DAWN / NEWS International, Karachi 24 July 1998 Friday 29 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1419 Altaf apprises UK MP of Karachi situation LONDON: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is the third largest political party of Pakistan and the second largest in Sindh. It is in coalition with the ruling party PML (N) both at the federal and provincial levels. This was stated by MQM founder Altaf Hussain in a meeting with Rt Hon Michael Howard, MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary, at West Minister on July 22. Altaf apprised the shadow foreign secretary of the current political situation in Karachi and other urban areas of Sindh, where Human Rights were increasingly disregarded and murders and abductions were becoming more frequent. The rule of law was being undermined and the basic concepts of freedom, democracy and justice were being sidelined, Altaf said. Michael Howard and Altaf Hussain mainly discussed Human Rights during their meeting. ---------------------------------- PM to meet MQM team today KARACHI, July 23: Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif will hold talks with a Muttahida Qaumi Movement delegation here on Friday, the deputy convener of the MQM coordination committee said on Thursday. "We have been informed that a meeting has been fixed with the prime minister tomorrow but we have not been informed about its timing as yet," he said. Although no agenda has been spelt out for the meeting, the MQM is expected to take up the matter of siege and search operation in the city besides, and implementation of other parts of the agreement reached in London between the MQM and the PML. There has been no official word about the prime minister's visit to the city. ---------------------------------- 80 detained as LEAs comb parts of Liaquatabad KARACHI, July 23: Around 80 people were detained on Thursday by the law enforcement agencies during an early morning siege and search operation in parts of Liaquatabad. A sizeable quantity of illicit arms and ammunition was also seized in the operation. A heavy contingent of rangers and police cordoned off Liaquatabad Nos 8 and 9 where armed men had taken position late on Wednesday evening and the entire vicinity echoed with intense firing throughout the night. A young woman and 40-year-old man were injured when they received stray bullets during the night-long firing. Personnel of police and rangers were also fired upon as they moved into the troubled areas and conducted a house-to-house search till 4pm. The residents were asked to stay indoors during the operation by the law enforcers who recovered arms and ammunition, including five hand-grenades, one submachine gun, seven TT pistols, two shotguns, two detonators, one repeater, one mouser, three stolen cars, three motorcycles and a large number of bullets. Police sources said more than 80 people had been picked up for questioning during the siege and search operation. However, most of them were released after0r grilling and only over a dozen suspects had been detained. While the law enforcers were conducting the house-to-house search in parts of Liaquatabad, the entire vicinity and its adjoining localities reverberated with the rattle of guns. However, the situation relatively eased in the evening with a heavy deployment of law enforcers and intensified patrolling in Liaquatabad. A press release issued by the rangers said the troops of Pakistan Rangers moved into Liaquatabad Nos. 8 and 9 to arrest criminals, recover illegal weapons and remove barricades causing inconvenience to the public. It said the law breakers resorted to aerial firing and started fleeing the area as the operation was launched. As many as 13 persons have been rounded up on suspicion by the police for interrogation. The press release said the law enforcers had unearthed three houses in Liaquatabad No. 8 and recovered some weapons, three police uniforms, six stolen vehicles, including three motorcycles, blood stained clothes and empty gunny bags similar to those in which bullet-riddled bodies had been found in from different parts of the city in the recent past. Apparently, these houses were being used as torture cells, it added. The rangers' press release said: "The force appreciates the patience and cooperation extended by the dwellers of the area and extends regrets to the law abiding citizens who had to face any inconvenience due to the deployment of force in these areas". Muttahida: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a press release criticized the rangers' operation in parts of Liaquatabad alleging that "hundreds of innocent people, including elderly residents, had been arrested in the operation". It alleged that the law enforcers had also beaten up children and women during the operation. Several people including a women were injured in the firing by rangers, it further alleged. A press note issued by the deputy commissioner of Karachi Central said: "A joint team of rangers/police conducted search to flush out criminals from Liaquatabad area in the early hours of 23-7-1998. "During the search a number of persons have been detained for interrogation and a large quantity of arms and ammunition recovered by the action team. The details of articles recovered is as under: five hand grenade, one SMG, seven TT pistols, two 12-bore shotguns, two detonators, one repeater, one mouser, six bullets of TT pistols, three rounds of .222 bore, 93 rounds of .22 bore, 97 rounds of 7-MM rifle, six rounds of mouser, 420 rounds of SMG, three motorcycles, a Suzuki van, a jeep and a Suzuki car." ---------------------------------- Three injured by bandits, 20 vehicles taken away KARACHI: Armed robbers injured three people on their resistance in three different robbery incidents on Thursday. Besides, armed men looted cash, gold ornaments, electrical appliances and snatched 20 vehicles. Two armed men, who were on foot, intercepted motorcycle of Zahid Alam in Orangi Extension police jurisdiction and ordered him to hand over his vehicle. When Zahid resisted, bandits opened fire on him and fled along with his vehicle leaving him injured. Two bandits, riding a motorcycle, intercepted vehicle of Shahid in Kalakot police limits and asked him to hand over his vehicle. When Shahid resisted, bandits opened fire and fled along with his vehicle leaving him in a pool of blood. Two armed men, who were on foot, intercepted motorcycle of Ibrahim in Baghdadi police jurisdiction and ordered him to hand over his vehicle. When owner resisted armed men opened fire and fled taking with them his vehicle and leaving him injured. Bandits looted cash, jewellery and valuables from the residence of Fareed Rizwan in Baloch Colony; cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from the house of Abdul Wahid in PIB Colony; Rs 6,310 from Muhammad Amir in Mominabad; Rs 23,500 from Sumair Ali in Aziz Bhatti; Rs 20,532 from Rehan Hussain in Nazimabad; Rs 40,000 from Muhammad Ateeq in Pak Colony; cash, jewellery and valuables from a house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliance from a house in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Arrested: The Nazimabad police on Thursday arrested a bandit allegedly involved in vehicle snatchings after a brief encounter. They claimed to have recovered two TT pistols and a snatched car from him. According to details, two armed men snatched a Suzuki Margalla (Z-5454) from Naeem Akhtar near AO Clinic in Nazimabad. In the meantime, a mobile of Nazimabad police reached the spot. Naeem narrated the incident to police party which started chasing the vehicle and intercepted it. The accused opened fire which was returned by the police and a bullet hit an accused who fell while his accomplice managed to escape. During the interrogation injured accused disclosed his name as Rizwan, while the escapee was identified as Akram. ---------------------------------- Suspect, passerby killed during encounter KARACHI: An alleged bandit and a passer-by were killed, while an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) was injured in an police encounter in Defence area on Thursday. Police claimed to have recovered two TT pistols from the possession of the suspects. According to details, two armed men snatched a motorcycle (KAR-1877) from Shahzad Ahmed near Akhter Colony at Korangi Road in Defence area. In the meantime SSP East Ramzan Channa was passing from the area along with his squad. Shahzad gave a signal to the police and narrated the incident to the SSP East. Consequently, police chased the accused and ordered them to stop. The bandits, however, opened fire as a result ASI Muhammad Javed sustained injuries. Police also opened fire as a result both the suspects were injured. A passerby Imtaz Ahmed, however, was killed after he was caught in the cross fire. All the dead and the injured were taken to the JPMC. Police identified the suspects as Ramzan Brohi, 25 and Saifullah Brohi, adding that Ramzan succumbed to his wounds on the way to the hospital. ---------------------------------- Fate of 26 ACs, 38 DSPs hangs in balance HYDERABAD: The fate of 26 assistant commissioners and 38 deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), who were recruited, trained and posted during the last PPP government, is hanging in the balance as the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) has directed them to appear again for a written test on August 10 and 11, 1998 for assessment. The '95 batch of the ACs and DSPs, which includes the kith and kin of the country's elite, was recruited in the Sindh government through a selection board comprising officials of the Sindh government including SPSC representatives. After the two written tests, the 26 ACs and 38 DSPs selected were sent for training to the PCS Academy Peshawar (for ACs) and Thar Rangers, Hyderabad, and the National Police Academy Islamabad (for DSPs). Many with the blessings of their "influential relatives" secured prime postings and enjoyed fringe benefits without postings at various stations. However, the Jatoi-led Sindh government, under its revised policy, directed all the ACs and DSPs to report to the S&GAD where they were asked not to perform their duties till a final decision. The Sindh government pleaded that as the nominations of 1995 did not fulfill the criteria fixed by the SPSC for ACs and DSPs, they had to prove their suitability by appearing in the SPSC written exams. But some of the affected people approached the court, where the matter remains pending. Now, once again, the Secretary SPSC Hyderabad, Shams Jafferani, has issued a notification asking the 26 ACs and 38 DSPs to appear at the SPSC Headquarters for written test. Some of the candidates are said to be blue-eyed boys of the politicians as most of them are said to be the sons and nephews of the MNAs and MPAs belonging to the PPP. However, with the induction of the PML-N coalition government, things have changed and the entire batch has been asked not to report for duty. The affected ACs and DSPs are M Yasin Baloch, Miss Nawabzadi Aliya Khanji, Syed Ali Abbas Jaffri, M Ayub Khan, Faisal Ahmed Uqailli, Owais Muzaffar, Rehan Iqbal Baloch, Shahid Abdul Salam Khan, Dr. Qamar Raza Baloch, Shaukat Hussain Jokhiyo, Deedar Hussain Baloch, Syed Mehdi Ali Shah (son-in-law of former chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah), M Bachal Rahupoto, Dr. Shahzad Tahir Thahim, Sikandar Ali Khushk, Dr Maula Bukhsh Jakhro, M Aslam Khoso, Imtiaz Ahmed Rajpar, Abdul Raheem Khan, Ghulam Hyder Chandio, Khuda Dino Shoro, Aziz Ahmed Barlas, Makhdoom Aqeel-uz Zaman (son of MNA Makhdoom Amin Faheem), M Ibrahim Mahesar, M Imran Shakir and Sher Hussain Shah. DSPs Haseeb Afzal Baig, M Ali Wassan, Syed Salman Hussain, Khwaja Shahram Salahuddin, Shad Ibne Masih, Syed M Abbas Rizvi, M Najeeb Khan, Ghulam Sarwar Bhayo, Ali Sher Jakhrani, Ghulam Nabi Kirio, Abid Hussain Qaimkhani, Latif Ahmed Siddiqui, Aijaz Hussain Kamario, Akhtar Hassan Chandio, Saadat Ali Yasin, Fida Hussain Janwari, Ashiq Ali Bozdar, Miss Nasimara Panhwar, Jan Mohammad, Pir Syed Ahmed Taqi Shah, Khalid Mustafa Korai, Syed Imdad Ali Shah, Miss Farida Bano Leghari, Irfan Mukhtar Bhutto (close relative of Benazir Bhutto), Zulfiqar Ali Talpur (son of former federal minister Yousuf Talpur) Ali Bukhsh Nizamani, Aamir Abbas Shah, Syed Qamar Abbas Rizvi, M Altaf Sarwar Malik (son of Punjabi nationalist leader Sarwar Awan), Aijaz Hashmi, Zakir Hussain Piprani, Shah Jahan, Syed M Ali Raza, Aijaz Ahmed Sheikh, Jam Zafarullah Dharejo, Syed Aijaz Ali Shah, Javed Zamiruddin Farooqui and Saqib Ibrahim. ---------------------------------- Meeting on beautification of Hyderabad held HYDERABAD: Commissioner Hyderabad Division Shafiq Ahmed Khoso held a meeting to review beautification plans for Hyderabad at the Shahbaz Hall, Hyderabad. The meeting was also attended by Vice Chancellor Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Abdul Rehman Memon, Acting Vice Chancellor Sindh University Gul Hassan Kazi, Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad Syed Sohail Akbar Shah, Chief Engineer Kotri Barrage Bashir Ahmed Dahar, Chief Conservator of Forests Shaikh, SE Highways Shafiq Haider Musavi and Tariq Shah among others. Khoso said Chief Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi had provided an amount of Rs. 25 million, while another Rs. 20 million would be provided within a week. He also said the Government of Sindh under the Taameer-e-Sindh Programme provided Rs. 20 million for a girls' high school which is to be constructed on an 18-acre plot plot. He further said Jatoi will lay the foundation stone of Shahbaz Chowk as well as that of the Gynae Ward at the Hilal-e-Ahmar Hospital, Quasimabad on August 15. The meeting also decided to start work on the Latif Chowk at the intersection of Wadhu Wah and the old National Highway within a week. The meeting also discussed renovating the Elsa Kazi Campus, University of Sindh, for which Rs. 1.5 million would be needed. Besides, the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology would approach the World Bank for help in renovation. ---------------------------------- 1,000 shops gutted near Chaman QUETTA: Over 1,000 shops of smuggled goods in Wesh Market near Chaman were destroyed when fire broke out in a godown of electronic goods and later engulfed the whole market. According to police sources, the fire broke out in a godown of electronic items at 8:00 am and spread to the other shops, damaging goods worth over Rs 1 billion. There were, however, no report of casualties from the blaze. Sources said that over a dozen fire tenders from Chaman, Pishin and Qillah Abdullah took part in the operation, but till filing of this report they were unable to control the flames. The cause of the fire could not be known. ---------------------------------- Booklet banned KARACHI: The Government of Sindh has under Section 99-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, imposed ban on Urdu fortnightly booklet titled, "Al-Khilafatia, Al-Islamia" published in Rawalpindi as it contains objectionable material. The government has further ordered forfeiture of all copies of the same if found in circulation. ---------------------------------- Further talks next month in Washington ISLAMABAD, July 23: US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott said on Thursday that adhering to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was in the interest of Pakistan while Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad said Pakistan would take a decision in this regard only when its vital security concerns were fully safeguarded. "We will keep our national interests in view and will not yield to any pressure", Mr Ahmad added. Talking to newsmen after the conclusion of three-day talks with Pakistan leaders, Mr Talbott said Washington had vital interests in the strength, security, stability and prosperity of a democratic Pakistan. Meanwhile, a joint statement issued at the end of the talks said the two sides would meet again in Washington in August to resume their inconclusive talks which principally concerned the regional and global dimensions of the security situation in the aftermath of nuclear tests, non-proliferation, arms control, Jammu and Kashmir and confidence-building measures. The two sides discussed the current economic and financial situation in Pakistan and the US expressed support for the success of the impending IMF-Pakistan talks, the statement said. The two sides also attached "considerable importance to the forthcoming meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Vajpayee in Colombo" it added. Responding to newsmen's questions Mr Talbott said: "Our work is not (yet) done, and we have agreed to meet again in about a month and in addition to wishing each other luck, we, in the United States are also of course hoping the best from the meeting that is going to take place at the highest level in Colombo next week between Pakistan and India. That obviously relates intimately to a number of subjects that we are talking about here." Mr Talbott said the US welcomed the summit and would be watching and supporting it in every way it could. Describing the talks with Pakistani leaders and officials as "solid and serious", the US official said Washington had vital interest in the sustenance and enhancement of the global non-proliferation regime. Responding to the US concern for nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear test ban, Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad, who was also present on the occasion, recalled that Pakistan had supported the CTBT when it was being finalized. However, he emphasized that Islamabad would sign the treaty when she was absolutely sure that the country's vital security concerns had been fully safeguarded. Responding to questions, the US official explained that none of the two sides sought any favour or concession during the talks. In essence, he said: "What I am talking about is reconciling the core national interests (of the two sides). And since the United States and Pakistan are both friends and since the United States wants nothing but the best for Pakistan and we feel that is reciprocated from the Pakistan side, hard as the issues are that we are dealing with, we still think that there is every reason to keep up the good work that is under way". Responding to newsmen's questions, Foreign Secretary Shamshad said "the negotiations on such sensitive issues cannot be conducted through media". He was endorsing the view of Mr Talbott who had stressed the need to maintain confidentiality in the talks so long as they had not matured. The foreign secretary said Pakistan would take into account its national interests before signing the test ban treaty and would not yield to any duress. Referring to the national security interests, Mr Ahmad said that there had to be clear demonstration of collective engagement on the part of the major powers in the process of peace and security in South Asia which should have focus on Kashmir. About the next week's meeting between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India in Sri Lanka on the sidelines of the SAARC summit, the foreign secretary said: "We wanted to see to what extent the Indians are ready to reciprocate our sincerity of purpose in addressing the issue of Kashmir." Unless Kashmir was addressed purposefully, the foreign secretary said: "We believe that the cause of peace and security in this part of the world will remain totally elusive." ---------------------------------- Iran tests medium range missile: White House NEW YORK: Iran has successfully tested a missile with a range of about 800 miles (1,287 kilometres), meaning it could hit Israel or Saudi Arabia and US forces in the region, according to published reports on Thursday. US intelligence agencies detected the test early Wednesday, tracking the launch and path of the medium-range missile called Shahab-3, according to reports in The New York Times and The Washington Times. The White House on Thursday confirmed that Iran has successfully conducted the test and expressed concern about the dangers it posed to the region. Reacting to the development, President Bill Clinton warned Iran's test of a missile capable of striking Israel could destabilize the troubled region. "Obviously if they were to develop an intermediate-range missile it could change the regional stability dynamics in the Middle East." White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said the test, detected by US spy satellites on Wednesday, involved a missile known as a Shahab 3, which he said was similar to a North Korean No Dong missile -- which has a range of 800 miles. "We ... detected the launch," McCurry told reporters, noting that the United States is "actively monitoring their military capacity." "It is a source of concern to us," McCurry said of the test. He said the test underscores the US alarm about Tehran's threat to the region. "Our concern with Iran's behaviour has been its ... efforts tothreaten and intimidate neighbours and acquire weapons of mass destruction," said McCurry. "Their acquisition of North Korean missile technology is fully consistent with what we have been worried about for some time," McCurry told reporters. The officials, while sure of the test, could not provide immediate information on the location of the launch or landing, both inside Iran. "This weapon would allow Iran to strike all of Israel, all of Saudi Arabia, most of Turkey and a tip of Russia,'' a senior official with US President Bill Clinton's administration told The New York Times. Another official, also unidentified, told the Washington Times: "It is a significant development because it putsall US forces in the region at risk.'' Intelligence experts investigating the launch believe Iran bought the missile from North Korea, which has said it would sell to any nation with hard currency. Iran also is building another version of the missile, which is expected to have a range of up to 1,240 miles (1,995 kilometres) -- long enough to reach central Europe, The Washington Times reported. Iran has bought technology from Russia and China, and wants not to strike its enemies but to be seen as a political and military force in the Middle East, officials said. Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the region, with missiles capable of striking any Middle East nation. Iran is working on developing a nuclear warhead but is believed to be years away from building and testing a weapon, The New York Times said. "This test shows Iran is bent on acquiring nuclear weapons, because no one builds an 800-mile (1,287-kilometre), missile to deliver conventional explosives,'' Gary Milhollin, an expert on the spread of weaponry, told the newspaper. McCurry said that North Korea's apparent role in the programme me was also consistent with US concerns. "They are quite open and quite candid about it. They are selling these missiles to get hard currency," he said of Pyongyang. US officials are concerned the test will provoke a strong reaction from Israel as it is deadlocked in the Mideast peace process, the Times said. McCurry downplayed concerns the test would upset the power play in the region but warned it could further hinder peace efforts. "One single missile test does not change the balance of power but what you learn about the direction and intent of programme s can tell you more about what their posture" is, he said. He stressed that in general, Iran's "role in the region has thrown a monkey wrench in the peace process." McCurry would not comment on possible US reaction, saying only: "It underscores the necessity of pursuing aggressively the global non-proliferation efforts that we undertake." The report came one month after Washington made overtures toward resuming ties with Tehran. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had offered in June to discuss a "road map to normalisation" following repeated requests for an official dialogue with Iran. The test "will not come as a big surprise to the Israelis," an official said, "because they've been following Iran's missile programme very closely. "And they know, and we know, that ability to test-fire a missile and the ability to develop, produce and deploy a large-scale force are two very different things. It could take years for Iran to achieve that capability and we have to do our best to retard that." ----------------------------------