SOURCE: Ausaf, Ummat, Daily Pak, Nawa-i-Waqt, Urdu Point, Daily Jinnah, Awami Awaz, Daily Dharti, Jasarat, Kawish, Daily Intekhab, Daily Times, Jang, Ibrat, Khabrain, Roznama Dunya, Hizb Media, Al Qalam Weekly, Baad-e-Shimal, Bang-e-Sahar.

CHINA
1. The federal government has allocated Rs.49 billion for CPEC’s western route under Public Sector Development programme (PSDP) in the next financial year. (Roznama Dunya)
UNITED STATES
1. The US is building a military base on a 58- acre plot in Islamabad under the guise of constructing embassy building, say Sami-ul-Haq, Hafiz Saeed and other leaders of Difa-e-Pakistan Conference (DFC). Addressing a DFC meet, they announced a march towards Wagha and Torkham after Eid. The countries that fought failed wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir are conspiring against Pakistan. Indian forces should quit Kashmir. Sami-ul-Haq said drone attack in Balochistan that killed Mullah Mansoor was a major conspiracy and an effort to destabilize Pakistan. Whosoever tries to pursue a dialogue for peace is targeted with drone attacks. Hafiz Saeed said that a major war against Pakistan is on the cards. The US and its allies are preparing to use the Indian soil against Pakistan and the drones are standing ready on the Indian airports. (Roznama Dunya)
AFGHANISTAN
1. Afghanistan has levelled accusations against Pakistan at the UN about Pakistan’s interferences. Afghanistan was under the control of foreign forces and since the time of the USSR and Kabul had invited Pakistan to support it against the foreign invasion. The Afghan leaders were travelling on Pakistani passport since the USSR invasion and in fact Pakistan is suffering because of terrorism and drug trafficking from Afghanistan’s borders. Kabul should get rid of the foreign rulers. The Afghan government is demonstrating enmity against Pakistan and the Kabul government is speaking India’s language. The countries that are thinking about using force to resolve the issues should remember fate of the USSR and the US in Afghanistan. Both of the countries have suffered humiliating defeats. (Jasarat Edit, Ummat Edit)
2. The Afghan Taliban took control over five of the total 14 districts of the Helmand province. (Ummat)
INDIA
1. The Indian authorities have started development of key projects near Sir Creek. These are coming up in the disputed areas, and are impacting the environment. The project in Koteshwar (on the Indian side) is being upgraded. (Kawish)
2. Indo-Pakistan Interior Ministers’ meeting is scheduled to take place in Islamabad in the first week of August. (Roznama Dunya, Jang)
3. Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, the Chief of Ansar-ul-Umma, said Indian and American conspiracies have failed because of the strategy of the Pakistani Army. (Ummat)
4. After India’s failure to secure a place at the NSG, India has decided to purchase 45 artilleries worth millions of dollars from the US; both the countries have sorted out the formalities. India has claimed that the artilleries will be fixed at a high altitude near the China border. India is cunningly portraying to its allies that it has a threat from China whereas the fact is that India has no threat from China. On its part, China believes in economic supremacy by reaching out to the markets; India is dreaming to become a power in the region. Currently, the main target of India is Pakistan because Pakistan is a hurdle in realising its objectives (Ummat Edit)
ARMY/SECURITY FORCES
1. Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif deserves to be commended for boldly stating that terrorism would be rooted in Karachi and terrorists in the city would be eliminated. Allowing chaos in Karachi means allowing chaos in Pakistan as Karachi is the economic hub of Pakistan. The credit for carrying out the Karachi operations successfully goes to the security organizations especially the Rangers. It is a fact that Karachi faces multiple challenges including racism and linguistic conflicts. Not punishing criminals who were arrested during Rangers’ raids was one of the reasons for worsening of the situation in Karachi. (Khabrain Edit)
2.Federal Minister for Defence Production, Rana Tanveer Hussain, claims the US is informed that Pakistan is capable of making drone planes and it can also hit and drop drones. In future, if any drone comes towards Pakistan, it won’t go back. Rana claims that the demand for Pakistani weapons has increased in the foreign markets and the sale of Mushshak aircrafts to Qatar will support the Pakistani economy. (Jasarat)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. TTP’s Hakimullah Mehsud’s group has accepted responsibility for the assassination of Amjad Sabri in Karachi. It is essential to deal with the militants firmly. The Sindh government and the Rangers will have to end their differences to bring the situation in Karachi under control. (Daily Pak Edit, Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)
2. JI’s Al Khidmat has reportedly distributed ration and Eid gifts in 27000 poor families in Karachi. (Jasarat)
3. Hamid Mir writes that the KP government has not given a grant of Rs.30 crore to Darul Uloom Haqqania but to Difa –e- Pakistan Council (DPC). This the reason why Sami-ul-Haq has reactivated DPC along with Hafiz Saeed. (Jang)
4. Terrorist plot to blow off the Awami Express Train between Sethraja and Ranipur has failed as the explosive fixed on train track blew off minutes after the Awami Express had passed. According to the bomb disposal squad, 3.5 Kg explosive material was used for the bomb which destroyed the track. (Jasarat, Ummat)
5. JuD’s Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) has spread a circle of sahri and iftar in different parts of Karachi. Daily, over 2000 people are receiving benefit from this program. FIF is also catering food to travellers and homeless people at its centres. (Ummat)
POLITICAL SCENE
1. The Sharif family is being questioned abroad about their investments in offshore companies in Panama. A person from Kuwait kept questioning Hussain Nawaz, (Nawaz Sharif’s son) in London about the sources of funds for investing in the offshore company. Hussain Nawaz avoided this person and ultimately told him to get lost. (Awami Awaz)
2. Shaukat Lohar writes: there is no doubt that the Army operations and Army sacrifices have succeeded in restoring normalcy, law and order and peace in the northern parts. The Army has played an exemplary role in these far off areas by booting out terrorist elements. But, it requires a lot more planning and well worked strategies to bring peace and to restore law and order in a congested city like Karachi where kidnappings and target killings seem to be back. (Ibrat)
3.After the PTI, the PPP is gearing up to move a case for the disqualification of five key persons including the PM Nawaz Sharif, his brother, Shahbaz and Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. This plea is likely to be filed with the Election Commission (EC) today under Articles 62 and 63. PPP Secretary, Latif Khosa said besides the petition, evidence will be attached for disqualification. Alleging that the PM, the Punjab Chief Minister, the Federal Finance Minister and a member of the National Assembly, Hamza Sharif had sent funds abroad through hawala route, the PPP demands that they be tried under anti-smuggling, money laundering laws and the custom act. The State Bank’s letters against them and other government documents have been enclosed with the plea. Since Nawaz Sharif’s name appears in the Panama Leaks, he has no moral right to stay as the PM. Notwithstanding the plea to the EC, it will not be wrong to presume that the PPP is not in a mood to dislodge the government. PPP senior, and former President Asif Ali Zardari has already hinted that the government would complete its term. PPP is wedded to politics of reconciliation no matter what the party leaders say in the media statements. It is also understood that PPP as also Imran Khan’s PTI party, have decided to let the government of the day to stay because if Nawaz Sharif government is pulled down, there will be threat to democratic set up in country. The General elections are still about one and half year away. And it is understood that these parties will keep making demands for disqualification of PM and others as a proforma exercise till the poll date nears. The pleas before the EC are just a farce and the people are being fooled just as these parties have been doing over the years. (Ibrat Edit)
4. As life has begun to return to normal in Karachi, two incidents have made the people rethink whether normalcy is truly back. As long as there are people who provide safe hideouts to miscreants and terrorists, people of the commercial capital of the country cannot heave a sigh of relief. Besides stepping up measure to strengthen law and order, the Sindh government will also have to expel the foreigners who have been staying illegally in the city. Till such bold and drastic steps are not taken, robberies, kidnappings and target killings will keep taking place. This is the most opportune time for the Sindh authorities to frame laws for deporting the Afghans and other nationals staying illegally in Karachi. It is the government’s and security agencies’ responsibility to ensure peoples’ security, but, sadly, the Sindh authorities have failed on this front. (Ibrat Edit, Kawish Edit)
5. Former Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who is also PPP Senator, has cautioned against global conspiracies, saying militants are being used against Pakistan. He added it looks as though the militants are now working under Indian influence. There is conspiracy at work against Sindh and Balochistan. Malik is confident that the Sindh government and the Rangers would succeed in nabbing the kidnappers of Owais Shah and the killers of Amjad Sabri. (Awami Awaz)
PAK SCENE- ECONOMY
1. Qurban Baloch writes: power house construction at Tarbela dam has come to a standstill because of the inefficiency of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the dam administration. The water storage at the Mangla dam has been stopped too. IRSA has once again taken over the charge of controlling the Tarbela dam flows. WAPDA had earlier recommended to keep water level at 1490 feet at the Tarbela dam till 15 July to enable the construction of the power house on 4th tunnel but the Tarbela dam general manager kept water level only up to 1482 feet and informed the IRSA that since 4th tunnel is shut due to continuing power house work on tunnel 4, only 90,000 cusec water could be released from tunnel no.5. A 1514 feet tall embankment is also to be built to protect the work on tunnel No.4. In fact, this embankment is only 1484 feet high and work beyond that is only on paper. When the water level at the Tarbela reached 1484 feet due to extraordinary inflows this month, the company removed its staff working there. Sources say due to wrong statements from the WAPDA, the contractors working on power house project stopped working as soon as water levels touched 1484 feet. The WAPDA has already released Rs. 5 billion to the contractors to complete the power house project expeditiously. Recently, General Manager of the Tarbela dam had written to the Water and Electricity Secretary, apprising him of the ground situation. Meanwhile, the IRSA has brought down water release from the Tarbela dam from 1.92 lakh cusec as per the provincial needs to 1.80 lakh cusec. (Kawish)
BALOCHISTAN
1. Bodies of three kidnapped persons, who had surrendered recently, have been found. The banned Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) has claimed to have killed them. The victims once owed allegiance to the BLF. (Roznama Dunya)
NWFP/KP
1. KP government has failed in registering the madrasas. There are more than 12 hundred madrasas in the province; some six to nine hundred foreign students are enrolled in these institutions. (Ausaf)
2. It is decided to install cell phone jammers in 15 jails in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) which house in all some 9767 prisoners. Jail security has been upgraded following terror strikes at the Bannu and Dera Ismail jails. Authorities have computerised the records of criminals held at Peshawar central jail. This work is ow being extended to the other jails in the province. (Kawish)
SINDH
1. The Pakistan Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief, Mustafa Kamal says he does not want to induct anyone into his new party by threatening or intimidating. Speaking at an Iftar party, differences and disputes should not turn into enmity. (Ibrat)
2. Major arrests are expected this week as telephone intercepts show MQM was instructed to target the Pakistan Army. If the audio recordings prove authentic then strict actions will be taken against the MQM. (Ummat)
3. After the abduction of son of the Sindh Chief Justice and the murder of Amjad Sabri military and political establishment sat together to foil the conspiracies against peace in Karachi. There are indications that foreign agencies are involved in sabotaging the situation in Karachi. Foreign agencies are using their local agents for the operations. Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has instructed the commandos and intelligence agencies to work in synch with each other to establish peace. (Ummat)
4. Mustafa Kamal, the Chief of Pakistan Sarzameen Party, has reiterated the connections of MQM Chief Altaf Hussain with RAW. He commented that a person sitting in London is yet to reply to his charges against him about connections with RAW. He will seek memberships for his party from across the country and his party’s policies will be framed keeping in mind the public’s problems. He said that he can have differences with a few but not enmity with none. (Awami Awaz)
Senior Hurriyat leaders have said in a joint statement that both India and Israel are attempting genocide of the Kashmiris and Palestinians. The Ulema should raise the issue of Kashmir and Palestinian in their Friday sermons. (Jasarat)
5. This is the Holy month of Ramzan; yet the people are out on streets protesting about the long power cuts in the Sindh. Protestors in Hyderabad had burnt tyres and blocked the vehicular movement. Such protests were also witnessed in several other places of the province. Despite the PM giving orders that there should be no power cut during the Holy Month, there is no power supply even during early morning or evening. It is time that the government started paying attention to peoples’ grievances because it is the people who have voted them to power. (Kawish Edit)
6. Law and order situation in Karachi is a cause for deep concern. There are several processions lined up in the city but has the security thoroughly beefed up? Ban on double riding on motor bikes may be a temporary solution but a lasting solution lies in taking strong measures. Though the operations have rekindled the hope of improved law and order, the way two major incidents – a high profile kidnapping and equally high profile assassination- have dashed these hopes of a turnaround in the situation. It is not Karachi alone that faces threats but other cities in Sindh too have faced such attacks. People across Sindh are hoping that authorities realise their responsibility. (Kawish Edit)
POK/G-B NEWS
1. Prisoners in Gilgit Jail staged a protest as they were not getting medical treatment. The prisoners too have rights and the jail authorities should make arrangements for the medical treatment of prisoners as needed. (Daily K2 Edit)
2. The tender for the Skardu road and bridges has been postponed yet again. It was to be opened on 29th June. This is the tenth postponement and no reasons are offered. Sources say there are eleven companies in the fray; five of them are Chinese and the remaining six are Pakistani firms. The Skardu road is very big project; Prime Minister inaugurated the project and promised that it would be completed at all costs. Now it seems that the Skardu Road and bridges are being put in cold storage. (Daily K2)
3. Gilgit-Baltistan CM Hafizur Rahman has set up a five-member committee to make information policy to address various issues of the media. (Daily K2)