Chronology of Pakistan
July 2003 (Continued IV)
'US deployed subs near Pakistan to hit Osama'
July 26: The United States stationed warships and submarines off the Pakistani coast for two years to kill Osama bin Laden but failed to target him, says a US congressional report released earlier this week. The American vessels, equipped with cruise missiles, were deployed in the Arabian Sea near Pakistan soon after the bombing of two US embassies in East Africa in August 1988 that killed 224 people. The US government blamed Al Qaeda for the attack. The report says that the US navy did launch a series of strikes from these vessels but they failed to hit Osama and his close aides. Finally, US intelligence agencies concluded that they did not have enough reliable information to target Al Qaeda's chief and the submarines and warships were removed.
53pc women councillors lack education: Sehba
July 26: About 53 per cent of the women councillors elected to the local governments lack basic education, the first lady, Sehba Musharraf, told the inaugural session of the first national summit of women councillors and mayoresses in Rawalpindi.
UN suspends work in NWFP
July 26: The United Nations has suspended field operations in the NWFP bordering Afghanistan after an attack on a UN vehicle earlier this week, a UN spokesman said in Peshawar. Jack Redden, spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said the decision came after three gunmen attacked a vehicle belonging to the World Health Organization on the outskirts of the main northwestern city of Peshawar.
ARD boycotts talks on LFO
July 26: The All Parties Conference (APC) in Islamabad rejected the Legal Framework Order (LFO) and issued a twenty-point declaration, asking General Pervez Musharraf to announce schedule for presidential elections and the appointment of a full-time army chief.The APC was attended by leaders of 28 small and major political parties of the country. The representatives of the Supreme Court and High Court Bar Associations were also present during the meeting. The APC also adopted a 19-point Islamabad Declaration calling for the restoration of the 1973 Constitution, opposition to the LFO and General Pervez Musharraf as president, sending Pakistani troops to Iraq and commitment to independence of judiciary and press.
Conference on Kashmir highlighted peace trends
July 28: The two-day international conference on Kashmir has ended in Washington without achieving its main objective: reaching out to the Indians and Americans with an appeal to help resolve the 56-year dispute, Dawn said. Contrary to its agenda "Beyond the blame game: grounds for peace and justice in Kashmir" the conference often turned into an "India-bashing" exercise, as an Indian journalist observed. At one stage it became so embarrassing that elder Kashmiri leader Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan had to remind the participants that "allegations and counter-allegations will not lead them anywhere." Some participants tried to counter the Indian effort to present Kashmir only as a security concern caused by cross-border infiltrations by Pakistan-backed guerrillas. Instead they presented Kashmir as a human rights issue, made worse by the atrocities committed by the Indian security forces.
Stable Pakistan vital for US: Congress
July 27: The United States considers a stable, democratic, economically thriving Pakistan as key to US interests in South and Central Asia. This is stated in a Congressional Research Service report, on Pakistan-US Relations. The report said Pakistan received more than $1.5 billion in US assistance for FY2002 and FY2003. In June 2003, President Bush pledged to seek a five-year, $3 billion aid package for Pakistan to begin in FY2005." Referring to three non-civilian and military rules over the past, the report said: "Pakistan democracy has faired poorly in Pakistan."
Education boards to conduct exams in Madaris: Zobaida
July 27: Federal Education Minister Zobaida Jalal said the government had decided to declare the Sanads of Madaris equivalent to other educational institutions of the country and in this connection the chairman Inter-Board Committee would launch a comprehensive program soon.
UN agencies reluctant to resume work: Govt ready to provide security
July 28: The United Nations' agencies are reluctant to resume field operations in the NWFP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), despite firm assurances by the provincial government that fool-proof security cover would be provided to their field staff. "Although the NWFP government has extended full assurances regarding security, but the UN is re-assessing its security arrangements in all target areas of the province and Fata," a representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) told Dawn in Islamabad.
Pakistani boy languishing in Indian jail
July 28: A 13-year-old Pakistani boy has been languishing in a jail in Indian state of Rajasthan, it was reported in New Delhi. Munir apparently strayed into Indian territory a month ago and was detained by soldiers of the paramilitary Border Security Force, who subsequently handed him over to local police. According to the Indian police, the boy lives in a Pakistan village 15-20km from the border. He might have "innocently strayed" into Indian territory, the Indian Express quoted the police.
35pc of deported from US are Pakistanis
July 28: Most of the people deported from the US since Sept 11, are from Pakistan which is also a close US ally in the war against terror, Dawn reports. Besides, a large number of the 13,000 men set aside for the largest deportation in the US history are also from Pakistan. Statistics released this week by the Department of Homeland Security show that nearly 35 per cent of the people deported from the United States during the last two years belong to Pakistan. Pakistan is also among 25 mainly Muslim states whose nationals are required to register with immigration officials while in the United States. During the registration process, they are interviewed under oath and are fingerprinted and photographed.
Loan write-offs in line with SBP rules: Shaukat
July 28: All loans written off during the three-year military tenure were in line with the guidelines of the State Bank of Pakistan, claimed Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz in Islamabad. Addressing a press conference, he declined to comment on individual names, which appeared in many press reports, citing leading lights of the country, including politicians and generals, as the principal beneficiary of the state bounty. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had announced that since October 1999, Rs 20.2 billion was written off, almost 8 percent of the total Non-Performing Loans (NPLs).
JI for referendum on Israel, Iraq issues
July 28: The Jammat-e-Islami (JI) has advised the government to hold a referendum on the thorny issues of recognizing Israel and sending troops to Iraq. JI Secretary General Munawar Hassan, while addressing a press conference in Sukkur, said that recognizing Israel and sending army to Iraq would rather serve the US interests than those of the country.
Islamabad, Kabul to use satellite to end border dispute
July 29: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to use Ground Positioning System (GPS) under the US aegis to work out the coordinates with the help of satellites and match it with maps to sort out their border dispute along the tribal region dividing the two countries, a senior Pakistani official said in Peshawar. The decision to use the GPS technology, he said, was reached at a technical committee meeting of senior military officers of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States that visited the three disputed sites along the Mohmand tribal region.
Paksat will continue to face losses: Cost to be financed under PSDP
July 29: The Paksat-1 launched last year will continue facing losses for its entire five-year life and the satellite will not be marketable in its two target regions, the Middle East and African countries , despite an investment of around Rs1.85 billion, finance ministry sources told Dawn. The government is defending the project on "purely strategic grounds". It has decided to consider the capital cost as subsidy over the entire life of the project because the satellite could meet only 66 per cent of its recurring cost. Both the costs are to be financed under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), official record provided to Dawn stated.
India rejects gas import through Pakistan
July 29: India rejected the possibility of imported natural gas with a pipeline running across Pakistan. "Keeping in view the present state of bilateral relationship with Pakistan, the government is not considering any proposal for on-land natural gas pipeline transiting through Pakistan," junior oil minister Sumitra Mahajan told parliament. India is considering importing natural gas from Iran but has rejected the cheaper option of building a pipeline across Pakistan because of security concerns.
Govt-MMA accord on four LFO issues
July 29: The government and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal reached a broad-based understanding to resolve four major irritants of Legal Framework Order (LFO) in a spirit of give-and-take. One participant of the meeting told The News that it was agreed and proposed to the president that with the support of the MMA, the Constitution would be amended and the National Security Council would be created through an act of parliament. "It means that the National Security Council (NSC) would no more be a constitutional forum, but a legal body and its role would not be as supreme as it is at present in the Constitution through the LFO," said a top official privy to this development. The presidential power to dissolve the assemblies and dismiss the government would remain intact with the condition that as and when the president uses his discretionary powers the government would refer it to the Supreme Court for its endorsement. On the third issue of local government system created under 6th schedule of the Constitution, the two sides have agreed that the system would continue to be in place. On the fourth major irritant of the LFO regarding elections of the president, the MMA has dropped this point in a spirit to give room to the government for negotiating the entire constitutional package with the president.
Israel to let Pakistanis visit holy shrines
July 29: The stipulation of "all countries of the world except Israel" in Pakistani passport will not hamper the realization of the dreams of Pakistani Muslims to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque, Dome of the Rock and other venerated holy shrines in Al-Quds Al-Sharif as Israeli government declares that Pakistani citizens are allowed to visit Israel whenever they wish to do so. Talking to The News, Israeli ambassador, accredited to EU and also covering the NATO, Dr Oded Eran, said Israeli consulates across the globe would not refuse any visa application submitted by any Pakistani. In the circumstance that Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel, Israeli consulates would grant visa to most of the Pakistani applicants assuming that their "passports are valid".
Senate chairman, MNA row resolved
July 29: Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Somroo apologized to ruling party MNA Sardar Bhadur Khan Sihar for parliamentary affairs to settle the issue of privilege motion against him. The PML-Q MNA withdrew the motion and the issue was settled. The MNA had submitted the privilege motion against the Chairman for interfering in transfers of low ranking revenue officers in district Layyah.
Pak Army contingent leaves for Sierra Leone
July 29: The first batch of peacekeeping troops of the Pakistan contingent-III left Lahore from the Allama Iqbal International Airport on a UN chartered aircraft as part of the relief-rotation program under the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). Pakistan has so far contributed more than 8,000 troops for the mission during the last two years forming a major component of UN Blue Berrets in Sierra Leone for restoration of peace in the strife-torn country. The elements of Pakistan Contingent-III will replace their counterparts of Pakistan Contingent-II that would be returning subsequently on completion of their tenure.
US still awaits Pak response on troops for Iraq
July 30: Pakistan had not yet informed the United States whether it was sending troops to Iraq, US officials said. In a statement released by the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher said that Pakistan was one of many countries that the United States had consulted on "possible contributions to reconstruction and stabilization" of Iraq. Boucher said that India had made some contributions to the reconstruction effort, "but made a statement that said they could not send troops without a stronger UN mandate." Recent media reports in the United States have suggested that the Bush administration had increased pressure on India and Pakistan for sending troops to Iraq.
Joint electorate to protect minorities: minister
July 30: Minister of State for Culture and Minorities Rais Munir Ahmed said the joint electoral system had brought minorities into the political mainstream. "This will go a long way in protecting their political, social and cultural rights, and lead to the enrichment of Pakistani culture," he said.
Controversy over Miss Jinnah regretted
July 31: Mr Liaquat Merchant, grandnephew of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, has urged that controversial issues regarding Miss Jinnah's death should be buried and she should be remembered as she was "a noble, gracious and courageous lady who did not hesitate to take on a military dictator". In an interview with PPI marking the nation-wide celebration of Miss Jinnah's birth anniversary, Mr Merchant said it was "a matter of regret" that along with tributes, supplements, seminars and workshops to observe 2003 as the year of Ms Fatima Jinnah, a controversy has arisen regarding her death.
Pakistan gets $256 million from US
July 31: Pakistan has received another $256 million from the United States for the logistic support it has been providing to the US against its "war against terrorism" in this region. Chief spokesman for SBP Syed Wasimuddin said in Karachi that the amount had been credited into the SBP account. He said that with the inflow of $256 million Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have gone up to $11.09 billion. Of this the SBP holds $9.83 billion and all other banks $1.26 billion.
Pakistan made no pledge to send troops to Iraq: US
July 31: A US Embassy spokesperson in Pakistan, Ms Linda Cheatham, said that Pakistan had never made a commitment to send troops to Iraq. "Pakistan's position on the issue has been consistent and it is for Pakistan to decide what role it can play in the reconstruction of Iraq ," Ms Cheatham told APP when asked to comment on a Wall Street Journal's report. The Wall Street Journal alleged that Pakistan continued to stall on sending troops to Iraq despite accepting US request in this regard.
Sardar Ibrahim passes away
July 31: Former Azad Kashmir president Sardar Mohammad Ibrahim Khan died in Islamabad aged 88 as the oldest Kashmiri politician whose eventful career ranged from leading a revolutionary government to struggle for democracy. The four-time Azad Kashmir president died at his Islamabad home after a protracted illness.
Judge hurt in Sialkot jail shootout dies
July 31: Civil Judge Sheharyar Bukhari, one of the injured of the Sialkot jail shootout, died at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore. Along with six other judges, Mr Bukhari, 27, had sustained bullet injuries when the police opened fire to free them from the custody of five prisoners-cum-captors. Three of them had died before getting any medical aid.