Chronology of Pakistan
November 2003 (Continued III)
Cantt Board Peshawar not to evict Kali Bari Hindus
Nov 12: The Cantonment Board, Peshawar, has decided not to pursue notices issued to 68 families, who are mostly Hindu, to vacate houses occupied by them in the Kali Bari locality until the matter is amicably resolved. India’s Zee News tried to make an issue out of it by publicizing it as victimization of Hindus in Pakistan. It also claimed that the Pakistan government was planning to demolish the Hindu temple in Kali Bari. Hindu community elder Ram Lal claim that they possessed ownership documents dating back 130 years. Ram Lal had also claimed that one Mehr Chand Khanna owned the Kali Bari property having purchased it in the 18th century. He recalled that the Hindu temple was built in 1861. But Fida Hussain, Executive Officer of the Cantonment Board said Mr Khanna is dead and the property reverted back to the Cantonment Board after the 1947 partition of India and creation of Pakistan.
NA bodies chairmen to get separate offices, new cars
Nov 12: The government has decided to give separate offices to the 40 chairmen of the National Assembly’s Standing Committees in the State Bank building in Islamabad. It will be for the first time that the NA standing committees will have extensive paraphernalia to run their affairs. In the meanwhile the NA standing committee on finance has decided to provide brand new 1300cc Toyota cars to each chairman of the committees. New chauffeur-driven cars will cost the NA exchequer more than 40 million rupees with additional regular monthly expenditure on the cars’ maintenance.
605 more Pakistanis deported by Oman
Nov 13: Oman has deported 605 Pakistanis for entering the country illegally, newspapers reported. Omani police, in collaboration with the army, arrested the Pakistanis as they were trying to enter the country.
US gives $95m for farm import
Nov 13: The United States announced an allocation of $95 million for Pakistan to import agricultural commodities in public as well as private sector from the US under the financial year 2003 GSM-102 programme , besides offering soft- terms loans for the purpose.
India releases eight Pakistani boys
Nov 14: The Indian Border Security Force handed over eight boys detained in India for the past two years for straying across the border to Pakistan Rangers at Wagha. Aged between 11 and 16 years, the boys belonged to Hindu families living in different parts of Sindh, a border security official told reporters.
CIA sees China, Pakistan N-link
Nov 14: The CIA claims in a new report that it cannot rule out links between Chinese firms and Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, despite Beijing's assurances that it will provide no such help. The Central Intelligence Agency also cautions that Chinese entities continued to work with Pakistan and Iran on ballistic-missile-related projects during the first six months of this year.
Tough talking by EU, C'wealth leaders
Nov 14: The issue of Pakistan's democratic progression and the arrest of ARD President and PML-N MNA Javed Hashmi topped the agenda in recent discussions between Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and the key European Union and Commonwealth leaders in Brussels and London, Dawn has learnt through informed diplomatic sources. The foreign minister at a news conference in Islamabad downplayed the strong stance that the top European leaders had taken on the arrest of the ARD leader.
SC asked to prevent military takeovers: ARD seeks probe into Kargil conflict
Nov 15: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy called upon the Supreme Court to take suo motu action to prevent military takeovers and stop generals from interfering in political matters. The demand was made through a resolution passed in Lahore at a plenary meeting of heads of the alliance's component parties under the chairmanship of Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
CIA report received with reservation
Nov 15: Pakistani officials have received the CIA review report on weapons proliferation trends with lot of reservations, saying some of the information contained in it is in the public domain and relations with China do not violate any international convention. The officials in a policy think tank of the Foreign Office said the allegations about nuclear cooperation between Pakistan and China "are without any substantive proof."
Three militant groups banned; one on watch list
Nov 15: The government banned three sectarian and militant organizations and placed another on the watch list under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The organizations banned were in fact the ones that had already been banned by the government sometime back and they had re-launched their activities under new names. They are: Islami Tehrik Pakistan (former Tehrik-i-Jafria Pakistan), Millat-i-Islamia Pakistan (former Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan), and Khuddam-ul-Islam (former Jaish-i-Mohammad). The group put on the watch list is Jamaat-ul-Dawa.
Naqvi held, scores of offices sealed
Nov 15: In a massive police action, dozens of offices and centres of the three renamed religious parties banned under a fresh order by President Gen Pervez Musharraf were sealed across the country. Islami Tehrik Pakistan chief Allama Sajid Naqvi was also arrested from his Rawalpindi residence on Saturday night. The former chief of defunct Tehrik-e-Jaafria Pakistan (TJP), Allama Sajid Naqvi was arrested from his residence at 135-A Satellite Town in Rawalpindi.
4 LJ men sentenced to death
Nov 15: An anti-terrorism court in Karachi sentenced the chief of banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Akram Lahori, and his three associates to death in a sectarian murder case. Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 conducted the trial inside the Juvennile Prison. LJ chief Akram Lahori, Ataullah, Muhammed Azam and Malik Tassaduq, were found guilty of having killed Seth Ramzan Ali, owner of Pak Iranian Tea Company, at his outlet in Karachi Saddar on February 11, last year.
US alerted on arms deals by India
Nov 15: Pakistan has alerted the United States that a military balance between India and Pakistan is imperative for preserving peace in South Asia. The concern, reiterated at meetings between Foreign Secretary Riaz H. Khokhar and senior US officials in Washington, emanates from latest arms deals by India. "They have taken note of our concern and are conscious of the need for this balance," Mr Khokhar told journalists. He said Pakistan's concern had increased "especially in the light of massive acquisition of sophisticated arms by India, particularly from Israel. The Phalcon (early warning system) and other weapons they are planning to get have a huge multiplier effect."
Musharraf's limitations highlighted
Nov 15: Pakistan's "under-whelming reaction" to India's recent peace overture highlights the practical limitations of President Pervez Musharraf's leadership , says a Washington Times editorial. "Gen Musharraf surely sees the strategic importance of resolving disagreements with India, but his range of action is constrained by powerful Pakistani military and intelligence officials and Islamic politicians. These factions check Gen Musharraf's power, but they have also been given a boost by the president, as he seeks to neutralize support for more mainstream political parties," says the editorial.
US praises Pakistan's anti-terror fight
Nov 15: The US administration has rejected Afghanistan's accusation that Pakistan was allowing the Taliban to regroup inside its territory and said that Islamabad was doing all it could to fight terrorism effectively. The strong defence for Pakistan's role in the war against terror, expressed at a briefing at the State Department, contrasts sharply with an increased media campaign to malign Islamabad. "Pakistan is committed to the fight against terror, and is doing everything that it can to effectively fight terror," said a State Department spokesman. J. Adam Ereli, the department's deputy spokesman, said that Pakistan's "intent and effort is commendable." He was asked to comment on the claims by visiting Afghan foreign minister Dr Abdullah Abdullah, that Pakistan has failed "to crack down on militants' and was allowing the Taliban to regroup.
Six killed in Angoor Adda
Nov 15: At least six tribesmen were killed and three injured near Angoor Adda in the South Waziristan Agency when a pick-up was hit by a shell fired by the coalition troops from Birmal, Afghanistan.
APNS takes action against Urdu daily
Nov 15: The APNS Executive Committee has suspended membership of daily Khabrain as it found that its management was prima facie guilty of misconduct by providing fake, false and forged NOCs to mislead the society, a press release of the APNS said. Mohammad Aslam Kazi, Secretary General of the APNS, announced that the executive committee at its meeting held on November 15, under the chairmanship of its President, Arif Nizami, adopted a resolution on the reported conduct of daily Khabrain wherein it produced misleading documents during an inquiry into a previous violation.
Ruet-i-Hilal committee member resigns
Nov 16: Maulana Hassan Jan has announced that he is resigning from the central Ruet-i-Hilal committee in protest against what he described as derogatory remarks of Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad and federal secretary of religious affairs.
Lawmakers declare assets
Nov 16: The statements of assets and liabilities submitted by parliamentarians to the Election Commission show unprecedented accumulation of wealth in a few hands , with almost all lawmakers, even those residing in urban centres, found owning hundreds of acres of agricultural land. According to a 3,667-page gazette notification issued by the EC, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has given no details of his assets, but chose to state instead that no change had taken place in the declaration of assets as filed on Aug 24, 2002. The previous statement is not annexed with the new declaration. The prime minister has shown his total bank balance to be Rs343,583 in NBP, PM secretariat branch. Senator Azam Khan Swati, who was elected as an independent candidate, is the richest parliamentarian in the country. He owns assets worth over Rs3 billion. He claims to have business in America. On the other hand, Dr Sher Afgan of PPP Patriots appears to be the 'poorest' lawmaker who virtually own no assets, and has shown bank balance of a mere Rs500. MMA MNAs are from the less affluent class as most of them have shown no assets. The MMA leaders, Qazi Hussain Ahmad has declared assets worth Rs3 million, including his house in Peshawar, and bank balance. Maulana Fazlur Rehman has declared assets worth Rs2.7 million.
60 offices, seminaries sealed in Punjab: Crackdown launched in Peshawar
Nov 16: Over 60 offices and seminaries of the three outlawed militant organizations have so far been sealed in Punjab in the ongoing crackdown launched last evening, with their leadership terming the action unwarranted. Police officials in Lahore said that of the sealed offices four belonged to the outlawed Millat-i-Islamia Pakistan, two of Khuddam-ul-Islam and one of Islami Tehrik Pakistan.
US welcomes move
Nov 16: Welcoming Pakistan's decision to ban three militant groups that had regrouped under new names, a US State Department spokesman told Dawn that changing names "does not change the nature of an organization." The ban came two days after the US ambassador to Pakistan voiced concern over the re-emergence of the militant groups.
Khar suggests power troika for 10 years
Nov 16: Warning that the incessant hostility between the army and the political parties may change the very geography of the country over the next few years , former Punjab governor Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar advised both sides to bury the hatchet and make a 10-year agreement for power-sharing. To make the atmosphere conducive for the purpose, he said Gen Musharraf should declare a general amnesty for political prisoners including Asif Ali Zardari and those in NAB custody, and allow Benazir Bhutto, Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif to return home. At a news conference in the Lahore Press Club, he said Gen Musharraf should show "paternal magnanimity" and ignore any error committed by acting PML-N president Javed Hashmi.
Non-Muslims be exempted from Hudood laws: NCSW
Nov 16: The special committee of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has recommended that non-Muslims shouldn't be dealt with under the Hudood laws. The issue was raised in the committee meetings, which in its final recommendations has proposed the repeal of the Hudood laws. The committee underlined the need to ensure that the non- Muslims, who are not liable to Islamic laws, should be dealt with in accordance with their own personal laws; with an exception in cases where the offence is committed between a non-Muslim and a Muslim.
Quaid-i-Azam was assassinated: Altaf
Nov 16: The Chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, has said that the Father of the Nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah was covertly assassinated through a conspiracy hatched by the troika of feudal, religious clerics, and army Generals.Altaf Hussain revealed this while addressing a gathering of the Labour Division at the Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall. The Muttahida chief said that after the independence of the country and after the assassination of Quaid-e-Azam, the troika removed the leaders of the Pakistan Movement from power. Altaf said that the Father of the Nation was assassinated through a well-planned conspiracy. He said that the conspiracy was implemented when the Quaid-e-Azamwas brought to Karachi from Ziarat. The fuel tank of the ambulance sent to pick him up the ailing leader was deliberately kept low, he said, which ran out after a few miles. He said that the ambulance remained stalled in an isolated area about four hours while the condition of the Quaid was rapidly deteriorating, finally resulting in his death. Altaf said that the troika comprising Generals, feudals, and clerics were the culprits in the assassination of the founder of the nation. Similarly, the Muttahida chief said, the first Prime Minister Khan Liaquat Ali Khan was also assassinated in Rawalpindi by gunning him down at a public meeting and after his assassination, the other Pakistan Movement leaders were removed from their offices one by one through the instrument of EBDO during the Ayub Khan era. He said after completing the task, the troika completed its stranglehold over the new-born country.
MMA gives one-month ultimatum on LFO
Nov 17: The Supreme Council of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal gave one-month ultimatum to the government warning it that if it failed to present the agreed formula on the Legal Framework Order in the National Assembly, the MMA would launch a countrywide movement of 'Musharraf hataau tehrik' from Dec 18. The decision was announced in Karachi at a press briefing after the council meeting held under the presidentship of Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani.
137 seminaries, offices sealed
Nov 17: Law-enforcement agencies have sealed about 137 offices and seminaries of recently-banned extremist outfits throughout the country , director-general of the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema (retired) told Dawn. Giving a breakdown of the sealed offices and seminaries, he said about 63 offices of Millat-i-Islamia Pakistan (formerly Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan), 45 offices of Khuddam-i-Islam (formerly Jaish-i-Mohammad) and 29 offices of Islami Tehrik-i-Pakistan (formerly Tehrik-i-Jafarya Pakistan) had been sealed during the ongoing operation.
Brig Cheema said about 412 offices of these organizations had already been sealed about one-and-a-half year ago when they were being run under their previous names.
A.B.S Jafri passes away
Nov 17: Senior journalist A.B.S. Jafri, a prolific writer and commentator who authored at least 10 books, died after a short illness in Karachi. He was 76.
Politics by army, ISI be opposed, says Altaf
Nov 17: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has advised the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, PML-N and Pakistan People's Party to raise the slogan of 'go army go' and 'go ISI go' instead of 'go Musharraf go'. He urged them to move a bill in the assembly for a trial of those who had supported military coups and abrogation of the Constitution in the past.
LHC dismisses Hashmi’s writ petition
Nov 17: The Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, dismissed the habeas corpus writ petition of ARD leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and directed the petitioner to approach the trial court for grant of bail.
No power sharing with Army: Fahim
Nov 17: The Pakistan People’s Party dissociated itself from the proposal of Ghulam Mustafa Khar for power troika of politicians, people and army to run the country for a period of 10 years for political stability and averting a clash between the army and the people. "The proposal from Khar could only be his personal desire as neither the party nor the high command of the party have a support of this," said PPPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim while talking to newsmen in Islamabad.
China denies CIA report of aiding Pak Nuclear program
Nov 17: The Chinese Foreign Office has termed the report of the Central Intelligence Agency regarding China’s alleged support to Pakistan’s nuclear program as totally baseless. Commenting on the new CIA report released last week, spokesman Liu Jianchao said all nuclear cooperation between China and Pakistan is only limited to nuclear power plant and it has been under safeguard and monitoring of the IAEA.
MMA gives one-month ultimatum on LFO
Nov 17: The Supreme Council of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal gave one-month ultimatum to the government warning it that if it failed to present the agreed formula on the Legal Framework Order in the National Assembly, the MMA would launch a countrywide movement of 'Musharraf hataau tehrik' from Dec 18. The decision was announced in Karachi at a press briefing after the council meeting held under the presidentship of Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani.