2. Jinnah edit commenting on the theft of NATO containers says NATO and CIA agents were found responsible for terrorist activities. Edit writes every NATO container had specific an ID or code and this was shared with NATO officials at Karachi and Afghanistan terminals. (Jinnah Edit)

CHINA
1. Vice Chancellor of Punjab University, Prof. Dr. Mujahid Kamran in his address to the College of Information Technology, said that in view of the changing situation, a Third World War cannot be ruled out. He said that even the Chinese president has agreed that US aggression can only be stopped through military action and that might involve the use of nuclear weapons. (Daily Pak)

2. Jang editorial on Sino-Pak friendship says China is the real friend of Pakistan and hence Pakistan should find ways to strengthen its ties with China, giving priority to cross border trade. (Jang Edit)

INDIA
1. Addressing a function to start a new movement ‘Gulami Nahi Azadi’ in Afsha colony in Rawalakot, Kashmir Students Liberation Front (KSLF) President Nasir Sarwar and others said that giving India the MFN status was a betrayal of the blood of martyrs and that Pakistan had lost its right to continue moral and consular support to Kashmiris. Pakistan should rescind the Karachi agreement so that Kashmiris could get freedom from India without any hassle. He said that the 84471 Sq. Miles of AJK, IHK and GB was undividable and urged Kashmiris to strengthen KSLF to counter all conspiracies. (Daily Dharti)

2. Former AJK PM Barrister Sultan Mehmood Qureshi said he explained the sentiments of 1.5 billion Kashmiris on the Capitol Hill by propagating the Kashmir problem in an aggressive manner. He added that the problem was now understood better on the international level and his tours to various countries would bring lasting results. He said that human rights violations should be stopped in Kashmir or else the ongoing peaceful movement could take a different turn. (Daily Dharti)

3. Former Minister for Religious Affairs and Muslim Conference leader Sahibzada Hamid Raza said that Pakistan would not benefit from trade with India unless the Kashmir problem was resolved. (Jang)

4. Daily Dharti editorial is concerned that many people including women and children became handicapped due to explosions in tunnels near Poonch border areas in the past two months. It said people going to work in these areas should be made aware of the dangers and authorities should establish some emergency centres to attend to such casualties. (Daily Dharti Edit)

UNITED STATES
1.Back door diplomacy is on to reduce tensions between the Pentagon and GHQ, according to informed sources who claim that there was direct contact between the Pentagon and GHQ and that NATO supply would not be reopened till 24th December. (Khabrain)

2. Arif Bahar writes that the ISI should release a video of Shamsi Air Base as evidence that the Americans have indeed vacated the base since there were many such claims in the past as well. The base, according to him, is an advertisement of the government’s double standards as it had allowed the drone attacks from the base on the one hand and on the other hand continued making anti-drone statements to pacify the masses. Arif Bahar writes that vacating the Shamsi Air Base was first step to gain liberation from American control. (Jasarat)

3. Former AJK PM, and  a senior PPP leader Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhary is making rounds of the Capitol Hill meeting with Congressmen, Senators and other policy makers  in the wake of NATO attack that killed Pakistani troops; he is impressing upon them that they should ask Obama government to review its aggressive policy against Pakistan since. Barrister said that Pakistan was an ally of America since the Cold War recalling that when Pakistan supported America against USSR, India stood with the USSR. He also said that America should support Pakistan on the Kashmir issue so that Pakistan would be relieved of pressure on its eastern border and pay attention on the western borders. He also apprised his American interlocutors of human rights violations in J&K. (Ausaf, 12 December)

4. Former Army Chief, Gen (retd) Ziauddin Butt said that the US had prepared to quit Afghanistan, but before leaving, they wanted to install on Kabul a government of its own choice. He said the US created a 400,000 strong army to combat the Taliban. He accused former President Musharraf of sheltering Osama Bin Laden. He informed that to strike Bin Laden, the US had prepared 90 Pakistani commanders but Gen. Mehmood had made this plan fail. Regarding the Memogate issue, he said that it was a CIA sting operation. He said Aijaz Shah and Musharraf should be interrogated on Osama bin Laden issue. (Jinnah, Daily Pak)

ARMY/ISI
1. Former President Musharraf has wanted a guarantee from the Pakistan Army for his return to Pakistan fearing a threat on his life, said sources. (Jang)

2. Ausaf EDIT refers to statements of Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar that the western borders were being secured by establishing an Air Defence System after which NATO would not be able to strike and full response could be given to any drone attacks. Edit demands that American forces should be asked to vacate Jacobabad and Pasani air bases and demands that drones should also be shot down if they violate Pakistan’s territory. (Ausaf Edit, 12 December)

TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. TTP Darra Adam Khel has attacked members of Lashkar-e-Islam at Aka Khel area in Khyber Agency. 4 people were killed including a commander of Lashkar-e-Islam, Muhammad Gul. (Jasarat)

2. CID had arrested 3 members of TTP along with 8 others in Karachi and seized heavy explosives. (Ummat)

3. Ibrat editorial comments on the compensations made in settlement of the six-year-old clashes between Ogahi and Teghani tribes in Kandkhot district. The jirga committee has resolved the issue by calling for payment of compensations of Rs. 3.5 crores for the 86 killings from the both the sides. Edit says Supreme Court of Pakistan should take note of the settlement since jirga systems are banned under the law. There should be a strong judicial and police mechanism to deal with such matters. (Ibrat)

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
1. Chairman of Royat-e-Hilal Committee and chief of Ittehad-e-Madaris-e-Diniya, Mufti Munib-ur-Rahman said the nation was in crisis because of secret agreements made by former President Pervez Musharraf and that it was possible that the government could go back on to its decision to stop supplies to NATO. He said that Sharia would not be fully implemented in Pakistan until brave leadership came to power and claimed that the establishment and government’s mission was a hurdle in the implementation of Islamic jurisdiction. (Ausaf, 12 December)

2. Owais Farooqui writes in his column that the low education ratio was the main reason behind child labour in Pakistan. Children between 5 and 12 years were 30 % of population and out of them 33 million were child labourers. Farooqui states that 73% boys and 27% girls were engaged in child labour and it was 8% higher in rural areas in comparison to urban areas. (Urdupoint, 12 December)

3. Nazir Naji in his column writes that the opposition and media in Pakistan were so obsessed with the illness of President Zardari that they were not paying any attention to other issues. Issues like Veena Malik scandal and vital US-Pakistan relationship received no attraction from the opposition parties or the media. President Zardari would eventually resume his duties if got better or would quit if he was unable to continue. (Jang)

ECONOMY-WATER- ENERGY
1. GN Mughal says a Task Force Team of Friends of Democratic Pakistan, which includes some economic experts from ADB was interfering with Pakistan’s internal affairs so much so that they were now directing Pakistan to review decisions on Kalabagh. The team has no representative from Sindh or Balochistan and has more representatives from Punjab while Khyber Pakhtunkhwah has little say in this task force. (Awami Awaz)

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWAH (NWFP/FATA)
1. A low-flying drone on Monday evening in North Waziristan created panic. (Jasarat)

SINDH
1. Karachi police have released over 50 chained children from the basement of a madrassa that was adjacent to a mosque. Most of the children were from KP and Karachi. Some children reported that madrassa students were being trained and sent to join the Taliban. (Daily Pak, Awami Awaz, Jang)

2. Jiye Sindh Mahaz held protest rallies in parts of Sindh against Akhori dam and police failure to arrest the killers of doctors. (Awami Awaz, 12 December)

3. Jiye Sindh Qaumi Mahaz’s Bashir Qureshi and others said that a dharna would be held on 18th December against false cases registered against members of the party and abduction of the cadres. (Awami Awaz, 12 December)

4. Syed Jalal Mahmood Shah, Chief of Sindh United Party, said an important decision would be announced at a public meeting on the 23rd of December at Hyderabad. He claimed that this announcement would be of interest to Sindhis and the Sindh. (Awami Awaz, 12 December)

5. Sindh government admitted that it was a historic mistake to send back a Chinese company in 2006. Authorities have also admitted that the power generation system based on wind, hydel, oil and water has failed. They suggested coal alone was the suitable solution to end the energy crisis. Yunus Daga, Secretary, Coal and Energy, told the Public Accounts Committee that if power houses were changed into thermal systems, it would save Rs. 2-3 billion annually. (Ibrat)

6. Hindu Panchayat has convened an All Sindh Hindu Panchayat meeting to discuss and chalk out a strategy against atrocities being heaped on Hindu Sindhis in Pakistan. (Awami Awaz)

BALOCHISTAN
1. Punhal Sariyo’s article in Awami Awaz states that Sindh and Balochistan were the worst victims of human rights violations for the year 2011. (Awami Awaz, 12 December)

POK NEWS
1. Convenor of the JKLF, Stoke-on-Trent (UK) branch, Muhammad Saeed, has said government of AJK was distorting the identity of the state and non-state organizations that had hijacked the liberation movement. He said that they would keep countering those who tried to divide the state and betray martyrs. JKLF, Stoke-on-Trent (UK) branch held a special session and discussed about the liberation movement and party affairs. (Ausaf, 12 December)

2. PPP-AJK Senior leader Suhail Rafiq said that with the changing situation, an amendment in Kashmir policy was also essential. He added that those who wanted to continue the ideology of winning Kashmir with arms were actually enemies of the Kashmiri people. He added that wars could only aggravate the problems and had never been a solution to any conflict. (Daily Dharti)

3.  Sanitary workers staged protests across AJK and chanted anti-government slogans saying that they intend to continue their agitation till their demands were met. They are demanding a notification making the contract employees permanent and regular service structure for Municipal employees. (Daily Dharti)

4. In separate meetings with the Chief of Naval Staff, Asif Sandila, and Pakistan Air Force Chief Rao Qamar Suleman, AJK President Sardar Yaqoob Khan resolved to establish Air and Navy Recruitment Centres in AJK. He said that these recruitment centres would ease the enrolment process and more Kashmiris would be able serve the nation. (Daily Dharti, Baad-e-Shimal)

G-B NEWS
1. Baad-e-Shimal editorial commended GB CM’s announcement on the formation of two new divisions and more districts. PPP government has been working towards providing basic rights to GB. Edit states that the people of GB have great expectations from the PPP government. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)

2. Baad-e-Shimal editorial complains about the shortage and steep prices of fire wood and due to a ban on importing wood from Diamer. Edit also complains that medicine and wheat are in short supply across GB with cold wave cutting off land connection with rest of Pakistan. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)

3. Former Councillor and social activist Haji Husain said in a statement that corruption and nepotism was eating away at Gilgit Baltistan like termites and progress of all districts had been affected. Haji stated that the backwardness of Diamer district had increased due to a biased attitude of the government. (Ausaf, 12 December)