|
Chronology of Pakistan
March 2003
Four Al Qaeda suspects held, claims govt
March 1: The government claimed to have arrested four Al Qaeda "terrorists" from Rawalpindi, three of them identified as foreigners. Senior government officials said the government had obtained solid proof of the involvement of the arrested persons in activities related to Al Qaeda. Meanwhile, local leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami, a component of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), claimed at a press conference that some 18 to 20 people, who had been wearing blue uniform, raided the house of one Mr Abdul Qudoos on Nisar Road, Westridge II, and took away his son, Mr Ahmed Abdul Qudoos.
MMA for releasing man arrested by 'FBI'
March 1: The national assembly members belonging to Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal condemned the government for giving foreign agencies a free hand and called for releasing a man allegedly arrested by the FBI last night. MNAs, Mohammad Hanif Abbasi, Mian Aslam and local leaders of MMA, Mohammad Abbas Butt, Dr Mohammad Kamal and Maulana Abdul Jalil held a joint press conference at the Rawalpindi Press Club. They said about 20 people dressed in blue uniforms forced their way into the house of Abdul Qudus, a former UN employee, in Westridge at around 3am and whisked away his son, Ahmad Abdul Qudus. They broke the doors and walls of the house, searched the premises and locked Mr Ahmad's wife and two sons in a room at gunpoint.
Khalid Sheikh arrested in Rawalpindi
March 1: Government said it arrested Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks in the United States. "We have finally apprehended Khalid Sheikh Muhammad," presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi told Reuters. "It was the work of Pakistani intelligence agencies...It is a big achievement. He is the kingpin of al-Qaeda."
Gas pipeline blown up near Ubaoro
March 1: A gas pipeline of the Sui Northern Gas Company Private Limited (SNGPL) was blown up in village Dildar Shar near Ubaoro in District Ghotki last night. As a result, gas supply to Punjab was disrupted. The explosion was heard miles away and some crops were damaged near the village.
Defense spending over Rs 76b in 6 months
March 1: Pakistan’s defense expenditures stood at Rs 76.665 billion in first six months (July-December) period of the current financial year 2002-03, official figures released by the Finance Ministry revealed.
Massive MMA rally flays Iraq war
March 2: A mammoth rally of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) in Karachi declared that attack on Iraq would be considered as an attack on the Muslim world and warned that the people would remove the present government if it did not oppose the US resolution in the United Nations Security Council.
MMA suffers setback in Senate polls for Fata
March 2: The election of only two of its like-minded candidates as Senators from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) is a setback for the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), which was hoping to bag all eight seats. Contestants who readily and happily aligned themselves with the PML-QA-led federal government won the remaining six seats. Maulana Matin Shah from North Waziristan tribal agency and Syed Mohammad Hussain from Orakzai agency were the two newly elected Senators having links with Maulana Fazlur Rahman's JUI and the MMA.
Govt avoids debate on MNAs kidnapping
March 3: Walkout after walkout by protesting opposition parties in the National Assembly failed to force the government to an immediate debate on alleged abduction of some tribal members of the lower house before last week's Senate election. The speaker rejected a demand from the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) for immediately taking up a privilege motion signed by 33 of its MNAs on the alleged abduction of three tribal MNAs after they had met the NWFP governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain.
Major detained in raid for links with Al Qaeda
March 3: Intelligence personnel have detained Major Adil Qudoos, who is described as an uncle of Ahmad Qudoos, who was arrested at the weekend along with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed , the alleged Al Qaeda mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
US conveyed concern over Arrow missile sale to India
March 3: Pakistan has conveyed its concern to the US government against likely sale of US-made Arrow missiles by Israel to India and Turkey saying this was a threat to regional security, the National Assembly was informed during the Question Hour.
DSP Rojhan, passenger killed in tribal attack
March 3: Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rojhan, district Rajanpur, Naveed Ikram and a bus passenger were killed when tribesmen allegedly belonging to the Bugti clan attacked two police mobiles and a passenger bus with rockets and Kalashnikovs on the Indus Highway, some 350 kilometres from Multan.
SC upholds LHC order to free three in Khawaja case
March 3: The Supreme Court ruled against the government and upheld a Lahore High Court order to release three men accused of sheltering top al-Qaeda suspects. Justice Javed Iqbal rejected a government request to overturn the Lahore High Court order concerning the two Pakistani-American sons and Pakistani-Canadian nephew of doctor Ahmed Javed Khawaja. Lahore High Court Judge Javed Buttar on February 17 ordered the release of Khawaja's sons Umar Karar and Khizer Ali and nephew Muhammad Usman on the grounds of insufficient evidence. The three men plus Khawaja and his brother Naveed are being held under the 1952 Security of Pakistan Act, which bans anti-state activities.
Pleas dismissed against Fata MNAs' election
March 4: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court dismissed three petitions challenging election of three tribal MNAs affiliated with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. The bench, comprising Justice Nasirul Mulk and Justice Tallat Qayyum Qureshi, observed that these petitions were not maintainable as election disputes could only be challenged before an election tribunal.
Babar says PPP intact
March 4: PPP leader and former interior minister, Naseerullah Babar, has said that the party's MPAs in the NWFP had cast their votes in the Senate elections as desired by the party leadership.
Khalid Shaikh handed over to US
March 4: Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed said Pakistani officials finished interrogating Khalid Muhammad Shaikh and handed him over to the US authorities, who took him to their interrogation center at Bagram.
MNAs ask US to stop deporting Pakistanis
March 4: The National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling upon the US to stop discriminatory treatment of Pakistanis based in America. The resolution, which carried signatures of 132 members of the National Assembly, urged the US government to stop deporting people of Pakistani origin.
FBI interrogates Khawajas
March4: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) interrogated Khawaja brothers for three days at Chung Investigation Cell in Lahore and inquired about some Arabs by showing 10 to 15 photographs. FBI interrogated Khajawas on February 10, 11 and 14 for five to six hours per day and asked questions in humiliating ways, advocate Pervaiz Inayat Malik said after his meeting with Dr Ahmad Javed Khawaja, Ahmad Naved Khawaja, Umer Karar Khawaja, Khizer Hayyat and Usman at Chung Investigation Cell.
Four ministers on ECL
March 5: The National Assembly was informed that four federal ministers were on the Exit Control List (ECL) in keeping with the recommendations of the agencies concerned.
The names of these ministers are: Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Minister for Water and Power/Kashmir Affairs, Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, Liaqat Ali Jatoi, Minister for Industries, and Shaikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Information and Media Development.
Pakistan not to sign CTBT, NA told
March 5: Foreign Minister Mian Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri informed the National Assembly that Pakistan was not considering signing the CTBT (comprehensive test ban treaty) as it had no prospects of implementation. Also, it has no intention of signing the NPT (No Proliferation Treaty) because Pakistan was a nuclear state.
HRCP critical of Khalid's arrest
March 5: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan criticized the arrest of Khalid Sheikh and his handing over the US authorities. In a statement HRCP general secretary Hina Jilani said the arrest and delivery of Khalid Sheikh indicated that the trend of illegal detentions and disregard for due process that continued last year was growing more and more ominous. She said the failure to bring charges against Khalid Sheikh meant that the rule of law continued to be disregarded. It has not been explained under which law he was extradited to the US.
Rumpus over LFO mars NA session
March 5: Rumpus by the opposition members over the issue of inclusion of the Legal Framework Order (LFO) in the Constitution marred the National Assembly proceedings. The opposition benches refused to accept the copies of the Constitution, raising uproar and chanting slogans against the LFO. Raising slogans "No LFO No" and "Go Musharraf Go", all the opposition members surrounded the speaker's rostrum.
Two Pakistanis extradited to US
March 6: An Indian-born US citizen and two Pakistanis who were accused of trying to obtain Stinger missiles for the al-Qaeda network have been extradited from Hong kong to the United States. The trio was escorted to a waiting US government plane at the Hong Kong International Airport from a detention centre early under the tight security, the Chinese-language Sun daily said. Syed Mustajab Shah, 54, Muhammad Abid Afridi, 29, both from Pakistan, and US citizen Ilyas Ali, 55, had agreed in January to be extradited to the US before their extradition hearing began.
No relief came from donors, NA told
March 7: The National Assembly was informed through a written reply that Pakistan did not get relief from any international monetary agency after 9/11 though it received direct compensation of $891 million from five countries for being a front-line state in the Afghan operation.
Pirzada back in business
March 7: Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, the legal guru par excellence, is back in the business, advising President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali on how to break the logjam on the Legal Framework Order (LFO), The News reports. The aging Pirzada springs in action whenever there is an extremely serious constitutional, legal or judicial crisis having the potential of upsetting the establishment.
440 suspects handed over to US 'illegally'
March 7: Against the backdrop of 9/11, Pakistan has handed over more than 440 so called al-Qaeda suspects to US authorities in violation of the law of the land.The relevant statutes including the extradition act and foreigners act, which deal with the transfer of fugitives or illegal immigrants to the foreign countries from Pakistan, were simply ignored while handing over these alleged members of the so called al-Qaeda, The News said.
Frequency coordination for Paksat-1 achieved
March 8: Information Technology and Telecommunications Minister Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari said the country had achieved frequency coordination for the Paksat-1 communication satellite. Terming the event a breakthrough, the minister while briefing newsmen, said now all the 34 transponders could be used optimally and the expectation of generating revenues was possible by aggressively marketing its potential. The satellite has been leased for 5 years at an initial cost of $4.5 million, while $30 million has to be paid in 5 years.
Musharraf's detained nephew freed in US
March 8: US authorities kept a nephew of President Pervez Musharraf in detention for two weeks for a visa violation, US and Pakistani officials said in Washington. Aamir Javed Musharraf was detained on Feb 19 and released on March 7 on bail, they said. He will now have to appear before immigration judge who could order him deported
PML-N MPA picked up
March 8: Punjab Assembly deputy opposition leader Rana Sanaullah Khan was picked up from Faisalabad allegedly by an intelligence agency, Dawn reported. Sanaullah was returning from his office when over a dozen men riding three jeeps intercepted his car.
Lawyers burn LFO copies during protest
March 8: Around 50 lawyers in Lahore set ablaze the copies of the Legal Framework Order-contained Constitution on the premises of the Lahore High Court to dissuade the higher judiciary from accepting three-year extension in its retirement age. The lawyers were observing a 'black day', overseen by the Lahore High Court Bar Association, in line with the Pakistan Bar Council's call for blocking amendments introduced by a military government from becoming a part of the Constitution.
ANP expels 3 MPAs for betrayal in Senate poll
March 9: The Awami National Party (ANP) has expelled three of its MPAs for betraying the party in Senate elections on Feb 24, and selling their votes to independent candidates. Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar press Club, parliamentary leader in the house and NWFP ANP President Bashir Ahmed Bilour said the party had terminated the basic membership of Syed Kalb-i-Hasan of Kohat, Atiqur Rehman of Hangu and Sarfaraz Khan of Gadoon-Swabi, and expelled them from the parliamentary group as they had not voted for the ANP candidates running for Senate seats.
Rana Sana's torture condemned
March 9: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal vice-president Prof Sajid Mir has condemned the kidnap and torture of PML-N parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Rana Sanaullah who was kidnapped by an intelligence ahency. The Rana had earlier been arrested soon after the army takeover for delivering a speech against the army in a party meeting.
Bugti urges people to speed up struggle for rights
March 9: Chief of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) Nawab Muhammad Akbar Khan Bugti has underlined the need for 'accelerating the pace of struggle for securing the rights of Baloch people. In a telephonic address from his hometown Dera Bugti on the occasion of the inauguration of JWP's regional office in Quetta, he said that 'powerful elements' should not deprive the Balochs of their rights.
NA prorogued amid protests: No business on third day
March 10: President Pervez Musharraf sent a deadlocked National Assembly into an indefinite recess after another day of an obstructive opposition protests against his sweeping powers. Although the ruling and the opposition parties began talks to settle row over the Legal Framework Order, opposition legislators prevented the 342-seat lower house from conducting any business for the third successive sitting in six days. The presidential prorogation order, read out by a seemingly helpless Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, was hardly audible in the din of "No LFO no" and "Go Musharraf go" chants by opposition members besieging the dais.
480 Al Qaeda men handed over to US
March 10: The Pakistan government has handed over to the US authorities 480 suspected Al Qaeda operatives since the beginning of the anti-terror operation, sources told Dawn. The sources said that local law enforcement agencies had arrested hundreds of Al Qaeda suspects since the launch of the US-led anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan. Of these, 480 were found to be linked to the Al Qaeda network and were given to the custody of the US authorities.
45 million years old shark teeth found in Kohlu
March 10: Experts have found fossilized parts of a shark from district Kohlu in Balochistan that are estimated to be over 45 million years old. The fossils, found from the Bori area, some 470 kilometres off the provincial capital, have been identified as teeth of a shark, a senior expert told The News.
Former PS chief surrenders Rs4.9m valuables to NAB
March 10: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sindh, has received Rs4.9 million by auctioning the "expensive watches and jewellery" surrendered by former chairman Pakistan Steel (PS) Usman Farooqi, his wife and daughter Anisa and Sharmila Farooqi in a case of plea bargain. They had surrendered special saving certificates worth Rs 185.8 million, jewellery and expensive watches, cash Rs 2.34 million in local banks, 11,000 pounds sterling in foreign banks and two plots measuring 100sq yards each in Defense Housing Authority (DHA). The special saving certificates, cash, jewellery and watches were recovered from the lockers of Usman Farooqi's wife and daughter.
Acting HC takes charge in Delhi
March 11: Pakistan's new acting high commissioner to New Delhi, Munawar Saeed Bhatti, took up his post a month after India expelled his predecessor over charges he funded Kashmiri freedom fighters.
Parliament's powers, fundamental rights restored
March 11: Both the houses of parliament have been formally empowered with their original constitutional powers of legislation and making amendments to the Constitution from March 12 in the light of last order of the Chief Executive of November 22, 2002. A total of 13 provisions and clauses of the constitution stand restored after the Senate formally starts functioning fromtomorrow. Earlier, these powers were kept suspended by the concerned authority because the Senate did not exist. But after the oath-taking of the newly elected Senators, parliament would be complete and powers restored to the elected houses.
New discovery pushes back NWFP history to 35000BC
March 11: The Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, NWFP discovered Middle Stone Age colonies in Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies. A press release of the directorate said the discovery was made last week by Lutfur Rehman, a PhD research student with Prof Ihsan Ali, director Archaeology and Museums, Government of NWFP, during a survey of the area. The discovery further pushed backward the long and rich history of the NWFP to 35000 BC, contemporary to the Sanghao Cave in Mardan district, excavated by Prof Dani in 1963-64.
Opposition takes oath under altered text
March 12: In an unprecedented protest, opposition senators changed the text of the oath they took as members of the newly-elected upper house at a stormy inaugural session of the upper house, when they also boycotted the chairman's election. While the protesting opposition stole the show in oath-taking, which marked the full revival of the Constitution, its election boycott over alleged government coercion against senators allowed the ruling coalition to grab the offices of both the chairman and deputy chairman of the house without a contest. Former Sindh governor Mohammedmian Soomro was declared elected chairman and Khalilur Rehman from the NWFP deputy chairman after the opposition parties said they were not putting up their candidates.
Constitution revived after 41 months
March 12: The Constitution of the country fully revived after exactly 41 months, when the members elected to the Senate took oath. The emergency proclamation, issued on Oct 14, 1999, on the basis of Gen Pervez Musharraf had held the Constitution in abeyance and suspended Parliament, is not revoked yet. Government's legal experts are not ready to comment whether President Gen Pervez Musharraf still enjoys the powers under the proclamation of emergency issued on Oct 14, 1999. The controversy whether the original Constitution, which existed on Oct 12, 1999 has been revived or it is the amended version, in which the uniformed president enjoys complete domination, is still raging.
No evidence of al-Qaeda-JI link: ISI
March 12: The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has given a clean-chit to Jamaat-e-Islami saying they had no evidence to suggest that JI was involved in any terrorist activity as an organization. At a first-ever briefing arranged for the national media representatives at its headquarters in Rawalpindi, an official said there was a possibility that some members of the Jamaat had links with some al-Qaeda activists. JI as a party has no connection whatsoever with international terrorist organizations including al-Qaeda, he added.
Achakzai rejects water accord
March 12: MNA Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, rejected water accord. Addressing lawyers in Karak at District Bar, he said the 110 million acres feet of water of the Indus belonged to Pashtuns and the federal government has no right to distribute among other provinces. He regretted that million acres of Pashtuns' land were barren in Kohat, D I Khan and Bannu while Punjab and Sindh was using their water.
US to finance law-enforcement in Fata
March 12: The United States signed $30 million agreement with Pakistan to support law-enforcement, with a major focus on Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).US Ambassador to Pakistan Nancy Powell and the Secretary Economic Affairs Division (EAD) Dr Waqar Masood Khan signed letters of agreements on behalf of the respective governments in Islamabad.
Alys Faiz passes away
March 12: Alys Faiz, prominent columnist, political worker and widow of legendary Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz, passed away on Wednesday after a protracted illness. She was 88.
103 Pakistanis deported from US arrive
March 13: As many as 103 Pakistanis, deported from the United States, arrived at Islamabad Airport on a chartered plane amid high security alert. Informed said majority of the deported people were those, who had been living in the US without a valid visa.
Violence erupts in Karachi
March 13: A sector office of the Sunni Tehrik and four houses including a shop and a private school were ransacked and torched by unidentified miscreants in Orangi Sector 10-L in Mominabad police precinct in Karachi.
Page II
|
