Chronology of Pakistan
June 2003 (Continued IV)
Corruption in Pakistan alarming: WB
June 27: It is unfortunate that corruption level in judiciary, police, taxation department, land administration, power, health and education in Pakistan is alarming. Country Director World Bank John Wall expressed these views while addressing at the three-day forum on 'Intergovernmental Relations and Improved Service Delivery in Pakistan', organised by National Reconstruction Bureau in Burban, in collaboration with the World Bank. John Wall pointed out that the daily income of 19 per cent of the people in Pakistan is equivalent to $1 (One Dollar) while only 65 per cent of the people get two dollars, which is lower to the neighboring countries. He said a majority of people in Pakistan is deprived access to basic needs.
Speaker survives no-trust move
June 28: National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain survived the opposition's no-trust move as no vote was cast in a stormy lower house session that provoked a similar move against deputy speaker Sardar Yaqub Khan for his alleged partiality in conducting the proceedings. The no-trust move against the speaker was officially rejected after no votes were cast either in its favor or opposition after the deputy speaker made short work of what would have been a prolonged tirade against his senior. While the coalition had decided beforehand to abstain from the voting on the issue, the opposition also decided at the last-minute to "boycott" the vote to protest against the deputy speaker's decision to disallow members other than the 12 sponsors of the resolution and the speaker to deliver speeches.
Relations with US satisfactory: Musharraf
June 28: President Gen Pervez Musharraf termed Pakistan-US ties as "broad-based and strong." "I'm fully satisfied with the state of US-Pakistan relations," the president said during an interview to the Washington Times.
PBC disputes verdicts given after Oct '99
June 28: The Pakistan Bar Council made public the draft of its white paper, dissenting with the superior courts' verdicts given in the post-October 1999 period, specially in connection with the government's actions regarding the Legal Framework Order , president's uniform, judicial appointments, presidential referendum and general elections. The 83-page document, which was prepared by PBC member Mohammad Yaqoob Leghari and Supreme Court Bar Association's president Hamid Khan, was referred by the legal fraternity as the first-ever white paper to be published on the judiciary's role in the country's history. The PBC's white paper refused to accept chief justice of Pakistan Sheikh Riaz Ahmad and four other judges - Justice Qazi Mohammad Farooq of the Supreme Court, Justice Raja Mohammad Sabir of the Lahore High Court, Justice Mohammad Ashraf Leghari of the Sindh High Court and Justice Abdur Rauf Khan of the Peshawar High Court - as serving judges for having availed the three-year extension granted under the LFO.
President's uniform issue: LHC releases detailed judgment
June 28: The Lahore High Court released detailed judgment regarding dismissal of a constitutional petition filed by the Pakistan Lawyers Forum through advocate AK Dogar, declaring that none of the constitutional provisions affected if the President remains in uniform. The decision says the court had not noted any Article in the constitution, which stops the president from remaining in uniform, as it did not create any hindrance in the smooth functioning of the government or other institutions in accordance with constitutional provisions. The salient features of the judgment are as under:- i)That whatever was done by the President had been in accordance with the dictum of the Supreme Court, as such, none of the provisions of the Constitution can be said to have been subverted or abrogated. ii) That the President was elected under Referendum Order 2002, which was validated by the Supreme Court. iii) That High Court is creation of Constitution and, therefore, cannot examine the vires of any constitutional provision. The court has to interpret, apply and enforce Constitution as it stands today. iv) That the amendments to the Constitution were incorporated under the authority of Supreme Court, therefore, allegation for amending the Constitution did not amount to subversion. v) That act of holding certain parts of the Constitution in abeyance was declared by the Supreme Court as transitional phase and thus could not be termed as an act of subversion. vi) That on LFO issue it was observed by the Divisional Bench that it was an instrument whereby the Constitution was revived. Certain amendments made in the Constitution were also contained in the schedule to LFO-2002, but those amendments related to electoral reforms and other reforms made by the Chief Executive, created the present Assemblies. The people who took part in the elections of Assemblies and Senate and various other offices under the amended Constitution, had agreed to them. vii) That it had not noted any Article in the Constitution, which stops the President from remaining in uniform as it did not create any hindrance in the smooth functioning of the government or other institutions in accordance with constitutional provisions. viii) That none of the constitutional provisions affected if the President remains in uniform. ix) Regarding non-handing power to Prime Minister, it is observed that no material had been placed before the court which could show that the Prime Minister was not exercising his power or that the civilian government was dysfunctional.
Musharraf says no timeframe to quit army
June 29: President General Pervez Musharraf said in Los Angeles he would leave uniform at an "appropriate" time and defended constitutional amendments under the LFO. Addressing the Pakistani community, the president said he was ready to give up his hat of army chief for the sake of democracy but would not do so because the country needed him.
US sees new phase of relations
June 29: Pakistan and the United States have entered "a new phase" of their "long-term predictable relationship," director, South Asia, US state department, Jerry Feirstein, said in Washington. Speaking at the annual get together and oath-taking ceremony of the Pakistani-American Congress as the chief guest, he said President Gen Pervez Musharraf's visit had given a new long lasting dimension to the friendship. It had now spread to cooperation in trade and commerce, he said.
Suspects trained in Pakistan: FBI
June 29: An FBI report claimed that group of eight Lashkar-I-Taiba suspects traveled to Pakistan recently and received military training there. Besides the eight indicted on June 27, the three others who have not yet been identified. The disclosure that one of the arrested men is a Pakistani citizen working as an electrical engineer in the United States and holds a H1-B visa has also come as a shock to the Pakistani community. Thousands of Pakistani professionals work in the United States and they fear that the alleged involvement of a Pakistani professional in these activities could create problems for them as well. The charges against these suspects have also allowed the Indian lobby in Washington to launch a vicious attack on Pakistan, saying that Islamabad is still training extremists for jihad in Kashmir although publicly it denies any involvement with such groups.
US aid, democracy not linked, says Musharraf
June 29: President General Pervez Musharraf said there is absolutely no hidden deal for $3 billion aid package offered to Pakistan at Camp David meeting. In an interview with the Geo TV, President Musharraf said $3 billion aid package was for development of Pakistan and for the welfare of people.
MQM leader Amir Khan arrested
June 29: Police arrested Amir Khan, the Secretary-General of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM), from Clifton area where he was hiding in a friend's house.
People equally divided over review of Pak Israel policy
June 29: Fifty per cent of the viewers responded 'yes' and 50 per cent in 'no' to a question, "Should we review our policy on Israel" in a poll conducted by Geo TV.The poll includes the views of only those viewers, who took part in the poll at their own. The percentage of telephone calls remained at 48.64 per cent from Karachi, 32.78 from Lahore and 18.58 from Islamabad.
Enrolment error may lead to Pakistani student's deportation
June 29: A Pakistani student's failure to tell immigration officials that he switched colleges has targeted him for possible deportation in an environment sensitive to sudden changes by foreign nationals following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Omar Habib, who left home in July 2001 on a college student visa to the United States, changed schools a month later. He enrolled at Central Connecticut State University instead of the University of Indianapolis, which he was authorized to attend. Immigration laws allow for transfers, but a foreign student must first report to the authorized school and seek clearance for the switch, which is reported to immigration authorities. Because Habib failed to report to Indianapolis, he was declared "out of status" and in violation of immigration law.
Tribunal unseats MMA lawmaker: Sanad not equivalent to graduation
June 30: An election tribunal of the Peshawar High Court disqualified an MNA of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Mufti Ibrar Sultan, and declared the sanad of Wafaqul Madaris not equivalent to graduation degree. The tribunal, comprising Justice Tariq Pervaiz of the PHC, allowed an election petition of PML-Q leader Iftikhar Gillani, who was a rival candidate of Mufti Ibrar, and declared his seat NA-14 (Kohat) vacant, ordering re-election on it.
3 get death for killing French engineers
June 30: An anti-terrorism court in Karachi sentenced three workers of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen to death on each of three counts for killing 11 French naval engineers and two others in a suicide car bomb attack in May last year. Judge Feroze Mahmood Bhatti of the Anti-Terrorism Court No. 2, who conducted the trial inside the Central Prison, sentenced Mohammed Asif Zaheer, Rizwanullah and Sohail Ahmed, who was tried in absentia, to death on each count of murder under Section 302(b) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
HC arrives in Delhi with peace hope
June 30: Pakistan's new high commissioner to India, Aziz Ahmed Khan, arrived in New Delhi saying he expected to be a conduit to peaceful ties between the two countries.