IN the effort to prove his innocence, the Lahore jeweller — whose photograph appeared in a recent FBI list of five men suspected of entering the US illegally — unwittingly embarrassed his own countrymen worldwide and his own government when he said that the only time he had ever been abroad was when he attempted to travel to the UK on a forged passport but was detected at Abu Dhabi airport (surprisingly not at the port of embarkation in Pakistan) and was deported home.

Mohammad Asghar’s admission prompted a pertinent question from President Bush: why did the jeweller need a false passport?

The jeweller’s explanation: he got the fake passport in order to enter the UK in search of a better future because his jewellry business at home was declining.

When attempts to get legal visas fail, the desire for greener pastures and a better life abroad have goaded many Pakistanis to look to travel agents involved in the illegal visa business to provide them with forged documents to travel abroad.

Based on the frequency with which reports surface in the local press of intending passengers being offloaded at Islamabad airport because they attempt to travel on fake documents, it is evident that there exists in the country a visa/passport racket.

That a visa/passport racket exists is also evident through occasional reports in the press about blank passports being stolen or illegal passports being seized during security raids.

In January last year, 2,000 blank Pakistani passports were stolen from the post office at the railway station in Peshawar. Five postal officials were reportedly suspended. But that was just about it.

In April it came to light that some 20,000 blank Pakistani passports had been stolen in at least six cities over the past five years. In any other country, such a revelation would have put the government in a very tight spot. Here, it raised hardly a few eyebrows.

In June, four suspects, allegedly involved in the theft of 1,400 blank passports from the passport office in Sukkur in May, were caught by the police. Local passport officials were suspected to have been involved but nothing was done about it.

In July, it was reported that at least eight “agents” had been working in the Gujranwala passport office for many years as fake clerks issuing passports — in connivance with the passport officials. The entire passport office staff was merely transferred — to another passport office probably to do the same thing there!

In August, it was reported that the police had seized 11 fake passports in Kohat from an employee of a courier service. In November, it was reported that the police in Kohat recovered 60 illegal passports from two employees of a courier service who were carrying the passports from Bannu to Rawalpindi. Nothing was mentioned about the travel agents or passport officials involved.

It is quite clear from the above reports that an extensive racket involving passport officials, travel agents and courier services is involved in the illegal business. Despite some success by the authorities in apprehending fake passport holders at airports and in the seizure of illegal passports in raids, it would appear that this is only the tip of the iceberg.

The racket continues unabated and this is due as much to corruption as to the lack of will on the part of the concerned authorities to follow the investigations through and bring an end to the this illegal business once and for all by hauling up and convicting all those involved, from the travel agents, passport officials, courier services to those who are caught using the fake passports.

The result naturally is deep concern by many foreign countries that illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries, notably Afghanistan, may have travelled and are still travelling out of Pakistan, courtesy of this passport racket.

The government not acting decisively on the illegal passport issue at home has cost Pakistanis dearly in terms of image and reputation abroad. Consider this: 20,000 stolen passports means that the immigration authorities at the ports of entry in foreign countries have to check each and every Pakistani passport holder against at least 20,000 numbers to ensure that no one holding a stolen passport gets through. Islamabad has provided the numbers of the 20,000 stolen passports to all its embassies to pass on to the respective governments. Little wonder why immigration authorities all over the world are suspicious of each and every Pakistani passport holder.

On top of this, the fact that the “shoe bomber” and the “dirty bomber” had been in and out of Pakistan before being caught as international terrorists, plus the widely publicized recent sentencing to death of Aimal Kasi for the murder of two CIA officials in America have all added to tarnish the image of Pakistani passport holders abroad, particularly in the US.

There is no doubt that the new INS regulations are being used to harass and intimidate many Muslim visitors to the US, especially Pakistani passport holders, and even American citizens who are Muslims. But it is also a fact that for Islamabad to argue successfully against the implementation of the INS regulations for Pakistani passport holders, it will first need to take several measures to improve the image of the latter.

These measures would include: proving that it is sincere in cracking down on the passport racket, and making the Pakistani passport more secure and thus, harder to forge. The latter should be done by replacing the existing out-dated written entries with typed or computerized entries, and by having digitized photo image and other enhanced security features.

Until Islamabad can show that it is sincere in acting on the above two issues, particularly on the passport racket, bona fide Pakistani passport holders abroad can expect to continue to face embarrassment, hassle and hardship.

I DON’T think we need any post-mortems to tell us what went wrong in the Cape Town Test match and indeed in the entire tour of South Africa. It would be better to push the erase-button so that no trace is left of an ill-fated tour where nothing went right, not even the weather and rain never threatened. It all happened in bright sunshine.

The kindest construction that can be put on the tour is that the two teams were unfairly matched, a heavyweight against a lightweight. One team totally committed, the other simply going through the motions like a sparring partner.

Were there any positives? Only Taufiq Omar. He showed strength of character and a high price on his wicket and didn’t give it away. He looked mentally tired after he made his hundred but was soon back in the fray as Pakistan followed-on but he battled on.

If I was the team’s coach, I would gather the team and get them to see the videos of the Sydney Test match. First I would point to the innings of Steve Waugh, a captain under siege and let them, see what application and defiance means.

Then I would show them the effort of the England team, thrashed and fighting to save the ignominy of a whitewash, the batting, bowling and the fielding of a team for whom pride means much, brilliant cricket that had the mighty Australia on its knees.

Time and again, the commentators kept saying that the Pakistan team lacked motivation. Clearly national pride is not enough. Nor is the handsome money it gets. What else is needed to get motivation? I am stumped for an answer.

The Pakistan team arrived in Cape Town two days before the start of the Test match. Yet, it chose not to have any nets, no doubt exhausted by their exertions in the Durban Test match which it lost by ten wickets with the best part of two days to spare.

The body-language of the team on the first day of the Cape Town Test suggested that the end-of-tour fatigue had arrived early. As if to show that it was determined not to learn from its mistakes, Pakistan went in with four bowlers again.

Once again Shahid Afridi was not in the frame and worse, Abdul Razzaq was supposedly injured and not in the team, the bowling was weakened, so too was the batting, Pakistan should have made a greater effort to try and level the series. It did not do so. It caved in without a semblance of fight, a tame surrender. Pakistan is much better team than the one that played in South Africa.

The pity is that Pakistan had a great chance to get familiar with conditions in South Africa ahead of the World Cup and appears to have squandered the opportunity. We have been promised that the team will be re-group.

What is needed is an agonising reappraisal of our whole approach. What has been missing is the spark of inspiration, the ability to seize the opportunity or play with determination when things have gone badly.

In brief, what has been missing is team work, of playing like an unit. No one doubts the abilities of the players. It is simply that they can’t get their act together. There have been injuries but which team in the world has been without injuries? It is not possible to play non-stop cricket and come out unscathed. This goes with the territory.

There isn’t much time between now and the start of the World Cup. The team has already been announced. The selectors have done a fine job and chosen the best available team.

Generally, there is a hue and cry when a team is selected. Everyone has his own idea of what the team should be. But there has been no criticism of this World Cup squad. No one has been left out and it is a balance team.

Saeed Anwar returns to the team and one sincerely hopes that he will be able to find his magic touch. He has been out of international cricket for a long time but he has the experience to get into the groove.

Wasim Akram will be a key bowler. He has had the rest that he wanted and should be raring to go. It may well be his last appearance for Pakistan. If it is, he would want to go out on a high, a last hurrah.

Shoaib Akhtar too can play a significant role if he can come to terms with himself. So far, he has played very much by his own rules. I think he needs to knuckle down. He is a great showman and likes the spotlight on himself. No one grudges him that.

But I hope that he will accept the responsibility of being one of Pakistan’s strike bowlers. The game of cricket has a long history and so far no player has been able to prove that he is bigger than the game, not even Don Bradman or Gary Sobers.

The World Cup should be seen as a new beginning and the South African tour should be forgotten but the mistakes should be identified and the team should make sure that these mistakes are not repeated. The cricket public has been very patient. It still believes in the Pakistan team has not lost its motivation!

SARGODHA range police failed to control crime during the last year. As many as 13,958 cases were registered during this period. During 2001, the number of registered cases was 13,932.

There was an increase in incidents of violence, including rape, murder, dacoities, illegal arms and narcotics, in the four districts of the range.

As many as 217 murder cases were registered in Sargodha district, showing an increase of 27 cases. Last year, the number of murder cases registered in Mianwali was 65 compared to 80 in 2001.

In Bhakkar district a 33 per cent increase in murder cases was observed.

The DIG Police, Sargodha Range, Shamasul Hassan Mirza, told this correspondent that though some increase was observed during the last year, he has directed the DPOs to adopt a realistic approach. They should allow the police concerned to register the cases if any complainant approached them.

He said that he was not satisfied with the working of some officers but the overall working of Sargodha district police was quite satisfactory.

He said that 3,249 cases of illegal arms were registered and 3,258 accused were arrested for keeping or transporting illegal arms and ammunition. Up to 1,746 cases were registered against narcotics peddlers and 17.56 kg heroin was seized.

He said that 53 kalashnikoves, five rocket shells with 48 magazines of bullets, 366 rifles, 741 guns, 419 revolvers, 1,099 pistols, 534 carbines and 14,416 cartridges were seized.

The DIG said that to control highway robberies he has decided to set up 76 police pickets on highways. The policemen at pickets would be provided sophisticated weapons and vehicles. He said that every mobile squad would patrol the whole night within the radius of 20 miles.

He said that though over Rs90 million were reportedly stolen or snatched, stolen goods worth over Rs63 million have been recovered.

In Khushab and Bhakkar districts, the number of cases registered was less than in 2001. In Sargodha, the number of fatal accidents was higher than in 2001. Incidents of cattle lifting, motorbike theft and stealing increased in Sargodha district. The police, however, arrested 1,745 proclaimed offenders, fugitives and army deserters.