Chronology of Pakistan
May 2003 (Continued II)
Kashmir infiltration down: Armitage
May 8: The US would not put any pressure on India and Pakistan to hold a dialogue rather its role was limited only to that of facilitation, said US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage at a press conference he addressed jointly with Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri in Islamabad. Armitage pointed out that Kashmir was not the main focus of his discussions in Islamabad as on top of the agenda were Pak-US relations. About alleged cross border infiltration, and dismantling of training camps in Azad Kashmir, Armitage said that these two issues had been raised in his meeting with President Musharraf. When asked if Pakistan had done enough to address the alleged infiltration problem, Armitage replied, "We are not keeping score. Any violence is bad. But it is down from the same time last year. Anyone suffering (because of violence) is a cause of concern. President Musharraf has told me nothing is happening at the Line of Control. He said that there are no camps in Azad Kashmir and if there are, they will be gone by tomorrow."
Vajpayee rejects Pakistan's nuclear disarmament call
May 8: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee turned down Pakistan's proposal for a nuclear-free South Asia and said that the Iraq war and political changes in Kashmir prompted the two rival neighbors towards amity. "Pakistan's nuclear program is India-specific, but our own nuclear program goes beyond that," he said. "Our concern is about other nations as well ... Our nuclear doctrine is of no-first-use while Pakistan has no such provision but they call for a no-war pact," he told parliament, which was debating new peace overtures with Islamabad.
NWFP PA passes resolution demanding Benazir's return
May 8: The NWFP Assembly trough a resolution, asked the federal government to allow Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto to come to Pakistan and take part in talks over ties with India being held by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan allowed PPPP Parliamentary Leader Abdul Akbar Khan to move the resolution amid loud protest by PPP-S and PML-QA members. The PML-N and MMA members did not oppose the resolution. The PPPP and the ANP supported the move, while the PPP-S and the PML-QA went against it when the speaker put it before the House.
Current account surplus touches $4.3bn
May 8: The current account of balance of payments (BoP) has recorded net surplus of $4,375 million, showed figures for the first nine months of current financial year (July-March) released by the State Bank of Pakistan. Figures said the main contributory factor in rendering current account of BoP surplus was private transfers of workers remittances, which jumped to $3,231 million during the first nine months as compared to $1,630 million during the same period last financial year.
Timeframe creates differences : President, COAS offices separation
May 9: The joint government-opposition constitutional committee failed to reach a consensus on the status of the Legal Framework Order and a timeframe for separation of the offices of the president and the COAS, sources told Dawn. The sources said major difference between the two sides had emerged on the timeframe for separation of the offices of the president and the COAS, as both sides had already accepted in principle that the two offices should not be held by one person.
Indo-Pakistan MPs agree to isolate fundamentalists
May 9: Indian and Pakistani parliamentarians agreed to isolate fundamentalist forces from their countries. A delegation of Pakistani MPs, mostly from opposition parties, arrived in New Delhi by Wagah. They met several Indian opposition MPs and intellectuals at the start of a week-long tour of India. "Pakistani and Indian parliamentarians agreed to isolate fundamentalist forces in both countries, to remove obstacles in the path of normalization of bilateral relations," Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee told reporters after a meeting with the visitors at his residence. "Both sides agreed that fundamentalist forces existed in the two countries and were hampering the process of establishment of peace," said Mr Chatterjee.
No plan for division of Kashmir: Jamali
May 9: No formula for division of Kashmir is being considered, declared Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. He said there is no pressure on Pakistan for Kashmir solution, and Islamabad's principled stand on Kashmir remains unchanged.
Indo-Pak MPs agree to isolate fundamentalists
May 9: Indian and Pakistani parliamentarians on Friday agreed to isolate fundamentalists in both countries for normalization of bilateral relations. The decision was taken at a meeting between a 13-member Pakistani delegation and a group of Indian MPs in New Delhi. "Both sides agreed that fundamentalist forces existed in the two countries and were hampering the process of establishment of peace," Communist MP Somnath Chatterjee, who hosted the meeting.
Lawyers hold anti-LFO rallies
May 9: The lawyers staged protest rallies throughout the country against the Legal Framework Order and three-year extension in the retirement age of the judges of the superior courts. The bar associations staged protest rallies in their respective areas and demanded restoration of the 1973 Constitution.
Asfandyar re-elected ANP president
May 10: Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan was re-elected president of the Awami National Party for four years in its general council meeting at the Bacha Khan Markaz, Peshawar.Ajmal Khattak, who had recently rejoined the ANP, was elected patron-in-chief of the party. Ihsan Wyne was elected general secretary and Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, senior vice-president.
MMA offers Musharraf two years in uniform
May 10: A major breakthrough has been reported in the ongoing dialogue between ruling and opposition parties on Legal Framework Order (LFO) as the Mutthida Majlis-e-Amal has offered to accept President Pervez Musahrraf as the Army chief for two more years provided he gives an exact date of quitting the COAS office, sources told The News. This is the first serious offer by the religious alliance to President Musahrraf since the commencement of negotiations between the government and the opposition.
11 hurt in Hyderabad bus blast
May 10: At least 11 passengers were injured, five of them seriously, when an explosive device went off inside a Kandiaro-bound passenger bus at Pathan Colony in Hyderabad.
Foreign companies remit $322m profit
May 11: As many as 69 multinational companies have remitted a profit of over $332 million from Pakistan during the first nine months of the current fiscal year which is about 320 per cent higher than the profit sent abroad last year. The State Bank of Pakistan data obtained by Dawn suggested that 51 out of total 69 foreign companies sent a cumulative profit of $503 million abroad during the last three years.
Two Pakistanis killed near Iran border
May 11: The Iranian border security forces killed two Pakistanis near Taftan, some 650 km west of Quetta, official sources said. Sources said that the Iranian security guards opened fire on both the Pakistanis when they were crossing into Pakistani area at Zero point. One of them died on the spot while the other was rushed to Saindak hospital where he also succumbed to his injuries.
Karachi-Ajmer rail link proposed
May 11: Senior Citizens Action Committee has urged Pakistan and India to start another service of Samjhota Express from Karachi to Ajmer Sharif in addition to the one already running between Lahore and Delhi. In a statement, issued in Karachi, the committee said that more than 90 per cent of people availing the facility of Samjhota Express hailed from Sindh and destined mainly the areas bordering this province. Thus, it said, Samjhota Express service from Karachi would benefit most of the visitors to India and Pakistan traveling through train. The committee also called for the reopening of Indian consulate at Karachi to facilitate visa seeker
ADB to give $2.6bn aid
May 11: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provided $2.6 billion to Pakistan in next three years, besides coordinating regional trade from Gwadar via Afghanistan to Central Asian Republics (CARs), according to Yoshihiro Iwasaki, Director-General South Asia Department and Head of Regional Economic Monitoring Unit of Asian Development Bank.
Indian bid to obliterate UNMOGIP foiled
May 11: An Indian attempt to obliterate the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has been foiled by the European members of the United Nations Security Council as they believe that the mandate of the UNMOGIP to supervise cease-fire between India and Pakistan is still valid, reliable European sources told The News. In a recent diplomatic pursuit, India demanded the termination of the UNMOGIP pleading that the mandate of the UN body deployed in Jammu of Kashmir in January 1949 to supervise the cease-fire between India and Pakistan had lapsed. The UN secretary-general, however, rejected the demand, arguing that the UNMOGIP was created by the Security Council and "it can be terminated only by a decision of the UNSC".
ANP demands transfer of all powers to province
May 11: Newly-elected Central President of Awami National Party Senator Asfandyar Wali has demanded immediate abolition of concurrent list and that all the powers should be transferred to the provincial list. He was addressing a press conference in Peshwar after the first Central Executive Committee meeting at Bacha Khan Markaz. Asfandyar said that this concurrent list had created confusion and termed it 'Gary area" of the constitution.
LHC upholds validity of laws issued under PCO
May 12: A division bench of the Lahore High Court has ruled that laws and enactments, issued under the Provisional Constitutional Order, could not be questioned by courts as the Legal Framework Order-2002 protects them. Dismissing petitions filed by PPP secretary-general Jehangir Badar and former chairman of Lahore district council Chaudhry Zulfiqar, the LHC's bench declared that Article 5-A of the PCO had specifically ruled that "no order shall be subject to the limitation of time provided in the Constitution regarding its presentation before parliament for validation."
Pakistan will not agree to "freeze" the Kashmir issue
May 12: Pakistan will not agree to "freeze" the Kashmir issue in preference to economic and commercial relations in any possible future talks on normalization of relations with India. This was stated by Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan during his weekly briefing when he stressed that that talks with India would be composite where all contentious issues, topped by Jammu and Kashmir as the core issue, would be taken up together by both sides.
Benazir thanks NWFP PA for demanding her return
May 12: Pakistan People's Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has thanked all democratic forces in the NWFP Assembly for demanding her early return to Pakistan and release of her spouse, Asif Ali Zardari.
Benazir Bhutto is a security risk
May 12: Federal Information Minister Shaikh Rashid said, "Benazir Bhutto is a national security risk and the military establishment would not accept or trust her as prime minister of the country. This is a fact and we must accept it. What she uttered during her last visit to India was enough to establish her doubtful credentials."
Delay in Saima case affected 250 couples: Asma
May 13: Former HRCP chairperson Asma Jehangir informed the Supreme Court that over 250 couples were facing hardships, most of them in jails , due to a delay in decision on appeals against the LHC judgment in which it was declared that a Muslim woman could not marry of her own free will. Appeals against the LHC decision that a Muslim woman is not free to marry of her own will and Nikah solemnized without the consent of her Wali (Guardian) will be invalid, have been pending in the Supreme Court since 1997. Giving arguments in the Saima Waheed case, Ms Jehangir said the LHC decision had given a licence to the police to harass people and throw them into lock-ups on complaints lodged by the families of the women who married without consent of their parents.
China offers $1bn for power unit
May 13: China has offered $1 billion through a mix of equity and credit to construct a Rs87 billion worth of 960-MW power project that would enable Pakistan to maintain its legal rights over the waters of river Jhelum. Power ministry sources told Dawn that if the Neelum-Jhelum project was not started near Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir immediately, Pakistan would be obliged under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty to allow India divert Jhelum waters for power generation.
Three Pakistanis freed from Guantanamo
May 13: The United States government has handed over three Pakistanis detained in its detention camp at the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to the government of Pakistan on May 8. According to a press release issued by the interior ministry, the three persons were identified as Jehan Wali, son of Wahdatullah, Shah Mohammad, son of Gul Mohammad (both from the NWFP), and Sahibzada Usman Ali, son of Sahibzada Mohammad Yusuf (belonging to Punjab).
Pakistani MPs call for joint patrol
May 13: Pakistani legislators on a peace mission in India suggested the two countries start joint patrol of the disputed Kashmir border to resolve the key sticking issue between the neighbors. Member of the delegation, Sardar Saleem Jan Mazari, also recommended that a neutral body monitor the Kashmir frontier.
Sadruddin Aga Khan passes away
May 13: Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, uncle of the spiritual leader of the Ismaili community and the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees- the Aga Khan - died at the age of 70 after a lenghty illness in Boston Hospital.
Tribesmen attack radar station near Rojhan
May 13: Over two-dozen tribesmen attacked the radar station near Rojhan and attempted to kidnap the personnel of law-enforcement agency, but their bid was foiled and classified installation remained safe, The News reported.
NWFP imposes complete ban on liquor
May 13: Taking the first step, which the MMA government considers is towards Islamization, the NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani ordered ban on wine and liquor in the province and cancellation of permits of all categories of hotels, including the lone five star hotel of the province. The chief minister directed the NWFP chief secretary to issue necessary notification in this regard to implement the order with immediate effect.
Lexus drive turns sour for Balochistan governor, CM
May 13: The "poor government" of the underprivileged province of Balochistan has purchased two of the world renowned luxury Lexus jeeps costing the tax-payers nearly Rs 40 million to provide a comfortable ride to the governor and the chief minister. It is not the purchase of these high-priced luxury vehicles that makes the news rather the catch is that the 2002 model of these vehicles was bought but these turned out to be of 2000 model.
New Delhi offers '97 format for talks: Security and Kashmir top agenda
May 14: Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha has proposed a "six-plus-two" format for talks with Pakistan in which confidence-building measures and Kashmir will be discussed by foreign secretaries and the political leadership, leaving six other key issues for technical committees, reports in New Delhi said. Mr Sinha was quoted as saying that the dialogue should be "based on the six-plus-two-point agenda prepared by the respective foreign secretaries in 1997 with additions, if necessary."
US pressure behind Pak-India peace bid: MPs
May 14: Pressure from Washington is behind the recent Pakistan and India moves to restore diplomatic ties. M P Bhandara, one of the 12 Pakistani Parliamentarians visiting India on a peace mission in India, said this while talking to news reporters in Calcutta. The MP of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-QA stated: "There is a hidden hand of the US behind the move between Pakistan and India to restore diplomatic ties. The US has been telling the two countries to talk and finally it put pressure to begin talks."
New Delhi offers '97 format for talks: Security and Kashmir top agenda
May 14: Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha has proposed a "six-plus-two" format for talks with Pakistan in which confidence-building measures and Kashmir will be discussed by foreign secretaries and the political leadership, leaving six other key issues for technical committees, reports in New Delhi said. Mr Sinha was quoted as saying that the dialogue should be "based on the six-plus-two-point agenda prepared by the respective foreign secretaries in 1997 with additions, if necessary."
US pressure behind Pak-India peace bid: MPs
May 14: Pressure from Washington is behind the recent Pakistan and India moves to restore diplomatic ties. M P Bhandara, one of the 12 Pakistani Parliamentarians visiting India on a peace mission in India, said this while talking to news reporters in Calcutta. The MP of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-QA stated: "There is a hidden hand of the US behind the move between Pakistan and India to restore diplomatic ties. The US has been telling the two countries to talk and finally it put pressure to begin talks."
Blasts at 21 petrol pumps in Karachi
May 15: A number of locally made explosive devices went off at 21 gas stations of Shell Pakistan and Caltex in different areas of the city in the wee hours, injuring five persons. Police sources said the terrorists did not want to kill people. They just wanted to give a message to the concerned authorities that they were alive and could easily launch a massive attack.
India welcomes ban on Azhar's entry in Azad Kashmir
May 15: India welcomed Pakistan's ban on the leader of an outlawed militant group from entering Azad Kashmir to address a religious rally. If this ban on Azhar's entry into Kashmir is any index of beginning of a change, it is welcome, said Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani.
Suspected al-Qaida operative arrested near Karachi
May 15: Pakistani and American intelligence officials arrested a suspected al-Qaida operative on a remote stretch of highway north of the port city of Karachi. Haffan al-Hashim, of Middle Eastern origin, was arrested along with a satellite telephone, a laptop computer and six discs that intelligence sources said contained information about other operatives. Pakistani intelligence and American FBI agents carried out the operation jointly.
Number of school-going children on the decline
May 16: The number of school-going children is on the decline despite constant pledges and assurances by successive governments to increase literacy rate. At present, only about 27.5 per cent of the school-age children in the city are enrolled in schools, a survey conducted by a local NGO in collaboration with the provincial Education Department revealed.
Academic session to be of 9 months
May 16: The federal government has decided to introduce a nine-month continuous academic session in educational institutions across the country. The session will close with final examinations before a three-month break, said Federal Education Minister Zubaida Jalal in Lahore. Ms Jalal, however, said the government had asked all four provinces to look into it for its implementation according to weather conditions.
Army wants Musharraf to stay as president, COAS
May 16: Notwithstanding objections from the opposition parties to President Pervez Musharraf's continuation as the President as well as the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), almost the entire top command and staff hierarchy of the Pakistan Army believe the present structure and equation of governance in Pakistan -- because of current geo-strategic environment -- serve the best interest of the nation, senior officials and other well-informed sources told The News.
Okara farms issue
May 16: The News editorial said: It is time the new elected governments at the centre and Punjab took up the case of thousands of tenants of military farms at Okara who fear being evicted from the lands they have occupied almost for a century. The issue had originally come to the forefront some three years ago when the military authorities sought to change the status of the tenants. Since then, the issue has become a crisis with the tenants being made to pay a high price for refusing to accept the new status. The situation worsened when police and Rangers tried to occupy the farms resulting in the killing of tenants, and on occasion when authorities completely besieged the farms. The land at stake measures 17,000 acres and is home to thousands of peasants who have been farming the land for nearly a century. The land belongs to the Government of Punjab which leased it to the Ministry of Defence in August 1913 for twenty years on an annual rental of Rs 15,000. Since then the army continues to occupy the land.
Ordinance giving PM power to sack officials flayed
May 17: The People's Party Parliamentarians and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) have criticized the promulgation of the Removal from Service (Special Powers) (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2003 , under which the powers to sack government employees have been transferred to the prime minister.
Balochistan frees 20 Indians
May 17: The Balochistan government released 20 Indian nationals, including 14 fishermen, from the Central Jail Mach and Quetta who were arrested from Gwadar and other areas of the province.
Rangers, army officials be punished for land-grabbing
May 17: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has demanded that all generals and other officers of the armed forces and Rangers involved in land grabbing be tried for tarnishing the image of the armed forces. The demand was made by the PML-N information secretary, Siddiqul Farooq, while issuing a fact-sheet on Okara military farms incidents at a press briefing in Islamabad. He said previous military regimes had "authorized unbelievable perks for serving and retired military officers, including 50 acres of valuable agricultural land for every general promoted from the rank of major general.