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Chronology of Pakistan
September 2003
'Osama may be in tribal areas'
Sept 1: Pakistan conceded that Osama bin Laden might be hiding in its tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. "Osama bin Laden's presence anywhere in that area cannot be ruled out," foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan told reporters. The spokesman was responding to a statement by US ambassador to Pakistan Nancy Powell last week that Osama might be hiding in the tribal region of Pakistan.
Opposition wants probe against generals
Sept 1: Criticising the military leadership for carrying out investigations against the army officers for being sympathetic to Afghan resistance forces, the combined opposition questioned as to why should such probe not be conducted against General Pervez Musharraf. "If the investigations are being held against those who supported militancy or resistance in Afghanistan, then from General Zia-ul-Haq to General Pervez Musharraf, every one should be probed into," remarked opposition leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad while addressing a press conference in Islamabad with Javed Hashmi, Tehmina Daultana, Pervez Ashraf, Liaquat Baloch, Yusuf Talpur flanking him. The MMA leader said since the start of the Afghan war, many generals of the Pakistan Army have been engaged in the exercise then why to probe only a few officers. "Can anyone deny that General Pervez did not help the resisting forces (Taliban) before the incidents of 9/11," observed Hafiz Hussain.
Special courts to try adulterators
Sept 1: The federal cabinet approved 25 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 1 million fine for food and drug adulterators, forfeiture of property of the convict and abrupt closure of the company involved in the offence. Chaired by Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the cabinet meeting approved the Draft Adulteration Offences (Special Courts Bill, 2003) designed to punish those guilty of adulteration of food and drugs endangering the health and safety of the citizens.
Pakistan to demand $1bn from Tasman Spirit owner
Sept 1: Pakistan said that it would demand $1 billion in compensation from the owners of a stricken Greek tanker, Tasman Spirit, after the worst oil spill in the country’s history.
Europe backs Pak call to amend Saarc charter
Sept 1: Acknowledging the systemic potential of regional outfits in strengthening regional peace and security, European governments have applauded the Pakistani proposal for such drastic amendments in the Charter of Saarc, which could enable the seven nation regional forum to resolve the regional and bilateral conflicts in South Asia, a credible European source told The News. A report reflecting European policies on South Asia indicates the plan of President Pervez Musharraf to discuss with Indian Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee, during the forthcoming Saarc summit, a consternation of his proposals for modification in the charter of the Saarc, which he believes, could make it more effective in resolving regional disputes. Prime Minister Vajpayee has already confirmed his decision to visit Islamabad to attend Saarc summit in January 2004, the source indicated.
Tribe releases kidnapped FC men
Sept 1: Three personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC), who were kidnapped by the men of Suleman Khel tribe on August 11 and kept in Afghanistan, were released, officials of Zhob administration told The News. The troops were freed after a successful round of talks between a Pakistani Jirga and leaders of the Suleman Khel tribe.
Armymen's arrest: US dismisses worries
Sept 2: The United States does not believe that the Pakistan army is going to become a "breeding ground" for religious extremists because as an institution it has stayed above such trends, US officials said. "No, we have no particular worries about the presence of extremists in the Pakistan army," a State Department official told Dawn while commenting on media reports suggesting that Pakistan had detained some army officers for their alleged links to the Al Qaeda organization.
Army dept 'occupies' Parachinar farmland
Sept 2: The Military Estates Officer (MEO) has allegedly grabbed more than 296 kanals of the agriculture department land in Parachinar, Kurram Agency, Dawn reports. The NWFP government, the home and tribal affairs department and the agency's political authorities finally bowed before the Pakistan army and gave up their claim over 296 kanals and nine marlas of farm land located in Parachinar cantt, the agency's headquarters.
Two Muttahida men among eight gunned down in Karachi
Sept 2: Eight people, including two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, were gunned down by unidentified terrorists in two separate attacks in Liaquatabad and Azizabad areas of Karachi.
Arrest of Pak armymen in Zabul denied
Sept 2: The Afghan government claimed the arrest of three Pakistanis believed to be military personnel by the FBI in Zabul during the ongoing fighting in the southwestern province of Afghanistan. Javed Ludden, the spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, told journalists in Kabul that the arrested persons have been shifted to an FBI centre somewhere in Balochistan province of Pakistan. However the Pakistan army categorically denied any knowledge of such arrests made by the FBI or Kabul administration.
Eight of a family fall victim to honour killing
Sept 2: Eight persons of the same family became victims of honour killing and one was injured when the rival party opened indiscriminate firing on them at Bagh village of Khadokhel Tehsil in Buner district.
FBI assisting police in compiling criminals’ record
Sept 2: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is assisting Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies in preparing a database of criminals’ fingerprints, The News has learnt. The FIA is coordinating with FBI in this regard in all the provinces. The FBI announced that the software for scanning and matching fingerprints would be given to FIA when the agency put together the fingerprint database. The FIA aims to gather 100,000 fingerprints within the next year, and the software by next June.
Islamabad accused of helping Tehran: N-programme
Sept 3: The International Atomic Energy Commission has evidence that Pakistan supplied Iran critical technology and parts for gas centrifuges that can be used to enrich uranium, the Washington Post reported. Pakistan has denied providing such assistance but the paper says that Pakistan is one of only a handful of countries that remain outside the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. As such Pakistan technically is not bound by many of the international restrictions on the export of nuclear technology, the report says.
New LHC judges take oath
Sept 3: The chief justice of Lahore High Court, Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, administered oath to the eight newly-appointed LHC judges under the 1973 constitution. Justice Mohammad Ghani, Muzamil Khan, Sardar Mohammad Aslam, Sheikh Hakim Ali, Nasim Sabir, Bilal Khan, Sheikh Abdur Rashid and Mohammad Akram Baitu took oath as the additional judges. The Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association and Lahore High Court Bar Association boycotted the ceremony.
ANP rejects referendum on Kalabagh dam project
Sept 3: Reiterating Awami National Party's stand against the construction of Kalabagh dam, Begum Nasim Wali Khan has rejected the option of holding referendum to seek public opinion on the controversial issue. In a press statement issued in Peshawar, the ANP provincial chief said that her party would never accept the referendum on the Kalabagh dam as it would be detrimental to the unity and sovereignty of the country and those talking about this option were actually endangering the existence of the country.
HRCP flays detention of journalist
Sept 3: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strongly condemned the detention of a Khuzdar journalist in flagrant violation of the due process and demanded his immediate release. In a press release issued in Lahore, the HRCP secretary-general Hina Jilani said the arrest of Mr Rasheed Azam and his detention since Aug 15, 2003, could only be condemned in the strongest possible terms. She said that Mr Azam represented two daily newspapers in Khuzdar and was also a prominent activist of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal).
Another Pakistani held in Canada
Sept 3: Canadian authorities have arrested a 21st man in connection to the recent detention of mostly Pakistan-born men as potential national security threats, an immigration official said in Toronto. The man was named by local media as Muddasar Awan. Reports quoting his lawyer said he surrendered himself to immigration authorities after learning of a warrant for his arrest in connection with raids by an anti-terrorism task force on Aug 14.
JF-17 successfully tested in China
Sept 3: A latest-model fighter aircraft Super-7 (JF-17) a joint venture of Pakistan and China was successfully tested, said Chinese sources in Beijing. The Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that the maiden eight-minutes flight of the plane, named Xiaolong/FC-1, or fierce dragon, proved successful in Wenjiang Airport in Chengdu, capital of south-west China’s Sichuan province. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat also attended the launching ceremony.
Parcel bomb injures two in Karachi
Sept 3: Two persons, including a religious scholar, were injured when a parcel bomb given to a student exploded in a Madrassa in New Mianwali locality of Nusrat Bhutto Colony, police said.
Defense accord signed with China
Sept 4: A defense assistance protocol between the People's Liberation Army and the Pakistan Armed Forces was signed after a meeting between Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman Gen Mohammad Aziz Khan and People's Liberation Army's chief of the general staff Gen Liang Guanglie. Gen Liang Guanglie, who is also member of the China's Central Military Commission, arrived in Islamabad today leading an 11-member military delegation on a four-day-long visit.
NWFP Assembly blasts army operation in Bannu
Sept 4: The treasury and opposition MPAs denounced what they called a joint military operation by Pakistan and the US in Bannu district. Maulana Abdur Raziq of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal from Bannu, condemned the joint Pak-US military operation in settled areas "in the name of hunt" for the most wanted Osama bin Laden or al-Qaeda. He asked the government to immediately stop it and do not challenge the Muslim sentiments.
Adult literacy low priority in Pakistan: report
Sept 4: Literacy programs in Pakistan have never been institutionalized and suffered badly due to lack of consistency and continuity in policies. This was mentioned in the "Draft Guidelines for the Strategic Framework of Action for the United Nations Literacy Decade in Pakistan" presented and discussed during a national policy seminar on literacy in Islamabad.
China to export new fighter jet: media
Sept 4: China has conducted the first test flight of a fighter jet jointly developed with Pakistan with combat capability it says rivals the US F-16, Chinese media said. China plans to export the Xiao Long, or Valiant Dragon, FC-1 to foreign countries two years from now, the semi-official China News Service said, adding that Pakistan was likely to be the first customer. China and Pakistan agreed to jointly develop the jet in 1999.
Uproar in NWFP PA on Bannu operation
Sept 4: The legislators in the NWFP Assembly severely criticized the "secret military operation" against al-Qaeda in district Bannu and urged the government to immediately stop "playing" with the sentiments of Muslims, particularly the Pakhtuns.
Repeal of Hudood ordinance opposed
Sept 5: Veiled women activist of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) staged a protest demonstration outside the Parliament House against the recommendation of the National Commission for the Status of Women (NCSW) to repeal the Hudood Ordinance. Led by JI Niab Nazima Ms Sakina Shahid, the protesters rejected the recommendations of the NCSW and opposed the idea of imposing, what they called, the suggestions and opinion of few Westernized women on the nation contrary to the will of a majority of women.
MPAs' role in uplift schemes sought
Sept 5: A Special House Committee on Local Bodies and Rural Development introduced a bill in the NWFP Assembly that proposes to empower MPAs in provincial development affairs.
Expats entry on Pakistan Origin Card allowed
Sept 5: Pakistanis having dual nationality must have Pakistan Origin Card (POC) for entry into Pakistan without visa, Interior Minister Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat told the National Assembly. The minister said the POC was a good alternative to the expatriates having citizenship of other countries to travel to Pakistan without visa.
“Pro-Indian tilt in US policy is irreversible”
Sept 5: Speaking on the "future of sustainable democracy in Pakistan" at the Brookings Institute, Washington - and later at a discussion in Columbia, Maryland - prominent American scholars and government officials said the pro-Indian tilt in US policy was irreversible.
He said although he favours a long-term US engagement with the country, "Pakistan today is the most anti-American country in the world".
Assemblies dissolution over my dead body: Musharraf
Sept 5: President General Pervez Musharraf said in Lahore that the dissolution of assemblies would only take place over his dead body. Addressing the PML-QA and allied parties’ legislators from the Punjab at the Governor’s House, the president ruled out the possibility of packing up the elected government midway.
Benazir may face high treason case
Sept 5: The government is seeking legal opinion of the Federal Law Ministry on trying PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto for divulging deliberations of a sensitive defense meeting that she had attended as prime minister when Pervez Musharraf was Major General at the Military Operations. Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Maj (Retd) Tanvirul Hassan made this announcement in the National Assembly while commenting on Benazir’s recent interview to an Indian journalist. He said that by revealing the details of policies discussed by the Pakistan Army against the enemy, Benazir had committed high treason and violated the oath of office of the prime minister.
ARD to invoke Article 6 against Musharraf
Sept 5: While the MMA insisted not to budge an inch on "all the seven contentious issues" during talks with the PML-QA leaders, the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) hinted at invoking Article 6 of the 1973 Constitution against those responsible for the October 1999 take over. Both the claims were made at a joint press conference of the combined opposition after the National Assembly session.
Pakistani among 16 ‘global terrorists’
Sept 5: The US Treasury has announced that a Pakistani citizen, in US custody on charges of terrorist activities, has been declared as a specially designated global terrorist (SDGT), along with 15 other Muslim individuals from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued eight different names of the same Pakistani, which are: Murad, Abdul Hakim, aka Ahmed; Saeed, aka Murad; Abdul Hakim Al Hashim, aka Murad; Adbul Hakim Ali Hashim, aka Murad and Abdul Hakim Hasim.
Petition filed in SC for advice to resolve LFO issue
Sept 5: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court under Article 184 (3) to seek advice of the apex court to resolve the issue of the Legal Framework Order with granting permission to the president to re-promulgate the Provisional Constitution Order. The petition has been filed by Maulvi Syed Iqbal Haider, Chairman of the Awami Himayat Tehrik Pakistan, with a request to the Supreme Court to allow President Pervez Musharraf to re-promulgate the PCO in pursuance of the Proclamation of Emergency and resolve the LFO issue.
LFO talks end on 'positive' note: Set of proposals finalized
Sept 6: The PML-Q and the MMA at their fifth and final round of talks on the LFO prepared a set of recommendations on contentious issues for consideration by heads of parties represented in parliament. The two sides handed the media a one-page press release that appeared to conceal more than it revealed. Representatives of both the sides claimed that "positive and practicable progress" had been made in what they called "consultations" on issues of Article 58(2)B, separation of the offices of the president and the army chief, formation of the National Security Council, recourse by the president to his electoral college, retirement age of superior court judges and reservations about the inclusion of the subject of local government in the sixth schedule of the Constitution, which affects provincial autonomy.
Arrested Pakistanis harassed in Canada
Sept 6: A prominent Canadian parliamentarian has asked the government to ensure security and safety of the arrested Pakistanis, mostly students, who are receiving "death threats" from other prison inmates. Svend Robinson, of the opposition NDP (New Democratic Party) has also demanded the release of all 19 Pakistanis, who, he said, have been detained without any charges and despite the fact the police chief feels they pose no threat to the safety of Canada.
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