IRAN
1. Iranian diplomat Hussain Rwashin has expressed hope that the new Pakistani government will finalise the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project agreement. (Jang)
2. Roznama Duniya edit is on Iranian President Mehmood Ahmadinejad’s address at a public rally where he said that the US and Western countries were conspiring to break up Pakistan and were igniting sectarian clashes in Muslim countries. It says what Ahmadinejad said was not new; however, it could not be overlooked particularly in view of what is happening in Pakistan and the US and India conspiring in Balochistan… (Roznama Duniya Edit)
US/EU
1. European Observer Mission has expressed concern over violence in Pakistan and insisted that all stakeholders play their role. Hannah Roberts, the Deputy chief of the EU mission to observe elections in Pakistan said on a private TV channel that due to law and order situation, EU observers could not go to Balochistan, KP and many areas of Karachi. Roberts claimed that the EU was spending more than 50 lakh Euro on observing elections in Pakistan which aimed to promote democracy in Pakistan. (Jasarat)
2. Sindh Minister for Jails Mahmood Mandvi announced that an agreement has been reached with America’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement to provide training to officials of 75 jails in Pakistan. Each training session will be of 3 weeks and all expenses will be borne by the US. (Jasarat)
DEFENCE/SECURITY
1. Corps Commanders’ Conference has given permission for deployment of Army during elections. Forces will be deployed in all cities including Karachi. A special arrangement has been finalized for Karachi and Quetta. (Jinnah, Jang, Urdupoint, Roznama Duniya)
2. Corps Commanders’ Conference discussed the issues of Musharraf and Pak-Afghan tensions. It expressed annoyance at Musharraf’s arrest. (Roznama Duniya)
3. President of Pasban-e-Pakistan Altaf Shakur has welcomed the decision taken by COAS Kayani at the Corps Commanders’ Conference to deploy the Army for elections. he said reform in Police department was the need of the hour and stated that recruitments done on political considerations should be cancelled.
4. Navid Masood Hashmi says the statement by COAS Gen. Kayani that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and Islam was its identity is not new. For the past 8 years, they were saying the same thing on the pages of Al Qalam Weekly. Hashmi writes that for the secular and liberal forces, which wanted to make Pakistan a secular state, Kayani’s statements were like slap on their faces. In the light of Kayani’s statement, the caretaker government should ban the NGOs and the so-called intellectuals who oppose Nazarya-e-Pakistan. Hashmi writes that any person who rejected Pakistan’s Islamic ideology or became an obstacle in the Islamic system should be termed as anti-Pakistan. (Al Qalam Weekly, 28 April to 2 May)
5. Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt met caretaker PM Khoso on Monday. Khoso said that the government was determined to utilise all resources to enhance the capability of all 3 armed forces. Butt informed the PM of the steps taken to enhance the Air Force’s efficiency. (Urdupoint)
6. FIA investigation team has decided to interrogate former PM Shaukat Aziz and former Deputy PM Pervez Elahi in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case. Elahi is likely to be interrogated in the next two days, while one FIA team was being sent abroad to interrogate Aziz. It has been learnt that even former IB DG Aijaz Shah may be questioned. (Kawish)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. MQM has taken a decision to bring out its terrorists against TTP. 5 armed personnel will be deployed at each election office and 30 armed terrorists will be on duty at election rallies. MQM terrorists have also been instructed to target ANP and PPP and accuse Taliban, so that they get sympathy from both parties. (Ummat)
2. As per Human Rights Watch Director Ali Dayan, from April 21st when the election schedule was released, 46 people have been killed and over 190 injured in attacks on political parties. (Roznama Duniya)
3. Central spokesperson of Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen Allama Hassan Zahar Naqvi said that Shias and Sunnis will have to work together as there was conspiracy to spread sectarianism in Pakistan. Naqvi alleged that the US was behind the terrorism in Pakistan. Naqvi also stated that the history of Pakistan had seen that the Shia community was neglected by all political parties even when their votes were exploited. (Jasarat)
4. Jang wonders why the Taliban has decided to target only liberal parties. It says that if these liberal parties are not able to participate in elections, the election will not be a fair election. The daily urges the caretaker government, Election Commission, the Army and security agencies to ensure peace so that all parties and candidates get equal opportunity. (Jang Edit)
5. Roznama Duniya is concerned about the on-going terrorist attacks and claims that this was a conspiracy to sabotage elections. Edit is upset that the government is not taking any steps against terrorists who openly issue threats. (Roznama Duniya Edit)
6. In his article, Hamid Bhutto writes that bomb blasts are creating panic amongst the people and intelligence agencies have also reported to the caretaker government that more such blasts will take place in Karachi and other places as the polling day nears. TTP statements were an attempt aimed at benefiting parties of their choice. He says that the so-called ‘media politics’ being done in name of TTP is largely done with an eye on triggering political unrest. Parties being affected by this will resort to their own strategies to gain power; this will lead to further political tensions and may also affect the common man. Bhutto claims that even holding of elections may prove useless for the common man as the ultimate beneficiaries of the situation would be the establishment. (Awami Awaz)
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
1. If Zardari’s PPP doesn’t come to power in these elections, Zardari may go abroad on excuse of going for treatment. (Khabrain)
2. Jinnah edit says caretaker government’s writ is not visible anywhere, neither in the administration, nor in maintaining law and order. It writes that Taliban have announced that they will not attack PML-N and PTI. Edit says that it seems probable that a Taliban-backed government will take over after these elections. It says that the Pakistan government is already prepared to negotiate with Taliban and the US is also of the opinion that negotiations with Taliban will be fruitful. The question is whether a Taliban-backed government will be acceptable to the world and whether it will be beneficial for the people of Pakistan. (Jinnah Edit)
3. Columnist Arif Bahar writes that if the breaking news is that Musharraf has been allowed to go to Dubai to meet his ailing mother, then nobody should be surprised. He adds in fact the nation should be prepared to hear such news. (Jasarat)
4. Columnist Irfan Siddiqui takes Imran Khan to task for blaming Shahbaz Sharif for load shedding. He points out that Zardari was responsible for the power crisis and Punjab faced the brunt. (Jang)
5. Columnist Nazir Naji argues that if under the current critical conditions, elections are held on May 11th, it will be victory for terrorists as political parties opposing them will be weakened and their supporters will get stronger. This, in turn, will promote extremism in Pakistan which would spread across the country. Naji warns that an internal crisis will provide an opportunity to India and the US to take advantage of Pakistan; India will be able to establish its influence in Afghanistan. Naji points out that JI, which has always benefitted from electoral alliances is contesting the elections on its own; this would be affect its performance but JI is not worried as it is focused on taking advantage of the post-election situation. (Roznama Duniya)
6. Daily Pak and Nawa-i-Waqt have welcomed President Zardari and MQM Chief Altaf Hussain agreeing to form an alliance of moderate parties to challenge the increasing terrorist attacks on such parties. TTP has warned to attack PPP, MQM and ANP but not PML-N, PTI and JI for being pro-Islamic rule. This is a clear indication of the dividing Pakistani community and hence, the other parties should come to terms to foil this conspiracy to derail democracy. Pakistan’s secret agencies should reveal whether these terrorists were Pakistani or pawns of our enemy India. (Daily Pak Edit, Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)
7. Jasarat says an atmosphere was being created as if Taliban were behind sabotaging of elections; TTP has announced that PPP, MQM and ANP were their main target and these parties have resolved to fight against terrorists jointly. Prior to elections, these parties were in power but why did they fail to stop terrorism then? PPP and ANP were not in a position to face voters because of their poor performance and MQM was involved in extortion and target killings in Karachi. The incidents of terrorism were linked with sabotaging of election; significantly JI Chief Syed Munawar Hassan has said that the US and India wanted to sabotage elections in Pakistan. (Jasarat Edit)
8. PPP, MQM and ANP leaders have alleged that the establishment was siding with right wing parties; they alleged that the establishment was not doing anything to stop the attacks and in fact, terrorists had been given a free hand. These parties said that they will not quit the election process regardless of whatever terrorists may do. (Daily Intekhab)
9. JI Secretary General Liyaqat Baloch said that the American dream to make Pakistan a secular state will never be accomplished. He also said that efforts to misguide the people by publishing big advertisements in print and electronic media will not sway the people as load-shedding, inflation and poverty had psychologically affected the people to an extent where they wanted to get rid of the former ruling alliance. (Jasarat)
10. A member of ANP’s Central Executive Committee Malikzada Khyan joined JI along with thousands of his supporters. He announced the withdrawal of his candidature for PS-93 in Karachi. (Jasarat)
11. Independent candidate from SP-103 Dr Qari Sadaqat Ali demanded that Election Commissioner and COAS Kayani should decide to postpone elections for a year so that terrorism could be ended as a priority. Ali said that the dominance of 3 parties should be ended across Sindh including Karachi and alleged that independent candidates were being threatened and were not being allowed to meet voters. (Jasarat)
12. Columnist, Javed Bozdar, says that these elections are very important, especially due to conditions in Afghanistan. He says that powerful forces have changed their strategy and now, secular parties are being weakened and fundamentalists are being strengthened. He says that liberals now have no option but to join hands with fundamentalists. Bozdar says that with the passage of time, these powerful groups have started triggering chaos with the help of TTP and other organizations. He says that it is an accepted fact that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 is going to leave a huge political void in Afghanistan; the Pakistani establishment wants to bring in Mullah Omar to fill this void. He claims that the Pakistan establishment is now of the view that post-election scenario in Pakistan will such that it will give a boost to the establishment’s agenda. It wants to control things in Pakistan as PPP or other liberal parties did not come true to the establishment’s expectations. Bozdar claims that the establishment wants a system based on the two-nation theory. He says that 2014 is a year for big changes in Pakistan with President Zardari ending his term in September, the COAS ending his extended term in November and the CJP also on his way out. He says that the President House may not have as much power as it enjoys currently. He says that the establishment has lost some of its sheen during the current set up, so they want to revive their power with the help of their new strategy as they want a controlled and guided democracy in Pakistan. Bozdar believes that liberal and democratic parties have little chance of victory in Punjab as right wing parties have been given a free hand here; the election process is being affected in Karachi with the help of Taliban. He says whatever happens in Karachi will have repercussions in Sindh. He says that liberal parties like PPP, MQM and ANP are left with no option but to come together to face these threats; otherwise, fundamentalists will get stronger at the cost of liberal parties in post-election scenario. He says that Sindh interiors had been relatively peaceful till now, but after the killing of 2 nationalists, nationalist parties have been provoked. Bozdar says that elections may be held but a very weak and hung Parliament awaits the nation, which will make everything simpler for establishment’s agenda. (Awami Awaz)
ECONOMY-WATER- ENERGY
1. Circles close to the Finance Ministry have denied Pakistan’s financial team’s claim that IMF has offered a USD 5 billion package to Pakistan. (Jang)
2. Water scarcity is being felt with the advent of the Kharif season. The water level at Tarbela is said to be at 1387 feet as against the dead level of 1383.97 feet. The report says that daily withdrawal of water from Tarbela is 40,000 cusecs as against the inflow of 32,500 cusecs into the dam every day. Due to scarcity of rains in the country, the water crisis is likely to worsen in the days ahead; power generation from Tarbela has decreased to 492 MW. Out of the 44 production units, only 8 are generating power right now. Sources indicate that with the lowering of 1 feet of water in the dam every day, the power crisis will worsen. The caretaker PM has directed there should be uninterrupted power supply during election days from May 10th to May 12th and has also set up a committee in this connection. (Ibrat)
3. 70% of the election candidates were tax defaulters. The Election Commission silently gave a clean-chit to defaulters to contest elections on the pretext of lack of time for assessment. (Jasarat)
SINDH
1. Ghinwa Bhutto, chairperson of PPP (Shaheed Bhutto), has condemned the killing of 2 JSMM activists and has demanded a judicial inquiry into the killings. She said that after Balochistan, nationalists in Sindh were also being abducted and killed. She warned that such conditions will vitiate the atmosphere in Sindh which could also affect Pakistan’s security. She went on to say that the government and powerful bodies seem to have forgotten their own constitutional and legal powers in their pro-American pursuits and have now started killing their own countrymen. (Awami Awaz)
2. President of Shabab Mili (Karachi) Saifuddin said that had the situation been controlled in the last 5 years, peace would have prevailed by now. He stated that violence was a conspiracy to affect elections. Saifuddin stated that provision of modern weapons in Karachi and a free hand to target killers given by the former government are showing results now. (Jasarat)
3. JI (Sindh) Chief Dr. Mehraj-ul-Huda Siddiqui said that the Election Commission has been abducted by MQM; he alleged that EC was violating the code of conduct and claimed that under MQM’s influence, the EC in Karachi was appointing presiding officials which was against its claim of free and fair election. (Jasarat)
4. Sindh Interior Ministry has opposed federal Interior Ministry’s directives that 15 FC platoons, currently stationed in Karachi, be immediately removed to central headquarters, Peshawar, as directed by the Peshawar High Court. Sindh Interior Minister has put up the case before the caretaker Sindh CM so that either FC personnel are held back in Karachi or a new deployment of Rangers takes place, owing to the conditions in Karachi and the impending elections. (Kawish)
5. In view of bomb attacks in Karachi, PPP has asked its candidates not to hold any public meetings at sensitive areas and big cities; instead, candidates have been asked to carry out door-to-door campaign. (Kawish)
6. Sindh Health Minister Dr. Syed Junaid Ali Shah instructed the Secretary of Health to declare an emergency and cancel leaves of health staff from 9th May to 13th May in view of elections. Ali gave instructions that all emergency centres should be active and all district hospitals should be provided with facilities which would be used if any emergency takes place. (Jasarat)
7. Commercial shops and transporters in Karachi and Hyderabad observed a strike to protest and mourn those killed in bomb blasts in Karachi. (Kawish)
8. Strikes and protests took place in difference parts of Sindh to protest over the abduction and killing of JSMM activists. (Ibrat)
BALOCHISTAN
1. Miscreants hurled a hand-grenade at the house of independent candidate Major (Retd.) Asif in Balochistan’s Nushki area but no causality was reported. The armed Baloch organizations have given a call for a shutter-down strike from 5th to 11th May to sabotage elections. (Ummat)
2. Sources claim that a decision has been taken to carry out targeted operations in Balochistan and that nationalist parties have given their consent to it. BNP (Mengal), National Party and many other organizations want action against separatists. The Army will work under the Deputy Commissioner as Quick Reaction Force. To counter separatists, the borders of Afghanistan and Iran have been sealed and Army personnel have been deployed at check-posts next to borders. The Army and FC have begun to reach their locations in sensitive areas.
BLF chief Dr Allah Nazar has threatened Akhtar Mengal, who used to openly support separatists, that BLF will kill him. The government and military sources have not confirmed that they are going to launch an operation. They have claimed that the Army is being deployed on request of Election Commission and the provincial government. Intelligence agencies have begun targeted operations and action will be taken on the basis of information; whenever there is need, the FC and Army will come out. Hence, it can be said that the Army has not launched an operation. The decision of this operation was taken under pressure from nationalists; intelligence agencies have collected information about sensitive areas with focus on areas where incidents have taken place or which had the probability of a terrorist incident happening. According to sources, though Lashkar-e-Balochistan was involved in anti-election activities, currently the major threat was Dr Allah Nazar’s BLF and Brahamdagh Bugti’s BRA; hence, the main focus of targeted operations will be these groups. (Ummat)
3. Caretaker CM Nawab Barozai has said that some elements were trying to create linguistic and communal differences amongst the people of Balochistan. (Daily Intekhab)
4. President of National Party Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch has said that the time when elections were won on the strength and money of the establishment was over. He said that the people were well aware of the happenings in the last decade; they know whom to elect in next elections for the well-being and progress of general public. He expressed confidence that his party will register historic win from Kech and Makran to Jhalawan and Kachi Dabolan. (Daily Intekhab)
5. After the Teachers’ Association refused election duties in sensitive areas, the Balochistan Professors and Lecturers Association and the Balochistan Engineers’ Association have also announced their inability to perform election duties. The Education Department has warned of action against staff who refuse orders, but the Association has protested that such an action would be unfair in view of danger to the lives of their members. (Daily Intekhab)
POK/ G-B NEWS
1. Gilgit-Baltistan High Court Bar Association has submitted a 4-point charter of demands for making Gilgit-Baltistan a province of Pakistan. It said Board of Revenue, Public Service Commission, Services Tribunal, and Election Tribunal should be established for G-B. (Baad-e-Shimal)
2. Baad-e-Shimal criticizes that while PPP did a lot for Gilgit-Baltistan during Bhutto’s rule people’s hopes have been dashed under Mehdi Shah regime. It has taken several wrong decisions like charging fees from poor patients in hospitals. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)
3. Baad-e-Sahar talks about corruption in sale of Rs.14 billion worth wheat supplied by PASCO. It also takes PASCO for demanding Rs.1million interest per day since 2007. Edit says that the Gilgit-Baltistan government has misappropriated the money that was to be paid back to PASCO. (Bang-e-Sahar Edit)
