INDIA
1. Indian Army had started intense search operation against mujahideen and had increased the number of round-ups to control their activities. (Daily Dharti)

2. Trade Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim told the Senate that so far, India had not been given MFN status. His ministry was working towards normalizing trade relations between the two countries. Fahim said that negative items in the trade list will not be imported from India. He said that the list of negative items will be finalized by February. He also said that local trade would benefit after India is given MFN status. (Jasarat)

3. Indian Air Force Chief N A K Brown had indicated that India would purchase fighter jets worth USD 12 billion. India will soon announce a consortium to purchase fighter planes from France and the US worth USD 12 billion. (Jang, Nawa-i-Waqt)

4. In his column, Maj (Retd) Mehmood Abbasi writes that the US was promoting Indian interests in the region. He writes that arrest of Ghulam Nabi Fai was carried out only to please India. Whenever there is some progress on the Kashmir issue, the Indian Army carries out some action at LoC or issues a statement to sabotage the process. He suggests that Pakistan should adopt more effective ways for the Kashmir cause – it should set up think-tanks consisting of experienced diplomats to promote the Kashmir cause. Abbasi ends by saying that President Zardari had handed over the foreign ministry portfolio to an inexperienced lady. (Nawa-i-Waqt, 17 January)

MUSHARRAF  POLITICS
1. In his column, Qamar Ali Abbasi writes that President Zardari, on his one day special trip to Dubai, met Musharraf and signed a deal with him. Under the deal, on Musharraf’s return to Pakistan, he will not be arrested.  (Daily Pak)

2. Musharraf has cancelled his plans of returning to Pakistan for the time being. The decision was made after reviewing the current rift between the Army, the civilian government and the judiciary. (Jinnah)

3. The spokesman for APML, Fawad Chaudhary, has resigned. He complained that he had not been given due importance in the party as he was not included in consultations on issues like Musharraf’s return to Pakistan. (Kawish, Jinnah)

4. Daily Pak commenting on Musharraf’s statement that he would support the Army if it took over, said such a statement can be expected from Musharraf; he is well-aware of the fact that he would not get a majority to form government; hence, he will naturally support Army control. (Daily Pak Edit)

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
1. Highly placed sources indicate that the government had started succumbing to pressures from all sides and was seriously considering Senate polls on February 15th and the general elections within 90 days after the Senate elections. Sources say that PML-Q’s Shujaat Chaudhary had started talks with other parties on behalf of the government. He has reportedly sent a message to Nawaz Sharif and a meeting between the two is on the cards. Though PML-Q and PML-N are not on talking terms, it is possible that the next elections may see them in alliance. (Ibrat)

2. Three important leaders of PTI, headed by Khurshid Qasuri have gone abroad. Qasuri has been given the task of meeting Musharraf as well as PML-N’s Shahbaz Sharif. PML-N was considering bringing PTI into the grand alliance it has formed with JI, JUI-F, PP (S) and ML (Likeminded). (Daily Pak)

3. In his article, Naved Masood Hashmi writes that Pakistan had been facing conspiracies by the Qadiyanis since its birth; the first Foreign Minister Chaudhary Zafarullah Khan was a follower of the Qadiyanis and his appointment as the Foreign Minister was a wrong decision as he recruited Qadiyanis in the foreign office which became a hub of Qadiyanis and espionage. Hashmi says that they started increasing ties with Western countries, instead of Islamic countries. He writes that Qadiyanis deliberately damaged the Kashmir cause. He ends by saying that Mansoor Ijaz, the main character in the Memogate scandal, was a Qadiyani and that he had conspired multiple times and that he had close ties with the American Jewish lobby. (Al Qalam Weekly, 13 January to 19 January)

4. In a TV interview, PML-Q leader Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain said that President Zardari had immunity and that his party will not join any campaign against the President and the government. He said that for the upcoming elections, PML-Q will have a seat adjustment with PPP. (Jinnah)

5. PPP has decided to compromise with the Army and is looking for a mediator to end the face off, source said. (Ummat)

6. President Zardari has asked PPP to prepare a strategy to deal with any eventuality emanating from PM Gilani’s appearance before SC tomorrow. The party has also reportedly been asked to consider the name of another PM, in case Gilani is arrested. (Kawish)

7. Mansoor Ijaz is expected to reach Pakistan on January 24th. He would be land at the Chakala airbase on a chartered flight. (Kawish, Khabrain)

8. Hussain Haqqani’s Counsel Zahid Hussain said that if Mansoor Ijaz failed to present himself before the court, the allegations against Haqqani should be dropped. (Ummat)

9. PML-N has stepped up its efforts for a united opposition; Iqbal Jhagda and Nissar Chaudhary have started meeting leaders from other parties. PML-N and PPP (Sherpao group) have agreed that early elections were the only way out of the current crisis. (Kawish)

10  A 3-day session of the central executive committee of JI will begin on 19th January in Mansoora where current situation will be assessed and party strategy will be evolved. (Jasarat)

11. Jinnah EDIT on SC’s contempt of court notice to PM Gilani says President Zardari has since stated that the government would not clash with the judiciary and the Army. This change of heart may be the result of a meeting with Gen Shamim he had few days back. (Jinnah Edit)

12. Nawa-i-Waqt’s editorial is critical of PM’s statement that if democracy derails, all will fall. It says PPP government had started a confrontation with the Army and chose to disregard the court order. Clash with the Army and the judiciary will harm the government as well as the party. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)

13. Jasarat editorially said that the pro-democracy resolution passed in the NA had been presented by ANP. It asked if nobody is against democracy, then why the NA felt a need for such a resolution. Edit is critical about the PM’s statements that the judiciary and the Army will not be allowed to derail democracy and writes that the current government was fortunate that nobody wanted to derail it. (Jasarat Edit)

14. Daily Intekhab and Jang editorially welcomed the passing of the pro-democracy resolution in NA and criticized the PML-N. Through the passing of this bill, the supremacy of Parliament has been established. It says that PM Gilani would present himself before the judiciary and it was unlikely that the court would take a stand that would affect democracy. (Daily Intekhab Edit, Jang Edit)

ECONOMY-WATER- ENERGY
1. Mohammad Sulaiman Khan, the Chairman of Indus Water Council-Pakistan, writes that the public was being burdened with load-shedding, so that expensive rental power could be procured; he comments that already, billions have been paid towards the 7% advance for rental power. He writes that the funds allocated in the budget to overcome the energy crisis were not utilized properly. Khan says that instead of paying attention to important hydel power projects, money was being wasted on small projects. He writes that the Rs.10 billion received annually from electricity bills for the Neelum-Jhelum hydel power project was being diverted towards other segments. Khan writes that before Benazir Bhutto’s death in 2007, Pakistan had a capacity to produce 19967 MW of energy – 6444 MW through hydel power projects, 12911 MW through gas and oil, 462 MW through nuclear energy and 150 MW through coal. He says that for the Neelum-Jhelum project, funds are extracted from the public in their electricity bills, loans worth USD 948 million have been obtained from China, Saudi, Finland, and the Islamic Development Bank, but still, the project was far from completion. Khan writes that 40 energy projects, included in the PSDP, have been totally abolished and no funds had been released for 82 projects; he also informs that Rs. 3.60 billion had been released for the purchase of land for the Bhasha Dam. Khan says that there are many hydel power projects, on which feasibility reports have been completed, which could generate approximately 50,000 MW of electricity. Another 50,000 MW of electricity could be produced from run-of-the-river projects like the Ghazi-Barotha and the Kohala. China had offered to invest USD 10 billion in Pakistan on hydel projects. Khan writes that Waso Dam’s feasibility study is at its final stage and that this dam could produce 4320 MW of electricity; he says that work could be done on the Azad Pattan and Thakot projects which could produce 2800 MW of electricity each. The Munda Dam could provide 740 MW and the Bunji Dam 7100 MW of electricity. He says that these figures all indicate that the current energy shortage had been created deliberately. He says that India was working on a USD 212 billion plan to reduce Pakistan to a desert by building dams on Pakistani rivers. He goes on to say that India had already taken control of one part of Pakistani water by building the Baglihar and other dams. He writes that the Pakistan Water Commission was totally involved in this crime. Khan says that if India is able to complete the Kishenganga Dam, it will affect the Kohala, Neelum-Jhelum and the Mangla projects. (Nawa-i-Waqt, 17 January)

PUNJAB
1. Punjab government is facing a severe financial crisis and has taken an overdraft of Rs.17 billion from State Bank. If last year’s overdraft is taken into account, it adds up to a total of Rs.39 billion; this exposes the Punjab CM’s claims of having introduced financial discipline. (Kawish)

2. President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Irfan Sheikh has expressed concern over the rapid drop in direct foreign investment and demanded that the government consult the LCCI and take immediate steps, or else the economic situation will worsen. (Daily Pak)

3. A 30-member Chinese delegation of educational experts and students visited the Punjab University. (Daily Pak)

SINDH
1. Qazi Bhayo, the main accused in the killing of 3 Hindu doctors at Chak, is learnt to have taken shelter with a key JUI-F functionary. Fazlur Rehman’s brother, Maulana Attaur Rehman is in contact with the Hindu panchayat in connection with this matter. Confirming this, the Sindh JUI-F leader Maulana Abdullah Bhutto said that JUI-F Senator Dr. Khalid Mahmood Soomro has called upon the Hindu panchayat; he also said that talks were held for a compromise. Bhutto denied JUI-F giving shelter to Qazi Bhayo. Shikarpur police has said that PPP leaders were coming in the way of the arrest of Bhayo. (Ibrat)

2. Following SC orders, the Election Commission has completed the verification of voters’ lists in Sindh. This exercise  has brought to light that more than 23 lakh fake votes were registered in Sindh, most of them in Karachi. (Kawish, Ummat)

3. Chairman of the Sindh Tehrik Safdar Sariki said that Sindhis will turn out in lakhs on March 18th in Karachi at the call of Sindh Tehrik, to raise voice against national slavery. He said that parliamentary politics have not yielded good results for Sindhis; Parliamentary politics in Balochistan resulted in turning Balochs into rebels. (Ibrat)

POK/ G-B NEWS
1. Speaking with ‘Ausaf’, MLA Gilgit-Baltistan Shirin Fatima said that the unrest in the region was affecting the progress; she said that opportunists were flaring up tensions to create hurdles in the way of progress in Gilgit. (Ausaf, 17 January)

2. Syed Agha Rahat Hussain Al Hussaini, a prominent Shia leader, said that Gilgit-Baltistan has its own identity and that it is not a part of Kashmir; he said that passing a resolution in favour of Kashmir was not in the interests of region. Agha said that those who were against the Gilgit-Baltistan package and were talking of joining Kashmir, did not belong to Gilgit-Baltistan. Agha demanded that outsiders be ousted from Gilgit-Baltistan as they were increasing hatred and terrorism in G-B.  He said that the lifestyle of Kashmiris and that of the people of G-B was different. (Ausaf, 17 January)

3. People of Astore (Gilgit-Baltistan) are facing difficulties due to a heavy winter and that officials of government institutions have been absent from offices, which has doubled the problems of the local people. (Ausaf, 17 January)

4. Baad-e-Shimal edit said though the President agreed to increase the employee quota in G-B Council to 50%, the decision is not reflected in the new advertisement for job vacancies in G-B Council. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)

5. Baad-e-Shimal edit says though sectarianism has spreading in G-B over the past 30 years but it has spread more in the past two years; the government control is lessening and the control of religious organizations is increasing. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)