UNITED STATES
1.US is beginning to put pressure on the government to call in the army to maintain the law and order situation in Sindh. Obama administration is concerned that if the situation in Karachi is allowed to escalate then Pakistani forces along the Af-Pak border in FATA will have to be deployed in Sindh and this could affect the war on terror. (Ibrat)
2.US is planning to destabilize Pakistan internally, instead of directly attacking its nuclear weapons by creating a crises in the law and order situation, corruption and increasing taxes through its agents. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
3.Pakistan Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar has asked the US delegation led by Senator Robert Patrick Casey to release US coalition support funds to Pakistan immediately and provide it the weapons it requires to continue military operations. (Jinnah)
4.Nawa-i-Waqt and Ausaf have editorially endorsed the government’s new rule that requires foreign diplomats to obtain an NOC to enter tribal areas and areas in KP. The edits lament that spying activities have been on the rise because of the freehand given to CIA operatives during the Musharraf rule. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit, Ausaf Edit, 25 Aug)
5.Khabrain editorial said Pakistan should take up Iraq’s offer of oil in return for Pakistani goods and it will help Pakistan to develop its industrial network. (Khabrain Edit)
CHINA
1.The Investment Board Chairman Saleem H. Mandviwala indicated that the China could be given control of the Gwadar Port. (Daily Dharti)
2.Commenting on forthcoming visit of President Zardari to China, Nawa-i-Waqt and Ummat said China is the only sincere country in the region that has always supported Pakistan, even in trying times, whereas the USA, which Pakistan supported in its war against terror by going all out, has destroyed Pakistan through drone attacks. India and USA are apprehensive of the Sino-Pak friendship and hence they are trying to create misunderstandings between the two. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit, Ummat Edit)
3.Baad-e-Shimal editorial has hailed President Zardari’s initiative to enlist China’s help over the Diamer Dam. ‘Diamer is a matter of life and death for Pakistan’s economy. However instead of begging for funds from international finance institutes, Pakistan should rely on its own resources and seek cooperation from friendly countries like China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)
AFGHANISTAN
1.Taliban have paralyzed allied forces in Afghanistan; in a recent attack in Kabul, a Fedayeen exploded a truck packed with 500kgs of explosives at the main gate of the British Council after which another Fedayeen entered the building. More than 119 allied troops died in this attack. The British Cultural Centre is the hub for MI-6 and other secret agencies. (Al Qalam Weekly, 26 August to 1 September)
2. Taliban have shot down a drone in Nanagarhar and a helicopter in Jalalabad; all aboard the helicopter died in the attack. (Al Qalam Weekly, 26 August to 1 September)
INDIA
1.Khabrain editorial on the Anna Hazare phenomenon says: Jehangir Akhtar has decided to follow Anna Hazare’s example in Pakistan and the judiciary and other institutions should extend their support to him. (Khabrain Edit)
Defence
DEFENCE
1. COAS Ashfaq Kayani was given a detailed briefing by security officials about the Karachi situation and after a tour of the city he gave special instructions to the Rangers on how they should go about their task. Kayani said the trading community had pleaded with him to take note of the situation. (Jasarat, Urdupoint, Jinnah)
2. American Senators have alleged that the Pakistani Army is taking extremist groups lightly and is not taking strong action against the Quetta Shura or the Haqqani Network. (Jang)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1.JuD chief Prof. Hafiz Mohammed Saeed said that Pakistan is in a state of war and foreign powers are carrying out terrorist activities in Karachi and Balochistan. Speaking at an Iftar dinner hosted in honour of religious and political leaders and journalists, he said friendship with US, India and their allies is worse than an enmity with them. (Daily Pak)
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
1. Arrested MQM terrorists are a threat for the party’s London leadership as they could reveal MQM’s network. One of the arrested target killers Aijaz Chhotu has said that he was killing PPP activists on orders from London and that earlier he had been given the job to kill Pakhtoons. He claimed that he had no idea how many people he had killed so far. He also said that MQM had helped him get out of the jail under the NRO and that this had made him loyal to MQM; he used to share money after robberies with local MQM authorities. Altaf Hussain’s British citizenship would be in trouble if he fails to maintain good relations with the PPP. (Ummat)
2. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdaus Awan said that the PPP can hold talks with Sindh nationalist groups if they promise to work in the interests of Sindh, rather than demanding a separate ‘Sindhudesh’, and agree to address issues that fall only within the confines of Sindh. (Ibrat)
3. President Zardari has welcomed the MQM back into the government, if it is willing to join the alliance. (Khabrain, Jasarat)
4. In Jasarat, Shahnawaz Farooqi writes that the PPP claims to have special rights over the Sindhis but it has no answer when questioned on what it has done for the people of Sindh. He says that Nawaz Sharif’s family has been considered to be religious but the history of PML-N is not very different from that of PPP and that it had not done anything for the people of the country. Farooqi says that MQM may be the self-proclaimed third largest party but its claims of social work are false. He ends by saying that JI may be the smallest party but it has done a lot of work in the field of education and health. (Jasarat)
5. Daily Pak editorially said the government needs to hand over control of Karachi to the army if the civilian departments fail. (Daily Pak Edit)
6. Jinnah’s editorial compares Karachi issue to the Lal Masjid issue and says it is giving government a negative image as in the case of Lal Masjid. (Jinnah Edit)
7. In his column, Irfan Siddiqui writes that since the SC has taken suo-moto notice of the Karachi situation, it is the responsibility of all political parties, authorities concerned and people of Pakistan to extend full cooperation to the judiciary. He writes that judiciary may unearth the truth behind the Karachi unrest and this may also disclose the truth behind the hypocritical consensus policy. He criticizes PTI Chief Imran Khan for his childish suggestions about imposing Governor’s rule in Karachi and for offering himself for the position. Siddiqui says Khan has no idea that under the constitution, even an independent governor has to work as a representative of the President and that his offer meant that he is willing to work as a direct agent for President Zardari. (Jang)
KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWAH (NWFP/FATA)
1. Hundreds of people have died due to floods and incessant rains in Kohistan. (Urdupoint, Ibrat)
PUNJAB
1. Federal Interior Minister Rahman Malik has said that Punjab is also prone to target killings but only the issues of Sindh had been highlighted. He added that the federal government was ready to support the Punjab government to check criminal elements. (Jang)
SINDH
1. ANP would take a decision to part with the PPP government at the party convention to be held on Aug 28th. (Jang)
2. Jasarat edit was on JI chief Syed Munawar Hassan’s announcement that his party would observe ‘Solidarity with Karachi’. It says MQM was supported by international forces to create unrest in Karachi and criticizes the PPP government for supporting MQM. (Jasarat Edit)
3. Sindh’s intelligentsia in a meeting with the Punjab CM said that the army was the root cause behind all of Karachi’s current problems. The Editor of a Sindhi newspaper, Dr. Khatak said that the criminal groups in Karachi (referring to the MQM) were formed during Gen. Zia’s time and the political system was weakened then. He also said that gang wars in Lyari began during Musharraf’s time. Another journalist Nazir Lagari said that the conditions in Karachi are very grim and reminiscent of the situation with Bangladesh in 1970. Other speakers said main problem behind disturbances in Karachi was largely economic issues and efforts by certain groups to establish a monopoly over the extortion racquet. (Ibrat)
4. Editorials in Daily Intekhab and Jang say: Certain major politicians are involved in creating the havoc in Karachi and that the government is afraid to take action against them for fear of harm to their consensus policy. Due to a weak federation and bad provincial governance, arms, drug and land mafias have become strong, and have monopolized certain areas in the city. More police force should be deployed in such areas, which should be made a no-go areas, and with the help of rangers, all weapons should be recovered. A strong CM should be appointed who would not hesitate to take decisions to bring the city back to normal. Karachi problem is not simple and therefore it is advisable that the President Zardari supervises all operations personally. (Daily Intekhab Edit, Jang Edit)
POK
1. PML-Q president and law maker, Mirza Hussain, said that the PPP is beginning to express disappointment over G-B CM Mehdi Shah’s performance and is considering PML demand to replace him with Wazir Shakil. (Baad-e-Shimal)
2. Muhammad Ilyas Khan, MQM chief for Gilgit-Baltistan, said that the Gilgit-Baltistan government had failed to establish law and order and that the CM Mehdi Shah had given a free hand to terrorists. He also alleged that members of the ruling party were involved in terrorist-related activities. (Ausaf, 25 August)
3. After taking oath as the new AJK President, Sardar Mohammed Yaqoob Khan said full efforts will be made at the political and diplomatic level to make AJK the base camp of the Kashmir freedom movement. (Baad-e-Shimal, Nawa-i-Waqt)
4. Speaking at the inauguration of Girls’ School building rebuilt by the army at Mahr Khadanch, Brigadier Nadeem said that the Pakistan Army would discharge its duty in resolving the problems of the people and that it would continue funding such developmental projects in the educational field. (Daily Dharti)
5. Baad-e-Shimal editorial has condemned an attack on newspaper KPN office in Skardu and saying ‘This is a cowardly effort to suppress the freedom of press. PPP activists had a hand in the attack. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)
6. Daily Dharti has asked the government to take immediate action to control water-borne c diseases which are becoming an epidemic in various districts of AJK. Already 7,000 people have died so far due to cholera in Rawlakot, Neelum, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, and Sindhoti districts. No proper medical facilities available are available to people in AJK. (Daily Dharti Edit)
7. The Investment Board Chairman Saleem H. Mandviwala said that investments in hydel power projects in AJK were suffering due to the law and order situation there. (Daily Dharti)
