AFGHANISTAN

1. In his column, Hamid Mir says that the Afghan President Karzai is like Pakistan’s Shaukat Aziz who came from America, worked on behalf of others and went away to UK. Mir says that Karzai is in power only because of the ongoing war; once things come to normal, he would have only one place to hide and that is India. (Jang)

2. Nawa-i-Waqt says friendship between Pakistan and Afghanistan was necessary for prosperity in the region and that the international community could also play its role to make it a reality. Edit also writes that it would be good if Karzai identifies the real enemy. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)

3. Jasarat Edit says the recent statement by Afghan President Karzai show cases the failure of Hilary Clinton’s visit to Pakistan. Edit says that the US and the Karzai government want a dialogue with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan and the Pakistan Army had agreed to manage talks between the US and Taliban but it could not ensure the success of this dialogue. (Jasarat Edit)

4. Ummat edit says the Afghan President Karzai has once again expressed his love for Pakistan and its people but accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and the Haqqani Network against Afghanistan. Such contradictory statements make him untrustworthy. (Ummat Edit)

INDIA

1. A racket in illegal Indian visas has come to light. Sources in the Ministry say that following investigations, 3 officials of the FIA, one section officer of the Interior Ministry, and 5 others from the Sadar branch of passport office in Karachi, have been arrested. Sources say that records had been confiscated following raids at foreign registration office branch in Karachi, the FIA check-post at the Wagah border and at the Passport Office. (Kawish, 23 October)

2. Former ISI DG Gen (Retd) Hamid Gul said that India was behind the assassination of former Afghan President Rabbani as India did not appreciate his efforts towards the American pull out from Afghanistan. He said India wants the US to stay in Afghanistan as this is beneficial for India. He said that the Afghan President Karzai has now understood what Rabbani was doing and hence, is showing his inclination towards Pakistan. (Ummat)

3. Daily Pak EDIT says that the US wants to give India supremacy in this region, post its withdrawal from Afghanistan, but if Karzai opposes US intentions, the US will have to take back its decision. It says that any controversy between neighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan will give way to an Israel-India conspiracy. (Daily Pak Edit)

UNITED STATES

1. Pakistan and America have agreed to a peace roadmap for Afghanistan.  According to this, the CIA and ISI will jointly look into all matters related to reconciliation and establishing peace in Afghanistan. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made Pakistan aware of basic points about the future strategy on the Afghan policy, according to private TVs. (Urdupoint)

2. American Army has finally accepted that the Chinook helicopter which crashed in Afghanistan in August had been targeted by Taliban. (Al Qalam Weekly, 21 October to 27 October)

3. PPP central leader and MNA Asif Ahmed Ali said that if Pakistan does not take action against the Haqqani Network, then the US will do so. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

4. Ausaf Edit on Hillary Clinton’s Pakistan visit says Clinton actually warned Pakistan on the question of the Haqqani Network, which is against diplomatic discourse. It applauds PM Gilani for rightly pointing out that peace could not be achieved in the region without peace in Afghanistan; it says that President Zardari said that Pakistan’s sacrifices should be acknowledged. Edit says that the US was frustrated in Afghanistan due to its failure against Taliban and claims that the Taliban have regained control on 80% of Afghan territory. Edit writes that the US was throwing the debris of its Afghan defeat on Pakistan. (Ausaf Edit, 23 October)

DEFENCE

1. Pakistan security officials have said that they have links with the Haqqani Network, but Pakistan could not ensure the success of dialogue with the Taliban as the Taliban or the Haqqani Network could not be forced, says a report. According to officials, the Haqqani Network was out of control and that the decision for negotiations would be taken by the Taliban. Another report adds that Pakistan has clarified to the US that it was not in the position of opening a new front by carrying out an operation in North Waziristan. (Jasarat, Khabrain)

TERRORISM & EXTREMISM

1. Hundreds of Taliban attacked Army centre at Gardez in Pakhtia and after a heavy battle, the Army gave up, leaving Taliban in control. (Al Qalam Weekly, 21 October to 27 October)

2. 25 bodies were collected after Taliban attacked NATO convoy in Desh Mandi. 3 tanks were destroyed. (Al Qalam Weekly, 21 October to 27 October)

3. Over 54 allied forces personnel have been killed in Afghanistan last week (Al Qalam Weekly, 21 October to 27 October)

4. Al Rehmat Trust organized free medical camps for three days at the international congregation of the Tableeghi Jamaat in Karachi. (Al Qalam Weekly, 21 October to 27 October)

5. Al Rehmat Trust has distributed edible and essential commodities worth Rs. 12.45 crores to 11,000 flood-affected households in Sindh. The Al Rehmat Trust has stepped up its relief drive and the local people of Sindh were supporting it. (Al Qalam Weekly, 21 October to 27 October)

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS

1. JI Chief Syed Munawar Hassan said that if PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had been sincere about the ‘Go Zardari Go’ movement, he would have contacted opposition parties. He also said that it would be better if the Army did not interfere in government affairs. Hassan criticized the government for not discussing the issue of drone attacks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (Jasarat, Nawa-i-Waqt, Khabrain)

2. PTI chairman Imran Khan has invited Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to merge his party with PTI and continues the struggle from one platform. But Rashid refused the offer and advised Imran Khan to form a new alliance comprising parties like Muslim League (Hamkhayal), PML-N, Sunni Tehreek, JUI-F, JUI and Awami Muslim League. (Ausaf, 23 October)

3. Former President Musharraf said that an alliance of nationalist parties is the need of the hour. He reiterated that he will return to Pakistan on March 23rd to take part in politics. He said that those in power now should not return to power anymore. He said that offices of the All Pakistan Muslim League have opened up across the country. He also said that nothing should be hidden from the US with regards to the Haqqani Network. (Ibrat, 23 October)

4. Former AJK President Sardar Atiq Ahmad said that Pakistani politics was moving towards the worst crisis and that instead of working for the nation, parties were confining themselves to their regions. (Baad-e-Shimal)

ECONOMY-WATER- ENERGY

1. Federal government’s debt has crossed Rs. 11997 billion, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Finance. According to this report, it is currently 66.1% of the GDP of country. The internal debt was Rs. 6017 billion whereas foreign debt accounted for Rs. 3987 billion. The IMF loan was Rs. 768 billion. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

Hazara Awami Ittehad Pakistan’s Sindh Provincial President Naeem Ashraf Durrani said that his party would not allow the Diamir-Bhasha Dam to be a part of Gilgit-Baltistan. He said that only the people of Hazara have rights to its royalty. He added that the inclusion of 8 kilometres of the Kohistan area in Gilgit-Baltistan would also be questioned. (Jang)

2. Out of Rs.290 billion sanctioned for specific developmental programmes during the current financial year, the Planning Commission has been able to release only Rs. 55 billion till now, says Qurban Baloch. Out of Rs. 18 billion for the Diamir Bhasha Dam, only Rs. 3.60 billion has been released; it is feared that less amounts will be kept aside for water projects and also for the Karachi and Hyderabad packages. According to statistics released by the Planning Commission, out of Rs.157 billion for infrastructure, only Rs.31.70 is released; out of Rs.129 billion for projects in the social sector, only Rs. 31.7 billion is released. Out of Rs. 6 billion earmarked for people affected by expanding the Mangla Dam, only Rs. 3 billion has been released. No funds have been released for Mirani, Sabakazai, and Satpara dams. (Kawish, 23 October)

3. Qurban Baloch reports:  despite the provinces having cut down their water indent, the Ministry of Water and Electricity has restrained IRSA from reducing the lower currents of dams. He says that WAPDA has also been asked to give water distribution indent a week in advance. In a meeting, the minister directed IRSA that in order to draw water from Tarbela and Mangla dams, water indent from provinces be given to WAPDA one week in advance, so that power generation plan could be prepared in advance. WAPDA has also been directed to inform concerned groups of any violations well in time. A sub-committee comprising of WAPDA and IRSA members has also been set up to monitor water release from dams to provinces during the Rabi season. The minister said that the government was giving more importance to hydel power and that the country had a total capacity of 6000 MW of hydel power. It was said that the current water availability in dams was 10.5 MAF, 3 MAF more than last year. In another meeting convened by IRSA, the meeting was informed that Punjab had cut down its water withdrawal from the Indus River; due to this, the Ministry had directed IRSA not to cut down the water release from Tarbela and Mangla. (Kawish, 21 October)

Punjab

1. The Punjab Governor said that those who were seeking a ban on terrorist organisations and parties were themselves major terrorists. Reacting to these reports, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that no case was pending against Punjab CM in the SC. (Ibrat, 23 October)

2. Punjab Governor is considering asking the Punjab CM to seek a vote of confidence on the floor of the house. Shahbaz Sharif is not even a member of the house and that the case challenging his becoming CM is pending in SC.

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWAH (NWFP/FATA)

1. KP government has reinstated 40 officials of district security and special branch, who had been suspects in the Abbotabad Operation. (Urdupoint)

SINDH

1. Aziz Baloch of Peoples’ Aman Committee said that MQM was terror and land mafia group with trained militants. He also claimed that MQM sends its activists from Dubai to Malaysia for training and that MQM was behind the killings of several people from Sunni Tehrik, ANP, Jiye Islami and Jiye Sindh. (Ibrat, 23 October)

2. JI central General Secretary Liyaqat Baloch said that local agents of the US had turned Karachi into a battleground. He also that JI will continue its struggle for an Islamic revolution. (Jasarat)

3. Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq has claimed that in 53 tehsils of the province had no colleges, and due to this, students were being deprived of education. (Jasarat)

4. Sindh CM has announced Rs. 268 million for the Shahid Benazir Bhutto University in Karachi. He said that this university was coming up in 200 acres allotted by the government. (Ibrat, 23 October)

5. Addition IG Traffic, Sindh, Mushtaq Shah has been given the charge of IG Sindh Police. (Jasarat)

BALOCHISTAN

1. Jang EDIT on PM Gilani’s statement at the Thar Coal Conference says that Gilani has been making such statements to lure investments but facts were not hidden. It says that everyone knows what PPP has done over the past three and half years. (Jang Edit)

POK/KASHMIR NEWS

1. On the ground of objections raised by the Indian government, Pakistan has removed the name of AJK President Sardar Yaqoob Khan from the delegation that will attend the Commonwealth Conference in Australia. India had claimed that the inclusion of AJK President at the Commonwealth Conference would be equal to considering AJK a separate nation. (Nawa-i-Waqt)  

2. AJK has more than Rs 70 billion in liability but the PPP government will complete all ongoing projects, says AJK PM Abdul Majid. (Ausaf, 23 October)

3. Former AJK PM Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary said that Kashmiris have no problem with Pakistan’s plans of giving India MFN status. He said that two out of the four points put forward by Musharraf for the solution of the Kashmir dispute were workable. (Baad-e-Shimal, Ummat)

4. Syed Salahuddin, supreme commander of Hizbul Mujahideen and chief of Muttahida Jihad Council, while addressing Hizb Council, said that bestowing MFN status upon India was equal to putting salt on Kashmiri wounds. He said that this attitude of Pakistan may affect the Kashmiri liberation movement; he also advised that the Pakistani government to consult with the Kashmiri leadership before taking such a sensitive decision. (Al Qalam Weekly, 21 October to 27 October)

5. JKLF spokesman Raja Ayub Rathore said that Pakistan’s U-turn on the Kashmir issue was equal to ending the Kashmir liberation movement. He said that if Pakistan wanted to trade with India, why did it let Kashmiris continue sacrificing? (Ausaf, 23 October)

6. Daily Pak edit says that Pakistan should make all its relations with India conditional on the solution of the Kashmir dispute. It says that if Pakistan showed some courage, it would be very easy to make India look bad. It says the Pakistani government should take a lesson from the past and get rid of the US. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)

G-B NEWS

1. Rabeta in-charge of MQM (Shigar, Gilgit-Baltistan) Fida Hussain said that some elements were conspiring against Mohsin Industries but the people of Shigar were in favour of it. Hussain urged Mohsin Industries to start their work in Shigar as early as possible as this would generate employment opportunities for locals. (Ausaf, 23 October)

2. Sub-division education office, Hunza Nagar (Gilgit-Baltistan) has broken all records of corruption. (Ausaf, 23 October)