SOURCE: Ausaf, Ummat, Daily Pak, Nawa-i-Waqt, Urdu Point, Daily Jinnah, Awami Awaz, Daily Dharti, Jasarat, Kawish, Daily Intekhab, Daily Times, Jang, Ibrat, Khabrain, Roznama Dunya, Hizb Media, Al Qalam Weekly, Baad-e-Shimal, Bang-e-Sahar, Sindh Express, Pk Voices.
CHINA
1.At a high level meeting presided by Commissioner-Sukkur, it was decided to set up Quick Response Force (QRF) consisting of army, rangers and police to ensure security of Chinese engineers working on CPEC projects. It was also decided that no Chinese engineers’ team or vehicles will leave camp without Security squad. (Urdupoint)
2. Punjab Emergency Service Rescue 1122-Sialkot has begun training program for selected army jawans for CPEC Special Security Unit under Community Safety Program. (Urdupoint)
3. KP government has demanded inclusion of two more projects in CPEC. These are railway track from Gilgit to Durgai-Malakand, via Shindur and Shangla and the route from Gilgit to Gwadar via Shindur, Chitral, Chakadra, Peshawar, Kohat, DI Khan, Xhob and Quetta. (Urdupoint)
AFGHANISTAN/IRAN
1. Moderate Taliban, who believe in unity of Muslims, have been invited for two day International Islamic Conference, according Mohsin Ara, secretary general of International Forum for Unity of Islamic Schools of thoughts, reports Iran’s News agency. (Jang)
2. Afghan Parliament passed a resolution condemning Russia’s contacts with Taliban and it also criticized Iran. (Jang)
INDIA
1. India’s face should be exposed for conspiring against the CPEC. Powers that are creating controversies about this project should be dealt with an iron fist. (Ausaf Edit)
2. JI AJK Chief Abdul Rashid Turabi said that OIC convention should be called for adopting a concrete strategy to save Kashmiris brethren from Indian establishment’s barbarism. He also said commented that there is an opportunity to avenge the fall of Dhaka by freeing Kashmir and making it a part of Pakistan. (Daily Dharti)
3. JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin, Hurriyat (AJK) leader Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Tahreek-e-Kashmir J&K leader Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi, JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch, JuD leader Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, Chief of Ansar-ul-Umma Maulana Fazlur Rahman Khalil and others spoke at the Kashmir Conference organized under the aegis of Tehreek-e-Azadi J&K in Muzaffarabad. They said Kashmir will not become through negotiations but by waging jihad unitedly. There is no use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world but India is doing it in Kashmir. Allah has given instructions in Quran to help victims and hence government, opposition and all political parties will have to unite on Kashmir issue. Maulana Khalil said that if Modi government will not stop tyranny then lakhs of youth will cross the border and announce jihad. Jud Chief Hafiz Saeed said that statement of Indian Home Minister Rajnath Sigh is an announcement of war. He added that Sartaj Aziz shouldn’t get humiliated by touring India. It was also an insult of Kashmir and Pakistan. (Ummat)
4. AJK Premier Raja Farooq said that the days were not far when Kashmiris from both the sides would move in and out freely in Srinagar because Kashmir dispute is very close to its logical end. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
ARMY/SECURITY FORCES
1. Air Commodore Malik Faheem Ullah has been promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal. (Jinnah)
2. PM knew that the report prepared by the ISI is not in his favour that is why he changed DG-ISI. (Urdupoint, Ausaf)
3. With the test firing of Babur-2 cruise missile, nuclear Pakistan has become a nation that is capable of having advanced weapons. This is the reason why India has remained silent instead of making threatening statements against Pakistan as India knows that Pak is capable of defeating its opponents. India spreading terrorism. Pakistani weapons are not against any nation but only for its protection. (Jinnah Edit)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. Counter Terrorism Police of Sindh has prepared a report on the organisations making large scale recruitments of jihadis in Pakistan for being sent abroad. The 19-page report has been submitted to the federal Home Ministry. The report includes details like which jihadi organisations are located where; their recruitment centres are based in which area and which countries they are send these people for jihad. Names of organisations doing such recruitments, its leaders, their modalities for the recruitments process and ties of these organisations with jihadi groups in the country also find mention in the report. It gives a detailed account of how the jihadis are sent to other countries for jihad. This compilation has details about banned groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Al Qaida, TTP and ISIS. (Sindh Express)
2. Foreign Office spokesman, Nafees Zakaria said that there is no organised presence of ISIS in Pakistan. All major terrorists have been shot dead. The delay in Afghan talks was because of the reports about deaths of Mullah Omar and Mullah Akhtar Mansoor. The world community should take note of Indian Home Minister’s statements against Pakistan along with human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. (Sindh Express)
3. The arrested terrorist Shahid of banned outfit, has revealed that they used to purchase weapons for target killing, from funds collected during Ramzan. (Urdupoint)
4. The suicide bomber behind the attack on advocates in Quetta was identified as Ahmad Ali. He hailed from Aiwan tribe. His grandfather had migrated from Punjab and settled in Quetta. His father was a peon in a school. Before August 8, he purchased one new chappal and socks from and payments were made by his friend. This very friend was with him during the suicide attack. Suicide bomber had support of some other persons too. The attack was very well planned and the suicide bomber waited till advocates and judges reached the courtroom. (Sindh Express)
5. On the day that marks the anniversary of 2014 attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School, a question raises: whether we have been able to stop any attack, be it on any place of worship, on hospital or educational institution. How can statements of the authorities that there is no ISIS network in country be taken seriously when arrests are being made of persons having connections with banned global organisations. The authorities’ seriousness on the militancy issue also stands exposed when they refers to terms like good and bad Taliban’s! (Kawish Edit)
6. The war on terror should continue without any discrimination if Pakistan is to be a safe country. (Daily K2 Edit, Nawa-i-Waqt Edit, Daily Dharti Edit)
ECONOMY/POWER/WATER
1. Right from the distribution of water to giving jobs to the people as per provincial quotas or even in recent CPEC there are disagreement between provinces and the federal government. This glaringly and convincingly points out to the fact that ‘Pakistan’s federal government has failed to take any lessons from the spilt of Pakistan. Even today, same attitudes continue towards small provinces and that is the major reason that the country has failed to register any economic progress. If lessons can be learnt from the past and provinces are treated equally, then it will help Pakistan head for big economic progress. (Ibrat Edit)1.
SINDH/BALOCHISTAN/KP/PUNJAB
1. Supreme Court has rejected Balochistan government’s appeal to keep the findings of the Quetta inquiry commission that probed the suicide attack on advocates confidential. The probe body made scathing criticism saying that the federal and Balochistan governments have failed in maintaining law and order. Commission also hit policies of favouritism and nepotism that have ruined the government departments. The single judge enquiry commission was particularly scathing of the federal Home Ministry, saying that the Ministry officials are busy serving the Home Minister instead of serving the people of Pakistan. (Sindh Express)
2. Federal cabinet has deferred sanctioning recommendations submitted by FATA Reforms Committee on merging FATA with KP, due to some difference of opinions. Akram Khan Durrani said that they have called a jirga on the issue. He said that Fazal-ur-Rahman and Mehmood Kahn Achakzai are government allies and FATA reform committee should discuss issues with them. Abdul Qader Baloch said that both leaders have differences on this issue. (Jang / Urdupoint)
POLITICAL SCENE
1. Senior politician, Javed Hashmi says if PTI and PPP law makers resign, elections will have to be held the next day. He would like to advise the PM to go and visit the parliament and show respect for the institution. He would like to advise Imran Khan too to go and visit parliament. Morally the PML (N) is a lot weaker now. Basically Panama is a political issue and it should be discussed and handled politically. They often get entangled into political problems and this give opportunity to those in the uniform to then put on their boots and say that they will take care now. He was addressing the District Bar in Islamabad. (Awami Awaz)
2. Disputes and differences between ruling and opposition benches are not new to Pakistan’s political system. These things do happen in the rest of the world too. There is some democratic manner in other countries, in which these things happen but it’s not the same in Pakistan. When country is facing internal and external challenges, instead of working out solutions to those challenges, these parties in the parliament are fighting and making noise in the house like the din they created when the Speaker rejected resolutions moved by PPP and PTI seeking to discuss Panama case. How can a din help democracy gain strength in the country? All this is happening despite everybody talking about stability of democracy in the country. (Sindh Express)
3. Bilawal is reaching Islamabad on 19 December and has convened a series of party meetings. There are indications of Bilawal planning to conduct many political activities in the vicinity of Islamabad. (Awami Awaz)
POK/G-B NEWS
1. Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said it is now easy to make a decision on constitutional status for Gilgit-Baltistan because the issue is associated with the Kashmir dispute. (Daily K2, Baad-e-Shimal)
2. Hafizur Rahman’s government should ensure implementation of projects like Skardu Road, Bhasha Dam, and CPEC. It also must secure Constitutional rights of the people to prove its public service. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)