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Jan MCB is sold to Mian Mansha's National Group though Tawakkal was the highest bidder; ABL also on the auction block Jan 10 ASS leader and IJI MNA Maulana Qasmi is assassinated during by-elections in Jhang Feb 11 Jang Group launches English language daily, The News Feb 22 Iraq surrenders Mar 10 MQM chief Altaf Husain charges Dawn with conspiring against his party and accuses Herald of spitting poison; dubs Takbeer an agent of Zionism Mar 17 Herald reporter and BBC stringer Zaffar Abbas is severely beaten up by armed men who barged into his Karachi flat Mar 19-21 Motorcycle gangs of MQM workers disrupt circulation of Dawn and Star, confiscating papers and kidnapping hawkers Apr 21 Jehangir Khan wins British Open Squash Championship for a record 10th time, and that too on the trot Apr 22 Earth Day is celebrated with unprecedented fervour; sudden surge in environmental activities in Pakistan Apr 25 PM Nawaz Sharif lays foundation stone for Imran Khan's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital May 19 Protest strike called by Jeay Sindh against CM Jam Sadiq gets positive response Jun Tension mounts in Azad Kashmir (AK) as Islamabad arrests deposed PM Mumtaz Rathore of PPP; Sardar Qayyum's Muslim Conference (MC) hails action Jun 12 PDA issues How An Election Was Stolen, a white paper on Election '90. Jun 29 Elections held in AK; Rathore alleges rigging in wake of MC victory Jul 18 NA passes 12th Amendment Bill for setting up Speedy Courts to decide criminal cases within 30 days Jul 20 Senate approves 12th Amendment Nov 19 Khursheed Begum, wife of PPP worker Essa Baloch, raped by a police inspector of Korangi Thana Dec 18 Sunni Tehrik stages sit-in on Karachi's M.A.Jinnah Road; demand control of disputed Masjid-e-Noor
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Arrested January 2 Eight former MQM activists are arrested following firing in Landhi, Malir and Korangi. The suspects were identified by the MQM leadership itself, authorities in Karachi allege, a pointer that the party may be heading towards a split. A number of "commandos" have deserted the MQM in the last few months, either leaving the country or going underground to avoid retaliation. Rumours are rife that leading MQM activists Afaq Ahmed, Aamir Khan and Badar Iqbal are planning to set up an alternate party. Gulf War US starts Gulf War on January 16 with support from allied countries including Pakistan. The Iraqi President Saddam Hussain rejects six-point peace plan proposed by PM Nawaz Sharif during his visit to Muslim countries while COAS Aslam Beg takes divergent view from that of the government. Open Sesame February 7 The Nawaz Sharif administration announces a ground breaking 25-point economic package which, among other measures, eases the country's stringent foreign exchange control rules. At the same time, foreigners are allowed to repatriate profits as well as principal and to invest in the local stock market. The New Army Chief August 16 General Asif Nawaz Janjua replaces Mirza Aslam Beg as Chief of Army Staff General Asif Nawaz Janjua replaces Mirza Aslam Beg as Chief of Army Staff Trading in terror November 27 Veena Hayat, daughter of Sardar Shaukat Hayat Khan and friend of the Zardaris and Bhuttos, is gang-raped by five intruders. Her father holds the Sindh government, and particularly home advisor Irfanullah Marwat, responsible for the crime. Marwat, the son-in-law of the president who enjoys Sindh strongman Jam Sadiq Ali's full support, is already notorious for turning the Karachi CIA into a personal army said to be involved in kidnapping, extortion, torture and rape. |
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Boom boom April 23 Following the economic reforms of February 7, business has been booming at the Karachi Stock Exchange. Today, turnover peaked at 8.2 million shares while the KSE index climbed even further to 1775. Suddenly, trhe KSE is no longer the domain of just seasoned brokers and speculators. Public interest is growing by the day and the small investor has also plunged into the fray. But is the boom sustainable? Power, espionage and grand larceny July 29 A New York grand jury indicts BCCI boss Agha Hasan Abedi and top executive Swaleh Naqvi on several charges of fraud and grand larceny, signalling the beginning of the end for the maverick bank. The respected Agha Sahib of yore is transformed into "The Rasputin of the East" and his bank is accused of criminal dealings ranging from fraud to blackmailing, money laundering, espionage, gun-running and even murder. Dakoo raj Despite the federal government's anti-dacoit operation in interior Sindh, cases of kidnapping for ransom are increasing by the day. Up to May 30, an estimated 1,294 persons have been kidnapped this year. While the police blames "an unholy alliance between criminals and policticans," sociologists point to the lack of opportunities for educated young men who turn to crime as a last resort. Best bowling October 25 Aaqib Javed records the best bowling performance in one-day cricket, taking 7-37 (including a hat-trick) against India at Sharjah Aaqib Javed records the best bowling performance in one-day cricket, taking 7-37 (including a hat-trick) against India at Sharjah Feud for thought Tehmina Durrani's pot-boiler, My Feudal Lord, exposes her former husband Mustafa Khar's domestic cruelty and political misdemeanours.
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