Pakistan - DAWN Wire Service [3/27]
Rizwan
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D A W N W I R E S E R V I C E
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Week Ending : March 24 1995 Issue : 01/11
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The DAWN Wire Service (DWS) is a free weekly news-service from
Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the daily DAWN. DWS
offers news, analysis and features of particular interest to the
Pakistani Community on the Internet.
We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at:
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mail Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Limited
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(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1995
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C O N T E N T S
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N A T I O N A L N E W S
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Karachi
..........Karachi violence : US withdraws its school-age children
..........Rangers get wide powers in Karachi
..........Powers for rangers: ord today
..........President, PM discuss measures on Karachi
PML and MQM
..........Nawaz off to London for meeting with Altaf
..........PML & MQM to work for peace in Karachi
..........PML asks govt to withdraw cases against Altaf
..........Arrested MQM men released
..........Altaf to be tried if he returns: Babar
Afghanistan
..........Transfer of power in a fortnight, says Mestiri
..........Rabbani seeks specific UN formula to step down
..........Taliban lose Charasyab base to Govt troops
G.M. Syed
..........Syed freed on bail
..........G.M. Syed's condition critical
..........G.M. Syed in 4th degree coma
..........Pakistan and US
..........US official's testimony on Pakistan :
Govt harassing its opponents
..........US thinks Benazir is last hope against extremists
..........PM seeks US help to fight terrorism
..........Hillary not to discuss rights issue specifically
WTC Bombings and Ramzi
..........Two Ramzi 'accomplices' arrested
..........Kansi one of suspects held in Quetta?
Briefly
..........Pakistani youth's killer arrested
..........Nauroz festivities begin
..........Mir Murtaza indicted in Zahur Elahi murder case
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B U S I N E S S & E C O N O M I C S
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All textile quotas transferable under new policy
Team to visit US to settle child labour issues
Pakistan, Turkey sign two accords
Canada seeks joint ventures with Pakistan
Canadian firms sign $359m contracts: Chan
Foreign investment goes up by 100 pc'
Taxes to be raised to 20pc of DP
Efforts on to control prices: Jafarey
+++The business & financial week in briefs
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E D I T O R I A L S & F E A T U R E S
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Have faith in the PM, and not in the Press Letter from Lahori
No! By Ardeshir Cowasjee
Of traitors and patriots, courtiers and queens By S Abida Hussain
A silver lining? By Omar Kureishi
Whatever's happened to the Taliban? Editorial comment
What does Agartala symbolise? By M. H. Askari
Kashmir: ICJ's biased report By Ghani Eirabie
Fifty years of Urdu short stories By Taqi Hussain Khusro
Creating a world of beauty By Marjorie Husain
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S P O R T S
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New cricket board setup announced
Ban on cricket activity of Salim Malik lifted
Back injury continues to dog Waqar's fine career
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N A T I O N A L N E W S
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950317
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Karachi violence : US withdraws its school-age children
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From Our Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 16: The United States on Wednesday announced it was
withdrawing all school-age American children from Karachi and
authorised the families to do the same if they wished.
While there were "no credible reports" of any threats to American
citizens in Karachi, a State Department announcement said, "such
threats cannot be ruled out."
The U.S. decision comes eight days after two American consulate
employees were killed and a third was injured in a murderous attack
by unknown gunmen.
The late afternoon statement - coming four hours after the regular
noon briefing by Spokeswoman Christine Shelly - was seen here as
America's continued concern with the law and order situation in
Pakistan's biggest city.
The statement was followed by "A Public Announcement - Pakistan"
which contained guidelines for private American citizens on how to
live and move about in Karachi.
It suggested to U.S. citizens, for instance, to eliminate unnecessary
trips, vary schedules, take alternate routes and avoid "dangerous
areas and situations."
Calling the political and sectarian violence in Karachi "endemic for
months," the statement said the State Department, following the
murderous attack, worked with the consulate in Karachi and the
Embassy in Islamabad "to review thoroughly the security situation
there and at all our posts in Pakistan."
Accordingly, the statement said, "heightened security awareness and
additional security measures are being continued to protect the
consulate and its staff. The American community in Karachi had been
advised to practice stringent security measures and report any
unusual events of suspected surveillance to U.S. authorities."
It added, "the Department is continually reviewing the security
situation in Karachi. We will immediately make known any change in
our security assessment.
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950319
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Rangers get wide powers in Karachi
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By A Correspondent
KARACHI, March 18: The paramilitary Rangers have been given powers to
arrest, investigate and prosecute the terrorists as part of
government's measures to beef up measures against terrorism, an
official spokesman said here on Saturday while claiming that police
have arrested various groups involved in acts of terrorism.
A decision to accord rangers more powers was taken by Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto at a high-level meeting held at the State Guest House
and an Ordinance in this regard is expected shortly, said the
spokesman briefing newsmen after the meeting.
"The decision has been taken in view of the peculiar state of affairs
in Karachi," he said. "Through the removal of this legal lacuna and
through the operation launched against terrorists by the civil law
enforcement agencies, there would be improvement in law and order
situation," he hoped.
The- Prime Minister was quoted as saying that "there is no question
of re-inducting the army in Sindh because the government is
determined that police shall have a clear command and control
structure," in the maintenance of law and order.
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950321
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Powers for rangers: ord today
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 20: The government is amending Section 131 of Code
of Criminal Procedure to grant powers of arrest, interrogation and
search to the rangers, Minister of State for Law and Parliamentary
Affairs Senator Raza Rabbani said on Monday.
The ordinance amending the section of CrPC would be promulgated on
Tuesday, he told a group of newsmen.
The decision to grant police powers to the rangers was taken at a
meeting at the President House on Sunday, following a large number of
complaints against police.
Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs N.D. Khan, talking
to the newsmen, commended the performance of rangers. Without the
powers to arrest, interrogate and search, the rangers were finding it
very hard to effectively check acts of terrorism in Karachi, he
added.
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950320
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President, PM discuss measures on Karachi
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From Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, March 19: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto briefed President
Farooq Leghari on Saturday about the steps being taken by the
government to restore normality to Karachi, including the proposed
ordinance to give more powers to the rangers , informed sources said.
The meeting, during which the law and order problem was discussed was
also attended by Interior Minister Naseerullah Babar and Minister of
State fo Law Raza Rabbani.
The sources said the Prime Minister informed the President about the
decisions taken at the meeting held in Karachi on Saturday on the
Karachi issue including the decision to promulgate an ordinance to
revive Section 131 of the Criminal Procedure Code through an
ordinance to give rangers powers that are enjoyed by police.
The interior minister reportedly briefed them about the latest
reports of various intelligence agencies which indicate the
involvement of some people in the provincial administration.
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950319
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Nawaz off to London for meeting with Altaf
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 18: Pakistan Muslim League President and leader of the
opposition Mian Nawaz Sharif has said that rehabilitation of Altaf
Hussain, chief of Mohajir Qaumi Movement, in the mainstream of
national politics has become vital for the security, integrity and
the existence of the country.
The former premier who left for London on Saturday, said: "We are
exploring the strategy which can restore peace in Karachi. I am
leaving for London along with some of the colleagues to hold talks
with MQM chief to evolve some joint strategy to save Karachi and the
rest of Pakistan from the 'insecure hands'."
"I am going to London On the invitation of the MQM chief to hold
talks for the restoration of law and order in Karachi," he added.
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950322
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PML & MQM to work for peace in Karachi
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From Athar Ali
LONDON, March 21: After two days of talks lasting several hours the
Mohajir Qaumi Movement and the Muslim League and its ally, the Awami
National Party, have reached an understanding and have issued a
statement of intent for mutual cooperation in the campaign for the
improvement of the situation in Karachi and to work for an ending of
human rights violations:
The breakthrough came at last night's meeting between the Muslim
League leader, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, and the MQM leader, Altaf
Hussain, who accompanied with their aides had first met on Sunday for
almost four hours and then on Monday night for well over six hours.
The two leaders also spent some time together without the other
negotiating team members.
Mr Sharif, who had especially come to London for talks with the MQM
leader on Saturday night, is returning home tonight after having
signed a joint statement, the draft of which was exchanged twice by
the two sides before it was finalised for signatures and release.
After the first round of talks held at Mr Hussain's residence, with a
working dinner arranged by him, it seemed that the gap between the
two side was wide. MQM sources were saying that Mr Sharif was not
very open about his intentions and that the grievances the MQM had
about the period when he was in government and the army operation was
launched in Sindh, for which it partly held him responsible, were not
being admitted as serious mistakes.
The two-page joint statement has avoided any mention of the
experience of the previous collaboration between the two parties. The
two had met after more than two and a half years, their last meeting
being in London in June 1992 when the army operation began in Sindh.
Subsequent efforts to bring them together failed, the most recent
attempt being in September last year when only the Muslim League and
ANP negotiators led by Ajmal Khattak met Mr Hussain but progress was
not possible.
The joint statement said Mr Sahrif this time came to London at the
invitation for talks extended to him by Mr Hussain. They held
detailed discussions on March 19 and 20, both separately and with
other members of their negotiating teams. "The core point in the two
days of talks was that because of the killings of innocent citizens
in Karachi and the lack of action against elements responsible for
these massacres, a national crisis was developing which called for an
effective line of action to check it."
During the talks, unanimity was also reached on the point that the
present situation in Karachi has a historical background and it was
necessary that in order to improve the situation the problems of the
city of Karachi and its people must be studied in depth so that a
just and durable solution can be found.
It was agreed that "the MQM is the representative body of urban
Sindh, including Karachi." The main cause of the current malaise in
Karachi is that those at the helm of affairs are not willing to
accept the representative character of the MQM. "Until and unless
steps are taken to acknowledge the status of the MQM as the
representative party of Karachi and urban Sindh and positive measures
are taken to resolve its demands, efforts to satisfy the urban
inhabitants will be meaningless. It is, therefore, essential that the
representative character of the MQM is recognised.
"The participants also strongly condemned the barbarities and
violence being committed in Karachi and demanded that those affected
be paid adequate compensation, local bodies elections be held without
delay, all false case be withdrawn forthwith, the elected
representatives be released immediately to allow them to perform
their democratic duties and in order to let the MQM take full part in
the country's political process proper atmosphere be created.
"The two leaders were in agreement that the political parties (in the
country) needed to work urgently on the following points:
(a) To try and stop the trampling upon the basic rights of the
ordinary people of Pakistan which was currently going on, especially
to aim to stop the continuing political victimisation.
(b) To treat Karachi not as a local problem but to give it top
priority as a national crisis.
(c) To remove the difficulties in the restoration of peace and to
take far-reaching measures to prevent such a situation arising in
future.
(d) To take courageous steps to end obstructions in the way of moving
towards the goal for a united, strong and prosperous Pakistan.
(e) To make endeavgours for the establishment of such a just,
democratic, political system in Pakistan as will ensure the basic
human rights for the citizens without discrimination on the basis of
language, region, nationality, sect or religion."
The joint statement ends on the note that the talks were on the whole
conducted in a friendly manner, and leaders from both the sides were
in agreement on most of the issues.
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950319
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PML asks govt to withdraw cases against Altaf
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 18: The Pakistan Muslim League has demanded of the
government to withdraw cases against self-exiled leader of Mohajir
Qaumi Movement (MQM) as a step to restore peace to the violence-hit
city of Karachi.
The demand, made by PML secretary general Sartaj Aziz, coincided with
Nawaz Sharif's visit to London where he is scheduled to meet MQM
chief Altaf Hussain.
Mr Hussain is wanted in several cases of murder and other serious
crimes. These cases were mostly registered during the period when Mr
Sharif was the prime minister.
Mr Aziz said Mr Sharif during his meeting with Mr Hussain would adopt
a joint strategy to restore peace to Karachi.
When pointed out that the cases against Mr Hussain had been
registered during the tenure of the PML government, Mr Aziz said they
had been registered during the PML rule as well as during the current
PPP tenure. "At this crucial stage, we should all work together."
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950320
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Arrested MQM men released
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 19: Four leaders of Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) who
were allegedly picked up by intelligence sleuths were released on
early Sunday morning, MQM Senator Zahid Akhtar said.
Convener of MQM for Punjab Wisal Ahmad Shahid was nabbed by officials
of one of the intelligence agencies along with Iftikhar Khan,
Mohammad Bishar and Rashid Ghaznavi on Friday afternoon from the MQM
office in Islamabad, he said without saying which intelligence agency
had picked them.
"We don't know which intelligence agency it was but definitely they
were arrested by people in plain clothes of some intelligence
agency."
Zahid said he (himself) and Almas Kazmi, advocate, had submitted an
application on Saturday night to the Margalla Police Station
informing them about the kidnapping of their workers.
"The SHO told us that he would register the case and asked us to get
a copy of FIR in the morning," he said.
Asked where, the four were taken after their arrest, he said he had
no information about that. "We have not met them after their release
so we can't say." But he insisted that the four were "physically and
mentally" tortured. Two of the arrested had come from Karachi and one
from Multan, he said.
He also refused to tell where the four were now staying after their
release. "They are tired up after a two-day interrogation and we can
only tell you that people of intelligence agencies were still keeping
a watch on them.
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950320
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Altaf to be tried if he returns: Babar
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD. March 19: The history of Agartala conspiracy case will not
be repeated, and MQM chief Altaf Hussain will be tried as and when he
arrives in Pakistan, Interior Minister Naseerullah Babar said on
Sunday.
The government would not spare MQM chief Altaf Hussain like Mujibur
Rehman, he said while talking to newsmen in his chamber at the
Parliament House. Mujibur Rehman had been involved in the Agartala
conspiracy to dismember the country, but he was granted amnesty by
the then government of Ayub Khan.
Mr Babar said Mr Hussain was involved in a number of "criminal"
cases, and there was no question of granting him amnesty.
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950318
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Transfer of power in a fortnight, says Mestiri
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ISLAMABAD, March 17: President Rabbani of Afghanistan will hand over
power to an 80-member "national council" in the next fortnight, UN
Special Representative Mehmud Mestiri announced here on Friday,
saying he was travelling to western Afghanistan and Jalalabad on
Saturday to finalise plans for the new government in Kabul.
The UN envoy said, "Now that we have a new formula where all the 30
provinces will be represented by two members each, plus 15-20
personalities named by us, we want the new mechanism (a word coined
by Rabbani) to succeed," he said.
Asked about Pakistan's role for peace in Afghanistan, especially
after President Rabbani's covert remarks that Islamabad was helping
the Taliban, Mehmud Mestiri said, "Pakistan should be more discreet
with its neighbour. Kabul has this impression that Islamabad is
meddling in its affairs. People say while the Foreign Office is
behind the UN, Interior Minister Gen Babar is behind the Taliban, and
the ISI is behind Hekmatyar. I hope this is not true."
However, Mr Mestiri said, "The Afghans themselves keep calling on
Pakistan for help, and recently the biggest leader of all (President
Rabbani) himself called upon Pakistani politicians and religious
leaders to help him resolve the Afghan crisis," he said.
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950317
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Rabbani seeks specific UN formula to step down
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 16: Afghan President Prof Burhanuddin Rabbani said
here on Thursday that he fully supported the UN proposed time-frame
for transfer of power in Afghanistan but could not step down in the
absence of any proper mechanism.
"I am waiting for a reliable and objective mechanism for the transfer
of power in my country," he maintained.
Speaking at a news conference, the Afghan President pointed out that
he had already accepted the UN time-frame for transferring of power
in Afghanistan.
Mr Rabbani said that any proposed interim body must reflect the will
of the people of Afghanistan. He had earlier agreed to relinquish
power on March 21. During the news conference he did not specifically
said when would he be stepping down.
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950320
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Taliban lose Charasyab base to Govt troops
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From Ahmad Hassan
PESHAWAR, March 19: The Afghan students movement Taliban suffered a
serious setback and lost the initiative in their bid to enter Kabul
after they were flushed out from the strategic Charasyab base south
of the capital in a swift operation early Sunday morning by the
troops of Ahmed Shah Masood and ex-communist Gen Baba Jan.
The fall of Charasyab to Masood's forces, which was a Hekmatyar
stronghold for over two years is a big blow to Taliban, in view of
their limited battle experience and resources.
Reports about Sunday's setback were confirmed by the local Jamiat-i-
lslami (Rabbani) sources who said that Taliban suffered heavy losses
in men and material in the operation which was supported by tanks and
heavy artillery.
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950322
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Syed freed on bail
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 21: Jeay Sindh founder, G.M. Syed, who improved to
third degree coma at the JPMC on Tuesday, was released on bail late
night, with supporters alleging that the administration brought a
force of rangers, accompanied by Edhi ambulance to "take him away by
force."
Till 1:45 p.m., the Jeay-Sindh supporters were arguing with the
administration to prevent Syed's removal. "We suspect mischief",
Syed's son, Imdad Shah told Dawn, adding that following removal of
his police guard, the entire administration appeared bent on removing
Syed.
According to G.M. Syed's supporters the government had "contrived" at
releasing Syed on bail. They reported that at 11:15 p.m., D.C. South
Arif Ellahi had arrived along with Deputy Superintendent Rashid Saeed
and SSP South Zulfiqar to demand that Syed's identity card be
produced for his release on bail. "We refused because of Syed's will
never to accept bail", according to them.
Thereupon, the leaders said that the D.C. told them he would release
Syed on "parole." The officials, whose visit had been preceded by
Governor Mahmoud Haroon at 10:30 p.m., appeared to be under "great
pressure", they claimed.
Even while Syed's supporters declared that they had not applied for
bail, official sources quoted the bail application as having been
filed earlier in the day by Shafi Mohammad Shah, in response to which
presiding judge Rafiq Ahmed Awan granted bail in the sum of Rs
20,000.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Syed's lawyer, Abdul Waheed Katpar filed an
application in the Special Court for Suppression of Terrorist
Activities-111 under Section 3 and 4 of the Contempt of Court Act
alleging that the Home Secretary had violated the court's ruling on
his application filed on March 15, praying that the government bear
the expenses of the journey and treatment of the under trial
prisoner.
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950318
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G.M. Syed's condition critical
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 17: The 92-year-old Jeay Sindh Movement founder, G.M.
Syed, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Jinnah Post-
graduate Medical Centre after his condition deteriorated on Friday.
"He is unconscious, facing breathing problem and his blood pressure
is erratic. He is in an extremely critical condition," said a party
spokesman.
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950321
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G.M. Syed in 4th degree coma
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 20: A medical board will examine the incarcerated Jeay
Sindh founder G.M. Syed on Tuesday morning in his Jinnah
postgraduate Medical Centre room to determine whether or not the
detenu, at present in the fourth degree coma, is in a position to
travel abroad for treatment.
The head of JPMC Neurology Ward, Surgeon I.H. Bhatti, will constitute
the board following a written request to him by Syed's son Syed Imdad
Shah, on Monday night.
Although Syed's chest infection improved and his blood pressure was
under control, doctors maintained that the biggest challenge was to
get the 92-year-old leader to emerge from his coma.
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950318
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US official's testimony on Pakistan : Govt harassing its opponents
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From Our Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 17: A high US official on Thursday criticised the
government of Pakistan for harassing its political opponents, and
suppressing the Mohajir Qaumi Movement.
Testifying before two subcommittees of the House Committee on
International Affairs, Assistant Secretary John Shattuck also accused
government security forces of "serious human rights abuses, including
extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, and torture
of prisoners and detainees."
While the people were free to peacefully change their government, he
said "several million bonded labourers and nomads are excluded from
the vote."
As for the political situation, he said the government "does from
time to time harass its political opponents and it represses the
Sindh-based Mohajir Qaumi Movement."
Paramilitary forces, Secretary Shattuck said, "are unchecked by any
serious government effort to reform them or to prosecute those
responsible for abuse."
Pakistan's blasphemy laws also came up for discussion, and Mr
Shattuck said "religious zealots" used these laws to "discriminate
against and persecute religious minorities." Even though the
government had proposed changes in the blasphemy laws, "no changes
have yet been enacted and abuse continues."
Mr Shattuck criticised India in low key for human rights violations,
and described atrocities by the security forces in Kashmir as a
reaction to "secessionist tactics." Basically, Secretary Shattuck
dwelt on human rights in terms of the contradictions in Indian
society and touched upon Kashmir only marginally.
The key sentence on Kashmir was an attempt to hold Mujahideen
responsible for Indian abuses in "north-eastern India."
"Attempts by the authorities to repress secessionist movements," he
said, "generate many abuses. Kashmir remains a flashpoint, but we
also are concerned about violent human rights abuses by paramilitary
forces in north-eastern India as those forces react to increasingly
violent secessionist tactics."
Mr Shattuck said the Indian government had not prosecuted or
"appropriately punished" those implicated in rights violations," and
"abusive detention laws remain on the books and are enforced."
While New Delhi had allowed some humanitarian groups "restricted
access to Kashmir" Mr Shattuck said India had refused to allow
"international human rights organisations to enter the country or
obtain access to Kashmir."
The United States, he said, had "energetically engaged" India on
human rights, "both privately and publicly, at every level."
"There is growing awareness within India," he said, "that more needs
to be done to protect the rights guaranteed by India's constitution.
We have stressed a cooperative, constructive approach, believing that
the solutions lie in full acknowledgement by the government of the
problems, and institution building."
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950319
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US thinks Benazir is last hope against extremists
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From Masood Haider
NEW YORK, March 18: The Americans with their penchant to box and
stereotype people, have made the word Pakistani, synonmous with
"terrorism".
In the backdrop of the trial of the accused in the World Trade
Centre's bombing conspiracy, almost all of whom came from Pakistan
on Pakistani passports, the arrest of Ramzi Ahmed Youseff, the main
accused in the ITC case in Islamabad, the killing of two American
Consular employees in Karachi, and now the reported arrests of six
more persons in Peshawar also linked to the bombing plot, the so-
called "terrorist" box is complete.
Obviously the overwhelming media frenzy here has fed and nurtured the
notion so much so that even in circles where the topic was never
discussed, once people know you are a Pakistani, the topic
immediately turns to world Islamic terrorism.
Even countries like Libya, Syria and Iran, which are deemed terrorist
nations and are on US State Department's hit list, have somewhat
receded into the background.
But through this all, there is a glimmer of hope in Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto and her image as leader of a Muslim state and then
there are people like Abdul Sattar Edhi who are considered to be
humanists and called "Mother Teresa of Karachi." In fact John Burns
of New York Times, in his latest piece on Karachi, "in a hellish
city, there is still a kind of saintliness", says "I'd rather call
Mother Teresa the Abdul Sattar Edhi of Calcutta."
Despite the fact that Pakistan tops the news every day as reports
pour in of the situation in Karachi and Peshawar etc., most American
newspapers have muted their criticism of Ms Bhutto, for she still
enjoys immense popularity among the so-called, power groups within
the US administration and the powerful women's associations and
organisations here.
While Ms Bhutto has been chided for not taking decisive action to
curb the street power of the extremists in Pakistan, who are using
Shariat laws to undermine her authority, she is still considered to
be the best hope for Pakistan.
The women's groups in America with their superficial information and
dogmatic feminist stance, continue to look up Ms Bhutto as the only
leader from Pakistan - in fact all of the Muslim world - who can
deliver it from the horrors of extremism.
Their belief that Ms Bhutto could be the saviour just because she is
a woman who has struggled through the oppressive rule of General Zia,
may be too far fetched, but it lives on, despite Paula Newberg's
write-up on the two faces of Ms Bhutto.
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950322
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PM seeks US help to fight terrorism
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Bureau report
ISLAMABAD, March 21: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Tuesday called
for international support to fight terrorism, militancy, extremism,
fundamentalism and narcotics trade, which she said, were the
aftermath of the Afghan war.
"We had a major crackdown on certain militant and ethnic parties
...but we do need assistance to face the aftermath of the Afghan
war," she told the American media representatives based in Islamabad
and New Delhi in an interview before her visit to the United States.
She said we were facing today not just a problem for Pakistan alone
but a problem for the world community. "It was not a problem for
Pakistan until we started speaking out against the militancy and
narcotics trade," she said.
She said Pakistan was emerging as a frontline state against terrorism
and is the vanguard of movement to uncover militant groups that have
been operating in different Muslim countries since the end of the
Afghan war.
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950321
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Hillary not to discuss rights issue specifically
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From Our Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 20: Mrs Hillary Rodham Clinton said here on Sunday
she would not take up specific human rights issues during her coming
visit to Pakistan because Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had made them
"one of her concerns."
In an interview with the CNN, the First Lady said human rights
constituted an issue the United States was concerned with all over
the globe, while her aim during the coming tour was to know more
about South Asia, a region she had not visited.
She was replying to a caller from The Hague, who claimed that one of
his brothers was in prison in Pakistan and wanted to know whether she
would discuss human rights with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The First Lady replied: "Well the administration, through the State
Department, deals with human rights issues around the world all the
time, and certainly we've been a very active participant in putting
forth concerns about human rights in many countries and the United
Nations conference in Vienna."
Asked by CNN anchorman Frank Sesno if she intended to raise the
issue, Mrs Clinton said: "I do not intend to bring that up. This is
not something that is on my list of issues to address. There are many
other people who have worked on these issues a very long time all
over the world who have the portfolio and the responsibility."
Asked by Sesno "why not?" Mrs. Clinton replied, "Well, because there
are many issues that I'm interested in. I'm interested in
particularly what is being done positively in Pakistan to promote
education for women and girls, to deal with violence against women,
which I view as a human rights issue: And I know that the prime
minister in Pakistan has made that one of her concerns.
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950321
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Two Ramzi 'accomplices' arrested
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From Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, March 20: Two Pakistani citizens suspected to be the
colleagues of Ramzi Yousef who was extradited to the United States
for his alleged involvement in New York Trade Centre bomb blast were
arrested in Quetta and brought to Islamabad, a government official
said on Monday.
The two suspects were brought in a C-130 military plane which landed
in Islamabad around 7pm, the official said.
He said a US official and some Pakistani intelligence people
accompanied the accused who were whisked away to some unknown place
immediately. "Both of them were bearded," he said.
One of them was identified by him as Abdul Ghani, a member of a mafia
dealing in fake foreign currencies. He said the two were arrested on
a tip from Ramzi Yousuf who is being interrogated by Federal Bureau
of Investigations.
Asked whether the second could be Aimal Kansi, who was also involved
in the murder of American Intelligence official and wanted by the
FBI, the official said: "I have no information".
Aimal Kansi had been seen in Pakistan after the killings but later
disappeared.
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950322
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Kansi one of suspects held in Quetta?
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From Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, March 21: There are strong indications that one of the two
people arrested in Quetta on Monday and brought here by Pakistan and
US intelligence officials in a military aircraft is Aimal Kansi, who
is wanted for the murder of two FBI officials.
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950317
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Pakistani youth's killer arrested
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From Alfred de Tavares
OSLO, March 16: The Norwegian police have a far clearer picture of
the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Imran
Elahi on the night of Monday (March 12) in the Oslo section of
Lindeberg Senterum.
According to Police Superintendent Finn Abrahamsen, Imran Elahi
worked as a guard with the security agency, Security Guard.
A few weeks ago, while on duty, Imran had caught two boys red-handed
stealing from a commercial establishment in the Lindeberg Sentrum,
the very place where he lost his life.
Having given evidence about the theft, the culprits, also of same age
as Imran, were not held in custody but released on bond, while the
case would proceed in due course.
However, the two accused did not intend to let Imran get away lightly
from having put them in trouble, and from evidence gathered, it has
been established that they continuously issued threats to Imran that
his life was already forfeit. So much so that for a month, prior to
his death, Imran would not dare go to work, his duty being at the
establishment in Lindeberg Sentrum.
On Monday night he dared to go there, not to work, but to return a
rented video tape. Accompanied by a friend, he took the subway to
Lindeberg Sentrum. As his bad luck would have it, one of the
passengers was the thieving boy. Words were exchanged and Imran was
told by his antagonist to prepare for his death.
While they decided to get the errand done and disappear fast, the
young Norwegian, who lived just a few metres from the shop, dashed in
and returned, carrying with him a shot-gun and accompanied with the
other accomplice. Without hesitation, screaming "take that you black
bastard, the 21-year old shot Imran straight into his heart. The
friend received a shot in his arm. The gunman and friend ran away.
All this has been confirmed by different witnesses, according to
police.
For more than 24 hours, having searched the apartment and known
haunts of the Norwegian killer, no trace could be found. However,
Finn Abrahamsen, having a strong intuition that the killer would
attempt to flee Norway, all outbound points had been alerted.
Abrahamsen's intuition paid off, when on the night of Tuesday, the
21-year-old was apprehended aboard the Norway-Denmark ferry, when it
docked at the Danish harbour of Kristianhamn.
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950322
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Nauroz festivities begin
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By Mohammad Riaz
KARACHI, March 21: Various communities of Iranian origin -
Zoroastrians, Bahais and Ismailis - except Balochs started
festivities of Eid-i-Nauroz, a multidimensional spring festival
spread over a span of 13-day, at 7.15 am on Tuesday morning with
prayers at their houses.
Though purely a Zoroastrian festival, with the passage of time it has
turned into the biggest cultural event of Iran, Afghanistan,
Azerbaijan and Southern Lebanon.
The Zoroastrian, the Bahais and the Ismaili people wherever they got
a permanent abode outside Iran they celebrate it with reverence and
verve. However, all the three communities - the Zoroastrian, the
Bahais and Ismaili - culturally and spiritually steeped in the
ancient Persian civilisation hold different views about the history
of the event.
Talking to Dawn, a Parsi lady traced its origin to the era of King
Jamshed, a priest king who was born several thousands of years before
the birth of Christ in Persia.
She said Nauroz falls on the first day of Farvaradin, the first month
of the Zoroastrian calendar corresponding to the Christian month of
March. "It is a harbinger of spring," she added.
The Zoroastrians determine its beginning on astrologically grounds
and it may occur at any moment from the wee hours to the dusk. This
time it began at 7.15 a.m.
Giving his views on the celebration of Nauroz, an Ismaili told Dawn,
that Hazarat Ali (AS), the fourth caliph, along with the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) entered the Ka'aba and got it cleared from the idols.
The day, he said, was Farvaradin 1.
He further said that Hazarat Salman Farsi, a close companion of the
Prophet (PBUH), who belonged to Khurasan, would celebrate it (Nauroz)
even in Makkah and Madina.
A Parsee said, according to their Denkart, a collection of nine books
on the 'Acts of Religion', the Zarathushtra was opposed to the
nomadic way of life and assorted gods. He persuade the people to
adopt a settled way of life and worship one God.
His (Zarathushtra's) daughter Pouruchista and his son-in-law Jamasp
embraced his teachings. His dualism, continuous battle between the
good and the evil, cast much influence on Greek-thoughts and
preceding religions, he added.
"We recite from Gotha, the sayings of Zarathushtra, on Nauroz and
pray for the prosperity of humanity," he added.
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950320
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Mir Murtaza indicted in Zahur Elahi murder case
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Bureau Report
LAHORE, March 19: Judge Mohammad Saeed Khan of the Special Court for
Suppression of Terrorist Activities, hearing the Zahur Elahi murder
case on Sunday, framed charges against Mir Murtaza bhutto and co-
accused Javaid Malik.
Chaudhry Zahur Elahi and his driver Mohammad Naseem were killed when
some people opened fire and hurled a handgrenade at his car in Model
Town on September 9, 1981. He was accompanied by the late Mr Justice
Maulvi Mushtaq Hussain and lawyer M.A. Rehman who were also injured
in the ambush.
According to the prosecution, the attack was allegedly launched by
activists of the Al-Zulfikar Organisation at the behest of its
chairman Mir Murtaza Bhutto. One of the alleged attackers, Abdur
Razzaq alias Jharna, was arrested and convicted by a summary military
court.
The other accused included Lala Asad, who died in the 80's, and
Rehmatullah Anjum, who is absconding. Mr Javaid Malik was arrested
from Karachi last year.
Meanwhile, another special court for the suppression of terrorist
activities comprising Judge Mian Sikandar Hayat trying Mir Murtaza
Bhutto in a sedition case adjourned hearing till April 18.
===================================================================
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B U S I N E S S & E C O N O M I C S
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950322
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All textile quotas transferable under new policy
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By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 21: A supplementary textile quota management policy
announced on Tuesday has made all quotas transferable.
An official announcement said the policy was unveiled by Commerce
Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar during a meeting with the
representatives of textile associations and Textile Quota Management
Directorate (TQMD).
The new policy is an addition to the existing one which is to remain
in effect till December.
A TQMD Press release said the additional features of the textile
policy include the following points:
(i) All quotas have been made transferable but decision of
transferability of the quotas earmarked for the powerloom
associations has been deferred as it requires an exhaustive review
about the benefits of quota reservations for this sector.
(ii) For categories suspected to be involved in circumvention
preshipment visas will be issued for non-quota destinations.
(iii) The institution of Joint Supervisory Council of Textile
Associations has been re-activated.
(iv) A TQMD official has been assigned the task of reconciliation of
quotas to pre-inept cases of overshipments. The reconciliation
exercise shall be done after every six months. The TQMD official will
visit the importing countries for this purpose.
(v) Reward policy introduced last year has been withdrawn.
The release quoted the minister as having told the meeting that
Pakistan had sought safeguard mechanism under the agreement of
textiles and clothing of the World Trade Organisation.
The minister, the release added, told the meeting that by virtue of
this agreement Pakistan would be required to monitor its imports of
textile and clothing to check dumping and ensure that the imports do
not hurt the local textile and clothing industry.
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950321
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Team to visit US to settle child labour issues
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From Muhammad Ilyas
ISLAMABAD, March 20: A delegation comprising senior officials of the
Foreign, Commerce and Labour ministries will go to United States next
week to sort out the issue of exemptions from labour laws in the
Export Processing Zones and Special Industrial Zones and child labour
in carpet industry, according to a reliable source.
This is sequel to the talks which were held here on Sunday with the
United States Trade Review (USTR) team which had it threatened to
withdraw the facility of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) to
our exports unless Government of Pakistan took steps to put an end to
the dichotomy between its ratification of ILO Conventions and
exclusion of special areas from operation of labour rights.
On the issue of child labour in carpet industry, a source told Dawn,
a modus vivendi was agreed upon during talks with USTR delegation
here recently. It was that Pakistan would adopt a slightly changed
version of "Rugmark" which is already in vogue in India. By making it
obligatory for carpet exporters to obtain the certificate that no
child labour was involved in the manufacture of their product, the
scheme would effectively make it impossible for the carpet
industrialists to employ children unless they forego their option to
export their product, the source remarked. Carpet exports of Pakistan
have already registered sharp decline in recent years.
The issue of labour rights in special areas is, however, more
complicated. Although the officials say that the contribution of KEPZ
to overall exports is insignificant, the Government recently
established 12 new "special industrial zones" where labour laws will
not apply. The USTR delegation had clearly told the Pakistani side
that it would not be satisfied unless Islamabad took some measure
would show its intent to rectify the situation so that it may
continue to obtain GSP facility from United States.
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950317
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Pakistan, Turkey sign two accords
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From Nasir Malick
ISLAMABAD, March 16 Pakistan and Turkey on Thursday signed two
agreements on promotion and protection of investments and
agricultural cooperation.
The first agreement will protect each other's investments in
respective countries while the second aims at promoting scientific,
technical and economic cooperation in the agricultural field.
"We have noted with satisfaction that some Turkish companies from the
private sector have already made Pakistan their second home for
business," Mr Demirel told reporters after the signing ceremony.
"One such leading and internationally known company of Turkey, STFA,
has been qualified for various projects in Pakistan... these include
the (construction of) the Lahore bypass and a naval base at Ormara
(Balochistan)."
Turkey's relations with Pakistan had been strained after Pakistan
cancelled Islamabad-Peshawar highway project which was awarded to a
Turkish firm.
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950319
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Canada seeks joint ventures with Pakistan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, March 18: The visiting Canadian Secretary of State for Asia
Pacific region Raymond Chan, told newsmen at Peshawar airport on
Saturday that Canada will be embarking upon projects of diversity in
Pakistan to promote the friendly relations between the two states. He
said there is great potential of hydel power generation, mineral
development exploration, environmental cooperation and, of course,
modern telecommunication sector, including installation of
satellites.
Earlier, the visiting Secretary of State and his delegation was
briefed on various aspects of provincial hydel power generation
potential and strategy for environment protection.
The Canadian Secretary of State said that his country wanted to
establish partnerships in infrastructural development with Pakistani
entrepreneurs to help participate in the transfer of expertise and
technology. Power generation was one such specific field, he said in
which his country had an advanced know-how, and it would like to
extend its cooperation.
Mr Raymond Chan further stated that his country had also attained
advancement in mineral development and exploration, and it would like
to share its know-how with Pakistan in the said sector as well. He
said they could also help in building infrastructure in the
environmental side.
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950322
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Canadian firms sign $359m contracts: Chan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From Shaukat Ali
LAHORE, March 20: Canadian companies have signed contracts worth $359
million with Pakistani firms during the last three days while more
such agreements are likely to be made in the next few days. This was
stated by Raymond Chan, Secretary of State Asia-Pacific, Canada.
Mr Chan said that the process of liberalisation of economy in
Pakistan since 1989 was not going unnoticed by world businessmen.
Pakistan's efforts to encourage private sector and invite foreign
investments in thermal power generation, oil and gas exploration, and
communications had generated a particular interest among the Canadian
investors, he added. He said that many Canadian companies were
benefiting from Islamabad's new policy give liberal incentives to
foreign investors. He noted that Canadian firms were increasingly
entering into joint ventures, technology transfer, licensing and
equity arrangements with Pakistan industry.
He pointed out that only during the last one year a number of
Canadian firms had signed agreements with their Pakistani
counterparts worth millions of dollars. Some of them were BC Hydro,
which will construct a 115 mw power plant with US$ 150 million,
Raytheon Canada will spend $29 million for communication equipment
for the National Logistic Cell, Klockner Stadler Murter, A German-
Canada collaboration is likely to provide $40 million to set up a new
fertiliser plant in Pakistan and Nova Corp International was busy in
finalising a $2.5 million project with Sui Northern Gas Pipelines
Limited to augment its operational and management capabilities.
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950318
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Foreign investment goes up by 100 pc'
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Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, March 17: Secretary Board of Investment Syed Mohibullah
Shah on Friday said that foreign investment in Pakistan during the
current financial year recorded an unprecedented increase of 100 per
cent as compared to the previous year.
With three months of the current fiscal year still remaining, the
foreign investment had already crossed 1.3 billion US dollars, the
secretary told a press conference. The Board, he added, expects that
by the close of the current fiscal year, the investment would touch
the figure of 1.5 billion dollars.
Giving figures of the previous years, he pointed out that 660 million
dollars had been invested in 1993-94 while only 440 million dollars
had come to Pakistan in the year l992-93.
Mr Shah attributed the sudden rise in the foreign investment to
liberal policies in fiscal, trade, labour, business and banking
system. He said the drastic changes in the country's economy had
range Pakistan the most attractive country for foreign investors.
Pakistan, he added, was at present offering the most liberal
conditions to the investors in the whole of South Asia and South East
Asia.
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950320
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Taxes to be raised to 20pc of DP
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From Muhammad Ilyas
ISLAMABAD, March 19: The Federal Government has decided to raise the
level of taxes during next financial year to 20 percent of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) from 18 percent this year, Mr V. A. Jafarey,
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Economic Affairs, said
while presiding over the meeting of the Finance Ministry Advisory
Committee on Sunday.
The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI)
should prepare its proposals while keeping in view this target, he
suggested.
The meeting of the Committee is held at this time of the year in
order to receive proposals from the major trade and industry bodies
from all over Pakistan. Besides President of FPCCI, leaders of all
the Chambers and other major trade associations are invited to it.
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950321
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Efforts on to control prices: Jafarey
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From Ihtashamul Haque
ISLAMABAD, March 20: The government has succeeded, for the first time
during its 17-month rule, in reducing the high rate of inflation thus
bringing the prices down to some acceptable level, claims V. A.
Jafarey, Prime Minister's Advisor on Finance and Economic Affairs.
"There is definitely a pause in inflation and we are making all out
efforts to keep the prices under control," he told Dawn.
"With the arrival of the Rabi crop, we expect further reduction in
the prices - an issue which is surely a cause of worry for the
consumers," he added.
Mr Jafarey pointed out that the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) showed a
downward trend which was a matter of relief for the Federal
Government.
The issue of inflation and weak recovery position have been causing
lot of financial problems for the government over which the
international donors have also expressed their displeasure and have
called upon the government to take proper measures to address the
issue. The government has been maintaining that the inflation stood
at 12 percent while independent experts put it at around 21 percent.
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+++The Business & Financial Week in Briefs
+++SAINDAK gold-copper project in Chagai district of Balochistan has
started the first phase of testing. The system to start its trial
production within the next two months.
+++THE MINISTRY of Petroleum and Natural resources has awarded a
contract to the Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC) for the import of
19.85 lakh tons of petroleum products which is 75 percent of the
total imports of 26.47 lakh tons during the second quarter, April to
June 95.
+++THE EPB has provided Rs 1,63,44,800 to various trade bodies during
1994 for organising trade fair abroad.
+++THE World Bank is going to finance the building of Sabzi Mandis to
the tune of 80 percent in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Mirpurkhas,
and Jacobabad. They will be operational by June 95.
+++A Danish delegation of Business and Industry, headed by Finance
Minister Lykketoft will be visiting Pakistan in the first week of
April 95.
+++OVER 1000 major footwear manufacturers in the country will
participate in the 79th International Spring Footwear Fair being held
in Germany from March 17-20,1995.
+++THE Pakistan Sugar Mills Association said that crystal white
production was 1.94 million tonnes upto February 15, 95, down 3.72
percent from 1.92 million tonnes in the corresponding period last
year.
+++THE privatisation Commission's bid for sale of three closed down
factories namely Harnai Woollen Mills, Cotton Ginning factory,
Piranwala and Nowshera Chemicals received scant response as the FPCCI
has asked companies to keep away from the proceedings unless their
genuine grievance are redressed.
+++DUE to widespread complaints of short selling and bungling by
invested parties, the provisioned trading in Kohat Cement shares has
been further suspended for 10 days w.e.f. March 10, 95.
+++PAKISTAN, China, Kyrgistan, and Kazakhstan have signed a historic
accord for using the Karakoram Highway for bilateral and
international trade.
+++A total of five agreements, totalling $600 million were signed
between Singapore and Pakistani Companies in the field of expansion
of part facilities and improvement in the highway network.
+++A high-level meeting of donor agencies have suggested the
commercialisation of Mohenjodaro site to raise funds for its
preservation.
+++THE Iranian authorities have allowed the US dollar to re-enter the
free market in foreign exchange this week, ending a three-month
freeze on its official rate.
+++NEXT year's revenue growth targets are being fixed at 20 per cent
over the current year's estimate of Rs 260 billion.
+++THE CLA has suspended the provisional listing regulations in all
stock exchanges, along with the rules governing the trading in
provisional counts.
+++ABOUT 1,00,000 bales of cotton have been exported against imports
of 42,000 bales of cotton since the government allowed free import
and export of the same.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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E D I T O R I A L S & F E A T U R E S
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950317
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Have faith in the PM, and not in the Press
-------------------------------------------------------------------
I AM beginning to hate the newspapers because they are invariably
giving the lie to our beloved prime minister. Just look at Thursday's
papers. The prime minister says there is no crisis in the country.
The internal situation is completely peaceful and is conducive to
foreign investment.
I am, of course, in total agreement with her because like her, I do
not think that there is any terrorism in Karachi or any violence of
any type elsewhere in Pakistan. Newspaper reports to the contrary are
all a pack of lies. There has been no attack on any Imambargah or
mosque. The casualty figures being given by the Press every day, are
all a figment of the dirty imagination of "mischievous reporters" who
want to destabilise a popularly elected government.
And this is not all. While memoranda of understanding are pouring in
from all directions, the Press is reporting that foreign commitments
for investment in Pakistan are either being withdrawn or postponed.
There was a report in a Karachi newspaper last Tuesday, according to
which the "no-travel to-Karachi advice given to American nationals by
the US authorities in the wake of the murder of two consulate
officials (in that city) last Wednesday, has brought all primary
investment in projects to a halt and the ripples are being felt by
the secondary market, too.... The media hype in the West about
fundamentalism (in Pakistan) is (also) taking its toll."
The same paper reports that the market capitalisation at the Karachi
Stock Exchange has suffered a massive loss of Rs 46.865 billion
($1.562 billion) since January 1. This, the paper says, is a
corollary to the carnage in Karachi and adds that the KSE 100 index
has slid by another 32.86 points.
Then, Dr Ayesha Ghaus of the Institute of Applied Economics in
Karachi is quoted as having said that the Social Action Programme
(SAP- what an apt acronym) is not sustainable and will lead to a
significant deterioration in the fiscal position of both the federal
and provincial governments.
On March 13, the same newspaper reported that an export slowdown in
February widened the trade gap to $1,331.6 million for the last eight
months.
One of the causes of the low revenue yield in February was the law
and order situation in Karachi, the paper adds.
On March 10, the same newspaper reported that the Turkish
construction company, Bayindir Insaat Turism ve Sanayi, had sued the
government (of Pakistan) for Rs 5.6 billion in damages for cancelling
the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway project it had been awarded in 1993.
To top it all, there was this convention held by the Federation of
Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Karachi on Wednesday
which decided that the business community would observe a nation-wide
strike on March 25 to protest against the deteriorating law and order
situation in the country. It also decided to stop all advertisements
to the electronic media from April 1.
Among other decisions taken at the convention was that the business
community would offer no bids for the industrial units being
privatised. As I told you, all these stories have been concocted by
the newspapers. For instance, no FPCCI convention was ever held in
Karachi and there will be no strike on March 25.
A newspaper reported some days ago that 214 people had died in
Karachi during Ramazan alone. This kind of gross exaggeration is of
course not confined to newspaper reporters alone. Karachi is the most
peaceful city in the world and don't you believe a word of what the
newspapers say. Pakistani newspapers are among the most unreliable in
the world. I can ignore the newspapers but how can I disregard a
letter I have received from a friend in Karachi? He says (in parts):
".... the people of Karachi have the right to feel alienated. Why
not? Why do you think the Indians have selected Karachi for their
terrorist activities? This city contributes 75 per cent of the
country's revenue (90 per cent of Sindh's). The Indians know that if
life is paralysed in Karachi, Pakistan will suffer.
"Believe me, the people of Karachi are going through hell these days.
When we leave for work in the morning, we are not sure that we shall
return home safely in the evening. At work, there is the constant
fear that dacoits or terrorists may have broken into our homes. Why
can't the government do something about all this? Must we assume that
the taxes we pay are meant for performing Umras or going to foreign
countries, or buying expensive cars and ponies?.... If things
continue as they are, the people may well feel that they have had
enough and ...may take to the streets ... defying even death."
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950317
-------------------------------------------------------------------
No!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ardeshir Cowasjee
NO ! That is my answer to question no.4 of the questionnaire from the
Vice Chairman of the Federal Law and Order Commission, Ministry of
Interior, Islamabad: "Would, in your view, the establishment of a
statutory autonomous body at the federal level and four provincial
autonomous bodies at the provincial level help politically neutral
and professionally competent working of the police. If so, what
composition, charter and safeguards would you suggest for such
bodies?"
The questionnaire arrived with a letter requesting suggestions on the
possibility of improvement in the country's law and order situation.
The letter and its enclosure had been sent to me and to some 50
others in the country (officials and non-officials) who, in the
opinion of FLOC, have a "vast knowledge and deep and abiding interest
in the maintenance of public order."
Since at the present time it is my firm opinion that the majority of
the citizens of Pakistan, particularly of this megapolis of Karachi
(but not of isolated Islamabad, ten miles away from Pakistan), are
not only interested in, but obsessed with, the non-existent law and
order, I reproduce here the questionnaire and my answers to the
puzzles posed.
The questions asked by FLOC are:
"1) What, in your view, are the causes of (a) increasing incidence of
crime; (b) deteriorating law and order situation; and (c) growing
sense of insecurity as to life, honour and property amongst those
living in Pakistan, particularly in the areas of major urban
concentrations?
"2) What, in your view, are the limitations of (a) the Police, (b)
the Magistracy, and (c) the Judiciary, to deal adequately and
effectively with (i) the prevention of crime through, inter alia,
better intelligence and public cooperation; (ii) the detection and
investigation of crime; and (iii) the prosecution of the criminal
with a view to speedy and inexpensive justice?
"3) How, in your view, the handicaps identified under (2) above can
be removed or reduced with particular reference, but not limited to
(a) related laws, rules, regulations and orders; (b) organisation,
strength, and structures; (c) work-ways, systems and procedures; (d)
logistic support including modern equipment; (e) work environment
affecting morale and efficiency, e.g. extraneous interference from
whatever source?"
Question (4) I have already reproduced. My reply to the Secretary of
FLOC:
"My answers to your questions are given purely in the light of the
present situation in Karachi and its effects upon millions of my
fellow citizens.
"Karachi is administered by the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed
Abdullah Shah, who is honest enough to admit that he is in no
position to, and in any case would not even dream of, resisting or
denying any order received from Asif Ali Zardari or from Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto. He also honestly admits that he lays no
pretence to being endowed with moral scruples. A simple man, moral
honesty to him has no meaning. He has difficulty in presiding over a
cabinet chosen by his party leaders in Islamabad, each of whom
assumes unto himself the importance of a chief minister. This
particularly applies to Minister for Law & Parliamentary Affairs and
Housing & Town Planning Pir Mazharul Haque, Minister for Local
Government, Rural Development & Public Health Engineering Nadir
Magsi, and Minister for Information and Communications & Works Parvez
Ali Shah.
"The Chief Minister is also the Home Minister of the province. The
Chief Secretary of the province, Saiyed Ahmed Siddiqi, is a good
officer but is completely incapable of standing up to the politicians
of the ruling party. Of course, were he to make an effort, however
feeble, to do so, he would find himself collecting Zakat in Sibi.
"In theory, the harried citizen of Karachi, on the police side, has
to seek help from his station house officer (SHO), over whom sits the
sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), who is ruled by the
superintendent of police (SP) of the district. The SP reports to the
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Karachi, who is directly
responsible to the Inspector General of Police, Sindh, (IG). The IG
reports to the Home Secretary, who in turn reports to the Home
Minister who is in fact the Chief Minister.
"This is not how it goes in practice. The SHO, usually appointed by a
"high up" in Islamabad, has a direct link with the chief minister and
vice versa. Most SHOs purchase their postings, the price paid being
in direct proportion to the pickings of his precincts and the power
he wields. They are protected by touts, personal representatives of
the politicians who have appointed them, and when disciplinary
measures are taken against them the touts intercede on their behalf
with their superior officers, if necessary going right up to the IG.
The IG and his DIGs when caught in their offices, spend a good part
of their day fielding off these touts and their scraps of paper,
trying to delay the inevitable.
"In practice, the citizen avoids going to his SHO as he is too afraid
of ensuing complications and harassment. Should he do so, he will
lose in terms of time and possibly in terms of money.
"On the magistracy side, a man has to contend with his area
magistrate, a lowly graded civil servant, who is controlled by his
sub-divisional magistrate (SDM)/assistant commissioner (AC), once
upon a time a freshman CSP officer, now a DMG or nominated inductee.
The SDM/AC reports to his Deputy Commissioner (DC)/District
Magistrate (DM) whose boss is the Commissioner. Depending upon the
issue, the Commissioner either reports to the Home Secretary Board of
Revenue, or directly to the Chief Secretary.
"You, of course, are an inured part of the system, but there are many
citizens unaware of its ramifications.
"The posting of magistrates is also the prerogative of the
politicians. Thus, the people have no confidence in them, regarding
them as fully corrupt. This feeling progresses all the way up the
line.
"Now, let us take the position of Home Secretary. Benazir's second
regime opened its innings in Sindh with Asadullah Shaikh. A friend of
Asif's, he was found most useful and, though having no banking
experience whatsoever, was installed in January 1994 as the chief
executive officer of the National Investment Trust, where a lot of
cash changes hands every day. He was replaced by another of Asif's
friends, the genial forester Kharal. Throughout his professional
life, by training and profession, Kharal formed and felled forests.
All of a sudden, he found himself in a strange world.
"Kharal lasted as Home Secretary until the day the two unfortunate
American diplomats were felled on Karachi's Sharea Faisal. That
evening, Shahid Hamid was yanked out of the pleasant, peaceful,
rewarding siding to which he had retreated when he found it
impossible to cope in the mainstream of Abdullah Shah's
administration.
"By all reports, and by what I know of the man, Shahid is a straight
forward civil servant of independent mind. He opened his Abdullah
Shah innings as Secretary Ministry of Communications & Works under
Minister Pervez Ali Shah who, like Magsi, does not believe in
inviting tenders for public works. Shahid lasted four months and was
moved to the Ministry of Housing & Town Planning under Minister
Mazharul Haque whose law and logic he could not suffer for long. Two
months later he was sidelined to EXPACO as its Director General. If
Shahid runs to form, he may last six weeks in his new job.
"As for the judiciary, you know better than I how what is left of
this once fine institution has been shuffled to suit the requirements
of the present regime.
"The system and the organisation cannot be bettered, crime cannot be
contained, and there can be no public cooperation as long as the
oppressive personalised system of government exists. There are enough
laws, rules and regulations - in fact, our Codes, left to us by the
Raj, are considered to be amongst the finest in the world. All we
have to do is to scrupulously adhere to them and to ensure that
justice is not only done but is seen to be done in terms thereof.
When that happens, we can think about better logistic support and
modern equipment.
"As for strength, there are more than enough police in Karachi, but
on any given day some one-fifth, or 5,000 men, are where they are not
meant to be. They are in tents or in pick-ups ostensibly guarding our
so-called VVIPs, ministers, judges bureaucrats, DCs, SDMs and so
forth. In fact, many of these trained men act as domestic servants in
the households of our civil servants. On weekends when Benazir or
Leghari visits Karachi, an additional 2,000 men are taken away from
their duties to block traffic and harass us citizens.
"No, Mr Secretary, the establishment of any statutory autonomous body
at any level will not help the problem. It will compound it. These
bodies will provide sanctuaries or retirement homes for 'the boys'.
With our personalised form of oppressive government, no institution
can hold its own as it is weighted down by personal and party
considerations. Should the inmates of the Potohar Pinjrapor embark on
such a misadventure it will increase the contempt in which they are
held as they will be guilty of augmenting the prime ministerial
programme for the waste of public money.
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950319
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Of traitors and patriots, courtiers and queens
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By Syeda Abida Hussain
BENAZIR fiddles while Karachi burns. She threatens to be ruthless, to
arm the unarmed, order mass arrests, declare terrorists infidels and
orate her gut out before captive audiences. Good enough to impress
Abdullah Shah or Naheed Khan but is it likely to remedy the sickness
of Karachi? Her schedule is hectic. Singapore one day, Karachi the
next, Wassaywala after that, onto Jallo, then Sialkot and, finally,
Islamabad for the ECO summit, lots of leaders and cameras and photo
opportunities.
The ECO summit merited attendance by President Nur Sultan Nazarbayov
of Kazakhstan and President Karimov of Uzbekistan. The lack of
interest in their absence could be a reflection of the strengthening
of the ECO, equally it could be an indicator of its failure to
strengthen. The foreign office will never make an objective analysis,
its officers being less and less inclined towards volunteering sharp
assessments or dispassionate appraisal since sycophancy has become
standard for advancement in what used to be an elite institution. The
foreign minister, however, may enlighten us through his by now fabled
book on Central Asia which he discovered with the style of a Marco
Polo, when it reaches the bookshelves finally (if he remains minister
at such a moment, he would, of course, court the danger of having his
book-contradicted by his own ministry!)
So, is Karachi to simmer and burn endlessly or can anything be done
to restore peace to the city and normalcy to Pakistan? I, for one,
believe that a beginning would be made if Altaf Hussain returned home
to Pakistan. Altaf should not be unduly afraid. On arrival he would
probably be arrested, as was Mustafa Khar less than a decade ago when
he returned from London. Within two years the very agencies who had
detained Khar, ostensibly for treason, decided that he was after all
a patriot, his former wife's indictment notwithstanding, and Khar is
today considered able enough to be trusted with the nation's water
and power. Wali Khan was subjected to a treason trial for four long
years in Hyderabad jail when he was leader of the opposition of the
assembly that made Bhutto I leader of the house. Not only did this
not deter the then prime minister from sending a marriage proposal on
behalf of his son for Wali Khan, the official traitor's daughter, but
also when Bhutto I was removed from power, the late Gen. Fazle Haq
took an offer from the late Gen. Zia-ul-Haq to Wali Khan which
suggested that he consider being appointed prime minister of
Pakistan. Being a genuine democrat, Khan Abdul Wali Khan passed up
the offer.
Much is said in the drawingrooms of the country, particularly in
those that favour the liberalism of the PPP, about Altaf Hussain's
fascism. While it is true that Altaf may well have been the first
leader of the impoverished migrants of Karachi and Hyderabad to be
brutal with his opponents and dissenters, he is certainly not the
first nor currently the only fascistic phenomenon produced in the
public affairs of Pakistan. Our history is replete with fascistic
episodes and intolerant behaviour. Our sectarian mafiosi have made
the transition from bicycles to Pajeros or from ruthless killers to
'holy saints' in record time. The drawing-rooms do not concern
themselves with the religious unless the BBC does an expose on them
or they declaim counter to fashionable upper class opinion on the
blasphemy question. None of the agencies consider sectarian
organisations as being guilty of treason even though they induce
Muslims to kill Muslims and have no hesitation to rip apart the
ideological basis on which our statehood stands.
And to revert to an anterior moment, we have Malik Qasim's spine, or
lack of it, as testimony of the glorious reign of Bhutto I. Or
Irfanullah Marwat's infamous Veena Hayat case, not long after the
first dethronement of Bhutto II. Having rightfully rescinded her
throne, thanks in no small part to Marwat's illustrious father-in-
law, we thought Benazir would at least park Marwat in jail for having
had more to do with the Consort's incarceration than Sheikh Rasheed
of Rawalpindi. But if the Consort's gaoler could be amnestied in
concession of the demands of the throne, then Altaf Hussain could
also be brought back in from the cold, if the agencies could only be
made to overlook Altaf's "terrorist tricks". As the poor man's
fascist, Altaf's war of attrition against the agnecies-backed Afaq
and his Haqiqis has assiduously been fought in the poverty-striken
mohallas of the Mohajirland of Karachi. The upmarket palaces of
Clifton and Defence have been free to party it up and celebrate
elaborate weddings of wealth marrying wealth. When leaders of the
"gharib awam" live in palaces named after their offspring, the
drawing rooms are not shocked nor even scornful, but when an angry
young man returns to Pakistan - after having driven taxis in Chicago
for a while, and gives voice to the jobless youth of the cities where
after two generations their ethnicity continued to be defined as
"migrant", the drawing rooms of the country are so shocked that the
only explanation could be that the devious Zia-ul-Haq had invented
Altaf Hussain and set him up. Apropos this facile explanation, I for
one have often wondered why, if Zia-ul-Haq's political skills, or
those of his agencies, were so highly developed, did they goof up so
badly on the Zia Himayat Tehrik? Or why did they fail to cover the
tracks of their clumsily conducted Referendum?
Whatever anybody's belief regarding the emergence and origins of the
MQM, the cold hard statistical reality of the local elections of 1987
and the two successive parliamentary elections of 1988 and 1990 which
produced landslide victories for the MQM in the cities of Karachi and
Hyderabad stare us in the face. Further, if those elections were
manipulated by shadowy forces, then how is it that in the freest,
fairest elections of them all, that helped Benazir reascend her
throne, the MQM had to be kept out of the national elections to
assure the reascension? And despite the recent explanation of Moeen
Qureshi that the MQM volunteered to abstain in the national
elections, the question arises whether they were asked to volunteer
or did they abstain suo moto. Altaf Hussain alone can answer that
question, and surely he is politic enough to keep the answer to
himself until a few more hats have changed.
Karachi is the only developed port of Pakistan. It is not only our
largest city, it is also the nerve centre of our trade, commerce,
banking and manufacture. Karachi is where impoverished Pakistanis
from all the regions of our country go to earn better bread. Karachi
is the birth and burial place of the Founder of the Nation. Pakistan
is non-functional when Karachi is bleeding. Every queen needs a
kingdom and even though being queen must be a dizzying experience,
Karachi must not be confused with New York. Karachi is Pakistan and
Pakistan is overwhelmingly Muslim and Islam seeks to teach us to
value every human life. We cannot ignore daily killings in Karachi,
and dismiss deep political conflicts by resorting to trendy trans-
Atlantic sound bites. For Benazir to retain her throne, believing in
her own propaganda or that of her courtiers could be dangerous. She
would do well to recall that Marie Antoinette was also queen, for a
while.
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950319
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A silver lining? : ALL OVER THE PLACE
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By Omar Kureishi
A FRIEND mentioned to me, with affectionate malice, that in my column
last week on the on-going carnage in Karachi, I had no mention of the
gunning down of the two employees of the US consulate.
The reason for this is that I had written the column before the
despicable killings took place. I had to go to Lahore and had sent in
the column in advance of my usual deadline. I could have added a
postscript but it would not have changed the main thrust of what I
had written. It would have provided additional confirmation that in
the free-for-all it was only a matter of time before foreigners too
would be targeted. Not because they were foreigners but because they
were in the line of fire of random, to whom-it-may concern bullets.
Naturally, like everyone else, I am immensely saddened at the death
of the two Americans and share in the outrage. It goes without saying
that I am just as sad at the other killings that have become a
standard feature of Karachi.
The shooting of the US diplomats, as was to be expected, sent shock
waves throughout the world and made headline news. I learnt of the
killings when I was returning from the airport and saw a large number
of police in the Nursery area. I thought that some VIP was either
coming or going. That's when one usually sees such an assembly of
police. I was told that there had been some firing at a vehicle
belonging to a foreign mission. It was not till I got home that I
learnt from the BBC what had happened. By then the telephone had
started to ring and a myriad versions were given and we exchanged
alarm and despondency.
The main features of this exchange were: the gunmen's brazenness to
have acted with such seeming calm, the precise planning of the hit
and the facile ease with which the killers were able to get away from
a crowded street, in broad daylight. There was no doubt that it was
the work of professional killers. Like the killers themselves, there
was no trace of any motive.
The world media reacted with understandable indignation. In an
extremely unflattering editorial in The Times, Karachi was likened to
Beirut. The Times was out of date. In Beirut, the battle-lines were
drawn. No such lines have been drawn in the killing fields of
Karachi. We have the strangest mix of motives. Some killings are said
to be the outcome of infighting in an ethnic community, some are
sectarian, some purely criminal and some inspired by foreign hands.
Add to this the latest entrant, the drug-mafia. It is more than
possible that all of these are involved but while we may know who may
be behind the killings or a combination of them, the central fact
remains that as murders go, they have all remained unsolved. It is
this fact that emboldens the killers and potential killers.
Let me be perfectly candid. I am glad that the FBI has arrived to
investigate the murder of the two US diplomats. Perhaps, their
investigations will uncover more than just the assailants. Perhaps,
they may lead us to certain vital clues that have eluded our own
investigators.
The plight of Karachi has been globalised. But one of the more
heartening, if it is not too callous to use that word, outcomes is
that there is a greater understanding of the origins of Karachi's
violence.
The Prime Minister, herself, was blunt enough to say that at the time
of the Afghan war, the entire Western world landed here to help
create the "holy warriors." And when the holy war ended, the West
packed up and countries like Pakistan, Egypt and Algeria were left to
pick up pieces of the warriors who had been trained and wanted new
wars to fight.
What is happening in Karachi is the bitter harvest of the Afghan war.
It was this war that gave to us the drugs and kalashnikov culture. It
left the country awash with arms and drugs. Let it not be forgotten
that while the war against the Soviet Union was on, we were the good
guys in the eyes of the western nations and Ziaul Haq and the former
CIA chief Casey were positive buddies. No sooner had the war been won
in terms of the Russians withdrawing helter-skelter, Pakistan was
left to its own devices with nearly three million refugees on its
hands and a brutal civil war on its borders.
In due course we were rewarded with the Pressler Amendment and were
threatened that we would be declared a terrorist state. It is no
secret that the Afghan war provided a bonanza for the drugs business
but our "allies" turned a blind eye to it. Many of the guns and drugs
have found their way to Karachi. Can you imagine that a rocket was
fired at the Karachi residence of Pir Pagaro?
There is some appreciation of this and editorials in some US
newspapers have mentioned the legacy of the Afghan war and the moral
debt that is owed to Pakistan.
I am glad that Mrs Hilary Clinton has not changed her plans to visit
Pakistan and am confident that the killing of the two Americans will
not affect the visit of the Prime Minister to the United States. It
is an important visit for whether we like it or not, the United
States is the sole remaining superpower and although our relations
have had their highs and lows, there has always been an abundance of
goodwill between the two peoples.
All foreign policies are self-serving and so should ours be,
unashamedly. National interests are permanent, not national policies.
These must be flexible enough to adjust to the rapid changes that are
taking place in the world.
It is understandable that we should be demoralised at the unfriendly
international Press that we have been getting recently. But the glare
of the spotlight should help to see our own weaknesses and follies.
One of the main grievances of Karachi was that Islamabad seemed
either unaware or unconcerned about the anguish and suffering of the
people. It may seem ironic that Islamabad has had to be woken up
through the circuitous route of international media. For years the
Karachi Press was accused of sensationalising the violence in
Karachi. There were even those who accused the media of inventing it.
Now suddenly, the world's Press and television networks have
descended on Karachi. Surely we are not going to say that the
international media is making it up too? Can we consider this a
sliver lining?
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950321
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Whatever's happened to the Taliban?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
HAVE the Taliban proved a nine days' wonder? Sweeping all before
them, and receiving the obeisance of a host of veteran commanders on
the way, they had emerged from their base in Kandahar and reached the
gates of Kabul. Even the vaunted Mr Gulbadin Hekmatyar had considered
it prudent to withdraw in front of their surging tide. So in
confusion and no small embarrassment he vacated his Charasyab
headquarters which the advancing Taliban promptly made their own. In
front of Kabul the Taliban tried the same formula which had stood
them in such good stead till then. They called upon the Rabbani
government to leave the defence of Kabul in neutral hands. The Shia
Hizb-e-Wahdat also made a virtue of discretion and handed over their
positions in south-west Kabul to the Taliban who used that as a base
to launch rocket attacks on the Afghan capital. But it was at that
point that things started to go sour for them. In what has been
described by reporters as a lightning strike, the forces of Ahmed
Shah Masoud drove them out of South-west Kabul. Licking their wounds
the Taliban retreated to Charasyab, Mr Hekmatyar's erstwhile war
headquarters. Even there the respite for them was temporary for Mr
Masoud, exploiting his earlier success, has gone on the offensive
again and driven them out of Charasyab as well. The Taliban may yet
recover from this setback (for it would be foolish to make wild
predictions about the turn of events in Afghanistan) but for now at
least the aura of invincibility surrounding their advance from
Kandahar to Kabul has been washed away as swiftly as it had first
emerged.
What happens now to the UN plan for a transfer of power in Kabul
which was set to take place today? Understandably, the Afghan
president, Mr Burhanuddin Rabbani, is in no hurry to implement it
because victors, and fresh victors at that, are seldom keen
enthusiasts of peace plans which work out to their disadvantage.
There should be, accordingly, little surprise in what a Rabbani
spokesman said in Peshawar on Sunday: "He (Rabbani) will not step
down on March 21 because the mechanism is not ready." For good
measure he added, "We should not go calendar-wise, we should go
processwise." Mr Mahmoud Mestiri, the UN special envoy who, in an
increasingly frustrating environment, has been trying to broker a
peace for the country is hardly likely to find this suggestion
amusing.
Mr Mestiri, who has developed a reputation for doggedness, is still
toying with various formulae to bring peace to Afghanistan. The
latest plan on offer envisages an interim council made up of
representatives drawn from all the provinces of Afghanistan besides
15 to 20 nominated members. But as the fortunes of war swing this way
and that, Mr Mestiri's efforts have an increasingly scholastic touch
about them - fine on paper but a bit remote from the ground
realities. Even so, it would not do to read too much into the latest
successes of Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmed Shah Masoud. They have
reinforced their position in Kabul but the rest of the country
remains a daunting patchwork of conflicting military loyalties. If it
is a victor's peace that eventually settles on Afghanistan, that
prospect is still some distance away.
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950322
-------------------------------------------------------------------
What does Agartala symbolise?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
By M.H. Askari
WHETHER it was prudent or even appropriate that the Interior Minister
should have invoked the painful memory of the highly controversial
Agartala conspiracy case in the context of the proposals of amnesty
for the MQM leader, Altaf Husain, is highly debatable.
The retired Major-General Naseerullah Babar, of whom it cannot be
said that his statements are always calculated to help promote an
environment of peace and conciliation amid mistrust and discord,
reportedly said that the government could not (by granting amnesty to
the MQM leader) allow "a second Agartala case to make headway and
play havoc with the integrity of the country." The reference to the
conspiracy can only be regarded as thoughtless and unfortunate.
The retired major-general is apparently unaware of the prevailing
feeling in the former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, that the
Agartala case, and specially the involvement of Shaikh Mujibur Rahman
in it, was the beginning of a sinister move on the part of certain
vested interests who were then in power in Pakistan to precipitate a
sense of alienation in the people of the former eastern wing.
In January 1968, a criminal case was instituted in the then East
Pakistan against 32 persons accused of conspiring to "wage war
against the country" while Shaikh Mujib had already been in jail for
more than a year. The case was tried by a special tribunal comprising
three judges, presided over by a retired chief justice of the supreme
court, S.A. Rahman. Prof Lawrence Ziring, who taught at the Dhaka
University in 1959-60 and later in 1980 and is widely reputed as a
leading scholar of South Asian affairs, has expressed the view that
few people were convinced that the case was anything more than "a
fabricated effort" directed at destroying a powerful political figure
(i.e. Shaikh Mujibur Rahman). He also maintains that although the
allegations were dramatic, the evidence was at best flimsy. The
tribunal dispersed in disarray without reaching any final conclusion
when the then eastern wing was engulfed in a widespread anti-Ayub
agitation.
Kazi Anwarul Huque, who served as minister in Ayub Khan's cabinet for
about four years, has recorded in his memoirs that "the fact that
Shaikh Mujib was in prison when the alleged conspiracy was hatched,
the heterogeneous background of the accused persons and the scattered
stations where they (the accused) were posted, all combined to give
an air of unreality to the charges against them." In any case, the
status of the accused persons could not possibly enable them to
create any material threat to the integrity of the country.
It has also been noted that the first Press note issued in Rawalpindi
about the alleged conspiracy on January 6,1968 listed names of 28
persons, including certain senior civil servants; but Shaikh Mujib
was not named among them. Another Press note was, however, issued
nearly two weeks later, saying that Shaikh Mujib was involved in "the
planning and guidance of this conspiracy."
In any event, the Agartala conspiracy had a traumatic effect on the
relations between the two wings of the country and was made a cause
celebre by the ultra-nationalists in the then East Pakistan when Ayub
Khan at last decided to involve Shaikh Mujib in a political process
about the future of the country. Shaikh Mujib refused to attend the
round table conference of political leaders in February-March 1969
when he was released on parole. The government was then obliged to
withdraw the Agartala conspiracy case, unconditionally release Shaikh
Mujib and even give him the facility to address a public meeting in
Dhaka before going to Rawalpindi.
However, it was already too late and the radicals in the eastern wing
had overtaken the autonomy demand of the Awami League leader and no
longer regarded his Six Points as sufficient to meet the aspirations
of their people. The movement which secured Shaikh Mujib his freedom
before the RTC was led by young students and workers and not
political leaders. One would sincerely expect the Pakistani leaders
of today not to be like Bourbons but rather learn a lesson or two
from past history. References to events such as Agartala case in the
present context can only be regarded as ominous and must be avoided.
From Agartala conspiracy case to the proclamation of complete
independence by East Pakistan in retrospect, seems have been almost
an inescapable process. The secession of erstwhile East Pakistan is
also a lesson in why the aspirations of a majority of people should
not be steam-rolled over and why political solutions should be found
to deal with political problems.
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Kashmir: ICJ's biased report
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By Ghani Eirabie
That even a prestigious world body like the Genevabased International
Commission of Jurists can succumb to political pressure is evident
from the drastic changes made by it in its original (April-1994)
report on Kashmir.
Noteworthy is the fact that it has made the changes without paying
another visit to the state: while its April report was based on first
hand observations made by an ICJ mission that visited Kashmir in
August 1993, its March-1995 report bears deep imprint of the pressure
brought to bear on it by a succession of Indian delegations and the
more subtle influence exercised by India's British well-wishers.
The main casualty is ICJ's originally unqualified commitment to an
honest Kashmir plebiscite as reflected in chapter V of the 1994
draft; it appears to have been diluted noticeably and for reasons
unexplained, the Commission has taken out the crucial chapter on
"self-determination" from the main body of the document and relegated
it to the end as an "Appendix" headed "An analysis of the concept of
self-determination by members of the ICJ mission". Likewise, it has
removed its summation on the Kashmiris' inherent right of self-
determination from the main body of the Report and attached it to the
Appendix. While it is true that ICJ has not altered its conclusion,
namely that "The peoples of the state of Jammu and Kashmir acquired a
right of self determination at the time of partition of India; and
that right has neither been exercised nor extinguished and therefore
remains capable of exercise", it has sought not only to down-grade
the "centrality" of the principle of self-determination, but also
added provisos compromising its applicability to Kashmir through
fancy re-interpretations.
The most compromising is the addition of a brand new paragraph to the
"modalities of self-determination". which says: "Rights of self-
determination are not, of course exercisable in an ideal world. If
the people of Kashmir are willing, for the sake of peace, to accept
something less than a free choice, that acceptance could still be an
exercise of the right of determination. For example, if the Indian
government and representatives of the people of Kashmir were able to
agree on the restoration of full internal autonomy to Kashmir, while
retaining Indian control of defence and foreign affairs - a solution
supported by a number of those interviewed by the ICJ mission - a
referendum approving that solution would be a valid exercise of the
right of self-determination".
The Indians could not have been better accommodated; ICJ has, more or
less, paraphrased and endorsed Article 370 of the Indian Constitution
relating to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, and distorted the entire
concept of self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter, and
repudiated the whole series of UN Security Council resolutions
prescribing a UN-supervised plebiscite as the only honest solution of
the problem. The ICJ also fails to mention whether the UN or Indian
forces would conduct and supervise the referendum. Additionally, the
proposal eliminates Pakistan as a party to the dispute, which is
contrary not only to ICJ's own earlier report but also to India's
commitment even under the Simla agreement.
Further, the idea of "less than a free choice" totally disregards the
intensity of the dedication of the Kashmiri people to the right of
self determination. They have not sacrificed 40,000 of their
youngmen, suffered the shame of gang-rape of their women and the
massive destruction of their homes and hearths and business districts
for the ultimate goal of continued Indian stranglehold. This
additional paragraph is perhaps the "the most unkindest cut of all".
The ICJ "innocents" also appear to have swallowed the Indian
contention that the state elections could be viewed as indicating
people's acceptance of Kashmir's accession to India. The addition of
the sentence "none of the parties or candidates in the 1977 election
questioned the fact of accession to India" is apparently designed to
convey the impression that no further ascertainment of the popular
will is required. This, however, is contradicted by ICJ's own
admission that "the Indian government would not have tolerated any
overt challenge to accession by any of three parties contesting the
election", or that Sheikh Abdullah's 1975 accord with India on
accession was never presented as an election issue. In fact no state
elections have ever offered such a choice.
In any case, legislative polls could never be a substitute for an
internationally supervised plebiscite. The UN Security Council
through its resolutions of March 1951 and January 1957, made it clear
that not to speak of routine elections, not even a verdict of the so-
called state constituent assembly, convened by India, would
constitute disposition of the state under the UN resolutions
prescribing a UN-supervised plebiscite for the state.
Further, it is now commonly conceded by Indian politicians including
a Central Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Mufti Sayeed, that fair
elections have seldom, if ever, been held in Kashmir; and this is
confirmed by the dissolution of the 1987 state assembly on the
official ground that it was a creation of rigged and manipulated
elections. Finally, to eliminate India's exploitation of local polls
as evidence of approval of accession, the people of Kashmir boycotted
the 1989 polls, with a turnout not exceeding three per cent.
Regrettably again, the International Commission of Jurists has leaned
more visibly towards India's interpretation of the Simla agreement;
and the 1995 Report has added a sentence which was not there in the
earlier version, namely that "... the Simla agreement deprives the
Pakistan government of locus standi to intervene in Jammu & Kashmir".
The ICJ also omits a key opening sentence in the 1972 Simla agreement
text declaring that the "principles and purposes of the Charter of
the United Nations shall govern the relations between the two
countries". This omitted sentence underscores the point that no part
of the agreement should be interpreted in isolation from the
principles and purposes of the Charter; and it is over and above the
provision of Article 103 of the Charter laying down that members'
obligations under the UN charter prevail over their obligations under
any other international agreement.
Both these points go to repudiate the ICJ interpretation that the
"Simla agreement requires the existing disputes between the two
countries to be settled 'bilaterally' ... and therefore, by
implication, to the exclusion of third parties such as the UN, except
with the consent of both India and Pakistan". Pakistan maintains that
nothing can oust the jurisdiction of the UN and no party is entitled
to hold a veto and resort to obduracy to obstruct a settlement
through other peaceful means.
Finally, the ICJ's latest report introduces a new section which was
not there in the earlier report, on the Northern Areas and states:
"In March 1993, the High Court of Azad Kashmir, in a startling
decision, declared that the Northern Areas were part of Azad Kashmir
..."; but mysteriously enough, it forgets to take cognizance of the
fact that the AK High Court's decision has not been upheld by the
Supreme Court of Azad Kashmir.
The International Commission of Jurists kept tampering with its
April-1994 Report - recasting, revising and re-interpreting it under
Indo-British pressure for close to a year - and kept on delaying its
publication and took care not to release it until a day after the
deadline for tabling resolutions in the United Nations Human Rights
Commission in Geneva just to save India from the consequences of even
a sanitised report.
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Fifty years of Urdu short stories
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By Taqi Hussain Khusro
MUNTAKHIB AFSANA NUMBER: Monthly Afkar, edited by Sehba Lukhnavi
Published by Afkar Foundation, 105/C, National auto plaza, Moriston
Road Karachi 74400, 324pp. Rs 30/-
An accomplished life may have many definitions. The most accepted one
may, however, be that, to start with, where one had to his credit
adequate education, if not of Oxfordian or Harvardian origin, a good
start in life, a steady upward progress, residence in a posh society,
experience of extended foreign travels, a faithful loving spouse,
enterprising sons and daughters and of course a prolonged disease
free life and a presentable western look, here I would not say a good
P.R. because for such a man or woman, it supposedly was there
already. So that when he or she would lie dying, of course on a
sprawling bed his or her family members would stand by his or her bed
side in dutiful attendance, bidding him or her a tearful farewell.
Sehba Lukhnavi's had none of these advantages, still his is an
accomplished life, decidedly more accomplished than any other
fellow's, adding emphasis I can say in the recent past, present and
in the immediate future. An editor of a monthly which he had brought
with him from other side of the border and kept issuing for decades
with a clock like regularity, in fact with more regularity than a
clock because even a clock some times stops. His small office in a
dilapidated building at Burns Road with barest official requirements,
was nevertheless, a nucleus for all the writers of the country and
from abroad. Heavy weights like Josh and Faiz would not hesitate
visiting it, not to talk of others who would congregate there daily.
It provided, an address to those who had no address of their own and
work for those who had no gainful employment.
Sehba Lukhnavi has now come of age as every mortal must one day. But
his monthly Afkar has not. Shifted to a spacious new office in a new
building on Moriston Road, Afkar Foundation that he had established
is working satisfactorily and has a committee of distinguished
writers looking after its affairs. It is this committee that has
decided to bring out the monthly's special numbers, containing
selected pieces of writings from its past issues, so much has been
published in its pages for decades, separately for each genre of
literature like Afsana, Ghazal, Nazm. Although to make such a
selection from an incredibly huge lot is very difficult and, it may
also not be free of personal preferences, still when viewed as a
tribute, which in fact it is to Sehba Lukhnavi's discriminating taste
it acquires an altogether different dimension.
The issue under review is Muntakhib Afsana Number, a selection from
50 years of the monthly's publishing history. Divided into two it
contains selection from short stories published during 1945-1970 and
1971-1995 respectively. The later period perhaps should have been
1971-1994 as the 95th year is not out yet. The selection is done by
the eminent critic Atiq Ahmed, fiction being his special interest. It
contains in all 36 short stories plus 12 satirical, humorous articles
in a separate section.
We find as big names of fiction as Krishan Chandre, Shoukat Siddiqi
Rajender Singh Bedi, Hajra Masroor, Qurratul Ain Hyder, Ahmed Nadeem
Qasmi in the first period. The second period apart from the names of
later years short story writers also contains some senior ones like
Ghulam Abbas, Khawaja Ahmed Abbas, Dr. Akhtar Hussain Raipuri, Mumtaz
Mufti and others.
Some of the names appearing in the section containing satirical
humorous writings are Muhammad Khalid Akhtar, Sadat Hassan Manto,
Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi Ibrahim Jalees, Kanahiya Lai Kapoor, Mushfiq
Khwaja and Rasheed Ahmed Siddiqi & others.
The issue also contains a foreword by Atiq Ahmed.
(The writer is former member of the National Assembly.)
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950321
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Creating a world of beauty
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By Marjorie Husain
Water-colour landscape painting amounts to an indigenous art movement
in Karachi, with many of the exponents, graduates of the Karachi
School of Art. Using colour grounded with soluble gum, it takes a
skilled artist to obtain the required transparent luminosity by
thinning the medium with water. As an art medium, water-colour has
deep and ancient traditions in both east and west.
In Britain, water-colour reached its zenith in the works of Turner
who exhibited his first water-colour painting at the Royal Academy in
1790. Ruskin wrote of Turner's work with respect and admiration in
the first volume of Modern Painters, published in 1843. Although in
his lifetime the great artist was a controversial figure attracting
violent detractors as well as admirers Constable wrote of him, "He
seems to paint with tinted steam, so evanescent and so airy."
The capacity of the medium to achieve spontaneous effects attracted
numerous Impressionists. Among the contemporary artists using diverse
methods of water-colour techniques in their work were Cezanne, Dufy
and Klee.
When exponents of the New Bengal School of Art at the turn of the
century explored the eastern traditions of miniature and mural
painting to articulate a school of art connoting to their roots, they
adopted the Japanese wash method of water-colour painting to achieve
hazy, colour-suffused surfaces.
The most famous and revered of Pakistan's artists, Chughtai was a
watercolourist of matchless accomplishment. In present times, among
the noted contemporary painters of the country, abstractionists such
as Qudsia Nisar and Ghalib Baqa have formulated idiomatic signature
styles of their own. Others remain rooted in realism, capturing light
and beauty of the country's beauty spots or in unexpected, neglected
corners of the city.
A solitary fisherman crouched beside clear water reflecting pine
trees and snow-capped mountains, houses built in terraced areas of
farming land. The grandeur of rocky landscapes and a fiercely rushing
stream; all the bounty of nature is described with spontaneous energy
in the paintings of water-colourist Moazzam Ali, currently displayed
at the Sheraton Gallery, Karachi.
Living in the turbulent city of Karachi, the artist turns to the
awesome northern areas of the country for inspiration and solace. In
his own words: "I find in nature the source of creative energy that
turns the whole aesthetic experience into motion...." During the
summer months he escapes from the town to immerse himself in painting
the trees, mountains and cool lakes of Kaghan and Swat.
Moazzam Ali's art education began at the National College of Art,
Lahore, and was completed at the Karachi School of Art, where he
graduated as a First Class First gold medalist in 1980. That year he
participated in a group exhibition at the Karachi Arts Council and
was awarded top honours. Between '80 and '84, Moazzam took part in
several group displays, and held his first solo exhibition at the
National Art Gallery Islamabad in '82. Since then the artist has been
engaged in diverse artistic activities including completing a
collection of portraits of national heroes, murals depicting
Pakistan's cultural heritage and calligraphic work for the
Balochistan Governor's House, Quetta. Since '92, he has completed
over four hundred water colours commissioned to decorate a leading
Karachi Hotel.
For several years, Moazzam Ali held the post of Art Director in the
world of advertising but found the commercial aspect of the work
irksome. Eventually, he joined the field of art education, and last
year fulfilled a long-planned ambition to open his own art school,
founding the Sindh College of Art, Design and Architecture, Karachi,
in North Nazimabad. There, with a hand-picked team of teachers, he
guides the art training of almost two hundred students.
While travelling abroad for the first time in '94, Moazzam Ali
availed of the opportunity to study first-hand the magnificent
artwork and galleries of America, searching out American water-
colourists. In Washington D.C., he displayed 40 of his own paintings
which were wellreceived; all the more appreciated since the northern
areas of Pakistan are similar to parts of Canada and the States.
In Switzerland the artist marvelled at the pristine splendour of the
scenery and in Paris, spent hours exploring the renowned museums and
art centres.
Scheduled to exhibit a collection of paintings at the Pakistan
Mission to the United Nations, New York, later this year, Moazzam
like many busy artists, finds time for his own work in the quiet
hours of the night. As a student he roamed Karachi and its environs,
painting outdoors though now, at least in the city, he is a studio
painter.
The collection of thirty paintings exhibited at the Sheraton Gallery,
includes several lively-styled rural studies, interspersed with
idyllic views of the countryside. Eye-catching is an impressionistic
painting of a group of women, softly draped with almost abstract
folds, they carry clay water pots on their heads. With upright and
graceful carriages, and bangles from wrist to elbow, they are easily
identified as women of the Sindh region. From the Punjab, a group of
turbaned figures leap to the rhythm of the chimta and the dhol.
Using a water-colour method similar to that of traditional Chinese
painting, Moazzam uses paint in violently articulated patches.
Resembling blobs of colour close up, distance turns the beads of
paint into diverse objects and shapes. He explained that continual
painting practise creates an ambience in which the brush moves faster
than his thoughts, as if with a will of its own. Using surfaces
larger than the standard water-colour size, the artist's personal
idiom consists of a variety of methods that vary from carefully
balanced brush strokes to frenetic optical mixtures. Aiming for
spontaneity, he achieves a fresh, appealing surface quality, with a
strong design element involved. Often forms are sketched in with
charcoal lines or with a brush. His paintings, assimilating abstract
and impressionistic elements, work as a whole to capture the timeless
charm of his subject.
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S P O R T S
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950321
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New cricket board setup announced
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By Samiul Hasan
KARACHI, March 20: President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari tonight
announced the new BCCP setup with the appointments of a Chairman,
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Treasurer exercising the powers
vested in him under Articles 5, 6 and 7 of the Constitution of the
BCCP.
According to a Presidential announcement, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah
Bokhari has been appointed Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mr
Arif Ali Khan Abbasi Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Salman Taseer
Treasurer. In addition to this, the President has also appointed
Javed Burki as his adviser on cricket affairs.
The notification further states that the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB), with its modified name, will resume its duties with immediate
effect.
The Board has been revived after 432 days of its supersession on Jan
12, 1994 when it was headed by Dr Nasim Hasan Shah, former Chief
Justice of Pakistan.
Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah Bokhari, former Senator from Jhang and
ambassador to Spain, is a graduate of Atchison College, Lahore. He
had also played cricket for the college. This means that the Chairman
has a cricket background which will certainly help him in restoring
the affairs of the trouble-hit Pakistan cricket team besides lifting
the game in totality.
Arif Ali Khan Abbasi is not a knew person in cricket administration.
Abbasi held the office of Secretary, previous designation of CEO,
twice.
He first held the post between 1980 and 1984 in Air Marshal (retd)
Nur Khan's Board. He again came into reckoning in 1988 when Lt Gen
(retd) Zahid Ali Akbar headed the BCCP. Abbasi, however, resigned in
April 1991 though his resignation was unanimously disapproved by the
Council, the higher tier body of the BCCP.
Arif Abbasi was later appointed Treasurer of the BCCP between 1991
and 1994.
Salman Taseer is a member of the Central Executive of the ruling
People's Party and an active party man.
The newly formed Pakistan Cricket Board is expected to meet later
this week or early next week to decide its future line of action.
However, since President Leghari has shown faith and confidence in
the Ad hoc Committee, as evident that two of the committee members
are in the PCB, it is expected that the policies made by the Ad hoc
Committee will be followed by the PCB in toto.
The policies expected to be followed by the PCB include Salim Malik's
case, progress of World Cup plans, appointment of Khalid 'Billy'
Ibadullah as junior team manager till next year etc.
According to the new constitution, which has been approved by
President Leghari, the Pakistan Cricket Board will be run on the same
lines as other boards operate.
The Chairman will conduct the meetings of the PCB while the Treasurer
will look after the audit and accounts of the board. The Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) will be the man who will be running the
Board. He will be in direct contact with other boards and the ICC.
The CEO will also be discussing and planning future commitments of
the Pakistan cricket team which he will formally put before the PCB
and its Council for approval.
The term of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials will be of
three years though the Patron enjoys powers to supersede the Board if
he foresees any irregularity, an option that he exercised when
President Leghari ousted Dr Nasim Hasan Shah's board.
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950321
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Ban on cricket activity of Salim Malik lifted
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By Our Sports Reporter
KARACHI, March 20: The Ad hoc Committee, which initiated the probe
against Salim Malik has lifted the ban on the former Pakistan captain
on the day that the committee itself made way for the new BCCP setup,
indicating that evidence against him are weak. The decision was taken
after the three member committee held its last meeting in Islamabad
under the chairmanship of Javed Burki.
The Press release, issued from the National Stadium, states:
"At its meeting held on March 20, the Ad hoc Committee discussed its
legal adviser's report on the Salim Malik case. The committee found
that the seriousness of the allegations made by certain Australian
cricketers against Salim Malik warranted full opportunity to him to
defend himself. The committee has, therefore, acceded to his request
that he will be allowed to confront his accusers and cross-examine
them.
"The Chief Executive of the ICC has already been informed verbally of
the Ad hoc Committee's desire that the Australian cricketers involved
make themselves available for this purpose. The committee will now
make a formal request to the ICC.
"Salim Malik must be considered innocent until proved guilty. The ban
imposed on him by the committee has been removed and he is free to
play cricket during the tendency of the inquiry."
Salim Malik was initially suspended from all levels of cricket on
March 7 when he was issued the show-cause notice. Though his
suspension ended on March 14, the day he submitted his reply, the Ad
hoc Committee continued to bar the batsman till Monday (March 20)
when the Ad hoc Committee finally made a reversal of its decision and
lifted the ban.
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950321
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Back injury continues to dog Waqar's fine career
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By Our Sports Reporter
KARACHI, March 20: Speed merchant Waqar Younis will miss the
forthcoming Asia Cup in Sharjah as he has been ruled out of cricket
for at least six months.
His lay-off from the game may exceed to 12 months if the pacer
decides to undergo surgery as advised by three specialists.
Waqar Younis, who flew into the city on Sunday evening, consulted
Surgeon Mohammad Ali Shah at the A.O. Clinic later in the evening
before consulting another orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Najam, on Monday
afternoon before flying back to Lahore in the evening.
The opinion of the two specialists was not other than the view of
Lahore-based specialist, Dr Aamir Aziz, that Waqar should undergo
surgery.
Waqar is suffering from stress fracture in the back, the injury he
sustained on the South African tour which forced him to pull out from
the mid-tour of Africa.
Waqar's appointment with Dr Najam lasted for at least 60 minutes
during which the specialist informed Waqar of the seriousness of the
injury and its repercussions after surgery. Dr. Najam told Waqar that
if he underwent surgery, there was a risk that he may not be the same
bowler again as he may lose his pace. Dr Najam, however, informed
Waqar that if he decides to undergo surgery, he should first complete
the pre-operation requirement which is a complete course of
physiotherapy.
Waqar's career has been dogged by back injury. Immediately after
making his debut against India in Karachi in 1988-89, Waqar had to
pull out of the remaining two Tests. The injury recurred in early
1992 and he had to miss the World Cup which Pakistan won.