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Chronology of Pakistan
November 2003
Javed Hashmi's daughter moves LHC
Nov 1: Memoona Javed Hashmi, the daughter of detained PML-N leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, filed a habeas corpus petition before the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, seeking its direction for the recovery of her father from confinement. Javed Hashmi, against whom a case of mutiny was lodged in the Police Station Secretariat, Islamabad, was arrested from the Parliamentary Lodges on Oct 29.
Quetta a haven for Taliban, says report
Nov 1: In a hard-hitting editorial the Washington Post claimed that Quetta has become "the new headquarters of the extremist Taliban." The newspaper, quoting recent press reports, says that "thousands of Taliban fighters reside in mosques and Madressahs with the full support of a provincial ruling party and militant ... groups…. Taliban leaders wanted by the US and Kabul governments are living openly in nearby villages." One of the report the Post based its editorial on quotes Balochistan's information minister as saying: "Only the Taliban can constitute the real government of Afghanistan."
Two rockets explode in Quetta
Nov 1: The Quetta cantonment area was rocked when two rockets exploded with brief intervals. A man injured by splinters of a rocket.
Court orders dissolution of marriage
Nov 1: AJK Shariat Court Chief Justice Syed Manzoor Hussain Gillani has held that a woman had a right to get divorce from her husband and a judge was obliged to order cancellation of the contract of marriage when she emphatically asserted that she could not maintain the limits set by God. Disliking, hatred, incompatibility of temperaments, mental, intellectual, social, cultural or ideological disparity or conflict, which could distort the family life and happiness, were sufficient grounds for the wife to seek Khula, observed the CJ in his verdict on an appeal filed by a woman against the judgment and decree passed by a family court.
Four opposition leaders reject Kalabagh Dam
Nov 1: All provincial opposition leaders - Punjab Assembly opposition leader Qasim Zia, NWFP leader Shehzada Gastapak Khan, Sindh leader Nisar Khuro and Balochistan leader Kachkool Ali, - while addressing a news conference in Lahore, called upon the government to give effect to water accord of 1991. They also rejected the Greater Thal Canal Project and Kalabagh Dam plan.
Iran extradites 35 Pakistani Al Qaeda suspects
Nov 2: The daily Al-Hayat of Dubai published the names of 147 suspected members of the Al Qaeda and the Taliban, including 35 Pakistanis, who were extradited by Iran in October. The names included 29 Saudis, 12 Jordanians, 13 Yemenis, six Moroccans, six Tunisians, a Syrian, seven Somalis, 35 Pakistanis and 24 others, whose nationalities could not be established.
Pak-Afghan troops exchange heavy fire
Nov 2: After a silence of few weeks, Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire of light and heavy arms for hours in Mohmand Agency.
Mumtaz Bhutto calls for change in Kashmir stand
Nov 2: Pakistan should now openly advocate freedom of Kashmir, in order to get international support on the issue, Sindh National Front (SNF) Chairman Mumtaz Ali Bhutto said. "If Pakistan openly advocates the freedom of Kashmir, which is also the desire of the Kashmiris, the other countries will support this cause and it will force India to come on defensive," Bhutto told newsmen in Village Mirpur Bhutto.
Pakistan, China sign 8 accords: Defense industrial cooperation, preferential trade included
Nov 3: In Beijing, Pakistan and China signed landmark agreements to bring their friendship to new heights, meeting the economic and political challenges in the 21st century. The agreements were signed following formal talks held between President Pervez Musharraf and the Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People. In all eight agreements were inked, including a joint declaration, which gives a roadmap for future cooperation between the two countries in all areas of bilateral interest. Both countries agreed to enhance defense industrial cooperation to their mutual benefit, the joint declaration on bilateral cooperation, signed by President Pervez Musharraf and Chinese President Hu Jintao, said.
Scuffles break out in parliament
Nov 3: Scuffles broke out between rival members in the National Assembly during an opposition protest against the arrest of ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi that also provoked a speaker's threat for action against the protesters and a minister's fears about the future of the lower house. Some rival assembly members struggled and pushed each other at the lower steps of the speaker's rostrum in front of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali, who later promised support for any disciplinary action taken by the chair.
SBP rings alarm bell on burgeoning poverty
Nov 2: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) rang an alarm-bell on poverty and demanded of the government and the private sector to create as many jobs as possible to arrest poverty, which rose from 20 per cent to 33 per cent in the last 15 years. Absolving the governments of President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali during the last four years, the central bank said the rise in the percentage of poverty had happened over last 15 years and is not a result of the policies pursued in the last four years.
Over 4m illegal immigrants in country: NA told
Nov 3: Interior Minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat told the National Assembly that more than four million illegal immigrants were residing in country and majority of them was from Afghanistan, comprising about one million.
Terrorism causes be addressed: Musharraf
Nov 4: President Pervez Musharraf vowed to pursue extremists but warned that operations against Al Qaeda and the Taliban were of short-term tactical value and that root causes of terrorism must be addressed. "There must be no doubt that we must all act and launch a war against extremism and terrorism," he said in a speech to students at the prestigious Peking University on the second day of a visit to meet China's new leaders. "But let me say that these are only symptoms. If we want to win the war against extremism and terrorism, we must also address the root causes." "Operations against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Hamas and Hezbollah are all of short-term tactical value," said Musharraf. "Long-term strategy lies in addressing the root causes of terrorism. What is the cause of extremism and militancy? It is hopelessness, powerlessness, desperation, injustice and because of non-resolution of long-standing political dispute.
ARD MPs resign from standing committees
Nov 4: Forty-seven ARD legislators, out of a total 78, resigned from all standing committees of the National Assembly. A copy of the joint resignation, submitted to the speaker, showed the ARD members had resigned in "protest against gross under representation of the opposition members on the committees."
Hashmi held for abetting mutiny, LHC informed
Nov 4: The Islamabad police informed the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, that Javed Hashmi, acting president of the PML-N, was arrested for abetting mutiny , but did not produce the FIR and the remand order which it claimed to have obtained from an unnamed magistrate.
Opposition stages walkout from NA
Nov 4: The combined opposition staged a walkout from the National Assembly after registering their protest against the arrest of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) President Javed Hashmi inside the House.
Muttahida minister resigns
Nov 4: Federal Minister for Communications Ahmed Ali resigned from the cabinet on the instructions of Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain, sources told Dawn. Sources claimed that Mr Ali had resigned due to his differences with some senior officials of the armed forces serving in the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation and the National Highways Authority. However, NNI reported a highly placed source as saying that Ahmed Ali, a senator of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, was forced to resign on evidence of his corruption of billions of rupees at the cost of national exchequer.
Military, judiciary blamed for injustices
Nov 4: Politicians at a seminar in Peshawar blamed both the military and the judiciary for injustices and human rights violations since the country's inception. The seminar was organized by the NWFP Pakistan People's Party to denounce the detention of Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of the PPP chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, at the Peshawar Press Club.
Warrants in Azam Tariq case issued
Nov 4: A anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Allama Sibtain Kazmi secretary-general of Islami Tehrik and an ex-MNA from Jhang Amanullah Sial in the murder case of Maulana Azam Tariq MNA, his driver and three guards.
Chinese Premier reassures commitment to sovereignty of Pakistan
Nov 4: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reassured China’s commitment to carry forward the Sino-Pak friendship with greater vigour and strength in the 21st century. During his hour-long talks with President Pervez Musharraf in Beijing, Wen Jiabao said, "I am sure, you will be leaving China at the end of the state visit, with the reassurance of the continued commitment of the new Chinese leadership for the progress, prosperity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan."
Pak troops kill two foreign militants
Nov 4: Two foreign nationals, believed to be Uzbeks, were killed in a clash with Pakistani troops in Angoor Adda area of South Waziristan Agency, while two of the suspected terrorists managed to escape.
Ex-Guantanamo prisoner moves court against US
Nov 4: Muhammad Sagheer, 53, a Pakistani freed from the US military camp at Guantanamo has filed a case in the court of Senior Civil Judge Islamabad Muhammad Arshad Court, seeking $10.4 million in damages from the United States for his "illegal detention, torture and humiliation." The US Secretary of State, US Secretary of Defense and Justice Department of the US as well as Interior Ministry of Pakistan, have been nominated as respondents, his lawyer said.
Pakistan, S. Korea sign gas, oil pact: Musharraf calls for joint collaboration
Nov 5: President Gen Pervez Musharraf informed South Korean businessmen in Seoul of bright investment opportunities in Pakistan, and said joint collaboration between the two countries in the fields such as textile could result in a major breakthrough for the economies of the two countries. Pakistan, he said, would no longer be facing the quota restrictions beyond 2004 and, therefore, the ensuing vast export opportunities could be jointly exploited by the two countries.
Swiss police tribunal upholds Benazir's appeal
Nov 5: A Swiss police tribunal has upheld an appeal by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her spouse against a 12-million dollar money laundering conviction, her spokesman said in Islamabad. "The Geneva police tribunal has accepted her appeal and quashed the six-month suspended sentence ordered by Daniel Devaud," PPP (People's Party Parliamentarian) spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar, told AFP. Ms Benazir, her husband Asif Ali Zardari, and their Swiss lawyer were convicted by Geneva-based magistrate Daniel Devaud on July 30 of obtaining the money in illegal commissions from two Swiss companies for a 1994 customs inspection contract.
Swiss judge has rejected Benazir’s plea, says NAB
Nov 5: The judges of Misdemeanours Court in Geneva, Reymond, Chairman, and Grob and Mrs Braun, members, while hearing the appeals of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari against the sentencing order of Judge Daniel Daveud of Geneva on July 30, this year, in Swiss money laundering case, had dismissed the claim of both the accused that they were not properly summoned for the hearing, said a statement released by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office in Islamabad. The NAB, releasing English translation of the judgment, said: "During the hearing on November 4, the Court of Misdemeanours has further rejected claim of Benazir Bhutto (BB) and Asif Ali Zardari (AAZ) for not having received the service of the summons, knowing fully well the pendency of criminal proceedings against them, which made them bound to take necessary measures to be accessible and attainable on the touchstone of law and universal code of propriety."
Pakistan, China to boost defense ties
Nov 5: The cosy relationship enjoyed by Pakistan and China was made plain in a joint declaration in which bilateral ties were deemed "exemplary". Signed by President Pervez Musharraf and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, the communique described cooperation between the two countries as an "indispensable" factor in maintaining peace and stability in Asia. The partnership was defined by President Musharraf as "deeper than the oceans, higher than the mountains" as he extolled the future global role of China. "The past belongs to Europe, the present belongs to the United States and the future belongs to Asia," he said in a speech to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
UN body adopts Pakistan resolution on CBMs
Nov 5: The Disarmament and International Security Committee of the UN General Assembly known as the First Committee adopted by a wide margin a resolution tabled by Pakistan for confidence-building measures in regional and sub-regional context. The resolution recognizes "the need for meaningful dialogue among states concerned in the regions of tension to avert conflict," and calls upon member states that have not already done so "to open consultation and dialogue" in the regions of tensions "without pre-conditions." India was amongst the countries voting against, while the resolution was adopted by 68 votes in favor, and 34 abstentions. It also urges, in the context of confidence-building measures, the maintenance of military balance between states in the regions of tension.
Swamy endorses Musharraf’s peace formula
Nov 5: Subramanian Swamy, a former Indian union minister and President of the Janata Party, has supported the four-point formula for peace in Kashmir as proposed by President Pervez Musharraf in Washington recently. These same proposals failed to find a favorable response from the Vajpayee government. In an article in the Hindu daily, Swamy says that Musharraf’s four-point framework will serve this purpose. "Musharraf recently suggested in Washington that (a) India and Pakistan establish normal diplomatic contacts, trade and communications to build mutual confidence and create a harmonious ambience (b) accept the centrality of Kashmir as an issue between the two countries (c) reject outright whatever is unacceptable and extreme for India, Pakistan or Kashmiris (d) start working toward an acceptable solution. Thereafter, steps may be taken towards a solution," writes Swamy.
Pakistan denies aiding N. Korea: Pyongyang's nuke plans
Nov 6: In Seoul, President Pervez Musharraf denied any technological ties between Islamabad and North Korea to help that country's nuclear weapons drive. "Such cooperation (between North Korea and Pakistan) did not exist in the past and will never be in the future," Gen Musharraf said at a summit with South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun.
Islamabad concerned over London HC bugging
Nov 6: The British high commissioner Mark Lyall Grant was summoned to the foreign office and conveyed Islamabad's serious concern over the reported bugging of the Pakistan high commission's communication links in London by MI5 last year, sources told Dawn. The reports of bugging by the premier British intelligence outfit appeared in the latest edition of The Sunday Times. It was reported that British spy agency infiltrated the embassy, stole codes and schemed to plant listening devices besides stealing documents.
Musharraf should shed uniform now: ANP
Nov 6: The Awami National Party has said it is time for Gen Pervez Musharraf to shed his uniform, as opposition to him is being considered as opposition to the institution of army. "(Gen) Musharraf is the ruler, whether legal or illegal, and people have the right to speak against their ruler if they dislike his policies. But as Musharraf is also wearing the cap of COAS, talking against him is being wrongly taken as opposition to army," ANP secretary-general Ehsan Wyne said, urging the general to shed his uniform to prevent disrepute to his institution.
NAB prepares new case against Hashmi
Nov 6: The National Accountability Bureau has prepared a fresh corruption reference against ARD president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, who has already been arrested for allegedly abetting mutiny. A source told Dawn that the NAB had completed investigation in a fresh case against Mr Hashmi to be sent to an accountability court shortly. Mr Hashmi is already on bail in a case of possessing assets beyond known sources of income which is being tried in the accountability court, Lahore.
Senate blocks questions on ISI, army
Nov 6: The Senate Secretariat disallowed several questions about the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence raised by an opposition member terming them "secret and sensitive.” Informed said these questions - pertaining to the Kargil war, the air crash, which killed the PAF chief, and laws regulating the ISI - were raised by People's Party Parliamentarians' Senator Farhatullah Khan Babar.
Maimoona Hashmi writes letters to diplomats
Nov 6: MNA Maimoona Hashmi, daughter of ARD leader Javed Hashmi, has written a letter to the Islamabad based foreign diplomats seeking their governments’ help for her father’s release. In the letter, Maimoona requested the ambassadors to take up this matter at appropriate levels not only to save the life of her father but the future of democracy in the country as well.
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