<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Pakistan: Geopolitical epicentre of Islamist jihad</b>
Maloy Krishna Dhar
July 31, 2006
The 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai, the attack on Parliament, the hijacking of IC-814 and the latest but not the last devastating serial bomb blasts on the Mumbai suburban railway system generated media fever, crocodile tears from politicians, motivated leakages by police and intelligence agencies, communal cleavage and erosion of faith in the political system.
The fever will subside; the rhetoric will be morphed to ballot box paranoia, the police and intelligence agencies will lapse back to routine servitude. And the people, and the nation will continue to live with deep scars, fearfully anticipating the footsteps of other disasters.
India's war against internal disruptive forces, ethnic insurgencies, pseudo-religious sub-nationalist terrorism, the Kashmir gangrene and unresolved agrarian unrest and imbalance between urban and rural economy (brand named Naxalism) has been weaved into the texture of daily routine.
The deformity in the criminal justice system does not pain us anymore. Restructuring of ethnic political geography and increasing assertion of regional (provincial) autonomy within the crashing debris of the Federated Unitary System are being absorbed at regular intervals. Even after 59 years of independence, the Republic is yet to be fully federated and a new India Inc is yet to emerge. India limps with pain and gasps with expectations. The people are learning to cope.
However, India has not been able to cope with the threat from regional and global Islamist jihadist forces. This multidimensional cancer travels through the arterial system of the country along the scarred tissues of fractures and carcinogenic gaps left by the neurosis of pre and post independence philisophy and the unassimilated edges of history.
The Pakistani establishment and the ISI have deftly exploited these gaps and unmatched edges in collaboration with the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence of Bangladesh and the Islamic tanzeems patronised by them.
Journeying through the Afghan killing fields, tangoing with the Taliban and Al Qaeda and resurgent global Islamist thrusts, Pakistan has emerged as the geopolitical epicentre of Islamist jihad with a binary centre in Bangladesh.
Extension of Pakistan's proxy war through jihadist tanzeem tools to all conceivable corners of India is a part of its strategic war plan -- mostly carried out through subversive terrorist attacks and sometimes with a Kargil-type forward thrust.
It is, nonetheless, part of a planned war.
India's internal security and the seams of national unity and solidarity have been repeatedly threatened by jihadist operations carried out by ISI and DGFI-aided Pakistani and Bangladeshi tanzeems. This war, under the facet of peace, is about to invade every Indian home.
On a scale of one to ten, the jihadi tanzeems and handful Indian collaborators score success in about eight-and-a-half cases. The Indian intelligence agencies and state police forces can claim success in about two-and-a-half or three cases. On the scale of the law of averages, this is classified as failure.
Why do we fail in over 85 per cent of cases? We fail because:
With minor exceptions the political class -- the presumed custodian, driver and preserver of the Constitutional Democratic Republic -- fails to recognise that India exist beyond ballot boxes.
On either side of the imaginary 'secular fence', there is an abominable amnesia about the historical roots of the jihadist thrust against India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and other global jihadist tanzeems. They communalise or trivialise the grave threat to national security, unity and integrity by throwing mud on each other with squinted eyes on the bulge of the ballot box.
The threat is not about 'secularism' or 'Hindu Muslim divide'; this is all about an undeclared multidimensional war involving India (irrespective of community and religion), Pakistan and Bangladesh, overlorded by International Islamic Jihadist Inc, represented by Al Qaeda al Sulbah and its global franchisees.
Political parties on either side of the imaginary 'secular fence' (like the Tropic of Cancer that divides India almost into two equal halves) should understand that even before partition of the subcontinent certain Islamist leaders had targeted Indian Muslims for carving out a Muslim First Nation, which they called Pakistan. The descendants of same Hulagu (grandson of Genghis Khan, who ruled over much of southwest Asia) conquistadors are targeting to divide India on communal lines, while the gullible vote-blinded politicians still cling to their ballot boxes and keep dividing the country from behind their respective Tropic of Cancer. They fail to recognise that the cancer is real, and not an imaginary geographical line.
When will the responsible media and people ask them: 'You damn idiots! It's all about national security and not ballot boxes and 'secular fencing'?'
I do not think more space can be spared for the paranoid political classes.
The 'Permanent Government' (bureaucracy-including intelligence, police and security) has always been the steady spine of the Indian administrative system. These elements of governance should have succeeded in meeting the challenges coming from across the borders. Unfortunately, the ballot box baboons have either disarmed or de-fanged and emasculated these precious tools of governance.
We fail at two crucial combat levels. The most important combat force is the state police and intelligence forces. Each district and commissionary is equipped with a dedicated Intelligence Branch (different nomenclature in different states) and in some cases, anti-terrorist cells.
Unfortunately, ideology and caste configuration decides the parameters of 'intelligence operations' by the state Intelligence Branch units. They are restrained from operating in certain areas of the 'secular fence, 'caste fence' and 'criminal niches.'
These limitations have impeded 'police-intelligence operations' in Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There is plenty of evidence to prove that political interference continues to blunt the operational edges of the state's security tools.
These forces are trained to operate irrespective of caste, religious, political and mafia affiliation of terrorists and jihadists. But they are forced to discriminate, refrain and restrain from operating according to the law of the land.
Often the holy ghost of 'secularism' invade the state legislatures and even Parliament for scrapping certain Acts of the country and for chaining the tools of governance, simply because Pappus want a few more votes (like the Madani case in Tamil Nadu-Kerala).
Whenever serious terror attacks occur and police/intelligence agencies start investigating 'certain community leaders' start screaming about being 'isolated and targeted.' They never assure the people that they would evolve a mechanism to protect their community from being contaminated by 'foreign instigators'
Have they ever given calls from organised platforms to their community to refrain from collaborating with Pakistani and Bangladeshi conspirators? If not, what right do they have to complain? As good Indians, they should have gone into the community with the message to rebuff Pakistani/Bangladeshi saboteurs.
When shall the nation ask these questions to vote-hungry politicos?
When shall the compulsions of electoral democracy transcend the cubicles of polling booths, 'secular fences' and adopt holistic administrative, constitutional, legal and patriotic view against the jihadist thrust driven into Indian heartland from foreign soil?
India requires strengthening of the State Intelligence tools, revival of the khabri (informers), mohalla nighrani (neighbourhood watch) system, introduction of 'community policing' and providing better tools for augmenting human, technical, and electronic intelligence gathering systems.
There is tremendous scope for integrating the state intelligence tools with the Panchayat, Block Development, Gram Sevak/Sevika, Dakia, Chowkidar, Dafadar, Lambardar etc systems, wherever these still exist. It should be made mandatory for the 'neighbourhood policing' cells to report suspect matters to the nearest police station. These tools have gone into disuse and the state governments have not carried out any threat assessment from criminal, jihadist, and mafia forces and have not equipped its police and intelligence tools to combat these threats.
Moreover, the State Intelligence Branch and police have no institutionalised and speedy communication system to liase with the central intelligence and security agencies and the intelligence and security agenises of other states. It is imperative to discuss the important aspects of immigration control, detection and deportation of illegal immigrants and cracking down on criminal-politician-terrorist nexus. When shall the political breed agree to introduce 'National Identity Cards'?
We fail, because our tools have been blunted and taken hostage by the vote and money hunting political class.
Maloy Krishna Dhar is a former joint director, Intelligence Bureau, and author of Open Secrets and Fulcrum of Evil-ISI-CIA-Al Qaeda Nexus and other books. Available at maloy_d@hotmail.com<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Aug 2 2006, 08:36 PM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Aug 2 2006, 08:36 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->These type of lights are norm or defective.
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<b>Mudy Ji :</b>
What can I or anybody say about Pakistani Lights or for that matter anything Pakistani? - Eh!
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>As for countryâs image abroad the less said the better. While slogans of enlightened moderation are raised off and on, extremism and sectarianism keep rising. Islamic laws are sought to be remade, pruning some of the provisions, pleasing neither liberals nor the religious groups. The world associates <span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>terrorism with the very name : Pakistan. We are humiliated both by India and Afghanistan for exporting terrorist elements across the borders. Our protestations fall on deaf-ears, as the rest of the world would rather believe in the allegations hurled at us by our neighbours. Tragically enough, we have messed up our case on Kashmir and seriously damaged the cause of the hapless Kashmiris struggling for their acknowledged right of self-determination.</span></b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>PM apologises to Pak activist Asma Jehangir </b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->New Delhi, Aug 03: In an extraordinary gesture, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday apologised to noted Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jehangir after police searched her hotel room here even as a probe was ordered into the matter.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Spineless PM did it again.
Gem from FT
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Lashkar-e-Islam takes over Bara</b>
According to Nawa-e-Waqt a man called Mangal Bagh Afridi had organised his own Lashkar-e-Islam and occupied the Bara Market in Khyber Agency. The government took action and paramilitary forces were deployed along with special military transport. The government acting under special laws of FCR asked the lashkar to leave and when it did not government destroyed the shops belonging to Mangal Bagh Afridi and his followers. The lashkar was fully armed and used the FM radio to scare people off. Mangal is a follower of Deobandi Mufti Munir who was driven out after his bloody feud with Barelvi Pir Saifur Rehman. Mangal too was ousted but has come back with his armed men.
<b>Pakistan embassy in Spain hands out 2000 passports</b>
According to Nawa-e-Waqt Pakistanâs embassy in Spain simply handed out 2,000 new passports to all comers. Now the fear was that these 2,000 ânew citizensâ could go around the world as Pakistanis and commit crimes that will be attributed to Pakistan. The mission had no record of either receiving or issuing the passports. In the past, thousands of passports were stolen from various Pakistani missions abroad including consulates in the UK.
<b>Quran-burning man killed</b>
Daily Khabrain reported that in Hasilpur a local mob killed a Qari Qamar who was trying to set light to pages of the Quran and hadith near a dirty place. Master Muhammad Sadiq came to rescue the man from the clutches of the piously outraged mob but he too was nearly beaten to death. In Pakistan there is no death sentence for burning the Quran but there is life imprisonment. The mob disappeared after doing the pious deed.
<b>Bank wants employees well dressed</b>
According to Khabrain notice was taken in Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP of the fact that Habib Bank had ordered its employees to wear three-piece suits and shave off beards and moustaches <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> under the new ownership of the Aga Khan. Religious circles were incensed but the bank explained that instructions were specific to one branch with special functions.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->â<b>Pakistan should support the Kashmiris militarilyâ¦â </b>
FT
Mohammad Shehzad
Syed Salahuddin, the supreme commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, an indigenous Kashmiri group, is a wanted man in India. His name is on a list that India keeps pushing into Pakistanâs face. New Delhi wants him extradited; it demanded that Pakistan do so shortly after the July 11 Mumbai blasts. <b>The Friday Times sought out Salahuddin at an undisclosed location near the LoC in Azad Kashmir to seek his views on the Kashmir struggle and the Mumbai blasts. Below are excerpts:</b>
<b>The Friday Times: The Musharraf regime has changed tack on some basic security policies. How would you react if it took a u-turn on you?</b>
Syed Salahuddin: Pakistanâs security, defence and sovereignty is strongly linked with the security of Kashmiri freedom fighters. Indiaâs demand that âSalahuddinâ or any other mujahid is handed over to them is absurd because âSalahuddinâ is living in Azad Kashmir which is his land and a liberated part of Jammu and Kashmir. Every Kashmiri has the right to live either in the Occupied Kashmir or Azad Kashmir. It is impossible for the Musharraf regime to take a u-turn on me.
<b>So it was thought by the Taliban; it was the same thing vis-Ã -vis Mullah Zaeef and Dr AQ Khan. If the US pressed Islamabad to hand you over to India, what would you do?</b>
Mullah Zaeef was a different case. He was an Afghan national. He was on Pakistani territory. I am a Kashmiri. Till this moment, the international community acknowledges Azad Kashmir as part of Kashmir. It recognises the legal, diplomatic, political and moral standing of Kashmiris. The Taliban did not enjoy such privilege. On the Kashmir issue, Islamabad cannot take a u-turn.
<b>But of late you have been accusing the Musharraf regime of taking a u-turn on Kashmirâ¦</b>
Thatâs a different thing. Kashmir is an indigenous movement. Pakistan is a party to it. It is Pakistanâs responsibility to provide every kind of support to this movement â although until now Pakistan has been giving it diplomatic, moral and political support. We want Pakistan to initiate a military intervention in Kashmir, just like India. But Pakistan does not do that. Pakistan is justified in taking that decision but the Kashmiris are disgruntled with it for not exercising the military option. Even so, I have full faith that nobody can take a u-turn on Kashmir. Nobody can hand me over to India.
<b>What gives you this faith? </b>
I have this faith because my living in the Azad Kashmir is like living in the Occupied Kashmir. I am justified in living in Azad Kashmir. No law in the world can make anyone extradite me.
<b>Who is behind the Mumbai blasts? </b>
No outfit fighting inside Kashmir [against the Indian occupation] is behind the Mumbai blasts. The Brahmin imperialism has denied human rights to the Indian minorities. India is cruel towards its minority. Thatâs why more than a dozen separatist movements are going on in India. Incidents like Mumbai blasts could be masterminded by anyone who is a victim of atrocities. India wants to malign Pakistan. If a dog would bite a dog, India would accuse Pakistan for it. Once a village in Kashmir was hit by the plague. India accused the ISI of infiltrating infected rats! India is suffering from ISI-phobia. India would orchestrate terrorist attacks itself to muster support from the West and then accuse Pakistan of perpetrating violence. India has struggled to get the freedom movement of Kashmir termed as terrorism but has failed. The international community recognises it as indigenous movement. India has been unsuccessful in having Hizbul Mujahideen declared a terrorist outfit.
<b>But what has your jihad in Kashmir achieved so far? </b>
The Kashmiris are fighting 750,000 Indian troops for the last 16 years. Your [referring to Pakistan] total army is not more than 600,000. Despite its superior forces and arms India has not been able to break our will to fight. India is spending Rs520 million per day in Kashmir. Keep in mind that more than 450 million people in India live below the poverty line.
<b>Indian economy is becoming stronger. Its reputation is improving. The US is signing nuclear deals with India. India has become the hub of IT technologyâ¦on the other hand, Pakistanâs reputation is at the lowest ebb. </b>
I agree that Pakistanâs reputation is falling and Indiaâs is going up. But does all this mean we should give up our stance on Kashmir. The Kashmiris have only one option â do or die!
<b>The historical fact is that all international disputes have been resolved through political processes.</b>
India and the international community have wasted the opportunity of holding a political dialogue by not responding to General Musharrafâs CBMs. The international community did not support Musharraf. It supported India. The role of international community is condemnable.
<b>So what will happen? </b>
We are above âwhat will happen!â We will continue to fight the Indians and give sacrifices. Our conviction is that we will liberate Kashmir through jihad like Afghanistan.
<b>There are no American dollars behind the Kashmir jihad⦠</b>
American dollars reached when jihad had acquired roots in Afghanistan. Before that, the mujahideen sold their goats to buy weapons. Kashmir will never be resolved through talks.
<b>So what are the options? </b>
Pakistan should provide Kashmiris âsubstantial supportâ.
<b>What is âsubstantial support?â </b>
It does not require explanation. It should be in addition to the diplomatic, political and moral support â to make this movement meaningful.
<b>And âsubstantial supportâ would resolve the Kashmir issue?</b>
One year, five years, ten years, or hundred years⦠Time doesnât matter in freedom movements. India has realised that if Kashmir is not resolved soon, militancy will spiral out of Kashmir and spread to other parts of the country.
<b>Are Mumbai blasts a result of this phenomenon? </b>
The Indians are relating it to militancy in Kashmir. Not we. We are following our code of conduct. We donât want to give India any chance to defame our movement.
<b>Who is financing your movement?</b>
The Kashmiris! There are more than 5 million Kashmiris living around the world. They are supporting our cause.
<b>What is Hizbâs policy on suicide attacks? </b>
Donât use the word âsuicideâ. Fidayeen attacks are the supreme form of sacrifice. Among martyrs, the greatest death is of the one whose body and means of transportation are blown up and divided into pieces. That is the highest degree of martyrdom. Fidayeen sacrifice their lives to achieve a bigger target.
<b>What is Hizbâs strength? </b>
In hundreds of thousands, people of every age, including some non-Muslims.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-LSrini+Jul 30 2006, 08:49 PM-->QUOTE(LSrini @ Jul 30 2006, 08:49 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->I want to know the terms of the Islamabad accord 2004 between Mushy and Vajpayee. What did India agree to and what did Pak agree to? Can anybody help?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Any luck on this? I am trying to see how much of this agreement was because of US pressure and what India achieved from this deal.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
There was no accord between them. Remember NDA lost election in May.
They agreed to start peace process in Jan 04 -
They shortlisted some area for discussion-
They were: a) peace and security including confidence-building measures; b) Jammu and Kashmir; c) Siachen; d) Tulbul navigation project; e) Sir Creek; f) terrorism and drug trafficking; g)economic and commercial cooperation; and h) promotion of friendly exchanges
<b>Pakistan expels Indian diplomat</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In a brazen act, Pakistan on Saturday arrested and handcuffed a senior Indian diplomat and ordered his expulsion accusing him of indulging in "undesirable activities", bringing a new low in bilateral ties.
Deepak Kaul, Consular (visa) at the Indian High Commission, has been asked to leave the country within 48 hours, Indian officials in Islamabad said.
<b>A group of about eight to nine persons pounced on Kaul when he was having tea at a kiosk on Islamabad-Lahore Highway on his way to Wagah border to receive his family, the officials said.
They said the diplomat was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken to an undisclosed location where he was kept for about five hours.</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Now spineless can apologize again. Why they let him go? they should have given same treatment to Paki diplomat. <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Aug 5 2006, 11:25 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Aug 5 2006, 11:25 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Any luck on this? I am trying to see how much of this agreement was because of US pressure and what India achieved from this deal.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
There was no accord between them. Remember NDA lost election in May.
They agreed to start peace process in Jan 04 -
They shortlisted some area for discussion-
They were: a) peace and security including confidence-building measures; b) Jammu and Kashmir; c) Siachen; d) Tulbul navigation project; e) Sir Creek; f) terrorism and drug trafficking; g)economic and commercial cooperation; and h) promotion of friendly exchanges
<!--QuoteBegin-LSrini+Aug 6 2006, 06:21 AM-->QUOTE(LSrini @ Aug 6 2006, 06:21 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->
Thanks Mudy! I thought there was some kind of agreement.
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<b>LSrini :</b>
Even if there was an agreement Pakistan will not honour it.
For it is written in the Koran :
<b>Make an agreement in weakness but change it to suit you once you are strong</b>
KARACHI: Signs of strong growth in textile exports are not very encouraging as falling imports of textile machinery during the 2005-06 financial year point to a reduction in the rate of the industryâs expansion, according to textile sector analysts and industrialists.
They attributed the growth in textile exports in the last fiscal year to the implementation of the Balancing Modernising and Revamping (BMR) strategy undertaken by the textile industry in previous years which resulted in a 17 percent increase in textile exports. The majority of investment went into the spinning and processing sector contributing to a 35 percent increase in exports of cotton yarn and a 38 percent increase in exports of Bedwear, which was recorded in the last fiscal year.
However, BMR in the industry slowed down in the last fiscal year due to a host of factors mainly the high cost of doing business, which is making the countryâs textile products uncompetitive in the international market. âThe decline in textile machinery imports puts a big question mark on the future growth of textile exportsâ, a leading textile industrialist remarked.
Final trade figures released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics indicate that the import of textile machinery, which is necessary for the production of Pakistanâs major manufactured exports, is only 3 percent of the total $28.5bn import bill.
The total imports of textile machinery stood at $ 771.46 million in the previous financial year, registering a decline of almost 17 percent compared with the $928.6 million in textile machinery imported in the 2004-05 financial year. According to an analyst at InvestCap, textile machinery, is very important for a country like Pakistan, which depends on textiles for a major component of its forex needs. However, all doesnât seem well on this front, as a fall of 17 percent is a crucial point to consider.
âWhen we claim that the deficit has risen due to an increase in machinery imports, we should know what kind of machinery is being imported. As we can see, the only machinery being used to create exportable surplus for the country is textile machinery. Unfortunately it has not seen a very good year,â he pointed out.
This points us to the notion, the analyst stated, that our economy has become quite consumption oriented and therefore is not able to produce according to its needs.
All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Vice Chairman Mushtaq Vohra when contacted about the decline in textile machinery imports during the last fiscal year remarked that nobody would enter into low return projects. âThe high cost of doing business is rendering the textile sector uncompetitive. In this situation who will go for expansion when there are only meager prospects of returns on this investmentâ, he added.
Vohra agreed with the notion that the implementation of the BMR strategy in textile sector had slowed down, which is evident from the decline in imports of textile machinery. âIf you import textile machinery, it means it will result in more value-addition and will result in more revenue from exports, but when we are importing more automobiles and consumer goods, it means we are also adding more liabilities in the shape of more oil for automobiles and more power for air-conditioners and other goodsâ, he contended.
The share of major textile groups in total exports during the last financial year was 60 percent followed by nine percent by primary commodities, 21 percent from other manufacturing sectors and 10 percent from other miscellaneous commodities.
KARACHI: The countryâs trade deficit may cross $15 billion in the current fiscal year as the central bank has predicted that the countryâs imports would total $34 billion while exports would total $19 billion for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
Research Head at Invest Capital and Securities Khalid Iqbal Siddiqui said: âIn the wake of the huge trade deficit that the country is facing right now, we feel that there is a need to correct the imbalance prevailing in the economy.â
Two weeks ago, the State Bank took steps to boost the countryâs exports by reducing the export finance rate to 7.5 percent from 9 percent.
âThe recent measures taken by the State Bank will encourage exporters, but it will take time for the measures to produce results as the additional capacity is going to be built and then output will be received and exported,â Mr Siddiqui said.
According to trade figures, the import of textile machinery (which produces Pakistanâs major manufactured exports) is only 3 percent of the total $28.5 billion import bill. The analyst said there would be pressure on the balance of payments as imports continue to rise. These steps will ultimately have to focus on the promotion of exports and the curbing of imports.
Petroleum group: Imports under the petroleum category grew by 67 percent from $3.99 billion to $6.66 billion during 2005-06. The increase in the petroleum import bill represented $2.66 billion, or 33 percent of our incremental import bill.
The reason for this increase was not only high oil prices, but also the higher quantity of oil imported, especially during the latter half of the fiscal year. The analyst said more oil was needed to fulfill the energy needs of the country because of lower rainfalls last year. Lack of hydropower resulted in the higher use of thermal power plants, which contributed to the increase in the oil import bill.
Agriculture and Other Chemicals: The fertiliser deficit continued to widen as imports under this group grew by 14 percent from $3.6 billion to $4.1 billion. Manufactured fertiliser is one of the key contributors to the increase in agri imports.
Fertiliser: Fertiliser imports grew by 54 percent from $417 million to $643 million. These imports were due to a shortage of fertiliser in the country, which is due to aggressive lending to the agri sector. Imports of insecticides fell by 18 percent from $140 million to $115 million during the last fiscal year.
Metals group: The growth in the metals group shows that the economyâs fundamentals are improving as the consumption of steel is the barometer for industrialization in any economy, but the case in Pakistan is slightly different.
Imports in the metals group soared as Pakistan Steel Mills developed a technical fault, and therefore steel had to be imported for normal consumption, as well as for the earthquake-affected areas.
Also the increase in the prices of steel contributed towards the higher import bill for the metals group. Imports under this group grew by 48 percent from $1.2bn to $1.8bn. The incremental amount of $0.58bn, or 7 percent of the increase in our import bill, could have been averted had Pakistan Steel Mills been functioning properly.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->no need to cheer<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
jayshastri,
Compare country size, now lets cheers.
<!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
tupid--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pakee.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pakee.gif' /><!--endemo-->
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->Â under the new ownership of the Aga Khan. Religious circles were incensed but the bank explained that instructions were specific to one branch with special functions.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->