Chronology of Pakistan
January 2003 (Page II)
Hatf-V given to army
Jan 8: Pakistan Army was formally handed over in Rawalpindi an indigenously developed Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (Hatf-V Ghauri) system at a special ceremony held at Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). Speaking on the occasion President Gen Pervez Musharraf said that Pakistanis were a responsible nation and were aware of international obligations.
N-technology can't be transferred: Qadeer
Jan 8: The special adviser to the prime minister, Dr Qadeer Khan, has said news items alleging his involvement in selling nuclear technology are baseless, concocted and malicious. Talking to reporters after the convocation of the Pakistan Academy of Medical Sciences (PAMS) at the King Edward Medical College Lahore, he said nuclear technology could not be thrown away by just writing on pamphlets and leaflets.
U.S. Seeks To Prosecute U.N. Envoy
Jan. 7 -- The State Department has asked Pakistan to waive the diplomatic immunity of its senior U.N. envoy so he can face misdemeanor charges that he assaulted his live-in girlfriend, Marijana Mihic, 35, at his home last month, according to U.S. officials, Washington Times reported. The request came more than two weeks after New York police and paramedics responded on Dec. 10 to an emergency call from the woman, who claimed that Pakistan's U.N. ambassador, Munir Akram, had beaten her. The City's prosecutors want to investigate a month-old assault charges filed against him by Marijana, who has since recanted her story. She has withdrawn the charges and met the New York City's district attorney's officials pleading that the case not be pursued.
Govt rejects report about Dr AQ Khan
Jan 8: Pakistan dismissed a media report concerning Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan as part of a malicious campaign against the country's consistent and established record of safeguarding its sensitive nuclear technology. "It is absolutely false, baseless and motivated," a Foreign Office spokesman said when asked to comment on the report seeking to malign Dr Qadeer.
Self-appointment of Secretary Senate
Jan 8: In violation of set procedure Shahid Iqbal, an additional Secretary has appointed himself secretary Senate which, according to legal experts is unprecedented illegality. Iqbal defended his self-appointment to The Nation, and said it was essential to assume as Secretary in order to perform official business of the Senate.
India test-fires N-capable Agni
Jan 9: India test-fired a shorter-range version of its nuclear-capable Agni missile, capable of striking almost any part of Pakistan. The test at a remote site in Orissa state on the Bay of Bengal "was a textbook launch, everything went perfectly," an Indian senior defence official told Reuters. Agni-1 has a one-ton payload capacity and can be fired from rail and road launchers, making it highly mobile. The missile is India's first intermediate-range missile and has a range of about 600-800 kilometres.
Oil deal reached with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
Jan 9: Pakistan has secured around 50 per cent of its total $3.5 billion oil imports on deferred payments from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for the calendar year 2003. Informed sources told Dawn that total oil imports on deferred payments from the two friendly Islamic oil producers would cross $1.8 billion mark during the current calendar year under the revised agreements.
Two Arabs among nine held in Karachi
Jan 9: The law-enforcement agencies, assisted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) picked up seven members of a Pakistani family and two Arabs suspected to be al-Qaeda militants, after raiding the house of a woman leader of Jamaat-e-Islami in Gulshan-e-Maymar in Karachi, police and witnesses said. Though in a late night development, the LEAs released the seven members of the Pakistani family but they kept the identities of the arrested Arabs and further details secret, as they believed that these arrests may lead to the arrest of a most-wanted al-Qaeda militant Khalid Shaikh Muhammad.
Oil, gas discovered near Mirpurkhas
Jan 10: Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Chaudhry Noraiz Shakoor, announced the discovery of oil and gas from the Bhulan Shah well, drilled by the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), located between Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas in Sindh.
He said it was the seventh oil well discovered in the past nine months in the Southern Indus Basin and the eighth since March, 2001.
Protest against FBI operation in country
Jan 10: Scores of women workers and supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami staged a peaceful demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club to protest against the raid on the house of party leader Sabeeha Shahid and arrest of her family. Police, rangers and other agencies assisted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had raided the house of Sabeeha Shahid in Gulshan-e-Maymar area arresting seven members of her family besides arresting two suspected Arab members of Al-Qaeda. However, the law enforcement agencies released the family later.
2003 declared Year of Fatima Jinnah
Jan 11: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has declared 2003 as the Year of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah. He announced it while speaking at the PML-Q general council meeting in Islamabad to confirm the elections of party president and secretary-general. The parliamentary party leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam), Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and Salim Saifullah were elected unopposed as president and secretary-general of the party, respectively. The council confirmed their elections unanimously and endorsed the decisions taken by PML-Q central working committee on Dec 31. The PML councillors drawn from all over the country raised their hands in favour of Shujaat Hussain and Salim Saifullah turn by turn, as there was no one to oppose the candidature of these two party stalwarts.
Lahore property dealer held for al-Qaeda links
Jan 11: Property dealer Khalil Sheikh was arrested in a raid on his house in Lahore for alleged association with al-Qaeda.
Qazi slams FBI raids in Pakistan
Jan 11: MMA central leader and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed has vehemently condemned ongoing FBI operations in Pakistan and urged the government to refrain from allowing US investigative agencies to carry out secret activities in the country under the garb of war on terrorism.
Seven women diplomats appointed ambassadors
Jan 12: The government has appointed seven women from the foreign service cadre as ambassadors to important world capitals. All of the women officers are career diplomats and most of them have been posted to the European countries. Their names and countries of posting are: Fauzia Nasreen, ambassador to Poland; Durre Shahwar Qureshi, ambassador to Kazakhstan; Riffat Iqbal, ambassador to Ireland; Shireen Safdar, ambassador to Portugal; Kausar Ehsan Iqbal, ambassador to Algeria; Fauzia Abbas, ambassador to Switzerland; and Humaira Hasan, ambassador to Romania.
NAB seeks politicians' extradition
Jan 13: The National Accountability Bureau has expedited its efforts for the extradition of politicians and bureaucrats allegedly involved in corruption from different countries, specially the United States and Britain. "Currently the interior ministry is in close contact with the US and the UK governments for the extradition of politicians. However, there are some legal constraints due to which the justice departments of these government are hesitant in extraditing politicians and bureaucrats," the NAB spokesman, Brigadier Tayyab Waheed, said.
18m illegal weapons in country
Jan 13: There are nine illegal arms for every licensed weapon currently held by individuals in the country. According to officials at the Ministry of Interior there were approximately 18 million illegally-held weapons in Pakistan compared to some two million weapons that were in the hands of legally-licensed owners. The figure of two million legally authorized weapons in Pakistan is quoted in the Small Arms Survey, 2002.
Australian arrested in Karachi for links to al-Qaeda
Jan 13: Authorities have arrested a 29-year-old Australian man on suspicion of al-Qaeda links, government and Australian Embassy officials said. The man was arrested on Jan 4 in Karachi, on suspicion that he received terrorism training in Afghanistan and had links to al-Qaeda.
Cases against Faisal, Sherpao not withdrawn: NAB
Jan 13: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) announced that corruption cases against two federal ministers will continue and there is no move to withdraw them and that the NAB-sponsored corruption drive will intensify in coming days. "Hearing in the corruption cases against Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat and Water and Power Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao is continuing, and all apprehension contrary to it are baseless and unfounded," said a NAB spokesman.
Acting CJ takes oath under '73 Constitution
Jan 13: Acting Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry became the first Supreme Court judge to take oath under the 1973 Constitution amid indication from senior law ministry official of other judges to also follow suit. Earlier, the acting chief justices were taking oath under the PCO. Justice Muhammad Farooq administered the oath.
President amends order regarding death sentences
Jan 13: President General Pervez Musharraf has amended his previous order under Article 45 of the Constitution regarding conversion of death sentence into life imprisonment of such prisoners whose age was less than 18 year when they had committed the offence. It may be recalled that the president, exercising his powers to grant pardon under Article 45 of the Constitution, has converted the death sentences of the condemned prisoners aged under 18 years on the move of human rights organizations otherwise there was no restriction on the execution of teenagers if they were convicted by the court.
50 Al Zarrar tanks to be exported this year
Jan 14: Pakistan has started the commercial production of the Al Zarrar tank, and it will manufacture about 50 tanks by this year to export to other countries, defence sources told Dawn. The project was launched at the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) the hub of Pakistani tracked vehicles and tanks installation.
PPP Senate candidates swear allegiance
Jan 14: PPP candidates for the Senate declared under oath that after being elected to the Upper House of parliament, they would stay loyal to Ms Benazir Bhutto and the party. They swore allegiance at the office of the Punjab Assembly opposition leader in the presence of Qasim Zia, Ms Naheed Khan and some legislators.
Corporate farming not for Pakistan
Jan 14: Corporate farming is not an option for Pakistan, as it would negatively impact small farmers and rural poverty would rise. This observation was made in a latest report of Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre- Human Development in South Asia 2002: Agriculture and Rural Development-launched in Islamabad. The report feared a negative impact on small farmers due to corporate farming, which it reckoned could also aggravate rural poverty. It observed that landlords had already usurped rural credits. "Now the preferential treatment of corporate farmers will make the situation worse for small farmers."
PML-Q, MMA leading in polls: PPP boycotts on most seats
Jan 15: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) gained and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) suffered at least one shock in low-turnout by-elections across the country amid opposition charges of rigging and violence that took five lives in Sindh. The ruling party suffered an upset in Rawalpindi where the MMA defeated its candidate for a National Assembly seat vacated by Information and Media Development Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. The People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP), which emerged the second largest party in the National Assembly in the Oct 10 general elections, boycotted voting for most of the seats it contested, accusing the government of "massive rigging" in Sindh where it said three of its workers had been killed and several kidnapped by rival parties in the Khairpur district.
PM empowered to remove govt servants
Jan 15: President General Pervez Musharraf amended the Removal from Service (Special Powers) Ordinance 2000 empowering the prime minister to take necessary action.
Married to Quran
Jan 16: A large number of feudals in Sindh had married their daughters to the Quran, the Khabrain reported. The ceremony took place after the girl of the family was asked to take a bath, after which a Quran was put before her as the menfolk apologised to her for the ritual which would condemn the girl never to get married but to read the Quran every
day. In Sindh, MPA Shabbir Shah’s sister, ex-minister Murad Shah’s sister and two daughters, three daughters of Mir Awwal Shah of Matiari, daughters and sisters of Sardar Dadan and Nur Khan of the Lund tribe, nieces of Sardar Ghulam of Mahar tribe, and the daughters of the Pir of Bharchundi Sharif, were all married to the Quran to prevent their share of the land going to them and thus avoid redistribution of land.
PML-Q, MMA win majority seats
Jan 16: The PML-Q and MMA emerged as main winners in yesterday’s parliamentary by-elections across the country for which the Election Commission announced unofficial results today. Both groups won three National Assembly seats each from 10 contested in a vote in which muscle in one case and religious fervor in the other seemed to have carried the day. One seat each was won by two PML-Q allies - the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the PML-F - and two by independents. Of the 18 seats of the four provincial assemblies, 10 were won by the PML-Q, two by the MMA, four by the National Alliance and one each by the PML-J and the PPP (Sherpao). The NA, PML-J and PPP-S too are the PML-Q's allies. The by-elections were held to fill seats vacated by those who had won two seats - either of the same House or one each of the National Assembly and a provincial assembly - in Oct 10 elections.
FBI agents raid Islamabad Madaris
Jan 16: Pakistani authorities accompanied by FBI agents raided three Madaris - Dar-ul-Uloom Subhania, Jamia Misbah-ul-Uloom and Masjid Abdullah bin Masood - in Islamabad, looking for al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects, school officials said. About six Ulema filed a complaint with the Islamabad police demanding charges of unlawful interference in the Madaris be brought against the foreigners, whom they said were American FBI agents.
Army most trusted in Pakistan, India, US
Jan 16: Describing declining public trust as the foremost leadership problem a survey by World Economic Forum just before world leaders meet in Davos reveals that army is the most trusted institution in Pakistan, India and the US while democracy is the least trusted institution in many regions. The most troubling finding according to the survey is that the principal democratic institution in each country (i.e., parliament, congress, etc.) is the least trusted of the 17 institutions tested. This is particularly true in the Middle East (Turkey and Israel), Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia and Panama), some Eastern and Central European states (especially Georgia), and some countries in the Asia Pacific region (especially Japan and South Korea). Elected legislatures are trusted most strongly in North America, some European countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland), and other countries in the Asia Pacific region (especially Malaysia, but also Hong Kong, India and Indonesia).
PM relieves six judges of NAB courts
Jan 17: Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali has rejected the summary for extension in the tenure of six accountability judges of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan and directed presentation of a fresh penal of judges to be appointed in their place. As a result of this decision Dr Qamaruddin Bohra, Riaz Ahmad Phulpoto and Javed Alam (heading Accountability Courts in Karachi), Said Maroof and Ataullah Khan, judges of Accountability Courts (ACs) of Peshawar and Muhammad Anwar Kasi, Judge of AC Quetta "stand relived from their duties with immediate effect."These judges were appointed between December 1999 and January 2000 for a term of three years.
US deports 1,000 Pakistanis
Jan 18: The US authorities had detained 1,256 Pakistanis since Sept 11, 2001, when the current campaign against illegal immigrants began, Pakistan's deputy chief of mission in Washington, Mohammad Sadiq, told Dawn About 1,000 of these detainees had already been deported to Pakistan while the rest were still in detention, he said.
Thousands of porno CDs, videocassettes destroyed
Jan 18: Video shop owners of the Cinema Road and Kabuli Bazaar in Peshawar voluntarily destroyed thousands of porno videocassettes, CDs and posters, following the directives of the MMA Government to eliminate vulgarity from the province.
Country-wide demos against possible Iraq war
Jan 18: Thousands of people shouting anti-US slogans rallied in major cities across the country, calling for an end to "aggressive" US plans against Iraq. More than 1,000 people, including hundreds of school children, released pigeons and formed a human chain along the main thoroughfare in Rawalpindi. Around 500 peace activists from different political and social organizations marched in Lahore to condemn the "US aggressive posture against Iraq.