the source said.
"The federal government is committed to give effect to each and all
mandates of the constitution and any other conjecture and inference is
against the facts and intents of the government," the spokesman said.
According to the broad outline laid down in the Supreme Court
judgement the magistracy would be divided into two different sections
i.e., judiciary and executive.
The executive magistrate would have powers under Cr. PC for
maintaining law and order while the functioning of judicial magistracy
would be to examine cases in which evidence is recorded on oath.
Judicial magistrates would be placed under the control of High Court.
Initially, the Constitution enforced on August 14 1973 had stipulated
a period of five years for the separation of executive from the
judiciary. Later, martial law government through a presidential order
extended the period to 14 years which expired in 1987.
DWS
950901
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Private jail in city busted
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Aug 31: Police arrested an Afghan national and his three
accomplices on Wednesday night for running a private jail in a
bungalow in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, and freed five captives from their
custody.
Haji Ali Jan, an Afghan Mujahid, used to hold a regular court and
convict Afghan refugees, living in Karachi and allegedly involved in
crimes, police said.
A heavy police force, launched a siege-and-search operation and
recovered five people in chains, from the bungalow. Police said they
were detained in the jail for the last three months.
"Ali Jan is a confidant of Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) chief
Gulbadin Hekmatyar as well as a member of HIA shoora," a HIA spokesman
said.
Talking to Dawn, the spokesman said Ali Jan had fought with occupation
forces in the eastern provinces of the country for many years and
emerged as a first-rank guerrilla leader. He was among those who had
first entered Kabul after its fall to Mujahideen, he added.
The spokesman said it (bungalow) was HIA's international affairs
office, established in 1988, and not a private jail, as alleged by
police.
DWS
950905
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureaucracy to undergo reshuffle at top
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Faraz Hashmi
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 4: In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the federal
government has decided to replace the interior secretary, Punjab chief
secretary and Federal Investigating Agency director-general, Dawn
reliably learnt here on Monday.
"These administrative adjustments might lead to a political change in
the province of Punjab," a source at the Establishment Division said.
FIA Director-General Asghar Malik, who is a close relative and
classmate of Punjab Chief Minister Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, is likely to
be replaced by Rehman Malik, currently serving as FIA additional
director-general.
In Punjab, former chief secretary Pervaiz Masood will be called back
to again take over the charge. Interior Secretary Ilyas H. Mohsin,
who is a distant relative of Mian Nawaz Sharif, will also be
transferred, the source said. Abbas Khan or Javed Qayyum Khan will
replace Mr Mohsin.
In the federal capital, where Inspector-General Police Asad Mehmood
Alvi and Chief Commissioner Afzal Kahutt, who are finding it difficult
to adjust with each other will also be transferred. Mr Alvi will be
sent to Lahore to take over as I.G. while the posting of Mr Kahutt is
yet to be decided.
Saeed Mehdi, who was principal secretary during the Nawaz Sharif era
and later held prize post of the chairman of the Capital Development
Authority is expected to take over as Islamabad Capital Territory
chief commissioner.
DWS
950905
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Benazir advocates more rights for women
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Laura Stark
BEIJING, Sept. 4: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto emphatically rebutted
the widely-held western misconception about women's rights in Islam in
her opening address to the UN conference on women here on Monday.
She opened her address to the delegates by saying: "I stand before you
not only as a prime minister but as a woman and a mother." She
discussed the collective responsibility to allay widely-held western
misconceptions that Islam is the root of problems for women living in
societies where fundamentalism threatens women's rights.
"I feel a special responsibility to counter the propaganda of a
handful of people that Islam gives women a second class status. Muslim
women have a special responsibility to help distinguish between
Islamic teachings and social taboos spun by the traditions of a
patriarchal society. In distinguishing between Islamic teachings and
social taboos, we must remember that Islam forbids injustice. It
treats women as human beings in their own right, not as chattels. A
woman can inherit, divorce, receive alimony and child custody," she
added.
She said that injustice continued not because of religion in the case
of Pakistan but because of social prejudices. Elaborating, she went on
to describe some of the changes that had resulted from the elections
and those that she had witnessed throughout her lifetime.
"Our election has exploded the myth built by social taboo that a
woman's place is in the house, that it is shameful or dishonourable or
socially unacceptable for a Muslim woman to work."
Several steps towards the improvement of women's status in Pakistan
were cited including the establishment in 1989 of the Women's Bank,
run by women and for women with the goal of setting up micro-
enterprises for income generation, lifting the ban on Pakistan women
participating in international sporting events, and the training of
100,000 women to reduce Pakistan's "population bomb" and the
initiation of public awareness campaigns against domestic violence and
its status in the country as a punishable crime. Steps to promote
primary education for girls was also described as one strategy to
rectify the imbalance between men and women.
On Tuesday (Sept. 5), the plenary session will be the venue for 7
minute speeches by high-ranking officials. Heads of all the United
Nations agencies and national delegates will also address the plenary
session. Benazir Bhutto and Hillary Clinton are also scheduled to
speak to the assembly during the week.
DWS
950906
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PM's address evokes enthusiastic response
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Laura Stark
BEIJING, Sept. 5: The reaction to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's
speech on Monday at the opening of the United Nations World Conference
on Women has been generally positive, but there has been some
criticism too. Ms Bhutto received much applause from those attending
the session.
According to one Muslim delegate: "It was about time someone at such a
high level and someone who is respected by the West attempted to get
through to those who are confused by images in the media. It's our
responsibility to educate people that the original tenets of Islam and
fundamentalist forces are not synonymous."
Pakistani NGOs were surprised by the announcement in her speech that
the government had agreed to sign the "Convention on the Elimination
of Discrimination Against Women" (CEDAW). It was reported in the
Beijing Watch, the daily paper of the World Conference, that
Pakistan's reservations in ratifying the declaration centred on the
section that calls for international arbitration if there was a
dispute between two countries over the application of the convention.
Some Pakistani women's groups reported that Ms Bhutto had been under
heavy pressure for several years to ratify CEDAW and that she had been
slow to do so, but felt that apparently it had been hammered out at
the last moment to avoid international controversy during the
conference.
Mr Madhavrao Scindia, Union Minister for Human Resource Development
and leader of the Indian delegation, criticised the section of Benazir
Bhutto's speech concerning Jammu and Kashmir.
Ms Bhutto had said: "The use of rape as a weapon of war and an
instrument of ethnic cleansing is as depraved as it is reprehensible.
The unfolding of this saga in different parts of the world, including
Kashmir and Bosnia, has shaken the conscience of the entire
international community. The enormity of the tragedy dwarfs other
issues =97 urgent though they are. This conference must therefore
express complete solidarity with our sisters and daughters who are
victims of armed conflict, oppression, and brutality. Their
misfortunes must be our first priority."
Mr Scindia's address on Tuesday offered direct response to Benazir
Bhutto's remarks. He stated: "We are gathered here today to draw up
this charter for women's empowerment as we move into a new millennium.
It pains me to see that even such an occasion was used yesterday to
politicise issues, and make unfounded allegations. I wish to set the
record straight. An integral part of India, Jammu and Kashmir, has
been the target of terrorism, sponsored and sustained from across the
borders. These terrorists have used the most brutal methods for
subjugating innocent civilians, including rape, hostage-taking and
murder. My delegation urges this august gathering not just to address
this new and emerging form of violence against women, but also to
condemn and evolve measures to combat and eliminate terrorism."
The grimness of the day eased when about 500 women hailing from
Pakistan and India brought out a procession and resolved to work for
bringing the two peoples closer.
DWS
950906
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SSP patron freed
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 5: Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) Chief, Maulana Ziaur
Rehman Farooqi, was released on bail following talks between high-
ranking police officials in Islamabad police and leaders of the SSP.
Maulana Farooqi had been arrested and handed over to Federal
authorities when members of SSP attacked the BBC office in Islamabad.
However, Farooqi had denied his involvement in the ransacking of the
BBC office.
DWS
950907
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PAF to acquire 32 Mirages
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 6: Pakistan has finally decided to buy 32 Mirage
2000-5 high-tech fighter jets from France to meet its immediate air
defence requirements and also co-manufacture Super-7 fighter jets with
China, replacing all other Chinese aircraft's.
Air Marshal Mohammad Abbas Khattak said in an interview that "F-16s
are not available to us, the Swedes cannot sell us Grippen aircraft
due to the Pressler Amendment and the Russians have not yet agreed to
sell SU-27; therefore we have no other alternative but to buy French
jets which are thought to be very expensive".
Khattak said Pakistan had earmarked $3 billion for purchasing new
planes but, in case of buying French planes, credit facilities would
have to be arranged.
He did not give a date when the Mirage deal would be finalised with
Paris. "We have evaluated all the planes available in the market and
given our report to the government. Now it is the government's
responsibility to buy and arrange credit facilities."
Asked, who had the final say, the Air Chief Marshal said: "Once the
professional assessment is done, we discuss the matter with the army
and the navy. "After arriving at a decision, we go to the government
and convince it. Luckily, no government has ever imposed anything on
us."
DWS
950907
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Official killed, Envoy hurt as Pak embassy stormed in Kabul
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
KABUL, Sept. 6: A Pakistani official and an Afghan were killed and the
Pakistani ambassador, Qazi Humayun, wounded, when Afghans attacked the
Pakistan embassy in Kabul on Wednesday. However, earlier reports from
diplomats in Kabul, quoting international aid organisations in Kabul,
had said more than 1,000 demonstrators attacked the embassy and that
"several dead bodies were seen lying in front of the building".
The Afghans were protesting against Pakistan government's alleged
support to Taliban militia. The Afghan government has formally accused
Pakistan of aiding the Taliban movement, which captured the key
western city of Herat on Tuesday in a major blow to President Rabbani.
Acting Defence Minister Younis Qanouni claimed Afghan security men had
tried to contain the crowd, but lost control "when a shot fired from
the embassy killed an Afghan student. That's when the crowd became
angry and broke into the compound and set it alight."
"We are unhappy with what happened at the Pakistan embassy," he said,=
"but we see no reason to apologise to Pakistan because the government
was not directly involved. This was a matter for the Afghan people,
who are angry about foreign involvement in south-west Afghanistan," he
said.
Qanouni said his government realised that the embassy attack would
damage relations with Pakistan, but said the Pakistani people would
"understand that their government has made a mistake in becoming
involved in Afghan internal affairs."
According to the official Kabul Radio, Foreign Minister Najibullah
Lafraie had sent a message to the UN Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali accusing Pakistan of "direct aggression".
DWS
950907
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Islamabad condemns attack on embassy
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 6: The Foreign Office expressed serious concern over
the attack on the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul and condemned the Rabbani
government for its failure to provide adequate security to the
chancery and its staff despite advance warnings by Islamabad.
Foreign Secretary, Najmuddin Sheikh, told newsmen that he believed
that 25 members of the Pakistan mission in Kabul, including ambassador
Qazi Humayun, had been hospitalised although immediate reports from
Kabul said that no one was seriously injured.
The anti-Pakistan demonstrations in Kabul are reported to be against
alleged support extended to the Taliban forces by the Pakistan
intelligence services on seizing control of the strategic city of
Herat. Pakistan has strongly denied the allegation and reiterated that
Pakistan was in no way involved in the intra-Afghan war.
Asked whether Pakistan planned a total evacuation of the embassy
personnel by a special airlift, the foreign secretary said he would
wait for additional information from Kabul before answering such
questions.
He indicated that direct communication between the Foreign Office and
the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul had also been disrupted as a result of
the ransacking.
950901
-------------------------------------------------------------------
IFC may collaborate with NDLC to form joint venture firm
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohiuddin Aazim
KARACHI, Aug 31: The National Development Leasing Corporation (NDLC)
plans to raise funds from the public by offering security papers worth
a certain percentage of its total leasing assets. The International
Finance Corporation (IFC) is likely to collaborate with the NDLC to
form a joint venture company to undertake the project.
"This is called securitisation...It would be quite a new thing here
but elsewhere in the world it has already existed," said NDLC chief Mr
Tayyeb Afzal. "The IFC is willing to collaborate with us but
negotiations are at an initial stage," he told Dawn on Thursday adding
that he would again discuss this issue with the IFC officials at the
World Bank-International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Washington.
Mr Afzal said the NDLC in collaboration with IFC and some local
financial institutions would set up a joint venture company which
would purchase a certain percentage of the NDLC leasing assets and use
it for launching investment securities through stock exchanges but did
not identify the financial institutions.
He said NDLC and IFC enjoyed an enviable working relationship in
Pakistan adding that the IFC had also converted 10 percent of its
loaning in NDLC into equity ownership but did not quantify the figure.
He avoided disclosing the specifics of the project saying the same
were being worked out but indicated that the proposed float of the
NDLC security paper could be to the tune of Rs 500 million. NDLC has
an assets base of Rs 4 billion.
First Leasing Corporation (FLC) Chairman Khurshid Hadi said his
company also planned to develop a similar instrument adding that they
had been in consultation with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for
the propose.
He said the IDB was busy to make the concept clearer adding that
certain legal issues had to be addressed before undertaking such a
project.
Mr Hadi, who also heads Leasing Association of Pakistan and Asian
Leasing Association, was of the view that the securitisation of
leasing assets would be practical only if the security papers are sold
to institutional investors instead of the general public.
He thought that the market at present is too underdeveloped to float
such a sophisticated instrument for the public "but there is no reason
why it should not be attractive to institutional investors."
Sources in the leasing sector were optimistic that the NDLC being the
oldest leasing company and IFC having a fairly large business exposure
in Pakistan may be able to make their plan a success. They did not
undermine the capability of the IDB to do the same in collaboration
with a local partner but expressed their reservations over what they
called slow pace working of the IDB that might delay implementation of
a similar project.
"Be it IFC or IDB or any other agency for that matter...the one
collaborating with a Pakistani leasing company to launch any
investment instrument would also have to see whether it is well within
the ambit of the Islamic Sharia," said a chief executive of a leasing
company who felt that this very aspect of the matter was critical in
determining when exactly the Pakistani market would see such a
product.
Market analysts say it is the liquidity crunch that has started
motivating the leasing companies to look for non-traditional sources
of fund generation adding that securitisation of leasing assets was
one such source which if implemented scientifically and run prudently
may steer the leasing companies out of the cash crisis.
DWS
950901
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rs 1.2bn bunglings in Punjab
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
LAHORE, Aug 31: The Auditor General of Pakistan located financial
irregularities amounting to Rs 1.290 billion in 11 departments of the
Punjab government during 1992-93.
The AGP's report was studied by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in
the Punjab Assembly on Thursday. It stated that as many as 50,000
objections were found in the accounts of different Punjab departments
but none of the departments ever bothered to reply.
Addressing a Press conference, a PML member of the PAC, S A Hameed,
said there are 50 departments in the Punjab but the government had
allowed the Auditor General of Pakistan to audit revenue receipts of
only 11 departments. This was strange in view of the fact that the
Sindh government had been allowing audit of its all departments since
1991.
Mr Hameed said the Punjab government had not submitted for audit
details of a Rs 3 billion development grant from the federal
government, Rs 1.60 billion of land revenue and Rs 609.07 million
revenue receipts from other taxes.
He said out of around 100 tehsils in the Punjab, only 11 had presented
their revenue receipts for audit without mentioning Rs 320 million of
abiana (water charges) which they never recovered. These tehsils did
not also recover Rs 340 million as fine from those who had used water
illegally.
The PML MPA said the audit department reported that the revenue
collection departments had never replied to the objections conveyed to
them. They also never held meetings of the departmental accounts
committees.
Mr Hameed said the PAC had taken a serious view of the situation and
asked the government to force all its departments to reply to all the
objections of the audit department and help their respective accounts
committees.
DWS
950901
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Import duty on newsprint cut to 1 pc
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Aug 31: The government is ready to reduce the import duty
on newsprint from 10 per cent to one per cent provided the newspaper
organisations withdraw their strike call for Sept 4, a government
handout said on Thursday.
"The government is willing to bring down custom duty on newsprint from
the present 10 per cent to one per cent, but an announcement to this
effect could only be made provided a positive gesture is made by the
newspaper industry to help create a conducive atmosphere," information
minister Khalid Kharal said in a statement.
The All Pakistan Newspapers Society had given the strike call for Sept
4 to force the government to withdraw 15 per cent sales tax and 10 per
cent import duty on newsprint, the prices of which has increased from
$400 per tonne to over $1,000 per tonne in the international market.
"Reduction in import duty is a sign of (government's) flexibility and
a welcome step," PNPO Secretary-General Mr Hameed Haroon told Dawn by
telephone from Karachi. "Our demand is basically zero duty and this is
the first step." Mr Haroon said the PNPO was waiting for the complete
withdrawal of sales tax "as a prelude to reviving a positive dialogue"
with the government.
DWS
950902
-------------------------------------------------------------------
STOCK EXCHANGE
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Muhammad Aslam
AFTER initial weakness, stocks recovered across a broad front during
the last week as investors made heavy buying at the lower levels on
predictions that the market is in for a grand technical rebound.
It was a judicious blend of both speculative and genuine buying after
mid-week, as investors hastened to buy on their choice counters at the
current lower levels. But the chief stimulating factor was resumption
of peace talks between the officials and MQM teams.
"But investors are still in two minds about the outcome of peace talks
and until an agreement is signed the state of uncertainty will
prevail", said an analyst.
Owing to volatile performance of the base shares amid alternate bouts
of buying and selling, the Karachi Stock Exchange index of 100-shares
showed highly erratic fluctuations touching the lowest of the week at
1,744.32, before bouncing back to 1,772.26 points as compared to the
previous week's 1,797.13.
Technically, the market is in a highly oversold position and needed a
correction. But it is not forthcoming owing to the law and order
situation and investor fears of an uncertain outlook for the share
business.
But the resumption of peace talks provided the much-needed push to
most of the bargain-hunters who made an extensive buying on selected
counters apparently in a bid to realise quick gains in the current
run-up.
There were many big gainers, which rose just in a session at the fag-
end of the week under the lead of Lever Brothers, which has been under
pressure since its merger with the Brooke Bond and the formation of
the new company under the name of Unilever Pakistan.
But Engro Chemicals, which showed sharp gains earlier in the week on
expectations of a higher interim was later traded down as a section of
investors took profit at the higher levels.
There is however a perception, and shared by many, that the market was
now in for a grand technical rebound and objective conditions inform
bears might not be in a position to stop it at least for the near
term.
There was no trace of the early week bearishness as investors
virtually rushed in to make an extensive buying for the new account as
all joined hands to boost the market in a big way.
Floor brokers said the current state of uncertainty in regard to a
durable peace might persist but one thing now appeared certain that a
formidable sector of leading investors has decided to stay in the
rings irrespective of external backgrounds.
However, what has lent credence to an idea of a bull market was the
strong presence of foreign buying though on selected counters, which
in turn generated a good bit of sympathetic buying on some other
sectors.
Interim dividend news from Philips and final dividend from Orix
Leasing, Burshane Pakistan and Al-Zamin Leasing Modaraba at 25 per
cent 35 per cent, 50 per cent and 12.5 per cent were in line with
market thinking.
But a notable exception was passing over of dividend by Hub Power,
although it did not work against the sustained rise in it share value.
The market recovery was led by bank shares, which showed widespread
gains on active short-covering, finishing with good rallies under the
lead of Al-Faysal, MCB, Bank of Punjab, Crescent Bank and others. ICP
mutual funds and leasing shares also rose modestly barring Orix
Leasing, which recovered by Rs. 6.
Insurance shares ruled mixed but ALICO, Century and Metro Insurance
managed to put on good gains amid active trading.
Some of the leading textile shares posted gains under the lead of
Gadoon and Nishat mills, while all others were fractionally traded.
After initial weakness, synthetic shares attracted good support at the
lower levels and rose modestly, under the lead of Dewan Salman,
Ibrahim Fibre, Dhan Fibre and Rupali Polyester.
Cement and energy shares were actively traded and most of them
recovered smartly amid brisk trading, major gainers among them being,
Cherat, Dadabhoy, Dandot, and Maple Leaf Cement.
Hub power whose directors have omitted the dividend for the year ended
June 30, was among the big gainers followed by PSO and Sui Northern.
Auto shares ruled mixed but leading among them rose under the lead of
Allied Motors, Atlas Honda and Pak-Suzuki Motors and so did transport
shares, big gainer among them being PTC shares.
Chemical shares showed either way movement, but the leading among them
rose under the lead of Engro Chemicals, Fauji Fertiliser, Abbott Ciba-
Geigy but Parke-Davis but Sandoz fell and so did Lever Brother after
the news of its merger with Brooke Bond which rose sharply. Lever also
ended recovered at the fag end of the week.
The newly listed Tri-Pak Films after a weak start managed to recoup
losses and was actively traded and so did Diamond Industries.
Trading volume soared to 57 million shares from the last week's 33
million shares as some of the current favourites were massively traded
under the lead of Hub Power despite passing over of the dividend for
the last year, Faysal Bank and PTC shares, which together accounted
for one third of the total volume.
They were followed by some of the newly listed shares, notably KASB
Premier Fund, Tri-Pak Films, which made firm debut and assumed the
role of active scrips just during the first week of trading. The
latter appeared to be attracting more buyers at the current levels,
which the market sources said, are attractive enough for any future
investment in this share.
Among the other actively traded shares, Lucky Cement, Maple Leaf
Cement, Sui Southern, Fauji Fertiliser, LTV Modaraba PIAC, Dhan Fibre,
Dewan Salman, Ibrahim Fibre and Generteck were leading.
Bank shares were led by Faysal and Platinum Bank followed by Al-
Faysal, Askari Bank, Bank of Punjab and some others.
DWS
950902
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ex-BCCI official rearrested
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Correspondents Report
LONDON, Sept 1: The Metropolitan police on Friday morning arrested
Ziauddin Ali Akbar, the former head of the treasury division of the
collapsed Bank of Credit and Commerce International, as soon as he was
released from prison, having served his jail term.
He had pleaded guilty to 16 charges of false accounting relating to
500 million pounds, and was sentenced to six years imprisonment at the
Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, in Sept 1993.
His arrest followed an extradition order from the United States where
the authorities want to put him on trial for his alleged role in the
collapse of the BCCI.
Akbar, 49, was described as the 'chief engineer' in the collapse of
the BCCI when he was sentenced to six years in jail. Under British
prison rules the total period since he was brought back by Scotland
Yard from France in September 1991 to stand trial was also counted
while considering remission.
Akbar had escaped to France after the closure of the BCCI in July 1991
despite a Scotland Yard order restricting him to the UK. He had been
convicted of drug money laundering and had served 18 months sentence
when he was given conditional release.
Akbar headed the BCCI's treasury division until 1986, when he became
managing director of Capcom Financial Services Limited, a commodity
futures trading company in London. It had linked to the BCCI.
When Akbar was arrested by the French police in 1991 even then there
was a request made by the US authorities for his extradition. They
wanted him to be sent there first for trial. But because he had
escaped from the jurisdiction of Scotland Yard the British authorities
were able to secure his arrest first and put him on trial.
He was the first of the four persons so far arrested by the Serious
Fraud Office and convicted by British courts in connection with the
BCCI investigations.
DWS
950903
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Court orders release of $393m seized from BCCI
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaheen Sehbai
WASHINGTON, Sept 2: Hundreds of thousands of victims of the BCCI, the
Third World's only bank that once made it big in the West, will soon
begin receiving at least some of their stuck-up deposits, following
release of 393 million dollars by a US court on Friday.
The judge ordered that more than 393 million dollars seized from the
BCCI be handed over to a worldwide fund so that the money could be
returned to victims and partly to the US government and New York
state.
The founder of BCCI, Agha Hasan Abedi, recently died in Pakistan after
a long illness while one of its main architects, Swaleh Naqvi, is in a
Pennsylvania prison, waiting for mercy as he has become a cooperating
witness.
For several years capitals had to work out ways to resolve the mess
created by the BCCI collapse and those with their savings sunk in the
scandal had been waiting with little hope of getting it back.
US district Judge Joyce Hens Green issued the order on Monday but the
Justice Department announced it late on Friday in what appears to be
the first release of forfeited funds to the depositors and governments
involved.
"The funds are being released to the federal government and the
victims under a 1991 plea agreement by BCCI," the Justice department
said in a Press release.
Under that agreement, 223 million dollars plus accrued interest, which
was not specified, will go to the victims fund. An additional 10
million dollars goes to New York state, where the BCCI had a
subsidiary bank, to pay for state fines. The balance is to remain
available to the attorney-general, Janet Reno, for offsetting the
losses suffered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
DWS
950903
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Donors raise objections over SAP execution
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, Sept 2: Donors comprising the World Bank, Asian Development
Bank, government of Netherlands and the British overseas development
administration have expressed their dissatisfaction over the
operational plan of the NWFP social action programme.
In their view, the plan is being operated at a pace slower than
planned and receiving major setbacks due to political interference at
a large scale.
Doubts have been expressed about the success of the programme. Lack of
supervision lethargy of executing departments, failure in the
implementation of various stages of the programme, nepotism,
favouritism and red-tapism have been seen as main hurdles in the
execution of the programme the benefits of which should have reached
the people within the specified period.
The programme review mission of the donor agencies and governments has
expressed concern over failure in following the action laid down in
the agreements.
This has led to the call to convene a joint monitoring in the
provincial planning, environment and development department as the
donors refuse to trust the manner in which such monitoring is being
done in the department concerned. The monitoring reports prepared
after long exercises have been found both faulty and unreliable and,
therefore, unacceptable to the donors representatives. They observed
that most of the time is consumed in lengthy meetings with no work on
the ground.
In at last one instance, it was found that the provincial government
failed to observe the deadline of August 31, for the beginning of
implementation of PC-I prepared by the local government and rural
development department which allocations have already been made.
The mission of donor countries and financing institutions also pointed
out lack of uniformity in operational policy of projects started last
year. This has made the programme full of confusion with little
benefits to be accrued to the people.
The donors had also set August 31, as the last date for the launching
of an awareness campaign about the SAP projects, which has not been
done. They had also suggested to hold a seminar for members of
political parties, MPAs and specialists which is scheduled for
October.
The mission has also made similar observations about the execution of
primary education programme. It has raised serious objections against
frequent transfer of teachers, before they completed their tenure, on
political grounds. This, it said, disturbed the programme.
A number of objections have been raised against the way primary health
programme and the water supply projects have been handled in the
province and corrective measures have been suggested by the mission.
DWS
950904
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PM orders probe into misuse of SAP funds
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Sept 3 : All the four provinces have mixed up Social Action
Programme (SAP) funds with their Annual Development Programmes (ADPs)
and People's Programme and Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has directed
Auditor-General of Pakistan to conduct an inquiry into the issue and
report to her immediately.
Informed sources told Dawn here on Sunday that the AG has been asked
to determine as to why the SAP funds have been mixed up by the
provinces and that why they were not bifurcated as was agreed with the
World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Planning and
Development Divisions have also been asked to probe why the SAP
estimates were not used in true spirit.
"According to clear cut federal government's instructions, and also a
one of the major conditionalities of the donor agencies, SAP funds
cannot be intermingled with the provincial ADPs and there was no
question of their re-appropriation," said an official of the Planning
Commission.
The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and few other donors had
provided over $500 million to Pakistan to undertake SAP throughout
Pakistan. Islamabad is again expecting to receive another $500 million
for initiating the second phase of the SAP(2).
The government plans to spend $8 billion on SAP during the next five
years. It expected to receive about $2 billion from donor agencies and
other bilateral resources.
The sources said the donor agencies knew about it and would soon take
up the issue with the federal authorities to ensure that SAP funds
were not mixed up with provincial ADPs or Peoples Programme. It also
pointed out that the monitoring system of the SAP was very weak and
needs to be carefully examined for restructuring in order to improve
the service delivery at the facility level.
The SAP has been launched by the government with the support of the
donors with the aim of enlarging and improving primary education,
improving basic health facilities, slowing high population growth rate
(3.2 per cent of the GDP) and providing clean water and adequate
sanitation services.
DWS
950905
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Singapore firm gets New City contract
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 4: The Multi-national Group (MG), a Singapore-based
company, has been given the contract for developing Islamabad New
City, a joint venture of National Housing Authority and Capital
Development Authority likely to be launched next month, CDA chairman
Zafar Iqbal said here on Sunday.
The CDA had invited applications in 1993 and about 53 concerns had
initially submitted their letters of expression. Mr Iqbal said after
short-listing and intense negotiations with different parties, the MG
was selected for the development of the city on more than 80,000
kanals in Zone 5 of Islamabad.
Giving the salient features of the project, Mr Iqbal said the master
plan of the project divides the total area into four sectors of 20,000
kanals each. Each sector will have 24,000 units over an area of 10,000
kanals, leaving the rest for roads, streets, mass transit system, golf
course, playgrounds, parks, markets, green belts and public utility
buildings.
The CDA chief said the new city would cater to all income groups,
giving special attention to the lower and middle classes. The housing
authority would allocate plots in one of the sectors to different
private and government departments to solve the housing problem of
employees, he added.
He said the project would be completed in three years and, after six
years, the whole city would be reverted to CDA for municipal
regulation.
DWS
950904
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Minister's disclosure shocks traders
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaukat Ali
LAHORE, Sept. 3: Minister of State for Finance Makhdoom Shahabuddin
stunned a meeting of small traders on Sunday by saying that the Income
Tax Officers (ITOs) who had last month visited markets and caused
panic among businessmen about filing tax returns with certain
conditions this year, did it to undermine government policy of
removing their role in tax collection.
Although the minister confirmed that the Government wanted businessmen
to supply information pertaining to their mobile telephone, children's
education and travel abroad along side their income tax returns, he
held IT officials responsible for sabotaging efforts to increase
revenue collection by reducing direct contact between them and the
tax-payers. But the matter had been in the Press for quiet some days
that ITOs were visiting markets to apprise traders of the new
conditions.
According to the minister, "lack of contact between the Government and
the business community on the three-year Self Assessment Scheme for
income tax from this year is the root cause of present
misunderstandings", arguing that small traders were not to be effected
by the fresh conditions on the returns as long as they continued to
show 20% increase in their income.
He said at present the government did not want to take action against
the tax department personnel who were out to sabotage government tax
policy, but held out an assurance to the traders that strict action
would be taken against the ITO's.
An Income Tax official, Iqbal Farid, explained that as a matter of
fact there was nothing like form A of the income tax, which was
largely circulated in the Lahore markets by certain politically
motivated business organisations in connivance with some tax
department officials to create a scene which culminated in the form of
a two-days business strike.
DWS
950905
-------------------------------------------------------------------
FACC seeks details from PIA on lawsuits in NY
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Report
KARACHI, Sept. 4: The Federal Anti Corruption Committee (FACC) has
sought information and explanation from the Pakistan International
Airlines (PIA) about the law suits it was facing in New York courts
which has resulted in payment of over $6,97,000 to the lawyers in last
five years.
An interesting observation made by the FACC in respect of PIA's
payment of lawyers' fees is that bulk of the amount which is more than
62% =97 $437,622 =97 has been paid to a lawyer of Pakistani origin in New=
York while two other major American law firms were paid about
$232,000.
These observations are incorporated in a report of a team dispatched
by the FACC to New York. The team observed that the PIA was sustaining
financial losses due to the agents default. The situation has further
aggravated because of filing of law suits.
It was found that the PIA's spending on account of lawyers' fees has
increased from $42,928 in 1990 to $319,706 in 1994. The FACC fears
that PIA's legal cost in 1995 will be more than 1994.
Another interesting observation it made was that the cost incurred in
engaging American lawyers does not exceed $65,000 a year but in case
of the Pakistani origin lawyer it has gone from $6,981 in 1990 to
$214,643 in 1994 which the report points out "is being patronised by
PIA New York, may be due to his excellent performance record".
The FACC has therefore asked the PIA to inform the number of cases
given to the Pakistani origin lawyer in New York in 1992, 1993, 1994
and 1995 and how many of these have been won by him to PIA's
advantage.
DWS
950906
-------------------------------------------------------------------
FACC threatens to abandon task
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaukat Ali
LAHORE, Sept. 5: The federal government has empowered once again its
Anti-Corruption Committee to get details of bank accounts of
individuals and companies which are under charges of misappropriating
bank loans. According to sources, the Committee had threatened to
abandon its task of probing cases against bank loan defaulters if it
was not provided with details of their accounts and other assets.
The Committee, constituted by the government last year, had started
investigating the stuck up loans of about Rs 80 bn. It had already
pinpointed half a dozen cases that the Pakistan Banking Council (PBC),
with the consent of the Ministry of Finance, refused to provide bank
account details for. This was done under the pretext that every bank
client had a legal right secrecy of his business. It had told the
government that if the committee continued to investigate into bank
accounts people would lose trust in banking.
Upholding PBC's plea, the Committee was barred from asking about
random particulars of certain bank accounts. But then this was no
solution. The issue of stuck-up loans, played up by the government in
a bid to politicise it, took a U-turn after the PBC action.
According to sources, the matter was brought to the notice of the
Prime Minister who advised the Finance and Law ministries to find some
way out for the Committee to continue with its job. Apparently it was
settled between the Committee and the PBC that details of only those
bank accounts would be made available about which the Committee showed
ample proof of fraud to bank authorities.
The Finance Ministry, is also likely to inform all banks through a
circular about the new jurisdiction of the Committee. Insiders
confided that there were over one hundred cases, identified by the
Committee, in which loans running into billions of rupees, had been
obtained from banks without valid collateral.
DWS
950906
-------------------------------------------------------------------
2 electronic giants may drop plan to invest in Pakistan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Aamir Shafaat Khan
KARACHI, Sept. 5: The government's strategy to combat growing
smuggling of all the electronic items by slashing down drastically the
customs duty on imports has not been received in good humour by
foreign investors. Market reports suggests that two Japanese
electronic giants, the Matsushita Electric Industrial Company and Sony
Corporation, are seriously reconsidering their plans to set up
manufacturing facilities in Pakistan.
Sony Corporation has already set up an office at Lahore to monitor the
potential of the local market with a view to establishing
manufacturing plant but are now considering to give it up after the
government's decision to slash down the customs duty and fixing 10% on
import of various electronic items. Before this, the customs duty on
import of various electronic goods ranged between 35% to 70% and was
the main cause of smuggling of these items.
Japanese investors, according to market sources, dropped broad hints
of withdrawing their plans of investment in Pakistan at a meeting in
Islamabad between the Secretary Board of Investment (BOI), Syed
Mohibullah Shah and Director General, Japan External Trade
Organisation (JETRO), Mr Hiroto Ishibashi and officials of the four
provincial governments.
The DG JETRO is also reported to have informed the BOI Secretary that
the flow of investment from Japan in various other sectors had been
slow due to inconsistencies, ad-hocism and improper implementation of
government's policies.
The DG JETRO, who was acting as a representative of other Japanese
organisations, told Mohibullah that two companies, Marubeni and
Mitsubishi, had signed agreements with the Pakistani government
recently to invest in cement and textile sectors but they too are
concerned by the changes in implementation policies of taxes.
"If Pakistan stops changes in tariff structure after every year the
country will be flooded with foreign investment," Adding that changes
in taxation structure had resulted in shifting o=A3 Japanese investment
to India because of their open policies.
Meanwhile, the bilateral trade between the two countries during the
first six months of 1995 has shown a favourable balance of $251
million for Japan as against only $67 million surplus shown in January
to June 1994 period showing a rise of over 300 percent.
During January to June 1995, Pakistan's exports to Japan were worth
$324 million while imports from Japan to Pakistan were $575 million.
In January to June 1994 Pakistan's import from Japan amounted $372.6
million exports were worth $305 million.
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950901
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The bare bones
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardeshir Cowasjee
I RECENTLY had the pleasure of once again meeting a sane senior
Pakistani international civil servant, widely acclaimed in the lending
and borrowing world for his acumen and his understanding of high
finance. I found him very distressed.
What can one do, what can one individual do? he asked. You can speak,
I told him, and I can write. Many read, some may comprehend. Should
the people not be informed? Is it not their right? You stay away, but
your soul is here. You despair, you feel for your country.
He agreed to speak, and authorised me to quote him verbatim.
What do you see, hear, feel, sense, smell? I asked.
Each time I am in Islamabad I smell decay.
What do you see?
I see, feel and sense.
"A system that consists of the legislative, the executive, the
judiciary =97 a closed system where reform and change cannot come from
within."
"A parliament that is an instrument of the feudal classes because it
does not represent the changing structure of Pakistan's population
which is substantially urban."
"It takes crores of rupees to contest an election. All except the
mooned or their proxies are disenfranchised."
"The civil service which was a check on the excesses of the
politicians was emasculated by Bhutto, and now, for all practical
purposes, there is no civil service in Pakistan."
"There is no accountability. Pakistan today is one of the most corrupt
countries in the world. Examples of corruption are printed in the
Press almost every day of the week yet nothing happens, because of
this closed system, where all branches of the government are a part of
the same game. In such a case, change has to be brought in from the
outside and it is very likely to be violent."
"The entire system of government has become perverse. If you are a
common man in Pakistan you have the right to ask what you get from the
taxes you pay:=97
Do you get security for self and family? No.
Do you get education for your children? No
Does the government provide health facilities? No
Is there a working infrastructure in the cities? Go to the less
privileged areas of Karachi and find the answer for yourself."
"In sum, the government, of course, provides resources for the armed
forces, it services the national debt which is galloping at an
alarming pace. The rest is merely taking from the many and
distributing the takings to the privileged few, e.g. loans from
Pakistan's public financial institutions which are never repaid."
"Licences and permits are distributed for setting up sugar mills,
power plants, etc, etc, where immediate profit is gained from over-
invoicing machinery or fixing inconceivably high power tariffs."
"Economic management is in the pits. Efforts made towards education
rank lower than in many African countries. Literacy is declining,
particularly amongst women. Women in Pakistan have the right to ask
their woman prime minister, who sells herself to the world as one of
the only three women PMs in the Muslim world, exactly what she has
done for the women of her country."
"The fiscal situation is out of control. Taxes are paid by a very
small number of people, maybe 150,000, and are extorted from those who
pay. The rich, including the PM and her husband and the leader of the
opposition pay little. The contribution they make to the state, with
its practically non-existent social services, bears no relationship to
their style of living. The fiscal deficit is ballooning, partly
because of the large number of jialas who have been inducted into
various institutions of the government to do little or nothing."
"Pakistan's options are limited. If it is to avoid inflation of the
Latin American kind it must cut social services because the options of
cutting expenditures on defence or debt servicing are not available to
it. The people will not accept further increases in taxes or in
prices."
"Pakistan only avoids the sort of hyper-inflation that Latin America
had because the illiterate Pakistani masses have not yet discovered
the dollar. The day they start rushing to convert their rupees into
dollars to protect themselves against inflation the game will be
over."
"The government short-term liability is over $5 billion. Pakistan's
reserves are less than $2 billion and going down. If the Pakistanis
and foreigners who hold $5 billion liability start cashing in, default
will be impossible to avoid."
"I do not trust any of Pakistan's statistics, including those on
growth or inflation. My view is that inflation is significantly higher
than indicated by the government."
"In the entire Pakistan government there is not a single economist of
any calibre who can even mobilise the people to think about the
weightier issues that our country faces."
What can be done?
"This situation has no answer. Benazir is the problem, only because
she is the manifestation of the system as is Nawaz Sharif. If the
country chooses to back either of them, then the country must sink
further."
"The answer has to be found outside the system and there is no doubt
that the solution will have to involve people who are not a part of
the oligarchy that rules Pakistan. The country has to go through many
years of fundamental reforms which must include a clear-cut strategic
view of our defence needs in relation to our economic realities."
"The lesson of the Soviet Union must not be lost. The United States
ultimately destroyed it by making armaments too expensive. Pakistan,
vis-a-vis India, is in a similar situation."
"The state is too large and unproductive. There has to be a sustained
and large cut-back in the state's expenses so as to release resources
for social services and development activities."
"There has to be massive deregulation so that the state does not
hinder private activities and is not an engine of rent collection as
it now is."
The state's capacity for the provision of social services and public
infrastructure has to be strengthened. Firm targets for the commitment
of financial and human resources have to be established =97 education,
mass literacy, health, etc, etc."
"There has to be a reconstruction of the executive branch with
professional career civil services based purely on merit and
competition."
"Pakistan is a multi-ethnic society. It cannot survive on the basis of
a centralised government. There has to be massive decentralisation, as
there is no way a highly centralised, inefficient and corrupt
government can deliver the goods on social services and
infrastructure. The only way to bring the government closer to the
people is through devolution to the provinces,by strengthening them,
and by reviving and strengthening local bodies."
"This is not a small agenda, and it will probably never be achieved."
His conclusion: So where is Pakistan going? Because of the sins of
this government and its predecessors society must continue to mortgage
its future in terms of higher debt, and compromise its sovereignty to
keep the money flowing from international organisations to keep our
trade channels open. Any improvement in the standard of living,
particularly urban, is not within sight. Karachi may merely be a
foretaste of what we may see in the other cities of Pakistan.
There is a risk that Pakistan will join the many countries in Africa
and soon become one of the failed states. This risk draws closer every
day. The real fear is that if things slide as they are doing, sometime
early in the next century there may not be a State of Pakistan.
My conclusion: I share his foreboding. I share his fear. Let any who
may disagree, barring of course the government 'parrots', write in.
DWS
950902
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The sleaze sweepstakes
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Mazdak
THE news that Pakistan is the third most corrupt country in the world
must have sent shock waves among those who have worked so hard to earn
us this enviable reputation.
They must be wondering what it takes to earn the top spot: after all
their endless labour, it must be galling for them to see Indonesia
occupy first position, with China coming next in the sleaze
sweepstakes. But seeing a pair of Muslim countries taking two out of
the three top slots does make this member of the Ummah feel proud. The
German organisation, Transparency International, has done us a huge
favour by ranking countries according to their level of corruption.
For those who feel strongly =97 and there is no shortage of such people
=97 that Western countries are a cesspool of vice and degeneracy, it
might come as a bit of a surprise that countries like New Zealand and
Denmark have been ranked as the most honest.
Actually, this is not the only honour to come Pakistan's way. In GDP,
population, health, education and quality of life indicators, we are
invariably placed near the bottom of the pack. Even countries like
Nigeria and Ghana consistently perform better than us. The latter has
the same per capita income as we do ($430), and yet has a literacy
rate of 60%, almost double ours. Despite all these negative factors,
our leaders never tire of telling us with a straight face that we are
about to become an Asian tiger any day now.
But perhaps the most disheartening and depressing aspect of our
underdevelopment is the sheer scale of our corruption. Any and every
deal is automatically tainted by whispers of kickbacks. Even more
shocking than the rumours themselves is the fact that they are so
easily and quickly believed. The more outlandish the tale of
wrongdoing in high places, the more swiftly it is swallowed. This says
more for the voracious appetite of our rulers than for the gullibility
of our people. Many of today's fortunes are derived from heroin and
sundry forms of corruption ranging from outright bribery to gun-
running. Again, what is more scandalous than the sleaze factor itself
is the brazen fashion in which this ill-gotten wealth is displayed.
Flashy cars and ugly but opulent houses are flaunted, with no effort
made to conceal the corruption that made them possible. These crooks
are safe in the knowledge that neither the state nor society will
punish or censure them.
Indeed, even after they have been convicted =97 usually abroad =97 they
return to their round of parties without a question being asked. Some
shady characters manage to get released on bail, and claim to be
subjected to political victimisation. Even Murtaza Bhutto, a seemingly
idealistic young man, has a convicted heroin smuggler, who has done
time in England, in tow, and defends him when questioned about his
taste in political associates. An MNA from Sheikhupura who belongs to
the ruling party was recently arrested for drug trafficking. The
question is why he was given a ticket to start with when his
reputation stank to high heaven.
Stories of the wheeling-dealing that goes on in our capital are
legion. You've probably heard them all. But a really bizarre one came
my way a few months ago. An old friend told me in all seriousness at a
party in Lahore that the owner of a lovely house in Islamabad received
a visit from an estate agent who made an offer on behalf of a very
powerful person. Not wishing to sell but not desiring to offend the
would-be buyer, he named the absurd price of 20 million, and was
astounded to learn that it had been accepted. A couple of weeks after
he had received the sum and vacated the house, his school-going son
was kidnapped; the ransom he had to pay was =97 you guessed it! =97 20
million.
When I told my friend that there were far easier and less risky ways
for the high and mighty to make 20 million, she was thoroughly miffed
at my scepticism, muttering that she had heard the story from "an
impeccable source." The point is not that such rumours do the rounds,
but that they are so easily believed by intelligent people. Obviously,
when so many scams are going down every day of the week, slipping in a
few concocted tales is not difficult. No doubt, much of this
disinformation emanates from the opposition, but it is those in power
who have helped create the environment where it is so easily and
unquestioningly believed.
Another depressing aspect of this endless sleaze is the crudity of it
all. Now, politicians and bureaucrats bluntly name their price. There
is no longer the perceived need to have a middleman to spare both
parties embarrassment. There was a time when even corrupt officials
had a certain amount of style. For instance, there was the story about
a mysterious gentleman who, every evening, treated customers at the
bar (now given the awful name of permit room) in a five-star Karachi
hotel to a round of drinks. Even in those more convivial, pre-
prohibition days, this was an expensive display of generosity, and
people wondered who he was and how he had made his fortune. It turned
out that he was a minor functionary of the Meteorological Department;
every time a ship with contraband was heading for our shores, our hero
would put out a storm warning so that Coast Guard ships would not
venture out of port.
While it is impossible to work out the extent of corruption and the
loss it causes the economy, its impact on the fabric of society is
evident. By making money the sole measure of success, we have managed
to debase our values within a generation. The whole concept of
sharafat (or decency) has been thrown out of the window. Now, unless
you are driving a latest model limousine and send your children to the
American School, you are clearly nobody. A friend who has returned
>from abroad and was trying to get his children admitted in a private
school in Islamabad told me about a little girl who wanted to use the
phone in the school office. When she was told it was out of order, she
turned to a friend and borrowed her mobile phone.
Despite their endless pious homilies about honesty, our leaders are
the worst offenders because they set the example in terms of
displaying their wealth. As things are, I am sure we have an excellent
chance of winning the gold medal in the sleaze sweepstakes next year.
DWS
950903
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Supply side of corruption
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Omar Kureishi
THERE has been a good deal of snickering and some gloating, amounting
to self-satisfaction, over a news item that a Berlin- based research
organisation called Transparency International has bestowed on
Pakistan the title of being among the three most corrupt countries in
the world. The other two are Indonesia and China.
In fact, the first eight on the hit-list are Asian and South American
countries, itself a damning indictment of the Third World and
something that makes one cock up one's ears suspiciously. We have
accepted this in the spirit of I-told-you-so, not so much a case of
one's worst fears being confirmed but our best hopes affirmed. For
when it comes to Paki-bashing we are clearly a people who are their
own worst enemies and their own fiercest critics. We have not chosen
to contest the findings of this organisation nor to question its
antecedents and credentials. Is it a reputable organisation and who
funds it? What was the input, its sources of information, whether it
has concrete proof to back up its findings or is it relying on
perception and hearsay? It is an extremely damaging finding and we
need to know more.
That there is corruption in Pakistan is not being disputed. That the
corruption is widespread and reaches out to every aspect of our
national life is not disputed either. Whether there should be a
listing of the most corrupt versus the most honourable countries
depends entirely on how corruption is defined. There is in an act of
corruption between two parties. The corrupt and the corrupter. Is
Transparency International concerned only with those who take bribes
or also with those who give bribes? When an aircraft manufacturing
company gives kick-backs and there have been innumerable scandals
world-wide, are both parties guilty? Is it more dishonourable to
receive a kick-back than it is to give it? When pharmaceutical
companies dump drugs and medicines on Third World countries that are
illegal in their own, is that an act of moral uprightness or does it
not constitute corruption? The first requirement is for us to ask
Transparency International to define terms.
There is about corruption the most perverse kind of double standards.
In 1986 I wrote a column about these double standards. What I wrote
then not only still applies but does so in spades. This is what I
wrote: "We all know that the West has been very concerned about the
heroin trade. They have sternly lectured, sometimes threatened
countries from where this trade originates. Pakistan too has felt the
lash of this disapproval and we have had to hang our heads in shame
when we were sternly rebuked by a US official who sneeringly referred
to the 'heroinsation of Pakistan.' Yet when one country chooses to do=
something positive to crack down, it is called 'barbaric' by a Prime
Minister of another country. Malaysia has a mandatory death penalty
for drug trafficking. When it hanged two Australians for being in
possession of 179 grams of heroin, there was an outcry in certain
Western quarters. Prime Minister Hawke and Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher were among those who expressed their disapproval. Prior to
the hanging of the two Australians, thirty six people had been sent to
the gallows and no one had bothered to express any shock or
disappointment. But this time it was different. Because these two
Australians were the first non-Asians to be executed under the law.
Does this mean that there should be one law for Asian drug trafficers
and another law, a more lenient one for the non- Asians?"
Let me stay with drugs. The pressure has been entirely on the supply-
side. No comparable pressure has been applied on the demand side.
American and European cities are awash with drugs, heroin and cocaine
and with derivatives such as crack. How do they get through? Even if
one admits that the distribution network of drug-traffickers is highly
efficient, is it unreasonable to suspect that there must be some
complicity, some co-operation, some looking away, turning a blind eye
>from the agencies involved, those stalwarts of the law whose job it is
to prevent the drugs from entering the countries and reaching the
streets. Unless they are thoroughly incompetent can one suggest that a
certain level of corruption is involved? And since these drugs are
available reasonably freely and even at the gates of high schools, one
can only imagine the scale of corruption.
Organised crime is the largest single industry in the United States
and it cannot be much smaller in European countries, including Germany
where Transparency International is based. Can organised crime as an
industry survive, much less grow and prosper without some high level
connections? I will not mention Italy for that would be over-stating
the case and one of its prime ministers is on the lam. And yet,
according to Transparency International, Pakistan is more corrupt than
Italy!
It is the West, the Developed World, that sells arms to the Third
World. No one in his right mind will believe that military contracts
are drawn up and negotiated by saints. The arms manufacturers may be
estimable family men but I wouldn't put financial propriety as being
one of their strong suits. It is common knowledge that commissions are
involved and these commissions and kick-backs are not given by the
suppliers out of a sense of Christian charity. There is a quid pro quo
involved. If the taking of commission amounts to corruption, what does
the giving of commission amount to? I won't go into such mega-scandals
as Iran- Contra and Iraqgate. They may have been about international
politics but they were also about corruption and they involved the
highest.
I feel that Transparency International has concentrated on the demand
side of corruption. Can we look forward to another study that
concentrates on the supply side of corruption? It takes two to tango
but even in a dance one partner leads. Who is doing the leading?
DWS
950904
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An idea touching the depths of obscenity
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayaz Amir
IS THIS country going mad or are its rulers, never ones to have their
feet on the ground, living in a world of total make- believe? The
demons of our own follies are knocking at the gates of the Republic.
In time with the incompetence and greed of the governing class can be
heard the sounds of the gradual chaos rising to meet the country's
laws and institution. The fibres of hope as a result are shrivelling
even in the stoutest hearts.
But to this panoramic scene of decline and disintegration what is the
response of the high priests of the Republic? Nothing more daring than
that in the fevered recesses of their mind they conjure up a scheme to
build, much as Kubla Khan built his palace at Xanadu, a golden, 'high-
tech' city on the southern frontiers of that monument to our
collective genius, Islamabad.
The audacity of this plot (for plot it is against the helpless people
of this country) defies belief. Since my own powers of description
fail me, let me bank on Reuters news agency to give you an idea of
this brave venture: "Pakistan plans to build a new $12 billion high-
tech town near Islamabad that developers say will provide a 21st
century contrast to the rampant decay evident in most Pakistani
cities.
"Mansoor Ahmed, the project's managing director, painted a vivid
picture of the city equipped with cable television, elevated railways,
fibre-optic communication systems, security and garbage recycling.
"A whole new city is being built which will bring a 21st century
living concept to Pakistan... The project is a joint venture of the
National Housing Authority and a consortium of 25 local and foreign
firms led by a Singapore-based company.
"Ahmed said the town would have its own security agency to deter
crime. Closed circuit cameras will monitor the roads and residents
will have a 24-hour hot-line to emergency services."
Now what do you say to this Kubla Khan scheme? Let us not talk of the
bankruptcy of the political and governing class because this hackneyed
subject no longer brings tears to anyone's eyes. Still, where is the
foolish heart who will deny that the country is slowly sinking under
the weight of the disorder riding on its back? Law and order are
breaking down. Justice has become an elusive commodity. The
administrative system is clogged with corruption. The guardians of the
law are the worst breakers of the law. The education system is not
only in a shambles but on the verge of collapse. Health care is not
available to the people except at a price. Nor in this litany of
despair is Ms Bhutto's contribution to inflation to be discounted.
Does she or her husband of the Argentinean ponies have any idea how
the magic of the market is making a mockery of the pockets and the
dignity, or what remains of it, of the common man? But what is the
gauntlet that the masters (and mistresses) of this country's destiny
throw in the face of this gathering turbulence? They decide to build a
cocooned city next to Islamabad.
Closed circuit television, fibre optic communications, hot-line to
emergency services and a separate security system to keep the beggars
and wastrels of the Republic out of this hothouse dreamt up by minds
whose contempt for the rest of their countrymen is exceeded only by
their greed. Perhaps contempt is the right coinage of commerce in
Pakistan. But to use it so openly and with so much audacity. That
requires a special kind of nerve which perhaps comes from riding
Argentinean ponies and keeping fighting cocks in the ample backyard of
the Prime Minister's gilded residence.
But at least this scheme, so brazen in its conception, gives us an
insight into our golden future. As the country slips deeper into the
corruption and chaos which seem the most potent symbols of its
destiny, the privilegentsia, if the going ever gets rough, will know
where to retreat and where to make their last stand. As the country
seethes with unrest (but not with impatience because our people have a
patience of five thousand years to fall back upon), the privilegentsia
will draw up the wagons around this fabled high-tech city and lock the
gates on the frustrated masses whose numbers by then, given the
nation's gift for procreation, will have increased manifold. In other
countries in our time which have been overwhelmed by the forces of
chaos =97 countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia, former Yugoslavia and
others on the West African coast =97 the pampered, after packing their
belongings, have had nowhere to flee but abroad. In the Islamic
Republic they will be put to no such inconvenience. They will have
their own city whose high-tech facilities will keep the barbarian
hordes at bay.
In this city then this land's finest will find a safe haven. Here with
solemn mien the prophets of sustainable development and the
empowerment of women will be able to display their tempting wares. The
Environmental Council (the name of whose chairman I dare not take)
will play host to the rest of the world and hold forth mightily and
eloquently on the amazing successes of the green movement. There will
be riding schools too at which only Argentinian ponies will be kept
and in the centre of the town there will be raised a monument to
commission-taking which, as is common knowledge, is the foremost
activity of the Islamic Republic today.
About the high municipal officers of the new city I have a few
suggestions which I am sure will not go unappreciated. As head of
security services who better than our old friend Admiral Amer Lodhi
who might even be asked to maintain a mini-navy, complete with midget
submarines, on the Rawal and Simly Lakes. Head of internal security
Reman Malik of the FIA. Supreme judge of the anti-corruption tribunal,
Mr Ahmed Sadiq. Banking and investment Supremo, the poet (as so we
must consider him after the Prime Minister's fulsome praise for his
sensitivity), Shahid Hasan Khan. As for the city's godmother who more
eminently qualified for this distinction than the Lady Nahid whose
meteoric career over the span of the last three or four years is
glowing proof of the fact that in this land of priceless opportunity a
very little indeed can go very far.
One important thing, however, has me baffled. What will be GHQ's
relationship with this new Troy and where will its defence figure in
the list of GHQ's priorities? For instance, if the frustrated masses
in the teeming spaces of the Republic were ever to exhaust the
patience and the fatalism which are the foremost legacies of their
tempestuous history, on what outside sources of assistance will the
city be able to call? Or will the city fathers be guided by the
thought, as is all too likely, that come what may the collective
intelligence of the Islamic Republic can be insulted with impunity?
Who can knock sense into the leading lights of our ruling class?
Certainly no one who makes a tearful appeal to their civic conscience
or their sense of national duty. The time for such pious exhortations
has passed because the highest and the finest abilities of this
country are being channelled today into the one noble pursuit of
commission-taking. Goering with his pistol, as I have had occasion to
mention in this space before, would have made a difference. Stalin,
fearsome Stalin, yes, his were the methods to deal with problems
rooted in the past and in history. The wholesale purge of entire
classes. I confess that when my despair is at its most intense, I am
carried away by such fantasies and by the notion, expressed in that
famous Stalin dictum, that in order to make an omelette you have to
break a few eggs.
DWS
950906
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To what purpose?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial Column
WHAT did the MQM achieve by its latest strike call in Karachi? The
response to it might have been greater than to the last shut-down call
given by it a few days ago but what, apart from showing the
organisation's clout, does this exercise or those preceding it prove?
A few more people killed, a few more vehicles set on fire, another
set-back to business add the livelihood of common citizens; this is
what these repeated strike calls entail. Meanwhile, the dialogue of
the deaf between the two sides, the government and the MQM, continues,
with General Naseerullah Babar's stentorian declarations about
breaking the back of the violence which has plagued the city being
matched by the overblown statements of Mr Altaf Hussain from London
about the persecution of the Mohajir community. Seen against the
reality of this situation, the formal talks between the two sides, now
on and now off, seem merely a side-show with little sincerity or
seriousness in them.
We are conscious of the fact that while commenting on the Karachi
situation there is nothing new to be said. The pleas we have made, the
points of priority, approach and spirit that we might have stressed
>from time to time in the context a negotiated settlement of the
Karachi crisis, have the same tired ring about them. Urging an end to
violence, asking the government to eschew the use of unnecessary
force, reminding the MQM that if it talks of its rights and grievances
it must also spare a thought for its responsibilities and emphasising,
above all, the need for a political modus vivendi between the
government and the MQM are the pieties and exhortations with which
these columns, ever since a sad fate overtook Pakistan's principal
city, have been full. But for all the good that these pleadings might
have done, they might never have been uttered at all, for if Karachi
has demonstrated anything in the last few years, it is its singular
imperviousness to the effect of kindly thoughts. Still, when Karachi
continues to bleed and burn (this metaphor not being that great an
exaggeration), what choice do we have except to return, weary though
this exercise may seem at times, to the echoes of the obvious and the
commonplace?
The most obvious and the most repeated conclusion regarding Karachi,
of course, is that its problems cannot be solved by recourse to arms.
This applies to the government which, if General Babar's utterances be
any guide to its thoughts, seems to be relying inordinately on
military methods to root out the sources of violence and terror
without- paying as much heed as it should to the undeniable political
roots and dimensions of this crisis. It also applies to the MQM which,
whether by design or misjudgement, has directed the enthusiasm and the
hurt of its many legions of followers into violent methods of protest
and assertion. In Karachi thus what the nation is faced with are two
opposing sets of obstinacies with little hope of any meeting ground
between them if the present rigidities do not give way to the saner
counsels of restraint, flexibility and moderation. At the risk of
seeming to trade in hackneyed wares, may we, therefore, against the
backdrop of this latest strike, once again urge both the sides to cast
aside their animus and prejudices which are now more deep-rooted than
ever, so that the dictates of common sense, if nothing loftier, are
allowed a chance to salvage something from the charade of the ongoing
talks?
DWS
950906
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An inexcusable failure
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial Column
SPEAKING to the Federation of General Traders in Lahore on Sunday, the
Minister of State for Finance, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, disclosed that
income tax officers caused panic in the market by circulating an
unauthorised income tax form with the intention of provoking a hostile
reaction from the business community and thus sabotaging the self-
assessment scheme. Incredible though it may sound, the minister's
disclosure has a familiar ring about it, knowing the extent of
scheming and manoeuvring that our bureaucracy is capable of resorting
to when it comes to protecting its accustomed, often corrupt,
practices. The circulation of the unauthorised form, which purported
to seek too many details of personal expenditure, provoked the small
traders to go on a two-day strike last month. The mischief was
intended to embarrass the government whose new self assessment scheme
is said to have irked the tax officials.
The scheme, reported to have been designed by the Prime Minister,
envisages minimum contact of tax collectors with the assessees if they
pay tax 20 per cent higher than last year and undertake to pay 18 and
15 per cent higher in subsequent two years. Such assessees would not
have to furnish details of expenditure, and the receipt of the
submission of the return would be accepted as an assessment order. As
the scheme reduces the tax man's authority and discretion, chances of
official harassment and corruption are minimised. Corrupt among the
tax-men obviously felt incensed. It is the duty of the government to
trace out the culprits and call them to account.
While the incident exposes the mischief-making capacity of corrupt
officials, it also spotlights the lack of effective liaison of the
government with the powerful trading community. For several days
that the fake form remained in circulation, it continued to generate a
sense of resentment and disquiet in business circles - without
eliciting any rebuttal or clarification from the government.
Even as the move for a protest strike gathered momentum, the
government seemed unaware of what was going on. Makhdoom Shahabuddin's
explanation that he was indisposed and unable to attend office is a
poor defence for inaction. The issue continued to be widely reported
in the Press for quite some time and yet the minister claims the
government remained out of touch with reality and failed to take any
corrective action. This is a highly unsatisfactory situation, to say
the least. It casts a very bad reflection on a political government
whose organisational network, in case of an administrative failure,
should normally be expected to keep it abreast of what the people
saying or thinking about its policies or actions or the lack of these
at any given time. A political government must realise that, at a
popular level, it can be correctly briefed and guided only by its
party cadre if it is properly organised and the party itself is
democratically structured.
As for the solution of the problem likely to be created by lTOs and IT
practitioners who are both supposed to be losers if the self-
assessment scheme succeeds, the minister proposes to set up
facilitation centres to advise small businessmen. If these centres are
manned by department officials they may turn out to be the proverbial
wolves in sheep's clothing. The service envisaged could be provided by
public-spirited people (especially retired personnel of the tax
collecting departments) although such a breed is increasingly becoming
a rare species in this country.
DWS
950907
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Crisis in Punjab
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial Column
THE federal government's action in imposing governor's rule in Punjab
and dismissing the Wattoo government is distinguished by all the
elements of haste. Among these the most notable is the absence of any
prior consultation with the Junejo League or the other minor partners
who form the PDF coalition at the Centre. No wonder then that the
heads of the Junejo League and such asserted luminaries as Nawabzada
Nasrullah Khan and Mir Balkh Sher Mazari, all of whom lend crucial
support to Ms Bhutto's government, have been caught in a circle of
unease. At the moment, therefore Ms Bhutto's more immediate task is
not so much to start fishing for a viable government in Lahore as to
put balm on the bruised egos of her coalition partners and to allay
their fears, inspired by the past record of her party, that the PPP is
out to grab all power for itself.
In a sense what has happened in Punjab was almost inevitable. No
doubts had been left in the minds of anyone that the Prime Minister
had decided to get rid Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo. But with the latter
in no mood to leave without a fight, it was far from clear how his
disposal was going to be effected Even though some of his disgruntled
supporters in the Junejo League were up in arms against him, the
majority of the PML(J) MPAs in Punjab were not. This added to the
uncertainly surrounding the possible reaction of the PML(N) whose
MPAs, let us not forget, constitute the single largest bloc in the
provincial assembly, contributed to the fears of the federal
government and doubtless played no small part in the precipitate
action that has followed.
The federal government's work during the pendency of governor's rule
in Punjab is, of course, cut out for it. Apart from restoring
relations with its miffed bed-fellows and ensuring that the turbulence
in Pakistan's largest province does not reach the Centre, it will have
to bend over backwards in order to put together a majority in the
provincial assembly. This task, difficult enough in the present
situation, is compounded by the absence in the PPP's provincial ranks
of a central figure of enough stature and the requisite political
skills who could lead the party out of the present crisis. There is no
shortage of aspirants for the job of chief minister, but none who
stands head and shoulders above his peers.
Another option that is sure to the explored is to offer the chief
minister's post to the Junejo League again but this would depend on
two factors. Firstly, on assuaging the hurt feelings of Mr Hamid Nasir
Chattha and the men around him and, secondly, on seeing that the
loyalties of the Junejo League remain intact. It would not be
unnatural for the four PML(J) dissidents who broke ranks with Mr
Wattoo and resigned from their respective offices in concert with the
rest of the PPP provincial ministers (a move which set the stage for
the subsequent presidential proclamation) to nurse grandiose
ambitious. But the candidacy of any one of them will be credible only
with the unqualified support of the majority of the PML(J) MPAs, the
prospects of which appear dim at present.
Given this tricky situation, it does not take much prescience to
foresee that the nation is in for an extended and intense period of
horse-trading in Punjab with a premium on the loyalties of wavering
or fickle MPAs. This will be a replay of the events in the Frontier
Province when the Sabir Shah government was ousted and Mr Aftab Ahmed
Sherpao had set out to create his majority, the obvious difference
being that Punjab is a bigger chessboard than the Frontier and the gap
in numbers in the Punjab assembly greater than the one Mr Sherpao was
called upon to fill. Does this mean that the horse-trading and
jockeying now about to start will put Mr Sherpao's capers in the
shade?
Already what has been done in Punjab hardly throws a flattering light
on our democracy. While the imposition of governor's rule is in
accordance with the letter of the Constitution, resorting to it the
haste just to get rid of an obstreperous chief minister does no honour
to its spirit. If Mr Wattoo had lost the trust and support of his
colleagues, the ideal thing would have been for the governor to have
asked him to prove his majority or for the PPP parliamentary party to
have moved a motion of no-confidence against him. Even short of
recourse to these constitutionally prescribed procedures, the question
of leadership of the PDF coalition government in Punjab could have
been resolved by less drastic methods, for instance, by mutual
consultation between the two coalition partners or by requiring Mr
Wattoo to demonstrate his majority support at a joint meeting of the
PPP and PML(J) MPAs. Governor's rule should have been reserved for a
graver state of affairs. But then, as is the common refrain across the
nation, we do not live in ideal times. Politics has become a debased
currency, while democracy is something to be suffered - not a concept
to be cherished or respected.
What makes the latest turn of events in Punjab all the more galling is
the essential puerility of the issues at stake. The quarrel between Mr
Wattoo and the PPP had nothing to do with principles or great matters
of state. It sprang solely from issues rooted in the exercise of power
and the distribution of patronage. If Mr Wattoo, who had clearly over
reached himself had desisted from concentrating all power in himself,
which he had done and conversely, if the PPP members had been more
skilful and less hoarse about their ambitions, which they felt were
being curbed by Mr Wattoo's style of governance, this crisis need not
have come to pass. After all, the arrangement in Punjab served the
interests of both sides - the PML(J) got a larger share of the cake
than its numbers deserved, while the PPP, which had less seats in the
Punjab assembly than its principal nemesis, the PML(N), was assured
of stability in the power houses of Pakistani politics.
Because of the immoderateness of one side and the ambition of the
other, this sensible arrangement has now floundered exposing the
political system as a whole to instability and further erosion of the
people's faith in the good sense and the selflessness of the arbiters
of their political destiny.
950904
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Jansher wins 7th Hong Kong title
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Sports Report
HONG KONG, Sept 3: Jansher Khan underlined his supremacy of world
squash as won his seventh Hong Kong Open title with a 15-12 15-7 15-3
victory over Australian Brett Martin on Sunday.
Jansher, the top seed and defending champion, took the initiative from
the start and 32-year-old Martin never looked remotely like scoring a
first career victory over the Pakistani.
Fourth-seed Martin, winner of the Hong Kong title in 1993 after his
brother Rodney Martin had surprisingly beaten Jansher in the semi-
final, admitted that he felt sluggish after his five-game clash with
fellow Australian Eyles the previous day.
DWS
950905
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Sri Lanka collapse in Pindi match
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Samiul Hasan
RAWALPINDI, Sept. 4: Sri Lanka were sent packing for an
embarrassingly low 104 by Pakistan's second string bowling attack as
Test discard Shoaib Mohammad strengthened his claims for a Test recall
with a flawless and patient unbeaten 64 for Patron's Eleven on the
opening day of the three-day match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium here
on Monday.
The other not out stroke-maker with Shoaib was stylish batsman Saeed
Azad who was batting on a hurricane 79-ball 71 as the home team
finished the day at 179 for one, a lead of 75 runs with nine wickets
intact.
Shoaib, who last represented Pakistan in December 1993 against
Zimbabwe at the very same ground, batted with great confidence and
showed why he is rated as one of the finest batsmen in five-day
cricket.
Earlier, Arjuna Ranatunga committed two blunders that cost him dearly.
Firstly, he became the first skipper to win a toss and bat first,
contrary to tradition.
The second mistake he committed was to leave out four star players
viz. Asanka Gurusinha, Roshan Mahanama, Pramodiya Wickremasinghe and
Janatha Silva who had played the opener at Karachi. Consequently, what
happened in the end was no surprise.
To add salt to the wound of Arjuna Ranatunga, he turned out to be one
of two batsmen who became first ball casualties. The other batsman was
opener Chandika Hathurusinghe.
The termination of the entire Sri Lankan batting in a mere 40.2 overs
(85 minutes after lunch) and that too by a second Pakistan string
bowling attack, clearly indicates that the batting is very vulnerable
in the absence of Aravinda de Silva, who will not be joining the team
before the final Test at Sialkot.
DWS
950906
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Salim files writ in High Court
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Sports Report
RAWALPINDI, Sept. 5: Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik has filed a
writ petition in the Lahore High Court against the Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB). The writ was filed today by Malik's lawyer, Barrister
Shahid Hamid.
According to informed sources, the writ has been filed by the batsman
challenging the PCB decision of not considering him for the first Test
against Sri Lanka and probably for the entire series.
Salim Malik has filed the writ on the basis that since nothing has
been proved against him so far, his ouster from the national team was
aimed solely at victimising him, added the sources.
The sources maintained that Malik has also argued that if his ouster
was specifically on disciplinary grounds, why weren't Rashid Latif and
Basit Ali have not been banned "unofficially" on the same grounds.
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Dawn issues