Associated Press of Pakistan
News Summary
27- 05-2002
Pakistan successfully test fires Hataf-III Ghaznavi missile
ISLAMABAD, May 26 (APP)- Pakistan Sunday carried out successful test fire of its newly developed short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hataf-III (Ghaznavi), as a part of missile tests currently underway. This was announced by the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) in a press release. It said: " This was the first test of the Ghaznavi missile which is capable of carrying warheads accurately upto a range of 290 Kms." The ISPR announcement said: "The flight data collected indicated that all design parameters have been successfully validated." The successful test fire of the indigenously developed Ghaznavi is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and professional excellence of Pakistani scientists and engineers. President General Pervez Musharraf has congratulated the team of officers and men of their outstanding success.
President invites politicians to consultative meeting
ISLAMABAD, May 26 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf has asked Information Minister Nisar A Memon to visit PML (N),PPP, ARD, Jamaat Islami, JUI, JUP and MMA (Mutahadda Majlise Ammal) leaders on his behalf and invite them to a consultative meeting in Islamabad. The initiative by the President follows his earlier announcement to continue the consultation process with political leaders and other opinion leaders on important national issues. The President will take these leaders into confidence on the situation facing Pakistan in the wake of Indian belligerency.
President Musharraf has been invited by Russain President Putin along with Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee for talks in Almaty to discuss the current military stand-off in the Sub-Continent following massive deployment of Indian forces along Pakistan border. Information Minister Nisar Memon has already contacted Nawabzada Nasurallah of ARD, Makhdoom Amin Fahim of PPP, Kazi Hussain Ahmed of JI, Raja Zafar ul Haq of PML (N), Maulana Samil Haque of JUI and Gen. ® K.M. Azhar of JUP. Mr. Memon was unable to contact MMA Chief Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani and Maulana Fazlur Rehman of JUI. Mr. Memon will be conveying the President's invitation to these leaders.
Pakistan welcomes any opportunity to hold talks with India: Nisar Memon
ISLAMABAD, May 26 (APP): Information Minister Nisar A. Memon said Pakistan welcomes any opportunity to hold talks with India to resolve all outstanding issues. Speaking to BBC Radio, he said Pakistan is willing to come to the table for a dialogue with India at any time and place. About Russian President's invitation to India and Pakistan for talks, he said, "Pakistan will be very forthcoming in any kind of discussion and dialogue." We have said that we do want all the issues to be settled between India and Pakistan by negotiations. We want talks on the core issue of Kashmir which needs to be settled since 1947. "We will certainly welcome any kind of a dialogue opportunity," he added. To a question about terrorism, he said Pakistan's position is very clear that it itself is facing international terrorism and all the countries of the world know it. In fact you have seen that it happened in Karachi when the Frenchmen working there died in a bomb blast. Then there were also a number of other incidents including the one in a church in Islamabad, he added. Nisar Memon said, "we condemn all kinds of terrorism. We condemn the terrorism that took place in Jammu. We have also said that we will not allow our land to be used by a terrorist group for activities in a foreign country." "So this being our position, now the world has to understand that the international terrorism is some thing that we all are fighting together," he added. The Minister said we are partners of the United States in the war against terrorism and have worked together in Afghanistan.
Russian Deputy FM due on Monday
ISLAMABAD, May 26 (APP): Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Safanov is arriving in Islamabad on Monday. His visit is aimed at discussing Russian invitation for a meeting of President Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee during the summit of the Council of Cooperation on Confidence Measures in Asia in Almaty, next month.
Nisar Memon formally invites PML(N) to consultative meeting with President
ISLAMABAD, May 26 (APP): Information Minister Nisar A Memon Sunday extended a formal invitation to Pakistan Muslim League (N) for May 31 consultative meeting with President Pervez Musharraf on the current situation. The Minister called on central PML (N) leader Raja Zafar ul Haq here at his residence and formally invited the party leader on behalf of the President. Nisar's meeting with Zafar is the first of a series of meetings that he would hold with politicians in line with President Musharraf's policy to re-invite the political parties that did not attend the first nationwide consultative meeting held last week.
The meeting took place in an environment of cordiality. Raja Zafar ul Haq appreciated that Government's gesture of formally inviting them through a federal Minister. The PML (N) leader stated that he would discuss the invitation with his colleagues and get back to the Minister in a few days. "I hope that the they will attend the meeting and express their solidarity and unity with the government and the armed forces in the face of challenges confronting the country due to Indian escalation," Nisar said after the meeting. The Information Minister is scheduled to meet other politicians including Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, President ARD, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Senior Vice Chairman of PPP, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Amir Jamaat-e-Islami and Maulana Fazal ur Rehman Amir JUI (F).
President to address nation on Monday
ISLAMABAD, May 26 (APP)- President General Pervez Musharraf will address the nation on Monday, May 27, at 8.30 p.m., which will be simulcast by PTV and PBC networks.
Nine embraced Shahadat, 42 injured due to Indian shelling
RAWALPINDI, May 26 (APP): Nine persons including two women embraced Shahadat and forty two were injured due to unprovoked shelling and firing by the Indian troops along the Line of Control (Azad Kashmir) and working boundary (Sialkot, Jammu Sector) during the last 24 hours. According to ISPR, Indian Army used automatic weapons, medium and short range artillery, mortars and rocket launchers causing damage to civilian property including primary schools and rural health centres. Injured were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for medical treatment. Fourteen seriously injured have been shifted to Combined Military Hospitals in Muzaffarabad and Sialkot. The Indian Army mostly targeted villages in Bhimber, Kotli and Neelum Valley Sectors in AJK while innocent villagers residing close to working boundary became victim of shelling and firing by Indian troops.
Pakistan Army while retaliating targeted the Indian gun positions and other military installations. At least forty Indian soldiers have been killed and wounded due to retaliatory action by Pakistan Army. Enemy was forced to abandon its forward most positions and retreat back at various locations in working boundary area. Three gun positions and an ammunition depot of the enemy were totally destroyed.
Pak pledges to join Asian countries setting up clean and diligent government
BEIJING, May 26 (APP): Pakistan and other Asian
countries pledged to work together building clean and diligent government
and enhancing public supervision to weep out corruption and
mal-administration. The 7th Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA)
at its meeting concluded here today decided to promote their cooperation
exploring ways to effectively supervise public servants to ensure
provision of good governance to the people. The meeting was presided over
by Pakistan
federal
Ombudsman Imtiaz Ahmad Sahibzada, in his capacity as President of the
Association. A
spokesman of the Association told APP that during the three-day
conference, over 150 participants from 20 countries exchanged their views
on the theme of "The Ombudsman and the Promotion of Good Governance".
He said the supervision departments of China and other countries
had promoted mutual understanding and the conference had played an active
role in promoting the work of supervision for Asian nations. He said the
common task of all nations and governments was to build effective and
clean government and to promote social stability and economic prosperity,
while ombudsman institutes hold major responsibilities therein.
The conference decided that the Republic of Korea will host the next AOA session. Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao addressed the meeting, which was also attended by Pakistan Federal Tax Ombudsman Justice(Retd) Saleem Akhtar, Ombudsmen from Azad Kashmir and Sindh, Chinese State Councilor Wang hongyu and International Ombudsman Institute President Brian Elwood. Hu said that to build a clean and industrious government is now a common topic that all countries and regions care about.
He said the Governments of all countries and regions are faced with the common task of developing economy and improving people's living standard, he said. "An effective supervision over administrative bodies and their functionaries with the aim of building a clean, industrious and highly efficient government is the natural choice of people of all countries in the course of social progress and economic growth," he added. While committed to reform, opening and economic development, the Chinese government has always taken anti-corruption and building a clean and honest government as a strategic task, a priority issue to be addressed, he said adding in accordance with China's specific conditions at the current stage and the requirements to develop a socialist market economy, China has taken a series of resolute actions to fight against corruption and to build a clean and honest government. He said China insists that to promote the building of a clean and honest government must be connected to stability and development. We have, in a clear-cut manner, firmly carried on the fight against corruption, We have focused our attention on three tasks, namely, asking leading cadres to discipline themselves, investigating into discipline-breaching or violations of law, and correcting malpractice in all departments and professions." Mr. Hu further said China has observed the principle of carrying out administrative duty according to law, and punished severely those who violated rules and law, and has insisted on the principle of "treating a disease by looking into both its root cause and symptoms.
China has upheld that the development of democracy must be connected with the amelioration of law, and the surveillance by the broad masses be connected with the surveillance by law, he added. The AOA, since it was established, has also developed steadily, increased its influence and helped push forward the supervisory work in all countries and regions as it is supported by the supervisory bodies of all relevant countries and regions, he said. He expressed belief that the exchange of experiences and the discussion on ways to build a clean and industrious government at the current conference will exert an active influence to the development of all Asian countries or regions.
The exchange and discussion will also help enhance the friendship and cooperation among all countries and regions as well as their peoples, he said. AOA, a regional organization aiming to strengthen exchanges and cooperation among Asian supervisory institutions and promote the Ombudsman work in each country, was established in 1996.
Pakistan second major mango exporter to UK : Hassan Chaniho
LONDON May 26 (APP): Pakistan is the second major mango exporter to the United Kingdom and has captured over 15 pc of market share compared to 7 pc share of India, said Sindh Agriculture Minister Hassan Ali Chaniho. During his six-day visit as head of a delegation of mangoe exporters from Pakistan, he he met representatives of the suppliers of fruits and vegetables to major stores here like Sainsbury, Tesco, Selffridges and senior officials of UK Trade and Agriculture departments. "My visit and meetings here with importers will help further boost current 5.2 ton mango export to the UK, he told APP after a dinner hosted in his honour UK Pakitan Overseas Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Chambers President Ibrahim Samad, its Secretary General Ikram Khan, Chairman Zahoor But and other representative assured the Minister to extend every possible help in increasing export to Britain.
He said out of total 34 million Sterling Pounds of UK mango import market, Pakistan has a share of over 15 per cent which was expected to soar further. South Africa which is the major mangoe exporter to Britain, currently earns 10 million Sterling pounds.
The Minister said Pakistani mangos would be available at Harrods, Sainsbuy and Tesco by next month. This was possible, he said, following the efforts of Pakistan High Commission to push up country's exports to UK. He assured the importers here of the continued and quality supply of mangos. He said Pakistani exporters of mangos had already imported plants for grading, heat treatment and processing of the commodity to ensure quality export to importers of mangos.
Wahee Ahmd marketing director of a mango exporting company told APP that he had imported machinery from Holland for grading mangos while another plant had been imported from South Africa to give heat treatment to the commodity. He said his compnay was studying the option of exporting mangos to UK by ship in refrigerated containers to cut the freight. Khalid Ejaz Qureshi, another mango exporter said he was exporting 500 t0 700 tons per week to UK and they were trying to extend shelf life of the mangoes. The Agricultural Minister brushed aside some press reports concerning unfulfillment of certain conditions laid down by Harrods and said the company assiged to export mangoes to the store would ensure good guality and uninterrupted supply.
He said there were some problems to export mangos last year which now had been removed. He said Harrods agent here would get released mango consignment to ensure quality of the supply. He said 60 to 70 per cent of the cost of exporting mangos from Pakistan was the air freight charges. Hence the feasibility of expoting mango to the UK by road was being considered. He said a UK-based Pakistani businessman Chaudhary Sarwar has expressed his willingness to venture into importing mango in refrigerated containers from Pakistan by road, which if successful, could greatly cut the freight charges. He said efforts of the present Government had helped increase Pakistan's mango export from Rs. 7 million to 18 million during last two years. Of 10 lacs tons total national mango production, Sindh produces 4 lacs tons. Pakistan total mango exports to different parts of the world is 25 thousand tons, he said. Chaniho invited the British investors to invest in Pakistan in corporate farming and livestock and assured them of every help in this regard. He said Sindh and other three provinces had already waived the foreign curency stamp duty to encourage the investors.
UK welcomes Russian President Putin initiative to reduce tension between Pakistan and India
LONDON May 26, (APP): United Kingdon on Sunday welcomed the initiative by Russian President Vladimir Putin to reduce tension between Pakistan and India. "We would welcome any initiative that would reduce tension in the region," British Foreign Office Spokesman told APP here on Sunday while commenting on Putin's latest move to calm the situation between the two nuclear capable countries. Russian Federation President Putin invited President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Saturday to attend a summit of the Council on Cooperation and Confidence Measures in Asia scheduled to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan from June 3 to 5.
Pakistan and India are among the members of the council. To another question, the spokesman said ," it is a welcome initiative." British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is leaving for Islamabad from Belin late Monday in a bid to de-escalate the current tension between the two countries over Kashmir dispute. Straw told reporters a few days back that his visit would be to explore if there were ways, the two sides could resume their dialogue to sort out their problems through bilateral means. Pakistan has always expressed its readiness to have talks with India and defuse current tension but New Delhi has been whipping up war hysteria.
China Air plane breaks into four pieces in mid air before crash
BEIJING, MAY 26(APP) Taiwanese aviation officials say a China Airlines jumbo jet which crashed on Saturday with 225 people aboard broke apart in mid air and plunged into the Taiwan Strait in four large pieces. Searchers have recovered more than 80 bodies from choppy seas north of Taiwan's Penghu Island chain, says Chinese Media. The plane was on a flight from Taipei to Hong Kong and vanished from radar screens just 20 minutes after take off from Taiwan airport. China Airlines' four remaining Boeing 747-200 aircraft, used for cargo delivery, have been grounded until further notice
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