Governors for 4 Pak areas named

ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (PTI) — Top military officers are likely to have complete control over the day-to-day affairs of administration despite an initial hint that the Gen Pervez Musharraf-led new government in Pakistan would have a largely civilian look.

The process of giving shape to the new government, which is turning out to be a unique experience in Pakistan’s 52 year history, started last night with the appointments of governors of the four provinces of the country, with three of them being retired armed forces personnel and one a retired judge.

By appointing non-controversial persons and men of clean records with experience in running the administration, General Musharraf has tried to give a better look to his government, but media reports here said that these governors would merely act as figureheads and it would be the Corps Commanders in respective provinces who would call the shots.

English daily The News in a front- page report claimed that under a policy decision at the army headquarters, the administration in Punjab province would be controlled by the Lt-Gen Muhammad Aziz, Chief of General Staff at the GHQ, while Lt-Gen Muzaffar Usmani, Lt-Gen Saeedus Zafar and Lt-Gen Muhammad Mushtaq would, in effect, act as provincial chief executives.

General Musharraf last night appointed four Governors - Lt-Gen (retd) Mohammad Safdar (Punjab), Air Marshal (retd) Mohammed Azim Daudpota (Sindh), Lt-Gen (retd) Mohammad Shafiq (NWFP) and Justice (retd) Amirul Mulk Mengal (Baluchistan).

According to the daily, the Chief of General Staff based at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Corp Commanders at Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta would retain the Law and Order Portfolios and police and law enforcing agencies, including federal services, would report to them.

Even the intelligence agencies, both military and civilian like the military intelligence, corps intelligence, ISI and the Intelligence Bureau, would operate under the corps commanders, the report said.

The commanders would also keep control over the services and general administration department that is responsible for transfers and postings of the provincial civil servants.

Pak's N-programme sans political control

NEW DELHI, Oct 22 (PTI) — Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has admitted that there is no "political control" over Islamabad’s nuclear programme.

"There is no political control of what actually happens inside (the programme)," Ms Bhutto said recalling when she was the Prime Minister "when I asked to visit the nuclear facility, nobody said no, but the visit was stalled".

Describing Pakistan’s new military chief executive General Pervez Musharraf as a "moderate and courageous" man, Ms Bhutto said in an interview to ‘Newsweek’ that Washington had a key role to play for the early restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

"I think Washington must encourage the prompt return of democracy. Two or three years is too long. Three months is what we would prefer," the former Pakistan Premier said.

She said though personally she had been unable to be in touch with US leaders, she had asked friends to try and see "what the readout in Washington is".

The former Premier said that there were only two ways that Pakistan could proceed after the coup.

"Either there might be an election in which I do have a role to play and I will go back and to that or I would defer any role for myself, but not necessarily for my party if there was some sort of (political) hiatus that was backed by the international community," she said.