COPYRIGHT The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 1997 & The JANG Group of Newspapers, 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 July 1997 Thursday 04 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 MQM team meet US ambassador KARACHI: The MQM delegation met US Ambassador at the US Embassy Islamabad on Wednesday afternoon. Sindh Provincial Minister Dr Mohammed Farooq Sattar told The News on telephone that delegation members included Senators Nasreen Jaleel and Aftab Ahmed Shaikh. When asked that whether IG Sindh and DIG Karachi police have been asked to report to the Governor ,Farooq said " I am not aware of it better ask Sindh Chief Minister." Answering another question whether some drastic changes were expected in Karachi administration and police, Farooq Sattar said this should also be asked to Chief Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi. ------------------------- MQM protests with PM over arrests ISLAMABAD: The MQM has conveyed its protest to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Liaquat Jatoi over the 'unjustified' arrests in Karachi. The MQM has demanded of the government to prepare a fresh list of criminals before launching any operation against them in the metropolis. "The raids are being conducted in light of the old lists, which included the names of peace-loving citizens," the MQM observed. Senator Aftab Shaikh denied MQM's hand behind KESC chief Shahid Hamid's murder and termed it as a conspiracy as he was an important witness in the probe for extra-judicial killings. -------------------------- KESC's Shahid's murder a plot to destroy proof, claims MQM ISLAMABAD, July 9: MQM (A) Senator Aftab Sheikh on Wednesday denied involvement of his party in the murder of the managing director of KESC, Shahid Hamid, and termed it a "conspiracy" to eliminate a key witness to extrajudicial killings allegedly carried out in the city by the previous government. "The timings of the murder are very significant as the judicial commission constituted by the government to probe the incidents of extrajudicial killings is about to begin its proceedings in the next few weeks," he told Dawn. The commission under a sitting judge of the Supreme Court was constituted on June 23 and Mr Shahid Hamid was killed on July 5. Sen Aftab Sheikh alleged that "certain quarters" were against the constitution of the judicial commission. He said the MQM had signed an agreement with the Muslim League government in February and the commission was set up in June. These quarters, he said, did their best to prevent the government from setting up the commission but failed. He claimed that the late Mr Shahid, who was known as an honest, upright and disciplined officer, had been the home secretary of Sindh from March 1995 to February last year. During that period key workers of the MQM had been "eliminated" in extrajudicial killings. Mr Hamid, he said, was the most important witness in these cases. Sen Sheikh asserted that the KESC chief had been approached by certain quarters asking him not to produce facts before the commission while he (Shahid) was adamant to speak nothing but the truth. He admitted that the MQM was at loggerheads with the KESC chief over administrative issues and had also demanded his removal at a cabinet meeting. He said this could have created a situation that suited those who killed him. TEAM MEETS US ENVOY: A three-member MQM delegation led by Dr Farooq Sattar met US ambassador Thomas Simmons here on Wednesday. In the hour-long meeting held at the US embassy, the delegation discussed at length the current violence in Karachi with reference to investment being made by American companies in and around Karachi, a source said. The US ambassador expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation posing serious threat to the foreign investment in the country, the source said. The murder of KESC chief Shahid Hamid also came under discussion, he added. The MQM team was expected to meet the prime minister, as well, but the meeting was cancelled as the prime minister had to rush to Lahore on account of the death of his brother-in-law. ---------------------------- Gesture of love for Shahid Hamid KARACHI: The KESC Shareholders Association has proposed to the corporation's board of directors that the bungalow (75-B) at South Sea Avenue, where Shahid Hamid lived till his assassination, be allotted to his family in acknowledgment of his service to the nation. In a press release, the association's General Secretary, Choudhary Mazhar Ali, said that the association had written to the board of directors that the corporation's employees and shareholders wanted to present the said bungalow, which is the property of KESC, to the family of the deceased in a gesture of love, honour and respect for the deceased. He said that the KESC should also request the DHA to re-name the road, where the assassination took place, as 'Shahid Hamid Shaheed Road'. ----------------------------- 'Minister' from Guinea was a drug trafficker KARACHI, July 9: A so-called official visit by the "information minister" of Equatorial Guinea might have fooled the Pakistan government which accorded him full diplomatic status and arranged meetings with the president and finance minister for him. Santos Pascual, a former minister of information of the West African nation, was arrested on July 6 in Spain on the charge of heroin smuggling after ending a so-called official visit to Pakistan during which he met senior government officials, including President Farooq Leghari and Finance Minister Sartaj Aziz. According to a report by the Reuter news agency on Wednesday, the Spanish police were quoted as saying that Mr Pascual had left his ministerial post on June 26 (several days before he undertook his 'official' visit to Pakistan) but retained his diplomatic passport and used it to pass himself off as a diplomat. The report said Mr Pascual had been arrested at Madrid Barajas airport on July 6 with a suitcase which contained 15kg of heroin on arrival from a visit to Pakistan. The news agency quoted the Spanish police as saying that Mr Pascual had been arrested as part of an anti-drug operation against two international drug organisations which were involved in trafficking heroin out of Pakistan. The Spanish police said Mr Pascual who is a son-in-low of Equatorial Guinea's president was a minister till June 26 but still retained his diplomatic passport and used it for travel and to pass himself off as a diplomat. The police said they had also seized Equatorial Guinea government papers and the official seal of the security office of the country. Mr Pascual who undertook his visit to Pakistan passing himself off as the minister of information of his country also met senior business and industry representatives. His meeting with the president was shown on the national news bulletin. Mr Pascual even convinced this newspaper into granting him an interview (published on June 6) in which he said his country was interested in opening an embassy in Islamabad to step up trade ties. According to the Reuter report, the Spanish police said Mr Pascual made contact with "known Iranian drug traffickers" during his visit to Pakistan. -------------------------------------- Live photos of Karachi now on Internet KARACHI, July 9: Internet buffs now can see live photo shots of Karachi on the World Wide Web thanks to a special camera fitted on top of a building over looking the city's main artery, Sharea Faisal. According to a Press release from Instec Digital Systems, a Karachi-based company behind the project, the Web-based camera updates its images of this part of Karachi every 15 minutes. Internet users interested in finding more about Karachi can access these pictures at the web site address: http://www.instecdigital.com and then click on the 'Karachi CAM' button. ------------------------ 172 more people arrested, arms recovered in city KARACHI: The Karachi police, on the fifth day of its on-going drive against criminals, arrested 172 people on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in various cases and recovered arms and stolen or snatched vehicles from them. The police arrested at least 801 people till Tuesday, however, some were released on Wednesday following their clearing from the concerned deputy commissioners and the senior superintendents of police. On Wednesday, the police arrested 172 people from the the city and claimed recovery of a sten gun, five, pistols, five revolvers, ornaments and drugs. The leaders of various political groups and parties alleged that the police arrested innocent people during the last five days and implicated them in fake cases. When contacted the DIG Karachi, Malik Muhammad Iqbal, told The News that those found innocent were released after scrutiny and maintained that the drive was totally against criminals involved in cases or absconders or proclaimed offenders and not aimed at targeting any political parties or groups. -------------------------- Two bullet-riddled bodies found, women injured KARACHI: Two bullet-riddled corpses were found in city and a woman was injured in firing on Wednesday. Gulbahar police found bullet-riddled corpse of an unidentified man. Residents from Hoor Market in Nazimabad No: 2 had informed police about the corpse and reaching the spot police found the body of an unidentified youth of about 25 with its limbs tied. It was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed. Another corpse of an unidentified man was found lying in bushes Korangi police limits. Police said limbs of the deceased were tied while a slip saying 'Mukhbiri Ka Anjaam' was also found. Shifting it to JPMC police were looking into the matter. Meanwhile, an unidentified woman received bullet wounds in Ferozabad police limits. Further details were not available as police had no information about the incident. -------------------------- Journalist robbed, 15 vehicles snatched KARACHI: Armed men looted Rs0.5 million, gold ornaments, electrical appliances and snatched 15 vehicles from various parts of the city on Wednesday. The bandits injured a man on his resistance. Two armed men, riding a motorcycle, intercepted vehicle of Altaf, cashier of a mill in Korangi Industrial Area. They snatched Rs450,000 from him which he was bringing to the mill from bank along with driver Nisar. Two armed men, one of them in police uniform, riding a Suzuki intercepted the car of four Irani engineers near Bilawal House in Clifton and looted Rs13,000 from them and fled. Two armed men, riding a car, intercepted a motorcycle in Jauharabad. They ordered the owner Rashid Mehmood to hand over his motorcycle and on his resistance they shot and injured him. Later they fled taking his motorcycle. Bandits looted Rs20,000, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Muhammad Hafeez in Gulshan-e-Iqbal; cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from the residence Muhammad Riyaz. Four armed men barged into the residence of Ahmar Masti Khan, a well known journalist, at Sea View Township in Darakhshan police jurisdiction. They locked all the inmates in a room. The collected cash, prize bonds, jewellery and other valuables worth Rs400,000 and fled. According to area people armed men committed 15 robberies in Sea View Township during the last three weeks. -------------------------- Three bodies fished out KARACHI: Three bodies of the drowned picnickers were fished out by the Edhi divers on Wednesday. According to details, a group of college students had gone to the Cape Mount, Hawkesbay, for picnic on Sunday. Three of the youngsters -- Moonis Khan, Hassan Maqsood Wahidi and his brother Salman Wahidi -- left their group and went for swimming when a violent wave swept them away. The Edhi divers, however, could fish out the bodies of Hassan Maqsood Wahidi and his brother Salman Wahidi on Wednesday, while the body of Moonis Khan could not be located. Meanwhile, Edhi divers fished out the body of Barkat Ali, 17, who had drowned in the sea at Paradise Point on Tuesday. ---------------------------- One shot dead, another hurt KARACHI: A man was shot dead while another was injured in different firing incidents on Wednesday.Ameer Khan son of Waris Khan was shot dead by unidentified miscreants near Ibrahim Ali Bhai Auditorium at Nishter Road in the jurisdiction of Soldier Bazar police station. The corpse was shifted to the Civil Hospital for autopsy, however, further details were not available till the filing of this report. Imran, 22, was fired upon by some unknown men in the jurisdiction of New Karachi police station. Further details were not available till the filing of this report. --------------------- Man crushed to death KARACHI: A man was crushed to death under the wheels of a moving locomotive while a woman burnt to death on Wednesday. Fareed, son of Hazara, was crushed to death under the wheels of a moving train near the Landhi Railway Chowki. On information, the police reached to the spot and shifted the corpse to the JPMC for autopsy. Rukhsana, 29, was burnt to death in the jurisdiction of Saeedabad police. The police said that she received burn wounds while cooking at her home, at Block, C, Sector 9. Her husband, Jamshed Ali, rushed her to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medical aid but she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. ------------------- Court issues black warrants of two for July 19 KARACHI: The Additional District and Sessions Judge, East, Naseem Mansoor, on Wednesday issued black warrants for July 19, 1997 against two persons convicted in a murder in 1991. The warrants were issued on the formal request of the Superintendent of Central Prison, Karachi through a letter, pointing out that the accused, Javed Maseeh and Shamoon Maseeh, had been convicted years back and all of their appeals were rejected by the authorities concerned. The prosecution had established that the two had barged into an office of the Habib Group of Companies and subjected an staffer Muhammad Iqbal to torture, snatched three expensive watches, saving certificates and Khas Deposit Certificates from the office and finally electrocuted him. They were arrested later and indicted before the Sessions Court which had awarded death penalty to them. The defence went into appeals in the Sindh High Court and then to the Federal Shariat Court which maintained the trial court's verdict, making them approach the President of Pakistan with a mercy appeal. The President also upheld the decision. The Supdt Prison then moved the trial court and took the plea that as the convicts had exercised their constitutional rights and the punishment awarded to them had been maintained, their black warrants might be issued. The trial court, in turn, authorised the prison authorities to execute the convicts on July 19, 1997. ------------------ Judicial transfers, postings KARACHI: The Chief Justice of Sindh High Court has ordered transfers and posting of the Judicial magistrates with immediate effect. Accordingly S. Naseem Hasan Shah has been transferred from Karachi central to Kotri vice M Muhammad Iqbal Awan transferred from Kotri to Thatta vice Ijlal Hyder Memon who has been posted in Sanghar vice Muhammad Azim transferred and posted at Karachi central vice S. Naseem Hasan shah. Meanwhile in pursuance of notification issued by the Law Department, government of sindh the chief Justice has directed the following district and Sessions judge to join their new assignments: Syed Aley Maqbool Rizvi, Additional District and Sessions Judge Sukkur as Deputy Secretary (Regulation) Law Department, government of sindh and M Ahmed Nawaz Shaikh, Additional District and Sessions Judge Larkana as Deputy Secretary (Opinion), Law Department, government of Sindh. --------------------- Foreign agencies accused KARACHI: Central Information Secretary of National People's Party (NPP), Syed Zia Abbas, while holding RAW and other foreign secret agencies responsible for lawlessness in Karachi and Punjab, has urged the government to effectively check their involvement for the sake of the country's survival. He also urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to work on a one-point agenda i.e. to save the country, and all the political parties should shun their differences in this regard. Talking to newsmen on Wednesday, he maintained that ethnic clashes in Karachi and sectarian killings in Punjab were being master-minded by foreign secret agencies in a bid to weaken Pakistan. Criticising what he called baseless and unfounded propaganda launched against the Pakistani agencies by vested interests, Zia Abbas said that the national intelligence agencies were under the control of the government which should take immediate notice of this uncalled for propaganda. --------------------- PM's brother-in-law dies LAHORE: Dr Asif Butt, 32, brother-in-law of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, died in Islamabad of renal failure. Butt was suffering from kidney ailment for the last seven months, which proved to be fatal. He is survived by a widow. Dr Asif Butt was laid to rest in the afternoon at Bibi Pak Daman graveyard. His Namaz-e-Janaza was attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Governor Shahid Hamid, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, federal ministers Muhammad Azam Hoti and Ishaq Dar, former Punjab governor, MNAs MPAs, political leaders, businessmen, besides relatives and friends of the deceased. The funeral prayer was offered at the Tariq Block ground in Garden Town. -------------------- US visa services moving to Islamabad ISLAMABAD: All US visa functions in Pakistan will be shifted to newly-constructed facilities at the US Embassy at Islamabad later this month. The consolidation of visa services in Islamabad is a budget-driven decision, intended to help the embassy cut costs by eliminating duplication of services. After the move is completed, all US visa applicants in Pakistan will apply through the consular section of the American Embassy in Islamabad, says a USIS news release. All visa services currently offered by the Consulate General at Lahore will end on July 17. Special services for American citizens residing in Southern and central Punjab (Lahore, Bahawalpur, Multan, Rahimyar Khan, and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions) will remain an important part of the Lahore Consulate's activities. Such services include renewal of passports, issuance of birth certificates for American citizen children and assistance in emergencies. American Citizens residing at Sargodha and Gujranwala divisions should in future contact the US Embassy at Islamabad. Karachi Visa services at the US Consulate General in Karachi were suspended in 1995 amid security concerns following an attack on American diplomats there, but are to be restored as soon as is practical. The US keeps the question of returning Sindh / Balochistan visa services to Karachi under continuous review and discusses the security arrangements that will be required with the appropriate Pakistani officials. The US Embassy's Consular section will close for a week beginning July 21 to complete the move from their current offices in the former USAID building into new facilities at the US Embassy compound with a special consular entrance located just off University Road. After July 28 all Pakistani applicants for US visas, both immigrant and visitor visas, should apply to the US Embassy at Islamabad. Visa applicants from throughout Pakistan should call (051) 821-663 to arrange an appointment for a visa interview. Persons throughout Pakistan wishing to renew their expiring, multi-entry US visas may be eligible for drop-box services and should contact any TCS courier service officer for information on how to send visa applications to the Embassy at Islamabad. -------------------------- Privatisation of Railways opposed SUKKUR: The Privatisation of Railways would render thousands of employees jobless and was also against the national defence, the Pakistan Railway Employees Union CBA said on Wednesday. It said it would oppose the sale to a Jewish multi-national company. CBA Central President Hafiz Suleman Butt said this while addressing a big rally of workers of Loco Shed Rohri. He accused the bureaucrats, 'Jagirdars', industrialists 'Chaudhris' and 'Waderas' of making the country bankrupt. He said their properties be confiscated and their capital in foreign countries be seized to retire the debt, and the national organisations should not be sold out at throw-away prices. The central president said we have evolved a strategy which, if adopted, would make the Railways self-sufficient within a year. He said there are solid proofs of corruption and looting of the national exchequer by the senior railways officials. Lashing out on the DS Railway Sukkur Division he advised him to refrain from anti-labour practices. The others who addressed the rally included Central Secretary Khair Muhammad Tunio and Central Vice President M Ishaq Rana. --------------------------- Police nab three involved in sectarian killings BHAKKAR: The Bhakkar police on Wednesday claimed to have resolved the mystery shrouding the killing of nine persons at Khairpur Tamewali and the murder of DC Khanewal Capt Raza Ali, by smashing a gang involved in sectarian terrorism. S P Bhakkar Tariq Masud Yaseen told a press conference that one of the three persons arrested in connection with the murder of Tehrik-e-Jaferia district chief Syed Ejaz Hussain Shah, at Darya Khan a couple of days back, had confessed to his involvement in the Khairpur Tamewali killings and the murder of DC Khanewal Capt Raza Ali. According to the SP, the main accused in the Darya Khan incident, Hafiz Shafiqur Rahman, also had a major role in the firing incident at the Iranian Cultural centre in Multan in which several persons, including director of the centre were killed. The SP also claimed that accused Shafiqur Rahman, during interrogation, had provided a clue about the real assassins of SSP Gujranwala, Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Marth whose identity was however being kept secret. The SP told newsmen that the second accused, Asif Mahmud hailed from Okara and was allegedly involved in the killing of Dr Ijaz Imam. The third accused Tanveer Ahmed belonged to Darya Khan, and had allegedly been harbouring the terrorists besides dealing in illegal arms trade. To a question, the SP said all the accused had made voluntary statements during investigations conducted on scientific lines, and the accused had not been tortured at all. He said the Honda motorcycle used in the Darya Khan incident had been recovered from the accused. He said the accused had been sent to jail on judicial remand. He told newsmen that the IG Police, Punjab had promoted to the next ranks all the police officials concerned for showing bravery and excellent performance in this case. ------------------------- Hundreds of Iranian militants held in Afghanistan: JUI-F QUETTA: The Taleban government in Afghanistan has captured several hundred Iranian militants who were backing anti-Taleban forces during the ongoing fighting between Taleban government and rebel forces in northern Afghanistan, claimed Maulana Noor Muhammad, former provincial minister and Naib Ameer of JUI-F Balochistan. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, the Naib Ameer of JUI-F alleged that several foreign countries, including Iran, India, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, were continuously interfering in the affairs of Afghanistan in order to turn the situation there from bad to worse. However, Maulana Noor Muhammad refuted the allegations levelled by certain quarters that Pakistan was supporting the Taleban government against rebel forces in northern Afghanistan. He clarified that it was a baseless propaganda. He alleged that the continuation of bloodshed in Afghanistan was the result of foreign support to anti-Kabul forces. He asserted that the Taleban government was stable and strong and Taleban had occupied over two-thirds area of the country. This, he said, had proved that the anti-Taleban forces were facing defeat despite the support of Iran and Russia. He said the Iranian interference and support to rebel forces was meant to establish trade relations with Central Asian States so as to isolate Pakistan and Afghanistan in the matter of political and economic ties with the Central Asian States. The JUI-F leader called upon the Islamic countries to extend their cooperation to the Taleban government as Afghans were facing numerous hardships, adding that it was their Islamic responsibility to support the Islamic government of Taleban so that all the nefarious designs hatched by vested elements could be foiled. Replying to a question, about the rights given by Taleban to women in Afghanistan, Maulana Noor Muhammad said Islam is the only religion on earth which guaranteed the rights of women asserting that Taleban had already announced to accept the rights of women according to the teachings of Islam. ------------------------- NTM to telecast 'Kalash' from July 13 KARACHI: The NTM has come up with a drama serial "Kalash", portraying a love story in the country's most beautiful region, Kafiristan, which will be telecast from July 13 (Sunday). Briefing newsmen at the preview ceremony on Wednesday, Managing Director NTM Faisal Sher Jan said that it was for the first time that a full-fledged drama serial has been based on the Kalash people, living in the country's most beautiful region, Kafiristan. The story of Kalash revolves around a Kalash girl 'Gulnar' (Sidra Khan) and an educated and modern young man 'Shan' (Ali Afzal) who met each other in the valley and fell in love, emanating touching emotions and intense feelings. Speaking on the occasion, the playwright, Mustansar Hussain Tarar said: "I do not discourage those who shoot their dramas abroad, but I love to portray the culture and tradition of these regions of Pakistan." Talking about Kalash community he said: It is too difficult to determine the basic faith of this community. They love nature and they believe in nature. They are called Kafirs by the people because they are not Muslims. Their language is also different and have peculiar accent which is different from 'Khawad', the language spoken in Chitral. Kalash people are very broad-minded and they never mind if a husband or a wife fall in love with someone else and want separation to get remarried. A Kalash never tells a lie and he never steals even precious things." According to him the costumes and traditions of this community are rapidly changing due to fast commercialisation in the area, which is also snatching away their innocence. Faisal Sher Jan said that the story is a blend of Kalash values and urban life style. The artists -- Qazi Wajid, Subhani Bayounas, Jamshad Ansari, Ali Afzal and Ayaz Khan -- while sharing their experiences during the shooting of Kalash said that travelling between Karachi and Kafiristan through the mountainous region of Hindukush was itself a great adventure. The drama cast also includes: Qavi Khan, Yasmeen Ismail, Zaheen Tahira, Shaiyanne Malik, Ali Afzal, Sidra Khan, Jamshed Ansari, Ayaz Khan and others. Kalash, which comprises 13 episodes of 50-minute duration, will be telecast on every Sunday evening from July 13. ----------------------- IMF to await tax collection figures before concluding ESAF ISLAMABAD: The Extended Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) may not be finalised before October, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is likely to wait for the revenue collection figures for the first quarter of the current fiscal year ending September 30, sources said on Wednesday. The Fund's technical mission arrived in the Capital, to start a preliminary round of discussion with their Pakistani counterparts on revenue collection figures for the outgoing fiscal year. They are also expected to discuss the revenue targets set for the new fiscal year. "The most formidable task for the government is the collection of 20 per cent more taxes, with a projected economic growth rate of six per cent, during the new fiscal year," said a senior official in the Central Board of Revenue (CBR). It has been learnt that a vital meeting of senior CBR officials was convened by the Ministry of Finance on July 6. The meeting is believed to have discussed strategies to improve tax collection through better administrative measures. "Many of the regional heads of tax collection machinery, who participated in the meeting, voiced their concern about such a high tax collection target ... though they did not flatly say no to the government's standpoint," said a senior CBR official. According to him, while the CBR had almost achieved the revenue collection target for the outgoing fiscal year, problems were likely to emerge during July-September, as all economic activity would remain under strict vigilance of various IMF missions. These missions are scheduled to visit Islamabad during this period before concluding discussion on the ESAF. The new tax collection target largely depended on immediate revival of large-scale manufacturing sector, said the CBR official, as the government was expecting more revenue without imposing any new taxes while reducing the maximum rate of import tariff from 65 to 45 per cent. "A substantial loss of revenue from import duties can only be covered if smuggling is curbed and imports are enhanced," the official said. He said that revenue targets would not be achieved unless new economic reforms trigger industrial output. He told The News that the CBR had already taken the decision to impose GST at retail level in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, but the final decision was being awaited from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The government, the official said, would have to take some tough decisions in the near future, like extending GST at the retail level, to qualify for the ESAF. "(The) ESAF is extremely important for the government ... as it will determine the future economic prospects of the country, particularly with reference to external finance," a senior Finance Ministry official said, requesting anonymity. "(The) ESAF is crucial ... in the sense that two international credit rating agencies, the Moody's and the Standards & Poor, will be reviewing Pakistan's credit-worthiness in November this year. Last November, the Moody's downgraded Pakistan's credit rating, which seriously affected Pakistan's borrowing from external resources, making it more expensive," said the Finance Ministry official. It has also been learnt that WAPDA's financial health would also be one of the main points of discussion with the visiting IMF mission. The country's largest public sector power company is currently running into losses amounting to billions of rupees. "WAPDA's financial losses will be enormously high during this fiscal year due to contractual payments to the Independent Power Projects (IPPs)," said an official, adding that the initial estimates put these losses around Rs 35-40 billion. "WAPDA's default on payment to foreign private power companies during fiscal year 1997-98 will in turn be a default by the government, as it is a public sector entity by all definitions," the official said. Sources in the government said that the real problems would start after the release of ESAF's first tranche, as IMF conditions would become more difficult to meet with the passage of every quarter of the fiscal year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 July 1997 Friday 05 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 Ten more ministers to take oath today ISLAMABAD, July 10: President Farooq Leghari will take the oath of 10 more ministers here on Friday, expanding the cabinet to over 20 members. Informed sources told Dawn here on Thursday that prime minister Nawaz Sharif, held a long discussion with his close aides today and finalised the names and portfolios of the new ministers. According to details the prime minister has approved the final list which include: Chauhdry Nisar Ali Khan (political coordination with addition portfolio of petroleum), Syed Ghous Ali Shah (education), Sheikh Rashid (sports, culture and tourism), Sardar Yaqub Nasir (railways), Javed Hashmi (health), Senator Raja Zafar ul Haq (religious affairs), Mian Yasin Khan Wattoo( parliamentary affairs), Mohammad Siddiq Kanjo (minister of state for foreign affairs), Mian Abdus Sattar Khan Lalika (agriculture), MQM's Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui (production and industries) and Halim Siddique. However it could not be ascertained as to what ministry will be offered to Mr Halim, a PML MNA from Karachi. Sources said that name of late dictator Zia ul Haq, Ijaz ul Haq was dropped because of his alleged repeated statements against the government especially the latest one in which he had said that the prime minister should have not forgotten his and Sheikh Rashid's political services before the formation of the first phase of the cabinet. However it was also said that Ijaz met the prime minister today and requested him not be included in the cabinet as he was not interested in it and that he would continue supporting the PML policies. Earlier he was tipped for the ministry of labour, manpower sand overseas Pakistanis. Sources also named Raja Nadir Pervaiz, Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood, Begum Tehmina Daultana and Majeed Malik for induction in the cabinet but the decision was to be finalised late Thursday night. The idea of making adviser Khalid Anwar and Mushahid Hussain as the federal ministers was said to have been also been dropped and it was decided that they would continue in their present capacity with the status of the federal ministers. "The prime minister has decided to have its maximum cabinet of 23 members still less than the requirement of three more ministries," said a source. He told Dawn that the expansion in the cabinet had become imperative as it was becoming more and more difficult to address many important issues related to various ministries where there were no ministers earlier. ------------------------ MQM refuses to accept drop of PAF fighter's fuel tanks as accident ISLAMABAD: Allied to the government MQM(A) without confirming its movement to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on the incident in which fuel tanks of one of the PAF fighters were dropped near its headquarters in Karachi, refused to accept it as an incident and declared it as a planned act against the party. Deputy Convenor of MQM Central Co-ordinating Committee Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh on Wednesday at Parliament House refused to comment on the issue without green signal from the party Chief Altaf Hussain. Replying to NNI Aftab said, "MQM investigated on the incident and found that PAF fighter deliberately dropped the fuel tanks just near the 90 with the object that the same episode may also be repeated targeting the MQM head office in Karachi." He said that findings of a high level investigative committee comprising on the experts including a PAF retired Group Captain and a former pilot on the incident were dispatched to London for the perusal of the party chief "we don't know what action in London was taken on the same." He said that after the incident when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the affectees of the incident in Karachi an Air Vice Marshal of PAF had briefed him at the airport that it was merely an incident "but don't believe that it was just an incident." When he was asked to comment why MQM selected UNHCR rather than any international body on human rights on moving against the incident, he said, "UNHCR is also a body on human rights." When asked the reaction of the government on MQM's persuasion to UNHCR, he said that there was no reaction so far.--NNI ------------------------ Thackeray 'bans' Nusrat Fateh Ali in India BOMBAY: A controversial Hindu leader has 'banned' a popular Pakistani singer from India for allegedly making anti-Indian remarks, newspapers said on Thursday. Bal Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena party, said he would not allow singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to "set foot again in India." Thackeray's remarks were published by the Shiv Sena party newspaper 'Saamna' (Encounter). "I warn you against bringing Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan again to India," Thackeray said, in a threat addressed to an Indian music director. He also imposed a 'ban' on the sales of the singer's recordings. ------------------------ Bomb explodes near Muzaffarbad MUZAFFARABAD: A powerful bomb exploded in the refugee camp situated at Ambore, some 5 kilometres from the main city of muzaffarabad, on Thursday. The bomb damaged he house of a refugee Nazar Hussain, son of Fateh Haider. As the bomb exploded in the compound of his house, the walls of the house got damaged. No causality was reported due to the blast The police and agencies are investigating the cause of the blast. ------------------------ Four killed in Karachi KARACHI: Four people were killed and two women received bullet wounds in different incidents on Thursday. The body of Ali Akbar (33) was found hanging in the graveyard near Garam Chashma in Manghopir. The body, found blindfolded with the hands and legs tied, was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital by the police. The medico-legal officer said the victim carried torture marks and was hanged to death. According to police, Ali was kidnapped by unknown people three days ago from Mahmoodabad and after torturing him they hanged him to death. The body of an unidentified 13-year-old boy was found from near Student Biryani Restaurant. The body, found blindfolded with hands and legs tied, was shifted to the JPMC by the Brigade police. The MLO said that the victim carried marks of torture and was hanged to death. Shahid, 21, received bullet wounds outside his house when some unidentified people riding motorcycles opened fire near railway crossing in Sharifabad. The area people took him to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, but he died on the way. The decomposed body of an unidentified 35-year-old man bearing stab wounds was found from the bushes of Sector 9, Surjani Town. It was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy, where the MLO said it was at least two days old. Aysha, 30, and her sister-in-law Shameem, 18, received bullet wounds when some unknown people opened fire at them on Manghopir Road in Pak Colony while they were standing outside their residence. ---------------------- Electronics dealer looted, 15 vehicles snatched KARACHI: Two armed men looted over Rs 1.4 millions from a electronic dealer on Thursday. Besides, armed men looted thousands of rupee, gold ornaments, electrical appliances and snatched 15 vehicles from various parts of the city. Two armed men, riding a car, intercepted the vehicle of Alhaj Rafi Ahmed, an electronic dealer in Civil Lines, and snatched Rs 1.4 millions from him, while he was returning to his office after drawing cash from the bank. However, the Civil Lines police denied the incident and said that two unidentified persons stole cash from the electronic dealer's vehicle parked outside a bank. Bandits looted Rs 350,000 from Muhammad Ishaq in Gadap; cash, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Nazeer Ahmed in New Karachi; Rs 160,000, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal; Rs 60,000, jewellery and other valuables from a house in Malir City; Rs 75,000, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a residence in Ferozabad and Rs 200,000, jewellery and other valuables from a house in Bahadurabad. --------------------- One killed in accident KARACHI: A young man was killed and two were injured in two incidents on Thursday. Wakeel, 20, was knocked down to death, when a speeding passenger train ran him over at Drigh Road Railway Station. He was crossing the track. Ahmad Ali and his friend Yaqoob were injured when their speeding motorcycle collided with a car in Quaidabad. An unidentified, 30-year-old man drowned in the sea at Clifton Beach in Darakhshan. Edhi divers were engaged in attempts to recover the body till filing this report. ----------------------- Youth shot dead, body found KARACHI: A man was gunned down by unknown people in Napier on Thursday.Ghulam Hussain, 26, owner of a shop received bullet wounds, when two armed men riding a motorcycle, opened fire at him at in Napier, while he was standing outside his shop. The area people took him to Civil Hospital, in critical condition,however, he succumbed to his wounds on the way to the hospital. According to the police this murder was due to an old enmity. Meanwhile a body of a Farooq, 30, was found at his residence in Liaquatabad. His body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for postmortem. The MLO said the victim had taken poisonous food, however, his viscera was preserved for chemical examination. --------------------- Boy commits suicide KARACHI: A boy was found dead in mysterious circumstances in a bungalow of his boss at Al-Hamra Society in Tipu Sultan on Thursday. A strangulated body of Muhammad Haq Nawaz, 12, was found in the servant quarters of a bungalow 13 of Shaikh Rafiq at AL-Hamra Society.His body was shifted to JPMC by area police for postmortem.The MLO said that deceased was strangulated. According to the police Haq Nawaz came from Faisalabad for job. On Wednesday night after dinner he went to his room and in the morning his body was found. Police claims that Haq Nawaz committed suicide by hanging himself. --------------------- Injured DMC student dies, work at CHK suspended KARACHI, July 10: Abu Zahid Narejo, who has been struggling for life since Monday and has been on ventilator support at the Civil Hospital, died early Thursday morning. His body was removed to his hometown Sanghar. He had received serious head injuries at Dow Medical College on Monday when there took place a fight between student groups of Sindhi Medicos Association and Islami Jamiat Talba. According to Medico-legal officer of the Civil Hospital, his death resulted from serious head injuries, Abu Zahid died of acute head injuries at 6.30am. Following the announcement of Abu Zahid's death, the work at the Casualty, OPDs and different operation theatres remained suspended. According to Prof. Illahi Bakhsh Soomro, principal of the DMC, work at the hospital resumed later in the day and Emergency started functioning. Prof. Soomro said the student died early Thursday morning. He said Abu Zahid was a second year student and was getting ready for his supplementary examinations scheduled to begin later this month. "Zahid was a brilliant student. He secured A-1 grade in intermediate examinations and got admitted to DMC on open merit," the principal said. He said he wanted to have the last glimpse of the student because he belonged to his college. But, he added, he could not cover the distance up to Civil Hospital mortuary because the atmosphere was highly charged and students were raising slogans against him. Owing to the present situation, he said pending further orders, the practical and viva voce examinations of final year MBBS had been postponed and the new dates would be announced later. Following the death of Abu Zahid Narejo, the Sindh Medical College, JPMC, National Institute of Child Health, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, adjacent post office and banks will remain closed for three days, claimed a Sindh Medicos Association (SMA) Press release and added that these institutions also remained closed on Thursday. A Sindh Medicos Association Press release said that students belonging to SMA blocked the JMPC road on Thursday where different SMA leaders addressed a protest meeting. They demanded of the administration that killers of Abu Zahid Narejo were arrested and awarded exemplary punishment. They also said that for seven days the Civil Hospital would not function as a mark of mourning. The Dow Medical College remained closed on Thursday for the third consecutive day. The Dow Medical College was closed indefinitely on Tuesday following a clash between two student groups on Monday. At least 11 persons were injured, two of them seriously - Mr. Narejo succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning - in a clash between the workers of Sindhi Medicos Association and Islami Jamiat Talba at Dow Medical College on Monday. The condition of the other injured, now being treated at Liaquat National Hospital has been stated to be improving. Both the groups have blamed each other for the clash. The police have arrested seven persons in this connection. ------------------------ City's first test-tube baby born KARACHI, July 10: The first test-tube baby of Karachi was born at a city hospital on Wednesday night. The baby boy, weighing 2.9 kg, was born through Cesarian section done by obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Shaheen Zafar, a leading member of a team of gynaecologists, embryologists working at Baqai Institute of Reproductive Developmental Sciences (BIRDS) under the supervision of Dr Zahida Baqai. Both the new born and her mother are well. The BIRDS is a centre for assisted reproductive techniques (ART) where infertile couples are treated with the latest technology called "Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). The first test-tube baby in the country was born at Lahore whose obstetrician was Dr Rashid Latif. According to KMC's Sobhraj Maternity Home medical superintendent Dr Syed Sher Shah, also a gynaecologist, the most modern test-tube method of treating infertile couples is a boon for infertile people. "About 18 to 20 per cent people are infertile in Pakistan", he said, adding that the disease called mums is one of the main causes of infertility. Dr Sher Shah, who is also secretary of Pakistan Medical Association, Karachi, said that about 25 per cent of those who fall prey to mums in their childhood become infertile. ------------------------ Body formed for schools' recognition KARACHI: A joint Inspection committee has been formed by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) Karachi and The Directorate of Secondary and higher Secondary Education, Karachi region, for quick disposal of recognition/renewal cases of secondary schools, said a BSE press release. The members of the joint committee are: Saifullah Khan, a retired deputy director of schools-convener, Syed Javed Iftikhar of BSE, M Musa Baloch, a retired DEO, and Noor Elahi Raja, a retired SDEO. All applications for recognition/renewal of secondary schools would be received at the board between 8.30 am to 12,30 pm till further order, added the press release. ----------------------- BIE issues criteria for first year admissions KARACHI: The Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, has finalised the criteria or conditions for heads of institutions regarding admissions to first year classes for all groups in colleges and higher secondary schools for the academic session 1997-98. According to the BIE sources, the criteria was being sent to the Directorate of Colleges for onward distribution among the heads of institutions, requiring strict adherence to the rules. The Board has warned that no admission would be granted after the last date fixed by the authority or to any student who has passed the SSC or its equivalent examination in 1995 or earlier. Candidates falling into this category would have to obtain a 'gap permission' from the BIE. Transfer certificate from one institution to another local institution should not be issued by the institutions after expiry of the date of admission without prior permission of the Board and no transfer case should be entertained by an institution without written permission from the Board. Provisional admission should be granted to such students who have failed in SSC Part-II examination 1997 in up to two subjects from the BIE, Karachi, only. Students of such category would also have to obtain permission from the Board after acquiring NOC from the principal. Admission should not be granted to students who have passed their SSC supplementary examination 1997 from other than Karachi Board. They, however, would be eligible to take admission in the next academic session, ie 1998-99. Students having passed in seven subjects of O Level examination including Islamiat, Pakistan Studies, English and Urdu should be granted admission in HSC Part-I on production of permission from the BIE. The students belonging to other boards would necessarily have to produce migration certificate from their respective boards. Students having appeared in the HSC Part-I or -II examination from Karachi Board or any other board in Pakistan should not be re-admitted to HSC Part-I in any case, added the BIE circular. ------------------------- Gross inequity between student-teacher ratio, shows a survey KARACHI, July 10: There is an absolute inequity between the teacher-student and student-classroom ratio at public sector science colleges and also between those run by the government and private sector. According to statistics compiled by Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association, a total of 21,385 students were admitted to 56 science colleges as against 4,248 who got admission in 54 private institutions last year. In the government-run colleges, these students were distributed in 174 sections of pre-medical and pre-engineering classes, but a very uneven distribution was seen in a number of colleges. Some of the colleges had as many as over 200 students enrolled for one class or section and some others having the lowest enrolment of even 11 students per class. The colleges that have registered around 200 students for a class include St. Patrick's College, Aisha Bawani College, Government College Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Government Delhi College, Government Jinnah College, Government PECHS College for Women, Government Sir Syed College for Women, Government's St. Joseph's College, Government Khursheed College for Women. The institutes at the bottom of enrolment per section include Government College Asifabad where 11 students admitted (eight in pre-engineering and three in pre-medical groups). Pending the announcement of the SSC-II science results, the directorate of colleges has been finalising the admission policy for 1997 in accordance with a directive from the education minister that none of the D and E graders is deprived of admission, sources said. A meeting of the city college principals a week ago had discussed the matters pertaining to forthcoming admissions to first year classes and decided to formulate a policy based on suggestions made at the meeting. The Sindh education minister, who was also present at the meeting, told the directorate officials that it was each and every individual student's right to get admission in college and steps should be taken to provide them admissions. He said the principals would be given due authority in the admission process so that they could utilise their experience and administrative expertise and that all students should be provided with the opportunities to acquire knowledge. He said once the policy with regard to 1997 admissions was finalised, principals of the colleges, it is expected, would go by rules and would not succumb to any pressure for making unlawful admissions in colleges. Owing to the present admission policy, it is feared that this year situation may worsen because of the fact that the city had been facing an acute shortage of colleges as the existing number of 80 plus institutions with a capacity to accommodate some 30,000 students had already been squeezed to their optimum. This must be mentioned that a large majority of students qualifying their SSC examinations in 1994-95 could be adjusted only after the Sindh Education Department made a policy decision under which candidates securing A, B an C grades were extended admissions in morning shifts while those attaining D and E grades sought admission in evening shift. The fact is that a number of city colleges, such as St Joseph's, Adamjee, PECHS, Sir Syed and Delhi, have been obliging around 100 to 180 students in each class. The St. Patrick's College admitted as many as 246 students in each class. The College Principals Association has maintained that the colleges were already faced with a deficit of 380 teachers when there was a teacher-student ratio of 1:60, and after the first year admission for 1997, the teacher-student ratio would become 1:75. For example, the number of students in first year class reached around 200 in PECHS Government College, making it extremely difficult for a teacher to have her voice heard to the student on the last bench. Likewise, at St. Joseph's College, one of the colleges where admissions were made in excess in hundreds, students had to sit on windows and even on floors to attend to their classes. The existing laboratories also had to face a similar problem on account of a heavy load of students who simply could not cope with this load. The condition of chemistry laboratories at St Joseph's and Government Gizri colleges are cases in point, senior teachers said. Admissions in excess were made at the behest of all influential people, including Sindh chief minister, education minister and his adviser, with an assurance to the principals of these colleges that teachers, equipment other needed arrangements would be made 'soon' to meet the added burden. But contrary to their claims, none of the assurances were ever met by the government and its functionaries, sources said. Director Colleges, Prof Tahir Husain, said the admission policy to first year classes would be announced shortly, and it was now in final stages. He said the directorate was working on this matter by anticipating that the results of the science group would be announced in the third week of July and that the students would be getting marksheets in the fourth week of this month. Prof Husain said in August the examination process for the first year classes would be completed. When asked that there was an uneven distribution of seats in city science colleges, the director said policy was being finalised and steps were being taken to remove such anomalies. To another question, the director said last year was in fact a year when things went beyond control as far as the matter of admissions was concerned, but this year things would be streamlined. ------------------------ Romeo-Juliet Romance Puts Pakistani Parents in Jail By Sheni Humayun It is a story of a Pakistani family, which had migrated to Canada, now a days the second best land of opportunity, one and a half years ago from Pakistan. Ashfaque Ahmad, a rich businessman who had factories in Pakistan and a number of electronics shops in Saudi Arabia, came over to Toronto and settled in an apprtment building with his wife and three daughters. They lived on the fourth floor, happily. There also resided on the 10th floor, Zakir Mahmood, age 23, an unemployed security guard, with his parents. It was love at first sight when one of the daughters, Aqsa Ahmed,18 years old and a Grade 11 student, and Zakir saw each other in the elevator. Within eight months of meeting each other the young pair defied tradition and, worried about the reaction of Aqsa's parents, eloped. Aqsa and Mahmood got married in a civil ceremony in Toronto June 13 and in a traditional Islamic ceremony at the Muslim Association Mosque June 17. They met with her parents, Friday night, who were initially opposed to the union, but then came around and accepted the marriage as a fait accompli. Aqsa thought all was well when her parents decided to plan a wedding reception with friends and family set for later this month. Zakir also got the impression that everything was going well after he had the meeting with her parents in the apartment building where both families lived. Her parents told her that they will rent a hall and celebrate the marriage in a proper Pakistani way. They asked Aqsa to stay with them overnight in their fourth-floor apartment, her home before the marriage, instead of returning to the 10th-floor apartment, her new home after the marriage, she shared with her husband. It was logical and she agreed. At about 3 a.m. Friday she was awakened by her mother, and was told that her father had suffered a heart attack and had to be rushed to hospital. She got panicky and went to her father's room and found her dad was lying on the floor. Already dazed, Aqsa was given several pills by her mother, put into the vehicle with her father and told they were rushing to hospital. Her uncle and aunt and a helpful neighbor were also with her. So far so good. During the two-hour drive to the US-Canadian border, Aqsa kept asking her parents where they were going, but they had no answer. She now felt that something was wrong, but her mother told her to go to sleep whenever she asked something. She said we have to go to another hospital for daddy, but Aqsa knew the hospital wasn't that far away. When the family's van pulled over at U.S. customs and immigration on the Peace Bridge, on the border of Canada and America, near Niagara Falls, Aqsa rushed out shouting that she was being taken against her will. She was very much afraid they would take her back to Pakistan. She tried to tell immigration people that something was wrong while her mother and father, kept saying, "ignore her, she is crazy, she needs some medical help, we are getting it for her," but the officer did not buy their word for it. Taken into separate rooms, Aqsa and her parents were questioned separately and the story quickly unravelled, to their bad luck. They called her husband, Mahmood, and found that she was being separated from her husband; that what was happening was wrong. Aqsa and Mahmood are now back together, reunited after American authorities say they foiled an attempt by Ahmed's parents to spirit her across the border and take her back to Pakistan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 July 1997 Saturday 06 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 MQM expels two, suspends membership of eight activists HYDERABAD: The leadership of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM), taking serious notice of the unlawful activities of some activists, has expelled two activists from the party and suspended the membership of eight others. A high-powered MQM committee led by MNA Tariq Javed had initiated inquiries into various incidents in the last couple of days. The top leadership of MQM at London decided, in the light of committee findings, to expel Furqan alias Seema of Mumtaz Colony and Waseem Sheikh of Cheetal Chari, Khatta Chowk. MQM teams found that Furqan Seema was involved in the firing incident at Ghareeb Nawaz Chowk on Tuesday in which a pedestrian was killed and three others were seriously wounded in an attempt to get hold of a Digri-Hyderabad route coach van stop to collect Bhatta. The other expelled activist is Waseem Sheikh, who was reportedly involved in hooliganism in the locality and was involved in cases of extortion. The membership of the following eight activists was suspended: Arif Oilwala (who was also involved in Ghareeb Nawaz Chowk incident), Waseem Qaim Khani, Nadeem Zaidi, Waseem Ghazi, Shahid, Rashid, Aslam alias Asloo and Shehzad alias Guddi of Latifabad Unit No. 9 and 10. MQM sources said that an inquiry into the incident of village Mahi Mian (in which three villagers were kidnapped and tortured by the MQM activists) was also underway. ----------------------------- 14 new ministers inducted into federal cabinet ISLAMABAD: Fourteen (14) new ministers and ministers of state were inducted into the federal cabinet on Friday morning at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. President Farooq Leghari administered the oath to 10 federal ministers and four ministers of state at a simple ceremony, which was delayed by 40 minutes because Yasin Wattoo, Tehmina Daultana and MQM legislator Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui could not reach the spot. The president eventually administered the oath to 13 ministers. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the minister for industries, could not make it in time. He was sworn in separately. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was present on both the occasions. Punjab Governor Shahid Hamid along with a number of ministers, advisers and bureaucrats also witnessed the swearing-in ceremony. "All are experienced people. I hope they will produce positive results and achieve the objectives for which the people have accorded an overwhelming mandate to us," said Nawaz after the swearing-in ceremony. The prime minister's two advisers, Syed Mushahid Hussain and Khalid Anwar, will hold their present positions in the cabinet, which now has 17 ministers and five ministers of state. Leader of House in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq has for the first time become a full minister since 1988. He has the portfolio of Religious Affairs, Ushr, Zakat and Minorities Affairs. Shaikh Rashid Ahmed is the Minister for Culture, Tourism, Sports and Youth. He has the additional charge of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, which he will retain until Ejazul Haq gives up what a PML leader termed 'haughtiness'. Raja Nadir Pervez has got the plumiest portfolio out of all the new entrants. He has Water and Power, taken away from Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who will retain the Petroleum and Natural Resources portfolio with the additional charge of Inter-Provincial Coordination. Observers see this as a setback to Nisar who, they say, has lost more than he has gained. "He has been cut down to size," commented a guest at the oath-taking ceremony. Majid Malik is the Minister for Kashmir, Northern Areas and State and Frontier Regions. He has been lobbying hard for a cabinet slot. Veteran Leaguer from Sindh, Ghous Ali Shah, is the Minister for Education. Sardar Yaqoob Nasir is the federal cabinet's lone Baloch. He was allotted Railways. Javed Hashmi has the portfolio of Health. Tehmina Daultana is the Minister of State for Women Development and Social Welfare. Abdul Sattar Laleka is the Minister for Food and Agriculture. Siddique Kanju is the State Minister for Foreign Affairs. Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood is the State Minister for Environment, Local Government and Rural Development. Yasin Wattoo is the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. Captain Haleem Siddiqui, a PML MNA from Karachi, is the State Minister for Water and Power. Prime Minister Sharif, who has Defence, Establishment, Cabinet, and Science and Technology portfolios with him, parried questions about the fate of Ejazul Haq, his party's senior president, who refused a cabinet post. "No comments. Next question," was the prime minister's response to repeated questions on the subject. He said that his ministers would deliver the goods because they were all experienced. All the new ministers said the usual things after being sworn in. "I will fulfill my responsibility to the best of my abilities," said Javed Hashmi. Education Minister Ghous Ali Shah said: "I will give top priority to literacy. A country cannot progress without a good literacy rate." Water and Power Minister Raja Nadir Pervez said that he would streamline the working of Wapda. "Power theft will be stopped. Electricity tariff will not be increased. The government will try to end loadshedding," he pledged. Shaikh Rashid said that he would turn his ministry around. APP adds: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said no decision has yet been taken on downsizing of the federal government employees. The prime minister, in a brief chat with reporters at the Aiwan -e-Sadr, to a question on the subject said: "talk of right-sizing". Asked whether there would be further expansion in the federal cabinet, he said "only time will tell". The prime minister said the new members of the federal cabinet "are an experienced lot", adding, "the team will deliver goods". He hoped, the ministries, under his guidance, would work hard to serve the people and accomplish the task assigned to them. The prime minister said, the people reposed their trust in PML and the federal cabinet would prove to be a "result-oriented team." Nawaz Sharif parried the question on Ejazul Haq's reported decline to accept ministership. ----------------------------- Sectarian violence claims one more life FAISALABAD, July 11: Two armed men shot dead a Tehrik-i-Jafria activist at Regal Chowk here on Friday. Riding a motorcycle, the gunmen opened fire on Fida Hussain who was attending customers at his shop. He died on the spot. Aslam, a newspaper hawker, was hit by a stray bullet when the assailants targeted Fida. He was taken to the DHQ hospital where his condition was stated to be critical. ----------------------------- DSP's two sons among eight killed in Karachi KARACHI: Eight people, including four policemen and an MQM (Haqiqi) activist, were gunned down in the city on Friday. Among the four policemen were two sons of a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) who were killed near a mosque. The single terrorist strike, which claimed five lives, took place in Shamsi Colony, Shah Faisal, within the jurisdiction of Al-Falah Police Station. According to the police, the two sons of DSP Malir Headquarter Aziz-ur-Rehman - Sub-Inspector Kashif Aziz, 35, and Rashid Aziz, 25 -- driver Constable Arshad, 25, and guard Constable Javed were killed by three unidentified gunmen near Shamsi Masjid when they were coming out of the mosque after offering Jumma prayers. After completing the action, the gunmen hijacked a Suzuki Alto (Z-5193) along with its driver Rasheedullah, who was also policeman of Malir Police Lines and deputed at the MT Workshop. The car was owned by Chief Engineer Malik Muhammad Anwer of a courier service, who was travelling along with a relative. The gunmen later also shot dead Rasheedullah in the same vehicle, which was found abadnoned near a ground in the same area. A senior police official, however, suspected that the driver was not abducted, but was an accomplice of the gunmen. The police said that the gunmen, who were three in number, had used a TT pistol and two AK-47 assault rifles in the killings. Doctors said that the victims were fired upon from a close range and the bullets hit the upper parts of their bodies. Although the motive behind the killings could not be established, police sources told The News that the incident seemed to be an act of revenge by the assailants, who settled the score of killing of MQM activists: Farooq Patani alias Farooq Dada, Javed Micheal, Babar Deputy and another, who were killed in an alleged police encounter about two years ago. The sources said that the wife of Farooq Patni was the fiancee of Sub-Inspector Kashif Aziz. However, it was widely believed that Farooq had forcibly taken Kashif's fiancee with him and later married her. After the killings of Farooq Dada and his accomplices, the sources said, Kashif Aziz had got himself transferred to the FIA in Islamabad. He was recently transferred back to the FIA Crime Circle-I in Karachi. On receiving the information of the incident, a large number of relatives, friends and police officials reached the house of DSP Aziz-ur-Rehman. Aziz-ur-Rehman told The News that it was a brutal incident. He said that it was after the publication of a few news items regarding his sons that he started receiving threatening phone calls. "I know who did it, but what can I say at the moment," he added. In another incident, MQM (H) activist Nadeem Ghani, 26, who was a private Suzuki pick-up driver, sustained bullet wounds when some unidentified gunmen fired at him in Jamshed Quarters near Karachi Central Jail, when he was standing outside a shop. His relatives took him to the Civil Hospital in critical condition but he succumbed to his wounds on the way. Unidentified assailants also gunned down Muhammad Ashfaq, 22, in Khokrapar area within the jurisdiction of Malir City Police Station. The assailants fired at him when he was coming out of a mosque after offering Fajr prayers. The area people called up the police, who shifted the corpse to the JPMC for autopsy. Muhammad Khalid, 65, was killed when armed men fired at him in Korangi K Area while he was sitting outside his residence. Meanwhile, after the Namaz-e-Janaza of the policemen, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Karachi Police Range Malik Muhammad Iqbal told the police force: "It is too much now. Those who were gunned down were just killed because they were serving the masses by putting their lives at stake. I will take some courageous actions soon, which will help restore peace in the city. We will book the law-breakers soon." The DIG told The News that the killing of driver Rasheedullah was still a mystery. "We are looking into the matter and will resolve it soon. I have deputed DSP Gulzar-e-Hijri to look into the matter." Meanwhile, the MQM claimed that deceased Rashid Aziz, one of the sons of the DSP, was their activist. In a handout faxed to The News, the MQM claimed that Rashid Aziz was their activist in Unit No 310 of the party's Shah Faisal Sector. ------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Two killed in city, skeleton found KARACHI: Two people were killed in city on Friday. Body of Rabnawaz Khan, 40, a watchman was found A hanging in his duty room at International Centre in Artillary Maidan. It was shifted to Civil Hospital. The MLO of Civil Hospital said the limbs of the deceased was tied with rope and he had died of strangulation. According to police three of his fellow watchmen, Khuzdar, Asif and Sultan, had dinner with him and had remained at the place for the night. In the morning the three were missing and body of Rabnawaz was found hanging. Area police registered the case against the watchmen. Shakeel Baloch, 30, was shot dead by Deen Muhammad, a security guard of Momin Square in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Police said the deceased, along with his wife, had come to the local clinic and had exchange hot words with the security guard who opened fire at him and fled. A skeleton was found from bushes in Mauripur police limits. It was taken to Civil Hospital. -------------------------- Afaq demands steps against killings KARACHI: Chairman MQM (H) Afaq Ahmad has condemned the recent killings in Karachi and demanded appropriate measures to stop loss of precious lives. Afaq has appealed to the president and PM to take serious notice of these killings which have caused a scare in the city. In a statement issued on Friday, Afaq said Haqiqi was prepared to extend its all out cooperation so that peace could be restored. ----------------------- Six fishermen missing KARACHI: At least six fishermen were missing from the deep sea on Friday. Edhi divers recovered a boat and their dressess. According to details some fishermen went to deep sea for fishing, near Hawaksbay and Paradise Point their boat over turned and since then they were missing. Edhi divers and Pakistan Navy sailors were trying to search their bodies, however, their bodies were not recovered till filling this story. ------------------------ Chup Tazia stickers KARACHI: The ADIGP Traffic has informed the concerned organisations to obtain stickers for essential service belonging to ambulances, scouts or of any other social welfare organisation on the occasion of "Chup Tazia" procession on July 14. These stickers would be issued from Saturday. -------------------- RWALPINDI: 10 injured in blast at police station RAWALPINDI: A powerful explosive device ripped through the building of New Town police station early Saturday injuring at least 10 persons. The injured include seven policemen and three accused in the lock-up. The explosion took place at 1.20 a.m causing a portion of the huge building to collapse. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. The rescue teams reached the site soon after the explosion. The injured have been shifted to the hospital where the condition of some of them is stated to be serious. The injured policemen are Amjad, Constable Sher Ali, ASI Abdul Ghafoor, Ahmed Noor and Mohsin, and accused Arif, Yaseen and Ashfaq. Some people were feared to be burried under the debris till filing of the report. The DIG, while talking to The News, said it was not clear that the explosion was act of sabotage or collapse of building. It would be clear only after the bomb disposal experts report, he said. ------------------------------ 50 hurt in train-truck collision LAHORE: At least 50 people were injured seriously when Karachi-bound Awam Express collided with a truck near Gamber Railway Station, Okara, late Friday night. Most of the victims were those sitting close to the windows of various compartments, police officials said. The accident occurred when Awam Express hit a truck loaded with iron parked dangerously close to the railway track. The iron rods loaded on the parked truck ripped through the right side of train, slashing arms of most of the passengers. -------------------------- Three PR men arrested for embezzling Rs 5m KARACHI: The Railway Police on Wednesday arrested three Railways employees for allegedly misappropriating rupees five million. The police also recovered over Rs 1.6 million from them. The Superintendent of Police (SP) Railway, Farooq Ameen Qureshi said that a Railway accountant, Matloob-ul-Haq had informed him about the embezzlement. The City Railway Police, after securing an order from senior Railway officials, arrested cashier Hamid Ali. During the interrogation the accused confessed to involvement in misappropriating about five million rupees with the complicity of Khalid Rasheed Commercial Supervisor Railway Booking, Muhammad Haneef Commercial Superintendent Railway Booking and Syed Ashraf Ali Pension Officer Pakistan Railways. After conducting raids, police arrested Khalid Rasheed and Muhammad Haneef, however Syed Ashraf Ali was still at large. Police also claimed that on information obtained from the accused, they recovered Rs 1,652,000. --------------------- Board to review KU professors' promotion to Grade-21 today KARACHI: The University of Karachi will hold its first meeting of special selection board to review the promotion cases of varsity professors to Grade 21 on Saturday with acting Vice Chancellor Dr Pirzada Qasim in chair. A senior teacher said that the promotion of teachers to Grade 21 was due for last some years. The statutes in this regard were approved by the university Senate in 1990. However, on one pretext or the other, including political expediency, the promotion process was delayed but now the UGC as well as the chancellor of the university had approved the matter. A KU official said that applications to determine the eligibility of professors to Grade 21 were called in last year, following which a list of 75 eligible professors, who had completed at least 22 years in university service, was prepared for the consideration of the selection board. Synopses basing on length of service, qualification, ACR, educational administration and research publication, have been prepared and will be placed before the selection board on Saturday. According to agreed formula which has also been followed in a couple of other universities in Sindh, a 12.5 per cent of the total sanctioned cadre strength of professors will be promoted to Grade 21, while in the case of Karachi University it is likely that only eight professors would be awarded Grade 21, said one teacher and informed that perhaps it was so because in other universities too the number of selected teachers had not crossed beyond 8. It was further learnt that whenever a vacancy comes up among the teachers awarded with Grade 21 due to their retirement or leaving the university, another board meeting would be held for new selection on the vacant post in Grade 21. Those who constitute the special selection board are: vice chancellor of the university, secretary education Sindh, secretary to the governor/chancellor, chairman of SPSC or his nominee and chairman of UGC or his nominee. To a query, an official of the university clarified that Dr Pirzada Qasim had all the legal status to chair the meeting. He further said that if someone from within the selection board raised objection, Dr Qasim, who is already in Grade 21 by virtue of his present post and also one of the eligible candidates for grade 21, could be excluded from the meeting if at any stage his synopses came under examination of the board during its meeting. A KU teacher said that recommendations of the selection board would go to the varsity syndicate and finally to the chancellor for approval. ----------------------- Non-political solution not to be imposed on Karachi: Mushahid ISLAMABAD, July 11: No non-political solution will be applied in Karachi to restore law and order, declared the Prime Minister's adviser on information and media development, Syed Mushahid Hussain, here on Friday. "Both the PML and MQM are making serious efforts to achieve peace without resorting to any non-political solution in Karachi", he further stated. Speaking at a news conference, he said it would take some time for cleaning the "backlog of the last three dark years". Moreover, he added, the government was trying to seek the "cooperation of all political parties and groups to restore peace to the city of the Quaid." He also accused the PPP of spreading disinformation against the government on different issues. He termed it totally false and ridiculous allegations that funds had been transferred by Daewoo, Hyundai and Toyota to some firm allegedly owned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. "The Government would like to reiterate that neither the Prime Minister nor his or any member of his family, including his parents, spouse or children, have any business interests in the United States". And as far as allegations of payment of commission in Yellow Cab and Motorway were concerned, Mushahid said, the fact of the matter was that the PPP "concocted over 160 cases against Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif during the three years it was in office and in not a single instance was it able to prove any wrongdoing in any transaction. "It is in fact an attempt by the PPP and Benazir Bhutto to hide her own corruption and that of her husband, which assumed legendary proportions and which led to Pakistan being declared the world's second most corrupt state," the adviser said. "The Government would like to strongly condemn this concoction as an attempt of the PPP to engage in disinformation against the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif since Benazir Bhutto, having been rejected by the people and devoid of any issues against the government, is trying to fabricate documents and promoting falsehood against Nawaz Sharif so that the truth about her corruption can be hidden". He also said that a section of the Press had published a "false and fictitious story", based on a report from the PPP's party organ, Mussawat, in which an "attempt has been made to implicate President Farooq Leghari and his family in the Kansi case. "The story is obviously a part of the PPP's disinformation operation through the Mussawat and is totally baseless and devoid of any facts or foundation", he said. "The story says that Jafar Leghari received an award of 200,000 dollars for Kansi's capture. This is absolutely false and Jafar Leghari or Maqsood Leghari for that matter were not in Dera Ghazi Khan when Kansi was captured. The story also refers to Kansi and the President's family playing 'Shikar" together. This is yet another falsehood since it was no 'Shikar' season", he added. "The Government of Pakistan would like to strongly refute this story of the Mussawat as a concoction of the PPP aimed at maligning both the President and Pakistan, and it would urge the responsible media to refrain from publishing such disinformation since it is based on falsehood and can only damage the good name of Pakistan," Mushahid Hussain concluded. -------------------------- Rupee sheds another six paisa against dollar KARACHI, July 11: The central bank devalued the Pakistani currency by six paisa against the US unit, on Friday. This is the first downward adjustment of the current fiscal year, and the second one after budget. The official buying and selling prices of a dollar is now fixed at Rs 40.52 and Rs 40.72 up six paisa from Rs 40.46 and Rs 40.66 on June 28. The greenback gained 10 paisa against Pakistani rupee in the kerb market also, thereby raising the prices from Rs 41.30 on Thursday to Rs 41.40 on Friday for buying and from Rs 41.40 to Rs 41.50 for selling. --------------------------- Exchange reserves now $1.3bn, says Sartaj ISLAMABAD, July 11: The Federal Minister for Finance, Mr Sartaj Aziz, has claimed that the country's foreign exchange reserves have increased to $1.3 billion. Speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour by ANZ Grindlays Bank to mark the success of the issue of Eurobond, he said the reforms carried out by the Government in banking and other sectors had started yielding results and the economic situation had started showing signs of improvement. After the recovery stage the economy would take off within three months, he said. He said the government had given more autonomy to the State Bank and imposed self-discipline by drawing less from the State Bank. Low borrowing by the government would make available more credit for the private sector besides bringing down the high interest rates, he added. The finance minister pointed out that some banks had already reduced mark-up by one percent to encourage domestic investment. The minister also referred to the "historic gain" at the Karachi Stock Exchange on Thursday and said it was a clear sign of economic recovery. Sartaj Aziz also appreciated the efforts made by ANZ Grindlays to make the Eurobond issue a success. The issue, he said, also reflected the confidence of foreign investors in Pakistan's economy. Earlier, the General Manager of Grindlays Bank, Mr Azhar Hamid, said Pakistan had only recently entered this market and the "resounding success" of the issue was a testimony to Pakistan's "positive image" in the international capital market. He said the success of the bond attained particular significance when viewed in the light of Moody's downgrading of Pakistan last year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 July 1997 Sunday 07 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 Ukraine reaffirms pledge to supply tanks WASHINGTON, July 12: The Ukrainian minister in charge of defence production has pledged to fully meet his country's commitment to provide 320 T-80 tanks to Pakistan. In reports published here the deputy minister incharge of military industrial complex of Ukraine, Grigori Malyuk, confirmed that Ukraine had shipped 50 tanks to Pakistan in two batches of 15 and 35 each. "The last batch of 35 tanks was sent along with spare parts and training tools and now there is no doubt that we can fulfil our commitment to Pakistan," Malyuk was quoted as saying. Recent reports in a Moscow newspaper had claimed that Pakistan had cancelled the $650 million deal with Ukraine but the Pakistani ministry of defence and the armed forces had categorically denied these reports saying the deal was on and Pakistan had already received 50 tanks. The latest report published here by "India Abroad", under a Moscow dateline, said the latest supply of 35 tanks to Pakistan by Ukraine had disproved reports carried by Moscow newspapers that the deal was on the verge of collapse. It said Russia's categorical refusal to supply the components of the tank forced Ukraine to procure them from some former Soviet allies in East Europe. "It is not known who supplied the components but according to some sources it cannot be ruled out that cash-strapped Russian fa Ukrainian minister Grigori Malyuk refused to disclose the source of the artillery system used in the tanks supplied to Pakistan but he emphasised that Ukraine would do everything possible to manufacture all the components of the tank in its factories in order to implement its contract with Pakistan. The report from Moscow said Ukraine was, therefore, planning to produce artillery systems used in the tank in its defence factory based in the city of Symsk. The report quoted analysts saying that Ukraine was These analysts said in the post-Soviet period, Ukraine is trying to promote its image as a major competitor to Russia in the area of arms supply. ---------------------- 60 teachers appointed by Benazir govt. dismissed KARACHI, July 12: The services of 60 high school teachers who were appointed by the PPP government in Larkana division, were terminated on Saturday. According to a handout, the education department has issued instructions to the director of school education (secondary), Larkana, to cancel "all the 60 illegal" appointments of high school teachers made in 1995 in Larkana division. "The instructions have been issued after a decision taken by the provincial ombudsman on various complaints about illegal appointments of high school teachers in Larkana division in 1995," the handout said. It added that the provincial ombudsman had decided that services of t--------------------- 101 more arrested KARACHI, July 12: The police during last 24 hours rounded up 101 persons on different charges in parts of the city and recovered from them stolen property and illegal arms and ammunition. According to a Press release issued here on Saturday, the arrested included seven proclaimed offenders and 12 absconders. The recovery from the suspects included three kalashnikov rifles along with 1072 rounds, three pistols, one revolver, 10 cars and seven motorcycles. During last seven days of the ongoing campaign against the anti-social and criminal elements the police arrested total 1357 suspects across the city. The illegal weapons recovered during last week were eight kalashnikov rifles, 75 pistols------------------- Experts to decide Dawood College fate KARACHI, July 12: Three experts were inducted into affiliation committee of the NED University of Engineering and Technology on Saturday to conduct a visit of the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology before taking any decision on the fate of the college. According to the sources, it will take at least 10 days for the committee to complete its inquiry and finalize its report. The syndicate of the NED University on May 31 had decided to initiate the process of disaffiliating Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (DCET). The meeting was of the unanimous view that the "irregularities committed by the DCET have reached a stage that it is no more in the interest of the university to continue to affiliate this college". The meeting also discussed, among other things, "fraudulent admissions and other serious irregularities in Dawood College of Engineering and Technology". The Saturday's meeting, held under the chairmanship of NED vice-chancellor Abul Kalam, inducted one chemical and electronics engineer each and a laboratory expert to conduct a visit of the DCET to prepare a report whether the college had to be disaffiliated owing to certain alleged discrepancies in the functioning of the college. The present situation with regard to the future of the DCET has become a serious cause of concern for those DCET students admitted on merit. According to the NED university, the DCET had been frequently violating the laid down rules and regulations in the conduct of its academic affairs, particularly its admission procedure. There are also allegations, which were substantiated with some documentary proof by the NED University, that the university always found a difference of 25 to 30 per cent between the first merit list and final merit list issued by the college. Besides, the DCET has also been accused of allowing admissions in excess to app The Dawood College of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, (controlled by the federal ministry of education) has told the NED University that it may go into legal battle in case of its "deliberate interference" in the administrative and financial matters of the college. The college however maintains that it is only academically affiliated with the university, hence "any contrary version of the university has no legal standing, authenticity and the DCET advertisement (approved by the ministry) is not affe A few months ago, the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) served a notice to Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (DCET) suspending the registration of DCET graduates by PEC with immediate effect. -------------------- DSP lodges FIR against four; blames weekly, newspaper KARACHI: The #Al-Falah Police on Saturday registered an FIR of Friday's incident which left five dead, including two sons of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), on the compliant of DSP Azizur Rehman. In the FIR (No: 139/97) registered under Sections 109/34 and 302 PPC, complainant DSP Azizur Rehman accused four, Tarique aka 'Chamber', Sohail alias 'Commando', Waseem alias 'Rajoo' and Mubeen aka 'Tunda' for having been involved in the killing of his sons besides three other cops. The complainant said he had been the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and deputed at the Police Headquarters, Malir. His sons, Kashif Aziz, 35, who was the Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Rashid Aziz, 25, were shot dead along with police driver Constable Arshad, 25, and guard Constable Javed by Tarique Chamber, Sohail Commando, Waseem Rajoo and Mubeen Tunda near Shamsi Masjid in Shah Faisal Colony while the victims were on their way home after offering Jum Terming the incident as a vindictive act, the complainant alleged that the killers wanted to take revenge of Farooq Dada's killing. It may be mentioned here that Farooq Patni alias Farooq Dada - who was known as the most dreadful militant of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) -- and his three companions were gunned down in a highly controversial shootout in 1995 within the Airport police jurisdiction. In his statement, the DSP recalled that Farooq Dada's widow Shazia was a fiancee of his slain son, Kashif Aziz, but Patni kidnapped her and later married her. The shootout that had claimed Patni's life had taken place in the Airport Police jurisdiction, he said, adding that Javed Michael, Babar Deputy and Ummad aka 'Madda' were also killed along with Patni. The involved police party got a cash prize of Rs two million for their killing. He said that his son Kashif had played a vital role in the arrest of the four slain MQM activists. He said that Kashif did it to take revenge from Farooq Dada as the latter was responsible for taking away his fiancee. Aziz further alleged that after Patni's killing, his group considered him (the complainant) as an enemy. This was once pointed out by Kashif to him after returning from Quetta. Aziz also alleged that a daily from Karachi "Awam" and a magazine "Takbeer" were also responsible for the killing of his sons as the publications had printed some stories blaming his sons for being involved in Patni's killing, sparking the blaze for revenge. Meanwhile, a highly-placed source said the police on Friday evening had told the Chief Minister, Sindh, Laiquat Ali Jatoi, the whole story. The chief minister issued directives to the police officials to arrest the culprits as soon as possible without any fear and book them as per the law. When The News contacted another well-placed source in the Police department, the source said that there was no option but to arrest the people nominated in the FIR. He said that a "free hand" should immediately be provided to the police to eliminate terrorists. Meanwhile, another high-level official from the police told The News that the fifth cop Rasheed Ullah, who was gunned down in the same incident, was serving at the Police Lines, Malir, and deputed as the driver of DSP Shehnaz Butt. However, later he was transferred from the Police Lines to the Crimes Branch, but he did not report to the Crimes Branch and was missing from there for the last two days. The official alleged that Rasheed Ullah was also an accomplice of the killers. "The standard of living of the deceased was not the same as the other cops. I think that he was an accomplice of the killers," he added. ------------------------ Bodies of man, child found KARACHI: Police found two corpses, including that of a minor, from different parts of the city on Saturday. The body of an unidentified five-year-old child was found in Gulbahar police area. Police said they were informed by area residents that a child's body was lying in a garbage dump near Govt Boys' Secondary School, Nazimabad No 2. A police team shifted the body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy. The hospital sources said the corpse was 24 to 36 hours' old and he was killed by a blow to the head with a hard weapon. Police registered a case and were making efforts to find the child's relatives till filing of this report. Mobeena Town police found a corpse at the University of Karachi. Police said some people from the campus informed them about the body at which a police team recovered it from the bushes. A police official confirmed that the throat of the corpse was cut with a sharp weapon. Police said they were shifting the corpse to the JPMC for autopsy, however, it was not brought to the hospital till our going to press. ---------------- Rs 1.2bn contract: Shahid had received enquiry report a day before assassination KARACHI: Just a day before his assassination Malik Shahid Hamid had received an enquiry report on the irregularities in Rs 1210 million power cable lying contract on July 4 and he had taken the file home for issuing final orders. According to an insider the late Managing Director of the KESC was expected to pass strict orders against the contractor as well as against the official concerned and "with his elimination this danger has, at least for the time being, been averted". The incumbent MD, Kamal Afsar, however, passed orders on July 9 when the police returned the file to KESC. He also constituted another committee to fix responsibility and recommend action against the responsible officials and contractor. The contract for lying of 600 kilometer 15 mw under-ground high tension cable was awarded to three contractors and the report in question pertained to the work of one contractor, M/s Nasir Khan & Sons, while investigation into the work of other two contractors is still going on. Cable lying was a phase of USD 372 million foreign-aided 5th power extension project which also includes installation of new transformers, replacement of old overhead transmission line and setting up of new grid stations by the l When Shahid Hamid took over as MD KESC in the beginning of this year, he had ordered enquiry into the matter following which investigations were conducted and a report was submitted to him on July 4 this year for final action. He had noticed that the cable had not been laid as per the specifications, whereas the cable trench had not been digged out as per the design enclosed with the contract. He had further noticed that the concerned supervisors/engineers were not present at the time of excavation and laying of cable, causing discrepancies in the contract specifications. After going through the matter, Shahid Hamid had recommended action against the contractors and the KESC officials responsible for the discrepancies. "It should also be seen as to what can be done to compensate these discrepancies and ask the contractor to implement it so that the cable is protected from faults", the report said. "This is one of the many contracts completed under sixth power extension project. The enquiry report reveals embezzlement of millions of rupees as well as misappropriation of precious cable and it was believed that enquiries into the works completed by other contractors under this project could also have led to similar findings had the same been carried out in the same way and under the supervision of an MD like Shahid Hamid.", commented Choudhary Mazhar Ali, General Secretary of KESC Shareholders Associ It is noteworthy that out of total 600 kilometer cable, the corporation had imported half of the quantity from Korea at a cost of Rs 580 million, while the remaining 300 kilometres cable was acquired from different local suppliers at a total cost of Rs 630 million. Most of the imported cable is still lying at the port as the corporation pays duty in installments and lifts the consignment accordingly. ----------------------- Power situation improves further KARACHI: Power situation in the city showed signs of improvement due to increase in generation but failures because of technical faults and transmission defects continued in different areas on Saturday. The most affected areas included PECHS, some blocks of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nazimabad etc. The KESC spokesperson said the quantum of load-shedding was reduced from 32 mw on Friday to 23 mw on Saturday but to avert overload on Queen's Road Grid Station transformer some areas of old city and West Wharf were shu----------------------------- PPP be given power to restore peace: Gabol KARACHI: Former deputy speaker of Sindh Assembly, Nabil Gabol has suggested that the Karachi situation will improve if the PPP is allowed to form the government or else governor rule is imposed for six months and then fresh elections are held. He warned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take the city's law and order situation seriously and not to come under any pressure. The people expected revolutionary changes after the big mandate received by Nawaz Sharif, but the Karachi situation remained tense, he add------------------------ Sealing of seven Faiza Heights blocks ordered KARACHI: The DG KDA, on the recommendations of the committee on Faiza Heights incident, had ordered KBCA to seal the remaining seven blocks of the project pending materialisation of the final report of the committee. The directions, however, were not carried out till Saturday evening. Meanwhile, former DG Technical Ansarul Haq Qureshi and President Federation of Architects and Engineers Yousaf Qureshi have been nominated on the committee on Faiza Heights incident. -------------------------- MQM dissolves four unit committees KARACHI: The MQM Rabita Committee has dissolved all the four unit committees of Surjani Town sector and suspended the membership of their in charges for indefinite period on charge of violation of organisational discipline. The Rabita Committee has directed the Sector Committee that until the new organisational structure is announced, it would directly supervise their organisational matters. The Rabita Committee relieved Nadeem of Unit No 4, Qasim Zaidi and Shahab and workers Saleem and Shakir Hussain of------------------------ Compensation for DSP's sons announced KARACHI: Chief Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi visited the residence of DSP Malir Aziz-ur-Rehman on Saturday and announced compensation of Rs 0.5 million for each son of the DSP who were killed on Friday. Jatoi arrived from interior Sindh and drove straight to the residence of Aziz's deceased sons in Malir. He offered Fateha and also assured employment for another son of the DSP. He also directed the DIG Karachi to assist the family of deceased from the Police Welfare Fund. -------------------------- Illegal water connections cut off KARACHI: A KWSB team cut off illegal connections of about 15 multi-storied buildings on main Rashid Minhas Road on Saturday. These connections of 2 and 4 inch diameter had been taken from the main line of the KWSB owing to which blocks 10, 10-A and 11 of Gulshan-e-Iqbal were facing acute water shortage for last two years. The operation was carried out under the directions of Vice Chairman KWSB, MPA Haroon Siddiqui, who has ordered further action against the builders. Executive Engineer Masood Kazmi, SDM --------------------- Structure in Garden East razed KARACHI: The KBCA has re-started its campaign against illegal constructions with the demolition of a structure, housing 16 shops and residential unit, on plot No. 511/20 in Garden East. The operation, having full support of the area police, was supervised by Controller Buildings Iftikhar Qaimkhani, ACM Faisal Ahmed, Demolition Officer Captain Shahid Waseem, Deputy Controller Zafar Ali Kadri. The plot was sanctioned for the construction of ground-plus-one floor residential unit but the owner illegally con---------------------- 'Terrorism conspiracy against elected govt' KARACHI: Terrorism in Karachi and Punjab is a conspiracy against the present elected government. This was stated by the MQM Coordination Committee in a statement on Saturday. It said the bomb explosion at a police station in Rawalpindi was a matter of concern and the govt should take serious notice of the incident to prevent such mishaps.The committee demanded of the prime minister to order immediate arrest of the culprits and award them stern punishment. Meanwhile, in another press release the MQM MPAs ---------------------- Telephone bills KARACHI: Telephone bills of Group-1 for the month of June have been issued, said press releases of the PTCL on Saturday. The last date of payment for the group covering areas of Clifton and Defence, Pak Capital, PECHS, Malir, Model Colony and Memon Goth exchanges is July 24. The PTCL requested the subscribers for payment of their bills within due date. ---------------------- MP cell at Nine Zero KARACHI: The office-bearers of Mohibban-e-Pakistan (MP) will sit at the official residence of Altaf Husain in Aziabad from 7.00am to 9.00pm to solve problems of overseas Pakistanis, particularly of those in the Middle East. Senator Nasreen Jaleel appealed the concerned people to contact the MP officials to report about their problems. ------------------------ Bogus FSc certificate shows forger is amateur KARACHI: The deceivers who use false representations to obtain an unjust advantage are not rare in the field of education but it seems that they have become amateurish and lost their shrewdness. Recently, the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, received a certificate for verification from an institution in Islamabad. Even a cursory glance at the document showed that the forgers lack even the basic information about the educational board. At the top of the certificate a logo of the University of Karachi has been used under which 'Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Karachi' has been typed in bold letters, which clearly shows how the non-deserving candidates are fooled by those who give them a 'short cut' to so-called success. The BIE officials claimed that the Board had never used such a certificate. As it did not hold two examinations in a year so mentioning of summer or autumn examination was inaccurate, said one official. The certificate has been made in the name of Rukhsana, justifying that she had passed her Intermediate (Humanities group) examination in 1992 with 516 marks out of 1100. In another development, Dilshad R, Khurrum M and Faisal M managed to appear in a couple of papers from BIE Karachi in 1996. However, their results were withheld on the suspicion that they were accorded undue permission to appear in examination. They had allegedly submitted to the Board that they had been students of F G College for Women and PAF Intermediate College, Karachi, and had cleared maximum of the HSC subjects under the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education. Interestingly, investigation by the BIE revealed that non of them were students of these colleges and did not appear from FBISE in the HSC annual examination 1995. Against the roll numbers mentioned by these candidates, other candidates had appeared and their results were different from those in the mark-sheets sent for verification to the FBISE, added an official of the Board in reply to a query from the BIE. The FBISE also informed that the issuing authority of mark-sheets was controller of examination and not the assistant secretary (registration) as shown in all the three mark-sheets. The irony is that these students, despite the fact that their mark-sheets were withheld by BIE Karachi, acquired some mark-sheets through fraudulent means and got themselves admitted in professional colleges in Karachi. The BIE declared the mark-sheets as bogus and the college where the female student -- a relative of a prominent political figure -- was admitted to first year MBBS class, cancelled her admission on June 25. Sources in the Board said: "We are also probing into another 70 cases which, it is suspected, were sent up for examination to the Board despite the fact that they were not admitted in colleges." ----------------------- Shahbaz orders release of SSP, TJP workers MULTAN: Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif has taken a serious note of the detention of innocent workers of Tehrik-e-Jafria Pakistan (TJP) and Sipah-i-Sahab Pakistan (SSP), and asked all the deputy commissioners of the province to release such workers who were detained during recent crack down. The sources said on Saturday that a fresh lists of 146 activists of SSP, TJP and SMP was delivered to the deputy commissioner, Multan after the recent instructions of Mian Shahbaz Sharif for their detentio-------------------- FSC admits petition against ban on serving food at weddings LAHORE: A full bench of the Federal Shari'ah Court (FSC) on Saturday admitted a petition filed against ban on serving meals at marriage ceremonies. The court issued notices to the federal government and the four provincial governments in this regard. The petition was filed by Dr Muhammad Yaqub Bhatti, a former additional secretary in the ministry of food and agriculture, who quoted 14 Quranic injunctions in support of his application. The petitioner also contended that Islam precludes a ban on hospitalit----------------------- LHC grants bail to converted couple LAHORE: The Lahore High Court here on Saturday bailed out a newly-convert Muslim couple, who had approached the court against institution of a criminal case fil ed by the petitioners' brother, Faiz Masih. The petitioner, who was re-named as Tahira Perveen after embracing Islam, had approached the court contending that the case filed by her brother was without lawful authority. She said that Islam granted every adult girl the right to marry according to her choice. The petitioner contended that she and her-------------------------- SSP plans sit-in LAHORE: Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) has planned to stage a sit-in outside commissioner offices at divisional headquarters on July 14 throughout the country. Leaders of SSP, after finalising the programme, have gone underground to avoid arrest or any other government reaction. According to sources, the party has taken that step to protest the continuous detention and alleged torture of its leader MPA Maulana Mohammad Azam Tariq. ------------------ 109 ASIs promoted to SI KARACHI: Sindh Police have promoted 109 ASIs to the posts of SIs with immediate effect on the basis of their better conduct record and good performance, police sources said on Saturday. Police spokesman said DIG Karachi Malik Iqbal, who is the chairman of departmental promotion committee consisting of ADIG (Crime) and ADIG (Establishment), had approved the promotions of these officers. He said promotion cases of 69 ASIs were under consideration by the police management. The committee had declined promotion of 55 ASIs due to their poor performance. DIG Karachi has congratulated the promoted officers and directed them to fulfil their duties with dedication, responsibility and honestly to protect the life and property of innocent people in the city and earn a good name for the department. The DIG Karachi on Saturday transferred two Station House Officers (SHOs) and Station Officer Traffic with immediate effect. The SHO Bahadurabad, Inspector Malikh Awan, transferred to Police Lines East and SHO Tipu Sultan, Inspector Husain Ahmad Nasir Lodhi transferred in Police Lines East while Inspector Tahir Khan was transferred from Police Lines East and posted as SO Bahadurabad vice Sub Inspector Tariq Akhtar Memon transferred. -------------------------- Rs 0.8 million looted from manager, 20 vehicles snatched KARACHI: The manager of a local firm was deprived of Rs eight lakh, besides a trading firm was looted, three houses were robbed and 20 vehicles were snatched from different parts of the city on Saturday. Two armed men, riding a motorcycle, intercepted a car (AB-4328) near D J Science College in Arambagh area and ordered its occupant, Noor Alam, the manager of a local company, to hand them over Rs 880,000, which he had drawn from the bank and fled with the booty. Six armed men barged into a office in PECHS in Ferozabad police area and decamped with Rs 48,000, fax machine other valubles. hey took with them car (SHG-2225). Besides, armed men looted, Rs 100,000, from Ameen Farooqi in Bahadurabad; Rs 176,000 in SITE; Rs 9,000, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Meer Jan in Manghopir; Rs 200,000, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal; Rs 50,000, jewellery and other valuables from a residence in North Nazimabad and Rs 31,000 in New Town. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 July 1997 Monday 08 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 Suspension of mobile, pager services from 15th? KARACHI: All cellular telephones and pagers will be shut down for one month from July 15th, sources said late Sunday night. The step will be taken to facilitate operation against terrorists. However, top officials of the Home Ministry categorically denied that the pagers and cellular telephones will be temporarily shut down. -------------------------- Govt will try to retain employees: Dr Maqbool KARACHI: The newly inducted Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi has said that the situation at Pakistan Steel has very much deteriorated due to the wrong policies of the previous government.Talking to newsmen on Sunday on his arrival at Karachi after taking oath as Federal Minister, the MQM MNA said that in the present situation the government would try its level best to retain the employees but at the same time the industries have to be re-activated in order to achieve maximum utilisation of the manpower. MQM MNA Babar Ghouri was also present on the occasion. Dr Khalid Maqbool observed that at present people were very much uncertain about their employment at various industries fearing retrenchment, however, the situation could be overcome with the revival of industrial sector. ---------------------- PPP raps MQM 's Khalid Maqbool's induction in cabinet KARACHI: Vice President PPP Sindh has said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has inducted an MQM MNA Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi in his cabinet who was declared a proclaimed offender. In a statement issued on Sunday, he said the government had announced head money for Dr Siddiqi's arrest and that this matter was of serious concern for the patriotic people. He said it was unfortunate that upright and saner officials were being shot dead and those involved in those crimes were being presented ministries. Meanwhile, political secretary to the PPP chairperson visited the house of KESC driver Ashraf Baloch who was killed along with MD KESC and offered condolence on behalf of Benazir Bhutto. A PPP spokesman has condemned the visit of a fake minister to Pakistan and demanded a high-level enquiry into the incident. He said those responsible should be awarded stern punishment. The spokesman also demanded for an enquiry that how did the fake minister carried away heroin when he was awarded an official visit. --------------------- Metropolitan govt in city demanded KARACHI, July 13: Convenor of the Urban Democratic Forum (UDF) on Sunday stressed the need for ending extreme polarisation in politics and throwing away Kalashnikovs to bring peace to the battered city. Speaking at a news conference, the former information secretary and diplomat Hussain Haqqani said Karachi had been hit once again by terrorism and lawlessness and had claimed over 500 lives since March. He said the UDF, whose main demand was the establishment of an effective, elected metropolitan government for Karachi, would act as a pressure group to strive for the elimination of confrontation and polarisation and would also identify issues for building national consensus. Mr Haqqani stressed the need for distinguishing political issues from administrative and technical ones. He also emphasised the significance of a census in creating foundations on an equitable sharing of power resources. No party, he said, should have a free hand in nominating administration officials. The agencies should be answerable to the judiciary rather than the political government, he added. Asked how polarisation could be brought to an end without disarming the political parties as well as of religious groups, Mr Haqqani said "armed groups are extension of polarisation and if an attempt is made to lower the temperature, the objective can be achieved with the mutual consent of the political parties and groups." He was of the view that politics of confrontation with the state machinery had failed and there was a need for reconciliation and compassion. A greater reason for this realisation, he said, was the realisation that the city's political representatives do not have a say in the running of the city's affairs. Haqqani said: "A few years back people of Karachi were asked to sell their videos and take up arms but I say throw away Kalashnikovs and go for computers that would improve the quality of life and open up better opportunities." He emphasised that if Karachi would have an effective, elected metropolitan government, the people would have less to fight over with the provincial and federal authorities. He was of the view that such a arrangement would eliminate the politics of protest against central authority that had marred the city's life for many years. --------------------- Riaz Basra arrested in Faisalabad FAISALABAD, July 13: The Jhang Bazaar police arrested a Lashkar-i-Jhangvi leader, Riaz Basra, after a raid on a Gulfishan Colony house late Saturday night. It was learnt that seven more people, including proclaimed offender Ghulam Rasool Shah, had been arrested on a lead given by Basra. Proclaimed offender Riaz Basra was named in several murders, including that of Iranian consul-general Sadiq Ganji, Sargodha commissioner Tajammul Abbas and Gujranwala SSP Muhammad Ashraf Marath. The Punjab government had placed a reward of Rs 2 million on his head and Ghulam Shah carried a reward of Rs 500,000. Ghulam Rasool Shah, son of Muhammad Tufail Shah of Maqsoodpura, Bahawalnagar, had allegedly gunned down 15 people in Faisalabad, and his accomplices had murdered 60 people in different parts of Punjab. After receiving information about the arrest of Riaz Basra, Punjab IGP Jehanzeb Khan Burki with a team of investigators rushed to Faisalabad in a special plane of the Punjab chief minister, and himself interrogated Riaz Basra. However, the police were keeping tight secrecy in anticipation of a backlash. It is learnt that police intercepted a message the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi group faxed to newspapers in which it claimed responsibility for the killing of Fida Husain on Friday. The fax number was traced and a police party raided the house of Shafqat, a property dealer, in Gulfishan Colony. The dealer admitted that Basra was staying there with his accomplices, but they had left the place two days ago. However, the police party on suspicion raided another house, near Shafqat's, and arrested Riaz Basra, Ghulam Rasool and six others. It is learnt that Riaz Basra has been shifted to an unknown place in a helicopter, while Ghulam Rasool Shah and six other accomplices are being kept in the Sadar police station. Two hundred police commandos are guarding the place. Inspector Tahir Maqsood of the Jhang Bazaar police station, who led the raid, has been made DSP. Likewise, other members of the raiding party, ASI Ghafoor and two constables, have been promoted to sub-inspector and head-constables respectively. It has been learnt that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will give details about the arrest of Basra and accomplices at a Press conference. ---------------------------------- SSP to stage country-wide protests today JHANG: The Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) will observe countrywide protest today against the detention of its leader Maulana Azam Tariq. The SSP's central shura, which met here on Sunday under the chairmanship of party chief Maulana Ali Sher Haideri, decided to hold demonstrations and sit-ins in front of the offices of commissioners in every divisional headquarters as a mark of protest against Azam Tariq's "illegal confinement" at Choong investigation centre on the outskirts of Lahore. The party, which claims that Azam Tariq is in serious condition due to his infected wounds, called upon its activists to make Monday's protest a success and run over all government blockades in their way. However, the SSP leadership said that their protest will be peaceful and was only meant to pressurise the government to release Azam Tariq. The SSP warned that the party's protest might turn violent if the government continued to victimise the Sunni leaders of the country. ---------------------- ANP's ultimatum to Nawaz on Pakhtoonkhawa PESHAWAR, July 13: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday received yet another ultimatum from Awami National Party (ANP), which sought Pakhtoonkhawa as part of the proposed 15th constitutional amendment bill. Provincial president of the ANP, Begum Nasim Wali Khan on Sunday mixed her threat with hope that the federal government will include the Pakhtoonkhawa as new name of the NWFP province in the proposed 15th amendment bill. The party derives its political existence from the Pakhtoon dominated NWFP province. "If this issue is kept out of the next constitutional package then we will switch over to the opposition benches the same day," said a determined Nasim Wali who a day earlier had also warned prime minister against Kalabagh dam project which she said was not acceptable to the Pakhtoons of her province. Talking to the NNI Nasim maintained that before her party joined the coalition in the centre "we were assured that being old friends, the PML will not hesitate to accept our demands on Kalabagh dam and change of province's name." She said majority of the province speaks Pashtu language while ANP also considered others as Pakhthoons. Begum Nasim ruled out possibility of Kalabagh dam and said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured that the dam will not be constructed without consensus. She however added that as consensus on the issue "was impossible, therefore, ANP has no fears". ANP provincial chief also ruled out the possibility that Sharif will deceive ANP. She said "neither Pakhtoons are fool nor Sharif can make them fool". Sharif, she opined, was new in politics "and we have been in politics for the last eighty years". Begum Nasim Wali who is also the chairperson of the Provincial Ehtesab Committee (PEC) rejected the ongoing accountability process and declared the Ehtesab Cell and Ehtesab Committees "useless". She claimed that Ehtesab Commission spends millions of rupees to probe against the corrupt and alleged that the courts release them with little fines. She demanded of the government to restore women seats in the parliament and emphasised on the need of immediate legislation in this regard. Begum Nasim dispelled the impression that Hazara Division has been given special importance in the provincial budget and said that all the development projects have been prepared in the best interest of the province. To a question about downsizing of the provincial departments, she said that employment of people are easy but it creates problems for the successors. But she said downsizing is must. She also demanded provincial royalty over the supply of electricity. ---------------------------------------- Board seeks explanation from principal KARACHI, July 13: The board of intermediate education has sought explanation from the principal of Gizri degree college and the chairman of a high-powered vigilance committee on the publication of a report in Dawn that no "special arrangements" were made for the daughters of the Sindh governor and of the chief minister appearing in the intermediate examinations ended last month. The BIE controller of examinations has issued letters under the directives of some 'high-ups' asking these two persons to explain that under whose instructions the newsman was allowed entry to the examination centre. The newspaper had in a report on June 25 said that no "special arrangements" were noticed at the Gizri college and the daughters of the Sindh governor and of the chief minister were treated like other girls taking their examinations at that centre. When the controller of examinations, Syed Shaukat Husain, was contacted on Sunday, he said he had sent letters to the principal and the chairman of the high-powered vigilance team, inviting their comments on the issue. So far, he added, none of them had replied to his letters. Prof Wasi Askari, chairman of the high-powered committee, when contacted, said he was served with a letter on July 4, inviting his comments on the report appearing in Dawn on June 25. Prof Askari, who is also principal of the Shipowners' College, and has authored over 70 books of chemistry and general science for primary to university level, said the controller of examinations in his letter had said that "I'm directed" to invite his (Prof Askari's) comments on the newspaper report and under whose permission the reporter was allowed entry to the college. He said he could not divulge the contents of his letter of reply he was going to submit to the board office soon. "I do not see what the fuss is about. The report had said that no special arrangements were made for the daughters of the two Sindh VVIPs," he said and added that if the report was otherwise, that would have been a cause for concern. The principal of the Gizri college, Shahnaz Akhtar, could not be contacted for her views because she is out of town. The message received from her residence was: "The lady is out of town for at least one week". On June 24, when the principal of the college was asked at her office why the daughters of the Sindh governor and the chief minister had been accommodated in the same examination hall to take their annual examinations, she said that no special arrangements had been made for these two candidates. She said around 175 girl students from DHA Girls College were taking their examinations at this centre and the daughters of the Sindh chief minister and of the governor were among those appearing from the DHA College. She asked this correspondent and Prof Wasi Askari, convenor of the high-powered vigilance team, to see for themselves whether there were any special arrangements for these two girls. The students were taking test in fine arts, library science and economics papers. A senior college teacher said that these two students were from among nearly 20 other candidates taking their examination in hall No. 9. A similar case was also noticed in other halls where students were found busy solving their paper. The principal had said she had discouraged special security arrangements for these two girls and had told the police officials in the beginning of the examinations that she was responsible for the safety and security of all students who were within the premises of the college. When the principal was told that the newspaper had received complaints from those who claimed themselves as candidates appearing in the examinations at the same centre that the college staff was involved in helping out these two girls, she said it was not true and as far as her memory went she remembered that at no stage did any of these girls give any indication that they were the daughters of people who mattered in Sindh. However, she added, since the centre was a small college operating from the premises of a boys schools since 1995 she had herself received calls from people identifying themselves as industrialists complaining that their daughters were being treated shabbily. She said she had invited all of them to meet her at the earliest so that she could really know who they were and what their problems were. The principal on June 24 said it was simply out of her habit that she herself went to each and every candidate to make them feel at home. "I have been doing all these things because I also have a daughter who hardly eats anything when she goes for her examinations. That was the reason that I made arrangements for them to have cold drinks and biscuits if they wanted," Shahnaz Akhtar said. Therefore, she said, her meeting with these two girls too during the examinations was nothing extraordinary as being alleged. But, two other girls requesting anonymity later told this correspondent that the invigilation staff had warned all the candidates that there would be checking in the next few minutes and all those busy in copying should stop. However, one of the girls alleged that some candidates were being helped by invigilation staff in cheating. Prof Wasi Askari had said he had been receiving telephone calls daily about the use of unfair means at various examination centres. But, he said, as far as the Gizri Girls College centre was concerned, he was of the firm opinion that nothing unfair either on the part of the teachers or the candidates had taken place there. ---------------------- A new novelist comes to the fore KARACHI, July 13: 'Rasta jo Manzil Hai,' maiden novel by a young writer Ali Hasan Cemendtaur was examined by a panel of senior writers at the launching ceremony of the book on Saturday. Noted critic Dr Farman Fatehpuri presided over the meeting. Those who spoke regarding the contents of the novel included Dr Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, Firdaus Hyder and Nooruddin Sarki, a senior lawyer and short story writer. Mr Sarki commended the writer for his bold venture in writing a novel but he declined to accept that 'rasta' (way) and 'manzil' (destination) can both be the same. One has to determine his destination first and then proceed on the right path to reach the 'manzil', he said. Dr Mumtaz Ahmad and Ms Hyder both in their papers critically analysed the social contents of the novel, its main characters and the technique used to convey the message of the writer. However, Dr Ahmad, with his doctoral thesis on Urdu fiction, expressed his doubts if the present novel fulfils the technical demands of the genre. The book discussed here cannot be anything but a novel, said Dr Farman Fatehpuri in his concluding remarks. The text of a piece of writing should be based on truth, it should be interesting to read and the expression must be powerful, these three qualities, Dr Fatehpuri said are enough to distinguish a novel from other writings, be it history, philosophy or any other subject, Dr Farman said. He was all praise for the young writer on the basis of his social awareness, love for the people and commitment he has shown for creative writing. Mr Ali Hasan Cemendtaur is by profession a Mechanical Engineer, a widely travelled young man and devoted to reading and writing. In his novel Mr Hasan has focused the social milieux of North America and South Asia particularly Pakistan and expresses his desire for a dynamic social change in the Subcontinent. The illiteracy among the common people, their social and cultural backwardness, the intellectual poverty of the so-called literate persons and the dogmatism of its religious guides greatly pains him, as illustrated by the characters of the novel. - Hasan Abidi ------------------------- 'Govt to foil all evil designs' Salim Zia KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Salim Zia has said that anti-state elements are trying to destabilise the country through lawlessness but their evil designs will be foiled by the present government. Speaking at a meeting of PML(N) women wing Sindh, the minister maintained that the government was taking all necessary measures to curb lawlessness in the country. He stressed upon all patriotic forces to forge unity in their ranks in order to destroy the evil designs of anti-state elements. ------------------------- Repatriation of stranded Pakistanis urged KARACHI: The MQM (H) Chairman Afaq Ahmed has demanded from the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take concrete steps for the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh. In a statement on Sunday he said that Pakistan should take notice of the self -immolation threat by the stranded Pakistanis seriously. He said that it is pathetic that even after 30 years government has refused to accept its citizens who have given sacrifices for this country. He said these Pakistanis refused to accept the citizenship of Bangladesh only because they felt proud to live and die as a Pakistani but till now the governments havre not accepted them as their citizens. He said various governments in the past have kept this issue in cold storage but now government should tackle this issue purely on humanitarian grounds. ----------------- Valima of Khalid Bin Waleed held KARACHI: The valima reception of MQM MPA Khalid Bin Waleed and Zubi was held on Sunday night at a local lawn. It was attended by Governor Lt Gen (retd) Moinuddin Haider, Chief Minister Liaquat Jatoi, Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, PPP MPA Abdul Khaliq Juma , Senior Minister for Local Bodies Dr Farooq Sattar, PML (F) MPA Saleem Jan Mazari, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, provincial ministers, journalists and elite of the city. --------------------- Two encounters in city, four held KARACHI: City police in two different encounters on Sunday arrested four people allegedly involved in heinous crimes and claimed recovery of four TT pistols from them. Having received information about some people hiding in an empty plot in Shah Faisal Colony police party raided the place. The armed men seeing the police opened fire and after a brief encounter Rizwan, Kashif and Mansoor Ahmad were arrested. The other encounter took place in Defence where police spotted three men roaming suspiciously. They were signalled to stop but they opened fire. Replying the fire police arrested one while his two accomplices managed to escape. During interrogation the accused disclosed his name as Abdul Hameed while the identity of the others was not disclosed by police. ------------ Two wounded in firing KARACHI: Two people received bullet wounds in firing incidents on Sunday. Anwer Javed, a traffic constable, was wounded when another constable opened fire at him in Saeedabad while he was performing his duty. Muhammad Hameed received bullet wound when armed men snatched cash from him in Sharafi Goth and on his resistance opened fire and fled along with the cash. ------------------ Sindhi paramilitary force demanded Vice Chairman Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party, Haider Shahani, has demanded the creation of a Sindhi paramilitary force to handle the terrorists in Karachi. In a press release issued here, he said there was no justification of MQM-PML(N) alliance after the violence in Karachi and open blackmailing by the urban militant party. ----------------------- 10 Taleban prisoners executed: report ISLAMABAD: Afghan opposition forces have executed 10 Taleban prisoners held in northern Afghanistan, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported on Sunday. Quoting a Taleban spokesman Wakil Ahmed, the AIP stated that the troops grabbed a group of 11 Taliban prisoners from the central jail in Mazar-i-Sharif on July 3, drove them to nearby Dashte Arseen desert and shot them. Ten of the prisoners had died but one, Mulla Shehzada, survived and managed to escape back to the Taleban forces, Ahmed said. Independent confirmation of the report was not immediately available Shahzada, who sustained four bullet injuries, told the Taleban that "such massacre of the Taliban prisoners was a routine" in northern Afghanistan, AIP stated. The spokesman said that the surviving Taliban fighter was being treated at a Taleban base but did not identify the place. The Taleban have lodged a complaint with the Red Cross against "this inhuman act," Ahmed said. He called for safety and security of the Taleban militiamen held by the opposition alliance, the AIP stated. In a related development, Ismael Khan, a former governor of Herat and close ally of the ousted Afghan government, was alive and well in Taleban custody, a Red Cross spokesman said. But the Red Cross protested that unrestricted access to all Afghan detainees has still not been granted. "I confirm that access to Ismael Khan and other security prisoners held in Kandahar was granted by the Taleban authorities,"" said Thomas Gurtner, acting head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Senior opposition commander Ismael Khan, along with 700 of his men, was handed over to the Taleban last May by a defecting Uzbek commander and was transferred to jail in Kandahar. Gurtner said Ismael Khan had been seen in private by the ICRC, officially registered, and had written a Red Cross message to be delivered to his family, all in accordance with normal visiting procedures. "We are still very concerned that access to the majority of prisoners held by the northern forces in Maimana, Sheberghan and Mazar-i-Sharif has still not been granted," Gurtner stated. ---------------------- Assets of 19 Pakistani drug lords worth Rs 400 bn: ANF ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANF), in collaboration with international drug liaison agencies, has updated a list of 19 notorious Pakistani drug barons, sources said here on Sunday. Their combined assets were estimated at Rs 400.68 billion, sources added. Most of these alleged drug tycoons were incarcerated in Pakistan and other countries, while two of them were extradited to the United States, they said. The assets of the drug tycoons were traced by Director Assets Saleem Tariq Lone, presently serving as the Inspector General of Police Islamabad, along with international drug liaison agencies, the sources said. They said that the list showed Anwar Khattak to be the uncrowned king among the local drug-barons. His assets were estimated at Rs 1,180 million, they said. An inquiry, they added, against him was still in progress. Haji Ayub Afridi's assets, worth Rs 181 million, were forfeited by the courts. Mirza Iqbal Baig was extradited to the US to face trial. His assets were valued at Rs 700 million. The ANF was pursuing the assets case in this regard. Late Ashraf Rana owned assets worth Rs 47.6 million and a case against him is still pending. The value of assets belonging to Dawood Jutt was estimated at Rs 321 million. The case of Haji Habibullah was pending in the court. His assets were estimated at Rs 150 million. Sharfuddin Sheikh's assets were worth Rs 108 million. The assets of a former MNA, Munawar Hussain Manj, were valued at Rs 50 million. The case against the former parliamentarian, whose car was found loaded with heroin in 1995 in Lahore, was still pending. The assets case of Minhas family is being probed. Their assets are estimated at Rs 30 million. Fahim Babar owned assets worth Rs 20 million, while Sardar Gujar's assets were valued at Rs 20 million. Tasnim Jalal Goraya's assets were estimated at Rs 20 million and he is currently serving a prison term in the US. Chaudhary Muhammad Shafi's assets were valued at Rs 18 million. The cases registered against him are still being investigated. Hakim Ali Khoso's assets have also been estimated at around Rs 15 million. The only drug baron, who is still at large, is Asif Ali Khan and his assets are valued at Rs 15 million. Amir Ali Moosa's assets are worth Rs 13 million. He was convicted in the UK while his assets were frozen in Pakistan. Luqman Palari's assets were stated to be worth Rs 6.4 million while Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah alias Bedi Shah's assets were estimated at Rs 3.5 million. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 July 1997 Tuesday 09 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 Nawaz Sharif to visit US ISLAMABAD, July 14: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will pay an official visit to the United States by the end of September this year. Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan told APP here on Monday that "the exact dates of the visit will be announced shortly." Replying to questions, he said, "all matters of common interests and of regional nature would come under discussion during the visit." He said, "it is the success of the government's foreign policy that it has strengthened its contacts with leading powers, including USA and Russia to further promote country's relations."-APP ----------------------- Saudi Arabia reprieves Pak kids ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has granted appeal of Pakistani government to reprieve Pakistani children awaiting execution for drug smuggling. Ch Shujaat met the Saudi Ambassador and handed over an important letter for the Saudi interior minister. The children will be handed over to Pakistan soon. ------------------------ Sipah-e-Sehaba threatens to besiege Parliament House RAWALPINDI: Like other parts of the country, scores of Sipah-e-Sehaba Pakistan (SSP) activists on Monday brought out a protest rally in Saddar against the detention of their chief Maulana Azam Tariq and other religious leaders. The rally announced to lay a siege of Parliament House on August 14 if the government does not release Maulana Azam Tariq, chief of the SSP. The rally was taken out from Kashmir road and reached Mareer Chowk after passing through some roads of the locality. The demonstration led by president of SSP student wing Qari Fazalur Rehman Hazarvi, was also attended by other local leaders. The protesters shouted slogans against the government for keeping religious leaders in detention. The demonstrators were carrying banners inscribed with different slogans, demanding immediate release of the leaders otherwise the SSP will forcefully get their leaders released. Some of the leading local leaders of the SSP also addressed the demonstration after reaching Mareer Chowk where they also staged a sit-in for some time. Qari Fazalur Rehman Hazarvi while addressing the rally said the SSP has nothing to do with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, alleging that the government has itself deteriorated the law and order situation in the country by arresting SSP leaders, workers and other religious leaders. No untoward incident took place on the occasion. ---------------------- Two SSP men arrested from DC's office LAHORE, July 14: Islampura police on Monday arrested two Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) activists near the deputy commissioner's office where they had come to hold a demonstration against the arrest of Maulana Azam Tariq. The SSP has announced to hold sit-in in front of the commissioners' offices throughout the province to mark its protest against the arrest of the party chief. Maulana Azam Tariq was arrested in connection with the murder of Gujranwala SSP Ashraf Marth a couple of months ago. In Lahore, a heavy contingent of police had been deployed around the commissioner's office since early morning to avoid a possible law and order situation. According to the announced schedule, the SSP men, most of them underground since operation against sectarian groups' activists, were to surface on the sit-in venue at 10am. Reporters and photographers who were present there to cover the event were later informed that the venue for sit-in had been changed to the deputy commissioner's office in district courts. However, only two SSP activists appeared near the deputy commissioner's office at the stipulated time. They were arrested by the police, put in a van and taken to the Islampura police station. ---------------------- Basra arrest not yet officially confirmed LAHORE, July 14: The arrest of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi chief, Riaz Basra, and his accomplice Malik Ishaq from Faisalabad on Sunday remains uncertain as no government official was willing to confirm the report. Meanwhile, avoiding any direct contact with newsmen, the Faisalabad SSP issued a Press release on Monday claiming the arrest of four 'terrorists' identified as Muhammad Yousaf, Ghulam Rasool, Muhammad Zubair and Naseer Ahmad. They had been accused of about 40 sectarian killings and over two dozen dacoities. Several attempts were made to contact the Punjab IGP for confirmation of the arrest of Basra and Ishaq. On one occasion the operator said the IGP was busy with some guests while on another call made about 15 minutes later, he claimed the IGP was out of the house for the last two hours. The provincial Home Secretary, when asked about the situation, said he had no official information and suggested to contact the IGP or the Faisalabad police. A similar response was received from other police and district administration officials in Lahore and Faisalabad. A senior police official, seeking anonymity, maintained that Riaz Basra and Malik Ishaq were among the people arrested. He said if the arrest was made public then the accused would have to be produced before a court for obtaining physical remand. To avoid their production before a court police were keeping a mum on the arrest. Moreover, if arrests of Basra and Ishaq were announced, a large number of their accomplices might escape possible arrest, he added. He said the number of people arrested in Faisalabad was eight but police have presented only four accused to the public. He claimed that Basra had been kept at high security place in Lahore while Ishaq had been shifted to a government facility in Attock. The Sipah-i-Shahaba Pakistan were also tight-lipped and no office-bearer was present at the organisation's Sabzazar office to comment on the situation. ------------------------- Robbers on rampage, one wounded on resistance KARACHI: Armed men looted thousands of rupees, gold ornaments, electrical appliances and snatched 10 vehicles on Monday, besides injuring a man on his resistance. Three armed men barged into house No D/43 of Saram Farooqi in Block L in Taimuria and looted cash, jewellery and valuables. Three robbers forced entry into the house of Ashiq Hussain in Baldia Town and on gunpoint locked all the inmates in room. They started collecting cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances and when Ashiq resisted they opened fire and wounded him before fleeing. Armed men looted Rs 70,000 from Farooq in Taimuria; two armed robbers looted cash, jewellery and valuables from the house of Muhammad Ali in Gizri; cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, and Rs 5,000 from Sajid Razaq in Civil Lines. ------------------- Two policemen arrested for killing and robbery KARACHI: Gulzar-e-Hijri police arrested on Monday two policemen, allegedly involved in robbery and killing a woman in a dacoity bid. Two TT pistols and looted goods were also recovered from them. Four armed men had barged into Muhammad Ishrat's house: R/9 in Delux Garden in Gulzar-e-Hijri police limits. On gun point they locked the inmates in a room and collected cash, jewellery and other valuables. They opened fire on Ishrat and his wife Shakeela when they attempted to resist the robbery bid and fled with the loot. The area people took the couple was taken to Abbasi Shaheed where Shakeela succumbed to her wounds. The injured Ishrat told the police he suspected Head Constable Zahid Husain of Mobina Town and Constable Zafarullah of Gulshan-e-Iqbal were involved in the robbery. On this information both the policemen were nabbed and looted valuables were recovered from them. --------------------- Jobless man commits suicide KARACHI: A man committed suicide in the jurisdiction of Gulbarg police on Monday. Mehboob Ali, 52, a contractor by profession, shot himself dead in the early hours of Monday at his residence, 139/18 in FB Area. The police said the deceased was jobless and , therefore, appeared frustrated. Police had reached the spot on the information of the inmates of the house and shifted the corpse to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and were looking into the matter. --------------------- Three die in incidents, body found KARACHI: A boy was killed in a road accident and two, including a heroin addict, were electrocuted while police recovered the corpse of a youth from the sea on Monday. Ismail, 12, was killed in a hit-and-run incident in Taimuria police precinct. Sources said the boy was hit by an unidentified vehicle while crossing the road and the driver of the vehicle managed to flee. The boy died of his critical injuries while being taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Imam Din, 55, was electrocuted while working at Unico Factory in SITE police area. His corpse was taken by to Abbasi Shaheed late Sunday night. Area police, when contacted, were ignorant of the incident. An unidentified heroin addict was electrocuted in Gadap police limits. Sources said the deceased got electrocuted while attempting to steal wire from an electric pole. Police shifted the corpse to the JPMC. Docks police recovered the corpse of a youth, identified as Junaid, 23. According to sources the deceased had gone for picnic at seaside and drowned. Police shifted the corpse to Civil Hospital. -------------------- Four SHOs transferred KARACHI: The DIG Karachi transferred four SHOs on Monday with immediate effect. Inspector Muhammad Ashraf has been transferred from District South and posted as SHO Civil Lines, vice Inspector Boota going on long leave, Inspector Nazeer Malik transferred from District East and posted as SHO Tipu Sultan, and Inspector Muhammad Aslam Chaudhary has been transferred from District Malir and posted as SHO Bahadurabad. -------------------- Army Public School tops in Matric examination KARACHI: Army Public School, Malir Cantt, has attained first position in Sindh province in the Matriculation annual examination 1997 held under the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad. According to a press release, the school has also attained fourth position in order of merit among the 400 educational institutions of the federal board located in the country, considering the grade point average worked out by FBISE. The top scorer of the school, Omar Arif s/o Lt Col Muhammad Arif, achieved first position in the province by securing 762 marks out of 850. Second position in the school went to Faraz Hussain who secured 748 marks and stood third in the province. --------------------- Harassment by MPA, SHO alleged HYDERABAD: Villagers of Mud Bahoo have alleged that armed men of an MPA accompanied by the SHO of the area barged into the houses of the villagers and arrested three persons without any justification. Riaz Chandio and Habibullah Buledi were addressing the press conference. They alleged that the cronies of the MPA had been spreading terror in the village by aerial firing and threatening the villagers. They said in the first incident, the SHO, with the connivance of the MPA, raided the village and arrested growers Masud Ahmed Chandio, Abid Ali Chandio and Zulfiqar Ali Chandio who were later released after the villagers' strong protest. But a couple of days later, the police arrived again arrested and implicated them in fake cases, they alleged. Terming it a political vendetta, they appealed to the IG police, the DIG Larkana, the SSP Larkana and other senior government officials to suspend the the SHO and order an inquiry into the matter. They also demanded withdrawal of fake cases against the villagers. --------------------- Hearing of case against Arshad Sami Khan adjourned RAWALPINDI: Mr Justice Mumtaz Ali Mirza of the Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi bench, on Monday adjourned the proceedings till Tuesday (today) on the conclusion of the arguments by Yahya Bakhtiar in a contempt of court case against Arshad Sami Khan, the father-in-law of her daughter Zeba Bakhtiar. During the arguments forwarded by Yahya Bakhtiar, the court asked the counsel for Arshad Sami: "Is there a possibility of holding a meeting between the two families to settle the issue regarding the alleged abduction of Aazaan, the son of Zeba Bakhtiar?" Resuming his arguments, Bakhtiar submitted that Arshad Sami in his interview to an Urdu daily "levelled serious and baseless charges against Zeba." The diary which was mentioned in that interview might also be produced before the court, he remarked. Regarding the allegation of the demand of divorce by Zeba, Bakhtiar drew the attention of the court towards her Nikaah Nama (marriage certificate), in which "the power of divorce has already been delegated to Zeba." He also refuted the allegation levelled by Arshad Sami in his interview that Zeba thrice attempted to commit suicide. Arshad Sami, he said, abetted his son, Adnan Sami, in the abduction of Aazaan, he stated. The counsel for Arshad would begin his arguments today. -------------------- Naval HQ clarifies press reports on Ormara project ISLAMABAD, July 14: Pakistan Navy authorities have described the reports of leakage of the jetty in Ormara harbour project as incorrect and also denied that government had sought any report in this regard. A spokesman of the Naval Headquarters said on Monday that there was no leakage of the jetty at Ormara. The delay caused in the inauguration of the project was due to the change of top command in the Navy on May 2, just five days before the inauguration was scheduled to take place. There was no question of any loss to the national exchequer nor any report was sought by the government in this regard, he emphasised. He said there was "a seepage" in the newly constructed jetty at Ormara which was normal to constructions in the coastal areas where water level is naturally high. He further clarified that the Naval authorities were asked to supervise the project which was, in fact, executed by a foreign firm.-NNI. ---------------------- Bid to smuggle 70 missiles foiled HANGU:The Thal Police arrested five persons trying to smuggle 70 missiles, sources told The News. Thirteen (13) cartons of rounds also recovered from a tractor. ---------------------- PTV Quiz programme The PTV Karachi is launching a new quiz programme "Kitna Paani". The preliminary written competition in this connection will be held at its premises at 2 pm on Wednesday. The Interested persons can contact Producer Shahid Iqbal Pasha, said a press release. --------------------- HRCP chief says agencies running parallel govt. KARACHI, July 14: The chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Asma Jahangir, said on Monday that there were "two governments" in the country, and one of them was run by what she called "the agencies". She said that the agencies had their "agents and sympathisers" in places like the 'education department, the bar associations, parliament and in the courts". The HRCP chairperson was speaking at a seminar organised by the Alliance Against Discriminatory Laws (AADL), a 14-member umbrella organisation made up of human right's groups. Tehrik-i-Niswan, led by Khalid Ahmed and Sheema Kirmani presented several dramatic scenes highlighting the often secondary and subservient role that women were relegated to in the Pakistan society. Ms Jahangir said that although people worked for the agencies in every country, but in Pakistan they were given prominence whereas in other countries these elements were marginalized. She said the agencies could never do anything on their own and were guided by their "two arms" who had been put in place by Gen Ziaul-Haq. Speaking before a packed FTC auditorium Ms Jahangir said that Pakistan was going through a very difficult phase. She said that the laws were made for those who used them for their own benefit. She said the Hudood Ordinance was made "only for men" to suppress women and the underprivileged. She said according to Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution the legislators should be "angels" and asked which one of them is an angel. Ms Jahangir said all discriminatory laws must end. The blasphemy law, she said, was surprisingly made not during a martial law regime but when there was an assembly. The HRCP chairperson said as soon as democracy, "no matter how stunted or immature" got underway certain "forces started doing their work. She said there were never any blasphemy cases or sectarian incidents during the time of martial law or even during the time of the caretakers but when an elected government came to power these incidents began occurring. Ms Jahangir said that people who tried to speak out against the vested interests and asked for justice were glared at and harassed. She said the vested interests started calling people who want justice an enemy of Islam. She said the HRCP had long ago said that the Federal Shariat Court was not needed but when it had said this it was ridiculed. Now when the judgment came in the Judges' Case, the Supreme Court called the FSC a "dumping ground". The HRCP chairperson said the attitude of the courts in Hudood cases needed to improve and become more progressive. She said the judges "talk of morality" but send women in Hudood and similar cases to Darul Aman without taking into consideration that a woman might want a different choice for herself. Speaking from her personal experience in defending people accused under the blasphemy laws, the HRCP chairperson said that the prosecuting lawyer in the famous Salamat Masih case, after the judgment was announced, supervised the deliberate demolition of her car parked in the court premises. She said during the case hearing, three lawyers would be standing behind her while she would be making her submissions before the court and on one occasion a lawyer sitting in the audience even got up and abused her. In addition to this, Ms Jahangir said, another lawyer who had nothing at all do with the case had appeared before the court. The court, she said, never took notice of these occurrences. And when the judgment was read out in the Salamat Masih case, she (defence lawyer) was not allowed to be present in the room. One of the opposing lawyers, Ms Jahangir said, had printed a libellous pamphlet defaming her religious beliefs and as many as three judges had written forewords to this book. She said that when she approached the learned judges and asked that would it not be embarrassing if she filed a defamation suit against the writer of the pamphlet and the judges might be dragged into the proceedings, she said she got the answer : "People ask us to write forewords all the time, who has time to read the whole book." The other speakers at the seminar were lawyer and activist Hina Jilani and columnist and academic Eqbal Ahmed. Ms Jilani said that the proposal that 33 per cent seats be reserved for women was very necessary given the past and ongoing discrimination against women. She said that the reservations should however be for a limited period of time till when women could come in large numbers in parliament so that issues that were close to them could be advocated for at the highest policy- and decision-making levels. Ms Jilani said her experience as a lawyer had shown that those affected by the Hudood laws, especially women, often had to face very difficult times with the police. One example is, she said, that they police when they register the case do not specify whether it is Zina (Section 10 [2]) or Zina-bil-jabr (Section 10 [3]) which carries punishment for the woman also. The seminar began with an introduction by WAF activist Anis Haroon. --------------------- Boy released from detention KARACHI, July 14: A 10-year old runaway child has been released after remaining two months in detention by efforts of human rights activist Zia Ahmed Awan, advocate. According to investigation conducted by Legal Aid Center of Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid, Nasir Abbas, son of the late Muhammad Rafiq, resident of Chak No. 747, tehsil Kamalia, police station Roti, District Toba Tek Singh, ran away from his home two months ago and came by train to Karachi to meet his step uncle posted at PAF Base Masroor, and to look for job. According to Nasir Abbas, when he reached PAF Base Masroor, at the gate he found a note of Rs500 which he picked up. At the same time, some armed guards posted at the gate arrested him and started beating him and took his belongings which he had brought from his village and later handed him over to the Mauripur police on May 8. They govt. registered an FIR in which they mentioned that the boy has taken Rs500 from the pocket of a constable posted at the gate and sent him to remand home where he remained in detention for one month and was later shifted to the Urology Ward of Civil Hospital Karachi as his kidneys got infected due to severe beating. During hospitalization, a head constable contacted Mr Awan and informed about his critical condition after which he along with Syed Nadeem Hussain Shah, advocate, visited the hospital and collected details. Zia Awan appeared on behalf of Nasir Abbas before juvenile magistrate Nelofar Shahnawaz. He was brought before the court and at the request of Zia Awan that Nasir Abbas is a minor of 10 years of age having only mother and a five years old younger sister in the village and have no means to look after or arrange bail and prayed his release by just giving warning for the future as he was a first- time offender. Now Abbas hisis under treatment in of Civil Hospital Karachi.- PPI -------------------- Owner about to get back car stolen in '89 KARACHI, July 14: The Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and Excise and Taxation Department motor vehicle registration (MVR) wing are preparing to hand back a 1989 Toyota Corolla, stolen eight years ago from Karachi, which was being driven around in Balochistan by the relative of a senior superintendent police from Quetta. According to the CPLC chief Jamil Yusuf, during recent checking at the Sindh Balochistan border, Quetta police stopped a Toyota Corolla car bearing a Karachi number plate and checked to see if it was stolen. The CPLC's computer records had shown that the car had been stolen from a woman from Defence Housing Society in 1989. Thereafter it had been re-registered in Karachi with the help of a police official and was being driven by an SSP's relative in Balochistan. Mr Yusuf said that since the Excise Department MVR wing did not have a record of the stolen Toyota Corolla, the CPLC had written to the woman and informed her that her stolen car (FIR had been registered), had been intercepted from Balochistan. Officials of the Excise and Taxation department MV wing, who are preparing the legal formalities of retransferring the Toyota to the owner "after striking off the name of the relative of SSP Quetta", told Dawn that the owner of the stolen vehicle ought to have informed them about the theft immediately after lodging FIR of the stolen Toyota in 1989, "to avoid further transaction". Excise MVR wing, which received a new director Admin. Amir Ali Behan on Monday (following transfer of director Arif Ahmed Khan), claimed that once vehicle owners informed them about their vehicles' theft, it would discourage the growing number of car thieves conniving to transfer the stolen vehicles. In their experience, there were a number of cases where police officials took re-registered stolen vehicles from Karachi to Balochistan where they were fitted with diesel engines and drove them in the rugged mountainous areas. MVR officials stressed that while police and CPLC had been informing them about vehicle theft, owners of stolen vehicles ought to inform them separately as well. They claimed they had recently separated the record of stolen/snatched vehicles and were keeping the files in a separate room "under lock and key". This manual record of stolen vehicles would enable them to cross check if a stolen vehicle was about to be transferred to a new owner, they said. The CPLC, which is in the process of updating stolen vehicle records in Balochistan, maintained that owners of stolen vehicles ought to inform the Excise Department MVR wing in writing and take a receipt from them as well. Its chief criticized "collusion and inefficiency" in the Excise Department's MVR wing, pointing out that the department had failed to acquire computers since they burnt down in a mysterious fire in February 1996. MVR officials transferring new vehicles on two overloaded terminals, admitted that since 350 transfers of vehicles were being made daily, they were facing "huge problems" in making manual transfers. At the same time, they admitted the manually kept record of stolen/ snatched vehicles was at risk of being made to disappear at any time. ------------------ Sharif under fire over CIA murder case Lahore - The senior vice president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Ijaz Ul Haq yesterday criticised Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for handing over Aimal Kansi to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), saying he had not been taken into confidence on this vital issue. "I would have strongly resisted if the Prime Minister had discussed the issue of Aimal Kansi, an alleged killer of two employees of the U.S. agency CIA, before his extradition," Ijaz said. Addressing the Zia ul Haq Foundation in the Punjab capital, the son of the late military dictator Zia ul Haq said he will not join those hatching conspiracies against democracy. Ijaz said he would have not given a free hand to the Americans if he had been informed about Kansi's arrest well in time. "By the time I knew about it, Kansi had been taken to America by a C-140 aircraft," Ijaz said. Talking about the death of his father who died in a plane crash on August 17, 1988 near Bahawalpur, he said his father's killers were still present in Pakistan. Ijaz said the former president could not be killed without the active support of "some insiders." However, he refrained from naming names, saying the report of Justice Shafi commission on "Bahawalpur C-130 plane crash" should be made public and investigations into the incident should be restarted. Earlier, Ijaz had accused Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg of conspiring to assassinate his father. Meanwhile, reports of a rift between the Prime Minister and Ijaz ul Haq are gaining ground, especially after the two failed to meet despite being in Lahore at the same time for over three days. Ijaz ul Haq has also reportedly started contacting all those who had enjoyed VIP status during the tenure of his father, as well as former members of the Majlis-e-Shoora to ensure their presence in Islamabad on August 17. "Ijaz wants to show his cards on August 17, 1997 on the eve of his father's death anniversary," political observers said adding that the premier is also careful not to talk against Ijaz and thereby give him a boost in the press. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 July 1997 Wednesday 10 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 US immigration policy faces setback WASHINGTON, July 15: The Clinton Administration's policy to reduce the charm of immigration to the US by denying jobs to illegal immigrants faced another setback on Tuesday. A key programme to screen out illegal aliens through computer checks of their status and documents was forced to be reviewed after charges of discrimination against immigrants. "Concerns about discrimination have forced the administration to review the programme in which the government helps employers screen out illegal aliens," INS Commissioner Doris Meissner admitted on Tuesday. The immigrant organisations had alleged that even legal immigrants were not being given jobs by American employers because they did not want to go through the screening process and it was easier for them to refuse jobs to all immigrants or even people looking like immigrants. The nation's top immigration official said the INS had sought an independent review of the programme by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency that probes bias complaints. Meissner stressed that the INS has not received any specific complaints that legal immigrants were wrongly denied jobs. But the number of workers whose documentation could not be verified for employers in INS computer checks was a surprisingly high six per cent in Southern California, the agency said. The screening initiative began almost two years ago in California before spreading to more than 1,000 employers across the country. Critics of the programme on Tuesday applauded the independent review. "For some employers, the easiest response is to weed out all immigrants - or even all people who fit the stereotype of an immigrant," said Thomas A. Saenz, regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defence and Educational Fund. But the programme also has advocates who believe that the limited access it gives employers to immigration records is the only way they can be sure they are not deceived by counterfeit papers. "This creates a reliable way for employers to comply with the law," Meissner said. Hiring ineligible workers can result in civil fines and jail terms. ------------------------ MQM acquitted in murder case KOTRI: Additional session judge Kotri on Monday acquitted the former circle incharge MQM, Kotri, Kaleemullah Khan and other MQM organisers including Nasir Hussain Zaidi and Shahid Hassan in a murder case. The MQM organisers had been held a murder case of one Bukhshal Jaiser in 1998 and later released on bail. ------------------------ Sipah-e-Sahaba leader shot dead JHANG: Haji Muhammad Yousuf, a leader of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and ex-councillor Municipal Committee Jhang, was gunned down by two unknown motorcyclists early on Tuesday. Haji Muhammad Yousuf, 42, was going to Madni Masjid to offer his Fajr prayers when two unknown motorcyclists opened fire on him near the mosque on College Road. He breathed his last in the DHQ hospital. His brother Sarfaz had been a bodyguard of Maulana Azam Tariq. The murder of Haji Yousuf sent a wave of anger and anguish among the people. Strike was observed in the old city, Jhang, Sadar and Satellite Town. People burnt tyres and pelted stones. Police have intensified patrolling on the deserted roads of the city. The Namaz-e-Janaza of the deceased was scheduled for late Tuesday night. It was reported that vegetable market and all other markets and shopping centres will remain closed for three days, to protest the murder. Some activists of Sipah-e-Sahaba's student wing were trying to block the Rail Bazar Chowk Jhang by burning spare tyres faced tear gas shelling and aerial firing by the police. Meanwhile, our correspondent adds from Islamabad: Nawab Amanullah Khan Sial, PML MNA from Jhang, has condemned the murder of Muhammad Yousuf Sheikh, ex-councillor. He said the brutal act has been committed by cowards. ----------------------- Robbers kill housewife, injure two KARACHI: Armed robbers shot a housewife dead while two shopkeepers were also shot at and injured in city. Besides, armed bandits looted cash, jewellery, other valuables and snatched some vehicles on Tuesday. Three armed bandits barged into house No: 64/2 in Phase VII, Khayaban-e-Badban owned by General Manager of NDFC, Akbar Ali, in Gizri police precinct. Akbar's wife, Shahnaz, 32, woke up while the dacoits were collecting valuables and shouted for help. Getting panicky the dacoits opened fire injuring her seriously and managed to flee in Akbar's car (AB-0244). Police reached the spot on information from 134 but the dacoits had already left by the time taking along gold ornaments worth Rs5,000. The victim was rushed to PNS Shifa where she breathed her last after an hour. Her body was later shifted to JPMC. Two dacoits entered in the shop, owned by Abid Haroon, 26 and Israr, 24, in Jubilee Market in Garden police limits. They asked to hand them over cash but when the shopkeepers resisted they opened fire and fled taking along some cash. The injured were taken to Civil Hospital. Armed bandits entered into house A-23, Bl: R, in North Nazimabad police area. They looted cash, jewellery and other valuables before fleeing. Two armed men snatched Saudi Consulate's car in Clifton police area. The driver Abu Bakr was going somewhere in the car (CC-5296), when two armed men intercepted and kidnapped him with the car. After looting from him Rs79,000 they threw him out of the car and fled. Later the car was found abandoned in Neelam Colony area in the same police jurisdiction. In various other incidents, armed men snatched a truck (GL-4080) from Gulzar-e-Hijri, a car (AB-7789) from New Town, a car (AAN-985) from Gulbarg and a motorbike (KCC-4107) from Preedy. ------------------------------ Arms seized after encounter KARACHI: The law enforcement agency on Tuesday seized arms and ammunitions from North Nazimabad, after a brief encounter, however, the terrorist managed to escape. The officials claimed to have seized one kalashnikove, five TT pistols,, two mousers, one carbine, two rifles and hundreds of lives bullets from the spot. According to details a mobile of Ranger patrolling, near Sakhi Hassan was fired upon by the armed men Rangers retaliated. Hearing fire shots the police vans of different police station and Rangers reached the spot and after half an hours encounter terrorists managed to escape leaving theirs arms and ammunitions. According to the officials Salman Haider, Fareed, Rashid, Sohail, Asif and Bobi were involved in this encounter who were trying to transfer the arms and ammunition in District Central. 93 rounded up: The SITE police during a month long campaign arrested 93 people, allegedly involved in robbery, murder, attempted murder and other heinous crimes.Police claims to have recovered three pistols, three revolvers one short gun, Rs 63,13,800, charas and heroin powder from their possessions. ------------------- Sub-inspector killed in armed attack KARACHI, July 15: A sub-inspector of police was killed in an armed attack by unknown gunmen late Tuesday night in the limits of the Mobina Town police station. Initial reports said while SI Tanveer Ahmed and ASI Shamshad of the Mobina Town were travelling in a private car, along with a suspect, Banaras, in connection with the investigation of a murder case, they were fired upon by unknown assailants. ASI Tanveer Ahmed sustained multiple bullet wounds. He was taken to a hospital in the vicinity where he succumbed to his injuries. The suspect and the ASI remained unhurt in the attack. Meanwhile, after an armed encounter, Liaquatabad police arrested a suspect and recovered from him a TT pistol and a motorcycle (No. KCX-5200) snatched an hour ago in the same police area. The suspect was identified as Tariq Ahmed Khan alias Mochi. His accomplice, identified as Mehboob escaped the scene. ---------------------- One commits suicide KARACHI: A drug addict committed suicide at his residence in Mominabad on Tuesday.Muhammad Ijaz, 32, a tailor by profession and a drug addict locked himself in a room after exchangeof hot words with his mother at Orangi Town in Mominabad and shot himself. His body was shifted to Civil Hospital for autopsy.According to the police the deceased demanding money to buy drug, when his mother refused to give cash, he locked himself in a room and committed suicide. ----------------------- Youth dies in accident KARACHI: A young boy was killed in a road accident in the jurisdiction of Surjani Town police on Tuesday. Hameedullah, 16, was injured near Afghan Camp when he was hit by a vehicle. The driver along with his vehicle managed to escape. The injured was rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on his way. ----------------------- Many areas still go without power KARACHI, July 15: The KESC resorted to load-shedding to the tune of 20 mw from West Wharf and Old Town Grid Station on Tuesday owing to overloading of its Queen's Road transformer, but many areas remained without electricity as the local faults could not be attended. Residents of Block-I, North Nazimabad said they were without electricity for the last two days as the complaint centre staff had not rectify the fault. Parts of Khyaban-i-Mujahid, Defence Phase-V, are without electricity since Sunday. Besides power supply to parts of Block-7 Kehkashan, Clifton, remained affected this afternoon due to an emergent shut down for the repair of breaker of a PMT. In view of persistent power failures in Defence and Shirin Jinnah Colony, the provincial law minister, Salim Zia, directed the KESC general manager (customer services) to take corrective measures and carry out survey of Shirin Jinnah Colony to get rid of power failures. He asked the KESC officials to replace old wires and PMTs in Defence Phase-I. Power supply to PPI News Agency and its surrounding area, including Sindh Secretariat, was also disrupted for more than an hour as Muhammadi House/State Bank feeder tripped at 2.00 pm which was normalised at 3.15 pm. An underground cable in C.P. Barar Society was also burnt out due to overloading as a result of excessive use of air-conditioners "unauthorisedly", a KESC spokesman said. The 35-metre-long cable had to be replaced and the supply was subsequently normalised by Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry, comprising Muzammil Hussain and Capt. Mohiuddin, met the KESC managing director Kamal Afsar and appraised him of th problems relating to under-capacity distribution, billing and meter-reading and arrangement of 1000 kva transformer. According to a Press release of FBATI, it was decided to jointly survey the area with reference to excess load. It was also decided that the excess load could be regularised after the implementation of system improvement scheme. It was decided that each meter must have the meter card and each meter-reader should be instructed to record the reading on the card as well. This was decided in the context of getting rid of average billing. Changing of the burnt out transformer of 750 kva with 1000 kva transformer on cost sharing basis was also decided and it was agreed that industrial area transformer would be separated from residential area to account for the excess use of load. It was also agreed that if any industry did not cooperate in sharing the cost of transformer, the KESC could disconnect its supply. ------------------------ Lawyers not to contest cases of sectarian groups LAHORE: All the lawyers in the Punjab have been restrained from contesting the cases of religious groups involved in sectarian violence after the killing of lawyers in sectarian attacks. A circular in this regard was issued by Pakistan Bar Council, the Lahore High Court Bar Association and Punjab Bar Council on Tuesday. The circular directed the lawyers not to pursue the cases of these religious groups and the lawyers already engaged in the cases were directed to withdraw their power of attorney. The membership of lawyers, who do not comply with the directive of these lawyers' bodies, will be cancelled, the circular said. ------------------------ Town planning regulations One city, two systems KARACHI, July 15: The Federation of Architects and Engineers (Pakistan) has lashed out at the duality in the town planning regulations in Karachi Division, which has allowed highrises in the megapolis and overburdened civic services. This view was expressed by Muhammad Yusuf Kureshy, president of the federation in a Press statement, stating, inter alia, that such a situation has emerged mainly due to the lack of coordination and the absence of a uniform policy on the building control system. He pointed out that it was before 1979 that an experts committee with two representatives from Karachi Cantonment Boards framed unified building and town planning regulations for entire Karachi Division. And when these regulations came into force, the Cantonment Boards adopted their own regulations on the pretext that they were under Ministry of Defence and not under the provincial government. There are six cantonment boards within Karachi Division viz. Karachi, Malir, Clifton, Drigh Road, Manora and Korangi cantonment boards. Thereafter, Defence Housing Authority (DHA) was created to look after the housing in these areas, but the uniformity has vanished, leading to construction of highrises of 10 to 15 storeys which made the town planning regulations "ridiculous." Citing an example, Mr Kureshy said that now on one side of a road the land control is with the KMC or KDA and across the road of a cantonment board due to which a two-storey building faces a skyscrapper and so on. In 1979, the Sindh Building Control Ordinance was promulgated for the whole of the province of Sindh, giving legal cover to the uniform regulations, he said, stressing the need that the same set of regulations should have governed areas within the cantonment boards to which the directorate of military lands and estates was a party. But it adopted different regulations, providing "high plot ratio" in cantonment areas, apparently, to make money through sale of land at a higher price, but without looking at the available infrastructure potential - controlled by other civic agencies. The federation chief observed that lack of coordination between the agencies has led to various architectural and town planning monstrosities, as one sees in civil lines and latest in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. Now, there is a report that a 15-storeyed building in Depot Lines (Saddar) has been declared dangerous for habitation and very soon similar news will come for many other highrises, he said. Mr Kureshy urged all concerned agencies to coordinate to clear the town planning mess created by the cantonment boards by doing away with their ego to have uniformity in such regulations in public interest. ------------------------ Fortunes bring misery to family HYDERABAD, July 15: Imam Bux Babbar, a villager of Goth Jara Babbar, in Tando Bahawal, has accused Lakhano and Abdul Majeed of committing inhuman atrocities against his sister Ms Sahibzadi. The two accused are brothers of the Dhani Bux Babbar, who was one of those killed in a the Tando Bahawal shooting while Ms Sahibzadi is the widow of the victim. Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Tuesday, with Hussain Babbar - the son of Ms Sahibzadi form her first husband, Master Imam Bux Babbar said that the government had given Rs300,000 cash and 24 acres of land to his sister Ms Sahibzadi like all the other victims of the tragedy. He alleged that out of the Rs300,000, Abdul Majeed had taken away Rs145,000 and purchased 20 acres of agricultural land in district Thatta and got transferred 10 acres in his own name. He further charged that Abdul Majeed, with the help of fake witnesses also got 24 acres of officially allotted land transferred in his own name thereby depriving Ms Shahibzadi and her seven children of their legal rights. He said out of the remaining amount, a joint account was opened in the bank out of which Abdul Majeed drew Rs10,000. Imam Bux said his sister Sahibzadi submitted an application to the authorities against these excesses as a result of which Abdul Majeed and his brother Lakhano admitted their crime before the elders of the village and the leaders of Sindhi Qaumi Saath on Dec 7, 1993 and promised transfer of the entire property and money in the name of Ms Sahibzadi and her children. However, he claimed, Abdul Majeed got his name removed from the joint account but did not fulfil his promise in respect of the transfer of land. He further claimed that his sister Sahibzadi was put under tremendous pressure to marry her daughter to the illiterate people. "Not only this, but Abdul Majeed and Lakhano hatched a conspiracy to get Sahibzadi declared as insane and also tried to kidnap her daughters," Imam Bux alleged adding, "another conspiracy was hatched to declare Sahibzadi as 'Kari' (one liable to death for having extra-marital relations)." He said the only fault of Sahibzadi was that she was an enlightened woman and he had got her daughters educated and was not prepared to marry them to illiterate people. He said ultimately his sister was sent to Darul Aman with her seven children and the matter was pending before Taluka SDM for the custody of children. He said Sahibzadi was a natural guardian of her children but the SDM had not given any decision on her two applications submitted to him. "She accuses the SDM of a partiality," he claimed. Imam Bux said that he was the only brother of Sahibzadi and running about to seek justice. He feared that due to the apathy of the administration and delay in the dispensation of justice, his life and the lives of his sister and her children were at risk. He appealed to the social welfare and human rights organizations to come to the rescue of Sahibzadi and her children. Answering a question whether his sister Sahibzadi was a divorcee and she had been sold out to Dhani Bux, Imam Bux admitted that this sister had been divorced because her first husband had became insane. However, he denied that his sister had been sold but said that the family of Dhani Bux had given some money to his father to make arrangements for the marriage as he was too poor. Meanwhile the taluka SDM, Babar Qadeer, on Tuesday advised both the parties - Ms Sahibzadi and the brothers of her husband Abdul Majeed and Lakhano - to move the civil court in respect of the custody of children. Sahibzadi has been remanded to Darul Aman with her seven children. ---------------------- 'Punjab has occupied Sindh' HYDERABAD: Nawaz Khan Zaoor and Abdul Malik Sahito, who have announced the formation of a new party 'Jeay Sindh Inqilabi Party' have alleged that Punjab has occupied the Sindh province and that's the biggest cause of the decline of Sindhi nation in the fields of politics, economics and education. They said this in a press conference on Tuesday. Both Nawaz Khan Zaoor and Abdul Malik Sahito have been made the organiser and deputy organiser of the newly formed party. They said that there were three types of political parties in Sindh, the first type were the Pakistan Peoples Party and other parties which believed in federation and so-called democracy, the second type of parties were like Awami Tahreek or Taraqi Pasand Party which were working for their personal interests in the name of nationalism, while in third category there were parties like Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mehaz and Jeay Sindh Mehaz which have failed to produce any fruitful results. The office bearers said that in order to save the Sindh and Sindhis they were compelled to form Jeay Sindh Inqilabi Party, while the process of membership was on its way. "G M Syed is our leader and the freedom of Sindho Desh is our destiny," they declared. ----------------------- Pakistan, India exchange 386 fishermen KARACHI: Pakistan and India on Tuesday swapped 386 fishermen detained by both countries for illegal fishing in the Arabian Sea. The fishermen had been in detention for the last three to four years. A total of 193 Indian fishermen, most of them from the western state of Gujrat, were released from the Landhi Jail, Karachi, and boarded on to an Indian Air flight to Bombay in the afternoon, while 193 Pakistani fishermen were released from a jail in Bombay and handed over to Administrator of Fishermen Cooperative Society and MPA Sindh Humayun Muhammad Khan. However, their departure to Karachi by a PIA flight scheduled for Tuesday afternoon from Bombay could not take place and they would reach here on Wednesday (today) morning. The release of the detained fishermen was undertaken after Pakistani and Indian foreign secretaries reached an agreement during a meeting in Islamabad last month, which also provided for the return of the seized fishing boats later this month. Official sources said that the 193 Indian fishermen, who left in the afternoon, were earlier handed over on release from the Landhi Jail to a representative of the Indian High Commission by the personnel of the Maritime Security Agency (MSA). Arrangements for taking them from the Landhi Jail to the airport and providing them food were made by the MSA personnel. They were driven from the jail in four police vans to the airport. Likewise in Bombay, on the release from the jail, the 194 Pakistani fishermen were received by Humayun Khan, who had gone to Bombay on Sunday as the head of a delegation for the purpose. On their arrival in Karachi on Wednesday, the Pakistani fishermen along with Humayun Khan would be brought from the Jinnah Terminal straight to the Karachi Fish Harbour for a reception. All expenses for their return from Bombay to Karachi have been borne by the Fishermen Cooperative Society. Indian diplomats told reporters in Karachi that apart from some problems, the arrangements by the Pakistani officials during the repatriation process were satisfactory. "We believe there are more Indians in Pakistani jails. It has been decided by both sides that immediately after they are identified, they will also be repatriated from both the sides," Indian diplomat N K Chopra said. President of the Fishermen's Society in Gujrat Veliji Masani said that the crew from both sides of the border were either lured by bigger catch or by strong currents into territorial waters of each other. He said that it was the first repatriation after about 80 fishermen were exchanged in 1994. He welcomed the release of the Indian fishermen from the Pakistani jail One of the freed Indian fisherman, Jaintee, said that he was arrested by the Pakistani Coast Guards in November 1994. "We were very pleased when we read in newspapers that Indian and Pakistani officials, in their meeting in Islamabad, had decided to repatriate us," he said. Another fisherman, Nago Jee, said that more than 25 Indians were still in the Landhi Jail. Early this year, Pakistan repatriated 38 Indian children held with adult fishermen as a goodwill gesture before the Indian and Pakistani officials resumed the peace talks in March in New Delhi after a three-year hiatus. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 July 1997 Thursday 11 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 Census to be held in October ISLAMABAD, July 16: The Federal cabinet on Wednesday decided to hold population and housing census in October this year under the supervision of personnel of the armed and civil armed forces. Official sources confirmed to Dawn that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who presided at the session, has convened another cabinet meeting on Monday to discuss the issue of downsizing. In addition, important WAPDA affairs will also be discussed in Monday's session. Commenting on the issue of census, an official spokesman said the cabinet decided to complete the census exercise between October 18 to 31. It would be conducted by officials of the provincial governments and "will be monitored 100 per cent, from door to door, by the personnel of the armed and civil armed forces." Explaining this, the spokesman said, it would prevent over enumeration. The entire census exercise is likely to cost Rs. 841 million. An official two-page comment on the cabinet meeting suggested under the head of census that the prime minister expressed satisfaction over the fact that the all important and much delayed population and housing census would be conducted by his recently elected government with the full cooperation of the provincial governments. He assured the provincial chief ministers that the federal government and its various agencies would lend every possible help and assistance to the provincial governments in this extremely important national exercise. Sources said the provinces, represented by chief ministers who attended the cabinet meeting on special invitation, pointed out areas where difficulties in holding census were quite visible. The provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, reportedly narrated their side of the story but agreed in the final event when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif assured them that the government would remove any drawbacks in this regard. Informed sources said the cabinet dropped the idea of promulgating an ordinance to set-up Ehtesab committees and chose to adopt administrative measures instead. However, a Federal Ehtesab Council was set-up to co-ordinate at the national level all actions of the Ehtesab committees. These sources said that the cabinet also formed a committee which has been assigned the duty to "review" some aspects of the draft bill on terrorism, sectarianism and political violence. The new set of proposals is expected to be taken up for discussion in the next meeting. The cabinet also approved measures for setting up of Ehtesab committees at the sub-divisional, district and divisional levels. It also constituted a Federal Ehtesab Council to co-ordinate at the national level all actions of Ehtesab committees and to take cognisance of the complaints against these committees and take remedial measures. According to new decision, if any complaint is confirmed against anybody, a case would be sent to the concerned department with strong recommendations for action against the individual. "The recommendation will carry weight and will not be dismissed," a senior government official said. The cabinet expressed concern over the increasing instances of adulteration of pesticides and approved in principle amendments to Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance, 1971 to bring the importers, manufacturers, formulators and distributors of pesticides within the ambit of the penal clauses of the Ordinance and enhancing the penalties. ----------------------- SPTV, FM 100 offices sealed, five arrested KARACHI: Two directors of the private radio channel FM 100 were arrested after FIA raided its offices here on Wednesday. FIA sources, while confirming the arrest of Muhammad Ali Pasha and Abbas Rizvi, said that they had also seized relevant record which could incriminate javed Pasha, the chief executive of the company. They also said that the offices of FM 100 were sealed after the raid. But, the private radio channel was broadcasting programmes till the filing of this report. Both Muhammad Ali Pasha and Abbas Rizvi were later sifted to Islamabad for interrogation, the sources said. Our Islamabad correspondent adds: At least five senior officials of the Shaheen Pay TV (SPTV) and FM-100 were arrested on Wednesday after FIA conducted separate raids at their offices. The raids were conducted on the directives of the Prime Minister's Secretariat Ehtesab Cell. Both of the private radio and cable TV channels have been charged of violating some clauses of private channel agreement. Sources in the Ehtesab Cell said that concrete evidence was gathered against the private channel, which would soon be forwarded to the chief Ehtesab Commissioner. Both the SPTV and FM-100 were allowed to air programmes till a decision at the highest level. The sources, while confirming the arrest of Mohammad Ali Pasha, Abbas Rizvi and Leon Lobo, said that they were being interrogated by the FIA's Special Investigating Unit (SIU). Javed Pasha escapedthe country few days before the dissolution of the PPP government. Leon Lobo was Pasha's secretary. Sources at the Ehtesab Cell said: "Asif Ali Zardari had, using his influence, managed to get the licence issued for FM 100 and SPTV to his front-man Javed Pasha on a 33-year lease". These sources said that the licence to operate private radio and TV network was awarded to Pasha in violation of rules and regulations. "The company did not even deposit guarantees worth million of rupees, thereby violating the relevant rules," sources said. Ehtesab Cell sources said that the government would also approach Interpol for Javed Pasha's arrest. --------------------- Two gunned down in Lahore LAHORE, July 16: Two people were killed and one injured when unidentified assailants fired on them in Anarkali Bazaar here on Wednesday. Hafiz Rashid Ahmad, owner of a stationery shop, his employees - Rana Muzammil and Nizamuddin - were opening the shop at round 9:30am when two assailants opened fire on them. All the three sustained bullet injuries. Eyewitnesses said one of the accused was wearing a helmet while the face of the other was covered with a shawl. They had come on a motorcycle from The Mall and after the incident escaped towards the Punjab University Oriental College. One of the accused - the pillion-rider - was seen getting into a waiting car near the government college. At the time of the incident, at least seven police mobiles were patrolling the area and one police van and two motorcycles were present at the rapid response centre near Nila Gumbad, a few hundred yards away. No police vehicle tried to intercept the accused. The wireless message about the shooting was relayed immediately after the incident, but the first police vehicle arrived on the scene at around 9:50am. The injured were taken to the Mayo Hospital where Nizamuddin, 60, was pronounced dead. Hafiz Rashid Ahmad, 25, and Rana Muzammil, 25, were operated upon for bullet injuries. Hafiz Rashid Ahmad succumbed to injuries after a few hours. The condition of Mr Muzammil was described as serious. Police said Rashid Ahmad used to arrange finances for the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan and was the younger brother of Hafiz Muhammad Habib, who was gunned down on the Dhani Ram Road on April 28. He was also a close associate of advocate Rao Khalil Ahmad, who was also killed. -------------------- SSP, TJP leaders escape from police custody KHANGARH: Two local leaders of the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and the Tehrik-e-Jafferia Pakistan (TJP) escaped from police custody on Wednesday. Tahir Jamil (SSP) and Ghulam Jaffar (TJP) were arrested by the local police on the special instructions of the district administration to avoid any sectarian violence in the city about two days ago, but SHO Abdul Hakeem allegedly helped them to escape from the custody by taking gratification of Rs 10, 000 each. The SP Muzzaffar Garh, Dr Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, took serious note of the incident and directed the concerned police to arrest the culprits as early as possible. --------------------- Drugs seized after encounter KARACHI: The Anti -Narcotic Force (ANF) on Wednesday seized a sizable quantity of heroin and hashish in a raid on drugs-den in Koochi camp at Super Highway The ANF sources told that its staff raided a house on a tip off, in the most notorious area of Afghanis' Koochi Camp, near Suhrab Goth and recovered over three kilograms of heroin powder and four kilograms of hashish. The sources said that during the raid exchange of firing took place in which the inhabitants of the house fled but the drugs of millions of rupees in international market were recovered. The Koochi Camp near Karachi is notorious for its being one of the biggest areas of drug trade were never raided since several years. The sources also said that the drug trade is flourishing there right under the nose of some police officials. The ANF investigators said that some more leads have been received by the agency which would led to arrest of some big-shots in near future who are involved in the trafficking. ------------------ Houses, shop looted KARACHI: The bandits looted thousand of rupees, gold ornaments, electrical appliances, and snatched 10 vehicles from various parts of the city on Wednesday. The armed men looted Rs 150,000 from Noor Deen in Tipu Sultan; Rs 23,726 from Haider in Nazimabad; Rs 14,400 from the shop of Ashiq Ali in Taimuria; Rs 7,000, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Muhammad Aslam in Buffer Zones; cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from the residence of Javed Iqbal in Manghopir; cash, jewellery and valuables from a house in New Karachi; cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a house in Buffer Zones; and Rs 95,000 in the jurisdiction of City Railway PS. ------------------ Housewife commits suicide KARACHI: A young woman committed suicide in North Nazimabad on Wednesday. Resident of B-4, Bhayani Square, Block G, North Nazimabad, Nadia, 25, had exchange of hot words with her husband Nafees. Later in the day when she was alone in the house she hanged herself to death with the ceiling fan. Her husband took the body to Abbasi Shaheed and later it was shifted to Edhi Home. According to police Nadia's parents alleged that Nafees killed her, however, the MLO of Abbasi Shaheed conformed that Nadia had committed suicide. ----------------- Four arrested, stolen goods recovered KARACHI: The District Central police on Wednesday arrested four people including a woman, allegedly involved in robbery and vehicle snatching cases. Police claimed to have recovered a car, a motorcycle, three TT pistols, gold jewellery and electrical appliances from them. Tariq Mochi was arrested by Liaquatabad police after a brief encounter, while his accomplice Shaikh Mehmoob managed to escape. According to the police two armed men snatched a motorcycle (KCS-5204) near Gharibabad in Sharifabad and when the accused reached Liaquatabad police jurisdiction, a police mobile saw the motorcycle and signaled the accused to stop, but the armed men seeing the police opened fire. Police retaliated and arrested one bandit, while his accomplice escaped. The Nazimabad police on a tip arrested Muhammad Iqbal, Abdul Raheem and Mrs Tasleem. During the interrogation the accused confessed of being involved in a number of house robberies. On their discloser police recovered looted jewellery, electrical appliances worth Rs 500,000 and a stolen car. ------------------------ SHO suspended for raiding weekly's office KARACHI: SHO Al-Falah Inspector Mumraiz Khan was suspended on Wednesday after he, along with his police party, attempted to arrest the editor and reporter of weekly Takbeer, in connection with an FIR lodged by the DSP Police Head Quarters, Malir, regarding the July 11 killing of his sons. The bereaved DSP, Azizur Rehman, lodged the complaint with Al Falah Police Station, nominating four notorious MQM activists besides laying all the blames at weekly Takbeer and daily Awam, for publishing unfounded stories, instigating the murderers to eliminate his sons in revenge. According to one of the weekly staffer, plain-clothed Inspector Mumraiz Khan, along with the police party, raided the office of Takbeer at about 5.50 pm and asked its editor Sarwat Jamal Isma'ee, former Managing Editor of Takbeer and now Editor daily Ummat, Rafeeq Afghan, and reporter Shahrukh Hasan to accompany them to the police station. The editor asked the SHO to show him the relevant documents which ensued exchange of hot words between the two. In the meantime other staffers contacted President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister Sindh and DIG Karachi and apprised them about the incident. The DIG intervened and phoned SHO Mumraiz Khan, while he was at the weekly's office, ordering him to return to the police station, to which, he complied with. Upon hearing the news and in anticipation of a possible arrest, many photographers flocked Takbeer's office but they were misbehaved by the police official there. The DIG Karachi Malik Iqbal, however, took prompt notice of the raid and suspended SHO Mumraiz besides appointing Additional SP East as inquiry officer to probe the matter. It is perhaps for the first time that two Karachi-based publications had been mentioned in an FIR as co-accused. The DSP in his statement recorded on July 12, said that weekly Takbeer and daily Awam had published separate stories involving his son SI Kashif Aziz and himself in the killing of proclaimed offender Farooq Dada and his associates in a police encounter . Those printed allegations enraged the gang members of Farooq Dada who finally killed his two sons in revenge. Though, assisting any murder is liable under Section 109/34 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) as an offence, however, it is up to the investigative officer of the case to define the roles of co-accused editors and reporters, a senior police official apprised. ---------------------- DIG's directive for re-compilation of lists of absconders KARACHI, July 16: City police chief DIG Malik Muhammad Iqbal on Wednesday directed senior superintendents of police of all the five districts to re-compile the lists of all proclaimed offenders and absconders and submit them at his office by 31st of this month. Official sources said the directive was aimed at updating the lists with full names, addresses, cases and other information regarding such elements. They said after the revision of lists special teams would be formed with the task to make all possible efforts for the arrest of the proclaimed offenders and the absconders. Meanwhile, the city police are making extra-ordinary security arrangements for the auspicious occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi. According to a police Press release, special contingents of the police and rangers would be deployed at sensitive points and across the passage of processions. Besides, the district administrations and senior superintendents of police of the five districts would supervize the security arrangements during the processions, it added. The directive to this effect was given to all the five SSPs by the DIG who on Wednesday reviewed the security arrangements to be taken for the auspicious occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi. Sufficient contingents of the police and the rangers equipped with latest weapons have already been deployed at certain sensitive points of the city and all the traffic superintendents of police have been directed to take effective measures to ensure smooth traffic flow on the auspicious occasion. Special security arrangements have also been ordered in areas such as Banori Town in district East, Mithadar and Kharadar in District South, and Qasba Colony in District West. ---------------------- Governor pleads for metropolitan governments KARACHI, July 16: Sindh Governor Moeenuddin Haider has said that it is high time to think of giving city governments to mega cities like Karachi and Lahore and it must happen not by 2010 but much earlier. He made this observation while presiding over stake-holder consultation process at a local hotel on Tuesday where co- chairperson was adviser to the prime minister on "Pakistan 2010 vision" Ahsan Iqbal, MNA. Dr Tariq Banuri and Dr Erik Jensen gave presentations on good governance process, reforming the civil service, producing citizens charters of rights, accountability, decentralising federal and provincial government, reforming laws to strengthen civil society and strengthening the subordinate judiciary and mediating institutions. The governor said that our vision 2010 should be of a peaceful Pakistan where people should not be killing each other, sorting out issues by having dialogues, listening to each other with patience, the country should not be importing food, Pakistan should have become an industrialised nation, external and internal debts should have been cleared, we ought to have more prestige internationally, clean potable water should be available to all and there should be a 100 per cent literacy rate. The governor said that if only 100 per cent literacy is achieved, most of the problems could be resolved including that of population explosion which has been ticking like a time bomb by nullifying all progress. But the question is how to achieve this vision in presence of harsh ground realities of mistrust, negation of merit, and corruption culture, he asked. He said there was a need to trust the government, bureaucrats, police and they should all respond in the same manner, trust people, ensure rule of law and merit. He agreed with the proposal of former federal minister Javed Jabbar and DIG Police Iqbal Malik that there was no need to set up committees and commission to study the malaise with which the country is beset as reports on every aspect of life including police reforms are already in place. There is a need to take them out from archives and implement them for which political will and setting personal example are required as rightly pointed out by Dr Mohammad Yaqub, the Governor of State Bank of Pakistan. The governor said "unless all the plundered money is taken back from the corrupt and no one is allowed to go scot-free, nothing would work." He was of the view that all those from top to bottom who were involved in corruption should be suspended immediately and they should be asked to get themselves cleared through the legal process. Referring to the present state of affairs, he said the country had a civilised society even before the British rule. He regretted that through misuse of political power, institutions were deliberately destroyed. The governor also called for a population census, local bodies elections as the district enjoyed a very important place in resolving problems of people. He also backed privatisation and decentralisation to avoid interference of bureaucrats in setting up industries and their operation. About education, he said "we are having a nose dive in the education sector where despite 2.5 budget allocation, there are leakage's and incompetent teachers. We are not doing anything to improve the situation. To improve literacy rate, we must wage Jehad and could utilise the army to educate people after changing the syllabus and this does not require additional budgetary provisions." He also recalled the dismal state of affairs at the universities and higher institutions of learning saying that despite spending Rs250 crores on education the country's universities have failed to produce even one science Ph.D as against India's over 2000 Ph.Ds every year. The governor said there are many fake science foundations functioning in the country exploiting the national resources. There was need to take action against them. He also stressed the need to implement land reforms which were enforced 30 to 35 years back, but never on the ground. Earlier, the State Bank Governor Dr Mohammad Yaqub pointed out that during the last few years there was no economic crisis but crisis of governance, respect for the rule of law by all high or low. The laws should protect the poor against the powerful. He called for institutionalising decisions making while keeping it transparent. Javed Jabbar said "We are living in profound crisis. We have identified problems and there is need to implement reports like that of police reforms which are already available in archives." DIG Police Iqbal Malik observed that "If we don't bring structural changes, the situation in 2010 would be even worse. The rules governing the police should be changed and brought in conformity with the changing times to make police subservient to the public interests as the present set-up was meant to serve the British Raj. ----------------------- Colleges burst at seams amid declining facilities KARACHI, July 16: Most of the city colleges have been experiencing an annual increase of around 10 per cent in admissions and in the absence of corresponding improvement in physical facilities and faculty they are bursting at the seams. These admissions are being made in blatant violation of the rules of the Board of Intermediate Education. The BIE rules say that "the admission to any class or section of class shall be limited to 60 or as may be allowed by the board from time to time". But, there are colleges that have admitted around 200 students in each class. These colleges include St. Patrick's College, Aisha Bawani College, Government College Gulshan-i- Iqbal, Government Delhi College, Government Jinnah College, Government PECHS College for Women, Government Sir Syed College for Women, Government's St. Joseph's College, Government Khursheed College for Women. According to a study of the last 10 years by Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association, there are colleges whose number of enrolment has tripled and the load in terms of student-section ratio has also increased. There is at least one city science college where number of students admitted has doubled in the last 10 years, but there has been no addition of sections in this college. The science colleges where the number of enrolment has enormously multiplied are St Patrick's College, Dehli College, Government Inter-College Malir Cantt, Government Jinnah College, Government Khatoon-i-Pakistan College for Women, Government PECHS College for Women, Government Sir Syed College for Women and Government College for Women Nazimabad. In commerce colleges, Government College of Commerce and Economics and Government Premier College are among those which have seen a steady rise in the number of enrolment. However, there are colleges in the city which have experienced a decline in enrolment. These colleges include Government Islamia Science College, Government Degree College Lyari, Government St. Lawrence's College for Women and Government Riaz Girls College. In 1986-87, the St Patrick's College had a total number of 153 students divided into two sections. But, in 1996-97, the total number of students admitted in this college was 620. Divided into three sections, each section showed a strength of 207 students. Delhi College, which had an overall strength of 223 students, was having two sections in 1986-87. Last year, it admitted 598 students with each section having around 199 students. Likewise, Government Inter-College Malir Cantt had 162 students divided into two sections, in 1996-97 the number reached 494 and they were divided into three sections. In Jinnah college, the number exceeded from 498 in 1986-87 to 1003 in 1996-97 with no addition of section during this period. Students' strength in each section of the two commerce colleges of the city - Government College of Commerce and Economics and Government Premier College - exceeded from 109 to 143 and from 146 to 173, respectively. In science colleges for women, Government Khatoon-i-Pakistan College had 265 students 10 years ago and its each section was having 88 students. Last year, the number of students admitted reached 800 plus and each section showed as having 161 students. Likewise, Sir Syed College for Women, which had 402 students divided in four sections in 1986-87 had 1186 in 1996-97. Last year students were divided into six sections with each section showing about 198 students. Similarly, two sections of Government College for Women Nazimabad had 88 students each. In 1996-97, the number of students reached 480 divided into three sections with each section showing the admission of 160 students. However, the number of admissions in women science colleges came down in at least two colleges. Government St. Lawrence's College, which used to have 133 students in 1986-87 came down to 123 in 1996-97. Earlier, the college had two sections, but later it was left with only one section. Similarly, Government Riaz College, which used to have 102 students divided into two sections, had only 78 for one section. Though these two colleges had a lesser number of students in 1996-97 than in 1986-87, the reduction of sections led to an increase in student-section ratio. But, Government Degree College of Lyari for boys, which used to have 375 students with each section having 125 students in 1986-87, had 190 students with every section having 95 students each. Prof Riazul Hasan, president of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), said that owing to lack of physical facilities, majority of science colleges had come under tremendous pressure with 10 per cent increase in number of admissions every year. A few years ago, he said, there used to be a total allocation of Rs6.5 million for the laboratory purchases. But, he added, that allocation was curtailed to Rs800,000 only. "For example, a prestigious science college - D.J. Science College - has been given an annual allocation of Rs5,000 for the chemistry laboratory when most of the chemicals are imported items," he said and added that there was already a freeze on allocations under the head of laboratory. He said with the new 10 per cent increase in enrolment, especially when D graders would also be given admissions in science colleges the pressure would increase. Prof Ahsan said there was a need for increase in the number of sections or classrooms, particularly in colleges that faced the maximum pressures from, besides availability of needed material and appointment of teachers in the respective colleges. He said there was an absolute disparity in the teacher- student and student-classroom ratio among public sector science colleges and steps should be taken to increase enrolment in colleges that are underutilized. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 July 1997 Friday 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 Chief Justice takes suo moto notice of Karachi killings Summons AG, home secy, IGP Sindh, AGP and federal interior secy; hearing on 26th in Karachi ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr Justice Sajjad Ali Shah on Thursday took suo moto cognizance under Article 184(3) of the Constitution on the incidents of violence and indiscriminate killings in Karachi. After examining the press clippings of different newspapers from June to July 16, the chief justice directed to issue notices to the advocate general of Sindh, the Home secretary Sindh, the IGP Sindh, Attorney General Pakistan Chaudhry Muhammad Farooq and the federal Interior secretary to appear and report about the steps being taken to control the law and order situation in Karachi. The next date of hearing is July 26, while the hearing will be held at the chambers of the chief justice at the Karachi Registry of the Supreme Court building. The two-page order of the chief justice under his signature came against the backdrop of his earlier assurance to take suo moto notice on the law and order problem in Karachi if the situation so warrants. He had stated this while talking to reporters in the US, where he had gone to attend a Pakistani American Physicians Convention. The chief justice there had also expressed shock over the murder of Shahid Hamid, the Managing Director of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC). Describing the Karachi situation, where lives of innocent citizens are being lost everyday, as a matter of great public importance in his order, the chief justice stated it seems that the federal and provincial governments have completely failed to curb and control the law and order situation in Karachi. The situation therefore is going from bad to worse as a result of which public peace and tranquillity is disturbed which is detrimental to the public order and is a clear violation of Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution. Article 9 of the Constitution ensures the security of a person by declaring that no person shall be deprived of life or liberty. Similarly, Article 14 of the Constitution is about the inviolability of dignity of a man, suggesting that the dignity of man and, subject to law, the privacy of home shall be inviolable and no person shall be subjected to torture for the purpose of extracting evidence. In the first instance, it will be ascertained whether there is sufficient reason to take further action as contemplated under Article 184(3) (enforcement of fundamental rights) when a preliminary inquiry will be held at the chambers of the chief justice in Karachi on July 26. The chief justice has also sought the assistance of the public at large by directing to publish a notice in the newspapers of Karachi asking people to register their names with the Assistant Registrar (Karachi) if they are interested to give assistance. They will be called to appear before the court as and when so required. He stated that he has examined the newspaper clippings which revealed that every day there are indiscriminate killings either by explosions or by firing incidents by unidentified people. The victims are not only the common citizens but also civil servants and workers of different political parties. ----------------------- Police includes MQM-H workers in KESC chief's murder probe KARACHI: The Karachi police have included some workers of the Mohajir Quami Movement (Haqiqi) in probe into the murder of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) chief. Shahid Hamid was gunned down earlier this month by unidentified men when he was on his way to his office. Police sources said that the Suhail Zaidi, in charge of MQM-H's labor division in the KESC, had been probed by the inquiry team led by Ali Gohar Mithiani. However, the inquiry did not lead to anything substantive. Sources said.--NNI ----------------------- Pakistan not to recognise govt in Mazar-i-Sharif ISLAMABAD, July 17: A Foreign Office spokesman on Thursday categorically rejected possibility of recognising the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance "government" in Mazar-i-Sharif. Pakistan was the first country to recognise Taliban government when they established their rule in Kabul in May last. The spokesman said though Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani, chief of Afghanistan's Jamiat-i-Islami would be invited to an intra-Afghan conference here, but not as President of Afghanistan, an office he held until Taliban militia over-ran Kabul. He said: "We don't recognise Rabbani as the President of Afghanistan", but he would be invited as a leader of an Afghan political party to proposed conference. Replying questions from newsmen, he said during his current visit to Islamabad, Iranian deputy foreign minister Alaudin Brojourdi would hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart in the context of Pakistan's efforts to establish "co-ordinated move" for restoration of peace in Afghanistan. Mr. Brojourdi has been liaising with the Afghan Shia minority rulers in Northern Afghanistan. Iranian deputy foreign minister who arrived here on Thursday had indicated that he would discuss with his Pakistani counterpart Iftikhar Murshid all aspects of possible Afghan peace efforts. The spokesman, however, did not say whether Brojourdi's visit had helped to narrow difference in perceptions of Iran and Pakistan. But he maintained that Pakistan was not acting in Afghanistan in conflict with peace efforts by Iran or UN mediator. The spokesman denied that Pakistan's Afghan peace efforts were at variance with the United Nations chief mediator Norbert Holl. Pakistan sought to supplement the UN efforts, the spokesman added. --------------------- Nawaz to visit US from Sept 28 ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan disclosed on Thursday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will start his visit to the United States from September 28 this year. --------------------- One killed, five robbed, 10 vehicles snatched KARACHI: A grocery vendor was killed by a fleeing bandit, whereas five robberies were committed and 10 vehicles were snatched from different parts of the city on Thursday. An armed man barged into the residence (56/6) of Zahoor in Sector 5-G of New Karachi with the intention to commit a robbery. Zahoor, however, woke up in the meantime and started shouting for help following which the bandit fled. Zahoor also chased him. Upon sensing danger the armed man opened fire on Zahoor, however, the bullet missed the target and hit Muhammad Ijaz, 36, who was sleeping on his cart. The bandit managed his escape from the scene, whereas Ijaz succumbed to his injuries on the way to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen looted Rs 29,875 from one Naimatullah in Sher Shah; Rs 24,000 from Saqlain Ali in Mominabad; cash, jewellery, prize bonds and other valuables from the residence of Muhammad Rafiq in Liaquatabad; Rs 160,000, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal; and Rs 55,000, jewellery and other valuables from a residence Darakhshan. ---------------------- Accused of Ghaziabad killing arrested KARACHI: After hectic efforts the police on Thursday arrested the accused of the brutal killing of five people in Orangi Extension police precinct on June 25. Ehtesham-ul-Haq aka Munna Bhura,the accused, is allegedly involved in 21 other cases of killings and other heinous crimes. Police claims to have recovered a TT pistol from his possession. After receiving an information police raided Bhura's hideout in Orangi and arrested him. During interrogation Ehtesham admitted that he was involved in a number of murders. He also confessed that on June 25 he kidnapped five people from different city areas with the help of his accomplices and killed them in Ghaziabad. Those killed were later identified as Muhammad Aslam, Mumtaz Ali, Shabistan Khan, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Akram. ---------------------- KMC man gunned down KARACHI: A KMC employee was shot dead in a hospital, while police recovered the tortured corpse of an unidentified youth on Thursday. Muhammad Saleem (41), an assistant director of the KMC Computer Section, was gunned down by two motorcycle riders in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The police said he lived in flat No B-1 of the hospital where his wife is a nurse. Saleem was standing on the staircase of Abbasi old centre near the OPD gate when two unidentified motorcyclists shot him dead. The Gulistan-e-Jauhar police recovered a tortured body. The police on informed by an area resident recovered the body of a 24 to 25 years old man from the bushes. Police said he was tortured before being killed and also had two bullet wounds on his back and skull. It was shifted to the JPMC for autopsy. ---------------------- One gunned down KARACHI: A man was gunned down by unidentified people in Korangi on late Thursday night. An unidentified 25-year-old man received bullet wounds, when some unknown people opened fire on him in Korangi Sector 36-B, while he was standing outside his residence. ----------------------- One dies in road mishap KARACHI: A passenger of a coach was killed and two others were injured when their speeding coach over turned at Rishad Minhas Road on Thursday. Nisar Ahmed Khan, 30, Majeed and Fareed were injured when their coach (PE-1249) overturned near Driven Cinema at Rishad Minhas Road. The injured were rushed to nearest hospital in critical condition, where Nasir succumbed to his injuries. However the injured and the body could not brought to any government hospital till filling this story. Fareeda, 35, was injured, when some unknown people opened fire at her in Liaquatabad, while she was standing outside her residence. ---------------------- Enquiry against SI ordered KARACHI: DIG Police Karachi Muhammad Iqbal has ordered DSP Complaint Cell Asghar Ali Shah to conduct enquiry against SI Rafiq Qaimkhani of Ajmeer Nagri police station for his alleged excesses against journalist Abdul Rahman Bukera. According to a press release, Qaimkhani entered Bukera's house a couple of days back and took away with him a costly wristwatch, gold ring and Rs 800. Bukera alleged that the SI also detained him at the police station and released him after taking a bribe of Rs 5,000. The DIG has also suspended the SHO and other personnel of the police station on his complaint, the press release added. ----------------------- SHO demoted, suspended KARACHI: The DIG Police Karachi, on Thursday, visited the City Court Police Station and suspended its SHO and also demoted him with immediate effect. After receiving complaints that the SHO, Sub-Inspector Haseebullah Qureshi, was involved in corruption, the DIG visited the police station at 11 am and found the SHO sitting in plain clothes during court hours and having tea with his friends. The DIG demoted the SI to ASI and suspended him. He will also be transferred to Police Lines South where he will draw pay and allowances as admissible under the rules. The DIG also issued a show-cause notice for dismissal from service. ----------------------- Girl commits suicide KARACHI: A young girl shot herself dead in Gadap police precinct on Thursday. Safia Qalandar (15) shot herself at her residence in Brohi Mohalla, Murad Memon Goth. The police said she had a quarrel with her mother and later took the licenced rifle of her father Qalandar Bakhsh and shot herself dead. On information by the family the police shifted the body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy. ---------------------- Chahar Beit KARACHI: A literary sitting of 'Chahar Beit' was held under the aegis of Bazm-e-Shaan-e-Pakistan Chahar Beit Party in connection with the golden jubilee celebrations. Bazm's GS and TV Artist Syed Sohail Javed presented chahar beit. Shafi Bismil chaired the sitting. Manju Bhai and Abu Bhai were also present on the occasion. Chief guest Dr Abdul Wahab could not attend the gathering. -------------------- Book launching KARACHI: Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys' Association of Pakistan will arrange launching of Zakir Ali Khan's new book ' Barai Nam' on July 29. Speaker National Assembly Illahi Bukhsh Soomro will be the chief guest while Hakim Mohammad Said will preside over the ceremony. -------------------- Soyem KARACHI: The Soyem of Agha Sadaruddin Ismaili (Sadar) will be held on Friday, July 18, after Asar prayers at 75/2/2, 15th Street, Khayaban-e-Sehr, Phase VI, Defence Housing Authority. He leaves behind a widow Meena Sadar, sons Agha Abbas, Dilawar Sadar and nephew Rimmel Khan. ----------------------- Three TJP leaders nabbed SAHIWAL: Police have arrested three leaders of TJP from Chak 86/6-R in connection with its crackdown on sectarian organisations and terrorists. They are Anees Tahir, Azam Shah and Tauqir Abbad. They have been booked under 16- MPO. ---------------------- Zubair promoted as AVM ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan has ordered the promotion of Air Commodore Zubair Alam to the rank of Air Vice Marshal, said a Defence Ministry press release issued on Thursday. ----------------------- Eid Milad-un-Nabi today KARACHI: Eid Milad-un-Nabi is being celebrated today throughout the country with great religious fervour, enthusiasm and renewed pledge to follow the foot steps of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). The day will dawn with 31-gun salute at the federal capital and in the provincial metropolis with 21-gun salute whereas Quran Khawani will be held in all the major mosques of the town after fajr prayers. Mosques, buildings and shopping centers have been profusely decorated in different cities on account of the day. Different social and religious organisations have prepared separate programmes to celebrate the day enthusiastically. Naat Khawani and seerat conferences will also be held and food will be distributed amongst the poor. The biggest congregation will be held in Badshahi Mosque where notable ulema from all over the Punjab will participate in the mehfil and highlight the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Besides, the main procession will start in the morning from the railway station, Lahore and after passing through its traditional route end at Data Darbar. It will be a public holiday today on account of Eid Milad un Nabi. ---------------------- Suddle released on SHC order KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, consisting of Mr Justice Amanullah Abbasi and Mr Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed, on Thursday declared the detention of former DIG Karachi Shoaib Suddle as null and void and ordered his release. In a short order, the court allowed the petition of Shoaib Suddle, challenging his detention under the provisions of MPO, and directed the authorities to release the detenu forthwith. Later, the sources confirmed that the former DIG, who is also being tried in the Murtaza Bhutto murder case in a sessions court, was released on the court orders. ----------------------- SSC Part II results announced KARACHI: The Board of Secondary Education, Karachi, on Thursday announced the results of SSC Part-II(Class X) annual examination-1997, with a pass percentage of 72.53, which is 5.14 per cent higher than the last year. The first three positions in the consolidated merit list of boys and girls candidates was shared by seven male and female students. There was a neck to neck fight between the second and third position holders with a difference of only one mark. First position in the over all merit list was clinched by Saima Kanwal(Roll No 210076) of PECHS Girls School. She secured 795 marks and her percentage was 93.53, seven marks ahead of the second position holders. Second positions were bagged by Amir Aziz(Roll No 162300) of Everest Junior School, Khubaib Yusuf Mapara(Roll No 169675) of BVS Parsi High School and Sadia Zulfiqar(Roll No 210074) of PECHS Girls School. Each of them secured 788 marks. The third position proved an affair of three female students who secured 787 marks each. They are: Sana Mehdi(Roll No 201509) of St Jude's High School, Arzoo Saeed (Roll No 203423) of Progressive Children's Secondary School and Zehra (Roll No 206165) of Sultan Muhammad Aga Khan Secondary School, Karimabad. According to BSE notification, in all 54390 candidates, including 20878 girls, appeared in the examinations, out of which 39448, including 16423 girls, were declared to have passed. The pass percentage of girl candidates remained 78.66 while in the case of boys it was 68.71. The number of A-1 graders came as 2985, including 1795 girls. Thus the tally of A-1 graders passing the matric science examinations during the last 12 years reached to 18398. The statistics of the results gave to understand that including the D graders the number of eligible candidates for admission to first year classes would be around 35000, with a drop out of 10 percent. According to sources in the education department, under the directives of the provincial education minister, D graders, after a gap of two years, would be allowed admission to first year science classes in government colleges. The grade-wise break-down of passing candidates in the SSC part II examinations 1997 was: A One-2985(including 1795 girls), A-7121(3839 girls), B-9422(4606 girls), C-11657(4647 girls), D-7676(1493 girls), E-522(37 girls) and Pass-65(6 girls). Results of 39 candidates were withheld either on account of unfair means or for want of correct information from candidates. Mark-sheets of candidates would be issued after one week, added the BSE notification. Those who got position in boys merit list are: First position(788 marks)-Amir Azeez s/o Muhammad Abdul Azeez, Roll No 162300, Everest Junior High School, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Khubaib Yusuf Mapara s/o Yusuf Muhammad Mapara, Roll No 169675, BVS Parsi High School, Saddar. Second position(784 marks)-Asif Imtiaz Khan s/o Imtiaz Ali Khan, Roll No 151656, Hamdard Public School. Third position(780 marks)- Shakil Ahmed s/o Aziz Ahmed, Roll No 160437, Federal Secondary School, Federal B Area. Those who got position in Girls merit list are: First position( 795 marks)- Salma Kanwal d/o Shamim Haider, Roll No 210076, PECHS Girls School. Second position(788 marks)- Sadia Zulfiqar d/o Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhatti, Roll No 210074, PECHS Girls School. Third position(787 marks)- Sana Mehdi d/o Mehdi Hasan Khan, Roll No 201509, St Jude's High School, North Nazimabad, Arzoo Saeed d/o Ahmed Saeed, Roll No 203423, Progressive Children's Secondary School, Zehra d/o Iqbal, Roll No 206165, Sultan Muhammad Aga Khan Secondary School, Karimabad. ------------------- PTCL introduces new digital technology for corporate subscribers ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has introduced a new digital technology called Digital Cross Connect for corporate and business subscribers. The advent of digital technology has revolutionized the fields of information and communications. This technology is much faster, reliable, accurate and flexible one. The PTCL has developed a platform for Digital Leased Line Networking. This new service will be available to the customers at most competitive rates utilizing optical fiber media. Through this technology, the customers have the option to transfer data from 1.2 Kb/s up to 2Mb/s according to their choice and destination. The private date operators and Internet service providers can use this technology to move data at higher speed by using flexible bandwidths at most competitive rates. The banks also have the unique opportunity to establish electronic banking system through Automatic Teller Machines to link their branches in major cities. The airline and travel agencies can establish their own network. Oil exploration companies, financial institutions, aviation and security control departments, courier services and corporate customers can benefit from this latest technology. The other beneficial function of Digital Cross Connect is Video Conferencing, through which the leading companies can save lot of time and expenditure incurred on excessive travelling. The Digital Cross Connect Technology network is available in 28 major cities of Pakistan, but initially, the PTCL is launching this service in three major cities i.e. Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. This service will be extended to other cities in due course of time. Hopefully this service will meet the challenges of present day's expanding business requirements.--NNI ------------------- India elects first untouchable president NEW DELHI: Kocheril Raman Narayanan on Thursday became the first member of a low Hindu caste to be elected president of India. Narayanan, 76, previously vice-president, was backed by Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral's United Front coalition, the Congress party and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. He was chosen by an electoral college of 4,848 legislators of the federal parliament and state assemblies who voted in a secret ballot under a system of proportional representation. "I feel grateful to the Indian people for the support they have given me through the elected members," the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted him as saying. "I feel humble and satisfied." The former diplomat, who will be the 10th president of the world's largest democracy, was born into a poor family in southern India but went on to study at the London School of Economics. He won 4,231 votes to 240 for his rival, former chief election commissioner T N Seshan, an Election Commission spokesman said. Seshan won fame as poll chief from 1991 to 1996 for spearheading a campaign to clean up electoral politics. Narayanan's victory was a foregone conclusion after he secured the support of the country's three major political groups -- the ruling coalition, its powerful ally and the main opposition party -- last month. Under the Indian parliamentary system, the president is the titular head of state with few real powers compared to the prime minister, who is the head of government. But the post has assumed greater importance with the emergence of coalition politics in which the head of state can play a key role in the formation of governments. Narayanan is due to be sworn in for a five-year term on July 25, three weeks before the 50th anniversary on August 15 of India's independence from Britain. PTI said people in his home village of Uzhavuor in the southern state of Kerala celebrated by parading his portrait on an elephant and distributing sweets to the public. President Shankar Dayal Sharma, whose term expires on July 25, did not seek re-election although he would have been eligible. Over the past 15 months, Sharma has appointed three prime ministers, all heading minority governments. The president also has the final say in appointing state governors and in any proceedings to impeach Supreme Court judges. -------------------- Crime on the rise in NWFP PESHAWAR: The crimes seem systematic and manifestation of sick mentality of those who are out to settle their scores with nascent government by playing havoc with the life of innocent people. Like other provinces of the country, the Frontier Province is also facing the same problem. With the advent of Chief Minister Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan's government in the province, certain anti-social elements have raised their heads. Keeping in view the location of the province adjacent to the tribal belt where law of land has no excess and outlaws find it very easy to materialize their designs, kidnapping for ransom has become a routine matter. It is also an open secret that the strength of the Frontier Police is far below than the requirement, hence, providing fool-proof security measures to the life and property of 18 million populace through 31,000 force seems a Herculean task. Likewise the Frontier province has to bear the brunt of the Afghan fallout as it is hosting the largest number of refugees in the country. More irony of the fate is that in the past certain quarters had polluted the whole fabric of the society by awarding lucrative posts to its blue-eyed persons and treated by awarding lucrative posts to its blue-eyed persons and treated the policemen as their henchmen for their interests. They have been compelled to do which was contrary to their professional responsibility but they obeyed the order just to please the self-interested quarters and such an attitude had nurtured poor professionalism in the force. In such a backdrop those committed to their job could be counted on finger tips. However, the Frontier Police in spite of such shortcomings has managed to prove its mettle and added many feathers to its cap from time to time by foiling the attempts of saboteurs and terrorists. In a recent meeting held with the DIGs of all range on law and order in the province, the Police Chief affirmed his commitment that very soon the situation will be brought under control. At the same time he also sought public cooperation for netting the criminals. He stressed the need for evolving a system in which there is no loophole or let up for the criminals. However, some elements took out demonstrations in a bid to score numbers against the elected government and save their degraded image in the society but the general public proved too vigilant. In was encouraging to see that the rational public circle of the provincial capital has expressed surprise over the pre-planned agitation from certain self-centered quarters.--NNI -------------------- Houses, filling station razed in Kurram Agency PESHAWAR: The political authorities of Kurram Agency yesterday demolished five houses and a filling station belonging to the alleged accused of the attack on assistant political agent, Parachinar, and other personnel of Khasadar force. The houses were demolished in the College Colony, Parachinar, during which the five most-sought-after fugitives were nabbed along with a large quantity of lethal arms. The operation was stated before dawn by the political administration, assisted by the personnel of FC. House-to-house search was conducted to nab the accused. Three bulldozers and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) were also sued in the operation. Earlier, the authorities had raided the College Colony for the arrest of the most-wanted absconder, Abdullah alias Mazegare on June 21. During the raid, the area people stood in revolt and they took hostage a number of militia men and seized their arms. The APA had escaped life attempt. Soon after the incident, the authorities prepared a list of the accused involved in the attack on APA and his body-guards and militia personnel. The elders of College Colony promised the authorities they would produce the accused before them within a couple of days. In wake of their failure to produce the accused, the political administration decided to launch an operation to bring the accused to book. On the first day of the operation, five houses belonging to Mohammad Iqbal, Malik Sher Alam, Gulab Hussain, Syed Walayat Hussain and Malik Nasir were demolished. A filling station was also bulldozed. The owners of the houses and the filling station were arrested. Residents of the area, who made several telephone calls to The Frontier Post offices, expressed concern over the government action and said despite arresting the criminals, the authorities resorted to demolishing houses.uNNI -------------------- Senate Committee for reducing number of Hajis ISLAMABAD: Standing Committee in the Senate on Religious Affairs proposed on Thursday to cut the number of pilgrims to 100,000 due to limited space provided in Mina, Saudi Arab. The committee. which met at the Parliament House with Senator Professor Sajid Mir in the chair, also demanded of the government to persuade the Saudi government for larger space allocation for Pakistani pilgrims. The meeting also decided to receive applications by August in order to arrange reasonable accommodation and proposed a committee to supervise these arrangements. Earlier, Secretary Religious Affairs briefed the meeting about the Hajj policy. Senator Hafiz Fazal Muhammad, Senator Justice (retd) Rafique Tarrar, Senator Javed Iqbal Abbasi and Senator Maulana Syed Amir Khan attended the meeting.--NNI -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 July 1997 Sunday 14 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1418 Karachi killings: SC invites public for assistance KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has notified for the information of general public that the Chief Justice of Pakistan has taken suo moto cognizance of killings/violence incidents in Karachi, under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution about which news have also appeared in the press. Notice said that those who are interested to give assistance in connection with the above-mentioned matter, can register their names with the Assistance Registrar, Supreme Court Branch Registry, Karachi. They would be c 'MQM to cooperate with Supreme Court' KARACHI: The MQM chief convener, Syed Ishtiaq Azher, has said his party has decided to appear before the Supreme Court and extend full cooperation to the chief justice for taking suo motto notice of the current killings in Karachi. Talking to PPI, former senator Azher said the PPP government was dismissed by the president on the charges of extra-judicial killings and this was endorsed by the Supreme Court. He said the MQM leaders and a panel of party lawyers, including Shoaib Bukhari and Qazi Khalid Ali, would appear before the court with proof and evidence. Asked if he would also appear before the court, the 72-year-old senator said if the court summoned him, he would appear before the chief justice. He said a commission for investigating the extra-judicial killings had already been formed by the prime minister comprising senior judges of the supreme and high courts. The MQM would also appear before the commission with full facts and figures when it started functioning, he added. -------------------------- Conspiracy being hatched to pave way for governor rule: Altaf KARACHI: The MQM chief Altaf Hussain has said that certain elements are hatching conspiracy for the imposition of governor rule in Sindh but expressed his determination that MQM would foil all such conspiracies. Addressing the senators, MNAs, MPAs and members of MQM Coordination Committee at Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall, Altaf asked his party members to keep their eyes open to foil conspiracies being hatched against the present government. Referring to the Supreme Court decision, he said it should have also taken suo moto notice of the extra-judicial killings in Karachi in which hundreds of MQM workers lost their lives during the regime of PPP government. He said as the Sindh government officials had been summoned by the Supreme Court over such killings, the MQM should also make detailed summary to apprise the Supreme Court about these killings. Meanwhile, the MQM Coordination Committee has appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take notice of certain elements who were forcing the MQM workers to join separatists group and for this purpose they were being offered various incentives. They stated that PM should take notice of actions of coalition parties in Sindh government. -------------------------- Six killed in city violence KARACHI, July 19: Six people, including an activist of the MQM Haqiqi, were killed in acts of violence in the city on Friday and Saturday. The bullet-riddled body of a 28-year-old man was found in a car (L-2329) in Block-13/D/3, near Noman Complex in the early hours of Friday . He was identified as Aurangzeb, son of Suleman, a resident of house No A-195, Block-B, North Nazimabad. The police said the victim hailed from Hazara and was married with three children. He had joined the police as a constable some years ago, but deserted the force during training and left for Saudi Arabia where he stayed for some time, they added. The police also found an application the victim had written to the police authorities requesting reinstatement. The car in which the police found his body bore a fake registration number plate (V-1828) at its back. His body was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed hospital for autopsy, where the doctors said the vicitm had been shot twice in the chest. The bullet-riddled body of a Haqiqi activist, who had been earlier kidnapped by unknown armed youths in Saudabad, was found at the Shamsi Society ground near Masjid-i-Tauheed. The police said 10 to 12 armed men in a Suzuki Margalla (AB-1427) had come to the KESC sub-station in Saudabad and kidnapped Sirajuddin, son of Fayyaz Hussain, a KESC supervisor. According to MQM Haqiqi, Siraj was a member of the party's KESC unit of its labour division in Malir. He was also a member of the Haqiqi's Malir sector committee. The strangled body of a peon at a government school was found in a gunny bag near PWD Workshop, F. C. Area, Sharifabad. The victim, identified as Abdullah, had embraced Islam in 1985. His body was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed hospital where the doctors said his left foot had been chopped off. Another strangled body, that of a 16-year-old boy, was found near the Baba Noorani Mazar in Badar Town, Sector 48-H, Korangi No 1. His body was taken to the JPMC. The police said the victim, who could not be identified till late Saturday night, was menatlly abnormal and used to roam around the Mazar. His body is kept in the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth. The bullet-riddled body of a 25-year-old man was found at 12:50am on Friday at Korangi No 4. The body was shifted to the JPMC. The Korangi police identified the man as Mohammad Ashraf. A 55-year-old doctor, Syeed Bashir Ali, was shot dead in Quaidabad on Saturday night. ------------------ Police commando, two others commit suicide KARACHI: Three people committed suicide in the city during the last 48 hours. Zahir Shah (24) shot himself to death at his residence in Pirabad on Friday. His relatives took the body to Civil Hospital for autopsy. According to police, Zahir returned from abroad ten days ago and his parents were asking him to get married. His refusal led to a row after which he locked himself in a room and committed suicide with his father's pistol. Abdul Kareem (40), an abnormal man, committed suicide at his house in Azizabad. His relatives took the body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for postmortem. According to the police, Kareem was jobless and on the day when his family members woke up they saw him hanging with a ceiling fan. Syed Mohsin Raza (26), a police commando, shot himself to death at his residence in Saeedabad. His relatives took the body to Civil Hospital for autopsy. Police said Mohsin committed suicide due to some family problem.Man kills wife, one shot dead: One Saleem Iqbal, after exchange of hot words with his wife Kehkashan, 35, opened fire and injured her in their residence at Sector 5-E in New Karachi. She died of her critical wound on her way to Abbasi Shaheed. Police later nabbed Saleem and claimed recovery of a pistol from him. During interrogation the accused disclosed that he had lost his temper when Kehkashan asked for money to buy clothes. Meanwhile, Sarzamin Khan, 25, was killed and Sohail, 35 and Amin, were injured in an incident of firing in Pirabad police precinct. Sources said a quarrel had developed between two groups which ended up in firing. Out of the three who were injured in the firing, Sarzamin died on the spot while the injured were taken to Abbasi Shaheed. ------------------ SSP to launch anti-government movement JHANG: Sunni militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) on Saturday announced to launch a country-wide anti-government campaign in collaboration with other political parties. The campaign would also include a sit-in on August 11 before the four provincial Civil Secretariats. Talking to the newsmen, SSP chief Allama Ali Sher Haidri said that SSP would hold meetings with the chiefs of Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, PPP and other political and religious parties to "finalise its future strategy". He also warned the government of civil disobedience "if it did not mend its ways". He alleged that the PML government came into power through rigged elections and during its first six months it gave the nation "nothing but terrorism, mass killings, dearn------------------------ Gang planning to kill Abida Hussain, others arrested ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that in democratic societies, the police had two-pronged responsibility of maintaining law and order and curbing terrorism, besides promoting brotherhood and that the Pakistan police were fully in a position to fulfill this responsibility utilising their extraordinary capabilities. He expressed these views while appreciating the performance of Superintendent of Police Bhakkar Dr Tariq Masood Yasin who smashed a terrorists gang whose hit list included the names of the Federal Ministers Syeda Abida Hussain, Tehmina Daultana, Syed Mushahid Hussain; former speaker of National Assembly Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, former federal minister Faisal Saleh Hayat, Amanullah Sial MNA and a number of senior police officials. The accused had also planned large scale terrorism throughout the country. He said that the present government would encourage those showing good performance and take strict action against those who were found indulging in negligence and dereliction of duty. Nawaz Sharif said that the law-enforcement agencies, particularly the police had to play a pivotal role in leading the ongoing process of accountability to its ultimate end and if all the agencies consolidated their efforts to meet this challenge, it would go a long way in establishing a pious and crime-free society in the It may be recalled that the terrorists gang headed by Hafiz Shafiqur Rehman was involved in attacks on Iranian cultural centre, Multan and a number of places of worship, killing of SSP Gujranwala Ashraf Marth and attempts to carry out terrorism on the occasion of February elections. A large quantity of sophisticated weapons including rocket launchers and grenades were seized from the gang. ---------------- Four bodies recovered, doctor shot dead KARACHI: The police have recovered four bodies, including that of an MQM (H) activist, from different parts of the city in the last 48 hours. A doctor was also shot dead in the late hours of Saturday. The Al-Falah police recovered the tortured and bullet-riddled body of Sirajuddin (35), a Haqiqi activist. Sources said the area residents informed the police that a corpse was lying near Masjid-e-Tauheed in Azeempura area. A police team recovered the body and shifted it to the JPMC for autopsy. Later, police identified him as Sirajuddin, a former member of MQM (H) Malir Sector Committee and presently working with the party's labour division in the KESC, Kala Board Centre, Malir. The sources said Siraj was kidnapped by some unidentified people who killed him after brutal torture. He was a resident of Saudabad. The Gulshan-e-Iqbal police recovered a body from a car. They said some people informed them that a suspicious car was parked near Own Heights. A police team recovered the Suzuki Alto (L-2329) and found a bag in the trunk that contained the tortured corpse of a man with multiple bullet wounds. It was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy. Later, police identified the deceased as Aurangzeb Suleman (35) who sources said was a former policeman. Sharifabad police also found a body from the bushes. The sources said police were informed that a bag was lying near the PWD Workshop in FC Area. Police reached the spot and found the bullet-riddled corpse of a youth on opening the bag. They shifted it to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy. Police identified the deceased as Abdullah Razzaq who had embraced Islam in 1985. The sources said he was shelterless and used to live on the roads. He was killed by people who suspected him to be a police informer. Zaman Town police recovered the body of an unidentified teenaged boy. Sources said the area people informed the police that a corpse was lying near Qabristan Road. Police recovered the corpse of the unidentified 17-year-old youth from Sector 48-H and shifted it to the JPMC for postmortem. The sources said he was brutally tortured before being killed and his hands and legs were tied with rope. The hospital sources said he was hanged to death by the murderers. Dr Syed Bashir Ahmed was shot dead by unidentified people in Quaidabad police precinct. Further details were not available till the filing of this report. -------------------- F-16 issue: Pakistan engages US lawyer By Nayyar Zaidi WASHINGTON: A team of American lawyers engaged by Embassy of Pakistan will visit Pakistan towards the end of September to start a process of determining whether Pakistan should go to court on the issue of F-16, an authoritative source told The News. "The contracts in this case are voluminous and various ministries like Foreign affairs and Law will be involved so one or more visits by lawyers will be helpful," said the source. After examining the contractual provisions, the lawyers will start an in-depth study of the legal aspects. "A key decision to be made is whether Pakistan should ask for F-16 or it should ask for refund," the source said. It may be mentioned that in any law suit, the "request for relief" should precisely state the relief sought. Pakistan had placed an order for 60 F-16 fighter planes in 1989. It paid $658 million in cash for a deal of $1.2 billion. However, in 1990 sanctions under Pressler Amendment to the Foreign Aid Act of 1962 were imposed because the president could not certify that Pakistan did not possess a nuclear device. Consequently, the State Department lawyers ruled that it applied not only to "aid" but also to cash purchases. -------------------------- PIA to buy American planes only if F-16s released ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government is considering linking the purchase of new commercial planes from Boeing and McDonnell Douglas companies with the refund of $658 paid by Islamabad for F-16 aircraft or their delivery from the United States. A senior official told The News that the government had conveyed this to the two American companies to lobby in the US for the refund of the stuck-up money Pakistan had paid for the F-16 fighters. Under its fleet-replacement programme, the PIA plans to replace its Boeing 747 and ageing Fokker F-27 with Boeing 747/400 or Boeing 777 or McDonnell Douglas MD-11 or Airbus A330 or French ATR-72 or Canadian Dash-8. However, there is a big question mark whether a military deal which fell apart due to the sanctions imposed on Pakistan through the Pressler Amendment could be translated into reality in a way Islamabad would like it to be. Meanwhile, the government has decided to implement a three-point programme to cut down Rs 2 billion annual loss being faced by the Pakistan International Airlines. The official said under the programme, non-productive expenses of the national airline would be drastically cut down, more unprofitable and unnecessary international routes would be closed down or reduced, and old aircraft, which eat up a huge money on their maintenance, would be replaced. He said despite an increase of a maximum of 10 per cent in domestic air fares, the Rs 1.5 billion loss being faced by the airline on domestic routes has just been reduced by about Rs 400 million. The official pointed out that the domestic fares were last increased in 1995 whereas after that there had been a significant raise in inflation, rupee had been devalued substantially and prices of aviation fuel gone up by 50 per cent. He said to curtail unproductive expenditure, PIA's administrative setup would be limited. The PIA chairman's secretariat which earlier comprised 56 officials was reduced to just six officers and staff by the new chief, Shahid Khakan Abbasi. There were four protocol officers in this secretariat. "The entire airline performs the protocol duty as it caters to air travel needs of the people so what is the need of having these officials," Abbasi remarked while reducing the strength of his secretariat. The official said the PIA currently has 92 general managers while KLM has just 15 and Lufthansa 13. The post of the GM public relations, has been abolished. The number of directors would finally be reduced to 10 from the existing 17, the official said. He said the airline is considering discontinuing international routes of Amman, Rangoon, Cairo and Nairobi. "On paper, the PIA showed profit even last year, but the actual position is that we are borrowing to keep us running." ------------------- PSO refuses fuel supply to KESC on credit KARACHI: After refusal by Pakistan State Oil to supply fuel on credit, the KESC has started making payment to PSO on daily basis. KESC owes over Rs 4 billion outstanding dues to PSO against the supply of furnace oil to its thermal power stations. The Corporation spends more than Rs 20 million daily on purchase of fuel for its thermal power stations. The scheme for daily payment was agreed upon in a meeting of high-level officials of KESC and PSO and approved by the acting MD Kamal Afsar on Saturday following which the first cheque worth Rs 20 million was handed over to the PSO authorities. In the said meeting the KESC had also agreed to settle outstanding dues in instalments besides making payment for the daily oil supply. --------------------- Six robbed, 20 vehicles snatched KARACHI: Armed men looted thousand of rupees, gold ornaments, electrical appliances and snatched 20 vehicles during the last 48 hours. They also injured a man on his resistence in Soldier Bazar. Rs100,000 were looted from Chudhri Fayyaz in Aziz Bhatti; Rs30,000 from Lal Muhammad in Soldier Bazar; cash, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Brig ( Rtd( Zia-ul-Haq in Ferer; Rs21,000, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a house in Gulistan-e-Jauhar; cash, jewellery and valuables from------------------- 17 police officers summoned KARACHI: Two Deputy Supdts of Police (DSPs) and 15 Station House Officers (SHOs) of Karachi have been summoned to appear before a committee to record statements on July 21-22 in Islamabad in connection with 27 MQM workers missing since '95. These police personnel would appear before a three-member Senate Special Committee at the Committee Room No: 1 of Parliament House, Islamabad. The IG Police Sindh was directed to ensure the presence of DSPs Maqbool Shah who was at that time DSP Jamshed Quarters and Majeed Mirza who was SHO Landhi Police Station then. The summoned SHOs belong to Central, East, West and South districts of the city. The committee which was constituted on a motion moved by Senators Aftab A Shaikh and Nasreen Jaleel, had earl----------------- Four die in mishaps KARACHI: At least four people were killed in different incidents during the last 48 hours. Asif, 18 died after he fell from a speeding coach in Gulbarg area on Friday. Yaseen Khan, 40 was knocked down to death when a speeding hit-and-run vehicle ran over him and his motorcycle over on Sharea Faisal on Saturday. Sualeh Abbas was crushed to death under the wheels of a speeding vehicle in Saddar. He was crossing the road. Naseema, 35 had received burn wounds when her clothes caught fire in her residence in ------------------ Heat and power breakdowns: it's a case of 'extremes meet' KARACHI, July 19: Different parts of the city continued to suffer load-shedding of various durations in this hot and humid weather. In several areas, unannounced load-shedding of longer duration also caused water shortage problem as the residents of the affected localities could not pump water into their overhead water tanks. The worst hit areas which faced unannounced load-shedding of eight to 10 hours duration on Friday and Saturday included Malir Extension, Saudia Colony, Dakkhana, Khokhrapar No-1 and their adjoining localities of Malir. According to residents of Malir Extension D- Area, electricity in their locality went out at 9am on Thursday and was restored at 2am on Friday. "Although we have been facing such a power crisis since mid- June, the concerned authorities of the KESC are paying no heed to our requests of normalizing power supply in this hot and sultry weather," regretted an angry resident. "Isn't it surprising that in spite of the fact we have been experiencing frequent power failures since long, power bills' amount remains the same," he wondered. Residents of Pak Kausar Town said that frequent power failures in their locality had made their life miserable in the hot and humid weather. "We have lodged our complaints at the concerned KESC complaint centre on several occasions, yet no relief has been provided," said an affected resident. Residents of Block 5 of Gulshan-i-Iqbal complained that they had been without electricity since 2am Saturday and all their efforts to contact the concerned KESC complain centre had proved futile as the centre's staff did not pick up their phones. However, with regard to the power breakdown in Block-5 of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, the KESC spokesman said that it was caused by a fault in its PMT. The faulty PMT was replaced and power to the affected block was restored at 7pm, he added. However, a resident of Block-5 of Gulshan-i-Iqbal called Dawn offices late on Saturday night that electricity went out in three lanes, near Sir Syed University of Technology, at 2 in the afternoon on Friday and had not been not restored until midnight on Saturday. "The complaint centre staff donot take the trouble of picking their phones," she complained. Residents of North Nazimabad's blocks E, H, N, H, Barkat-i- Haidry, Buffer Zone's sector 15 D, E, 15-A/5 (Al-Erum Foundation) and Block 14 of Federal B. Area also complained that they suffered power breakdowns of longer duration on Saturday. The residents of Lyari, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Buffer Zone and their adjoining localities remained without electricity from 2:40pm to 7:45pm on Saturday. A woman US national, living in Block-A of North Nazimabad, said in the afternoon there had been no power supply for over six hours. She regretted that last summer her complaints were responded to by the KESC officials but this year she received no response. "Believe me, I'm affiliated with no political party. But the situation was better last year." While she spoke a child was heard crying in the background and she said the child was annoyed by the power breakdown. According to a KESC spokesman, power supply to the above localities was affected owing to tripping of KESC's 66 kv Valika to Nazimabad transmission line at 2:40 pm on Saturday. Electricity in areas hooked to Lyari grid station was restored at 7pm while in areas connected with Nazimabad grid stations at 7:42pm, he added. Moreover, load-shedding to the tune of 10 to 15 mw was resorted to from the grid stations of West Wharf and Old Town owing to overloading of Queens road grid station, he said. VILLAGES: Complaints of power failures were also received from different goths of Malir, including Memon Goth, Old Thana, Gadap, Kathore, Darsano Channa, Dur Mohammad, Bhirro, and 20 other goths situated around Dumlottee-II and III. According to a Press release of United Balouch Organization, the frequent power failures have also cause an acute water shortage in the goths. "Operations at ISRA eye hospital are continuously being postponed almost daily owing to power failures," the Press release added. Meanwhile, complaints pertaining to low voltage problem causing damage to electrical appliances continued to pour in newspaper offices from different parts of the city, particularly Federal B. Area, North Nazimabad and parts of Gulshan-i-Iqbal. Cars now disappear on paper, too KARACHI, July 19: Car thieves have found an ingenuous method of stealing cars by colluding with the Excise and Taxation Department's motor vehicle registration (MVR) wing employees to sell and make cars disappear on paper. Inquiries show that a leasing company in Karachi recently received a telephone call from Peshawar, in which a buyer sought to purchase their silver Honda Civic Vti-1996 model (engine No 016Y6-1001608 and chassis No PK 6530193) at present being driven by their client in Karachi. A representative of the leasing company based in Peshawar examined the prospective seller's car at a Bargain Centre, only to find that it was identical to the company's car in Karachi, with the same engine and chassis number and with the seller in possession of the original papers. The leasing company's representatives, who visited the offices of the MVR wing last week in Karachi to look for the original papers, found them missing from the Excise Department's files. They had reportedly registered the car under registration number AAF-885 soon after purchasing it in June 1996. The CPLC, which is investigating the case suspects that the next step for Peshawar's Bargain Centre would be to file an FIR against the leasing company's car, claim insurance on it and then reregister the car on the original number. Another ingenious case of car theft came to light recently, when the owner of a 1987 model Charade, Khalid Adnan, attempted to sell the car in Lahore. The Lahore CIA checked the car's records and found that it had been reported as stolen in December 1988. Thereafter, the CIA-Lahore contacted the Excise and Taxation Department, the CPLC and police, with investigations revealing that Excise employees had colluded with the owner to sell the car on paper. The Crime Branch has been asked to investigate this 1987 case, in which Hameedullah Khan, alleged to be a showroom dealer, had had registered the Charade in his name. Hameedullah first registered the car on duplicate documents obtained from Customs on January 31, 1988 under registration number 257-077 (after filing an FIR that the original documents had been stolen) and then reregistered it on June 28, 1988 under registration number 265-668 on original documents. Inquiries further show that in December 1988, Hameedullah Khan filed an FIR on the basis of duplicate documents and claimed insurance compensation on the car stolen on paper. The existing Charade, chassis number 622902 and engine number 1604467, was thereafter sold on original papers, first to a well-known company and then to a private party. Although the MVR wing denies their involvement in the complex theft, inquiries show that in 1992 Excise employees had collaborated in the transfer of the stolen car by feeding different code numbers, chassis number JDA 6100-5000-622902 and engine number 1111111 on the car, and issuing a No Objection Certificate to Mr Adnan, who wanted to take the car to Lahore. CPLC chief Jamil Yusuf, who is encountering a growing number of "white collar crimes", as he described it, maintains that the police do not have the experience of solving them. Furthermore, he points out that the collusion of the administration, particularly, Excise and Taxation Department, has facilitated considerably ingenious methods of car theft. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------