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.
CHINA
1. Defence analytic Gen. Retd. Javed says if China opposes India, then it cannot become a member of the NSG. The Chinese policy is very clear in this regard. (Khabrain)
2. The Asian Development Bank has agreed to invest in the CPEC projects and in projects that link the Gwadar port to the other parts of Pakistan. (Roznama Dunya)
3. Federal Minister for Trade and Engineer, Dastagir Khan had said China has relaxed conditions for opening Pakistani bank branches in China. Habib Bank will soon open its branch in China, he said adding that the Pakistani banking channel will help speedy money transfers for CEPC will be easy now. This will end the dependence on foreign banks and save foreign exchange. (Daily Intekhab, Jasarat)
UNITED STATES
1. The western world is upset with Pakistan because it is the only Muslim nation with a nuclear weapon, say Gen. (retd) Abdul Qayyum, Former Foreign Minister, Asif Ahmed Ali and other defence and foreign affairs experts. They said Pakistan’s nuclear program is at such a level now that no compromise is possible. The US wants to make India stand against China, they fumed. (Roznama Dunya)
AFGHANISTAN
1 India has opened up its door to Afghan nationals. An Indian airline company has reduced fares for Afghan national to 75 per cent in order to encourage Afghans to fly to India. Interestingly, President Ghani’s India policy has not earned him any brownie points; many ruling party politicians are unhappy with Ghani on this score. (Jasarat)
2. Afghanistan’s Deputy President Abdur Rashid Dostum has alleged that Pakistan’s secret agency is supporting the Haqqani network, according to reports in the Afghan media. Dostum also claimed that the same Pak agency is also seeking to destabilise Afghanistan by engineering terrorist attacks through the Haqqani network. (Jang)
INDIA- NSG
1.For India and Pakistan, there is no option other than talks to resolve issues and improve bilateral relations. Hence, both the sides should come to the table for talks as soon as possible. (Daily Pak Edit).
2. Pakistan seriously needs to revisit its foreign policy. .India is trying its best to get membership of the NSG and if India succeeds in this game, then Pakistan will lose its chance as the US is concerned about Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Another issue on foreign policy front for Pakistan is the border flare-up with Afghanistan. There is a marked difference in the attitude of Pakistan’s friends like Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE. So it is time for Pakistan to revaluate its foreign policy pursuits and emerge out of isolation. (Jang Edit)
3. The Indian Foreign Secretary’s visit to Beijing is to convince China that India is not opposed to Pakistan’s membership to the NSG and that India has good relations with Pakistan. But the ground reality is quite different. India is trying hard to win over China but China did not give a positive response. (Roznama Dunya Edit)
4. PM’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz’s statement that the US has reservation on Pakistan’s nuclear program is a matter of grave concern to every one since Pakistan had carried out its N- blast only as a response to India’s test but the US did not take notice of Indian attempts .. Put simply India, and not Pakistan needs to be blamed for disturbing the balance of power in South Asia. Moreover Pakistan’s nuclear program is safe. Many a time the Indian nuclear material was stolen and this was covered in the media as well. The US, being a superpower should treat India and Pakistan on the same footing. The US should give up its duplicity. On its part, Pakistan should review its foreign policy, particularly the challenges faced by its nuclear policy. (Khabrain Edit)
5. The authorities should fully concentrate on obtaining the NSG membership for Pakistan. If Pakistan is successful in getting a seat on NSG, India will not remain in a position to dare Pakistan every now and then and India’s conspiracies against Pakistan with the US support will backfire. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)
ARMY/SECURITY FORCES
1.Former Chief of Army Staff, Gen Mirza Aslam Beg, writes: In 2001 Pakistan joined the US alliance against the Afghan Taliban; yet Mullah Omar treated Pakistan as the friend of Taliban saying that we two share the same national interests and destiny. The ISI and the CIA had formulated a strategy to defeat the USSR; Mujahideen had come from 70 countries to take part in the war. The Taliban had fought bravely to liberate their country from the foreign invasion. The US betrayed the Afghan Mujahideen after the defeat of the USSR. The US will not be able to stand up for long in the face of Taliban resistance. Pakistan needs to review its policy; this is a historic opportunity for Pakistan to come out of US influence, and support those who care about its interests. Pakistan should think about strategic alliances with the regional countries. (Ummat)
2. Security forces have killed 5 terrorists belonging to a banned organisation in the Awaran district of Balochistan and have recovered a huge cache of weapons, a laptop and banned literature. (Jasarat)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. JuD Chief, Hafiz Saeed has asked the Muslim countries to form Islamic Union with common currency to stand up to the US. Speaking at marriage hall function in Gulbarga, he claimed that the US is trying to use Indian bases. He pledged to foil all attempts to block the Indian Ocean and attack on Pakistan’s nuclear program. (Roznama Dunya)
2. Bangladesh government is arresting Muslims under the pretext of murder of Hindus. So far 8000 Muslims are placed behind bars. Of them 103 people are charged under the Terrorism Act. Bangladeshi opposition parties are alleging that the Hasina government is arresting innocent people who have nothing to do with the killings of the minorities. So far, more than 30 people belonging to the minorities have been killed in targeted killing. Many of the victims were bloggers and gay rights activists. (Al Qalam Weekly, 17-23 June)
POLITICAL SCENE
1.The Nawaz government has rejected Opposition stand on framing terms of reference (TOR) for the Panama Leaks probe panel. Khawaja Saad Rafique, who is also a minister has objected to the demand that the probe should cover the Prime Minister. Addressing a news conference, Rafique said the PM’s name does not appear in the Panama papers and no one can forcibly put it there. The courts instead of the Opposition should decide who should be tried and investigated over the Panama issue. The Opposition should not misguide the nation on the ToR issue. He requested the Jamaat-e-Islami to mediate and bring all parties on the same page for the probe by parliamentary committee. Answering a question, Khawaja Saad Rafique expressed the hope that senior PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari would not do anything that might jeopardise democracy in the country or might amount to playing into the hands of Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid. (Awami Awaz)
2. Writing under the heading, “Is there any truth in the reports about in-house changes”, M.B. Soomro says PML (N) faced confrontation with the establishment during its previous two stints but this time, it has been kept engaged with the ‘dharna politics’.. Only time will show as to how the party deals with the emerging scenario. It is very clear that more than the ‘invisible forces’, it is the political class who is responsible for the weakening of democracy as the politicians allow themselves to be used against one another for petty gains and do not hesitate to be exploited even for non-political exercises. (Kawish)
3. Nazir Naji writes: various opposition parties have planned agitations and rallies; the first to announce its date for rallies is the Jamaat-e-Islami, which has a good experience in holding protest rallies. Though PPP has seasoned leaders, it is divided between the father and the son. Both of them are still new to street politics. In a way, PTI is better placed than the PPP to take on the ruling PML-N party. So, will an agitation by Imran Khan bring any remarkable change or will it end as just another damp squib. We have to wait and watch. One thing is clear though. Nawaz Sharif, who is recovering from a heart operation, will not be in a position to take any active part in politics for quite some time. (Roznama Dunya)
PAK ECONOMY
1. Qurban Baloch writes that about 39 per cent of the population in Pakistan, that is about 7 crores, is a victim of multi-layered poverty. Poverty in the Sindh interiors is at 53.5 per cent. Out of 23 districts of the province ten districts have witnessed a spurt in poverty levels. Around 70 per cent of the population in the 30 districts of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwah and Balochistan, is a victim of acute poverty. The people do not have access to drinking water, health care, education and housing. (Kawish)
NWFP/KP
1. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has begun the process of verification of identity cards in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Sources said in the first phase Peshawar region will be covered. The second phase of verification will cover all the remaining regions of the province including tribal areas. (Daily Intekhab)
SINDH
1. The Sindh CM has termed as baseless reports of an imminent cabinet reshuffle. There are no plans for a cabinet revamp or expansion. (Ibrat)
2. The Sindh Chief Minister has directed the police chief to take action against extortionists. Taking cognisance of media reports that Karachi business community is getting extortion threats, he telephoned the Sindh police chief and asked him to deal with extortionists with an iron fist. (Awami Awaz)
POK/ G-B NEWS
1. Gilgit-Baltistan Speaker Fida Nashad has said that National Highway Authority (NHA) has ditched the government on the issue of Skardu Road. The NHA told him that Skardu Road Tender would be opened on the 17th of June but this information has turned out to be wrong. The government is facing flak for no fault. Nashad said that now Skardu road project tender has become a question of prestige. The PML-N government must construct the road at any cost. (Daily K2)
2. The Gilgit-Baltistan government has failed to resolve the tender issue regarding the Skardu Road. Senior leaders of the PML-N should stop fooling the people by giving false dates for the tenders. Former CM Mehdi Shah was quite correct when he said that the construction of the Skardu Road is not possible for the PML-N and that only Bilawal Bhutto will inaugurate it once the PPP is in power. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)
3. Gilgit-Baltistan CM Hafizur Rahman said that the health budget will be increased by 100% and all the hospitals will be provided modern infrastructure. (Daily K2, Baad-e-Shimal)