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DAWN WIRE SERVICE
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Week Ending : 22 March 2003 Issue : 09/12
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Contents | National News | Business & Economy | Editorials & Features | Sports
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, not exceeding 50 lines, can be used provided that this
entire header is included at the beginning of each extract.
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(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 2003
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CONTENTS
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NATIONAL NEWS
+ Kaleem Saadat appointed air chief
+ Justice Munir to be CJ for LHC Bar
+ President cannot overrule two-third majority: LHC ruling
+ President's election by parliament 'necessary'
+ 'Musharraf cannot dissolve assembly'
+ Constitutional crisis to be over only after Musharraf exit: Asif
+ NWFP announces enforcement of Shariat
+ Punjab govt under fire in PA: Poor law and order
+ Opposition slams NA session's adjournment
+ LFO undermines parliament: PPP
+ Polls not held under LFO, says SCBA
+ Opposition reaffirms stand on LFO issue
+ Govt, opposition still poles apart
+ First formal NA session yet to take place
+ Amended constitution 'acceptable' to MQM
+ PML-N for debate on Hamood report in NA
+ Wasim named PML-Q Senate leader
+ Two systems pulling in different directions: New govt set-up
+ Sanaullah staged a 'drama'
+ Police refuse to file MPA's case
+ Major Adil Qudoos shifted to Rawalpindi
+ Qudoos' bail plea rejected
+ ATC transfers Qudoos' case
+ Another Al Qaeda man held in Lahore
+ ATC formally starts Khwajas trial
+ Nusrat Bhutto's condition serious
+ Minister unaware of govt deal with Bugti
+ Noor shifted to undisclosed location
+ Councillor files suit against marriage
+ Seven-year RI to be awarded for Vani
+ Hearing of Dr Qadeer's plea put off: IBS case
+ Pakistan deplores military action
+ US embassy, consulates closed
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BUSINESS & ECONOMY
+ IMF asks govt to stop meddling: Power tariff
+ Aid to help win 'war on terror', says Powell
+ KSE-100 index crosses 2,600-point barrier
+ Index falls 20 points as follow-up support turns shy
+ Rebound adds Rs18bn to market capitalization
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EDITORIALS & FEATURES
+ Tyranny Ardeshir Cowasjee
+ When words run out Ayaz Amir
+ 'No LFO, No!' Irfan Husain
+ Iraq: It's about power, not democracy Eric S. Margolis
+ Blair's hypocrisy Eric S. Margolis
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SPORTS
+ Angry Waqar blasts selection committee
+ Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Saeed shown the door
+ Pakistan to push ICC on Indian boycott
+ Ganguly inspires India crush Kenya in semifinal
+ Ganguly's century propels India to imposing total
+ India shatter New Zealand's World Cup dreams
+ Sri Lanka overwhelm Zimbabwe to seal semifinal spot
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NATIONAL NEWS
20030320
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Kaleem Saadat appointed air chief
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Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, March 19: Air Marshal Kaleem Saadat has been appointed
chief of Air Staff with immediate effect, says an ISPR statement.
He has also been promoted to the rank of air chief marshal.
The chief of Air Staff called on President Gen Pervez Musharraf at
the Aiwan-i-Sadar after his appointment.
The president congratulated Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat on his
appointment as Chief of Air Staff and wished him success in his new
responsibilities.
The chief of Air Staff thanked the president and said he would
strive to live up to the trust reposed in him.
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20030320
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Justice Munir to be CJ for LHC Bar
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Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 19: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA)
announced that it would now be considering Supreme Court's Justice
Munir A. Sheikh the chief justice of Pakistan rather than Justice
Sheikh Riaz Ahmad, whose tenure in the office "ended on March 8".
LHCBA president Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari and other office-bearers
told a press conference at the close of a 10-day anti-LFO camp that
Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmad was "no more the chief justice of
Pakistan" after reaching the age of retirement on March 8.
They regretted that Justice Riaz did not quit his office and
accepted the three-year extension of his service under the LFO. He
said that since Justice Munir was the senior-most SC judge after
Justice Riaz, the LHCBA would recognise him as the new chief
justice in the light of SC's judgment on March 20, 1996.
The LHCBA set March 22 as the deadline for all the judges of SC and
high courts reaching the age of 65 and 62 respectively to vacate
their offices. Hafiz Ansari termed the three-year extension of the
service of judges as a "conspiracy" and urged the superior court
judges to counter it and refuse to accept it.
Mr Ansari criticised the statement of Senate chairman on the LFO
which, he said, would not become part of the 1973 Constitution
without being approved by a two-third majority of the Parliament.
He appreciated the efforts of lawyers for holding a successful
anti-LFO camp and hoped that they would continue their struggle
till the abrogation of LFO.
He further announced that a seminar would be held on the LFO on
March 26 and former chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Qazi Hussain
Ahmad, Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan, and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi invited
to it.
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20030319
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President cannot overrule two-third majority: LHC ruling
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Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 18: The Lahore High Court (LHC) ruled that under the
1973 Constitution, the president was bound to sign every bill
passed by a two-third majority of the Parliament.
Justice Tassadaq Hussain Jilani, senior member of the division
bench, while hearing Pakistan Lawyers Forum's intra-court appeal
against the LFO, refuted the petitioner's argument that President
Pervez Musharraf had the authority to reject a bill of the
Parliament that disapproved of his presidency and the LFO.
The court observed that the president could only send a bill back
to the Parliament for review. The bill would become a law even if
he refused to sign it for the second time.
The court further observed that former president Ziaul Haq had
signed the eighth amendment bill following its approval by a two-
third majority of the Parliament, and this precedent could not be
ignored while considering the hypothetical situation cited by the
petitioner.
Justice Jilani observed that the SC judgment in Zafar Shah case was
the only time in the history of the country when the court set
parameters for a military ruler by giving him a three-year
timeframe, the authority to amend the Constitution and a roadmap
for restoration of democracy.
The court further observed that the only valid question in the
appeal was whether the parameters set by the SC in Zafar Ali Shah
case had been violated by the former military regime.
With regard to legality of the referendum order, the court ruled
that it had become part of the 1973 Constitution since the matter
was examined by the Supreme Court and no objection raised. "All we
have to see is the impact of the referendum order as part of the
Constitution," observed Justice Jilani.
According to the court, the constitutional precedent for the
referendum order was the Parliament approving Ziaul Haq as the
president through Eighth Amendment to the 1973 Constitution after
he had assumed the office through a referendum in 1985. Gen Pervez
Musharraf claims to be the president for the next five years since
the referendum order has been made part of the Constitution, the
court observed.
It also cited the observation of SC on the referendum order that
"this matter would be decided by an appropriate forum at an
appropriate time" and sought explanation of the term "appropriate
forum" from petitioner's counsel A.K Dogar. The counsel submitted
that by an appropriate forum, the SC meant any court having the
jurisdiction to enforce the Constitution.
The court pointed out that Article 41(6) of the Constitution
clearly laid down that "election of the president could not be
called into question", and the petitioner could not challenge the
validity of the referendum order.
The petitioner, however, disagreed with this observation saying
that this provision was applicable to an elected president and not
to the one assuming the office through a referendum. He elaborated
his point by arguing that the term "election" stood for two or more
candidates vying for an office while in the present case, one
person had become president without any competition.
He submitted that the SC had not validated the military takeover of
October 1999 but only the actions that would be taken in line with
the 1973 Constitution within a three-year timeframe. The SC never
gave him the authority to install himself as the president of the
country or amend the Constitution after Oct 12, 2002, through the
LFO, claimed the counsel.
He alleged that President Musharraf was "withholding" power and not
transferring it under the SC directions after the three-year
timeframe.
Mr Dogar, while arguing the appeal on behalf of the PLF, submitted
that the Parliament could not approve a non-elected person as the
president and contravene Article 2-A of the 1973 Constitution. It
could not permit an individual to amend the constitution either,
claimed the counsel.
The court pointed out that there was a contradiction in his
arguments since he had argued the other day that those provisions
of the LFO that were passed for the good of the general public
should be considered as valid.
The petitioner stood by his argument. He further submitted that a
parliament did not have any constitutional identity without an
elected president and would remain incomplete.
He submitted that the High Treason Punishment Act 1973 had
prescribed death penalty or life imprisonment for anyone subverting
the Constitution after March 23, 1956. The constitution of a
country is the will of its people and cannot be amended by an
individual, the petitioner concluded.
Deputy Attorney General Sher Zaman Khan informed the court that
Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan would like to argue the case on
behalf of the State, whereupon the hearing was adjourned until
March 26.
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20030318
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President's election by parliament 'necessary'
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Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 17: Election of the president was necessary within 30
days after Senate polls, Advocate A.K. Dogar argued before a
division bench of the Lahore High Court.
He appeared for the Pakistan Lawyers Forum before Justices Tassadaq
Husain Jilani and Raja Muhammad Sabir in an intra-court appeal,
challenging dismissal of a petition against the Legal Framework
Order.
He submitted that election of president by parliament was a
constitutional requirement. The 1973 Constitution recognized only
that person as the president of the country who had been elected by
parliament. The sitting president did not fulfil this criteria.
He criticized the stance of a political party that it would accept
Gen Musharraf as country's president if he relinquishes one of the
two offices currently held by him.
He contended that the Supreme Court had given three-year to Gen
Musharraf to transfer power to an elected government.
Advocate Dogar said Article 41 (7) of the LFO empowers Gen Pervez
Musharraf to remain the chief executive as long as he desires. It
also empowers him to be the president of the country for five year
at his own will.
He argued that this provision had exposed the mala fide intentions
of President Musharraf who had still not yet transferred the power
to a "representative government".
The LFO was a mean to provide continuity to former military regime,
he alleged.
Through the LFO, the military regime tried to amend the 1973
Constitution without any legal authority and public mandate.
Justice Jilani observed that if this argument was to be assumed
correct, the provision increasing the total number of National
Assembly's seats could not be termed as a valid one. The provision
had been practically exercised during the October last general
elections without being approved by a parliament.
The counsel submitted that the criteria for judging the validity of
LFO provisions would be "the benefit of general public and
adherence to the 1973 Constitution".
The provision referred by the court had proved to be beneficial to
the general public, it would be considered valid one and all those
aimed at fortifying the rule of 'an usurper' were to be treated as
illegitimate and invalid.
About the role of the judiciary in exercising powers under the
Doctrine of Necessity, the counsel submitted that to end up the
chaos in the aftermath of October 1999, the then judges could have
either vacated their offices in order to uphold and preserve the
sanctity of the Constitution or could have broken their oath to
provide a legal cover to the military intervention.
He alleged that the former military regime had misused the powers
granted by the SC under the Doctrine of Necessity.
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20030316
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'Musharraf cannot dissolve assembly'
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Staff Correspondent
SANGHAR, March 15: Jamaat-i-Islami Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad has said
Gen Pervez Musharraf has no power to dissolve the assembly and his
party will not accept a uniformed president.
He said this while talking to newsmen after inaugurating the
Jamiat-ul-Mohsinat Trust Academy in Sinjhoro on Saturday.
MNAs Abdul Sattar Afghani, Mohammad Hussain Mahnati, Dr Mairajul
Huda, Sindh JI Amir Asadullah Bhutto and many other Muttahida
Majlis-i-Amal leaders were present on the occasion.
Mr Ahmad stressed the need for female education as he said
educating a girl was educating the whole family.
About a possible attack on Iraq, Mr Bhutto said the US had no right
to attack any country and topple its government.
He said the US was attacking Iraq to take control of its oil
resources. He feared the US might attack Iran, Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan after Iraq.
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20030316
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Constitutional crisis to be over only after Musharraf exit: Asif
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Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI, March 15: Former senator Asif Ali Zardari said fresh
elections after the exit of General Musharraf would rid the country
of the constitutional crisis created due to inclusion of the Legal
Framework Order (LFO) into the 1973 Constitution.
Talking to reporters at the Accountability Court, the former
senator predicted that the present assembly would be sent packing
in a very short period. However, he was happy that after the
National Assembly, the issue of Legal Framework Order was also
raised in the Senate and the members had agitated against inclusion
of the controversial amendments in the 1973 Constitution.
The party's Secretary General Raja Pervez Ashraf, Qazi Sultan
Mahmood, Sardar Khalid and Ismail Dehri accompanied Mr Zardari.
Talking about the performance of the government, he said it was not
running efficiently due to wrong suggestions of the advisers.
Printing money and the claims of $10 billion foreign reserves won't
stabilise the economy, he added.
He said the incident of September 11 had changed the shape of the
world equally affecting Pakistan. "Had the events of September 11
not taken place, President Pervez Musharraf would not have been
controlling the reigns of power," he observed.
About the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said the
institution had lost its credibility and respect in the public eye,
as it was also pursuing a political charter.
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20030322
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NWFP announces enforcement of Shariat
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By Mohammed Riaz
PESHAWAR, March 21: The NWFP government has decided to enforce
Islamic Shariat in the province by introducing Enforcement of
Shariat Act and Provincial Accountability Act in the provincial
assembly.
Speaking at a news conference, the NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan
Durrani unveiled the salient features of the Islamic Shariat
program.
He said that Islamic Shariat would be the supreme law in the
province, and Quran and Sunnah would be the sources of guidance for
future legislation in the NWFP.
All the provincial laws would be brought in conformity with the
Islamic Shariat, he said.
"All laws falling within the ambit of the provincial assembly will
be made compatible with the Shariat. And all courts will be free to
interpret the Shariat laws," he added.
After the approval of the Shariat Act, he said, the government
would formulate various sets of laws to run the affairs of the
economy, judiciary, education and media in the light of Islamic
laws.
Education, up to middle, has been made compulsory, he declared.
Health budget would be enhanced and more teaching hospitals would
be built. Life-saving drugs would be provided to patients free of
cost.
The wedding under duress, tradition of Swaray, honour-killing and
selling of women would invite punishment. The honour-killing would
be treated as wilful murder, he added.
Punitive action would be taken if women were deprived of hereditary
property.
The minorities would be free to preach, promote and perform their
religious rituals like Muslims. All minorities would enjoy the same
civic, political, economic and other rights guaranteed to the
Muslim majority, he said, adding that their places of worship will
be protected at all costs.
He hoped that high-ranking officials would make themselves punctual
in offering prayers during the working hours at their offices.
He asked the traders associations to close their businesses during
the prayer time.
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20030322
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Punjab govt under fire in PA: Poor law and order
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Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 21: The Punjab government came under severe criticism
in the provincial legislature for its failure to maintain law and
order.
Suspending the rules to set aside the Question-Hour to devote the
whole day to the law and order situation, members from the
opposition and treasury benches expressed their views on the
subject, with most of the speakers were of the view that the
situation in the Punjab was of 'no law but more order.'
The session was requisitioned by the opposition when PML(N) leader
from Faisalabad Rana Sanaullah Khan, who is also deputy opposition
leader in the provincial legislature, was picked up allegedly by
some intelligence operatives who shaved off his head, eyebrows and
bristle moustache and also caused some two dozen blade injuries on
various parts of the body.
Rana, a lawyer by profession, came to the house and was warmly
received by his opposition colleagues outside the assembly
chambers. He was garlanded and also offered a turban.
Immediately after recitation of the Holy Quran, PPP leader Rana
Aftab Ahmed Khan proposed suspension of the rules to discuss the
law and order situation in the province, specially the traumatic
experience of Rana Sanaullah Khan. Law Minister Rana Basharat did
not oppose and thus started the debate.
Opposition leader Qasim Zia opened the debate by recalling how his
PML(N) colleague was picked up and tortured. The law and order, he
said, was something non-existent in the Punjab and thus the whole
debate would be an exercise in futility.
He said the culture adopted by the leadership at the centre
trickled down to provinces and in a country where there was little
regard for the Constitution, law and order would be an extinct
species.
He said the crime in the Punjab was highest compared to any other
federating unit. The gravity of the situation could be gauged by
the fact that neither people belonging to the treasury benches nor
to the opposition were safe. He recalled how a minister was
deprived of his car and the other's residence was fired upon.
Rana Sanaullah Khan likened himself to the people of Iraq who have
been subjected to US aggression.
There was a time, he said, when rulers used to throw their
opponents before beasts. But now those in power got their
adversaries beastly treated by 'human beings'. He handed over to
speaker Afzal Sahi his medico-legal report and the cotton pads with
which he was blindfolded after being picked up.
Rana made it clear that such maltreatment would not stop him from
telling the truth. He said he stood by what he had said of the
Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report or appointments of military
officials in the TEVTA.
"We respect the army as an institution, as a defender of the
country. But, we condemn army's role in politics. I can't respect
those who have inflicted injuries on my body".
Criticizing the maltreatment he had to face, he said the
perpetrators would have done better if they had dared former Indian
General Arora.
Rana Sanullah warned the rulers that such tactics would never help
them. He recalled that the late Shah of Iran had used SAVAK to
suppress his opponents. But then came a time when the same
institution could not help him get place for his grave in the
country.
He said Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had phoned him after
the incident and gave an impression that his government was not
involved in the incident.
He said the government should inquire as to who had been getting
tapes of the assembly proceedings and seeking legal advice on
whether some case could be instituted against him (Rana) on that
basis.
"If the home secretary is part of the Punjab government, then the
government can't dissociate itself. But if he is a separate entity,
then it can", he said, implying that the home secretary was
responsible for whatever had happened with him.
He criticized adviser on human rights for his assertion that the
PML(N) leader had not been tortured. He said though the adviser was
also Rana by caste, he deserved little respect.
He said it was for the government to expose the accused responsible
for the incident.
PPP leader Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan said utterances in the assembly
hall could not be made basis for action against any member.
He was critical of the deteriorating law and order situation in the
province. He said still more deplorable was the fact that neither
the home secretary not the police inspector-general was present in
the house to listen the debate. He said it was not clear as to who
was running the province, the governor, the national security
council, the home secretary or somebody else.
PML(Q) leader Sardar Hasan Akhtar Mokal said the situation Rana
Sanaullah Khan had to face could have been averted if the evil had
been nipped in the bud. He recalled how Dalai Camp was set up in
the late Bhutto period and how leaders like Malik Muhammad Qasim
and Yasin Khan Wattoo were tortured.
"If no remedial step had been taken then, it's time to take the
initiative now", he said, underlining the need for measures to
protect the political opponents. He called for an inquiry into the
incident of Rana sanaullah Khan.
PPP's Raja Riaz said democratic traditions demanded that the chief
minister and the home minister should step down forthwith after the
tragedy the deputy opposition leader had been through. He said he
believed that Rana Sanullah Khan would not get justice from the
government and thus he would like to entrust the matter to Allah's
court. Saying this, he started reciting "Azan" (call for prayer) in
the house.
One member proposed that Raja Riaz should be deseated for he did
not remember "Azan". Or else, he said, he should be asked to sit
with minority legislators.
MMA's Ehanullah Waqas, Arshad Baggoo, Malik Ahad, Ms Ferzana Raja,
Khizer Hayat Virk, Abdur Razzaq, Malik Asghar, Brig (retd) Javed
Asghar, Saba Sadiq, Ms Naseem Lodhi, Dr Ferzana, Sheikh Amjad Aziz,
Sibghatullah, Rana Mashshood, Faiz Ahmed Moakal, Uzma Bukhari,
Saeed Akbar Niwani, Asghar Ali Gujjar, Javed Aslam, Sheikh Ijaz
Ahmed, Dr Javed, Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, Nazar Husain Gondal, Dr
Waseem Akhtar and Raja Shafqat Abbasi were among the speakers.
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20030321
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Opposition slams NA session's adjournment
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Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, March 20: Opposition leaders accused the government of
shirking its fraternal obligation of supporting Iraq by proroguing
the National Assembly.
Speaking at a press conference, parliamentary leader of Pakistan
Muslim League (Nawaz), Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Naveed Qamar of
People's Party Parliamentarians and other leaders said the
government was supporting the United Stated but it did not have the
courage to announce it.
They said National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain had
violated the Constitution by proroguing the session on Wednesday
instead of adjourning it till the next day.
Javed Hashmi said the opposition wanted to get a resolution passed
on the Iraq issue in Wednesday's session but the proceedings were
abruptly stopped by the speaker.
He said leaders of the ruling coalition, including Abdus Sattar
Lalika, had assured the apposition that a unanimous resolution
would be passed. However, on directive from somewhere, the session
was prorogued, he said.
"If the quorum was incomplete, the speaker could have adjourned the
session, but the proroguing was pre-planned," he alleged.
Naveed Qamar said the opposition had filed a requisition for
convening the special National Assembly session to discuss the Iraq
issue. However, the treasury benches and the speaker were not
serious in passing a unanimous resolution to support the brotherly
country, he said.
He said the government seemed to be scared of opposing the assault
of the US-led forces on Iraq. He said the speaker had violated
Article 55 of the Constitution by proroguing the session.
Former minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said: "The government had
assured the opposition that the session would continue till Friday,
but it was suddenly prorogued without any solid reason."
He said Saudi Arabia had been providing 100,000 barrels of crude
oil to the country free of cost every day for the last year,
therefore the increase in prices of petrol was unjustified.
Former finance minister Ishaq Dar said the price of petrol would
shoot up if the war prolonged.
He said the Alliance or Restoration of Democracy had demanded that
surcharge on petrol should not be raised if its price went up.
He said the opposition had submitted a requisition for session of
the Senate by March 28.
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20030321
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LFO undermines parliament: PPP
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Staff Correspondent
HYDERABAD, March 20: Sindh People's Party Parliamentarians chief
Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that the Legal Framework Order has
undermined supremacy of the parliament.
Mr Khuhro accused the government of deceiving the parliamentarians
by clandestinely incorporating the LFO in the Constitution.
He said that if the package of the constitutional amendments was to
be made a part of the Constitution, it should have been brought
before the parliament for a discussion.
He said that Illahi Bux Soomro, Pervez Ellahi and Jalal Shah had
deceived the members of the assemblies when they announced as the
speakers of the national and the provincial assemblies that oath
was being taken in accordance with the Constitution that stood
before Oct 12, 1999.
He said: "When the assemblies were formed on the basis of a fraud
how can they restore real democracy in the country."
Referring to the deadlock between treasury and combined opposition
benches over the LFO in the National Assembly, he said that
parliamentarians always found solution of deadlock provided the
rulers did not make it point of their prestige.
He said that if sanctity of parliament was upheld then democracy
would automatically flourish in the country.
He agreed with a questioner that present level of friendship with
the USA and the arrests of Al Qaeda activists from the country
could prove to be counter productive.
About violation of party discipline by some MPAs in Senate
elections in Sindh, he said that the names mentioned in the press
in this regard were speculations but the party was investigating
the issue.
He said that the PPP had formed committees which would visit
districts of Sindh to investigate into shortcomings of the party at
district level.
He said that the committee, comprising Maula Bux Chandio, Dr Ayub
Sheikh and Shah Mohammad Shah, would begin its visits with going to
Thatta district.
He said that Hyderabad district president of the party, Abdul
Sattar Bachani, had been replaced with Syed Muhsin Shah Bukhari.
He said that the action was taken in view of violation of party
discipline with regard to distribution of tickets to party
candidates.
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20030320
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Polls not held under LFO, says SCBA
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Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, March 19: Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President
Hamid Khan said that parliament had been formed by virtue of
Supreme Court judgment and elections were held under the Conduct of
General Elections Order and not the Legal Framework Order.
He said at a press conference that a wrong impression was being
created that if the LFO was not accepted, the return to civilian
rule would be reversed.
The LFO was a package of constitutional amendments which a military
ruler introduced to strengthen his position against parliament and
the prime minister and the elections were not held under it, he
said.
The LFO, he said, was promulgated on Nov 15, 2002, when the
elections had been held. Hamid Khan said revival of the
Constitution and holding of election was mandatory under the
Supreme Court judgment.
He said the lawyers were struggling for the restoration of the
Constitution as it was before Oct 12, 1999, and they believed that
the Supreme Court had no authority to vest legislative powers in
the military ruler.
He said the so-called legislative power was given to the military
ruler by the Supreme Court when it had "ceased to be an independent
institution."
He said independent judges had left the institution as they refused
to swear allegiance to the military ruler's decrees.
The SCBA president said if the judges returned the "dubious gift"
of three years extension in their retirement age, the bar would
reconsider its decision of not raising any matter of constitutional
importance before the courts. He said if the extension was not
accepted, the bar would consider it a step towards the revival of
independence of the judiciary.
The Supreme Court's short order on the LFO petition was different
from the detailed Judgment released after a month, he said.
In the short order, the SCBA president said, the court did not give
its view about the consequences of the referendum, but when the
detailed judgment was released, it observed that holding of the
referendum was a recognized democratic exercise. The detailed order
negated the short order passed by the same bench, he claimed.
He said the bar would soon release a white paper about the
judiciary.
He expressed his hope that time would come when those who abrogated
the Constitution and those who connived with them would be tried
for treason.
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20030319
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Opposition reaffirms stand on LFO issue
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Nasir Iqbal
ISLAMABAD, March 18: Opposition members raised the LFO issue again
in the National Assembly, making it clear that it had not
compromised its stand on the package of controversial
constitutional amendments.
One by one the opposition leaders invited the attention of Speaker
Chaudhry Amir Hussain to the Legal Framework Order on points of
order but they did so by showing restraint instead of resorting to
protest or creating pandemonium.
However, the house witnessed a brief uproar when Wasi Zafar of the
PML-Q, raising the issue of killing of six Pakistanis in Macedonia,
accused the opposition members of staging a tamasha in the house.
This agitated the opposition but the speaker intervened to control
the situation.
Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad was the first to say in
unequivocal terms that the opposition's stand on the LFO was
unchanged. He said the way the last session was prorogued demanded
patience from the treasury benches.
Liaquat Baloch, an MMA member, said the opposition's stand on the
LFO was based on Articles 238 and 239 according to which parliament
alone can accept or reject any constitutional amendment and that
too with a two-thirds majority.
He reiterated the joint opposition's stand that the LFO was
unconstitutional and that opposition to it was still there.
Mr Baloch hoped that negotiations on the LFO between the government
and the opposition would continue so that an agreement could be
reached. If the LFO was imposed without such an agreement then
opposition reserved the right to resume its agitation, he warned.
Naveed Qamar of the PPP alleged that the government was, in fact,
buying time. He said unless the LFO was discussed threadbare by the
house everything else would be meaningless. Nothing was more
important than the sovereignty of the house, he emphasized.
Mr Qamar pointed out that the last session was adjourned with an
assurance that the government would arrange a dialogue with the
opposition to find a solution to the deadlock and added that even a
steering committee had been formed for the purpose to which the
opposition members had given their proposals.
He said the debate on Iraq crisis reflected large-heartedness on
the part of the opposition which had allowed the discussion.
However, he pointed out, this should not be considered as a
weakness of the opposition which had reservations on the
fundamentals of the LFO.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the parliamentary leader of the PML-N,
said the opposition wanted to see smooth proceedings in the house
under a policy of 'forgive and forget'. Otherwise, he said, the way
the politicians were denounced and a vilification campaign had been
launched during the last three years was shameful. "We are
cooperating only to give democracy a chance and to let it
flourish."
He said whatever had been done during the last three years under
the Provisional Constitutional Order should not be repeated under
the LFO.
He said the purpose of parliament and the civilian cabinet was to
restore democracy in its true spirit but deplored that right from
cricket to hockey to Wapda and the presidency, army generals were
running the affairs.
He offered that the opposition would go 10 steps ahead if the
government took one step forward to restore real democracy and to
serve people.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai alleged that army generals had become fond of
enjoying the power. However, he said, politicians would not let
this happen and added that the 1973 Constitution suggested how
amendments were brought to it.
The speaker thanked the members for letting the proceedings to go
on smoothly and said both opposition and treasury benches should
take the dialogue on the LFO seriously.
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20030318
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Govt, opposition still poles apart
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Raja Asghar
ISLAMABAD, March 17: The government and opposition parties seemed
still poles apart over the controversial presidential powers ahead
of a special National Assembly session convened for Tuesday mainly
to focus on the issue.
Political sources said they could not rule out another noisy scenes
in the session called at the opposition's request as no formal
talks between the two sides had yet been held to narrow down
differences over Legal Framework Order (LFO).
But a silver lining appeared on the horizon as one major opposition
party said it had discussed with the PML-Q the possibility of
moving a joint resolution in the house over the Iraqi crisis.
The opposition had requisitioned the special assembly session to
discuss the LFO and foreign policy after the president prorogued
the house indefinitely last week following three successive noisy
sittings.
A source in the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal reported a contact between
the PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and the MMA
parliamentary leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed. But other opposition
sources said no formal talks on LFO had yet been held between the
ruling coalition and the combined opposition.
"There has been no progress," PPP secretary-general Raja Pervez
Ashraf, said about PML-Q's promises to resume dialogue with the
opposition.
He told Dawn that there had been some formal government contact
with the opposition over the issue since then.
Asked if the opposition parties would hold a similar protest as
last week when the house meets at 5:00pm on Tuesday, he said: "On
LFO, our stand remains the same."
While adjourning the assembly on March 10, speaker Chaudhry Amir
Hussain had said the move was aimed to give more time to the ruling
and opposition parties to iron out their differences.
Chaudhry Shujaat went to Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed's
residence on Sunday and had a meeting with him over the LFO and
Iraqi situation, a JI spokesman, Shahid Shamsi, said.
He said the two men discussed the possibility of formulating a
joint government-opposition resolution on Iraq. He said a final MMA
stance over the matter would be evolved at an alliance
parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday morning.
The PPP and PML-N have also called meetings of their parliamentary
parties on Tuesday before the start of the assembly session.
Mr Shamsi said the JI chief had urged the PML-Q leader to impress
upon President Musharraf to accept the opposition demand to seek
parliament's approval for the LFO, which among other things
empowers him to remain president as well as army chief for five
more years, dissolve parliament and sack prime ministers.
"If they (ruling coalition) want to extricate the country from the
present crisis and secure its future, they are bound to support the
opposition demand for the restoration of the (un- amended) 1973
Constitution," a PML-N spokesman, Mohammad Siddique-ul-Farooq,
said.
The speaker responded quickly to the opposition requisition in
summoning Tuesday's session in a move that appeared to save Mr
Jamali from an embarrassment of anti-LFO protests at home while he
will be visiting China and the United States next week.
The opposition parties had sent the requisition on Wednesday for a
fresh session, only two days after March 10 prorogation, and the
speaker could delay the session until March 26, when Mr Jamali -
after the proposed three-day visit to China - is due to leave for
the United States where he is scheduled to meet President George W.
Bush on March 28.
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20030318
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First formal NA session yet to take place
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rafaqat Ali
ISLAMABAD, March 17: The first formal session of the National
Assembly has not "commenced" yet and will commence only with the
address of president to the joint session of parliament as required
under Article 56(3) of the Constitution.
Official sources told Dawn that the sessions held for oath taking,
elections of speaker and leader of the house as well as those
"requisitioned" by the opposition were "technical". The
parliamentary year would commence with the address of President
General Pervez Musharraf to the joint session of parliament, the
source said.
Opposition members have termed the delay in the presidential
address a "violation of the constitution". They said President
Musharraf had shown scant respect for parliament which he himself
had "crafted."
Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, a PPP MNA, said the president had showed
total disregard and disrespect for parliament. "This is a very
serious lapse, and I hope that parliamentarians are prepared to
take a serious view of this matter, because it amounts to contempt
of parliament."
The official source, requesting anonymity, said the joint session
would only be possible in April when the prime minister returned
from the United States.
Article 56(3) reads: "At the commencement of the first session
after each general election to the National Assembly and the
commencement of the first session of each year the President shall
address both House assembled together and inform the Majlise Shora
(Parliament), of the causes of its summon."
Government legal experts are of the view that even if the president
does not address the session, no consequences will flow as Article
56 provides no consequence in case the requirement under the
provision is not fulfilled. They contend that Article 56(3) is not
"mandatory" but "directory" in nature.
The address to the joint session by President Musharraf is expected
to be a noisy affair, as opposition parties are not ready to accept
him as president on the basis of what they call a controversial
referendum.
Opposition parties are insisting that Gen Musharraf should lay down
the uniform and become president through the constitutional
mechanism.
Mr Ahsan said any view that a requisitioned session or the earlier
sittings of the National Assembly were not formal sessions would
amount to a denial of these working days, in the calender of either
house which mandates a minimum number of sittings in a
parliamentary year, namely, 130 days for NA and 90 days for the
Senate.
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20030318
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Amended constitution 'acceptable' to MQM
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ashraf Mumtaz
LAHORE, March 17: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad says the
Muttahida Qaumi Movement has put "in abeyance" its demand for a new
Constitution replacing the 1973's after the amendments made by
President Musharraf to reform it.
The 1973 Constitution, as amended by President Pervez Musharraf,
must be adhered to. However, a dialogue should be held to evolve
national consensus on controversial issues, he said while talking
to a group of reporters.
Dr Ibad, said the Muttahida's viewpoint on the 1940 Resolution had
been misinterpreted by various political circles.
According to him, the MQM had sought provincial autonomy according
to the "spirit" of the said resolution, not the very enforcement of
the resolution passed before the emergence of the Islamic republic
on the global map.
Rejecting suggestions to the contrary, the governor said the form
of government provided in the Constitution, even after being
amended through the LFO, was parliamentary. He said the president
had introduced various changes as he deemed it fit and the system
must be allowed to continue.
In response to a question, he said all federating units should hold
talks with the federal government on the need for more reservoirs
to meet water requirements of all provinces. He said the situation
should be analysed properly and decisions taken according to the
available resources. He was asked about the justification for Sindh
Assembly's resolution against the Greater Thal Canal project the
Punjab government wants to set up to meet its requirements, and its
consistent aversion to the Kalabagh dam the Punjab thinks will
benefit all federating units.
Dr Ishratul Ibad said all provinces faced water shortages and thus
more resources should be explored.
Replying to a question, the governor said the situation in Sindh
was very complex but he and the chief minister were handling it
through mutual cooperation. The law and order situation, he said,
had improved remarkably as a result of the steps taken by the new
government.
He said provinces had reservations about the system of district
governments and Sindh had given its proposals to improve their
working. In response to a question, he said Mr Altaf Husain would
himself decide on when he should return to the country. However, he
said in his opinion he should come back.
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20030316
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PML-N for debate on Hamood report in NA
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Correspondent
FAISALABAD, March 15: PML-N acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi
has demanded that complete Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report should
be presented before the National Assembly so that the elements
responsible for dismemberment of Pakistan could be exposed.
Speaking at a press conference here at the DHQ Hospital after
visiting deputy opposition leader of the Punjab Assembly Rana
Sanaullah Khan, Mr Hashmi said national and foreign newspapers had
already published the classified portions of the report.
The rulers targeted Mr Khan for mentioning some of its portion
which was undoubtedly an act of state terrorism, he added.
The Makhdoom criticized the role of ISI in the formation of
governments and policies and termed it a harmful act for the
country. He claimed that the PML-N would close political wing of
the ISI after coming into power and end their intervention in
policy making.
Criticizing the foreign policy, especially stand on Iraq issue, he
said Pakistan should cast its vote in the UN Security Council
against the US.
About the Legal Framework Order, he said a committee comprising
opposition leaders in the National Assembly had been formed for
holding dialogues with the government. But, it was unfortunate that
the rulers were using delaying tactics which could create problems
for them, he added.
The PML-N acting chief vowed to continue struggle for the
restoration of 1973 Constitution and revival of true democracy in
the country.
ISHAQ DAR: Former federal minister Ishaq Dar has said a document is
being prepared on violation of human rights by the Gen Pervez
Musharraf regime which will be sent to the Commonwealth and
European Union countries, the United Nations and human rights
organizations.
Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, the PML-N central
leader said the country was being run by agencies. The present
handpicked civilian set up was a stooge of the establishment, he
added.
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20030316
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasim named PML-Q Senate leader
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Nasir Iqbal
ISLAMABAD, March 15: The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam)
nominated veteran parliamentarian Wasim Sajjad leader of the house
in the Senate.
An official announcement of Mr Sajjad's appointment came after a
meeting between Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali, PML-Q
President and parliamentary party leader in the National Assembly
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Mr Sajjad at the PM's House on
Saturday.
The meeting also discussed the political situation, the recent
Senate elections, the Iraqi crisis and other party matters.
An official source told Dawn that the meeting discussed a strategy
for the upcoming session of the National Assembly called for
Tuesday on the requisition of the opposition.
The appointment of parliamentary secretaries in the National
Assembly was also considered, when the prime minister asked for a
meeting of the central working committee on March 20 when the
appointments will be finalized.
Mr Wasim Sajjad was law minister during the Junejo government and
was first elected as Chairman of the Senate when Mr Ghulam Ishaq
Khan became president after the death of Gen Ziaul Haq.
Mr Sajjad remained chairman for more than a decade till the Senate
as well as the National Assembly were dismissed by Gen Pervez
Musharraf on Oct 12, 1999.
The tradition of appointing a leader of the house in the Senate was
introduced by Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto when he had appointed Rao
Abdus Sattar to this position in 1973. At that time the leader of
the opposition in the Senate was Mohammad Hashim Gilzai.
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20030316
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Two systems pulling in different directions: New govt set-up
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, March 15: The new system of local government is under
attack from legislators and ministers who see no role for
themselves in development projects to be executed in their
respective constituencies.
Since the revival of democracy, polarization is brewing up between
the district government and legislators.
Although the Sindh local government minister has denied any rift
between the Sindh and the local governments, he said such a
situation had been created by the vested interest. However, the
Sindh cabinet, taking a clue from the on-going controversy between
the provincial authorities and the district government, has set up
a task force to receive proposals from different departments,
ministers and legislators for sending them to the National
Reconstruction Bureau for making necessary amendments to the SLGO.
Under the devolution plan, the role of the provincial government
was of a facilitator to the district government in discharging its
responsibilities.
In Sindh, out of 23 departments, 12 have been devolved to the
district government, leaving only 11 departments with the province.
In addition to this, the corresponding umbrella departments would
also be at the provincial level to ensure a chain of command,
coordination and policy direction. However, with the announcement
that each member of the provincial assembly will be given Rs 5
million for local development, the district governments are
considering it a curtailment of their power, as in the SLGO the
role of legislators was only to indulge in policy issues.
Likewise, transfer/posting in the police and the local government,
without taking the City Nazim into confidence, has created an
atmosphere of mistrust between the two systems.
Taking notice of a row between the provincial and district
governments over sharing of power, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah
Khan Jamali defended the devolution scheme, saying there should be
no dispute between the elected representatives and Nazims as both
were elected to resolve the problems of the people and were
supposed to work within their parameters.
They should sit together and work for the betterment of the system,
and the federal government was there to provide them necessary
guidelines.
In view of the obstacles in the implementation of devolution,
particularly want of fiscal powers, non-transfer of Kutchi Abadis
Authority, Karachi Water and Sewerage Authority, Karachi Building
Control Authority which as per SLGO ought to be merged with the
city government, and the new row over sharing of power between the
provincial and the local governments, the situation calls for an
immediate attention of the NRB to sort out the differences before
the nascent system comes to a stand-still.
In addition, there is a need to find it out why measures were being
taken half-heartedly even in the setting up of a public safety
commission, and why district ombudsman office, police complaints
authority, and citizens community boards were being ignored to
monitor police performance and deal with corruption and serious
complaints against federal law-enforcement agencies.
These institutions are yet to be notified while the advisory
committees and local government commissions, formed recently, are
yet to start functioning.
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20030317
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanaullah staged a 'drama'
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 16: Punjab Chief Minister's Adviser on Human Rights
Rana Ejaz Ahmad Khan termed the torture of PML-N leader Rana
Sanaullah a 'drama' which, he said, was staged just to defame the
government.
This was not a case of basic human rights violation, the adviser
said while replying to a question at a Press conference here at the
Civil Secretariat.
He said: "There is no need to torture Rana Sanaullah because
neither he is an important politician nor a threat to the
government."
"He was not beaten up by agencies as those who are given such
treatment do not make it public and stay home quietly," he said.
Rana Ejaz said prima facie Rana Sanaullah was not tortured. He
himself shaved off his eye brows and moustache to malign the
government, the adviser alleged.
He said the Musharraf government had not tortured anyone showing
dissent during its three-year tenure. Unlike the past democratic
governments, there was no political murder and the press was
allowed to freely criticize government policies. Gen Musharraf's
military regime is more democratic than any of the past democratic
governments, he said.
Rana Ejaz said in case Rana Sanaullah had been tortured by an
agency, it was a federal subject and the province could not
initiate any action in this regard.
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20030316
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Police refuse to file MPA's case
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Correspondent
FAISALABAD, March 15: The local police have reportedly refused to
register a criminal case against a major of the ISI and his
unidentified subordinates on charge of kidnapping and torturing the
deputy opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Rana Sanaullah
Khan.
Official source told this correspondent that the Kotwali police, on
the instructions of the district police officer, termed the
Sanaullah incident as non-cognizable.
In a complaint lodged with the district police officer, Rana
Sanaullah said that a major of the ISI and his around a dozen armed
subordinates intercepted his car (No FDU 59) on Circular Road at
8:30pm on March 8.
The armed men forcibly took him to the office of the ISI, adjacent
to PIA's Faisalabad building. His driver Abdul Majeed, secretary
Tariq Janbaz and a number of passers-by witnessed the kidnapping.
The MPA alleged that his 'kidnappers' severely tortured him and
brutally cut his hair after snatching Rs4,000 and a cellular phone
from him. Later, the kidnappers threw him on the service lane of
Sargodha Road.
Rana Sanaullah claimed that he was kidnapped and tortured to
destabilize the campaign of the PML-N, launched against the
misdeeds of the rulers.
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20030320
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Qudoos' bail plea rejected
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI, March 19: A judicial magistrate rejected the bail
application of Aqeel Ahmad Abdul Qudoos, who allegedly harboured Al
Qaeda activist Khalid Shaikh Mohammad.
The assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Westridge police station,
Farhat, argued on behalf of the prosecution and contended that
police officials, including DSPs Sadar, Maqsood Khan and Rana
Shahid Pervez and Inspector Raja Saqlain, conducted a pre-dawn raid
after receiving information that a sectarian terrorist, Rashid, was
hiding inside Ahmad's house.
During the raid the accused, Ahmad, came out of his house and
started scuffling with ASI, Mohammad Hanif, tore his uniform and
pulled out a 30-bore pistol in order to open fire at the raiding
party. However, the police overpowered him, he said.
He pleaded before the court not to grant bail to the accused who
had attacked the police party, possessed illegal weapons and
explosives and harboured one of the top operatives of the
terrorists network - Al Qaeda - and his Somali aide. He said that
according to the report of the explosives expert, all the three
recovered grenades were in workable conditions. However, the
defence counsel, Sardar Ishaq Khan, Fawad Hamdani and Qausain
Faisal, blasted the prosecution charges against their client and
termed the accused innocent. They described the case as "baseless"
and "fabricated."
Referring to the reports of the print and electronic media, the
defence counsel observed that there were contradictions in the
public and police records.
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20030321
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Major Adil Qudoos shifted to Rawalpindi
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Abdul Sami Paracha
KOHAT, March 20: Major Adil Qudoos, brother of Ahmad Qudoos, from
whose house Al Qaeda leader Sheikh Ahmad was arrested, has been
shifted from Kohat to Rawalpindi, highly-placed sources told Dawn.
Major Adil was arrested in a surprise raid on March 1 from his
cantonment residence here for his alleged connections with Al
Qaeda. He belongs to the 45-Signals regiment which has its
headquarters at the Kohat Cantonment.
He was first asked to give details about Sheikh Ahmed whether the
latter visited Kohat in recent days or last year and about
whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Mohammad Omar, it has
been learnt.
Earlier, it was claimed that the major had not been arrested by the
FBI and would not be interrogated by US agents.
A senior official of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) talking
to Dawn said that nobody from the FBI was involved in the Kohat
operation.
However, an FBI team was interrogating suspects in Islamabad.
He said that during a high-level coordination meeting of
intelligence agencies held on Tuesday it had been decided to put
army patrolling on the western border at the highest alert in the
light of disclosures made by Sheikh Khalid Mohammad and Ahmed
Qudoos.
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20030318
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ATC transfers Qudoos' case
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI, March 17: An anti-terrorism court rejected the
application of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) to the case of Aqeel
Ahmad Abdul Qudoos, the alleged harbourer of Al Qaeda activist
Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, and transferred the case to a lower court
for trail.
The judge of anti-terrorism court No.2, Safdar Hussain Malik,
rejected the application of Section 7 of the ATA, 2002, on the
accused after the defence counsel, Sardar Ishaq, satisfied the
court during arguments before presenting his bail application.
The court observed that other charges against the accused would
remain. The court returned the bail plea to the defence counsel and
observed that the case did not fall in its jurisdiction and it
should be tried in the proper court.
The defence counsel had challenged the jurisdiction of the court
and contended that the accused had never struck any terror or
created a sense of fear and insecurity among the people or any
section of the society. Nor was there any evidence against the
accused, which could link him with any sectarian or terrorist
activities, he said.
He contended that the accused had not used bombs, dynamites,
explosives, inflammable substances or lethal weapons which could
have caused deaths, injuries, damage or destruction to any person
or place.
He maintained that although the police had claimed seizing weapons
and grenades from the house of the accused during their raid, there
was no evidence to show that he was involved in terrorism. The
history of the accused was clean of any such crimes, he said.
The defence counsel submitted the bail application in the court of
the civil judge and judicial magistrate, Iqbal Guraya, where it
would be heard on Wednesday.
On March 1, the police and other agencies had arrested the accused
allegedly with Khalid Shaikh and his two Somali aides from his
Westridge residence.
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20030316
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Another Al Qaeda man held in Lahore
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 15: Officials from the FBI and Pakistan intelligence
agencies reportedly arrested a suspected Al Qaeda member.
Sources said a raid was carried out on a house on Shahbaz Road,
Bhagatpura, which resulted in the arrest of Yasser-al-Jazeeri, a
Moroccan national. He was shifted to an unknown place for
interrogation.
The sources said that Al-Jazeeri's few accomplices were also
arrested from the house. However, it could not be ascertained
whether the other arrested were Pakistani or foreigners.
The sources said that Al-Jazeeri might have been arrested on a tip
off given by Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the alleged mastermind of Sept
11 attack on the US, who was arrested some weeks ago from
Rawalpindi.
The PTV, however, claimed that Al-Jazeeri was an important Al Qaeda
leader and was arrested by Pakistani law enforcement agencies.
When contacted, SSP (Operations) Aftab Cheema said that the Lahore
police were not aware of his arrest. He said no law enforcement
agency in the country had asked them to provide help for any such
operation.
INTERIOR SECRETARY: Interior Secretary Tasneem Noorani said Al-
Jazeeri was less important than Khalid Shaikh Mohammad but he was
quite an important person, adds Reuters.
"This is the biggest catch since Khalid Shaikh Mohammad," an
intelligence source said, adding a second man, an Afghan named
Gulzeb, alias Jaffar, had also been captured.
The intelligence source told Reuters the arrest had been made by
Pakistani security personnel.
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20030316
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ATC formally starts Khwajas trial
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 15: An anti-terrorism court formally commenced trial
of Dr Ahmad Javed Khwaja and his brother at Kot Lakhpat jail after
the prosecution furnished the case copies with the accused.
The court fixed March 25 for the indictment of Dr Ahmad Javed
Khwaja and Ahmad Naveed Khwaja, and summoned all the prosecution
witnesses for the next hearing. The court announced that it would
examine the prosecution evidence the same day after framing charges
against the accused.
Earlier, prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar provided the case copies to the
accused under section 265-C CrPc. The documents include photocopies
of four foreign nationals' passports, chargesheet prepared under
173 CrPc, a copy of complaint initially received by SHO Farooq
Asghar, a copy of FIR, inspection notes prepared by the
investigating officer, the report of forensic expert on the empties
allegedly recovered from outside the accused's residence and
written statements of eight prosecution witnesses.
All the eight prosecution witnesses cited in the case copies are
police officials - Khalid Javed, Muhammad Ayub, Muhammad Ashraf,
Ashfaq Ahmad, Muhammad Riaz, Muhammad Alam, Muhammad Latif and
Wilayat Ali.
The copies of four foreigners' passports have been placed on the
judicial record following an observation made by the court on the
last hearing that incriminating evidence against the two accused
regarding their alleged links with Al Qaeda activists had not been
brought on record.
In the chargesheet provided to them, both the Khwajas have been
accused under section 324 CrPc (opening indiscriminate fire on
police party), section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, (indulging in
terrorist activities), and section 11 (V) of ATA, (harbouring Al
Qaeda activists).
Briefly, the charge-sheet narrated that SHO Farooq Asghar received
a wireless message that the two accused had opened an
indiscriminate fire on police outside their residence in Manawan
area on December 19, 2002. Later, both the accused were arrested
and a pistol and a kalashnikov were recovered from them. Passports
of some foreign nationals and Afghani and the US currency were also
allegedly found in their residence.
The court also directed defence counsel Pervez Inayat Malik to
provide it a copy of the Lahore High Court's judgment pronounced on
a petition of the accused, challenging their trial in jail. The
court sought a copy of this judgment to confirm whether the LHC had
given any observation in its verdict to the effect that the trial
court had the prerogative of holding an in-camera proceedings, and
did not need any direction from the LHC in this regard.
An application of the defence counsel pleading the court to allow
the general public and journalists to the cover the trial
proceedings is pending with the trial court. The court observed
that this application would be decided after going through the
LHC's judgment.
The LHC had dismissed Khwajas' petition, saying the trial court and
the provincial home department were authorized to hold their trial
in jail for security. It also refused to direct the court to hold
an open trial on jail premises.
The four members of the accused family were present during the
proceedings.
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20030317
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nusrat Bhutto's condition serious
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, March 16: Begum Nusrat Bhutto, former first lady and
mother of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto,
suffered a stroke in Dubai on Sunday and was in a serious condition
in a hospital there.
A PPP statement said Begum Bhutto was immediately rushed to a
hospital after the stroke and was admitted to an intensive care
unit. It quoted doctors attending her as saying that her condition
was "serious".
Doctors were "struggling to save her life" as Ms Bhutto was by the
side of Begum Sahiba at the hospital, the PPP statement said.
"Later tonight (Sunday night) a board of medical doctors will
decide whether the former first lady should undergo surgery," it
said.
Ms Bhutto has called her family members, including sister Ms Sanam
Bhutto, to Dubai to be present on the occasion.
BENAZIR'S PLEA: In a special urgent message, Ms Bhutto has urged
party workers, sympathisers and well-wishers within Pakistan and
abroad to pray for the health of her mother. She has requested that
special prayers be held "tonight for Begum Sahiba's recovery."
Asif applies for parole: Asif Zardari, detained PPP leader on
Sunday asked the government to allow him to leave the country for
one month to attend his ailing mother-in-law, Begum Nusrat Bhutto
in Dubai.
Mr Zardari, who is behind the bars since Nov 5, 1996, has been
granted bail in 12 out of 13 pending cases, but has not been
released.
The government in recent past, has been releasing him on parole.
Advocate Farooq H. Naek, counsel for Mr Zardari told Dawn late on
Sunday night that he had faxed the application for his client's
release for one month to attend his ailing mother-in-law, who is in
critical condition.
No official was ready to comment on the request. Interior Minister
Faisal Saleh Hayat is not the country and reports say he is in
Middle East.
Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi, Press Secretary to President Pervez
Musharraf, when contacted expressed his ignorance about any such
application. He said the query should be made to the government, as
president was not concerned with the case.
Secretary of Federal Interior Ministry, Tasneem Noorani was not
willing to come on line. Press Secretary to Prime Minister Mir
Zafarullah Khan Jamali, was also not aware of any such move.
Similarly, NAB spokesman Maj Ali, expressed ignorance about such
move.
Mr Ismail Dheri, secretary to Asif Zardari told Dawn that all the
arrangement for his departure have been made and we are waiting for
the government decision on his application.
Mr Zardari has offered to furnish "solvent sureties" that he would
come back. Ms Bhutto had left the country in 1999, has not come
back then.
The National Accountability Bureau, which succeeded Ehtesab Bureau
of Mian Nawaz Sharif government, is claiming that Mr Zardari had
stashed billions of dollars in foreign banks which he minted during
the first and second tenure of his wife as prime minister.
Mr Zardari is in jail for over six years but is carrying no
conviction. His only conviction along with Ms Benazir Bhutto in SGS
case, was set aside by Supreme Court and the case was sent back for
retrial.
The judge who convicted him in 1999, Justice Malik Qayyum, had to
leave the judicial institution after the Supreme Court declared him
biased.
He has been granted bail by courts in 12 cases so far.
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20030316
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Minister unaware of govt deal with Bugti
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Correspondent
SAHIWAL, March 15: Federal Petroleum Minister Naurez Shakoor is
unaware of reported deal between Bugti tribe chief Nawab Akbar
Bugti and the Ministry of Petroleum.
Talking to newsmen, he said the Nawab had signed a 'peace deal'
with the Balochistan chief secretary. "The ministry or petroleum
companies were not involved in the process according to my
knowledge," he said.
Replying to a question, he said the year of parliament would start
after the address of the president. "This fact has been clarified
in the Legal Framework Order."
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20030317
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Noor shifted to undisclosed location
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By M. H. Khan
KHAIRPUR, March 16: Ms Noor Khatoon Shar was shifted from Khairpur
to an unknown location on Sunday, most probably Karachi, in view of
the persistent threat to her life.
It has been learnt that the young woman was accompanied by district
Nazim Nafisa Shah. The possibility that Ms Noor was shifted to
Islamabad could not be ruled out in view of the gravity of the
situation.
Both the DPO, Tahir Naveed, and the district Nazim, Nafisa Shah,
believe that there was a serious threat to the life of Ms Noor,
adding that the silence, on part of her in-laws, reinforced those
fears. They said that given the nature of the tribal culture in
this area, retaliation on part of her in-laws could not be ruled
out.
Her absence would make it impossible for the authorities to produce
her before the judicial magistrate for recording her statement
under section 164 of the CrPC, the DPO said, adding that even he
did not know about her departure from the city till Sunday evening.
Those, who were handling Ms Noor's case, declined to disclose
details regarding the suit, filed by Ms Noor, for the annulment of
marriage, fearing action by the woman's in-laws.
According to investigations carried out by this correspondent, the
present situation arose because of the couple being mentally
incompatible. The trouble began after Ms Noor and her husband,
Sharaf Din, failed to get along ever since she had come to know
that she was to be married to the man.
Reports suggested that there was no proper documentation regarding
Ms Noor's Nikah and her Nikahnama also did not bear signatures of
the required number of witnesses, although her father insisted that
her maternal uncle was one of the witnesses.
The situation became public knowledge after publication of a
letter, which was faxed to a number of Sindhi newspapers followed
by an identical missive sent to the district Nazim, DCO and the
DPO.
The unsigned faxed letter prompted the DPO to take action.
Although Ms Noor denied having written and dispatched the anonymous
letter to the media and officials simultaneously, she more or less
confirmed the veracity of the contents of the letter, saying that
she had somehow maintained her rapport with some of her friends,
who, according to her, had helped her in this regard.
Ms Noor said that she had told them to approach the media if they
found the situation taking a violent turn.
Local journalists believe that a clarification, issued by Ms Noor,
denying her having written the letter, was prompted by the pressure
exerted by her own parents.
Ms Noor's father said that his daughter's marriage with Sharaf Din,
had been solemnized on June 23, 2002, following a family
arrangement, adding that Noor Khatoon had expressed "100 per cent"
willingness in this regard.
He accused the district Nazim of holding his daughter in illegal
detention, he said that there was no court order in this regard.
While talking to Dawn at the district Nazim's residence, Ms Noor
said: "I would prefer to die than return to my husband's house."
Ms Noor claimed that her father was also very upset as her in-laws
could forcibly occupy her family's farm land besides hurting them
in many other ways.
Reports indicated that her parents had asked her to wait for some
years before seeking a separation from her husband, which,
according to her, seemed next to impossible.
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20030316
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Councillor files suit against marriage
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Mansoor Mirani
KHAIRPUR, March 15: A family court here on Saturday took action on
a suit filed by Noor Khatoon Shar for dissolution of her marriage,
summoning husband Sharafdin Shar on April 12.
A poet and member of the district council of Khairpur, Noor Khatoon
has contended that Mr Sharafdin had subjected her to torture,
rendering her conjugal life miserable. She said she cannot live
with him.
On Saturday morning, Noor Khatoon was shifted to the residence of
the District Nazim, Nafisa Shah. Noor Khatoon was living at the
residence of her father, Ahmed Din Shar, advocate, at Thari Mirwah,
but due to security reasons she was shifted to the Nazim's house.
The Nazim told this correspondent that Noor Khatoon would be
provided with medical treatment as she was "under depression and
psychological pressure".
Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan secretary-general Ms
Hina Jilani has condemned the torture of Noor Khatoon and demanded
strict action against the culprits.
The HRCP secretary-general, in a statement faxed to Dawn ,
expressed her shock over the violations of Ms Noor's basic rights
and condemned threats to her life under Karo-kari.
Noor Khatoon, she said, was subjected to torture by her husband,
who, according to the statement, had been married to her against
her wishes, adding that she was punished for raising issues of
violence against women.
Many days ago, Ms Jilani said Ms Noor had begun receiving threats
to her life for being a Kari. Her complaints made to local
authorities went unheeded, she added.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also condemned attempts
being made to interfere with the course of justice.
"The HRCP condemns the torture on Noor Khatoon, demands appropriate
action against the culprits, and again reminds the custodians of
state power of the urgent need for a vigorous movement to end all
customs that are based on a total denial of woman's rights and
dignities. "Action on some of the published atrocities on women and
dispensation of charity to a few of the victims will not do", it
stated.
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20030317
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Seven-year RI to be awarded for Vani
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
LAHORE, March 16: The Punjab government is introducing a seven-year
rigorous imprisonment for committing Vani -- offering and accepting
women to settle a dispute.
This was stated by Punjab Chief Minister's Adviser on Human Rights
Rana Ejaz Ahmad Khan. He said a summary had been sent to the
government to make Vani a cognizable offence and award rigorous
imprisonment up to seven years to those found committing it. The
law would be passed by the provincial assembly in near future, he
said.
During the Press conference, he announced steps being adopted to
protect human rights in police stations and jails, legal and
financial assistance to the poor, women and juvenile prisoners, and
implementation of the law banning food on marriages.
He said these steps would be implemented with the help of
committees comprising district Nazims, DCOs, lawyers,
philanthropists and journalists.
Rana Ejaz said he would raid police stations to detect violation of
human rights. Police stations had become torture cells and police
were torturing and humiliating people without any let or hindrance.
He said instead of changing its culture with the introduction of a
new police law, the police had become more ruthless. There were
cases of custodial killing and kidnapping for ransom by the police,
he said.
Rana Ejaz said detaining people without any reason and demanding
money for their release was kidnapping for ransom which carried a
capital punishment.
"We will register cases against those found guilty of this crime or
file private writ petitions for the purpose," he said.
He said under directions from the Lahore High Court chief justice,
sessions judges were visiting jails once a month to provide relief
to those who could not fight their cases due to any reason. But as
this system had not given the desired results, the provincial
government would request the high court to double the number of
visits.
Rana Ejaz said there were 54,000 prisoners in Punjab jails against
the capacity of 17,000 prisoners. Many of them were women, children
and those who could not afford to secure their release after paying
small amounts of fine outstanding against them.
He said to help such prisoners he had asked district Nazims and
DCOs to visit jails. Chambers of commerce and industry had also
been approached in every district to pay fines of those who could
not arrange them.
Lawyers had also been requested to plead the cases of those who
could not pay their fees. The government would bear the petty
expenditure of such litigation, he said.
Rana Ejaz said steps would also be adopted for the implementation
of the ban on extravagance on marriages. The violation of the law
by a Kasur family had been confirmed and the government was going
to impose the prescribed fine on them, he said.
He said he would inspect Sunday Bazaars to ensure the provision of
low-cost but quality items of daily use to the people.
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20030320
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Hearing of Dr Qadeer's plea put off: IBS case
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 19: An appellate bench of the Sindh High Court
adjourned the hearing of an intra-court appeal filed by Dr Abdul
Qadeer Khan against an order of a single judge.
The single bench had ordered constitution of a committee to help Dr
Qadeer and respondent Dr S. Haroon Ahmed jointly run the Institute
of Behavioural Sciences.
The impugned interim order was passed by Justice Zahid Kurban Alavi
on Feb 18. Subsequently, he asked the Sindh High Court Bar
Association president, who is a member of the committee, to convene
its meeting as early as possible.
The committee will submit its report on IBS affairs to the court
within a month of its first meeting.
The judge also asked the Pakistan Association for Mental Health,
headed by Dr Ahmed, to depute doctors to treat patients at the IBS
without involving themselves in any other activity.
The suits and counter-suits and several applications moved by the
two parties will be taken up by Justice Alavi after the receipt of
the committee's report.
The appeal against the interim order came up before a division
bench, comprising Justice Mohammad Roshan Essani and Anwar Zaheer
Jamali, on Wednesday but its hearing was adjourned due to non-
availability of the appellant's counsel, Barrister Dr Farogh
Naseem.
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20030321
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Pakistan deplores military action
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, March 20: Pakistan deplored the US-led military action
against Iraq and called for giving priority to avert humanitarian
disaster for the Iraqi people.
"Pakistan deplores the initiation of military action against Iraq,"
Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told a news conference
which was also addressed by Information Minister Sheikh Rashid
Ahmed.
Mr Kasuri said military action should not prolong. He said Pakistan
was not among those 35 countries supporting attack on Iraq.
"Whether they are 55 or 35 countries, we are certainly not among
them and will never endorse any military action."
Asked why the government was just deploring and was not condemning
the military action, Mr Kasuri said Pakistan had made its position
very clear. "But if you insist then I would advise you to consult
Oxford dictionary and see the meaning of deploring".
He stressed that the Security Council must resume its primary
responsibility under the UN charter for maintenance of
international peace and security.
Reading out a statement, Mr Kasuri said civilian causalities and
damage to civic services and holy places must be strictly avoided.
Territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq must be preserved as
well as its rights over its natural resources. The fundamental
rights of the people of Iraq, including their right to governance,
should be respected, he said.
Nevertheless, he pointed out, this course of events should not be
considered as setting any precedent in the conduct of inter- state
relations. Pakistan, he said, firmly believed in preserving the
centrality of the United Nations, observance of Charter of
Principles by all states, and implementation of the Security
Council resolutions without any discrimination.
In reply to a question, Mr Kasuri said India could not launch any
preemptive strike against Pakistan as had been done by the US
against Iraq and added that three wars between India and Pakistan
as well as the last year's deployment of Indian forces on Pakistani
borders could not deter Islamabad to change its principled stand on
various issues.
"Let me very clearly tell you that Pakistan cannot be browbeaten by
any country as the unity of our people and preparedness for war is
our best weapon against any aggressor," he said.
Mr Kasuri said the Security Council must uphold international
legality equitably. The council, he pointed out, must implement all
its resolutions, including those on Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine
whose peoples had been struggling and dying for over 50 years.
Pakistan, he said, had consistently called on Iraq to fulfil its UN
Security Council disarmament obligations fully and quickly which
did not happen. "In the Security Council and outside we had urged
the permanent members to evolve a consensus, as this was their
traditional responsibility, to ensure the unity of the council,
which would have been the best solution for resolving the Iraqi
crisis."
However, he said, it was unfortunate that a P-5 consensus could not
be reached, and that the efforts of the non-permanent members,
including Pakistan, could not succeed in bridging this divide.
Pakistan, he said, would continue to work within the Security
Council and elsewhere towards the restoration of peace and security
in Iraq and the region. He said Pakistan was ready to send
humanitarian assistance to Iraq.
Asked what Pakistan could do to prevent the destruction of the
Iraqi people, he said: "If the countries like Russia, France and
Germany cannot do anything what can Pakistan do?"
Mr Kasuri did not believe that the United Nations had been rendered
useless. The role of the world body was very important to deal with
international affairs, he emphasized.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said law and order
situation was under control and there was no need to be worried
about as the government was alert and vigilant.
He said the government had made all arrangements, including for
sufficient stocks of oil and other essential commodities, to meet
the situation.
In reply to a question about Pakistanis in Kuwait and Qatar, the
foreign minister said: "We are carefully watching the situation and
if there will be any need we will run special PIA flights to
evacuate our people from there."
Asked why no unanimous resolution on the Iraq crisis was adopted in
the National Assembly on Wednesday, the information minister
alleged it was due to a lack of interest by opposition members.
"They (opposition) had convened the session but many of them were
not present in the house which led to a quorum problem and hence
the session was postponed by the speaker," Mr Ahmad said.
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20030321
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US embassy, consulates closed
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD, March 20: The United States embassy and consulates
closed temporarily following the US-led attack on Iraq.
US embassy spokeswoman Linda Cheatham, citing "security reasons",
told APP the embassy and the consulates at Peshawar and Lahore had
been closed "temporarily".
The closure means suspended services, including issuance of
immigrant and non-immigrant visa services "until further notice."
The consulate in Karachi closed its public operations indefinitely
on Aug 5, last year "due to security concerns."
The state department advised private American citizens in the
country to "consider departing." The consular personnel remained
available to provide emergency information and services to American
citizens, it said.-APP
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
20030322
-------------------------------------------------------------------
IMF asks govt to stop meddling: Power tariff
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Khaleeq Kiani
ISLAMABAD, March 21: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
asked the government not to interfere in the electricity tariffs of
Wapda and KESC for political gains and let the pricing system to
develop with transparency.
The finance ministry has also agreed to provide the formula and
recovery schedule of public sector dues to the IMF and the Wapda by
March 30, which now stand at more than Rs33 billion so that
realistic targets could be set for next year, senior official in
the finance ministry told Dawn.
The Wapda chairman had complained to the IMF team during recent
meetings the government had used even the automatic fuel based
tariff mechanism for political purposes and did not implement
decisions of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority on
quarterly tariff revisions.
Quoting certain specific incidents of delayed recovery of public
sector dues and non-transparent implementation of automatic fuel
adjustment formula, the Wapda blamed the federal government for
disruption of its financial improvement plan (FIP) agreed to with
the IMF last year.
The IMF told the government that implementation of the automatic
fuel adjustment formula should be based on rules otherwise the
fiscal gap of the utility would continue to grow in the months to
come.
The IMF also advised the Wapda to reduce energy losses of Hyderabad
and Peshawar Electric Supply companies (Hesco & Pesco) as Wapda
insisted that only these two distribution companies were in the
negative and overall losses of other companies have now been
reduced to a comfortable level and were well on target.
The Wapda had told the IMF that the government delayed the
implementation of 19-30 paisa per unit increase announced by Nepra
in August/September was delayed for over a month and then a
reduction in rates in second quarter review was implemented on
December 16.
The Wapda said that again the raise in fuel based tariff was due on
March 16 but was still to be determined by the Nepra. The finance
ministry has already asked the provincial governments and the
public sector institutions to clear their dues by March 31 or
should be ready for at source deductions at once.
Wapda's public sector arrears have touched Rs33 billion mark this
year against Rs20 billion of last year, up by Rs5 billion in a
year.
Wapda's revenue shortfall was estimated at Rs28 billion by the year
2003 which was to be met through various measures under the
financial improvement plan that could not be adhered to and the
revenue shortfall rose to Rs35 billion.
The Wapda and finance ministry are currently revising Wapda's FIP
that has to be shared with the IMF and the Bank by next month to
meet conditionalities of the $350 million structural adjustment
credit.
The non-compliance with the FIP has been attributed to continued
increase in fuel prices, failure to collect electricity arrears to
the agreed limit and reduction in line losses to 15 per cent and
inadequate increase in tariff since start of the fiscal year.
The finance ministry sources, however, suggest that there was no
provision for budgetary support to the utility in the budget 2002-
03 on the understanding the Wapda would be self- reliant through
measures under the FIP.
They admit that some of the factors in the non-compliance with FIP
were out of Wapda's control, any recourse to budgetary support
would result in increased fiscal deficit.
Wapda is already accusing the ministry of collecting massive
revenue due to increase in fuel prices and withholding sales tax
refund to the utility to show higher revenue collection to the
donors.
These sources said that the IMF and the Bank were opposed to the
budgetary support and wanted the Wapda to increase tariff, curtail
line losses and administrative cost and recover Rs33 billion
receivables from the public sector.
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20030317
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Aid to help win 'war on terror', says Powell
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON, March 16: US Secretary of State Colin Powell has
informed Congress that $395 million of financial assistance for
Pakistan in 2004 will come from the Bush administration's anti-
terrorist budget.
He said the administration was seeking a total of $4.7 billion to
help the countries that have joined the US-led war on terrorism.
The assistance for these countries, he said, would come from a much
larger, $18.8 billion package the administration wanted to set
aside for international assistance during the fiscal 2004.
"Our number one priority is to fight and win the 'global war on
terrorism.' The budget furthers this goal by providing economic
military and democracy assistance to key foreign partners and
allies," he said.
The proposed anti-terrorism budget seeks $657 million for
Afghanistan, $460 million for Jordan, $395 million for Pakistan,
$255 million for Turkey, $136 million for Indonesia, and $87
million for the Philippines.
Powell said Afghanistan would be one of America's top priorities
because Washington believed that to win the war on terror it was
also necessary to help rebuild the countries destroyed by
terrorists.
The United States is providing financial and logistic support to
Afghanistan to help establish a national military and a national
police force.
Both institutions were destroyed during the 20-year civil war and
the country is now run by dozens of warlords with their own
militias, who often do not follow the orders of the Kabul's central
government.
The US assistance, Powell said, would be used to "help establish
security through a national military and national police force" and
to "establish a broad-based and accountable governance through
democratic institutions and an active civil society."
The United States is also funding projects to rebuild Afghanistan's
road network, destroyed during the war.
"These funds will ensure a peace dividend for the Afghan people
through economic reconstruction, and provide humanitarian
assistance to sustain returning refugees and displaced persons,"
said Powell.
"People often talk about how things are going in Afghanistan - Is
it going well, is it not going well, or what? But when you look at
what we've accomplished in less than a year and a half, it's quite
remarkable," he said. "We've put in place a new government that is
representative of its people. We've put in place a system where
people are selecting their own leaders."
The women of Afghanistan, he said, who were forced out of the
national life by the former Taliban rulers were returning to the
business place, the workplace, the educational system.
The economy, he said, was slowly getting restarted and this
tremendous success was achieved with the assistance of the nations
around the world.
Powell said one of the key indicators of "whether or not the glass
is half full or the glass is half empty," is the return of two
million Afghan refugees from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran during
the last year and a half.
"And no critic can take away from the simple fact that 2 million
people have voted with their feet to return to this country that
they had fled from over the last 15 or 20 years," he added.
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20030322
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KSE-100 index crosses 2,600-point barrier
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 21: The index breached through the barrier of 2,600
at 2,652. The 100-share index recovered another 61.32 points at
2,651.71, breaching through the barrier of 2,600 points with a
sustainable margin. The total market capitalization at Rs579bn.
Leading energy shares, notably PSO, Hub-Power, PTCL again led the
market advance on renewed support aided by lure of capital gains.
Prominent among them being Pakistan Refinery, Attock Refinery, and
PSO, which rose by Rs2 to Rs7.25 followed by Javed Omer, EFU
General, Blessed Textiles, Faisal Spinning, Gadoon Textiles,
General Tyre, Dawood Hercules, Fauji Fertilizer, Glaxo-Wellcome,
BOC Pakistan, Pakistan Services and Ghani Glass, which posted gains
ranging from Rs2 to Rs3.50.
Losers were led by Century Insurance, Shell Pakistan, Indus Motors,
Noon Sugar and Pakistan Resource Co, off one rupee to Rs7.
Trading volume soared to 286m shares from the previous 181m shares
as gainers maintained a strong lead over the losers at 165 to 42,
with 26 shares holding on to the last levels.
Hub-Power topped the list of actives, up by 70 paisa at Rs37 on 80m
shares, PTCL, higher by Rs1.10 at Rs24.15 on 68m shares, Sui
Northern Gas, up by Rs1.05 at Rs24.65 on 31m shares, PSO, firm by
Rs7.25 at Rs207.75 on 26m shares and FFC-Jordan Fertilizer, steady
by 15 paisa at Rs11.15 on 20m shares.
Other actives were led by Dewan Salman, up by 30 paisa on 7m
shares, Pak PTA, firm by 15 paisa also on 7m shares, Fauji
Fertilizer, higher by Rs2.35 on 5m shares, National Bank, up by 40
paisa also 5m shares and Pakistan Oilfields, firm by five paisa on
4m shares.
FORWARD COUNTER: Fresh sharp gains in all the pivotals featured the
trading on this counter where PSO posted a fresh sharp gain of
Rs7.65 at Rs208 on 9m shares followed by PTCL and Engro Chemical,
higher by Rs1.15 and 1.75 at Rs24.10 and Rs82.45 on 10m and 2m
shares.
Hub-Power led the list of actives, higher by 75 paisa at Rs37.10 on
11m shares followed by Sui Northern Gas, up by one rupee at Rs24.60
on 3m shares, ICI Pakistan and Fauji Fertilizer also finished with
gains ranging from Rs2 to 2.45 at Rs48.20 and Rs81 respectively.
DEFAULTER COMPANIES: The activity on this counter was relatively
slow as investors remained busy in the ready and the forward
section. Suzuki Motorcycles again led the list of actives, up by 25
paisa at Rs8.25 on 12,000 shares followed by S.S. Oil and Allied
Motors, higher five and 75 paisa at Rs3.10 and Rs10 on 2,000 and
1,000 shares respectively.
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20030320
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Index falls 20 points as follow-up support turns shy
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Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 19: The KSE 100-share index fell by 20 points but
stood above the benchmark of 2,500 points.
The KSE 100-share index, which recovered about 40 points on
Tuesday, again shed 19.56 points at 2,506.22 as compared to
2,525.78 a day earlier as leading base shares again finished
reacted.
Prominent gainers were led by Noon Sugar, Shafiq Textiles, Bhanero
Textiles, Pak Reinsurance Co and Nestle MilkPak, up Rs3.35 to
Rs14.60. They were followed by Century Insurance, Faisal Spinning,
Sapphire Textiles, Sapphire Fibre, Al-Ghazi Tractors, Ghani Glass
and HinoPak Motors, up Rs2 to Rs3.30.
Losers were led by Shell Pakistan, Wyeth Pakistan, Shell Gas,
Pakistan Oilfields and Pakistan Refinery, off Rs5 to Rs6.80. Attock
Refinery, PSO, HinoPak Motors, Indus Motors, Pak-Suzuki Motors
owing to post-dividend selling followed and Dawood Hercules, off
Rs2.30 to Rs4.95.
Their absence was also reflected in a substantial decline in the
traded volume at 95m shares from the previous 130m shares. Losers
maintained a fair lead over the gainers at 163 to 91, with 41
shares holding on to the last levels.
Hub-Power topped the list of most actives, lower 45 paisa at
Rs35.40 24m shares followed by Sui Northern Gas, up 40 paisa at
Rs22.80 on 16m shares, PTCL, lower 30 paisa at Rs21.45 on 10m
shares, PSO, off Rs4.45 at Rs193.60 on 8m shares, Engro Chemical,
up 70 paisa at Rs92 also on 8m shares and Pakistan Oilfield, off
Rs5 at Rs168 on 3m shares.
Other actives were led by FFC-Jordan Fertiliser, easy 15 paisa on
6m shares, Dewan Motors, lower 30 paisa on 4m shares, Dewan Salman,
up 15 paisa on 2m shares and Pak PTA, easy 10 paisa also on 2m
shares.
FORWARD COUNTER: PSO came in for active selling at the overnight
inflated level and finished reacted by Rs3.35 at Rs194 on 5m
shares. Sui Northern Gas, on the other hand rose by 25 paisa at
Rs22.70 on 3m shares and so did Engro Chemical at Rs80.30 on 2m
shares. PTCL fell 20 paisa at Rs21.55 on 2m shares.
Hub-Power also came in for selling, off 35 paisa at Rs35.40 on 8m
shares, but its April contract suffered a sharp setback of Rs3.35
at Rs32.40.
DEFAULTER COMPANIES: Shares of a dozen companies came in for modest
activity under the lead of Suzuki Motorcycles, which suffered a
fresh fall of 40 paisa at Rs7.95 on 30,000 shares followed by Medi
Glass, easy five paisa at Rs0.60 on 8,000 shares and Shahpur
Textiles, up 20 paisa at Rs2 on 6,000 shares.
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20030317
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Rebound adds Rs18bn to market capitalization
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By Muhammad Aslam
The KSE 100-share index finally ended with an extended gain of
91.59 points at 2,540.25, adding Rs18 billion to the market
capitalization at Rs577 billion.
The KSE 100-share index staged a snap rally later on active short-
covering in some of the leading base shares under the lead of the
PSO followed by some positive developments on its sell-off.
Leading gainers were led by the Shell Pakistan, the New Jubilee
Insurance, Sana Industries, the Unilever Pakistan, the PSO, the
Pakistan Oilfields, followed by the Tata Textiles, Dreamworld,
Pakistan Telephone, Habib Insurance, the ICP SEMF and the Pakistan
Refinery and several others.
Losers included the 4th ICP Mutual Fund, Javed Omer Vohra, Dawood
Hercules, Lakson Tobacco, Javed Omer, the BOC Pakistan, Engro
Chemical, Orix Leasing and Pakistan Reinsurance Company, Wyeth
Pakistan, Bhanero Textiles, Nestle MilkPak and many others.
Owing to holiday shortened week, trading volume fell to 366m shares
bulk of which went to the credit of Hub-Power, the PTCL followed by
the PSO, the Sui Northern Gas, the FFC-Jordan fertiliser, the MCB,
Bosicor, Pakistan National Bank and the ICP SEMF.
Other actives were led by the Engro Chemical, the ICI Pakistan, the
Pak PTA, Dewan Salman, Pakistan Oilfileds, Fauji Fertiliser and
several others.
FORWARD COUNTER: The Hub-Power and the PSO encountered alternate
bouts of buying and selling but finally managed to finish higher on
active short-covering at the lower levels.
The PTCL led the list of other actives, followed by the Engro
Chemical Sui Northern Gas, the FFC-Jordan Fertiliser, the Fauji
Fertiliser and the MCB.
Back to the top
EDITORIALS & FEATURES
20030316
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Tyranny
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By Ardeshir Cowasjee
Whilst the entire world is preoccupied with the Iraq issue and the
prospect of a war being waged against Saddam Hussein, our press
carries news item after news item of how our politicians persist in
wittering on and on about the oaths they are constitutionally
required to swear before they can seat themselves as members of our
honourable National Assembly and Senate.
Now, every citizen of this country who has read or heard the
wording of the oaths is aware that not one political person has in
the past upheld the sworn oath and that not one of this new lot is
likely to uphold it.
The other obsessive question being raised by the political
fraternity is the taking off of the uniform of President General
Pervez Musharraf, a futile obsession as any perceptive Pakistani is
aware that the general will take off his uniform only when and if a
force far greater than that he commands orders him to so do.
Of far more significance are the reports in our press and in the
international media on the ever-present subject of tyranny in
Pakistan and the suppression of the freedom of its press. The New
York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has, on March 13,
addressed a letter to the president of Pakistan, copying the
internationally influential press people and press organizations,
human rights organizations and other bodies involved in the
protection of freedom.
The subject of the letter addressed to the general is the threat
allegedly made by Punjab Home Secretary Ejaz Shah to Ilyas Meraj,
the publisher of the weekly Independent (a Lahore-based English
language publication said to have a print order of a mere thousand
copies). Shah reportedly rang Meraj on March 10 to tell him :
"Enough is enough. The Punjab government has finally decided to
proceed against your newspaper for working against the national
interest." This comment was carried by the Independent in its March
13 issue. The CPJ contacted Shah, who denied having made any such
comment and said that he had not spoken to anyone at the
Independent during the past week.
The CPJ, however, is not satisfied. As it writes in its letter to
Musharraf: "However, CPJ believes that because of the serious
nature of the allegations, an official inquiry is warranted. The
weekly Independent's editor told CPJ that Shah - who is a retired
army brigadier, former head of the Punjab division of Pakistan's
powerful Inter-Services Intelligence, and a close associate of Your
Excellency - advised Meraj to 'roll back' the weekly's operations
if he wants to stay in business and stay safe.
Shah allegedly criticized the newspaper for writing against the
army and warned Meraj to consider the example of Rana Sanaullah
Khan, an opposition politician who has been twice arrested and
tortured in official custody in apparent reprisal for his criticism
of your military government."
Who is to be believed? But this, of course, unfortunately brings
into focus once again the disgraceful treatment meted out to
advocate Rana Sanaullah Khan, the PML (N) parliamentary leader in
the Punjab Assembly, who for the second time has suffered at the
hands of a security agency believed to be ISI.
Soon after the October 1999 Musharraf counter-coup men of one of
our 'agencies' picked up Sanaullah, held him in custody, and
subjected him to the usual form of torture they employ against
their offenders. Sanaullah's crime at that time was to have made
'derogatory' comments against the military government at a PML
meeting held at the house of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
This time round, on March 8, whilst leaving his law chambers at the
Faisalabad district courts, he was grabbed by, again, 'agency' men,
believed to be of the ISI, taken away, humiliated and tortured, and
then dumped at a deserted point on the Faisalabad-Pindi Bhattian
road. A man with a healthy growth of hair, thick eyebrows and a
bushy moustache, when found, after he had got himself to the
nearest petrol station, he had lacerations and bruises on his body,
a shaven head, no eyebrows and no moustache. Sanaullah claims that
he gleaned from the conversations of his captors and torturers that
they were indeed men of the ISI and were doing their duty on
'orders from above'.
His present crime, he can only presume, was to have stood up in the
Punjab Assembly, spoken out vociferously against the role of the
military in Pakistan's politics, and illustrated his criticism with
quotes from the Hamoodur Rahman report which was released to the
public, after a quarter of a century under wraps, by the government
of General Pervez Musharraf.
The violence, the tyranny, to which Sanaullah was subjected must
not be allowed to be shelved and forgotten. An inquiry should be
ordered and his abductors and torturers suitably dealt with
according to the laws of the country. We cannot afford to continue
to be classified by the rest of a world as being a nation devoid of
law and order.
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20030321
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When words run out
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By Ayaz Amir
When words run out it is time for resignation - for being
reconciled to the inevitable - or for worse. With Iraq it's the
worst now happening - a tyrant at home being assailed by tyranny
from abroad.
Only this time there is nothing the Tyrant of Baghdad could have
done to avert war. The inspections were a sham, or at least a sham
from America's point of view. Hans Blix's team could have
discovered an El Dorado of forbidden weaponry and America would
still have gone to war.
The US, or rather the war caucus now at the steering wheel of US
policy, has its own agenda, something that goes beyond Iraq and
predates September 11. The war caucus wanted a war in the Middle
East for a host of reasons all inter-connected. Oil, Israel, the
entrenchment of US power (as if any more entrenchment were needed)
and Christian evangelism have all been at work in priming the US
for this war.
Islamic fundamentalism is not the problem here. A form of Christian
fundamentalism is. If he lived and ruled in our part of the world
Bush's view of religion would brand him a bigot. An ayatollah in
the White House - supported by a corps of ayatollahs around him. If
Shias take offence at this metaphor, then a mullah in the White
House.
Reading about the war caucus and their inter-connecting threads -
the ones that bind Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Rove, Abrams, and
their fellow-cohorts - will give anyone the creeps. And to imagine
that they have a sophisticated country, the most powerful on earth
to boot, in their grip.
Bush rules the US. These people, Bush's minders, their moment
having come, rule Bush.
In a fundamental respect this is worse than Hitler. No one pushed
Hitler into any war. He was war's leading advocate and indeed in
'Mein Kampf' sketched a grand theoretical basis for conflict,
Germany's need for living space, a good 15 years before the Second
World War.
Bush was an isolationist before September 11. Many in the war
caucus had laid out their blueprints for redrawing the Mideast map
and ensuring Israel's unchallenged dominance much before. Not Bush.
He was not even interested in foreign policy. Now he is war leader,
the triumph of the war caucus complete.
Nothing could have deflected Hitler from going to war. No
appeasement, no Munich. He wanted war at any cost. Nothing could
have prevented the onslaught on Iraq. The Bushites (another name
for the war caucus) wanted war at any cost. Saddam just happened to
be the perfect excuse, with just the right credentials as a
domestic tyrant to invoke justifying clauses about morality and
human rights. If Saddam hadn't been around, he would have had to be
invented. The Bushites wanted war and they've got it.
>From their point of view the perfect war. A weak country, or at
least a country no match for the US. An Iraqi army in no position
to put up a fight. Between Kuwait where the US armoured columns
were massed and Baghdad, the ultimate prize, the only serious
obstacle is the vast desert.
China, even though without air power, taught the US a lesson in
Korea. But that was on a different scale, the Chinese analogy not
fitting Iraq. Vietnam taught the US a lesson. Even tiny Cuba,
dauntless Cuba, taught the US a lesson during the Bay of Pigs
invasion. Alas, Iraq is neither the one, nor the other. Nor is its
foolish leader a patch on Ho Chi Minh or Castro. Iraq thus is the
perfect victim and Saddam with his megalomania, for which his
people have paid such a heavy price, the perfect excuse.
Will the annihilation of Iraq satisfy the war caucus? Or will its
appetite be whetted for more? What are the limits of American
arrogance? Or, in other words, after Iraq, who? No one can say for
sure. But Pakistan has to be wary.
What was the mantra behind this war? Weapons of mass destruction.
Does a nuclear bomb qualify for this label? If it does, we better
watch out for our so-called 'strategic assets'.
Back in the old days our worst nightmare used to be an Indian-
Afghan nutcracker. That's why our military wizards went overboard
when Afghanistan, far from serving Indian interests, came into our
orbit. They thought Pakistan had acquired 'strategic depth', not
the least of the quaint notions haunting our military wizards.
The old equation no longer holds. If there is a nightmare now
weighing upon the Pakistani mind it is of an Indo-American squeeze,
India and the US working in tandem to put Pakistan in its place.
These may be exaggerated fears. But they are not altogether
groundless. We saw this squeeze working when twice last year
General Musharraf had to assure the world community that Pakistan
was backing away from militancy in Kashmir.
There's little wisdom in reacting to events all the time. Better
sometimes to forestall evil and for this purpose fashion a pre-
emptive doctrine of our own.
In the new post-Iraq climate no one, least of all the US, is going
to have much patience with any form of militancy in Kashmir. We
must start doing our sums now before we are caught on the hop
again.
What Gen Musharraf takes pride in the most - his obduracy towards
India - has been his biggest failure. Despite the scarecrow of
Kargil he carried round his neck, he had a chance at Agra to mend
relations with India, to secure them on a fresh basis. But he and
his negotiating team blew it, not for want of goodwill but for a
failure of vision. They saw the trees and were passionate about
them. They just couldn't see the forest.
The Indians blew the chance likewise. After all we are from the
same region, sharing the same history and culture. Lack of vision
is not a Pakistani monopoly. The only thing is, more was at stake
for us. Both sides quarrelled over a form of words at Agra not
realizing that more was at stake than the right phraseology.
The failure at Agra paved the way for Pakistan's being beaten with
the stick of "cross-border terrorism".
Mere words have taken us nowhere. We have the words of the UN
resolutions on Kashmir in our possession, locked away in our safest
closets. What good have they done us? How closer have they brought
the liberation of Kashmir? Mere words have been of no solace to
Iraq either. If words and moral indignation could save, Iraq would
not have been attacked.
Our problem is not the US or our unholy dependence on it. Our
biggest weakness as a nation lies in everything being made hostage
to Kashmir and our India policy. Defence spending and foreign
policy, both derive sustenance from the way we look at India.
Shouldn't we be growing up and casting aside this phobia? No one is
saying we abandon Kashmir. Why should we? Self-respecting nations
do not sacrifice positions of principle lightly. But at the same
time, unless they be allied to folly, they don't pursue them in a
manner putting everything else at risk.
Pakistan's Kashmir wars haven't liberated Kashmir but they have
placed a heavy burden on the nation. The source of our readiness to
embrace military rule lies not in civilian failure but in our India
policy. Our defence spending may not have bought military prowess
but it has led to the military becoming the leading national
institution. Is it any wonder then if we can't get the military off
our backs?
A strange amnesia afflicts the Pakistani mind. The Kashmir problem
existed before the 1965 war but it did not prevent the two
countries from enjoying a good working relationship in many
spheres. Goods were exchanged and travel was easy. The '65 war
ruined everything. Without abandoning anything, why can't we return
to those sensible days?
Pakistan's security lies not in basking in American favour but in
putting its house in order and seeking peace and friendship in the
region, with Iran, India and the new Afghanistan.
Whatever else Iraq may bring in its wake, whatever turmoil it
generates, Pakistan should be looking ahead to the time when
militarism gives way to democracy - the genuine article and not the
bogus variety we have at present - and foreign policy adventurism
to a polite discourse with its neighbours.
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20030322
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'No LFO, No!'
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By Irfan Husain
Traditionally, ambitious generals in Pakistan and other banana
republics use the alleged misrule and corruption of civilian
governments to justify their dissolution of elected parliaments.
They then proceed to try their half-baked experiments in the name
of 'clearing up the mess' they claim they inherited.
Now, however, we are in the peculiar situation of having an elected
opposition that might trigger yet another military intervention.
Even by Pakistan's unenviable reputation of decades of direct and
indirect army rule, this is a very bizarre state of affairs: here
we have a government cobbled together by the ruling junta after a
carefully scripted run-up to the elections, and the generals still
aren't happy.
The mistake they made, of course, was not to strike a deal with one
or the other of the two most popular parties in the country, the
PPP and Nawaz Sharif's faction of the Muslim League. Instead, they
opted to try and keep both of them out of power. The predictable
result is that Musharraf and his fellow generals face the
embarrassing possibility of dissolving an assembly that has just
started functioning.
Many arm-chair democrats - the ones who hold forth on the antics of
the elected representatives they never bothered to vote for or
against - profess their disillusionment over the performance of the
current parliament and its deadlock over the Legal Framework Order.
The daily disruption of proceedings by a vocal opposition shouting
'No LFO, No!' and 'Go Musharraf, Go!' is seen by them as a sorry
waste of public funds and parliamentary time that might be better
spent in legislating matters of grave importance. They see in these
public manifestations of dissent further evidence of their
contention that Pakistan is not ready for democracy.
While the raucous proceedings in the National Assembly might well
upset those who prefer well-mannered debates in the Westminster
tradition, the fact is that what is happening today in the
Pakistani parliament goes to the heart of democracy. What is at
issue is not a group of shabby politicians agitating for more
power, but about the sanctity of the Constitution and who shall
exercise the right to amend it. Zia, soon after he took power, once
said that the 1973 Constitution was a slim volume he could rip to
shreds whenever he chose to. But that document has outlived him and
might yet survive his successors. The same democrats who sneer at
our elected representatives assert that if Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif
could amend the Constitution to serve their purpose, why shouldn't
Musharraf? The short answer is that no matter what the motives of
past parliamentary leaders, the fact is that they had a two-thirds
majority with them.
Even though I disapproved then, as I do now, of many of these
changes, I accept their legality. The LFO has no such sanctity and
that is why it cannot and must not be incorporated into the
Constitution without a proper debate and vote. To accept it through
military fiat would open the floodgates for all future adventurers
to chop and change the much-abused Constitution to suit themselves.
The other dimension of the current political crisis is the
difficulty being experienced by the local bodies elected on a non-
party basis under Musharraf's famous devolution plan. Now that
elected provincial assemblies and governments in place, they are
trying to reclaim the powers their predecessors earlier enjoyed,
and view the councillors as upstarts.
However, given the political investment made by the military rulers
in creating this grass-roots system, Musharraf has a vested
interest in keeping them going. All the contradictions many of us
had pointed out when this exercise in political restructuring was
being planned have surfaced.
Basically, Musharraf's woes started when he insisted on holding a
referendum to gain legitimacy, but succeeded in exposing himself as
a politically isolated but power-hungry general. He was advised to
pursue this chimera by a group of generals who had never voted in
their lives, and understood nothing about the political dynamics at
work. Having been let down by the King's party in this fraudulent
exercise, he persisted in placing all his eggs in the Gujrat
Chaudhries' frail basket after the October elections.
But having seen that the emperor wore no clothes, the opposition he
had helped create has ganged up against him. Indeed, the coalition
government his intelligence agencies have stitched together for him
is such a fragile creature that without constant life support, it
will go rapidly into terminal decline. The opposition, on the other
hand, is probably the most powerful grouping our parliament has yet
seen.
Time and again, power has been usurped by uniformed men whose
belief in their own abilities to right the country's many wrongs is
matched only by their incompetence. Each time they have tried to
impose their ill-conceived solutions on a reluctant nation, they
have ended up by damaging the system even further. In all these
years of failed plans that have ended up in the rubbish-heap of
history, it has never occurred to these amateur political masons
that they are out of their depth, and really have very little idea
of what makes civil society tick.
Many columnists and editorial writers have expressed the view that
the legislators now protesting against the incorporation of the LFO
into the Constitution were aware of its existence when they stood
for elections, and should therefore have no objections to the 28 or
so amendments Musharraf wants to insert into the Constitution. They
miss the point that once these elected members meet in parliament,
the institutional dynamics change, for the sum here is greater than
its parts.
But this is what happens when you try and fine-tune the elections
and their aftermath to suit yourself. Had Musharraf cut a deal with
Nawaz Sharif or Benazir Bhutto, he might have achieved a more
stable and reliable government. As it is, Jamali's shaky coalition
is very susceptible to blackmail, as is Mehar's provincial
government in Sindh.
This is the price Musharraf is having to pay to cling to power.
When he decided to allow only graduates to contest, he and his
advisers thought they were being very clever by eliminating so many
of the old guard from the elections. However, the graduates now
shouting 'Go Musharraf, Go!' are as prickly about their powers
under the Constitution as their predecessors were.
When Musharraf and his comrades-in-arms were indulging in their
favourite pastime of political engineering, their constant refrain
was that they were aiming at better governance. Is this truly what
they think they have given us?
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20030316
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Iraq: It's about power, not democracy
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By Eric S. Margolis
PRESIDENT George Bush claimed last month his impending war against
Iraq would bring peace and democracy to the Middle East and
liberate Iraqis from repression.
At the same time, in a move clearly aimed at intimidating the
media, the White House denounced a CBS News interview with
President Saddam Hussein in which the Iraqi leader asserted his
nation had nothing to do with 9/11 or Al Qaeda, as 'propaganda'.
Now, I have no love for Saddam's sinister, brutal regime. The last
time I was in Baghdad, late 1990, the Iraqi secret police
threatened to hang me as a spy after I discovered a group of
British technicians and scientists who had been secretly sent by
the British government to produce anthrax and other germ weapons
for Iraq to use against Iran.
But what I dislike even more than Saddam's nasty regime are
government lies and propaganda. Since 9/11, North Americans have
been subjected to the most intense propaganda campaign from their
government since World War I. Much of the mainstream US media has
been intimidated by the administration into unquestioningly
amplifying its party line, or, in the worst tradition of yellow,
jingoist journalism, it acts as cheerleaders for war. I am reminded
of the sycophantic Soviet media during the days of Chairman Leonid
Brezhnev.
The American public, often wobbly about geography, history and
international affairs, has been alternately terrified and enraged
by bare-faced lies that Iraq was about to attack America with
nuclear weapons or germs, and was a secret ally of Al Qaida. A
shocking two-thirds of Americans mistakenly believe Iraq staged the
9/11 attacks.
A surging wave of anti-Islamic hate promoted by Bush's allies on
the