UNITED STATES
1. US had activated its various defence sectors at operational level in Kabul as a prelude to a possible attack on Pakistan. Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) that provides defence facilities of paramilitary staff to CIA at international operations, has started its work. CCT consisting of USA’s trained Air Force personnel, who have secret information about air fields and air forces of foreign countries and are equipped with the ability to jam radars, have been asked to remain alert in Afghanistan. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
2. Defence analysts including former ISI chief Hamid Gul are the opinion that the Obama administration is not ready to accept its defeat in Afghanistan. They said that the political and military leadership of Pakistan should give a clear message to the US that if the region is destabilized, India would also be affected and that it was necessary for India to show restraint in the current situation. Gul was of the view that Obama wanted to withdraw forces from Afghanistan but the Pentagon was not ready to accept defeat. (Jasarat)
3. American agencies have started investigating for similarities between the Mumbai and Kabul attacks in order to increase pressure on Pakistan. They are tracking phone calls made after both the attacks to ISI officials in Pakistan. Senior CIA official Bruce Riedel said that the US has evidence of calls made to ISI officials after the Kabul attack and that they had informed Pakistani officials of this privately a week ago. (Urdupoint)
4. Eminent columnist Najam Sethi said that the Pakistan’s armed forces practically control the country’s foreign policies and hence, there is no fear of an American attack on Pakistan. He said the Haqqani group could create problems for Pakistan. He said that it is clear from COAS Gen. Kayani’s statement that the US was not using any backdoor pressure. (Ummat)
5. Talking to Nawa-i-Waqt, former federal Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider said that Pakistan was tired of US’s ‘do more’ demand; he said that the US wants to quit Afghanistan and therefore wants Pakistan to attack Taliban. Haider said that the US would not make the mistake of attacking Pakistan. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
6. Former ISI chief Hamid Gul said that America’s ‘deep penetration’ bombers were on Saturday night flying in Afghanistan, for which the Pakistani Air Force was alerted. Yet, surprisingly, President Zardari and the Pakistani Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani were silent on the issue. (Nawa-i-Waqt) Nawa-i-Waqt editorial: For the first time, the government has given a bold reply to the US, whose folly has provided Pakistan with an opportunity to play its independent role in peace in the region. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)
7. Columnist Hamid Mir writes: Pakistan’s current problems with the US are because of the mistakes made by former President Musharraf in 2001 when he agreed to support the American war on terror. US is trying to hide its humiliation in Afghanistan by pressurizing Pakistan to accept relations with the Haqqani Network and to take action against ISI officials connected to such extremist groups. Though PM Gilani and COAS Gen. Kayani have shown firmness against US demands, the majority of the country’s people have no faith in them. If our leadership wants support from the public, it should first accept its past mistakes. (Jang)
8. Columnist Irfan Siddiqui blames Musharraf for pushing Pakistan into a hell and holds the Zardari government responsible for the current turmoil; Siddiqui sympathizes with the armed forces. He writes Nazir Naji was correct in stating that despite Pakistan being a complete democracy, the decision-making process was not in control of the political leadership; this was the reason why Pakistan was failing everywhere. Siddiqui agrees with Nawaz Sharif’s call for an APC with all political parties, civil society, judiciary, representatives from all sections of the society as well as the Army; he says that this idea was rejected on grounds that the inclusion of the Army would be against democracy and comments that the PML-N was a servant of the Army. Siddiqui says that today this is the only alternative through which Pakistan can handle American pressure and can better its own condition. (Jang)
9. In his column, Mudassar Jamal Tonsavi writes the Pakistani leadership did everything it could, including arrest mujahedeen, ban their activities, torture them and harass their families, in order to make the US happy; yet Washington accuses Islamabad of betrayal. The American allegations are just a ruse to hide its own defeat in Afghanistan as the Taliban controls most of the country. He says that this time the US may just take initiative in North Waziristan. (Al Qalam Weekly, 23 September to 29 September)
10. Daily Intekhab editorial: Judging from the past experience, it is likely that the authorities will bow down before American pressure even though Pakistani leadership has been defending the country’s interests well so far. The government needs to adopt internal policies by which the masses get confident that their interests are taken care of. Nations of the region should also be taken into confidence that Pakistan’s stand was just and that US action would be disastrous for the whole region. (Daily Intekhab Edit)
11. Ausaf‘s editorial: NATO commanders in Afghanistan have visited the frontline near the Pakistani border and inspected the artillery deployments. This means the US is planning to attack North Waziristan; this attack would not be limited to air bombings but guns may also be used. Though it has an intelligence-sharing agreement with Pakistan, the US has not shared the intelligence on the Haqqani Network, if any, with Pakistan. If the US indeed considered the Network to be such a big threat, why was it silent on the issue till date? (Ausaf Edit, 25 September)
12. Ausaf‘s editorial: COAS Gen. Kayani has made it clear to Admiral Mike Mullen that the US should stop its drama over the Haqqani Network as Pakistan knows the truth about which countries actually have ties with the Network. The US is building pressure on Pakistan and ISI by projecting the Haqqanis as serious threats. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar did the right thing by saying that if the US did not review its attitude, it should be ready to lose Pakistan as an ally. (Ausaf Edit, 25 September)
CHINA
1. Defence officials will also accompany the Chinese Vice Prime Minister, who is coming on a two-day visit, diplomatic sources said. They will discuss regional security including the situation in Pakistan, with Pakistan’s defence officials. The Chinese officials will also meet ISI chief Gen Shujaa Pasha on Tuesday. The visit comes at a time when Pakistan’s relations with the US are very strained. (Nawa-i-Waqt, Awami Awaz)
INDIA
1. India has stopped downstream flow of waters in Chenab River. This is a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty and this action has caused the river to dry up at Head Marala. As per the Irrigation Department, water-levels at Head Marala have reduced to 20380 cusecs from 1 lakh cusecs a week earlier. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
2. Ummat editorial: International Court of Arbitration has stopped India from continuing work on the Kishenganga dam saying that India cannot construct dams in areas where the natural flow of water is affected as it violated the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. This is a big victory for Pakistan as India had been constructing the dams under a conspiracy to control Pakistan’s waters. Not only the Hurriyat parties in J&K but also pro-India parties are against the construction of the Kishenganga dam. Pakistan should also take up the issue of the Nimoo Bazgo dam to the International Court of Arbitration. (Ummat Edit)
3. Nawa-i-Waqt EDIT refers to the International Court of Justice asking India to halt the construction on Kishenganga dam project and says that both India and Pakistan are bound by the Indus Waters Treaty. It says that India had violated the treaty by continuously building dams on rivers that flow into Pakistan. It claims that India had built 4 big and 16 small dams over Jhelum and Chenab so far. It laments that in recent floods, 250 crore acre feet of water was wasted and says that if Pakistan had constructed the Kalabagh Dam, even if India had released excess water, this dam could have stored that water. (Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)
4. A pro-Qadiyani group was misleading naïve Muslims by circulating wrong translations of Quran, reports Indian Hyderabad’s daily ‘Siyasat’ and the Hindustan Times. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
5. Trade between India and Pakistan could be increased up to USD 10 billion, says Federal Trade Secretary Zafar Mehmood. A top-level delegation was going to India under the leadership of the Trade Minister, Amin Fahim, with a purpose to promote trade between the two countries. He added that there were more Muslims in India compared to Pakistan and if Pakistan exported Halal products to India, Pakistan’s exports could really grow. Mehmood said that Pakistan is still considering MFN status to India. He said that Pakistan wanted India to remove non-tariff barriers. (Baad-e-Shimal)
6. Pakistani Railways want to take 50 rail engines on rent from India to end its present shortage of rail engines. But the Ministry of Railways is in favour of procuring engines from other countries. (Jasarat Edit, Jang)
DEFENCE
1. The Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen. Khalid Shamim Wynn has postponed his visit to Canada in view of the current security situation in the country. (Baad-e-Shimal)
2. Army’s 10th and 11th corps and the entire Air defence system have been alerted, after the special Corps Commanders meeting presided over by Gen. Kayani. The 11th corps is deployed on the north-western border along Afghanistan while the 10th corps is deployed along J&K from LOC to the working boundary. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
TERRORISM- EXTREMISM
1. TTP factions in North Waziristan are considering getting united against America. Maulvi Nazir has said that joint action would be carried out by the three factions of TTP against ground attacks inside Pakistan. Hakimullah Mehsood said that a tie-up with the government was possible if the authorities stopped operations in the area. (Ummat)
2. Girl students of the Irfan Public School (Ashiyana Scheme road), in Lahore visited the House of Tehrik-e-Pakistan workers as a part of educational trips. According to one of the teachers, Nazarya-e-Pakistan Trust was carrying out the duty of intellectual training of the community. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
1. Due to US’s threatening stance, Pakistan has decided to cut NATO supplies; it is currently reviewing other options as well. (Khabrain)
2. PM Gilani told PML-Q leader Shujaat Hussain that the government will take a decision on the ties with the US after consulting all political parties and military leadership. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
3. PML-N has said that it opposes the idea of an all parties conference. Its leader Ahsan Iqbal said that the best forum to unite people was the National Assembly. (Awami Awaz)
4. Former President Musharraf said that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif is pro-extremists and hence, he is dangerous. (Jasarat, Urdupoint)
5. Election Commission Pakistan and Election Commission AJK have agreed to allow Kashmiris in all four provinces and Islamabad to have double voting rights: one for Pakistan and one for Kashmir elections. (Jang)
6. Intelligentsia, writers as well as people from different political parties are of the view that the bone of contention between the US and Pakistan are the selfish policies of ISI and CIA. (Awami Awaz)
7. Jiye Sindh Quami Mahaz Chief Bashir Qureshi said that Pakistan needed to sever ties with terror groups, if it boasts of being a peace-loving country. Qureshi is of the opinion that the US should keep in mind other nations’ independence. (Awami Awaz)
8. Jamaat-e-Islami’s Asadullah Bhutto said that Pakistan needed to get rid of the US as it was blackmailing Pakistan on the issue of the Haqqani Network. (Awami Awaz)
WATER-ECONOMY-ENERGY
1. Federal Finance Minister Hafiz Sheikh met the new Asian Development Bank chairman, Haruhiko Kuroda who assured continuing of aid for the Diamir-Bhasha dam. They also discussed the gas pipeline between Turkmenistan, Iran India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Baad-e-Shimal)
2. World Bank has said that due to load-shedding, the Pakistani economy faces an annual loss of USD 12 billion. It said that approximately 4 lakh workers have lost their jobs in the organised sector due to the load-shedding. It said an investment of USD 32 billion would be required to meet the electricity demand in Pakistan till 2020. (Jasarat)
BALOCHISTAN
1. Factional fights amongst Bugtis at Lote in Dera Bugti have claimed two lives, both from a group called Aman Lashkar. (Awami Awaz)
2. Human Rights Commission has expressed concern over target killings, and abductions in Balochistan. It has said that the provincial and federal governments have failed to check religious fundamentalism in the province. (Awami Awaz)
3. Agents who had come to Balochistan from Afghanistan have been trained at Mossad’s training camps in South Africa. CIA, RAW and Mossad are in joint conspiracy against Pakistan. (Nawa-i-Waqt)
KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWAH (NWFP/FATA)
1. Addressing a rally in the Swabi district, JI chief Syed Munawar Hassan said the US was accusing Pakistan of links with the Haqqani Network as it was frustrated with its own defeat in Afghanistan. Hassan said that the Haqqani Network is present in Afghanistan and that Pakistan is not responsible for protecting NATO forces in Afghanistan. (Jasarat, Khabrain, Jinnah)
POK NEWS
1. PPP AJK senior leader and J&K Human Rights Commission chairman Humayun Zaman Mirza has said that the international community was waiting for a nuclear war between India and Pakistan and that was why the US and UN were not pressurizing India to resolve the Kashmir issue. (Khabrain)
2. AJK PM Chaudhary Majeed said that the government wanted to take all the parties along for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. (Daily Dharti)
3. A three-day Intra Kashmir Women’s Conference will begin in Gulbarga from September 30th to promote relations between people on both side of the LOC. The report says that G-B has also been invited to participate in this conference. (Baad-e-Shimal, Daily Dharti)
GILGIT-BALTISTAN NEWS
1. Political and student organizations like Labour Party-GB, Progressive Youth Front, and Hunza Student Organization have held a protest demonstration in Gilgit against continued arrests by the government, filing cases under the ATC, torture in the name of interrogation, after the Hunza incident. (Baad-e-Shimal)
2. G-B government has decided to set-up women police stations in all districts. (Baad-e-Shimal)
3. In a session of MQM Ward-3 Denver in G-B, members said that PPP only got 350 votes in the last election as compared to MQM’s 3500 votes. The MQM sector in-charge claimed that certain political elements were trying to defame MQM. (Ausaf 25 Sept)
4. Daamas village of Ghizer district is deprived of basic amenities like health-care and education. (Ausaf, 25 September)
