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
PM’s Advisor on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan, with China’s help, has foiled India’s bid to become a member of the NSG. The US was in support of India to become a member of NSG but China expressed concerns and said that India will have to fulfil the criteria needed to become a NSG member. China also said that India will have to sign the NPT and that if India can become a member of the NSG without signing the NPT then why not Pakistan. Even though, the US has not accepted China’s stance but certainly China’s concrete stand is a barrier for India’s NSG membership. (Daily Intekhab Edit)
BANGLADESH
1.Situation in Bangladesh has kept changing since India split Pakistan with cunningness and because of the undesirable behaviour of insiders, but Bengali people have been connected with Islam throughout their history and they are as loyal towards Islam as any other Islamic country. Recently the situation has become volatile since Sheikh Hasina had become the PM which is a victory of India. India in fact got a chance to fulfil its agenda in Bangladesh and to punish Pakistan and Islamist loyalists, but there has been no reaction from Pakistan tough these people have been targeted for their loyalty to Pakistan in the past. (Al Qalam Weekly Edit)
AFGHANISTAN
1. Afghan Taliban reportedly claimed to having been behind the incident in which a police officer fired and killed 8 colleagues in Zabul province. (Daily Intekhab)
2. Even though the 5th quadrilateral meeting to discuss the political solution to the Afghanistan issue did not result in any clear strategy being agreed upon and even a date has not been fixed for the next meeting, at least all the countries expressed their determination to resolve this issue through talks and utilise all the resources to establish peace in Afghanistan. (Jang Edit)
UNITED STATES
1. Sikandar Khan Baloch writes that India’s biggest gain this time was convincing the US to stop supplying F-16s to Pakistan and that it was under the pressure of Indian lobby that the US had even stopped aid to Pakistan to counter terrorism. He writes that India was very successful in its external policy against Pakistan by disrupting US-Pak relations. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
2.Arif Bahar, while referring to a US bill which would allow American citizens to sue Saudi Arabia for 9/11, writes that the US was trying to corner Saudi Arabia and Pakistan because it wanted to make Israel and India mini-powers in Middle East and South Asia respectively. (Jasarat)
3. Munir Ahmed Baloch strongly criticises the logistic support agreement between India and the US signed on April 16th, saying it would force India’s neighbours to take steps for the protection of their people. Such strategic agreements between US and India were threatening world peace; while India would not gain any benefit through this agreement, the US would be able to get hold over India’s neighbouring countries. He adds that Baloch also points out the criticism made by CPI that by signing this agreement India had become a client state. Baloch also criticises that India is creating misunderstandings against Pakistan among other countries including Iran and Saudi Arabia. (Roznama Dunya)
INDIA
1. Peter Topychkanov, a senior researcher at Carnegie Endowment Moscow Center, said that India made huge investment on anti-ballistic missile system despite its lack of capability to defend itself against Pakistani missiles. While speaking in a program organized by a think-tank named ‘Strategic Vision Institute’, Peter said that Israel is cooperating with India in making ballistic missile defence system. In addition, India is acquiring S-400 defence system from Russia. Yet India is far off from developing a defence system which could effectively defend against Pakistani missiles.
2. Water experts in Pakistan say India has started lobbying against the Indus Water Treaty and add that India want to scrap the treaty to provide legality to its dams constructed on Pakistani Rivers. India has got support from the World Bank in this undertaking. President of Pakistan Agriculture Reforms Movement, Ijaz Siddiqui, has said that any amendment or closure of any clause in the Indus Water Treaty would be against the interests of Pakistan. Councillor Suleman Khan said that it was regrettable that a lobby in Pakistan was also supporting the Indian conspiracy and stated that a resolution presented in Senate by PPP leader, Dr Karim Khawaja, on 7 March 2016 advised the government of Pakistan to review Sindh Water Treaty. (Jasarat)
3.Edits in Nawa-i-Waqt and Jang say: US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has expressed hope in India and Pakistan coming together for talks on Kashmir. Pakistan will have to be careful before meeting India on this issue as recently the US had cancelled the F-16 deal with Pakistan and also the UN map showed Kashmir as a part of India. India has been conspiring to push Pakistan back on this issue using the US and the matter should be dealt with great caution. Related Editorial (Jang) criticises the fact that the US has always remained biased to India in the Indo-Pak relations. If the US realises that the Kashmir issue is a cause for tension between India and Pakistan, then the US should change its prejudiced attitude. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit, Jang Edit)
4. Khabrain wants Sharif government to bring the international community’s attention to India’s ballistic missile testing. According to SIPRI’s report, India is the biggest weapons-buyer; criticises India for not spending the money to remove poverty from India. In order to be successful in their tough fight against terrorism and militancy Pakistan has asked for US F-16s, but the deal has been suspended due to India’s objections and lobbying that supply of F-16s to Pakistan will destabilise the region. However, India’s missile testing will not only lead to an imbalance in the region but also lead to an arms race in the region. (Khabrain Edit)
ARMY/SECURITY FORCES
1. There is likely to be a 10 to 15% increase in the defence budget for the next financial year. Over 17000 new personnel will be recruited. (Roznama Dunya)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. Six dreaded elements had been rounded up during crackdown by Rangers in Karachi’s Lyari area. The Rangers claimed that the arrested included target killers, extortionists and gangsters. Large quantities of explosives and weapons had also been seized from their possession. One of the six arrested also had connections with the Uzair Baloch gang. (Awami Awaz)
2. Five terrorist were killed and 23 injured in a drone strike in Khyber Agency. (Daily Intekhab, Roznama Dunya, Urdu Point)
POLITICAL SCENE
1.The Panama issue is overriding other important issues, and even issues like the severe heat wave and the price rise have not been getting as much media coverage as they should. The most discouraging part is that the month-long debates and arguments on the Panama leaks issue have only left an impression that both the government and the opposition want the accountability to be done in the way they want. (Editorials in several dailies)
2.Jang and Ausaf are happy that finally the government and the opposition have agreed to form a parliamentary committee to settle the TORs on the Panama leaks issue.(Jang Edit, Ausaf Edit)
3. Roznama Dunya in its editorial comment on TOR committee, says government should not have insisted on including the MQM in the parliamentary committee since the opposition has reservations against that party. (Roznama Dunya Edit)
4. Madad Ali Sindhi, in his article, raises certain questions: could anyone ever think of fair and transparent accountability in Pakistan; could rulers ever be afraid of god and stop playing around with the public money; could there ever be any surgical operation against corruption; and, whether every leader and politician loot Pakistan and buy properties in Dubai and London and settle there. He further states that the people had many hopes that one day there would be strict accountability and Pakistan could truly be a welfare state. (Awami Awaz)
5. Zarar Pirzada, in his article, states: wherever Nawaz Sharif goes these days, he talks about building more motorways and townships; all these things were beneficial only to the elite class because poor people could not afford to travel by these motorways. Only when the government would feel the pulse of the people, only then could there be a people-friendly government in Pakistan. The government should understand that people do want either motor ways or big townships; the people just want jobs, the prices to come down and want the power cuts to end. According to him, there can be substantial change in the energy situation if all the money that was right now being spent on motorways and townships would instead be spent on energy/power projects. Pirzada adds that this year’s massive power cuts were evidence that nothing credible and concrete has been done during all these years for the betterment of the power situation in the country. (Awami Awaz)
6. Nazir Naji states that the opposition should have questioned PM’s lies earlier but have lost the opportunity now. Naji further writes that Imran Khan could not make his address during Nawaz Sharif’s presence in the parliament and that the impact of his speech was lost in Nawaz Sharif’s absence. (Roznama Dunya)
ECONOMY/POWER
1.Idris Rajput writes that the Katzarah Dam was big enough and ideal for sufficient water storage, and that this dam would be filled only during the monsoon and hence Sindh would have no objections on building it; as Sindh would also get about 37% of the total water stored in this dam. In addition, he states that all the provinces had agreed on the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, and that even though announcements about its constructions had been made a decade ago, nothing concrete had happened in pursuit of its construction, and thus the work on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam should start immediately. (Kawish)
SINDH
1. Severe heat wave has taken the country in its grip but the people in Sindh cannot be left to fend for themselves in such a severe heat wave with prolonged power cuts. The Federal government should not have any prejudices against Sindh and the period of power cuts should be brought down; Sindh government should set up well-equipped heat-stroke centres across the province. (Kawish Edit)
2.Some Federal and Sindh government’s departments had encroached upon about 60,000 acres of land in Karachi, a meeting held at the CM house on Sindh’s land records was told. This is in addition to the encroachments made by private individuals or companies. It is a pity that there is no clear policy on the distribution of land in Sindh and whatever policies are framed only facilitate giving away of Sindh’s lands at very cheap price. Thus, on one hand, Sindh government does not fix any price for the lands and on the other hand, builders and others keep building properties on lands acquired at cheap rates and any official in the Sindh government, who has taken up the issue, has been strongly condemned. It is time the Sindh government starts taking note of this issue (Awami Awaz Edit)
BALOCHISTAN
1. Balochistan CM, Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, has said that efforts were being made to disrupt the CPEC and hence they needed national unity more than ever to fight forces conspiring to weaken Pakistan. (Daily Intekhab)
POK/ G-B NEWS
1. PM Sharif announced funds worth Rs.20cr for the Karakoram University and Rs.10cr for the Technical Training institute in Gilgit-Baltistan. PM Sharif assured Gilgit-Baltistan authorities that the Federation would try to fulfil the funds shortage for Gilgit-Baltistan. (Daily K2, Baad-e-Shimal)
2. A 6-member committee has been formed in Gilgit-Baltistan, on the tax issue, and the committee would present a report to the PM. It was said that Gilgit-Baltistan Council had approved policies for tourism, minerals, and forests as PM Sharif authorised provincial government on projects worth Rs.75crores. Gilgit-Baltistan Council’s Budget of Rs.83.10crore was approved. (Daily K2, Baad-e-Shimal)
3. DG Special Communication Organization (SCO), Maj. Gen. Amir Bajwa, said that the optical fibre project would be extended to Gwadar and Karachi. (Daily K2, Baad-e-Shimal)
4. Website for the Diamer-Bhasha dam has been launched by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. (Roznama Dunya)
5. G-B CM Hafizur Rahman in a statement said that the PML (N) government has closed all doors to corruption and feudalism in Gilgit-Baltistan and now everything will be tested on merit. Such statements are good but people want to see actual results and the government should ensure that corruption is ended at all levels. (Daily K2 Edit)