Chronology of Pakistan
December 2003 (Continued IV)
Girls can marry of their own will: SC
Dec 19: The Supreme Court ruled that adult Muslim girls were free to marry of their own free will, adding they did not need to seek the consent of their Wali (guardian) or other relatives. The three-judge bench, comprising Justice Mian Mohammad Ajmal, Justice Sardar Raza Khan and Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari, ruled that the Lahore High Court had no jurisdiction to reopen the matter, which had already been decided by the Federal Shariat Court in 1981. The Supreme Court held that the Federal Shariat Court's decision, allowing a sui juris Muslim female to marry of her own free will, would remain in the field. The Lahore High Court, headed by Justice Khalilur Rehman Khan, had sparked a controversy by barring Muslim women from marrying of their own free will. Appeals against the LHC decisions were pending in Supreme Court since 1997.
New Delhi welcomes Islamabad offer
Dec 19: India said that it welcomed Pakistan's surprise offer to drop its demand for a UN-mandated referendum on the future of the disputed Kashmir region. Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, in New Delhi's first reaction to Islamabad's offer, said his government would always be ready to accept any change in the Pakistani position that a plebiscite in Kashmir was the only way out of the thorny dispute that has plagued relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Pakistan failed to protect minorities, says US report
Dec 18: A US official report submitted to Congress has accused the Pakistan government of failing to protect the rights of religious minorities in many respects. "This is due to both public policy and the government's unwillingness to take action against societal forces hostile to those who practice a different faith," the report notes. The report has been released by the State Department's bureau of democracy, human rights and labor. It points out that discriminatory religious laws at the national level have added to an atmosphere of religious intolerance, which contributed to acts of violence directed against minority Muslim groups, as well as against Christians, Hindus, and members of Muslim offshoot groups, including the Ahmadis and Zikris.
MMA toughens stand against president: Second leg of anti-LFO drive
Dec 19: MMA leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazalur Rehman toughened their stand against President Gen Pervez Musharraf on the second day of their protest drive in their addresses to public gatherings at various places on their way to Okara from Multan. They made it clear that the six-party religio-political alliance would not support the policies of Gen Musharraf even if the government agreed to bring what was being described as the 'joint constitutional amendment bill' to the parliament.
New COAS by October next likely
Dec 19: Though he may not like to make a public pledge to the MMA, but President General Pervez Musharraf has almost decided to vacate the post of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) and to appoint his successor before October next year, The News quoted sources familiar with the president’s current views as saying. These sources, however, said that the president would like to maintain his command and control over the key institutions of national security unless his latest peace offensive with India is decided one way or the other before the Indian elections to be held in or before October next year.
FPSC concerned over contract appointments
Dec 19: The Federal public service commission (FPSC) has conveyed its serious concern to President General Pervez Musharraf over the increasing trend of contract appointments, their unlawful extensions and other violations in the civil bureaucracy by the government, The News said. Lt Gen (r) Jamshaid Gulzar, Chairman FPSC, who met the President recently to present the FPSC’s annual report 2002, informed Musharraf about some major violations by the government that had been affecting the functioning of the commission.
India-Pakistan Border talks resume after two years
Dec 20: Pakistani and Indian officials resumed routine talks on border issues that had been suspended for two years because of tensions between the two neighboring countries. An eight-member delegation from India's Border Security Force crossed into the Wagah border post for the talks, which had been held monthly before they were suspended.
UN adopts resolution tabled by Pakistan: Promotion of religious and cultural understanding
Dec 20: The United Nations General Assembly adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution which called for promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation. The resolution "Promotion of Religious and Cultural Understanding, Harmony and Cooperation" was co-sponsored by Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Malaysia, Philippines, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia. The resolution was tabled after President Pervez Musharraf had urged the world community in his address to the UN General Assembly last year "to bridge the gulf of misunderstanding between Islam and the West". He had specifically identified the promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation as a way forward in that regard. The resolution calls for a new paradigm of basic values and norms for the 21st century.
12 prisoners handed over by Kabul released
Dec 20: NWFP home department released 12 prisoners from Peshawar Central Jail who were recently handed over to the local authorities after being set free by Kabul last month. Those released from jail included 11 belonging to the NWFP and one to Gilgit. They were set free after submitting surety bonds and fulfilling other procedural requirements.
Individual violations of N-control rules
Dec. 20: As comprehensive and intensive investigations got underway to pinpoint those who stole and sold the country’s nuclear secrets for their personal financial glory, several top Pakistani scientists were found involved in nuclear proliferation only to jeopardize national security, The News said. Informed circles say that recent debriefing of some scientists revealed that certain individual scientists of the country’s top nuclear establishment might have breached the strict export control procedures by making unauthorized and irresponsible contacts with foreign nationals.
Ahsan, Javed made Karachi, Gujranwala corps commanders
KARACHI: By giving an opportunity to lieutenants general Ahsan Salim Hayat and Javed Hassan to command corps, President Pervez Musharraf was basically ensuring that two of the senior-most lieutenants general of Pakistan Army are also considered when he selects the new Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) next year, highly knowledgeable sources told The News. According to the posting orders issued by COAS Pervez Musharraf, Lt-Gen Ahsan Salim Hayat, the present Quarter Master General (QMG) at the GHQ, will take over the 5th Corps as Corps Commander, Karachi. The present Corps Commander, Karachi, Lt-Gen Tariq Waseem Ghazi will take over as the commandant of National Defense College (NDC). The present Commandant NDC Lt-Gen Javed Hassan will command the 30th Corps in Gujranwala in place of Lt-Gen Khalid Munir, who has been posted as the QMG. Lt-Gen Javed Hassan along with Lt-Gen Munir Hafiz will be the senior-most lieutenants general of the Pakistan Army, if General Musharraf decides to appoint his successor before September next year. Both general officers will be due for retirement on September 1.
C4 explosive used in bid on Musharraf’s life
Dec 20: Pakistani officials investigating an assassination attempt on President Pervez Musharraf in Rawalpindi have concluded that the material used to blow up the Chichi Jhanda Bridge at five different places was C4 explosive, exactly the type used in Bali bombing in Indonesia early this year.
ARD kicks off anti-Musharraf campaign
Dec 21: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy leaders launched a campaign against President Gen Musharraf, rejecting any deal on the LFO. They demanded that Article 6 of the Constitution be invoked against the General for removing what they called a constitutional government. In hard hitting speeches in Karachi, the leaders vowed to continue struggle against what they called dictatorial rule, and for the supremacy of the Constitution and rights of the people.
MMA's demand on judges' age issue accepted
Dec 21: The government has agreed to one-year extension to the retirement age of judges of the superior courts , paving way for tabling of consensus constitutional bill in the National Assembly on Dec 26. A senior government legal aide told Dawn that the government has accepted the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal demand of one-year extension to the judges. The one-year extension to the judges would be applicable from the date when the Legal Framework Order was made effective a year ago.
Former SC judge rejects LFO
Dec 21: Former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid has said no individual has the authority to bring about amendments to the Constitution and there is no room for a uniformed president in the supreme law. He was talking to journalists at the workshop on dams organized in Hyderabad. Mr Zahid was of the opinion that the LFO was in direct conflict with the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Zafar Ali Shah's case.
Al Qaeda suspect held in Peshawar
Dec 21: Covert agency officials picked up an official of the Afghan Trade Commission in Peshawar on suspicion of links with the Al Qaeda network and Taliban fugitives.
Abdul Hanan, a transport clerk in the Afghan Trade Commissioner's office, was picked up along with two other companions in Hayatabad township.
Pakistan, India agree to coordinated border patrols
Dec 21: Pakistan and India agreed to restart from next month coordinated patrols of their international border suspended after an attack on the Indian parliament two years ago, officials said. The agreement came after a meeting between officials of India’s Border Security Force and Pakistan’s border Rangers near Wagah yesterday, the first since December 2001, military officers from both sides said.
Abdul Qadeer Khan ‘restricted’
Dec 21: Certain “unspecified restrictions” have been imposed on nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan following continuing investigations by the government into alleged links between some Pakistani scientists and Iran, Daily Times reported. These restrictions follow the earlier detention and debriefing of two nuclear scientists under investigation.
N-scientist allowed to go home'
Dec 21: One of three detained Pakistani nuclear scientists has been allowed to return home, says an official. Yasin Chohan was allowed to return home after undergoing a "personnel dependability and debriefing session", Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said. Chohan was one of three scientists detained by Pakistani intelligence service officials earlier this month. Two others, Mohammad Farooq and another identified only as Saeed, were "still undergoing debriefing", Khan said.
Nuclear Program in Iran Tied To Pakistan
Dec 21: Evidence discovered in a probe of Iran's secret nuclear program points overwhelmingly to Pakistan as the source of crucial technology that put Iran on a fast track toward becoming a nuclear weapons power, Washington Post reported. The serious nature of the discoveries prompted a decision by Pakistan two weeks ago to detain three of its top nuclear scientists for several days of questioning, with U.S. intelligence experts allowed to assist, the officials said. The scientists have not been charged with any crime, and Pakistan continues to insist that it never wittingly provided nuclear assistance to Iran or anyone else. Documents provided by Iran to U.N. nuclear inspectors since early November have exposed the outlines of a vast, secret procurement network that successfully acquired thousands of sensitive parts and tools from numerous countries over a 17-year period. While Iran has not directly identified Pakistan as a supplier, Pakistani individuals and companies are strongly implicated as sources of key blueprints, technical guidance and equipment for a pilot uranium-enrichment plant that was first exposed by Iranian dissidents 18 months ago, government officials and independent weapons experts said.
AQ Khan questioned over Iran link
Dec 22: Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, is being questioned about reports of possible links between the Pakistani and Iranian nuclear programmes, the government said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan told Reuters that AQ Khan was being questioned in connection with "debriefings" of several scientists working at his Khan Research Laboratories, a uranium enrichment plant near Islamabad.
Pakistan probe reassuring: US
Dec 22: The United States said that Pakistan's decision to investigate some scientists for their possible link to Iran's nuclear program was reassuring. "We'd certainly welcome Pakistan's investigation and its debriefing of individuals who may have valuable information to convey," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. The Pakistani decision, he said, was further indication of the priority that President Musharraf has placed on ensuring that Pakistan's sensitive assets don't fall into the wrong hands.
Superior court judges' salary increased
Dec 22: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has again increased the salaries and pensions of the Supreme Court and high court judges at an average of Rs10,000 per month, bringing the monthly salary of a Supreme Court judge to Rs62,400. The notification issued in December 2003 has been given retrospective effect and will be applicable from July 1, 2003. It is the second raise in the judges' salaries in one-and-half years. The last increase was made in January 2002.
Musharraf's statement on Kashmir supported
Dec 22: Speakers in Islamabad backed the statement by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, affirming Pakistan's willingness to seek a settlement on Kashmir without reference to the UN resolutions calling for plebiscite. Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, renowned civil society activist and an expert on nuclear physics, and Javed Jabbar, former information minister, said the statement was based on the realization that after 50 years of ruinous hostility between Pakistan and India, the Kashmir dispute remained unresolved through plebiscite, irrespective of its merit.
14 prisoners escape from judicial lock-up
Dec 22: Fourteen prisoners involved in murder and other heinous crimes escaped from the judicial lock-up in Sheikhupura after breaking the wall of a bathroom. However, the police later succeeded in arresting five of them.
Military confirms killing Chinese 'terrorist'
Dec 23: Pakistan's military confirmed a Chinese report that it had killed a Muslim militant recently identified by China as its top "terrorist" in an anti-terrorism operation. "Yes, this man was killed in the Pakistan army's operation on October 2," military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan told AFP, referring to Hasan Mahsum. Gen Sultan however denied that US forces had been involved in the operation, as reported by the Beijing News.
US extends Lashkar, Jaish status as terrorist
Dec 23: The United States re-designated Jaish-i-Mohammed and Lashkar-i-Tayyiba as foreign terrorist organizations. The re-designation order, signed by Secretary of State Colin Powell, said the ban becomes effective immediately. The two groups were first designated foreign terrorist organizations in 2001 and the initial designations are due to expire on Dec 26, 2003.
Sajid Naqvi's bail plea rejected
Dec 23: An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi rejected the bail plea of Allama Sajid Naqvi, the outlawed Tehrik-i-Islami Pakistan chief, in the Maulana Azam Tariq murder case.
Pak Army overhauls nuclear command, control structure
KARACHI: More than a quarter of a century after its nuclear program was covertly launched during which every effort was made to keep its activities completely secret and most of its transactions remained undocumented and unaccountable, Pakistan’s nuclear program has now been placed under the strict control of Pakistan Army, which has placed rigorous checks and controls on every aspect of the program, The News said. A massive, unpublicized, project launched by Pakistan Army to overhaul the entire command and control structure Pakistan’s nuclear program two years ago has now been completed, informed Pakistani officials told The News.
NWFP govt opposes Kalabagh Dam
Dec 23: The MMA-led NWFP government recorded its opposition to the Kalabagh Dam before the parliamentary committee on water resources and instead demanded construction of the Basha Dam. Provincial Minister for Irrigation Hafiz Akhtar Ali and Secretary Irrigation Arbab Shahzad spelled out the position of the NWFP government. They said there was a wide-range of choices for building water reservoirs on the Indus and other rivers and Kalabagh Dam was one of them. "The Frontier government feels Basha Dam was the most suitable and non-controversial," observed Arbab Shahzad while briefing the committee headed by former federal minister, Senator Nisar Memon.
Govt offers amnesty to foreign militants
Dec 23: The government has announced general amnesty and protection to all foreign nationals hiding in the tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan in case they decide to surrender to the authorities along with their weapons.NWFP Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah made the offer on behalf of the federal government to foreign nationals taking shelter in the tribal areas after their eviction from Afghanistan. The governor, while addressing a grand jirga of Mehsud and Wazir tribesmen in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan Agency, announced that all those local and foreign elements, who have taken shelter or are hiding in the tribal areas would not be handed over to any other country if agreed to surrender to the government along with the weapons in their possession.
MMA, govt sign deal: Govt sacking to be referred to SC NSC formation through parliament No extension in superior court judges' retirement age
Dec 24: The ruling PML-Q and the MMA signed the much-awaited deal on the constitutional amendment package, with the former agreeing to accept the latter's proposals on all the seven sticking points in return for its support in getting the LFO passed from parliament in the shape of a bill. Under the deal, the government has agreed to (1) withdraw the three-year extension in retirement age offered to superior court judges, (2) keep the local governments under the Sixth Schedule for six years, (3) set up the National Security Council under an act of parliament, (4) the decision to dismiss a government under 58(2)b will be referred to the Supreme Court within 15 days, (5) the president will seek vote of confidence from the electoral college, (6) the president will consult the prime minister on the appointment of armed forces chiefs but will not be bound by the advice of the PM, and (7) the president will give up his uniform by December, 2004.
I will give up uniform by end of 2004, says Musharraf
Dec 24: President Gen Pervez Musharraf announced that he would give up his uniform before Dec 31, 2004. In a nationwide address soon after an agreement was signed between the MMA and the ruling coalition led by the PML-Q on the Legal Framework Order, the president, wearing his commando outfit, said there was pressure on him from his well-wishers not to give up his uniform. "After giving it serious thought, I have decided to give up my uniform before Dec 31, 2004 for creating political harmony in the country. I will select the date myself within this period."
Clinton mediating on Kashmir
Dec 24: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has told the Kashmiri leaders in Islamabad that former US president Bill Clinton has been unofficially mediating between India and Pakistan to help them hold talks early next year to resolve the dispute.
Nine judges to retire after withdrawal of extension
Dec 24: President Gen Pervez Musharraf's decision of not extending the retirement age of superior courts' judges would result in the retirement of four Supreme Court and five high court judges. Sources privy to the government's decision of not giving even one-year extension to the judges told Dawn that it was thought that "angry judges" might create problems. Those who would be affected by the government's deal with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal are: Chief Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmad, Justice Munir A. Sheikh, Justice Qazi Mohammad Farooq and Justice Karamat Nazir Bhindari of the Supreme Court; Justice Raja Sabir of the Lahore High Court; Justice Roshan Esani, Justice S.A. Sarwana, Justice Zahid Qurban Alvi and Justice Ashraf Leghari of the Sindh High Court; and Justice Rauf Khan Lughmani of the Peshawar High Court.
Two bombs explode in Quetta
Dec 24: Quetta was rocked by two powerful bomb explosions. "No damage or casualty has been reported in the blats," a police official said.
President escapes attempt on life
Dec 25: President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escaped a two-pronged suicide attack in which sixteen people were killed and as many as 50 were injured. The latest bid occurred 250 yards from the spot in Rawalpindi's high-security cantonment area where an attempt was made on his life only on Dec 14. A van and a car tried to hit the convoy - one at the front of the motorcade, and the other from the rear - and both exploded without causing much damage to the motorcade. The suicide attackers were close enough to their target to damage the windshield of the president's bulletproof car. However, the president himself remained unscathed. Another vehicle of the motorcade used for carrying the president's security staff was also damaged. The United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and military experts have both started separate investigations into the suicide attacks.
Anti-extremism war to continue: Musharraf
Dec 25: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said he had no doubt in his mind that he was the target of the misguided elements. He, however, made it clear that such attacks could not stop him from his path of combating extremism and militancy. Talking to official media after the second attack on his life within two weeks, the president said he believed what he was doing was right, and those who were attempting to kill him were extremists and enemies of Pakistan and Islam.
Terrorists not Muslims, says Musharraf
Dec. 26: President Pervez Musharraf said the people behind terrorist acts were the enemies of Islam and his resolve to deal with militants and extremists got strengthened and his belief in Allah got more strength by these cowardly acts. "They are not Muslims because I don’t think that Islam in any way associates itself with suicide, it is unlawful and forbidden in Islam," he said in a statement issued by the Musharraf family, thanking the people in the country and abroad who offered thanksgiving prayers for the safety and well-being of the president.