Chronology of Pakistan
April 2004 (Continued IV)
Amnesty reports widespread abuses in Pakistan, India
May 27: Amnesty International has criticized both India and Pakistan for carrying out gross human rights violations in their efforts to fight terrorism. In India, the BJP-led government in Gujarat failed to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2002 sectarian violence against Muslims, the report said. There was also a sharp increase in sectarian violence in the second half of the year particularly in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, the report said. In Pakistan, human rights abuses against women, children and religious minorities continued to be ignored by the government.
ANP condemns Fazl's nomination
May 27: Awami National Party provincial chief Begum Nasim Wali Khan has said the nomination of Maulana Fazlur Reman as opposition leader in the National Assembly has exposed the religion-military alliance.
CPNE slams ban on five newspapers
May 27: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has criticized the ban on five Karachi-based daily newspapers by the Sindh government and termed it "extra- judicial action". In a statement on Thursday, CPNE secretary-general Dr Jabbar Khattak said the declaration of the five newspapers was cancelled without following the relevant rules and regulations.
Permanent seat for OIC in UNSC urged
May 27: The honorary consul of Kingdom of Morocco in Karachi, Fateh Ali Hashim, said that the OIC which represented over a billion Muslims all over the world, must have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. He spelt this out while speaking on the "New Dynamics in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea Regions" at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs.
Steps to form a Pakistan caucus on Capitol Hill
May 27: The Pakistani community in the United States initiated step towards forming Pakistan caucus on the Capitol Hill. The Pakistani-American Liaison Center registered a political action committee with the Federal Election Commission in Washington to support and endorse public officials. The caucus is formed and headed by US lawmakers but it receives support from the political action committee, which works as the caucus's link to the community it represents. The most active political action committee on the Hill is that of Israel. India also has an active committee formed almost 10 years ago.
Pakistan seeks US assurances on border incursions
May 27: Pakistan has urged the US forces hunting al-Qaeda and the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to avoid any further trespassing into its territory after at least one incursion, a military spokesman said.
‘Pakistan uncertain about composite dialogue future’
May 27: Pakistan was not sure about the future of composite dialogue after the Congress party came into power in India, Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar told Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations.
FSC converts amputation penalty into imprisonment
May 27: A three-member bench of the Federal Shari’at Court (FSC), while disposing of an appeal in a dacoity case, commuted the penalty of amputation of hand and foot into 10 years imprisonment with hard labor. The bench comprising Chief Justice Chowdhary Ijaz Yousaf, Justice Doctor Fida M Khan, and Justice Zafar Pasha Chowdhary held that the circumstances of the case were not fit for enforcement of Hadd on the convict and he should have been convicted under ordinary penal law for commission of armed dacoity.
Dr Aafia was handed over to US last year: govt
May 28: An interior ministry spokesman confirmed that Dr Aafia Siddiqui, allegedly involved in terrorist activities, had been arrested in 2003 from Karachi and handed over to the US authorities. Dr Aafia, having dual Pakistani-American nationalities, holds a doctorate in neurological sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The spokesman told this correspondent that Dr Aafia had been handed over to the US because she had "kept her US nationality". The FBI report claimed Dr Aafia to be still in Pakistan but the interior ministry spokesman said that she was in the US custody. Another interior ministry official said Pakistani intelligence agencies had interrogated her but her links with Al Qaeda could not be established. He said in the US, Dr Aafia was accused of delivering anti-US speeches and "preaching jihad". Later, she was declared a "dangerous terrorist" by the FBI.
Mastermind linked to Pearl's murder: Plots to assassinate Musharraf
May 28: Two attempts to kill President Pervez Musharraf last year were masterminded by a militant leader linked to US journalist Daniel Pearl's murder and Al Qaeda's number three, a senior security official told AFP. Amjad Farooqi, 30, was the 'very clever' Pakistani mastermind Gen Musharraf referred to in a local television interview in which he outlined the involvement of low-ranking army and air force personnel in the first attempt on his life on December 14, the official, who could not be identified, told AFP.
Officers not involved: ISPR
May 28: A spokesman for ISPR contradicting a news item regarding involvement of some junior officers of Army and Pakistan Air Force in two assassination attempts on President General Pervez Musharraf in December last year, said that no officer - whether junior or senior - was involved. The spokesman said it was only a few soldiers and airmen who were involved and their cases were under investigation.
Dr Qadeer allowed to go out
May 28: Nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan has been allowed to go out of his house in protective custody for one hour a day, a source told Dawn in Islamabad. The source said the daughter of Dr Khan, her children, and other members of his family had also been allowed to meet him once a day for one hour.
US warplanes, ’copters violate Pak airspace
May 28: US warplanes and Apache helicopters violated Pakistan’s air space near Shawal area of the tribal belt on Pak-Afghan border in the North Waziristan Agency hours after a flag meeting among US, Pakistani and Afghan officials at Lawara Mandi, in which the US military officers regretted violation of Pakistan’s territorial jurisdiction and promised not to repeat the same in future.
AQ Khan’s alleged aide held in Malaysia
May 28: A Sri Lankan businessman accused of brokering black market deals for nuclear technology was arrested in Malaysia, Malaysian officials said. Buhary Syed Abu Tahir, who allegedly worked with Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, commonly known as Dr AQ Khan, to sell nuclear secrets to "rogue states", was detained for threatening Malaysia’s national security, officials told The Associated Press.
Pakistan concerned over hydropower project in held Kashmir
May 28: Amid reservations, voiced by Pakistan on the construction of Kishanganga hydro-electric project in held Kashmir, India has assured convening a special meeting within six months to discuss the issue. In an interview with APP, Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamait Ali Shah, who is in New Delhi to attend the annual mandatory meeting of the Indo-Pak Indus Water Commission, said he conveyed reservations over Kishanganga River project and diversion of its water flow to the Wuller barrage.
Cop jailed for killing blasphemy suspect
May 28: A policeman in Lahore has been jailed on murder charges after killing a Christian man accused of violating blasphemy laws by throwing trash outside a mosque. The policeman, Faryad Ali, used a hammer to batter Samuel Masih inside the hospital ward where he had been transferred from jail for tuberculosis treatment. Masih died today, three days after the attack. Masih, 29, was arrested last August after throwing garbage near a mosque. An angry crowd beat him before he was taken into custody, and the mosque prayer leader filed an official complaint against him. Last year, in the nearby village of Gurjanwala, a policeman sent to arrest a blasphemy suspect shot and killed him instead after learning he had burned a copy of the Holy Qur’aan. The police officer is currently imprisoned.
Pakistan tests nuclear capable Hatf V
May 29: Pakistan test-fired nuclear capable Hatf V Ghauri intermediate range ballistic missile today. Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali witnessed the test-fire of Ghauri Hatf-V, which can carry all types of warheads up to 1500 kilometers. It is second only to Hatf VI (Shaheen-II) in terms of range. Shaheen-II has a range of 2000 kilometers and it was tested in March this year with its impact point at sea.
Shimla pact to govern future Indo-Pak talks: Natwar
May 29: India’s ruling Congress party president Sonia Gandhi will visit Pakistan at the invitation from President Musharraf, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh said.Natwar, who was speaking at the local Congress headquarters in Jaipur, said minister said his government would pursue dialogue with Pakistan on the basis of a 1972 agreement reached in the northern hill station of Shimla under the then Congress government. The agreement calls for a bilateral resolution of all problems, including the Kashmir dispute, without the help of outside powers.
US won’t support Musharraf’s replacement: Powell
May 29: US Secretary of State Colin Powell told India’s NDTV channel in an interview conducted in Washington that "President Musharraf has done a great deal to help us create (that) strong relationship, so we support him and we look forward to working with him," he said. He also made it clear that the United States would not support any effort to replace Musharraf. "And we would not be supportive of any effort to change the government of Pakistan in a way that is not part of the political process or constitutionally," he said.
Tahir arrested under threat from ‘big powers’: Malaysia
May 29: Malaysia arrested a senior figure in a world-wide nuclear arms network because he exposed the country to attacks and economic sanctions from "big powers", Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar said in Kuala Lampur. The minister did not name any country, but opposition leaders accused the government of arresting Buhary Syed Abu Tahir to appease Washington. His arrest was announced on Friday, three months after Malaysian officials had insisted he committed no crime. Tahir was reportedly the highest-level operative of the nuclear trafficking network of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan - commonly known as Dr AQ khan - to be jailed since it was exposed early this year. US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Washington was "delighted" with the arrest.
Dr Aafia not handed over to US: Faisal
May 29: Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat denied reports that Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who has allegedly links with al-Qaeda, was handed over to the United States.Replying to a question at a press conference he was addressing in Islamabad, Faisal said it was true that the dual nationality holder of Pakistan and the United States, Dr Aafia was wanted by Pakistan and the United States, but there was no truth in the press reports that she had been given to the United States. " She has not been arrested and as such no question of handing her over to America arises," he clarified. However, Faisal said that an attempt was made to arrest Dr Aafia, but she had gone underground and was still at large. According to press reports appeared on Saturday, it was said that Dr Aafia was handed over to US authorities, last year. It also mentioned a report of FBI that she had planned a new attack on the United States.
‘Sindh govt needs over Rs1bn to eliminate terrorism’
May 29: Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Home Affairs, Aftab Ahmed Shaikh has said that the government needed over Rs one billion for the elimination of terrorism and if the federal government allocated this amount the government can give latest training and equipment to the law enforcers.He said this while giving appreciation certificate to an inspector of Rangers, Hakim
Cop jailed for killing blasphemy suspect
May 29: A Lahore policeman has been jailed on murder charges after killing a Christian man accused of violating blasphemy laws by throwing trash outside a mosque. The policeman, Faryad Ali, used a hammer to batter Samuel Masih inside the hospital ward where he had been transferred from jail for tuberculosis treatment.
'Jamali-Shujaat rifts widen'
May 30: All efforts to settle party differences between Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and the ruling party president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain have failed. "Suspicions are there. The gap between the two could not be narrowed," reliable sources told Dawn. Mr Jamali's desire to become secretary-general of the party but Senator Mushahid Hussain was named to that office. Although Mr Jamali withdrew his candidature following severe criticism by party legislators at a meeting held at the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat, suspicions between the two sides persist.
Religious scholar Shamzai shot dead
May 30: Renowned religious scholar Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai was assassinated, and his son, nephew and chauffeur were wounded when their car was sprayed with bullets in front of their home, a few yards from the Jamia Binnoria in Jamshed Town, Karachi.
The killing triggered violence across the city with the Guru Mandir area adjoining the Jamia Binnoria bearing the brunt of attacks by groups of angry people who ransacked the Jamshed Quarters police station and set ablaze about 20 vehicles, two bank branches and a petrol station. The office of the Quaid-i-Azam Academy also came under attack.
Hunt on for 'mastermind' behind attacks on Musharraf
May 30: A joint team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Special Services Group (SSG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have zeroed in on Bannu region towards the Pak-Afghan border in their hunt for the 'mastermind' behind two life attempts on President Pervez Musharraf , according to official sources in Islamabad.
6,000 shops in Wana closed down
May 30: Authorities in South Waziristan have closed down the biggest bazaar in the regional headquarters as part of an economic blockade of Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen to pressure them into giving up their support to foreign militants. Frontier Corps troops in an action sealed Wana Bazaar that serves as the business centre for the biggest tribal region in the country. Around 6,000 shops of daily use items were closed down and shopkeepers told to stay away from the market.
India to suspend work on power project
May 30: India has agreed to suspend all construction work on the Kishan Ganga Hydroelectric Project for six months and address Pakistan's reservations before recommencing work , member of a delegation of the Pakistan Commission for Indus Water, which attended a meeting with its Indian counterparts, told Dawn in Lahore. The Indian side told the meeting that it was working on the foundation of the dam and the power house. The Pakistani side protested and said that construction work should not have begun before removing its objections. The Indian side agreed and promised to freeze all work at the site for six months and hold a meeting with Pakistan for removing its objections.
Shamzai's killing widely condemned
May 30: Assassination of the distinguished scholar Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai has sent a wave of shock among all religious, political and social quarters with leaders of opinion from all walks of life condemning the act in strong words. More than 150 ulema and religious leaders in Pakistan, as well as from around the world, under the banner of the Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat condmned the Mufti's killing in strongest terms.
Life-sketch of Shamzai
May 30: Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, who advocated sectarian harmony throughout his life, was born on July 12, 1952, at Shamzai in Swat. He acquired his early education at Madressah Mazharul Uloom, Mingora, and completed a course in Dars-i-Nizami at Jamia Farooqia, Karachi. Mufti Shamzai obtained master's degrees in Arabic and Islamiyat, and wrote his doctoral thesis on Imam Bokhari. He taught for almost 20 years at Jamia Farooqia. At the invitation of Mufti Ahmed-ur-Rahman, he moved to Jamiaul Uloom Islamia, Binnori Town, where he taught Hadith and supervised students studying for PhD in Fiqh. In 1997, he was elevated to the post of Shaikh-ul-Hadith which he held till his assassination.
Japan funding 209 projects
May 30: Japan, which is the top donor to Pakistan, has to date provided 10.5 billion dollars under the grassroots assistance (GRA) programme for 209 projects. This was stated by the Senior Economic Consultant of the Embassy of Japan in Islamabad, Sardar Wasimuddin Khan. He said that of the 209 projects funded so far, 70 per cent pertained to health, education and women in development. The remaining covered environment, vocational training, water supply and vocational training etc.
White slave trade in Asian women rife
May 30: Thousands of women and children from Bangladesh are trafficked to Pakistan every year and Afghan women are sold into prostitution in Pakistan, says a report of the Amnesty International. India is the source, transit and destination country, receiving women and children from Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, while it also sends victims of human trafficking to Europe and the Middle East.
World Punjabi Congress calls for boosting Indo-Pak trade
May 30: Pakistan and India should solve problems in the way of bilateral trade,
demanded the declaration adopted at the end of the 10th World Punjabi conference in Chandigarh, India. The conference was organized by the Indian chapter of the World Punjabi Congress. The declaration regretted that the big powers are looting both the South Asian neighbouring countries. It called for liberalization of visa system between the two countries to promote the cultural harmony and to make the current peace movement stronger. It said Islamabad and New Delhi should issue multi-purpose and multi-entry visa that should not be for limited period. The Chandigarh declaration stressed the need for Pak-India common program to study literature, culture and other subjects.
Kerry calls ties with Islamabad 'critical'
May 30: Senator John Kerry, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, has indicated that as President he would play down the promotion of democracy as a leading goal in dealing with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, China and Russia. Instead, he said, he would focus on other objectives that, according to him, were more central to the US security. Kerry, in an interview with The Washington Post, said the US had a ‘critical relationship’ with Pakistan and he would not immediately pressure President Pervez Musharraf to loosen the reins of power.
18 die in blast at Karachi Imambargah
May 31: At least 18 worshippers were killed and over 35 injured in what police said was an apparent suicide bombing at an Imambargah off M.A. Jinnah Road in Karachi. A couple of hours later, some unidentified people fired indiscriminately on blood donors, standing at the Hussaini Blood Bank in Soldier Bazaar killing two people. The incidents triggered violence across the city in which several vehicles were torched and property damaged. Police used teargas shells and fired in the air to bring the situation under control. The violence continued till late night.
Muttahida chief sees plot to topple Sindh govt
May 31: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has strongly condemned the bomb blast at the Ali Raza mosque and Imambargah in Karachi. The Muttahida chief said that for the past one month, the persistent act of bomb blasts, terrorism and killing of innocent civilians and law-enforcement personnel was a well-designed and well-engineered conspiracy not only to disturb the peace of Karachi, but also to portray the city as a battlefield with a view to creating a reason to either deploy Army in the city, impose governor rule, suspend the Sindh government or impose emergency in the province.
Punjab protests against cut in water share
May 31: The shortage of water faced by the country has increased from 25 per cent in the last five-day period to a staggering 50 per cent as river flows have reduced from 238,000 cusecs on May 25 to 140,000 cusecs. The Punjab government lodged a protest with the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) for cutting its share by 6,000 cusecs in addition to the 50 per cent shortage, thus increasing its shortage to around 60 per cent. According to an official of the Punjab Irrigation Department, the Irsa has told them that it was further slashing Punjab's share to balance out provincial share.
Lawyers challenge deportation of Shahbaz
May 31: The Pakistan Lawyers Forum has submitted a constitutional writ petition in the Lahore High Court challenging the deportation of PML-N president Mian Shahbaz Sharif. The forum has termed the deportation 'abduction' and in contravention of several provisions of the Constitution.
Rocket attack on minister's house
May 31: A man was killed and five others were injured in a rocket and mortar attacks at Mand, a small township at the Pakistan-Iran border in Makran. The house of Federal Education Minister Zubaida Jalal, a clear target of the attack, did not suffer any damage although one of the rockets exploded in its premises, official sources said in Quetta. However, the young son of the federal minister's housemaid was killed in the attack while the maid's husband and three other children were injured in the attack.
18 die in Karachi Imambargah bomb blast
May 31: At least 18 worshippers were killed and 40 others, including a passer-by woman, were injured when a powerful bomb went off during the Maghrabain prayers at Imambargah Ali Raza on the main MA Jinnah Road, Karachi. The explosion damaged the dome of the Imambargah. The bomb blast sparked violence in several localities of the provincial metropolis, as angry youths took to the street and torched a petrol pump, several vehicles, including a police mobile van, a bank and eight makeshift shops.
ARD protests Fazl’s appointment
May 31: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and its allied parties protested the appointment of Maulana Fazlur Rehman as the leader of the opposition and staged a walkout in the National Assembly amid speaker’s ruling for validation of his decision. The ARD and all the other opposition parties sans Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal before walking out of the session registered their protest against the speaker’s decision terming it negation of the parliamentary traditions and a reward to the religious parties alliance for their cooperation in legitimizing the LFO under 17th constitutional amendment.
Musharraf, Vajpayee call for restraint
May 31: President Pervez Musharraf telephoned ex-Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and both leaders expressed hope that the peace process started by them would continue. "Both of them strongly felt that the peace process started between the two countries should be carried forward," Ashok Tandon, Vajpayee’s spokesman, told The Associated Press. Pakistan today chided India for conducting "diplomacy through the media" and ruled out pushing the Kashmir issue down the agenda of peace talks. Islamabad urged a "rhetoric restraint regime to avoid misunderstanding." In their conversation, Musharraf and Vajpayee agreed that there should be an end to "unnecessary statements from both sides."
Opposition blasts costly Boeing deal
May 31: The Defense Ministry conceded in the National Assembly in writing amid opposition’s frantic calls for probe into the purchase of eight new Boeing 777 by the PIA, costing a massive sum of $100million, more than the price of similar planes offered by the Airbus Industries. It also revealed that the Planning Commission had raised serious objections to the multi-million-dollar deal. The Defense Ministry confirmed in writing that the PIA had purchased eight Boeings at a cost of $1.458 billion from the Boeing manufacturing company against an offer of $1.347 billion from the Airbus Industries and thus it paid $100million more for the planes.