UNITED STATES
1.607 people were killed in 78 drone attacks on Waziristan and Kurram Agency. (Jang)

 2. 548 people died in 59 drone attacks in year 2011 in North and South Waziristan; the most number of attacks were carried in the month of June in which 108 people died. (Urdu Point)

3. Jinnah edit on war on terror says Pakistan should insist on restoration of US aid in return for cooperation. The daily also makes out a case for enhancing ties with China. (Jinnah Edit)

4. Nawa-i-Waqt says the US has stopped all of aid to Pakistan though Washington itself admitted that Pakistan has suffered more than $60 billion loss and lost about 36000 people including security personnel in the war against terror. So, for the sake of national security, Pakistan should do two things. One gets out of the US war and deploys its forces at the border for security; two depend on its national resources rather than US aid. (Nawa-i-Waqt-Edit)

INDIA
1. India is extending its spy network through its consulates in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has doubled the funds of secret agencies. This plan was put in place in association with the CIA and it was decided that religious parties in Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan would be kept on close watch. An active network of RAW and IB was already active in Pakistan. (Urdu Point, Ummat, Jinnah)

2. Muslim Liberation Army hacked Indian government’s science section website,  www.tdb.gov.in and posted its message of liberation of Kashmir. In a press statement, the group has claimed that India cannot have progress while simultaneously orphaning Kashmiri children. (Ausaf, 1 January)

DEFENCE
1. Nawaz Sharif had filed the Memogate case after meeting with a brigadier, a TV report said. PML-N leader, Ishaq Darr has however refuted the charges. The Supreme Court has asked the Attorney General to collect records from Blackberry in Canada and submit them to the Memogate Commission. (Ibrat, 31 December)

TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. Saadi writes in his column that a massive congregation was organized in Bahawalpur; 3500 people attended the first day and 4500 turned up on the second day though the arrangements were for just 2000 per day. The government doesn’t allow mujahideen to stage public shows but the Bahawalpur experience shows that lakhs would benefit if the mujahideen congregations are allowed in public places.  Saadi writes that morale and emotions of these 8000 mujahideen were at the peak and claims that they have faced a bloody war of crusaders and Brahmin forces for 11 years. He advises  those who attended the congregation to keep emotions of jihad burning in their hearts and justifies jihad  as a Quranic injunction. (Al Qalam Weekly, 30 December-5 January)

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
1.Irfan Siddiqui in his column writes that PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan’s speech in Garhi Khuda Bux when President Zardari invited him to say a few words after his own speech, has caught many by surprise. It is possible that all this was pre-planned orchestration and President Zardari wanted to counter all opposition for which he had no one better than Aitzaz Ahsan who had been away from the party high command for a long time. ‘Tarzan’s Return’ was not by chance but it could be the beginning of his new role. (Jang)

2.Hamid Mir in his column writes that political parties should stop talking against each other and should give solutions to the problems faced by the people. (Jang)

3. According to reliable sources, the effort to unite all Muslim League factions has entered the final phase. A meeting of all the ML factions has been called at Hamid Nasir Chetha’s residence in Lahore. Senator Salim Saifullah, Humayun Akhtar, Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, Ejaz-ul Haq and Sheikh Rashid will attend the meeting. A leader of PML-Q (Like Minded) informed that the meeting will be based on acceptance of the three groups’ demands at PML-N’s meeting. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

4.Tanzeem-e-Mashaikh-e-Azam Pakistan held a rally, ‘Corruption Makao, Mulk Bachao’ against government policies, corruption, inflation, lawlessness, and load shedding. The speakers insisted on changing the system rather than changing the faces. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

5.Activist of Shabab Milli and Islami Jamaat-e-Tulba are playing active role in JI’s Banaras Chowk rally in Karachi. (Jasarat)

6. Nawaz Sharif has asked Javed Hashmi to return a car given to him by PML-N. In reply, Hashmi said he would. (Kawish, 31 December)

7. Ummat and Jang editorials dispute Prime Minister’s claim of fulfilling almost 80% of the poll promises and contend that the government has not even completed 20% of the promises made to the people. (Ummat Edit, Jang Edit)

8.Daily Intekhab says both the PPP and the PML-N are busy defending their political turf and neither of them is concerned with the problems of the people. (Daily Intekhab Edit)

9. Nawa-i-Waqt Edit criticises that cable operators were pressurised to block the transmission of Waqt News TV channel when Afaq Ahmed’s interview was on the air. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)

10. Baad-e-Shimal edit says political temperatures have risen this winter and though prime minister ruled out resignation, political parties have slipped into the campaign mode. The cause for concern however is the threat posed to democracy by the political bikerings and mudslinging at each other. Another area of concern is crisis facing government run companies like Railways, PIA, and Steel Mills and the closing down of many industries due to energy and gas shortages. Edit states that the government’s inefficiency and corruption was to blame for this situation. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)

ECONOMY-WATER- ENERGY
1. Ausaf edit says had Pakistan promoted the Thar Coal project, today it could have come out of the energy crisis and if they had learned lessons from the Fall of Dhaka, the situation of Balochistan would not have worsened. Edit adds that extravagant expenditure by politicians was also another reason for the financial burden faced by the country. (Ausaf Edit, 1 January)

2. Jasarat edit says the hike in petrol and gas prices is contradictory to the claims of the PM that he wanted to reduce poverty as a shortage of energy was the main reason behind increasing poverty. Pakistan is facing gas, electricity and petroleum crisis because the government took loans from the IMF on tough conditions.  Pakistan Textile Mill Association said that for Rs. 4 billion, the government was closing industries of Rs. 80 billion per month and if these industries close 1 lakh people will be unemployed. Only one project of the government is being pushed ahead and it is the Benazir Income Support Program for which Rs. 204 billion are allocated. Even here, only Rs. 105 billion has been distributed till, the edit points out. (Jasarat Edit)

SINDH
1. Hundreds of villagers, accompanied by several social and political groups, came out on the roads against the government’s failure to draining out rain waters still accumulated at parts of Kunri. The rally held up traffic for hours at major places including Mirpur Khas. (Ibrat)

2. A social group, Assanda Pakistan, during a visit to Thar has found has still large pools of accumulated rain water. It criticised the government for letting these pools remain to the acute discomfort and dismay of the locals. (Ibrat)

3. Four activists of Jiye Sindh Muttahida Mahaz reported missing for 10 months have reached Sewan after getting freedom a week ago. They were reportedly tortured during custody and were interrogated about the chairman and other leaders of party. (Ibrat)

4. A Shia leader was shot dead in Karachi triggering panic at Gulshan Iqbal, Gulstan Johar and other places. (Awami Awaz, 1January)

5. Federal Planning and Development division was not releasing any funds for Sindh despite decisions taken by the ECNIC. As a result several departments of the Sindh government are presently in a state of financial crisis. (Awami Awaz, 31 December)

BALOCHISTAN
1. Governor of Balochistan and the Magsi group have decided to join the PTI, sources said. (Ummat)

POK NEWS
1.Former AJK PM and PPP leader Barrister Sultan said AJK government has no dearth of funds and as such there is no need to impose a financial emergency.  (Jinnah)Organization of JKLF in Al-Riyadh and Al-Dammam in Saudi Arabia has been completed, sources said. (Daily Dharti)

2.Imran Khan has started consulting political leaders in AJK to establish his party in AJK. Informed sources said he has already contacted JKPP Chief Khalid Ibrahim, PML-N leaders Sikandar Hayat, and PPP Senior Leader Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary. Imran Khan will visit the AJK in April to announce his party, the sources said and added that many important leaders would join the PTI marking his AJK visit. (Daily Dharti)

3.Daily Dharti edit has criticised that successive AJK governments have not held municipal elections. The last urban civic polls took place in 1992. (Daily Dharti Edit)

G-B NEWS
1. GB CM Mehdi Shah said that Gilgit Baltistan has no relations with Kashmir and will be made the fifth province of Pakistan. He added that the people had fought the Dogars and freed GB with a vision of making it a proper province of Pakistan. He further said that they had no issue with the people of AJK and wondered if 12 seats were allotted for J&K representation in AJK elections then why was Gilgit Baltistan ignored. Shah further said that Kashmir and GB have no land borders and its merger with Pakistan would not affect the Kashmir cause. He claimed that Pakistan was better for GB. (Daily Dharti)

2. JKLF Commander Saifuddin alias Jahanzeb Mir Kashmiri said that Kashmir was incomplete without Gilgit Baltistan. He added that unqualified leadership should think 100 times before deciding anything regarding Gilgit. He added that GB had traditionally been a part of Kashmir and if efforts were made to make it the fifth province of Pakistan, JKLF would start an agitation. (Daily Dharti)

3. Parliamentary Secretary Yasmeen Nazar has condemned the bomb blast at a girl’s school in Chilas and said terrorists would not succeed in trying to deprive girl children of education. (Ausaf, 31 December)

4. Baad-e-Shimal agrees with the statement of Prime Minister’s adviser, Prof. Ghulam Husain Salim that to establish peace in GB, people’s mindset needs to change and they should get out of sectarian blocks. (Baad-e-Shimal)