Chronology of Pakistan
March 2004 (Continued III)
Pakistan came out of N-crisis safely: No question of rollback, NA told
March 16: The government told the National Assembly that Pakistan had come out 'clear' from the nuclear proliferation scandal and there was no question of rolling back its nuclear program. Responding to a call-attention notice from five PPP members, Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed denied reports that IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) experts could inspect the country's nuclear program.
14 paramilitary troops among 38 killed in Wana
March 16: Pitched battles between hundreds of troops and suspected militants in the remote South Waziristan tribal region left at least 14 paramilitary soldiers and 24 suspected militants dead and scores of others wounded, official sources said. At least 18 paramilitary troops were missing and it was not immediately clear whether they also had been killed in the day- long battles and ambushes, the sources added. The battles described by officials in the volatile tribal region as the bloodiest in the hunt for Al Qaeda militants, raged for hours with the two sides exchanging heavy gunfire, mortars and rockets.
Infiltration reduced significantly: Powell
March 16: US Secretary of State Colin Powell told a news conference in New Delhi that Washington had not taken a final decision on the supply of F-16 warplanes to Pakistan even as he promised to press President Pervez Musharraf to plug all avenues of nuclear proliferation. Mr Powell noted that there had been a significant reduction in infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir and said he would impress upon President Musharraf, when they meet later this week, about the need to "dismantle terrorist camps in the interest of India-Pakistan peace process".
'Cricket diplomacy' praised
March 16: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the high-drama cricket series between India and Pakistan can help end decades of hostility just as ping-pong did between China and the United States. "It's fascinating what sports can do. I can take you to 30 or more years back when a ping-pong match between the US and China led to a discussion which resulted in the kind of relationship we have with China today," Mr Powell told state-owned Doordarshan television during a visit to India.
Peace award for Pakistani, Indian leaders
March 16: The Search for Common Ground - a non-profit NGO of Austria - has announced 'Common Ground International Diplomacy Award' for President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India this year , "for their courageous commitment to re-launch a peace process between their two countries."
'Men executed by Jirga were innocent'
March 16: A boy who accompanied the seven alleged bandits publicly executed by a jirga in the Orakzai Agency has denied their involvement in any crime. Riffatullah, 15, was undergoing treatment in a hospital with a fractured leg. He told newsmen that he had gone on an errand to the Dogar area of the Orakzai Agency with the seven men when they were captured by Mamozai tribesmen. He said that after their capture, they were paraded before hundreds of tribesmen who later opened fire and killed seven of them. He said he received a bullet wound in his leg and an elderly man asked the tribesmen to spare his life. He was handcuffed, tied to the hospital bed and kept under strict guard. The security men on duty asked him not to talk to newsmen. Later, the boy was shifted to some other place.
Ban on ads to newspaper group criticized
March 16: The All Pakistan Newspapers Society has strongly condemned the ban on government advertisements to the Nawa-i-Waqt group of publications and formed an action committee to chalk out a future course of action for restoration of advertisements and to ensure their equitable and judicious flow to genuine publications.
Three Guantanamo detenu arrive
March 16: Three Pakistanis, released by the United States from its Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba, flew into Islamabad via Afghanistan. These three Pakistanis were freed with 23 Afghans from the US naval base prison in Cuba yesterday. They were taken into custody on arrival in Pakistan. The US had arrested 58 Pakistanis in Afghanistan in November 2001 and sent them to Guantanamo. Later it released one of them, Muhammad Sagheer, in November 2002 and has freed 23 others so far.Sagheer has filed a case in a local court seeking $10.4 million in damages from the US for his ‘illegal detention, torture and humiliation’. Rights groups and lawyers in the United Nations and Britain, in the meanwhile, have also raised voice against the US for depriving the detainees at its Guantanamo prison of their prisoner of war status.
MMA slates action against tribesmen
Mar 17: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leaders blasted Gen Pervez Musharraf for what they described as "complete capitulation" to the American dictates and the massacre of tribesmen by pitting the Pakistan army personnel against its own people in Wana , South Waziristan Agency. They blamed the president for completely submitting to the false US allegations that Pakistan was harboring terrorists, or was involved in nuclear proliferation or that it was promoting extremist tendencies through religious schools, etc.
Protest lodged with Iran, NA told
March 17: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told the National Assembly that Pakistan has lodged a protest with Iran on the killing of 28 Pakistani nationals by Iranian police last year. In a written statement during the question hour, he said Pakistan had also asked the Iranian government to hold a thorough inquiry into the incident of firing on unarmed Pakistanis and take necessary action against those guilty of high-handedness. He said the Iranian government had also been requested to instruct its border security guards to refrain from firing on innocent Pakistanis on the border.
Loan for Kabul converted into grant
March 17: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told the National Assembly that a $100 million loan announced by Pakistan for the reconstruction of Afghanistan earlier had been converted into a grant. In a written reply to a member's question, the minister said Pakistan attached special importance to Afghanistan and wished to see it peaceful, stable and economically prosperous.
Rs22m spent on legislators' foreign visits, NA told
March 17: A parliamentary delegation to the U.N. General Assembly and foreign visits by the president, the prime minister and the foreign minister during the present government's tenure had cost the national exchequer Rs22.29 million, the National Assembly was informed.
Booby trap van turns out to be a hoax
March 17: The liquefied chemical, found in the fiberglass tank, placed in the abandoned vehicle near the US consulate, was neither inflammable nor explosive, Dawn learnt.
Well-placed sources said that a joint team of the Navy's and police's bomb disposal squad besides high ranking police officials carried out the exercise thrice by adopting different methods to explode chemicals between Do Darya and the Seaview beach. Sources said that the chemicals could not explode nor could they catch fire.
Plea against HBL sell-off returned for sixth time
March 17: The Lahore High Court registrar office returned for the sixth time the writ petition against the privatization of the Habib Bank, maintaining its earlier objection that the petition should be filed with the LHC's Rawalpindi bench. Tasneem Shaukat Khan, who filed the petition on behalf of the Watan Party on Feb 24 last, challenged the bank's privatization, saying it had been sold to the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development for Rs22.4 billion whereas its price should range between Rs80 and Rs100 billion in view of its working capital and a vast network of branches within the country and abroad. The petitioner said the sale of the bank's 51 per cent shares to the Aga Khan Fund was malicious also because the previous government turned down an offer by a Canadian firm for the bank's purchase for Rs60 billion.
'Saarc summit cost over Rs44 million'
March 17: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told the National Assembly in a written statement that the expenditure in organizing the Saarcsummit was more than Rs44 million. The summit was attended by the heads of state or government from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka along with their delegations.
Powell hails Wana operation
March 17: US Secretary of State Colin Powell praised Pakistan’s latest raid against al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. "The action suggests that they have picked up the pace... we hope that they will continue to do that," Powell told reporters during a day-long visit to Kabul on the second leg of his South Asia tour. The raid showed "intentions on the part of the Pakistanis not to allow these tribal areas to be used as a haven for the Taliban, where they can cause trouble in Afghanistan.
Waziristan clashes death toll rises
March 17: Military and civil officers belatedly conceded that 15 Frontier Corps militiamen instead of the eight they had previously announced died in yesterday’s clashes with foreign and local militants in South Waziristan tribal agency. A Pakistan Army soldier was also reported to have died in the fighting. It raised the death toll for government forces to 16. Another 22 sustained injuries, some critically.
Osama not in Pakistan: Faisal
March 17: Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said in a BBC interview that he was certain that Osama bin Laden was not hiding in Pakistan because the military had "virtually sealed the border" with Afghanistan.
Resignations of Muttahida MPs accepted
March 17: Chaudhry Amir Hussain, Speaker National Assembly, accepted the resignations of three Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) parliamentarians. According to a statement issued, the speaker has accepted the resignations of Sarkar-ud-Din advocate (NA-240 Karachi-1), SA Khan (NA-243 Karachi-V) and Haji Azizullah Brohi (NA-246 Karachi-VIII).
NWFP asks Centre to stop Waziristan operation
March 18: Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government asked the federal government to immediately stop the military operation in South Waziristan. "The on going operation in FATA has created unrest and fears among the people and it could engulf the entire region if it was not stopped forthwith," Senior Minister Sirajul Haq told the NWFP Assembly. The apprehensions of a guerrilla war in FATA were increasing and the burning flames in tribal areas, he said, would spread to the settled areas. He added that it was the need of the hour to halt such military operations and use of force for the resolution of the problem.
Intensity of resistance indicates presence of high-value target, says Musharraf
March 18: Thousands of troops backed by helicopter gunships and fighter jets launched a massive operation in parts of South Waziristan amid reports that a senior Al Qaeda leader , possibly Osama bin Laden's close lieutenant Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri, might be holed up in one of the areas, official sources told Dawn. At about the same time, President Pervez Musharraf told CNN in an interview that a 'high-value' Al Qaeda target had been surrounded near the border with Afghanistan. The operation was launched in Shin Warsak, Zha Ghondai and Kaloosha villages to flush out suspected Al Qaeda militants, Taliban and their local protectors, officials said.
Pakistan designated major non-Nato ally
March 18: United States pledged a long-term strategic partnership with Pakistan, acknowledging Pakistan's key role in the region as a peaceful, moderate, modern Muslim nation. This commitment was articulated by the visiting US secretary of State Colin Powell at a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri after nearly 60-minute delegation-level talks at the Foreign Office in Islamabad. "On behalf of President Bush and the American people, I came to say that the United States is committed to a long-term partnership with Pakistan," Secretary Powell declared. In what was seen as a significant development Secretary Powell announced the US administration's decision to designate Pakistan as a 'major non-NATO ally'.
'Relations with China won't be affected'
March 18: Sino-Pakistan friendship will not be affected by the USA's role in the region, said a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign office at weekly news briefing in Bejing.
He reiterated China's deep-rooted friendship with Pakistan, when a foreign correspondent sought his comment on a reported statement issued by US Secretary of State Colin Powell that the US might make a notification to the Congress, designating Pakistan as a major non-NATO Ally for purpose of their future military to military relationship.
No pressure on Pakistan to sign NPT: Powell
March 18: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said there was no pressure on Pakistan to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In an exclusive interview with Geo TV, he said Pakistan is a nuclear power; this is not a secret any more. He said recent evidence suggested that Osama bin Laden is alive and hiding in the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is difficult to find his location, but the US is not planning to increase the number of its troops in Afghanistan, he said.
Al Qaeda threatens Pakistan
March 18: A statement attributed to Al Qaeda has threatened Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries it described as "America's lackeys", with attacks similar to those in Madrid last week. "To America's lackeys we say: a lackey of America has destroyed his future by allying himself with the tyrant of the century," said the text, signed by Abu Hafs al Masri/Al Qaeda Brigades received by Al Qods Al Arabi newspaper.
86pc Pakistanis like Musharraf: survey
March 18: A vast majority of Pakistanis, about 86 per cent, rates President Pervez Musharraf favourably, says a survey by a major American organization. The report by the Washington-based Pew Research Center also says that 60 per cent Pakistanis view President Musharraf "very favourably." This is "by far the highest rating of any leader in the survey," says poll director Andrew Kohut.
Bomb blast in Quetta
March 18: A bomb exploded near the Shahbaz town area, Quetta, but it caused no loss of life or damage to property, officials said. Police said some unidentified people had hurled a home-made explosive device near a government office.
$56bn sought for infrastructure
March 18: Pakistan sought over $56 billion assistance from multilateral and bilateral donors during the next 5-15 years for infrastructure development, notably in the water and power sectors, Dawn reported. Presentations on their development needs were made by the water and power ministry, Wapda, provincial governments, ministries of railways and communications and telecommunication during the Pakistan Development Forum meeting.
US monitoring China, Pakistan's nuclear activities since '60s
March 19: The US has been carrying out intelligence operations on Pakistan's territory since 1960s - first to monitor the nuclear activities of China and later on to spy on Islamabad's nuclear program itself , even at times when permission was refused by the government, official documents reveal, according to US declassified documents. For the purpose of intelligence gathering the US government deployed a variety of detection systems, including US Air Force planes, spy drones, satellites, human intelligence and acoustic, seismic, and radiological equipment to monitor nuclear activities such as the production of fissile materials, plutonium and enriched uranium.
Pakistan deserved new status: US
March 19: The US decision to include Pakistan in the fairly exclusive club of major non-NATO allies was a recognition of Islamabad's role in the war against terror, the State Department said. "It's a recognition of our close and continuing cooperation with Pakistan in the global war on terrorism. This is a fairly, I think, exclusive club," State Departments deputy spokesman Adam Ereli told a briefing in Washington.
Two killed in attack on Rangers' van
March 19: A Ranger and a passerby were shot dead while two Rangers were wounded, one of them critically, when some unidentified men sprayed their van with bullets beneath the Baloch Colony flyover on Sharea Faisal, Karachi. Three other passers-by also suffered bullet wounds.
EU parliament split over ratifying Pakistan pact
March 19: The European Parliament remained split this week over ratifying a European Union cooperation agreement signed with Pakistan in 2001 after members of the 69-strong foreign affairs committee failed to agree on endorsing the pact. Key committee members agreed that Pakistan had made progress in improving its democracy and human rights credentials but differed on how much more effort the EU should demand from the country before giving its go-ahead to the cooperation deal.
Taliban threaten US, Pakistan forces
March 19: A Taliban spokesman vowed the group would attack US and Pakistan forces if they did not stop hunting Taliban and Al Qaeda militants. "We will carry out more attacks against international coalition forces if they continue to chase us," the spokesman, identified as Abdul Latif Hakimi, said in taped comments translated into Arabic by Al Jazeera television.
NWFP minister blasts Wana operation
March 19: Senior provincial minister Sirajul Haq has criticized the ongoing military operation against foreign militants and their tribal supporters in the troubled South Waziristan Agency. Speaking at the meeting of the provincial executive council of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) in Peshawar, he accused the federal government of launching the Wana operation at the behest of the United States.
House to house search in Shin Warsak
March 19: Paramilitary forces, supported by regular troops, began a house-to-house search in Shin Warsak, the second day of a massive operation launched against foreign militants in the South Waziristan tribal region. An official confirmed that helicopters had taken part in the military action and said that the army might also press fighter jets into action to 'finish off the business'.
Former MNA arrested in Azam Tariq murder case
March 19: Former MNA and one of the three accused in Maulana Azam Tariq murder case, Nawab Amanullah Khan Sial, has been arrested by the police investigation wing and shifted to Islamabad, an official source said.
Three blasts rock Quetta, Zhob
March 19: Three explosions rocked Quetta cantonment and Zhob, police said. According to police a locally made bomb exploded in a nullah along the Airport Road in the cantonment area. No casualty or damage was reported.
Human rights state dismal in Pakistan: report
March 19: The human rights situation in Pakistan remains dismal, with the legal, economic, and social rights and freedoms of people not being protected adequately, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's annual report indicates. Speaking at the launch of the report, "State of Human Rights in 2003", HRCP Executive Director I.A. Rahman blamed lack of good governance for the dismal state of affairs and called for transparency, responsibility and accountability in governance to help rectify the situation. He expressed concern over the continued erosion of judiciary, and criticized the state's practice of arresting and detaining people without informing their families and not following due process.
US decision disappoints India
March 20: India expressed disappointment with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, claiming that he kept New Delhi in the dark about Washington's decision to make Pakistan a major non-Nato ally. Noting that Mr Powell was in New Delhi for two days before he made his Nato remarks in Islamabad, a foreign ministry spokesman said: "While he was in India, there was much emphasis on India-US strategic partnership. It is disappointing that he did not share with us this decision of the United States government.
Three killed in Dalbandin blast
March 20: Three persons were killed and another seriously injured in an explosion, which occurred near Dalbandin in the Chagai district. The incident occurred in the Basso Karez village some 30 kilometres Northwest of Dalbandin after a rocket exploded in the hands of one Mohammad Nadir when he was testing the rocket launcher, killing him and two of his colleagues.
50 ministries, departments fail to file audit reports for 2001-02
March 20: As many as 50 ministries and government-owned organizations have not submitted their accounts with the Auditor General of Pakistan for 2001-2002. The office of the AGP has brought this serious lapse into the notice of President Pervez Musharraf.