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.
CHINA
1. The first caravan of the CPEC project consisting of 144 trawlers has reached Zhob under strict security and will leave for Quetta today. (Urdupoint)
UNITED STATES
1. Senior journalist and analyst Wajid Ali Syed says if Hillary Clinton becomes the US President Pakistan’s atomic program will be under pressure. Her rival, Trump said on Oct 15th that they are standing with India shoulder –to- shoulder. So much so, whether Clinton wins or Trump wins makes no difference to the Pak-US relations. (Ausaf)
IRAN/ AFGHANISTAN
1. Iran has invited Pakistani delegation to discuss a bilateral free trade agreement. It is said that Pakistan is intending to have free trade agreement with Thailand and Turkey as well. (Daily Pak)
2. Senior politician and former federal minister Nabil Gabol said that Iran and India are trying to spread sectarian terrorism in Pakistan. Their targets are Balochistan and Karachi. (Ummat)
INDIA
1. Sharif government must step up lobbying for a special session of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Kashmir which has remained under curfew for the past 119 days. India’s planned purchase ten thousand crore rupee worth Japanese aircraft is a matter of concern for us since India has no enemies other than Pakistan and these aircraft would be deployed against us. This buy is no more than war preparation against Pakistan. India is strengthening its Navy to sabotage the CPEC project. (Ausaf Edit)
2. India is going mad with its obsession for war against Pakistan. India is planning to purchase war planes from Japan. India is not ready to stop its aggression at the LoC and if such madness continues, it will force Pakistan to use its atomic weapon in retaliation. This will throw the world at the edge of an atomic war. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)
3. Tariq Fatemi special aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that if the Indian diplomats involved in the negative activities will not leave the country then the Indian diplomats will be forcibly expelled. These Indian diplomats are in contact with the terrorist network and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. (Urdupoint, Jasarat)
4. Chairman, Muttahida Jihad Council, Sayyed Salahuddin told the media at Aiwan-e-Sahafat, Kotli that the Kashmir dispute won’t be resolved by the negotiations but with the armed jihad. On the occasion of press conference Chief of Hizb-e-Islami Sardar Masood, Jan Muhammad of Harkat-e-Jihad-e-Islami, Ashfaq Bharwal of Tahareek-e-Jihad, Qari Usman Siddiqui of Harkar-e-jihad-e-Islami and secretary general of MJC Shaikh Jamil were also present. India is like a bad ghost and will not understand the language of peace. He taunted India with the remark that stubborn person will never accept logic. (Jasarat, Nawa-i-Waqt, Daily Dharti)
5. Addressing Jammu Martyrs’ Conference, Difa-e-Pakistan Council leaders said that Kashmir is jugular vein of Pakistan and it should be freed from India at any cost. JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed said that the Government should declare that Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan and reject to accept the LoC. He added that Shimla Pact is a big obstacle in Kashmir’s freedom and should be abrogated. JuD Chief further commented that the Indian Prime Minister Modi boasted about the surgical strikes whereas nothing of that sort had happened. India had no courage to try such adventures. Now Kashmiris will show India how surgical strikes are done and the same techniques of Kashmiri Mujahideen will be taught to the Indian soldiers. DCP Chairman, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, Professor Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan and so on addressed the conference. (Daily Pak, Nawa-i-Waqt, Ausaf, Khabrain, Ummat, Jasarat, Roznama Dunya)
6. India has once again fired unprovoked in the Batal sector injuring four people have been injured including two women. Pakistan’s Army has given befitting response. (Ummat)
ARMY/SECURITY FORCES
1. Nawaz Sharif has completed consultations with his close aides on the appointment of the new Army Chief, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. He was advised that in view of the current scenario on the borders and operations against militancy, offer be made to the Army Chief for extension in his tenure. Even if Raheel Sharif does not accept the offer, then the new Army Chief and the new Chairman, Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee be decided in consultation with the military bosses (Army Chief). The sources also indicate that four names are under consideration for the post of new Army Chief. Senior most Lieutenant General Zuber Mohammed Hayat, Ashfaq Nadeem, Javed Iqbal Ramdi and Qamar Javed Bajwa. The name for the Chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff committee includes names of Zuber Mohammed Hayat and Ashfaq Nadeem. (Kawish)
2. COAS General Raheel Sharif visited Khariyan where Central Command is conducting military exercises. According to ISPR, these exercises are underway in Gujranwala and Khariyan. (Jasarat, Urdupoint, Roznama Dunya)
3. The government is under pressure for an impartial investigation into the controversial Dawn leak story that went against the image of the security forces, who have sacrificed so much in the service of the country. (Ausaf Edit)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. Three target killing incidents that took place on Saturday at different places in Karachi resulted in death of three persons and left 12 injured. These incidents only suggest that the miscreants seem to be regaining the ground. Though anti- militant ops had succeeded in restoring law and order in Karachi, it has had a limited impact. The situation calls for more action in pursuit of peace with no compromise and no discrimination whatsoever. (Sindh Express Edit)
2. Based on a tip off that there are indications of three terrorist sleeper cells in Karachi. The law enforcement agencies have decided to step up operations against militants and their facilitators in the city. The Rangers and police have also prepared a report on renewed target killings in Karachi and this report says three groups are behind sectarian violence in Karachi. One of these groups has backing of a political party. (Kawish)
3. Police have arrested central leaders of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and Majlis-e-Wahdat-Ul-Muslimeen and 38 others in Karachi. (Sindh Express)
4. As per a report from Sargodha, five trained terrorists were sent from Afghanistan to Punjab. (Khabrain)
5. Balochistan Interior Ministry has sent out an alert that an 18 year old girl would be a suicide bomber and that she has entered Pakistan along with two other terrorists. They have sneaked in from Afghanistan through Killa Abdullah and have reached Quetta. Interior Ministry claims that the terrorists could target educational institution, women’s institution, government offices or any public space within next two days. (Ummat)
6. The Frontier Corps and intelligence officials have arrested seven persons belonging to banned organisations in Quetta, Mastung and Bolan. And seized army uniforms, computers and explosives material from them. (Kawish)
7. Dera Bugti fugitive commander Ali Nawaz Bugti has surrendered to the security forces with his 20 followers. (Daily Pak)
ECONOMY/POWER/WATER
1. Since there is no significant progress on Bhasha Dam, Dasu power project also is likely to be delayed. People will have to bear heavy costs of power generated from other costly avenues like thermal and others sources. (Kawish)
2. According to Planning Commission, the completion of second phase of 4320 mw Dasu power project on Indus River is impossible without construction of Bhasha Dam. Acquiring of land for power project is also becoming another roadblock for starting first phase of work in December. Though Bhasha was announced in 2009 (in fact, it was announced much earlier in Musharraf’s times in 2006) there is no significant progress till date; this is chiefly because of non-availability of funds. Though the present government has been in office for about three years, there is no significant progress on basic frame work of the project. According to sources, WAPDA recently submitted plans to planning commission for two phases of Dasu power project which will be located 70 kilometers, below Bhasha dam. The Planning Commission has refused to give consent for second phase of project (that can generate 2360 mw). The Planning Commission is of the view that second phase of Dasu can be practicable only when Bhasha dam comes up or else slit will make Dasu ineffective. Hence the focus is limited to the first phase at present. Though works for first phase are scheduled to start in December, land acquisition has become a problem. In all Dasu will need 10,000 acre in Khyber Pakhtunkhwah’s Kohistan but so far, only 97 acres has been acquired. At this rate Dasu is not likely to be completed by 2019 as planned. (Kawish)
SINDH/BALOCHISTAN/KP/PUNJAB
1. PPP supremo Bilawal is reaching Lahore on Friday. He will announce the new local team of the party. Qamar Zaman Kaira is likely to be the new PPP Chief in Punjab. (Sindh Express)
2. PTI Punjab provincial Vice President Ali Tariq Cheema and his associates have joined the PML (N). (Ausaf)
3. Mahmood Aham’s writes Bilawal has testing times ahead because he has entered political fray at a time when PPP, despite being in power in Sindh for a second consecutive term, is not popular like in the days of Zulfikar Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. It is possible that Zardari does not want to come out before the people now and has brought Bilawal instead. On one hand, the PPP leaders are making spirited speeches in meetings and on other hand, there are reports on TV channels about Zardari’s trusted few getting caught in corruption cases. (Ibrat)
4. Zulfikar Khaki in his article ‘Sindhi-Baloch youth and the CPEC project’ says it is learnt that Kulbhushan Yadav and his accomplices were also taking contracts for ship breaking at yard at Gadani in Balochistan. It is likely that Indian spying network is working actively right from Gadani’s ship breaking yard right up to the Gwadar belt. This network might be working under different guises. Hence, Baloch youth, social activists and others in Balochistan should be on watch out for such anti-national and enemy elements in Balochistan. (Ibrat)
5. Zahida Hunna’s in her article ‘Balochistan’s sorrow and grief’ says the rebellious sentiment in Balochistan began right from 1958 when Government of Pakistan had started acting against Khan of Qalat. She recalls that one 90-year old sardar of a kabila, Sardar Nauroz Khan hailing from Zarakzai kabila started guerrilla activities against the government of Pakistan. Which was not acceptable to the martial law led government in Pakistan. . The. Government’s approached other kabila chiefs to intervene and convey to Nauroz Khan its assurance in the name of the Holy Book of Quran of looking into his demands and that he should withdraw his rebellious activities. Now that holy book had come into picture, Nauroz khan accompanied by his aides gave up arms and went to hold talks with the authorities. He was arrested and put under house arrest at Qila camp. Nauroz khan and his aides were tried in the military court on sedition charges. On April 1, 1960 Nauroz Khan’s son Tabi Khan and six others were given death sentence. Two years later, Nauroz Khan died in captivity. Several people from Hazara kabila are being done to death but there is no one to mourn their death. List of deceased and those who have revolted is long. One of the martyrs is Akbar Bugti who was killed during military operations in 2006. Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan and full of mineral resources. There is no one to explain the widespread poverty here. Politicians are busy fighting for power not caring to look even into whisperings that say one fundamentalist group from Peshawar was behind target the killings in Balochistan. (Sindh Express)
6. Amar Jaleel, a noted Sindhi writer, said that he wanted to write a book ‘Why I am not a Muslim’ but he had second thoughts about writing such a book and wondered if he would be able to live and survive in Pakistan after writing such a book. Speaking in Sindh literary festival in Karachi, he said that he also wanted to write a book on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but dropped that idea too. Now, his grandson Bilawal Bhutto is out in politics and he too will be another ‘Bhutto or Zardari’. It is voters who have failed Pakistan. People who had brought Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the limelight, were ignored by him. One such person, is Leftist, Mohammad Khan but Zulfikar later surrounded by elite, put Mohammad Khan behind the bars. Religion is otherwise too personal affair elsewhere but not in Pakistan. When it comes to moon-sighting that job is even done by clergy, not by the meteorological department. It is these peers (clergy), and sardars (kabila chiefs) who have spilt the society. Sindhis cannot make any progress as long as there is no awareness amongst them. (Sindh Express)
POLITICAL SCENE
1. Sheikh Rashid, speaking on a TV show, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be disqualified by the year end. Imran is most popular leader today. He expect PPP to join the court battle on Panama Leak case. (Sindh Express, Kawish)
The five judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice will hear Panama case today. Meanwhile the letters have also been sent to nine tax-haven countries through Foreign Ministry wherein FBR officials have sought information about tax related information. These countries include Angola, Mauritius, Germany, Britain, Virgin Island, Panama and Bahama Islands. PM’s children who were asked to file their explanation will submit their case today. (Sindh Express)
3. Asif Jelani, in his article titled ‘complexities in Panama investigations’ writes that if a judicial commission is to seek information from 35 countries about the accounts of Nawaz Sharif and his family members and if it is empowered to look into the secret foreign accounts of other Pakistanis too, then it will take lot of time to collect all the related information. Right now, there is no treaty with Panama government whereby Pakistan government can have access to secret accounts of its nationals in that country. Those who think that the secret accounts of Nawaz Sharif and his family members would be made public before next general elections in 2018 are mistaken to believe so. (Kawish)
POK/G-B NEWS
1. Former G-B CM Mehdi Shah urged the COAS General Raheel Sharif to help them to help Gilgit-Baltistan a constitutionally recognised province of Pakistan. He said that unless the COAS takes interest, Gilgit-Baltistan will not get its rights. He lauded Raheel Sharif’s role in finalizing Skardu Road Tender issue. (Daily K2)