Apr 7 All katchi abadis (squatter settlements) settled before Mar 23, 1983, to be regularised

Apr 18 Javed Miandad brings dramatic one-wicket victory to Pakistan in Australia Cup final against India at Sharjah, hitting six off last ball

May 26 NA passes no-confidence resolution against Speaker Fakhr Imam, who had apparently become unpopular by sending reference to Chief Election Commissioner against MNAs who had joined Muslim League after being elected to non-party assembly

Jun 2 Construction of Faisal Mosque, Islamabad, completed

Oct 31 MQM procession passing through Pakhtun-dominated Sohrab Goth area in Karachi comes under heavy fire; several killed and injured

Nov 2 Over 20 people killed in massacre at Sector 11, Orangi, Karachi; local residents blame Pakhtuns

Nov 2 SAARC Summit Conference in Bangalore, India; technical sub-committees established for women in development and prevention of drug trafficking and drug abuse

Dec 15 Renewed violence in Karachi, at least 70 killed

Muslim League created overnight in the House

Benazir comes home

April 10 Benazir Bhutto is hailed by a huge crowd as she returns to Pakistan after two years of exile in London. She is the co-chairperson of her father's Pakistan People's Party with her mother Nusrat Bhutto.

Clean-up mess

Karachi, December 13 The operation launched yesterday in Sohrab Goth, aimed at ridding the area of drugs and weapons, ends in failure. Only 65 kilos of heroin, one Kalashnikov and 2,000 rounds of ammunition are recovered from what is considered to be one of the most important transit posts in the international heroin trade. A high-level leak is suspected to be the cause for the failure.

Orangi killings

Karachi, December 14 An unprecedented massacre of innocent citizens takes place in Qasba Colony, Aligarh Colony and Sector 1-D of Orangi in the early hours of the morning as several hundred marauders open fire on residents with Kalashnikovs and 7mm rifles, setting fire to homes in the area. The police refuse to intervene in what is viewed as a revenge attack by Pakhtuns on a largely mohajir locality. The carnage continues until around 4 pm, when the army is finally called in. The official death toll is 49, and several hundred more are injured.

Kalashnikov culture

Approximately three million Afghan refugees have arrived in Pakistan since 1980. A number of social problems are linked to this massive influx. Afghan refugee camps are suspected to harbour Kabul spies planning sabotage activities in Pakistan. Meanwhile, unrestricted travel across the Pak-Afghan border has facilitated the smuggling of arms, especially the Russian-made AK47 or Kalashnikov. Massive quantities of drugs, especially heroin, also move freely across this porous border.

The Afghan War has also taken its toll on the natural environment of Pakistan. Soil erosion and deforestation has tremendously increased in the immediate vicinity of the refugee camps due to excessive grazing and timber logging. Other environmental effects, such as the possible introduction of invasive weeds or pests through the refugee livestock are still unknown but plausible.

Conservation of migratory species

Pakistan has ratified The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), commonly known as the Bonn Convention initiated in 1979. The Convention requires the member states to conserve the wild animals listed in the appendices of the Convention - focussing on those mammals, birds, reptiles and cataceans that migrate across or outside national jurisdictional boundaries.

Crossing Swords

October Following a collision between two mini-buses at a railway crossing near Quaidabad, Karachi, violence erupts in the city once again as workers from MQM and Jamaat-e-Islami allegedly set fire to Pathan shops in Landhi and Korangi. The mini-bus service comes to a halt as a wagon is attacked and torched.

Corridors of terror

Karachi, November 13 Women at the Karachi University campus are being attacked by unknown assailants who spray acid (reportedly nitric acid) on their backs with syringes. So far, only four cases have been reported at the University clinic, but the total number of victims is considered to be much higher. After a protest demonstration by women students, Vice Chancellor Dr Jameel Jalibi, who had earlier tried to quash the news, finally admits at a press conference that such attacks have in fact taken place. Women students suspect this is just another in a series of incidents over the past decade, involving the harassment of women who dare to step out of the "chardewari."

Press in Chains

Press in Chains by journalist Zamir Niazi records the history of press censorship by journalist Zamir Niazi records the history of press censorship.