TV talk shows: good, bad or just inane — by Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain
Being a strong supporter of freedom of the media I believe that every television channel and all the hosts have the right to say whatever they wish as long as it is within accepted societal norms of decency
Every so often I decide to watch some of the Pakistani TV talk shows. After my most recent foray into the world of incessant shouting and entirely illogical arguments I was forced to coin two neologisms for the talking heads on TV. For the smoother ones, it is ‘the Gliberati’ and for most of the rest it is ‘the Gibberati’.
Media in Pakistan, especially the electronic media, is going through its ‘growing pains’. In an interconnected world it seems that Pakistani TV anchors and talk show hosts are copying the loudest and at times the most incendiary styles of American TV. Chris Mathews of ‘Hardball with Chris Mathews’ is evidently the favourite talk show host to copy.
However, our own pundits quite forget that Mathews has a solid political background having worked with many powerful elected politicians, including a former speaker of the House of Representatives, has written a few books and has even contested an election himself. So, when he talks of politics he often just might know more about it than some of his guests. Yes, he is pugnacious and loud but he is also extremely well informed and experienced in the ways of politics and politicians.
I do not know of a single Pakistani TV talk show host that copies Mathew’s style but has even a fraction of his political experience. This does not mean that there are no serious hosts on Pakistani television; indeed some come to their programmes with considerable research and thought having gone into their questions and observations. But these are definitely an exception.
As far as the guests on these programmes are concerned, it is the same bunch of retired bureaucrats and generals that keep turning up in different shows. What is so amusing about them is that almost each one of them supported and worked for autocrats and dictators when in service but now seem to have become democrats with a vengeance.
As far as the politicians that turn up on these programmes, it seems that they are there for the sole purpose of exposing their ignorance about the issues. Now I have nothing against politicians that toe the party line — that is what they are supposed to do — but it seems that all of them are devoid of any political finesse.
TV news, whether we like it or not, is essentially entertainment now. The purpose it seems is not to inform or educate the viewing public but rather to amuse them. Even in the US, it is not the news shows that most young people get their information about politics from but rather from shows like Jon Stewart’s ‘The Daily Show’ on Comedy Central, or else from the internet and different blogs.
Being a strong supporter of freedom of the media I believe that every television channel and all the hosts have the right to say whatever they wish as long as it is within accepted societal norms of decency. When TV hosts and guests accuse politicians of corruption they are unfortunately often correct. Since very few politicians in Pakistan are known for financial probity, therefore almost every politician can be called corrupt. But the same is true of most politicians in the world.
Eventually, Pakistani media will evolve. At present there are no people in the electronic media that have established expertise in the political, judicial, economic or social spheres. For instance there is nobody on TV that can talk of environmental or health issues with any level of expertise. There is nobody that covers the superior courts regularly or for that matter has any demonstrated expertise in economic matters.
The media serves many important functions. It acts as a watchdog that keeps government honest, it informs the public about what is going on and it educates viewers about issues. As far as politics and politicians are concerned, they are often interesting and easy to talk about but without any meaningful polling data it is virtually impossible to discuss public perception of any government or political party.
What is badly needed is some serious discussion about the problems that confront Pakistan today. Healthcare, environmental issues, unemployment, the bad state of education, the ever present financial crisis, the energy crisis and so many other things. But even when some of these issues are discussed, the discussion predictably deteriorates into a shouting match between people with competing points of views with accusations of corruption flying around.
And it seems that a significant section of the media is obsessed with President Zardari. Indeed the US media is also obsessed with President Obama but the TV discussions are not about the man but rather about his policies concerning the war in Afghanistan, the economic stimulus package, the healthcare initiative, job creation and other policy initiatives that he is pushing forward.
On Pakistani TV, most discussions about President Zardari revolve around his past, his personal weaknesses and the expected date of his departure. Rarely, if ever, have I heard anybody discuss policy matters that he might have been involved in and what effect have they had on our present state of affairs.
Democracy is a messy business and politicians, like the rest of us, are neither angels nor superior human beings capable of getting things done that are impossible to accomplish even in the best of times. Things that have gone wrong over the last 60 years cannot be put right in a couple of years.
Pakistan is surviving and perhaps things will get better, but it will take time and effort on the part of all of us. All of us means not just the politicians, the judiciary, the army, the bureaucracy or the media but also we the people.
For the first time in our history a democratic system is in place that does not seem to be under perpetual threat from the army. So, let us give it a chance and see where it takes us.
Syed Mansoor Hussain has practised and taught medicine in the US. He can be reached at smhmbbs70@yahoo.com
Source: Daily Times
This is a must read: http://blog.dawn.com/2010/03/08/wake-up-punjab/#totalcomments
Ansar Abbasi Praised Musharraf Martial Law, Article 6 & NAB Cases ???
http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/11/ansar-abbasi-praised-musharraf-martial.html
Ansar Abbasi and Article 6 of 1973 Constitution of Pakistan from1999 till March 2007.
During 1999 Ansar Abbasi was Praising General Musharraf Martial Law regime’s “Alleged Reforms” when Ansar Abbasi used to be a Correspondent in Daily Dawn, he never mentioned even a single time that Impsoing Martial Law is Treason and Violation of Article 6 of 1973 Constitution of Pakistan. Read the news reports which Ansar Abbasi filed in the Daily Dawn in 1999. Not a single time Ansar adress Musharraf as CMLA but Ansar was very respectful towards “alleged Chief Executive” Musharraf. You may not find a single personal observation by Ansar Abbasi on Constitutional Tampering by Military Regime. Musharraf was given mandate by the Judiciary to tamper with the Constitution. Everybody knows who was part of that Supreme Court Bench.
Shame on those journalists particularly Mr. Ansar Abbasi and his side kick Mr Muhammad Ahmad Noorani.etc.etc. of Jang Group of Newspapers/GEO TV who not very long ago were demanding Treason Trial against Musharraf and the same group is giving credibility to the so-called Corruption Cases registered by the National Accountability Bureau which was concocted by an Illegal Military Regime [1999 – 2008] of the same General Perverz Musharraf [who sold Pakistan hide as claimed by Dr. A Q Khan in yesterday’s The News International]. Mr Ansar Abbasi is also very fond of Treason Trial against General Pervez Musharraf under article 6 of 1973 Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan: REFERENCES: Why Musharraf should be prosecuted By Ansar Abbasi Monday, August 10, 2009
The National Accountability Bureau is Pakistan’s apex anti-corruption organization. It is charged with the responsibility of elimination of corruption through a holistic approach of awareness, prevention and enforcement. It operates under the National Accountability Ordinance-1999, with its headquarter at Islamabad. REFERENCE:
The National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was promulgated as a result of a deal between then military dictator Pervez Musharraf and the PPP leadership on the night of October 5, 2007 to facilitate the election of General Musharraf in Army uniform on October 6, 2007. Under this highly controversial, discriminatory and unconstitutional NRO, corruption cases of hundreds of politicians, influential bureaucrats and political activists of some political parties were withdrawn and terminated with one stroke of the pen. According to legal experts the NRO was unconstitutional and a discriminatory law on the basis of the following three points; first, it applied to a certain category of people and is not applicable to each and every citizen. Second, it applies for a specific duration of time i.e. before October 12, 1999, thus it involved time limitations which again make it discriminatory with respect to time limits. Third, it excludes the indemnity benefits to people accused of cooperative societies, financial and investment scams which effectively means it excluded some people from taking benefits and included a select group of people to be benefited. It is in sheer violation of articles 4 and 25 of the Constitution which speaks of equality of citizens and declare that every citizen is entitled to equal treatment of law. It is worth mentioning here that the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which has a majority of ruling PPP members and comprises mostly ex-judges and senior lawyers, has recommended removal of these three discriminatory steps from the NRO thus admitting that it was an entirely unconstitutional and discriminatory law. REFERENCE: Rs1,000 billion corruption swept under the carpet By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani Thursday, November 19, 2009
HOW ANSAR ABBASI VIOLATED ARTICLE 6 OF 1973 CONSTITUTION BY ALMOST JUSTIFYING MUSHARRAF’S MARTIAL LAW’S DRACONIAN NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY BUREAU [Ansar Abbasi was a correspondent of Daily Dawn]REFERENCE: MORE DETAILS ON DRACONIAN NATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY BUREAU: Human Rights Developments REFERENCE: Special Corruption Courts in Asia Pakistan Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2002 March 31, 2003
ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: The military government is planning major amendments to the Ehtesab Act to plug the loopholes that had allowed an embezzler, defaulter or a corrupt to escape the arm of law, it is learnt. However, according to a reliable source, the accountability cases would continue to be placed before the civilian court. “There will be no military courts to try the defaulters and the corrupt, including corrupt politicians,” the source said. It further said that special courts would be set up, as envisaged in the Constitution, to ensure prompt disposal of accountability cases. The Supreme Court and the high courts would be asked to monitor the performance of these special courts so that speedy justice could be ensured, it added. The higher judiciary would be requested to appoint the best possible judges as presiding officers of these special courts. Lt Gen Mohammad Amjad Hussain, who had been asked to suggest amendments to the Ehtesab Act, was busy preparing the draft, the source said. It said that the military leadership had decided that as per demand of the people of Pakistan, the plunderers of national wealth should be taken to task in the shortest possible time. The accused, it is said, would, however, be given the right to defend himself as envisaged in the Constitution.
“We want to ensure that the legal lacunas that help the corrupt to escape should be removed,” the source said. To avoid uncalled for delays in the disposal of accountability references, he said, an amendment was being introduced so that the defendant must appear before the court once the summon was served on him/her. “Unlike past they will not find loose ends anymore,” the source said. Besides targeting corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, the military leadership had also decided to attack the “life style of businessmen.” Those who had earned their wealth through legal means would not be touched but the rest would have to cough up the looted money. The source said that a very large number of businessmen had got hundreds of millions from banks but they either got them written off or refused to re-pay them by showing losses to their so-called registered companies. “On the contrary the life-style of these businessmen is improving and new model Mercedeze cars are being used by them,” the source said and added, “such people now can’t have the protection of law.” REFERENCE: Special courts to try cases of accountability Ansar Abbasi 06 November 1999 Issue : 05/45 [Courtesy Daily Dawn Wire Service]
Ansar Abbasi Praising General Musharraf’s Martial Law Regime’s “Alleged Reforms” when Ansar Abbasi used to be a Correspondent in Daily Dawn, he never mentioned even a single time that Impsoing Martial Law is Treason and Violation of Article 6 of 1973Constitution of Pakistan
As per 1973 Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan
“QUOTE”
PART I
6. (1) Any person who abrogates or attempts or conspires to abrogate, subverts or attempts or conspires to subvert the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.
(2) Any person aiding or abetting the acts mentioned in clause (1) shall likewise be guilty of high treason.
(3) [Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] shall by law provide for the punishment of persons found guilty of high treason.
“UNQUOTE”
Definition of Accomplice: An accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense.
ISLAMABAD, Jan 27: In a major initiative to strengthen the civil bureaucracy and ensure good governance, Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday agreed to restore the pre-1973 authority of the Federal Public Service Commission. During his visit to the FPSC, the chief executive also agreed to grant administrative and financial autonomy to the FPSC; enhancement of the FPSC’s role; fixation of non-extendable five year service tenure for the chairman and members of the FPSC and restoration of their oath; reduction of the maximum age limit for appearing in the CSS competitive examination; all recruitments in grade 11 and above through the FPSC; and recruitment to all the posts, including those in the ISI, IB and defence division, through the FPSC, etc.
The chief executive asked the chairman of the FPSC, Lt-Gen (retd) Mumtaz Gul, to give a presentation to the National Security Council for a formal approval to all these decisions. The secretary of the establishment and other authorities were asked to work out modalities for the implementations of the decisions taken in principle during the chief executive’s over three-hour stay in the FPSC. When contacted, the FPSC chairman confirmed to Dawn that the chief executive had agreed to almost all the proposals presented before him by the FPSC. The chairman was overwhelmed with this development and hoped that it would usher a new era for strengthening the country’s civil institutions. REFERENCE: Musharraf approves pre-1973 authority for FPSC by Ansar Abbasi Week Ending : 29 January 2000 Issue : 06/05 [Courtesy Daily Dawn Wire Service]
ISLAMABAD, March 1: Different intelligence agencies of the country are currently busy collecting information on almost 100 senior grade 21 officers who are in the run for promotion to grade 22. Chief Executive Gen Pervez Musharraf, on the basis of the reports submitted by these agencies and also after considering the already available personnel record of these officers, will make selection of limited number of officers for promotion to grade 22. The intelligence agencies have been involved for the first time in the promotion process and this exercise, it is believed, will have significant impact on the elevation of the officers. Previously, the promotion of bureaucrats to this highest echelon of bureaucracy, were made purely on the basis of record available with the establishment division. Personnel from different intelligence agencies are currently visiting various government offices to inquire about the conduct, reputation, behaviour and working style of the officers whose names were under consideration for promotion. Though this snooping exercise is conceived as embarrassing by many senior bureaucrats, the sources in the chief executive’s secretariat believe that this is necessary to make the proper selection.
They say that since the chief executive had the full power to select anyone for promotion so he wanted to exercise his power judiciously and in the best public interest. Recently, the military government had amended the relevant clauses of the Civil Servant Act to empower the chief executive with these powers. Previously, a high-powered Central Selection Board was recommending promotions for the approval of the competent authority. The establishment division has already sent, a few weeks back, a panel of almost 100 grade 21 officers to the chief executive’s secretariat for selection of “suitable” officers for promotion to grade 22 by Gen Musharraf. The establishment division was not allowed to recommend a panel of suitable officers, rather, it was asked to send names of all those grade 21 officers belonging to the regularly constituted groups/service of Central Superior Services who joined the service till 1969. The establishment division, in all, has communicated 18 vacancies but so many officers are not likely to be promoted in one go. REFERENCE: Record of 100 senior officers being scrutinized Ansar Abbasi Week Ending : 4 March 2000 Issue : 06/10 [Courtesy Daily Dawn Wire Service]
ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: The exile of the Sharif family to Saudi Arabia following the pardon announcement by the government, has deprived the Raiwind dwellers of their 15 assets, worth billions of rupees. A spokesman for the government, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, told Dawn on Monday that almost 80 per cent of the Sharifs’ property had been “taken over” by the government. According to Mr Qureshi, the 15 assets that have been taken over by the government in return for providing a safe “exit” to the Sharif family include Rs300 million in cash; industrial assets including Brother Steel Mills; Ilyas Enterprises; Hudaybia Paper Mill; Hudaybia Engineering Company; Hamza Spinning Mills; residential property including the Model Town bungalow; three houses at Mall Road Murree; property at 135 Upper Mall Lahore; a plot at Model Town Lahore; a plot at Upper Mall, Lahore; agricultural property including 10.2 kanals of land at Khanpur Sheikhupura Road Lahore; 41 acres and 7 kanals of land at Sheikhupura; 14.2 kanals of land and another 35 kanals at Bhaipharu in Chunnian and 88 kanals of land at Raiwind.
The Raiwind palace of the Sharif family, which ruled the country for almost 15 years, has however not been confiscated by the government. Mr Qureshi dispelled the impression that there had been any underhand deal between the government and the Sharif family. He said the government had simply responded to the repeated mercy petitions filed by the Sharifs. Contrary to what the Sharifs were pretending before the public and in their statements to the media, Mr Qureshi said they had been writing to the government including the chief executive and the president, appealing for pardon.
“We were receiving their requests for mercy in the past three to four months particularly after the courts handed over decisions against Nawaz Sharif,” he said. These requests were renewed recently following Nawaz Sharif’s reported ailment. Mr Qureshi stated that since the chief executive had repeatedly said that he was not vindictive so he recommended to President Tarar that the imprisonment of the Sharifs be pardoned and turned into exile while the rest of the punishments including fines, forfeiture of property and disqualification should stay. When told that the people in streets felt as if they had been betrayed by the government for allowing a safe exit to the Sharifs, the government spokesman said, “the government has actually taken a compassionate view of the situation and converted the imprisonment into exile.” Qureshi dispelled the impression that a “deal” was ‘brokered’ either by a Saudi prince or was the exit the consequence of Saudi Arabia’s pressure. REFERENCE: Sharifs lose 80pc of assets, says Qureshi by Ansar Abbasi Week Ending : 16 December 2000 Issue : 06/48
ISLAMABAD, Dec 12: The government did not consult the cabinet but took into confidence the military elite while granting pardon to Nawaz Sharif and sending the family into exile. A well-placed government source confided to Dawn that the dramatic decision had been taken purely by the men in uniform. The matter was discussed in the closed circles of the military before being put to the corps commanders at their two-day meeting last week. Asked whether the matter was placed before the cabinet, the source said: “No”. It was too sensitive a matter to be discussed by the cabinet, he added. The military elite’s support to the idea came when it was explained that the pardon and the exile was being allowed following Saudi Arabia’s request.
It was said that the Saudi government had given assurance that the Sharifs would not take part in politics “for quite some time”. “Besides, the Sharifs, too, had given the undertaking in writing
not to take part in politics,” the source said. Asked how Saudi Arabia would prevent any of the Sharifs to travel to London and issue political statements from there against the military regime, the source said: “If the Saudis can get the Sharifs freed, they can also make them behave accordingly. They (the Saudis) are very strict in their commitments.” The source, however, refused to accept that there was any Saudi “pressure” on the government to get the Sharifs off the hook. In reply to a question, the source said that those exiled to Saudi Arabia would remain there. “If anyone of them goes to some other country he would be bound to come back to the country of exile,” the source said.
“We have the best example of Idi Amin who lives in Saudi Arabia with his 19 wives but as a completely non-political entity.” Persuading the government for pardon, the Saudi authorities had said that not only would it be an Islamic act to set Nawaz Sharif free after the payment of Qisas but it would also be politically helpful to the military regime. “We were told by the Saudis that they had also tried to get Zulfikar Ali Bhutto freed but Pakistan’s response in negative had plunged the country in an unending political turmoil,” the source said. He stated that the military government was expecting that the departure of Sharifs’ from politics would set things, particularly economic situation, right for the country. The government, he said, hoped that the present state of “shock” and “uncertainty” would not last long. “Don’t you agree with the idea of throwing the dirt out to get the house in order,” the source commented. REFERENCE: Cabinet had no idea of exile deal Ansar Abbasi Week Ending: 16 December 2000 Issue:06/48
ISLAMABAD, June 29: The Chief Executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has shown in principle his agreement to the police reforms proposed by the interior ministry but avoided its immediate implementation owing to the government’s devolution plan. At a meeting held here on Wednesday evening, the chief executive agreed to the recommendations formulated by the interior ministry’s focal group on police reforms. However, on the insistence of the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) no decision was taken on the implementation of the reforms pursued by the interior minister. Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Moinuddin Haider, NRB chief Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Tanvir Naqvi, and senior officials of the chief executive secretariat and interior ministry attended the meeting. Reliable sources in the chief executive secretariat told Dawn that the interior minister pressed for the immediate implementation of these reforms as, he argued, the country badly needed independent but accountable police.
The NRB chief, however, said that he intended to finalize his recommendations on district government plan by the end of August so the government should refrain from introducing these reforms until the plan, which also covered reforming district police, was given shape. Since there are two sets of police reforms – one proposed by the interior ministry and the other considered by the NRB under its district government plan – currently under consideration of the government but both contradicting each other, the chief executive asked the two sides to remove the contradictions through consultation. Final decision on police reforms, it was decided, would be taken later. However, contrary to what was discussed at the meeting, the NRB publicised through newspaper advertisements on Thursday its own system of police reforms which totally negates what was proposed by the interior ministry. The interior ministry wants the police to be under an independent national/provincial/metropolitan safety commission to ensure the depoliticization of the force and ensure its impartiality.
But the NRB as publicised in the newspapers not only put the police under the proposed chief mayor’s control but authorised him (mayor) and the district assembly to select a police officer of their choice. The NRB proposes that even the ACR of the district police chief will be written by the chief mayor. At the same time the inspector general of police of the province, the NRB proposal said, would write technical report of the district police chief. The interior ministry sources seemed perturbed over the premature publication of this advertisement at a time when it was not even accepted by the ministry. They said this advertisement was also in complete disregard to what had already been agreed between the NRB and the ministry. REFERENCE: Police reforms: Chief Executive okays interior ministry proposal by Ansar Abbasi Week Ending : 1 July 2000 Issue : 06/25
ISLAMABAD, June 25: A large number of bureaucrats, found to be corrupt or inefficient, are to be placed under suspension anytime after July 31, reliable sources told Dawn on Sunday. The Chief Executive, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has directed the secretary of establishment division to seek lists of such unwanted members of the civil bureaucracy both from federal and provincial authorities by the date for an ‘immediate action’, it is learnt. The CE chaired a meeting of the top functionaries here on Saturday
to review the performance of the civil bureaucracy. Gen Musharraf wanted all the government institutions to follow the precedence set by the Central Board of Revenue which recently placed more than 1,000 officials, including over 100 senior bureaucrats associated with customs and income tax groups, under suspension after establishing charges of corruption and inefficiency against them, the sources revealed. The CE, it is also learnt, intended to talk personally to the governors and federal ministers to help speed up the process of ‘cleansing’ the bureaucracy. The establishment secretary told the CE that the federal and provincial authorities had already been directed to make such lists available to the the establishment division at the earliest but their response was not so encouraging. On his contention, the chief executive asked the secretary to issue a reminder with stress on the urgency of the task. During the meeting, officials apprised the CE of the progress on the government’s plan aimed at restructuring and reforming the civil services. Those who attended the meeting included Sahibzada Imtiaz, a member of the National Security Council, Lt-Gen (retd) Mumtaz Gul, chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), Lt-Gen Ghulam Ahmad, chief of staff to the CE, Tariq Aziz, principal secretary to the chief executive and Tariq Saeed Haroon, the establishment secretary. They informed Gen Musharraf of the measures taken for the implementation of the plan. Restructuring the FPSC, encadrement of occupational groups, career planning for bureaucrats, disciplinary proceedings, promotion and transfer policies and rightsizing in government departments were the other issues discussed at the meeting. REFERENCE: Chief Executive seeks list of ‘corrupt’ bureaucrats by Ansar Abbasi Week Ending : 1 July 2000 Issue : 06/25
ISLAMABAD, June 27: Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider said on Tuesday that the chief executive would start holding meetings with “clean”politicians from next week to develop consensus on various issues. Talking to newsmen here, the minister explained that the chief executive would meet only the “clean politicians filtered through a sieve”. The politicians, he stressed, needed to feel their responsibilities and behave accordingly, adding that the future of the country belonged to them. He said the military had to leave office, as ultimately a democratic government would be in place. In reply to a question, the minister said the government would not contact those politicians who had been involved in corruption, tax evasion or plunder of national wealth. Mr Haider said that politicians, traders, bureaucracy, etc., would have to play their roles for the development of the country, adding that every body would have to share the burden equally.
APP adds: Asked to define the “good politicians,”he said people were the best judges and the government would act according to their aspirations. Referring to de-weaponization, the minister said that display of arms was contrary to the norms of civilized societies. REFERENCE:Chief Executive to meet ‘clean’ politicians soon Ansar Abbasi Week Ending: 1 July 2000 Issue : 06/25 [Courtesy Daily Dawn Wire Service]
ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: The Pakistani authorities and the visiting US Law and Justice Department consultant Harry Marshall held talks on extradition issue. Besides, having an introductory talks with the National Accountability Bureau chairman, Marshal also spoke at a seminar organized by the NAB for the officers of the bureau, interior ministry, foreign office and other government agencies. The NAB chairman, Lt-Gen Syed Amjad Hussain, told Dawn that the objective of Mr Marshall’s visit was to educate the Pakistani authorities about the procedures and legal requirements that were needed to be adopted in taking up a solid case of extradition with the US. “We did not discuss any individual case of extradition rather tried to equip ourselves as how should we prepare the (extradition) case that can stand the examination of the US Law and Justice Department,” the NAB chief said. He categorically denied that Mr Marshall was here to give any sort of assurance about the extradition of any particular person or group of persons sought by Pakistan. “Mr Marshall is not from State Department, neither he is here for the purpose of discussing extradition case of any particular person,” Mr Amjad explained. He said the visiting official briefed the Pakistani authorities about the US laws pertaining to extradition. When asked to comment on the outcome of the first day of the discussions, the NAB chief said: “I can safely say that we made progress.” He added that Pakistan, in the light of these discussions, would ensure in the future that by default its extradition requests were not turned down by the US authorities. REFERENCE: Extradition talks with US expert make progress Ansar AbbasiWeek Ending: 12 August 2000 Issue : 06/30
ISLAMABAD, Aug 18: The government said on Friday that two amendments would be made to the Constitution to provide safeguard to the devolution plan. It would also be ensured that the future governments should not bulldoze the amendments, the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Tanveer Naqvi told a news conference. He said the two amendments were necessary at this stage. One of the proposed amendments, he said, would provide constitutional protection to the local government system and the other would ensure that the Constitution should not be amended by the future governments in 10 minutes as had happened in the past. “We will take all possible measures to ensure that the local government system could not be reversed by the succeeding governments,” the NRB chief said in response to a question. Mr Naqvi also said that the NRB would now start work on the second phase of the plan under which the powers would be shifted from the federation to the provinces. In the same phase, to be completed by August 2001, the question of provincial autonomy would also be addressed.
He hinted that the constitution might also be amended to meet the necessities arising out of the second stage of the plan. To a question, Mr Naqvi said the politicians, intelligentsia, academics and people from all walks of life would be consulted to prepare a framework for the transfer of powers from the centre to the provinces. The NRB chief disclosed that the bureau had also drafted a proposed law on local government in line with the devolution plan, which, he added, would soon be given to the provinces for promulgation. He said by Sept 30, the law would be enacted so that the local bodies elections could be held on schedule. The NRB, he said, was also preparing electoral rules on the basis of which the election commission would hold the local bodies elections.
In a few months time the bureau would also evolve six major systems to be adopted by the local governments, the NRB chief said. These systems, he added, would address to the financial, administrative, planning, and legislative aspects of the local governments besides introducing citizens’ monitoring system. An incentive system for government employees would also be introduced on the basis of reward and retribution concept. About police reforms the NRB chief said a new law would be introduced by replacing the outdated Police Act of 1861. He said the NRB was currently shaping up the new act and would promulgate it when finalised. He said the NRB was also contemplating reforms in the police service to improve the existing induction procedure, career, term of engagement, training, and pay structure of the police force. Answering a question, Mr Naqvi justified the elections on non-party basis and insisted that the candidates fielded by political parties did not serve the people. “They serve their political leaders and the parties,” he argued and maintained that those elected independently “actually serve” the people.
To another question, he said, a member of any political party could contest the forthcoming local bodies elections. But, he disclosed, no such candidate would be allowed to use the party’s influence for his/her elections. When asked about the nature of appointments of district coordinating officers (DCOs), he said any one from any service group could be inducted at the district level bureaucracy. This post, he said, had not been specified for any particular group or service of the civil bureaucracy.
APP adds: Naqvi assured that the elected members of the union councils would not be made an electoral college for election to any highest slot in the country. Responding to a question, he said the government had neither any intention in the past nor harbour it now and would not mull it even in future, to turn the elected councillors into an electoral college to elect the president as was done by President Ayub Khan. The ‘basic democracy’ system was used in Ayub Khan era to elect the president. The local government, he said, would be financially self-reliant. On the administrative system, he said, we are looking into matter as to what was the effectiveness of the department of magistracy, which was part of the colonial system. “We are looking whether there is a need for the administration to have the judicial power,” he added.
The chairman on developing the planning system said, they were working on the approach to start the process of planning from the lower tier to the upper level. On the legal system, he said as in the past, there should have the legal power at the district, Tehsil and the Union level. He said that the elections will be held in accordance with the 1998 census and at present the provincial government were carrying out delimitation of the union councils. He said all the union councils would comprise almost the same population to ensure equal representation of the people at district level. Gen Naqvi dismissed the contention that the present system was against the Islamic injunctions, saying the power devolution plan was to provide justice to the people. To a question if the government would be able to put police stations under an assistant superintendent of police (ASP), he said, it was possible as an officer of this rank needed training of six to one year. More officers of this rank would be recruited. This can be done either through lateral entry or some other way, he added. Replying to a question on first information report (FIR), he said, under the local government system this could be registered even outside the police station. Answering a question why the government decided to continue with the separate electorate for the minorities, he said this was one way of giving them representation. Mr Naqvi conceded that joint electorate was another way of allowing minorities to choose their representatives. Asked who decided to continue with the separate electorate, Mr Nagvi said, it was the government’s decision.
Replying to a question on the 1979 Local Bodies Act, he said, that only those provisions relating to the elections would be implemented. He said holding of local elections under the devolution plan would not violate Article 32 of the Constitution. To a question, he said, the party-based elections only bring in rich people to the fore as only they can afford to buy party tickets, leaving no room for the poor to contest the polls. TAXES: Responding to a question, he said, no district would be allowed to impose any import or export tax. “No tax will be allowed on the movement of goods from one district to another,” he said. To another question, he said, the people of tribal areas were devising their own plan in the light of the local government system. Once they were able to conceive such a plan, he said, the government would help them in this regard. REFERENCE: NRB chief hints at imminent changes: Constitution being amended By Ansar Abbasi Week Ending: 19 August 2000 Issue : 06/31
ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: The government has decided to hire experts from the private sector to help the FIA in detecting white-collar crimes like bank frauds, kickbacks and bribery. Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider, who visited the FIA headquarters on Friday, said that “properly qualified” people would be inducted in the FIA to investigate complicated cases of white – collar crime. The minister approved the hiring of private individuals and companies, such as chartered accountants, auditors and cyber experts in cases where the FIA did not have expertise. The minister announced that immigration and passports cells of the agency would be separated from it and handed over to the NADRA, says a press release.
The minister was briefed on the structure, administration, efficiency and discipline, operations, charter of duties and other matters of the FIA. He cited the examples of land scams, property builders, visa agents and investment partnerships on which a large number of public complaints had been registered. “People spend lots of money in these areas and one day someone disappears with it,” the minister was quoted as saying. He directed the FIA officials to prepare recommendations and suggestions so that such complaints could be taken care of. The minister told the concerned officials to review those laws which had become redundant and obsolete with the passage of time and were usually misused by the corrupt elements in the department to harass the people and extort money from them. REFERENCE: Private experts to handle white-collar crime by Ansar Abbasi Week Ending: 21 October 2000 Issue: 06/40
ISLAMABAD, Nov 9: The government is currently busy in finalising a draft law that will equip the government with the power of summarily dismissing “corrupt” and “inefficient” bureaucrats. Official sources told Dawn here on Thursday that the draft being discussed by the authorities, suggested the removal of “known corrupt” by merely issuing the show-cause notice. The authorities intend to avoid being dragged into normal disciplinary proceedings which include holding of proper inquiry to judge whether the accused officer is really involved in the charges he is facing.
Sources said that the draft law had already been discussed at the highest level during the last week. A high-level committee headed by law minister Aziz A Munshi and comprising Tariq Aziz, principal secretary to the chief executive and secretaries of the law, cabinet and establishment divisions as members is assigned by the CE to evolve the strategy for getting rid of known corrupt who are otherwise untouchable owing to non-availability of concrete documentary evidence. The military government is reportedly finding its hands legally tied up in tightening the noose around the corrupt officials. The authorities admit that the government is facing a dilemma – it knows the bureaucracy contains corrupt officials but cannot remove them owing to the non-availability of the evidence.
The new legislation, according to a source, was being contemplated to get a solution to this problem. The draft law, which was not yet final, suggested that the corrupt officials should be removed from service merely by issuing a show-cause notice, the source added. REFERENCE: Law soon to dismiss ‘corrupt’ officials by Ansar Abbasi Week Ending : 11 November 2000 Issue : 06/43
ISLAMABAD, July 27: The central board of revenue (CBR) has not yet initiated disciplinary proceedings against its officers suspended on corruption charges two months back. Lack of evidence is said to be the main cause of delay. The CBR chief on May 27 had suspended 1,045 officials, including 300 from income tax and customs groups in grade 17 to 21, on charges of corruption and malpractices. But, none of them have so for been issued even the charge sheet. “We have not yet even framed charges against any of the officer,” a CBR source, who has been engaged in the suspension exercise, told Dawn. He admitted that the authorities were finding it hard to bring up concrete evidence against the officials that could stand the independent inquiry and ultimately justify the CBR’s action.
Framing of charges, serving of these charge sheet and constitution of committees for initiating inquiry against the accused officers are the three main steps required to be taken during the disciplinary proceedings, he said. But nothing has been done so far, he added. There is a great realization within the bureaucracy that indecent haste was shown by the CBR administration in compiling the list of “corrupt” officials and in their suspension. In an apparent effort to separate the wheat from the chaff many innocent officials might have been victimised because of the personal liking and disliking of those involved in the exercise, a source commented. He said initially the government had decided to dismiss, straight away, these officials by issuing a stringent legislation but later the decision was reviewed and the authorities were convinced to suspend them and give them a fair trial.
The chief executive, the sources said, was even told that most of the suspended officials would be reinstated as the CBR would not be able to back these suspensions with concrete evidence that could stand a fair trial. The framing of charges is also said to be a tedious and technical job. The uncalled for delays in disciplinary proceedings, they said, would further spoil these cases because of possible tempering of records by some well connected suspended officers. The CBR chief, who is also revenue division secretary, had acted under the newly-promulgated ordinance – Civil Servants (Special Power) Ordinance 2000 – to suspend the 1,045 officers. Under the rules, the secretary will issue charge sheet to officers in grade 17 to 19 and in case of grade 20 and above he will seek the chief executive’s approval before issuing the charge sheet. The officials in lower grades will be issued the charge sheet by their respective regional bosses. The officials were suspended initially for a period of six months. The suspension period can be extended by the revenue division secretary.
Though the Civil Servants (Special Power) Ordinance, 2000, was issued to ensure swift proceedings against the corrupt, there is no time limit set by the ordinance for the completion of the inquiry proceedings after the suspension of an officer. However, once the inquiry committee is constituted it is required under the law to give its recommendations as to impose penalty or exonerate the accused within 30 days. REFERENCE: CBR yet to frame charges against suspended officers BY Ansar Abbasi Week Ending: 29 July 2000 Issue: 06/29
Watch BBC Documentary on 12 Oct 1999 Martial Law in Pakistan and please do watch while keeping in mind the Article 6 of 1973 Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Please also note as to what the BBC Correspondent has to say about Judiciary. REFERENCE: Courtesy: Mr Wusatullah Khan, Correspondent BBC, فوجی بغاوت کے دس سال
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/multimedia/2009/10/091012_mm_12_oct_nine_years.shtml
NRO/Jang Group: Kamran Khan, Nawaz Sharif & Ethnic Hatred.
http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2010/01/nrojang-group-kamran-khan-nawaz-sharif.html
I wonder why our Esteemed Journalist Kamran Khan used to suffer from acute Inferiority Complex to name his feature as if its a section of US Central Intelligence Agency, he should have been proud of just quoting the story as Special Report. What the hell is News Intelligence Unit? There must be a difference between Special Branch Report and Newspaper Stories.
“People who live in glass houses should not throw stones” reminds us that we should be careful how we treat other people (with our words and actions) because we can all be easily hurt. People “throw stones” at other people to try to hurt them, and one way that people try to hurt other people is by saying bad things about them. If you lived in a “glass house” it would be very easy for other people to hurt you by throwing stones at you. “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones” means that we should not say insulting things to other people because they could easily do the same thing to us. Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged! and Let He Who is Without Sin Cast the First Stone.
Defending himself against the allegations of the federal minister for labour and manpower, Kamran Khan, the host of the Geo programme ‘Aaj Kamran Kay Sath’, said that they have been exposing corruption in the regime of Pervez Musharraf and an appreciation letter of Benazir Bhutto on his investigative reports is an asset for him. Kamran Khan said that during the dictatorial regime and a decade before that when there was democracy in the country, they were doing the same. Addressing Khurshid Shah, he said that in view of the importance of his investigative reports, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had addressed a press conference in a five-star hotel of Karachi to highlight the reports that were quoted in arguments against the cases that were instituted against Benazir Bhutto and her spouse Asif Zardari in Pakistan as well as abroad. REFERENCE: Anti-corruption reports to appear at all costs: Kamran Khan Thursday, August 13, 2009
Now read the same Mr Kamran Khan was more than jubilant when Farooq Laghari [President of Pakistan from 1993 – 1997] sacked Late. Benazir Bhutto’s second government on trumped-up charges and analyze the report above filed by Mr. Kamran Khan in 2009 in The News International and read as to what Mr Kamran Khan had filed on The Washington Post Thursday, November 7, 1996.
“QUOTE”
KARACHI, PAKISTAN, NOV. 5 (TUESDAY) — Pakistani President Farooq Leghari dismissed Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto early today and dissolved the National Assembly in a decree he said was mandated by corruption, political violence and financial mismanagement by Bhutto’s government. The president’s action, while legal under the constitution, was backed up by army troops who surrounded Bhutto’s house in Islamabad, the capital, as well as the parliament and radio and television stations in major cities. The country’s airports were closed. Bhutto, 43, who was elected prime minister in 1993, was reported to be in her residence but not under formal detention. The decree, which marked the second time that Bhutto has been dismissed from the prime minister’s office on charges of corruption, delivered a new blow to Pakistan’s faltering democracy. Under relentless pressure from the military, no elected Pakistani prime minister has finished a full term in office, and Bhutto’s predecessor, Nawaz Sharif, was forced to resign. Bhutto’s dismissal came amid a bitter political struggle with the Supreme Court, which recently thwarted her attempt to appoint political loyalists as judges by ruling that judicial appointments are the prerogative of the president. Bhutto also was haunted by charges that she and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, had collected bribes and kickbacks on government contracts and transferred the millions of dollars into foreign bank accounts and property holdings. Well-placed officials said that in August, the army had warned Leghari about growing unrest in its ranks and had provided him with evidence about corruption involving Zardari. An official said Zardari and about 20 other party members had been arrested. Bhutto denied the charges against her and as recently as Sunday vowed to complete her five-year term, saying, “We cannot imagine {Leghari} using his powers to dismiss the government.” This morning her spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, said Bhutto had received a letter from the president at her home in Islamabad and would comment later in the day. Bhutto’s first stint in office, which began when she was appointed prime minister in 1988, lasted just two years and was, like the term that was ended today, marked by allegations of corruption. Her husband and father were accused of orchestrating improper deals involving government-owned land, and she was faulted for clashes with military leaders and for inaction in the face of civil strife in her home state, Sindh. REFERENCE: Bhutto Out as Premier in Pakistan President Charges Corruption, Dissolves National Assembly By Kamran Khan Special to The Washington Post Thursday, November 7, 1996
And the same Kamran Khan in 2009!!!
As per an “Allegedly Famous Investigative GEO TV Program” Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Saath –24 th November 2009 , Mr. Kamran Khan, Senior Correspondent for GEO TV/THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL & Daily Jang, continuously insisted while discussing NRO with Wajid Shamsul Hasan [Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom] that corruption cases registered against Asif Ali Zardari for were genuine and Senator Saifur Rehman [Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz – & Former Undeclared Adivosr to General Musharraf] really and genuinely worked hard on these cases. What a shame for The Jang Group of Newspapers which was ruthlessly persecuted by the same Senator Saifur Rehman during 1999 and more shameful is this that the same Kamran Khan and Jang Group of Newspaper had filed stories after stories against Senator Saifur Rehman’s Corruption and Violation of Rules and Law regarding Press Freedom. REFERENCE: REFERENCE: Conspiracy: Kamran Khan, Farooq Laghari, Sajjad Mir, Saifur Rehman & Media Trial of PPP. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/11/conspiracy-kamran-khan-farooq-laghari.html
Former Senator Saifur Rehman [PML – Nawaz] during 1996-1997, in connivance with the then President Farooq Ahmed Khan Laghari, Kamran Khan [The News International] and Sajjad Mir [the then Editor of Daily Nawa-e-Waqt and nowadays a TV Anchor in Pakistani Private TV Channel NEWSONE AND TVONE] had a conducted detailed Media Trial of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari [while their cases were pending in the Court of Law]. The most funny thing is that Mr Sajjad Mir played the part of TV Anchor on Pakistan Televison Network and his guest was Kamran Khan revealing the detail of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari. REFERENCE: Conspiracy: Kamran Khan, Farooq Laghari, Sajjad Mir, Saifur Rehman & Media Trial of PPP. http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/11/conspiracy-kamran-khan-farooq-laghari.html
Tragically Mr Kamran Khan has played this “Game” with every Democratically Elected Government even at the cost of Ethnic Hatred. This Ethnic Card of Punjab used against the government of Mr Nawaz Sharif and his government during his second tenure [1997 – 1999]
“QUOTE”
KARACHI: Less than four dozen individuals from Central Punjab, who had either lived or served in Lahore in the past 15 years, are currently holding the country’s 41 most important official assignments — a situation that is bound to aggravate the prevailing sense of deprivation not only in the three smaller provinces but also in Southern Punjab, according to an investigation by the News Intelligence Unit (NIU). The situation took a delicate turn late on Monday night when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stunned the federal cabinet by announcing that he had decided to nominate the former Supreme Court judge and a known Sharif family friend, Mr Justice (retd) Rafiq Ahmed Tarar, as the president of Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took the decision to appoint a Central Punjabi president against strong recommendations from his cabinet members, parliamentary party members and even his younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif, urging him to pick a presidential candidate from smaller provinces, the sources said. The NIU investigation found that before Senator Tarar’s nomination as the president, at least 41 individuals — mostly with permanent residences in Lahore — were holding almost all of the, what an independent observer labelled as, “make-or-break appointments” in the country. The NIU study showed that though all of these appointments were not made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but under his nine-month-old administration the domination and influence of Central Punjabis over the government departments multiplied manifold. With the election of Justice Rafiq Tarar as the president of Pakistan by the end of this month, the country would have a Lahore-based president, prime minister and chairman Senate. Although Justice Tarar hails from Wazirabad near Lahore, he has lived most of his life in Lahore and is believed to be a personal friend and constitutional and legal adviser to the Sharif family. Both Nawaz Sharif and Wasim Sajjad have lived their personal and professional lives in Lahore, where their families are permanently settled.
Seniority, merit and professionalism may have been the criterion, but the fact remains that all three present services chiefs incidentally have Central Punjab background. The present Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Fasih Bukhari, and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P Q Mehdi had been appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while Chief of Army Staff General Jehangir Karamat was selected by President Farooq Ahmed Leghari. The present government handed dual charge of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee to Gen Karamat. When Nawaz assumed the charge of the prime minister in February this year, each and every member of his personal team at the Prime Minister’s Office had a Central Punjab, particularly Lahore, background. He appointed seasoned civil servant and a scion of a known Lahore family, A K Z Sherdil, as his principal secretary. Because of his Lahore background, Sherdil was personally known to Saifur Rahman Khan, who had initially suggested his name to the prime minister. Even before Sherdil’s appointment, Nawaz had decided to appoint another former civil servant, Anwer Zahid, as his special assistant. The Lahore-based Anwer Zahid was the principal secretary to the prime minister during Nawaz’s first tenure. Closest in Nawaz Sharif’s personal team at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat was, and still is, Saifur Rahman Khan — the chief of Ehtesab Cell. Saifur Rahman like Sherdil and Anwer Zahid, cherished his Lahore background. “The prime minister feels very comfortable with Sherdil, Zahid and Saif. They speak his mind and the language,” noted an informed official. The prime minister not only favoured the individuals with Lahore background for top positions of his office, he invited the people with similar background even for mid-level posts in his personal setup. He appointed Rauf Chaudhry and Khayyam Qaiser as his personal staff officers and Qamaruzzaman as his personal secretary. These three personal staff members, like other senior aides in the Prime Minister’s Office, have strong Central Punjab background. They not only manage the prime minister’s days and weeks, but also serve as his eyes and ears.
Similarly, his Press Secretary Siddiqul Farooq has always lived and worked in Lahore and Central Punjab with no work experience in smaller provinces. The prime minister appointed another old Lahore hand and a former Ittefaq Group employee, Major General Sikander Hayat, as chief of the Prime Minister’s Monitoring and Evaluation Cell. He appointed Colonel (retd) Mushtaq Taher Kheli, an individual of similar background, as his political secretary. With the accountability placed at the top of his priority list, Nawaz Sharif decided to operate through his most-trusted Lahore aides. While Senator Saifur Rahman was placed at the driving seat, Nawaz decided to continue with Justice (retd) Ghulam Mujaddid Mirza, another famous Lahorite, as the chief Ehtesab commissioner. He appointed another Central Punjab PML leader Mumtaz Ahmed Tarrar as the chief of Ehtesab Council. Not surprisingly, officials and politicians wanted or arrested in corruption cases from Punjab escaped the net laid by the much-dreaded Ehtesab Cell, while those arrested from Sindh faced a totally different situation. For instance, under extremely intriguing condition a corruption case registered against former RECP chairman Kabir Sheikh, a Lahore-based official, was hurriedly withdrawn. Under identical circumstances, the corruption charges against former petroleum secretary Capt Naseer Ahmed had been withdrawn.
While appointing the federal cabinet, Nawaz Sharif, once more, preferred his trusted Lahore and Central Punjab associates for important cabinet assignments such as commerce. Senior official sources conceded in their background interviews that because of his extreme closeness with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar’s influence reaches frequently the decision-making levels in the Ministry of Finance. Because of his Lahore and Model Town connections, Ishaq Dar has emerged as the prime minister’s most trusted aide in the federal cabinet. Dar’s closeness with the prime minister can be gauged by the fact that it was he and Saifur Rahman who had negotiated and finalised the power-sharing agreement with the MQM. No PML member from Sindh was included in the team that had negotiated with the MQM after the change of government in February this year. Other Central Punjab PML parliamentarians who received important cabinet slots included Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan (Petroleum), Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (Interior), Mushahid Hussain (Information), Shaikh Rashid Ahmed (Labour and Culture), Begum Abida Hussain (Population Welfare), Raja Nadir Pervaiz (Water and Power), and Khalid Anwar (Law). Surprisingly, the entire national security team that is reporting to the prime minister on important security matters also has the similar Central Punjab background.
The present director generals of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) shared this common background. Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed and Major General (retd) Enayat Niazi had been appointed as the IB director general and the FIA director general, respectively by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, while Lt Gen Nasim Rana had been appointed as the ISI director general by the Benazir Bhutto government. Smaller provinces were completely ignored over Central Punjab when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif decided to appoint members of his party as heads of various government and public sector organisations. He appointed 37-year-old Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi, MNA from Murree, as the PIAC chairman and picked Khawaja Asif to head the Privatisation Commission. Similarly, Humayun Akhter Khan, the MNA from his home town Lahore, was appointed as the chief of Board of Investment (BoI). When it came to the appointment of the attorney general of Pakistan, the prime minister once again preferred a candidate from Lahore. Sources said that before his appointment as the Attorney General, Chaudhry Muhammad Farooq had long served the Sharif family in their business and family matters.
While selecting the team of bureaucrats for his government, the prime minister apparently decided not to disturb the officials with Lahore or Central Punjab background, notwithstanding the fact that they had been appointed by President Farooq Leghari during the caretaker set-up. In a policy decision, the prime minister decided to continue with Dr Muhammad Yaqub as the governor of State Bank of Pakistan, absolving him of his responsibility in the collapse of banking and DFI sector in Pakistan in the past four years. Similarly, he also decided to continue with Chaudhry Moeen Afzal as the secretary of finance and Hafizullah Ishaq as the chairman Board of Revenue — both gentlemen had a Central Punjab background. The prime minister also appeared comfortable with Afzal Kahut as the establishment secretary and Mian Tayyab Hussain as the cabinet secretary.
The Central Punjab criteria apparently played a significant role as he appointed secretaries to some of the important ministries, for example he selected Mian Iqbal Fareed as the secretary commerce, Mehar Jivan Khan as the interior secretary and Gulfaraz Ahmed as the secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum. The Central Punjab may not exactly be the reason behind the appointment of Lt Gen (retd) Chaudhry Iftikhar Ali Khan as the secretary defence, but it may be the first time that no one from a smaller province is attached to any significant position in the entire Ministry of Defence. Like in Justice (retd) Rafiq Tarar’s case, most observers do not dispute the fact that many of the Central Punjab bureaucrats or politicians given important tasks in the government by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enjoy good reputation, but they do not believe that the smaller provinces cannot offer individuals with similar reputation and competence. These observers felt that to give a truly national look to his government, particularly after the election of Justice Tarrar as the president, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would have to go an extra-mile to neutralise the impression of his being the Central Punjab government. REFERENCE:Central Punjab holds 41 key posts – Disparity may deepen deprivation in smaller provinces – News Intelligence Unit By Kamran Khan The NEWS International, Karachi December 17, 1997
KARACHI: The government appeared locked in a difficult situation over the Najam Sethi case on Thursday as its intelligence agencies failed to produce any evidence that may even remotely establish Najam Sethi`s links with Indian secret services. The News Intelligence Unit (NIU) understands that confusion and anxiety in top government circles over the Najam Sethi case was growing rapidly as the General Headquarters (GHQ) independently determined that there was no reason to constitute a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) to try the detained journalist under the Army Act. Sources said the government had approached the GHQ to order Najam Sethi`s court martial under the Army Act. Army`s Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch has already prepared its response to the government`s position taken before a Lahore High Court judge on Wednesday. In the past, on a very few occasions civilians directly involved in espionage activities had been court-martialled under the Army Act that almost exclusively governs the activities of army or ex-army personnel.
Sources told the NIU that the government`s apparent failure in building a solid anti-state case against Najam Sethi and Army`s decision not to lock horn with the Press might soon result in Sethi`s sudden release from the official captivity. There was a perception in the government circles that a final decision on Sethi`s case would be taken on the prime minister`s return from Singapore at the weekend. Fakhruddin G Ibrahim, a noted lawyer and former federal law minister, told the NIU that if tried under the Army Act by an FGCM, Najam Sethi would be the first Pakistani journalist to face court martial under an elected civilian government. For its part, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) that had questioned Sethi for at least four days at one of its safe houses in Islamabad has concluded and reported both to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf that its interrogation with Najam Sethi has not confirmed any connection between the detained journalist and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) or any other Indian official or agencies. From their records also the intelligence agencies have not been able to dig anything that may help confirm the government`s projected image of an Indian agent for Najam Sethi, according to reliable security sources. Ranking officials told the NIU the ISI was brought into the picture in the Najam Sethi case through an executive verbal order on Sunday when the ISI high command was ordered to take Sethi`s custody from the Intelligence Bureau and have him interrogated to probe his alleged ties with the Indian security establishment.
Sources said a joint team of IB and Lahore police had first arrested Sethi from his residence where he was severely beaten before being bundled into an IB vehicle. The Lahore operation, the sources said, was supervised by a senior Lahore-based IB official. In the recent months it was the IB that was repeatedly cited for chasing journalists; tapping their phones; placing threatening calls; raiding their residences and offices and abducting journalists. The organisation played an identical role under the PPP government, when the journalists were routinely targeted. Sources said soon after receiving Najam Sethi from the IB, the ISI high command noted, with some degree of surprise, that the agency`s name was extensively publicised in numerous government`s statements. Like all intelligence agencies, the ISI also hates to get mentioned in the media.
The ISI got into the focus of the Sethi controversy as two statements from an unidentified government spokesman, another two statements from the interior and parliamentary affairs ministries and a statement from the governor of Punjab identified ISI as the agency that was grilling The Friday Times editor. “The situation rang a bell at the GHQ when the COAS was told that the situation might pitch the entire journalist community and international opinion against the Army as the ISI is mainly run by the active service army officers,“ said an official who added the situation warranted some urgent measures as the Army did not want to be a party in the case. Though the ISI has dealt extensively with the activities of journalists in Pakistan and abroad but rarely before it had received such a limelight. The ISI works under the Ministry of Defence and it takes orders directly from the prime minister. A former ISI official said the agency`s role regarding journalists largely covers the national security angle, and it has never obliged the successive political governments over their orders that relate to the media.
Background interviews with informed officials and ruling PML politicians by the NIU to find out the actual reasons behind this latest crackdown on the journalists have provided an interesting answer. Informed sources said in recent months Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been led to believe by a few of his “closest associates“ that in order to settle scores with his administration over the Hubco/Kapco issue, the British security establishment had launched a secret drive to destabilise his government. Britain`s National Power has large stakes in Hubco and Kapco power generation projects. Both projects were the main Ehtesab Bureau targets for its probe into IPPs with Chairman Ehtesab Bureau Senator Saifur Rehman Khan claiming that the British sponsors of those projects paid at least $ 400 million to Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari in kickbacks and commission, a charge often rejected by both companies.
These sources said that the prime minister had also been warned that if the “conspiracy and its perpetrators“ were not crushed on a war-footing, it might lead to an overthrow of his government. Without producing any solid evidence, Nawaz Sharif had also been told that the stories in the British print media against corruption in his government were part of the same conspiracy and the coming BBC documentary would serve as a major leap in bringing his government into international disrepute. Conspiracy theorists in the government had also impressed upon the prime minister that a decree passed by the London High Court against his family for the payment of $32 million to Al-Towfeek Investment Limited was also linked to the same British plot, and a dramatic action against his family interests in London was expected soon. The London High Court had passed an ex-parte decision against the Sharif family in March last when they refused to contest the Al-Towfeek case in London challenging the jurisdiction of London High Court. Prime Minister`s family has also been advised against visiting Britain in the near future. Those who had floated the weird conspiracy theory thought that any BBC documentary on the alleged corrupt practices of the rulers would be part of the same British plot so it was decided to confront all those who had assisted in any form the BBC news crew. Najam Sethi made a strategic blunder when the delivered a hard-hitting anti-establishment speech in Delhi, only a few days after participating in the BBC documentary on Nawaz Sharif.
Officials acknowledged that Najam Sethi`s statement before a select Indian audience in Delhi had generated an uneasy feeling in the country`s top military echelon as they received extremely negative reports on his speech through their own representatives at the Pakistan embassy in India. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had received a similar report from Ambassador Ashraf Kazi. “What do you expect from services chiefs if they are told that a responsible Pakistani had spit venom against his own country on Indian soil,“ observed an official who thought that The Friday Times editor “definitely crossed line in Delhi and provided an ideal hit-back opportunity to his antagonists in the country“. Talking to the NIU Fakhruddin G Ibrahim and other senior lawyers expressed deep surprise over the government`s statement before the Lahore High Court on Wednesday wherein it was stated that Najam Sethi had been taken into custody under section 123-A of Pakistan Penal Code “for condemning the creation of the state and advocacy of abolition of its sovereignty“ and the Army had decided to take cognizance of his speech under the Army Act.
The federal Law ministry in its opinion to the government had thought that in his speech at the India International Centre in Delhi on April 30 last Najam Sethi made remarks that violated section 123-A of PPC. What surprised the legal community in the country was the government`s decision to push for his court martial and not to try him in normal courts under normal laws. Even the best of government loyalists in their private conversations conceded that Sethi was being punished for The Friday Times` extremely adversarial editorial stance against the government. “It hurts most when a close friend turns into a foe,“ said a close associate of the prime minister who recalled several anecdotes to establish that both Najam and his wife Jugnu once had fairly close relationship with the Sharifs. During the caretaker administration of Malik Meraj Khalid, The Friday Times and Najam Sethi who had joined the caretaker set-up as an adviser with the status of the minister consistently demanded a bi-partisan accountability before the elections — a position that might have irked the PML leadership. Picked by former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari to become a member of his interim government, Najam and The Friday Times have always remained close to the former president. REFERENCE: Case against Sethi hits a dead end Army not ready to lock horns with Press News Intelligence Unit By Kamran Khan [AS QUOTED IN Chowk: Law Liberties Justice: The Dark Tower by Shandana Minhas May 10, 1999
ISLAMABAD: Within half an hour of his surreptitious climb to the post of the Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday afternoon, the former Inter-Services Intelligence chief, General Khawaja Ziauddin knew that the Army he was supposed to lead was not prepared to accept his command. The News Intelligence Unit (NIU) has gathered that all of Ziauddin`s phone calls to the Corps Commanders and the Chief of General Staff — placed from the Prime Minister`s House in Islamabad on Tuesday — drew a blank, a reaction that almost instantly drew down the curtains on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif`s second term in office. Debriefing sessions with detained aides of the Nawaz Sharif administration by security officials here have disclosed that the former ISI chief-led operation to stage an in-house coup in the Army was driven by his personal ambitions ignoring the actual situation on the ground. “Even a layman in Pakistan is aware that any operation of this sort can never be completed without the active support of the troops and commanders posted in the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi,“ an Army official commented. “It was foolish of the former prime minister not to be aware that his nominee for the Army chief didn`t have the key support of the 10 Corps and more specifically the 111 brigade,“ he added. It has now become clear that Lt. Gen. Ziauddin was the architect of the secret operation that envisioned the official announcement of his promotion to the post of COAS once Gen Pervez Musharraf boarded PIA Flight PK 805 in Colombo for a journey that severed his contact with the GHQ for a good 200 minutes. It was also Lt. Gen. Ziauddin who, along with the former principal secretary Saeed Mehdi, had suggested to Nawaz Sharif that General Pervez Musharraf`s plane must not be allowed to land at Karachi so that he could be arrested at any other less busy airports in Sindh.
Sources said that Ziauddin had assured Sharif that he would gain the full command of the Army much before the landing of General Pervez Musharraf`s plane at Karachi airport, a dream that suddenly transformed itself into Sharif and Ziauddin`s worst nightmare. Officials here believe that because of his family and, more particularly, his father`s old ties with Khawaja Ziauddin`s family, Sharif always wanted to appoint him to the coveted post of the COAS, but he couldn`t do that since he had ignored a senior-most three star general as General Jehangir Karamat`s replacement. Several close aides to Sharif had often conceded in the past that Gen Kuli Khan Khattak was ignored because Sharif was not comfortable with a Pathan general.
Ziauddin, an officer from the Army`s Corps of Engineers, was one course junior to Gen. Ali Kuli Khan and Gen. Pervez Musharraf at the Pakistan Military Academy, but even before Karamat`s dramatic exit from the Army, Ziauddin had told his friends about the likelihood of his replacing Gen. Jehangir Karamat. Sources said that General Karamat had posted him as the Corps Commander, Gujranwala in response to a personal request from Sharif, who wanted to give him a fair chance at the time of Karamat`s retirement. Those who had close access to Sharif always contended that his decision to appoint Gen Musharraf was a stopgap arrangement between Gen. Karamat`s abrupt resignation and Ziauddin`s eventual appointment as the COAS. Ziauddin`s appointment as the ISI chief, minutes after Musharraf`s posting as the COAS, spoke volumes of Sharif`s bent of mind at the time. With the knowledge that doubts deliberately created about Musharraf`s tenure as the COAS would further deteriorate worsening relations between the Army and the former prime minister, Ziauddin using his position as the ISI chief nonetheless invented an intriguing conspiracy theory on the Kargil crisis and helped fuel misinformation that the Army leadership got Sharif trapped by launching the Kargil operation.
During the Kargil crisis, Gen. Ziauddin`s exclusive briefing to the former prime minister almost always contradicted the GHQ`s version. “He was responsible for planting the seeds of intrigue on the Kargil issue in Sharif`s mind,“ according to a reliable official source. In his rash drive to convince Sharif that Musharraf`s removal as the COAS would ease tension with the Army, Ziauddin is believed to have also encouraged the former Intelligence Bureau chief Colonel (retd) Iqbal Niazi, to invent a variety of Army-backed threatening scenarios for Sharif, who apparently had an unlimited appetite for stories that painted a highly negative picture of Musharraf and the corps commanders considered close to the COAS. Khawaja Ziauddin`s desperation to please Nawaz Sharif became evident on the first day of his appointment as the ISI chief when he readily confirmed a police-doctored version about the culprits allegedly involved in the ghastly murder of Hakim Mohammad Said. On Ziauddin`s report, submitted without any independent verification, Sharif got an excuse to knock out the democratic set-up in Sindh, an act that later emerged as part of a well-engineered plot to make way for the installation of an exclusive PML-run unelected administration in Sindh. An independent Army probe later discovered that the Sindh Police`s version of the Hakim Said case, with a stamp of ISI confirmation from Gen. Ziauddin, was nothing but “a pack of lies.“ Neither Sharif nor Ziauddin, however, ever acknowledged the blunder.
In another desperate attempt to please the former prime minister, Ziauddin ordered the illegal detention of Najam Sethi, the editor Friday Times, for more than two weeks. Despite the Army`s blunt refusal to initiate sedition or treason charges against Sethi, Ziauddin obliged Sharif and Saifur Rahman by keeping Sethi locked up for about 20 days. Sethi had been handed to Ziauddin`s ISI after being abducted by IB goons from his Lahore residence. Sources said Ziauddin agreed to hold Sethi in illegal detention in response to a single phone call from Saifur Rahman, who later also made Sharif speak to him on the subject. Reliable sources said that Ziauddin was also behind severe criticism of the Kargil crisis by at least two corps commanders, who later met Sharif in Ziauddin`s presence. These meetings were never reported to the COAS, who later reacted by removing both corps commanders from their posts. For Sharif, sources said, Ziauddin`s mission was to divide the corps commanders on ethnic and professional lines and to create an anti-Musharraf lobby amongst the corps commanders. “Since his appointment as the DG ISI, Ziauddin was playing a dangerous game that pitched his boss against the Army,“ observed a senior official. “His operation ultimately turned out to be hara kari (suicide).“ REFERENCE: Ambitious Ziauddin steered Nawaz to political disaster News Intelligence Unit By Kamran Khan [AS QUOTED IN Fears of a Military Coup in Pakistan Chowk P Room October 12, 1999
Can you make the text size larger? I am having a lot of trouble reading some of this without my glasses.