Afghan officials have claimed that Pakistan fired 45 missiles in the Afghan district of Kunar. (Urdupoint)

Ummat editorial on senior Afghan officials meeting Mullah Baradar in Pakistan jail says that the United States was behind the effort. The Afghan government was of opinion that Mullah Baradar could play a vital role in peace efforts as he was the deputy of Taliban Chief Mullah Omar. The edit cautions the Pakistan government to be careful in the matter saying that the Karzai government has dirty intentions and that apart from Taliban, no other Afghan government had ever been in favour of Pakistan. Any new government formed in Afghanistan would be under US influence and hence, would not be pro-Pakistan, the edit opines. (Ummat Edit)

INDIA

At the OIC summit, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that Pakistan wished that the Kashmir dispute be resolved in accordance with the UN resolution. Khar said that killing of Muslims in Myanmar is a cause for concern. (Urdupoint)
 
Premier of AJK and PML-N (AJK) President Raja Farooq Haider said assembly should be summoned to discuss India’s decision to divert the flow of Kashmiri Rivers. He added that the Indian Supreme Court had laid the foundation of Pakistan’s destruction by pronouncing the decision of joining all 40 rivers. He said that filling the Mangla Dam, before the dam’s affected families are compensated, would not be advisable. (Daily Dharti, Jang)

Muhammad Ghalib, President of Tahreek-e-Kashmir (UK), said that after former President Musharraf, current President Zardari had tried to put the Kashmir issue on the back-burner.   Those who gave MFN status to India had failed to raise the Kashmir issue, and hence, Kashmiris will have to do so themselves.   (Ausaf, 13 August)

Daily Dharti in an edit says India has come up with a new idea to defame and sabotage the Kashmir freedom movement which had been getting stronger; it has indicated to the presence of Al-Qaeda in Kashmir.  In order to support this propaganda, the Indian Army has started putting up posters everywhere in the name of al-Qaeda mujahideen. Edit asks Kashmir’s religious, militant and jihadi groups to play their part to stop India from playing such tricks and to expose India’s real face in front of the international community.  (Daily Dharti Edit)  

DEFENCE
Pakistan Army organized the ‘Pakistan Festival’ in Quetta.  High Court Chief Justice Qazi Faaiz, Speaker of provincial assembly Aslam Bhutani, Commander Southern Command Lieutenant Gen. Alam Khatak, and IG FC Maj. Gen. Ubaidullah Khatak along with provincial ministers participated. (Ausaf)

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that Pakistan is a nuclear power and that it would have to be made further stronger. He urged Taliban to abandon weapons and to serve the nation. Rehman said that foreign forces wanted to split Pakistan and stated that evidence of conspiracies will be presented very soon. (Urdupoint, Awami Awaz)

TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Syed Salis Ahmed, a close aide of JeM founder Maulana Azhar Masood, died in a road accident. He stood firm on ‘Ala-al-Jihad’ (Upon the Jihad) pledge given by Azhar Masood and at the time of his death, he was travelling to promote ‘Nifaak-fi-Sabillah’ (a campaign undertaken by the organization to mobilize people to bring them close to religion). Salis  Ahmed joined JeM soon after its formation on the day when Azhar Masood had read Quranic verses at the Jamia Al Falah Mosque in Karachi. (Al Qalam Weekly, 10 August – 16 August)

JI leader Syed Munawar Hassan has written a letter to the OIC summit convenor Shah Abdullah saying that the OIC must take a stand on freedom of Muslim region captured by others and about the unity of the entire Muslim community. (Jinnah)

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Prez Zardari and former PM Gilani may meet in order to make a strategy on PM Ashraf’s presence on the SC. (Jinnah)

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that Pakistan is a nuclear power and that it would have to be made further stronger. He urged Taliban to abandon weapons and to serve the nation. Rehman said that foreign forces wanted to split Pakistan and stated that evidence of conspiracies will be presented very soon. (Urdupoint, Awami Awaz)

MQM has asked PML-F to come up with a joint strategy in order to defeat PPP in the coming polls. A few days back, MQM leaders called upon PML-F’s Pir Pagaro and told him that even without a formal alliance the two parties could work out a strategy to defeat PPP in Sindh. MQM leaders said that they had already informed PPP that MQM would not go in for an alliance with PPP in the next elections as PPP was not prepared for the local government system demanded by MQM. (Kawish, 13 August)

A Gallup survey says 49% of Pakistanis considered the US their enemy while another 24% felt India is their enemy. Only 1% of the people considered China and Iran as enemies whereas 67% considered China as the best friend. (Urdupoint)

Nawa-i-Waqt’s I-day editorial says countless problems like poverty and unemployment have tarnished the image of the country and have dampened the I-day enthusiasm.  Balochistan situation has been created due to government inefficiency and it has become a threat to the nation’s integrity. Edit writes that as per Gallop’s confidential survey, 67% of Balochs wanted provincial autonomy and 37% wanted total freedom. President Zardari, who is attending the 2-day OIC summit in Saudi Arabia, should apprise the Saudi rulers of the serious threats being faced by Pakistan and emphasize the need for unity amongst Muslim communities. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)

ECONOMY-WATER- ENERGY
President Zardari has taken note of Balochistan’s complaints of not getting its share of water and as result, irrigation secretaries of Sindh and Balochistan have been summoned to IRSA. It has been now agreed that currents of the Kheer Thar canal will be weighed by WAPDA after Eid.  IRSA will not allow storage in dams until there is additional inflows of water  (Kawish)

In his programme on Geo TV, Kamran Khan said that annually, electricity worth Rs. 160 billion was stolen in Pakistan. (Jang)

Daily Pak in an edit on problems confronting Pakistan in its 66th year says that the main problem is the energy crisis which has affected industries. A country that has 5 rivers should not have shortage of power as cheap electricity could be produced by building dams; but Pakistan meets its power demand from oil which makes it very expensive. Edit is critical of former PM Gilani’s criticism   that if SC dismissed another PM, the country will disintegrate. Edit says that Gilani was not removed for his failure to write to Swiss authorities but for his contempt of court. Edit adds that if Gilani’s performance had been good, the public would have supported him. (Daily Pak Edit)

SINDH – HINDUS
Sindh Minister Zahid Bugeri said though Hindus from all over the world visit holy places in India, the Sindhi media is making an issue out of the visit by Sindh Hindus to India by indulging in false propaganda against Pakistan. He said that businesses in Sindh are largely owned by Hindus and that if they had problems, they could take them up with elected representatives in their areas. He said that there was need for change in the marriage act and that it would be done shortly in the Sindh Assembly. (Ibrat)

Hyderabad Hindu panchayat, Youth Hindu panchayat, and Hindu members of civil society have told President Zardari that the Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik should apologize to Sindhi Hindus for terming their pilgrimage trips to India as a conspiracy. They also demanded that the Hindu Marriage Registration bill be ratified in the NA. Other demands include handing over places of worship to the Hindu community and 5% job quota for minorities. (Kawish)

310 more Hindu families from Sindh have left for India via Lahore. The visa that normally cost Rs. 15 was now costing Rs. 7000 to Rs. 10,000; even then people were applying for an Indian visa. (Kawish, 13 August)

Several organizations have started protest marches against the ill-treatment of Hindus particularly forced marriages, and extortion threats. Sindh Human Rights Commission took out protest rallies in Hyderabad; leaders of social groups and political parties including Jiye Sindh Quami Mahaz and Awami Jamhuri Party joined the rallies. Speaking on the occasion, they said Hindus were subjected to ill-treatment right from the formation of the country, with the blessings of the feudals as well as the government. They termed as eyewash the government committee on Hindu problems. Speakers at other rallies claimed that Sindhi Hindus were being put through hardships as part of a conspiracy to force them out of Sindh. (Ibrat)

2 Hindu girls have gone missing from Gharo in Sindh. Their families fear that they have been kidnapped. (Ibrat)

SINDH -KARACHI VIOLENCE
Consulate Generals of Japan, South Korea and China in Karachi met the Sindh CM and conveyed concern over the poor law and order conditions in Karachi. They suggested that Karachi should be cleansed of its arms culture. They also demanded deployment of police at strategic places.  (Kawish)

BALOCHISTAN
Prof Hafiz Saeed said that JuD has initiated social and welfare projects in Balochistan. He said that 100 schools will be opened across Balochistan at a cost of Rs. 50 crores and 1000 wells will be dug at a cost of Rs. 16 crores. He said   10,000 families would be helped by way of monthly pension and self support programmes. Saeed said that 50 medical centres and ambulance services will also be opened in the province. (Daily Pak)

Pakistan Medical Association, Balochistan branch has refused to end their week-long strike. The strike began when senior doctor Dr. Ghulam Rasool was abducted at gun point by militants. PMAB President Dr. Sultan Tareen said that the agitation would continue till Dr. Rasool was recovered; all government and private hospitals will remain closed and no concessions would be made for anyone. (Daily Intekhab)

Daily Intekhab in an edit says the visit by federal cabinet’s special committee on Balochistan was a failure as even the National Party and BNP had refused to meet the delegation. Defense Minister Syed Naved Qamar who heads the committee admitted that the Balochistan problem could not be resolved by meetings or committees. Federal government has once again proved that by not accepting those talking about independence as the representatives of the people, it is not serious in resolving the issue. Efforts like NFC Award, 18th Amendment, and the Balochistan Package are not sufficient to address the problems of Balochs. If the government decided to be a part of international conspiracies, similar to 1971, this approach of theirs towards Balochistan was understandable. But if it wanted to genuinely resolve the issue, it would have to give everyone a chance to express themselves. Edit says that the government needed to understand Pakistan was in a new era where people had learned to rebel. It warns that Vietnam’s history may be repeated in Balochistan. (Daily Intekhab Edit)

Jang edit says foreign surveys on Balochistan are not factual. A secret Gallup survey said 37% of Balochistan’s population wanted freedom whereas 67% said provincial autonomy would suffice.  Edit says that it was good that majority of the Balochis was in favour of Pakistan; it was important that the government and opposition sit together to avert any international conspiracy that could turn this majority into minority. (Jang Edit)

POK/G-B NEWS
Monetary help provided by Saudi Arabia and the Shah Abdullah Relief Fund for poor people of Gilgit-Baltistan, has been distributed on the basis of favouritism, leaving out the poor and needy. (Ausaf, 13 August)  

Fiscal deficit of the AJK government has crossed Rs. 3.5 billion. (Jang)

Addressing an Iftaar dinner, former AJK Premier Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary said that he had started a movement to save AJK government and that the people will get good news after Eid. He said that his movements had two fronts – one success of the Kashmir freedom movement and the other the chase out the remains of the ‘Dogra tyranny’ from AJK. He claimed that due to his efforts, PPP had obtained a majority in previous elections. (Daily Dharti, Jang)

Shia Ulema Council, Majlis Wahdatul Muslim, JI and JUI have agreed to carry out joint efforts to establish peace in Gilgit-Baltistan. (Ausaf, 13 August)