2. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has rejected a request by the US embassy to allow five of its aircrafts to be stationed at the Benazir Bhutto International airport. (Ausaf, 7 August, Nawa-i-Waqt)

INDIA
1.Hizb-ul-Mujahideen spokesperson Saleem Hashmi has termed as hypocrisy Pakistan’s Kashmir policy. He pointed out that the Pak leadership shows a soft-corner for India even while expressing concern about Kashmiris. This is nothing but hypocrisy. The Indian authorities should know that the Kashmir liberation movement is in its final phase; it cannot be stopped at gun-point. (Daily Dharti)

2. Water experts have stated that India was stealing water by making tunnels under the Chenab River bed since 2010. Due to this, there is a 30-35% shortfall in the volume of water flowing into Pakistan. (Al Qalam Weekly, 5 Aug to 11 Aug)

3.Nawa-i-Waqt’s editorial on MFN status for India says: “India has been trying to get the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status for a long time and now, finally Pakistan has given indications that it has agreed to the demand. India wants this status for three reasons. One, to push the Kashmir issue to the backburner. Second, to counter China’s influence in the Pakistani market. And third, to capture Pakistani markets in order to control its economy. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

AFGHANISTAN
1. A former Army chief, Mirza Aslam Beg has said that the US wanted to erase all proofs of the fake Abbottabad operation. He claimed that it was CIA and not Taliban that had shot down the Chinook chopper in Afghanistan as it was carrying commandos who undertook the Abbottabad operation. Beg said that even Raymond Davis had an idea about the operation and hence, he was taken away on priority. (Ummat)

2.Afghan Peace Council has claimed that they have established contacts with Taliban commander Mullah Omar and that he was ready to have talks with government over the reconciliation process. (Urdupoint, 7 August)

3. Afghan Taliban have killed 110 allied troops and destroyed 10 NATO tanks in various encounters in Paktika, Ghazni, Baghlan, district Salah and Charkh, Wardak, Zabul and Parwan.  (Al Qalam Weekly, 5 August to 11 August)

4. Morale of the American troops is low as it has been decided to stop their salaries for the next six months. (Al Qalam Weekly, 5 August to 11 August)

5. The United States and India are reportedly working on three anti-Pakistan plans. The first plan is seeks to create hatred within the Pakhtun community against Pakistan and to rekindle the Pakhtunistan issue. The second plan is to further spoil Balochistan’s internal situation in order to further pressurize Pakistan, so that the USA would be able to use the Gwadar Port as per its wishes. As per the third plan, India is funding 3 organizations to spread hatred against Pakistan among the Afghans. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1.Sunni Tehrik chief Sarwat Aijaz Qadri has presented a list of terrorists belonging to banned organizations and responsible for the Nishtar Park carnage, to the Sindh Interior Minister Manzoor Wasan. (Jinnah)

2.JuD chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed said that the chaos in Karachi was due to a conspiracy of anti-Islam forces. He urged that the Ulema of all sects to unite in order to foil the conspiracy. (Jasarat)

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
1.A secret meeting reportedly took place between the Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and JUI (F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. (Jasarat, Jinnah)

2.Following the impasse over MQM’s demands for two key ministerial berths (finance, interior, excise or planning ministries), the decision on MQM’s return to government could not be announced. The issue is likely to be resolved by Eid and after that, MQM may rejoin the government. (Kawish, 7 August)

3. A former Army chief, Mirza Aslam Beg says peace in Karachi is going to be short lived. MQM will soon start a violent campaign once again to get control of areas that are not under their control. (Ummat)

4. PTI chairman Imran Khan has accused MQM of creating hurdles in the establishment of a cancer hospital in Karachi. (Khabrain)

5. Jang editorial on PPP rule says: “So far, the PPP government has not solved a single problem and there is anarchy everywhere…Political parties are unconcerned about the people. MQM has won the present round but PPP’s consensus policy to buy peace in Sindh has not impressed Sindh PPP, ANP and other nationalist parties. … Departments like the Railways and PIA are at the brink of a closure. (Jang Edit)

WATER
1. IRSA has rejected Sindh demands of stopping water supply to Punjab from Jhelum. IRSA said that there is no water shortage in Sindh and that the province is getting 3% more than its share.  Sindh’s irrigation department has asserting that there is a 6% water shortage at the Sukkur Barrage. IRSA conveyed to Sindh that Punjab has a right to take water from different canals. According to the IRSA spokesman, 8 lakh MAF water has been stored in dams and that the process of storing water was still in progress. (Awami Awaz, 6 August)

BALOCHISTAN
1. CM Aslam Raeesani said that creation of new provinces could be dangerous. He also said that only a few people are demanding freedom. (Jasarat)

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWAH (NWFP/FATA)
1. 20 tankers carrying oil to Afghanistan were destroyed in a bomb blast at the oil tankers terminal. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

PUNJAB
1. Punjab governor Latif Khosa has rejected PML-N’s criticism on creation of Seraiki province. He said south Punjab had been marginalized in favour of development in big cities. He cautioned that if undeveloped parts of the Punjab province did not develop like Lahore, there would be violence similar to that in Karachi due to the influx of outsiders. (Kawish, 7 August, Nawa-i-Waqt)

2. Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said a States Reorganisation Commission is necessary o consider demands for new provinces in Hazara (KP), Karachi (Sindh) and in Balochistan. He said PML-N is not against carving out new provinces out of Punjab if they were made for administrative reasons but warned if a new province is created on political reasons, it would amount to breaking up of Punjab. Referring to the PML-Q resolution for south Punjab, Sanaullah said that the PPP had split the country 40 years ago; if a similar attempt is made again by using PML-Q, the PML-N would expose it. (Kawish, 7 August)

3. Senior PML-N leader Javed Hashmi said that Punjab would have to initiate the formation of new provinces, since it is the need of the hour to save Pakistan. He suggested that Punjab be spilt into four provinces. Hashmi said that one day even cities like Karachi, Quetta and Lahore may have to be made into separate provinces. He maintained that PPP would require PML-N’s support if it wants to create a new province in Punjab. (Kawish, 7 August, Ummat)

POK NEWS
1. The situation in Gojal area is tense following clashes at Hussaini village. (Baad-e-Shimal)

2. Baad-e-Shimal editorially voiced concern over clashes in Hussaini and said: “Labourers in Gojal are upset that jobs are being given to people from outside…… Even China has pointed out that miscreants there got trained in Pakistan’s tribal areas. This situation is not good for Sino-Pak relations as cross-border trade with China may be hit. (Baad-e-Shimal-Edit)

3. Hajji Abid Ali Beg, country President of Mohsin Industries said the company will invest in a solar energy plant and cold storages in Gilgit-Baltistan. (Ausaf, 7 August)

4. Due to landslides, Astor is cut off from Jaglot, and Gilgit-Rawalpindi road. (Baad-e-Shimal)
Hepatitis, cholera, typhoid and other epidemics have increased in Hunza Nagar (Gilgit-Baltistan). People are drinking dirty water ever since the central water distribution system was damaged seriously. (Ausaf 7 August)  

5. Baad-e-Shimal has lashed at the government for ignoring the rehabilitation of Attabad-affected people. “These people were promised a compensation of Rs. 6 lakhs per house within 3 days. It is already forty-five days since they had suffered the loss but no compensation has been paid so far. (Baad-e-Shimal-Edit)

6. Shaukat Ali, member of the executive committee of Central Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadis (UK) has welcomed AJK Premier Chaudhary Abdul Majid’s plan to call a roundtable conference on the Kashmir issue. Hurriyat Conference leaders will also participate in this conference. Ali said that with the Indian forces mounting atrocities on the Kashmiris, the sooner this dispute ends, the better it would be. (Ausaf, 7 August)

7. AJK Assembly Speaker Ghulam Sadiq said that the new AJK government would prove to be the base camp for the Kashmir freedom movement. (Daily Dharti)