2. In his article, Saadi refers to news that in exchange of an American soldier, the US had released 5 Taliban from the Guantanamo Bay prison and that they had reached Qatar. Mullah Fazal Akhwand, Mullah Khairullah and Mullah Nooruddin were among those who have been released. Saadi writes that Mullah Fazal Akhwand was the Taliban army chief before the fall of Taliban in Afghanistan. (Al Qalam Weekly, 13 January to 19 January)

DEFENCE
1. While talking to a TV channel, former Defense Secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi said that he had been dismissed for not signing the statement provided by the government saying that Memogate was just a piece of paper. Lodhi said he was of the opinion that case involved important legal points. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

2. Editorials have appeared welcoming the decision taken by the NA’s Defence Committee to continue with the ban on NATO supplies. Edit also hailed the meeting of the Army and the political leadership. This meeting has given indication of a possible consensus between the two leaderships. And said autocracy has no future and those trying to sabotage democracy would not succeed. Edit says that (Daily Intekhab, Jang, and Ummat)

3. Nawa-i-Waqt edit notes that the Defence committee meeting  presided over by PM Gilani was attended by the heads of all three armed forces, SCCJ, and DG ISI besides federal ministers.  The present government went a step ahead of Musharraf in providing support to US against its own people. The present government handed over the Jacobabad airbase to the US, just like Musharraf had given the Shamsi airbase to the US. Yet PM reiterated that no compromise would be made on national security. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)

TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. CID police has arrested the mastermind of the Sea View and Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine blasts. The police also seized 10 hand grenades, 2 Kalashnikovs, 2 rocket launchers, over 10000 bullets, 2 detonator wires and 5 detonators.. (Nawa-i-Waqt, Ibrat, 15 January)

2.Speaking at a Karachi seminar, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed said that the defence of Pakistan was the defence of Islam and that Kashmiris were fighting for the stability of Pakistan. (Jang, Daily Pak)

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
1. Even though no particular agenda had been issued for today’s NA session, it was believed that the government wants to get a resolution in support of President Zardari and PM Gilani passed by all coalition parties; this was to convey a message to the Army and the judiciary that the entire Parliament supported them. However, coalition parties including PML-Q, MQM, ANP, PML-F and FATA members are not ready to support Zardari and Gilani openly. They have been advising the government to avoid any kind of confrontation. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had decided to oppose any resolution in support of Gilani. PML-N had decided to oppose any move against the Army and the judiciary. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

2. Speaking on a television channel, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the PPP had proposed setting up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, aimed at finding out what led to a collapse of democratic governments in the past. This commission will also find out what parties conspired against PPP and others. (Ibrat)

3. PPP leader and former president of Supreme Court Bar Council Aitzaz Ahsan said that his views on writing to Swiss officials was different from that of his party and that he believed that a letter should be written to Swiss officials. He also said that the President would also have immunity in Switzerland through the Vienna Convention. (Urdupoint, 15 January, Ibrat, 15 January)

4. PPP has started consultations within the party for making Aitzaz Ahsan the Senate Chairman. (Ibrat, 15 January)

5. PTI central executive committee has formed various committees on  issues like Balochistan, formation of new provinces, government’s possible attack on the judiciary, fake voters’ list, and petitions filed against PTI in SC. The PTI has decided not to take part in bye-elections. It says that Imran Khan supported PTI executive committee member Asghar Khan’s demand for the case against ISI distributing money to politicians, so that the people can be made aware of the people who got money from ISI. Khan also threatened that if the PPP-led government attacked the judiciary, PTI activists will come to the streets against it. (Ausaf, 15 January, Jasarat)

6. PML-Q leader Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain and senior central leader Chaudhary Perez Elahi met with President Zardari and discussed the prevailing political situation.  Both apprised Zardari of their attempts to ease tensions. Chaudhary brothers have been acting as mediators between the Army and the government. (Jinnah, Kawish)

7. Addressing participants from across the country at the Mansoora training centres, JI Secretary General Liyaqat Baloch said that JI an open mind open for seat adjustment. He said his party was in contact with all other political parties on the question ofa restoration of the MMA and a decision would be taken after taking the community into confidence. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

8. Tehrik-e-Istaqlal chairman Asghar Khan said he has joined the PTI. He held a joint press conference with PTI leader Imran Khan. (Khabrain)

9. A new chief will be elected for PML-F on January 21st. (Ibrat)

10 . In his article Ashfaq Azhar writes that the PM and the President are well aware that the fight in front of them would be a complicated one, one in which the result could affect the survival of the government. Both the PM and the President have been giving indications that they will fight till the last and will not give in to establishment’s and PML-N’s pressure easily. He questions whether the establishment was doing all this to bring Nawaz Sharif at the centre-stage or if the establishment had another plan in its sleeve, one that used Sharif. Azhar is of the opinion that Nawaz Sharif will not succeed in his no-trust motion against the government as allies seem to be siding with the government. He says that Sharif’s plan of PML-N resigning from the assemblies could only succeed if the government coalition breaks up, which does not seem possible right now. Azhar says that Sharif had been sending messages to the judiciary that his party would side with them and that they should maintain the tough stand against the government. He says that if the SC disqualifies the PM, it would not help Sharif as the ruling party could then elect another PM and President Zardari would continue. Sharif may even take to a long march as a last resort to force Zardari out. He claims that Sharif wanted the elections to take place even before the Senate elections, which would not happen. He says that if the government succeeds in postponing the Senate polls and then wins these elections, general elections may be held around October. The government may even write to Swiss officials under Aitzaz Ahsan’s supervision in a bid to avoid further confrontation with the judiciary. Azhar says that even if Pakistan was in dire straits, it did not give permission to other forces to decide the future of governments. (Kawish, 15 January)

11. Ausaf writes that this time, while the tussle between the government and the Army is ongoing, politicians have not tilted towards the Army as they had done in the past. Earlier, martial law could be enforced in Pakistan only due to the opportunistic attitude of politicians. It says that if politicians stopped supporting the Army, martial law will never take place in Pakistan. The edit also gives credit for this development to the Army as COAS Gen. Kayani has been the one to ban meetings between the Army personnel and politicians. (Ausaf Edit, 15 January)

12. Ausaf edit is on PM Gilani’s statement about the Parliament being supreme; it asks if PM statement is true, why have all major institutions been destroyed in Pakistan and how was the economy on the verge of a collapse? It says that corruption, decline of law and order and bad governance was responsible for the current situation in Pakistan. Edit says that the public or the Army could not be held responsible for this; only politicians were responsible for this decline. (Ausaf Edit, 15 January)

BALOCHISTAN
1. JWP Chief Talal Bugti said that 36 Ulema had given fatwa to kill Musharraf; he declared that whoever killed Musharraf would receive Rs. 1 billion. (Jang)

POK NEWS
1.JKLF leader Amanullah Khan said that the current Pakistani government was the most corrupt ever and was busy in propaganda against the Pakistani Army and the Supreme Court. Khan said that President Zardari and PM Gilani should be removed and that a caretaker government should be formed that can arrange for independent elections. (Ausaf, 15 January)

2. JKSLF,  the student wing of JKLF, has reiterated its resolve to continue with the struggle for Kashmir freedom. It has expressed reservations on making G-B a province of Pakistan. It claimed that separating G-B from Kashmir and making it into Pakistan’s province was a conspiracy. (Baad-e-Shimal)

3. Prominent lawmaker and PML-N leader Advocate Shujaa Haider Lodhi alleged that whenever PPP has come in power, the Kashmir cause has been badly affected. (Jinnah)

4. AJK President Sardar Yaqoob met commandant Major General Asif Ali Khan and discussed the shortage of medical facilities, equipment and medical staff in hospitals in Rawalkot and Muzaffarabad. (Baad-e-Shimal)

G-B NEWS
1. Diamir Bar Association, in a resolution, has demanded the appointment of non-local chief judge for the Supreme Appellate Court, as a local judge may be biased. (Baad-e-Shimal)

2. While speaking to ‘Ausaf’, JKLF leader Ehsanullah said that the deterioration of the situation in Gilgit City was a well-thought out conspiracy and alleged that the government had not taken stringent action. Khan also said that the decision to shift HQ from Gilgit was also a conspiracy. (Ausaf, 15 January)

3. Baad-e-Shimal hails federal government’s decision to continue with the subsidy on wheat supply to G-B. The daily also endorses senior minister Mohammad Jafar’s suggestion that G-B should try to become self-sufficient in wheat locally. It also says though G-B had been provided with a sufficient stocks of wheat, the upper areas of Ghanche and Astore had not yet received the wheat as the approach roads are still blocked. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)