An American official has rejected Afghanistan’s claim that ISI was behind attacks on American and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Senior officials of the US Defense Department have said that Afghan Taliban were behind the attack and stated that without evidence, Afghan officials should not blame ISI. (Urdupoint)

Khabrain has editorially advised the government to review Iranian President’s suggestion on drone attacks in Pakistan and said the issue should be raised before the international community.  (Khabrain Edit)

UNITED STATES
 American Embassy in Pakistan has clarified a statement made by a top American military official on the Haqqani Network; it said that this statement was not in accordance with the US policy and claimed that the news published in this regard was untrue. (Urdupoint)

An American official has rejected Afghanistan’s claim that ISI was behind attacks on American and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Senior officials of the US Defense Department have said that Afghan Taliban were behind the attack and stated that without evidence, Afghan officials should not blame ISI. (Urdupoint)

Nawa-i-Waqt editorially commented on the US offer for talks with the Haqqani Network and its offer of control of 3 Afghan provinces to them. It criticizes US’s double standards and says that on one hand, it is offering talks to the Haqqani Network and on the other it was forcing Pakistan to take action against them. If the US could not overcome one Taliban group, how could they defeat Taliban’s united strength? (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)

INDIA
AJK Assembly Deputy Speaker Shaheen Dar has alleged that India was trying to put the Kashmir issue in cold storage and was planning to bring in Hindus from other states and settle them in J&K. Talking to a delegation, she said that these plans would not be successful as the people in J&K will not allow the administration to do such injustice. Dar claimed India wanted to outnumber the Muslim population in case there was a referendum. She said that without resolving the Kashmir issue, improving relations with India would be meaningless. (Daily Dharti)

JUI central Secretary General Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri has accused India of blocking rivers flowing into Pakistan while it has been talking about trade and better relationships with Pakistan. He urged India to give up its dual policy if it wanted better relations. (Jinnah)

Migrants returning to J&K were being treated as untouchables. The affected people formed a forum to address their problem. It is said that these people do not have employment and that the Kashmir administration has refused to accept the Pakistani education certificate. (Ummat)

Chairman of Sunni Ittehad Council, Sahabzada Fazal Karim, has  urged that the UN should take notice of India building dams on Pakistani rivers. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

Nawa-i-Waqt has criticised Pakistan’s parliamentary group that visited India for saying that their visit was a success without even touching the core issues. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)

PCCI President Hajji Fazal Qadir Sherwani, former President of SAARC Chambers of Commerce Tariq Saeed, Vice President of SAARC Chambers of Commerce Iftekhar Ali Malik and President of Indo-Pak Chambers of Commerce S M Munir have welcomed Indian government’s decision of reducing the list of sensitive items by 30% and for opening branches of Bank of India in Pakistan. In a joint statement, they said that efforts to increase the trade relationships between the two countries will reduce poverty in south Asia. (Ausaf)
 
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
PPP has decided to write to the Swiss authorities. On or before 18th September work on drafting this letter will start. The former Interior Minister of Sindh Manzoor Hussain Wasan said that this letter will be written before the next hearing.  Parliament elections will be on 4th April 2013 and on 18th February 2013 the National assembly will be dissolved. Wasan said a middle path would be found for resolution of the issue between the government and the judiciary. (Ausaf, Urdupoint, Khabrain, Jinnah, Ibrat)

Attorney General of Pakistan Irfan Qadir said the PM’s coming to the court was an indication that he respected the judiciary. He hoped the issue will be resolved very soon and that the PM will take a decision according to the Constitution. (Ausaf, Urdupoint)

Reacting to PM Ashraf’s appearance in the Supreme Court, PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif said that if PPP had learnt from past, the second PM would not have been in the court. He said it had become a joke that PPP didn’t have any time to write to the Swiss authorities as it was busy with the court. (Ausaf, Urdupoint)

JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that PTI Chief Imran Khan was an agent of the West and that ‘Jemima culture’ would not be acceptable in Pakistan. He added that the strategic partnership between the US and Pakistan was over and that the government should officially declare that there would be no operation in Waziristan. Rahman said that the presence of religious parties in a caretaker government set up could not be avoided. (Jang, Jinnah)

President of PML-Likeminded, Mir Mukarram Zehri, while talking to Nawa-i-Waqt, said that in order to save Pakistan, the Balochistan situation will have to be corrected. He said that around 300 different communities lived in Balochistan who will have to be taken into confidence in order to resolve the issue. He added that until Baloch youth is provided employment, they will continue being used by some powers through money and weapons. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

Daily Intekhab is happy that the prime minister appeared in the SC on the question of writing to the Swiss authorities. The daily criticised Justice Asif Khosa for stating that if PM Ashraf agreed to write to the Swiss authorities, he would be allowed to complete his term. No one except the Parliament has the right to decide whether the PM could continue or not but everything is possible in Pakistan. This charade would continue for some more time as many elements find it a convenient to hide their wrongdoings and safeguard their interests. (Daily Intekhab Edit)

Ausaf editorial on the Swiss letter issue says many people have earned millions through corruption over the last four decades, especially in Musharraf’s era. Alongside, millions of people have been pushed into poverty. If situation remains unchanged and justice is not done, a civil war cannot be ruled out. (Ausaf Edit)

Khabrain editorial on the Swiss letter issue notes that the SC granted the PM time till the 18th September. It criticized the government for wasting time by clashing with the judiciary and by not paying attention to the primary needs of the people like the energy crisis. (Khabrain Edit)

Ibrat says since Musharraf’s era, a new kind of judicial activism is being seen; at present, it has taken the form of anti-PPP activism.  SC must have received reports of various political leaders hinting at chaos in the country if another PM was sacked. It says that PPP had complaints against the judiciary and these were not just fictional. Edit warns the judiciary to be careful in cases against PPP as the PPP didn’t have any more strength to sustain any more judicial strain. (Ibrat Edit)

ECONOMY-WATER- ENERGY
After refusals from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, Pakistan has asked South Korea to invest in the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project and the Diamir-Bhasha Dam. Korean Minister said that Korean companies were already working on water and electricity projects in Pakistan and were ready for more investments. The Pakistani Minister for Water and Electricity Chaudhary Ahmad Mukhtar said that the government would provide every possible facility to South Korea for such investments. Another report says that South Korean companies are interested in investing in hydel projects in Pakistan. (Daily Dharti, Baad-e-Shimal)

National Assembly’s Standing Committee for Petroleum and Natural Gas will hold an important meeting today to consider investigations into 455 new illegal CNG stations that have opened up despite government ban on the same; this meeting will also review Thar coal project’s current status. (Daily Pak)

President Zardari has invited South Korean companies to invest in Pakistan, especially in water and electricity related projects. Zardari said Pakistan desired to take advantage from South Korea’s expertise in checking floods and power generation. (Ibrat)

Jang editorial on flood situation asks the administration to take immediate steps for rescue and relief of the affected.. Apart from natural floods, India’s release of its dam waters into Pakistani rivers has added to the problem, the edit says and adds that it is very important for Pakistan to build its own dams. (Jang Edit)

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWAH (NWFP/FATA)
KP Minister for Information Mian Iftekhar Hussain said that whenever military operation is carried out in North Waziristan, the provincial government will be taken into confidence and security will be provided to vehicles going towards Gilgit-Baltistan.  KP government has sanctioned reinduction of more than 5000 employees who were removed during the Nawaz Sharif regime. (Urdupoint)
Punjab

PUNJAB
 Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa had once again taken charge as Punjab CM’s senior advisor. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

SINDH
 Faced with drought in Tharparkar, hundreds of families have migrated to Badeen and Tando Bago districts. (Ibrat)

Political parties at Bathoro in Sindh took out protest rallies demanding the arrest of criminals who robbed a Hindu trader. Besides Jiye Sindh Quami Mahaz and Sindh Tariqui Pasand, members of the civil society also joined the protest. (Ibrat)

BALOCHISTAN
Baloch Republican Party (BRP) Chief Nawabzada Brahamdagh Bugti asked the entire Baloch community to put their differences aside and come together as a single party. He was addressing a meeting to commemorate Nawab Akbar Bugti’s 6th death anniversary in London. He said that the sacrifices given by the Baloch community would not go in vain. (Daily Intekhab, Jang)

Jamhuri Watan Party (JWP) Chief Nawabzada Talal Bugti said that current leaders were trying to win the next elections through corruption. He said that 6 years had passed but the killers of Nawab Akbar Bugti had not been brought to justice. (Daily Intekhab)

90% of the audience of Channel-5 of Khabrain termed the visit of UN delegation to Balochistan as interference in Pakistan’s issues.   (Khabrain)

Daily Pak editorial is about the concerns voiced by various groups on Akbar Bugti’s death anniversary. It says that certain powers did not want issues to be settled between Akbar Bugti and the then federal government; these powers did not allow the two to meet in order to serve their vested interests. (Daily Pak Edit)

POK/ G-B NEWS
Advisor to Interior Ministry Rahman Malik said that the third force wanted to worsen the situation in Gilgit-Baltistan by encouraging violence and sectarianism. Malik said that the investigations in the Babusar incident had been completed and criminals would be brought to justice soon. (Urdupoint)

Talking to AJK ministers, President Sardar Yaqoob Khan said that rumours about tensions between the government and the Kashmir Council were not true. (Daily Dharti, Jang)

District Collector of Gilgit has announced the setting up of a Ranger’s check-post at Hanzal in order to make the entry points into Gilgit safe. (Baad-e-Shimal)

District Collector of Astore organized a meeting of Shia-Sunni Ulemas in order to seek their cooperation in maintaining peace. (Baad-e-Shimal)

Daily Dharti editorial has complimented AJK President Sardar Yaqoob Khan on completing one year in office and said his remarkable achievements  include the setting up of Poonch University and Medical College. It is important that everyone should strengthen his hands by keeping aside all differences. (Daily Dharti Edit)

Baad-e-Shimal in an editorial has seconded the suggestion of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman that the government should set up a special commission for Gilgit-Baltistan on the lines of the panel set up on Balochistan. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)