SOURCE: Ausaf, Ummat, Daily Pak, Nawa-i-Waqt, Urdu Point, Daily Jinnah, Awami Awaz, Daily Dharti, Jasarat, Kawish, Daily Intekhab, Daily Times, Jang, Ibrat, Khabrain, Roznama Dunya, Hizb Media, Al Qalam Weekly, Baad-e-Shimal, Bang-e-Sahar, Sindh Express, Pk Voices.

CHINA – CPEC
1. Balochistan government spokesperson, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, has said that all the big incidents of terrorism in 2016 point towards the possibility of creating hurdle for the CPEC project. The attack on Shah Noorani is a clear proof that the target was CPEC since the area was safe even during the peak of terrorism. The spokesman went on to add that investigations have confirmed the hand of Indian secret agency RAW, terrorists in Afghanistan and some locals in these attacks. (Daily Intekhab)

2. Khyber Pakhtunkhwah has included its seven projects in the CPEC, chief minister Pervez Khattak said in Peshawar on returning from Beijing where the CPEC joint committee meeting took place. Double railway track between Peshawar-Karachi, construction of Diamir-Bhasha dam, laying optic fibre cable line between Gilgit-Abbottabad are some of these projects. (Kawish)

SAUDI ARABIA
1. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Sudan, Kuwait, Maldives, Tunis, Malaysia, Egypt and Turkey, and some other Muslim countries will participate in joint military exercise to be held in Saudi Arabia. The exercise seeks to prepare a doctrine and roadmap for fight against terrorism. (Jang)

2. Jamaat-e-Islami Chief, Siraj-ul-Haq has asked Pakistani rulers should take the side of Muslims in Burma and Syria. He asked why the Muslim countries are silent over atrocities being heaped on Muslims in Syria, Burma and other countries. In his address to participants in Karachi March, Siraj-ul-Haq said his party has always raised voice against atrocities on Muslims anywhere. Why are all the Muslim countries tight-lipped quiet on these atrocities? (Awami Awaz)

3. Karachi JuD Chief, Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi, has expressed solidarity with Muslims facing atrocities across the globe. Speaking at JI’s Ummat-e-Rasool March held yesterday, he also said Muslims should become the voice of Muslims of Syria and Burma. This is the duty of all Muslims of the world. (Jasarat)

AFGHANISTAN
1. COAS General Qamar Bajwa spoke on the telephone with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and Army Chief Qadam Shah and conveyed New Year greetings. And discussed ways to step up bilateral cooperation for peace and for countering terrorism. The Bajwa initiative would convince Afghanistan that Pakistan is their friend and not an enemy. Maintaining close relations with Pakistan is in the interest of Afghanistan; its relations with India will not be as beneficial since Afghanistan shares culture, religious and ethnic values with Pakistan. Moreover it shares 70% of its border with Pakistan and has to depend on Pakistan for its trade needs. Though Afghanistan’s attitude towards Pakistan has remained hostile and its secret agency has cooperated with Indian RAW in its terrorist activities against Pakistan, Islamabad has always helped Kabul. Pakistan never disturbed its trade passage to India, and hosted its refugees for many years. Afghanistan stands to benefit from CPEC since it is our next door neighbour. (Roznama Dunya Edit, Daily Pak Edit, Nawa-i-Waqt Edit)

2. On the first day of New Year, Afghan Taliban have killed nine government forces including 2 commanders but lost three men of its own men. (Ummat)

INDIA
1. India has begun the New Year with the violation of the ceasefire. India forces Sunday morning pounded unprovoked civilian areas in Poonch sector of Azad Kashmir. Pakistani forces retaliated by bombing in Sher, Shakti and Doda on the Indian side of Poonch. Indian Army Chief General Bipin Raut has said Indian Army wants peace on the borders. “This does not mean that we are weak. We will hit back in case of any aggression”. (Daily Intekhab)

2. A Pakistani cyber warrior has hacked the website of India’s elite commando force, National Security Guard and posted the photos of victims of Kashmir on it. To hide its embarrassment, India has not issued any statement. The hackers posed a message that the so called Indian surgical strike beyond LoC was a lie and that India didn’t collect the bodies of its troops. The message warned that India shouldn’t forget the 1965 war when 487 tanks were destroyed. On the other hand smart phone users in Pakistan have been warned of a possible cyber-attack from India. (Ummat)

3. Pakistan Telecom Security Board has issued alerts that Pakistan mobile phone could be hacked by Indian secret agencies. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

4. Israel has issued terror alert to its citizen in India to be cautious. Tourist places frequented by westerners, night clubs or beaches in India could be target of a terror attack, the advisory said. (Ummat)

5. Despite tensions on the LoC, Pakistan and India yesterday exchanged the list of their atomic installations in line with a 1988 agreement. Under the accord, both countries have been exchanging this data on the New Year every year since 1992. (Daily Dharti)

6. Spokesperson of Foreign Office said that the resolution introduced in the Security Council by India accusing Pakistan of helping banned extremist organizations like ISIS an Al Qaida has been rejected. The Security Council did not agree with the Indian contention. India moved the resolution with a political agenda. Earlier too, India tried to use every important forum for gaining its political objectives. The spokesperson said terrorism is the state policy of India. It has been involved in helping terrorists and extremists and has been funding them. Pakistan is a victim of terrorism sponsored by Indian government. The confession of arrested spy, Kulbhushan Jadhav is a clear proof of India sponsoring, helping and funding terrorist and extremist’s acts in Pakistan. To cover up its crime of violation of human rights and atrocities on Kashmiris and fanning terrorism, India has been trying to divert attention of the international community by raising bogeys against Pakistan in all possible forums. Pakistan will provide more evidence of Indian interference and atrocities on innocent people. Pakistan will be ready to offer fullest cooperation to international community to curb terrorism. (Daily Intekhab)

7. Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri said that UN rejection of India’s resolution exposed the dirty face of India and its unholy ambitions. It shows that the world is accepting the sacrifices Pakistan has made in the war on terror. (Jasarat)

8. JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed said that Pakistan’s decision to submit proof about the Indian interference in Pakistan to the UNSC is a good move. (Daily Pak)

ARMY/SECURITY FORCES
1. Former Amy Chief General Mirza Aslam Baig has said that India is not in a position of waging an open war with Pakistan. China is ready to defend Pakistan at an international level. CPEC will give lot of profit to Pakistan. Since the past 10 years India had spent billions of dollars on its armed forces but India is far behind Pakistan arms tech-wise. India can stand a war for 15 days where as Pakistan has a 40-day capacity. (Ausaf)

2. Former Commander Lt. General (Retd) Tariq Khan has rejected the allegation that he had conspired to remove General Raheel Sharif and take over as Army Chief. The allegation was made by Javed Hashmi. (Khabrain)

TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. The Missing Persons Enquiry Commission headed by Justice Javed Iqbal has released its report for Nov-Dec 2016. The report said that cleared 211 cases of forcible custody, and recovered 155 missing persons. As many as 93 fresh cases of forcible custody have come to the Commission taking the current cases under investigations to 1219. The Commission has held its hearings in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. (Daily Intekhab)

2. The year that has just ended was an eventful year for Pakistan as we have achieved success in checking terror menace in Karachi and Northern tribal areas. Freedom movement in J&K that has gathered momentum is another positive development. However, India succeeded in enhancing its influence in Afghanistan which is a cause of concern. The contact between the new COAS and the Afghan leadership yesterday, might remove misunderstandings between Pakistan and Afghanistan. (Jang Edit)

ECONOMY/POWER/WATER
1. MB Soomro writes: rivers are almost running dry in the absence of any rain. Water level at Tarbela and Mangla dams has seen a heavy decline. Compared to last year, Tarbela level is 70 feet less and Mangla’s is down by 77 feet. So much so standing Rabi crops will be affected, forget water supply to the next Kharif crop. Water experts claim that people at tail end areas will be affected in such a situation. (Kawish)

2. Notwithstanding the closure of canals for annual maintenance, all provinces are being given waters as per their requirements, it was officially announced here in Islamabad. Sindh had some grievance during summer time but since the onset of winter, neither Sindh no any other province has any voiced any grievance about water distribution, IRSA spokesman said. (Sindh Express, Ausaf)

SINDH/BALOCHISTAN/KP/PUNJAB
1. Karachi is one place that often keeps burning because of one or the other prejudice, be it sectarianism, ethnicity or divisive propaganda spread by vested interests. Scars left behind due to lawlessness are still fresh in our memory and more and more revelations about those acts add to troubling memories. Coming to recent revelations about May 12, 2007 Karachi massacre made by MQM Sindh Assembly member before the judicial magistrate lays bare the involvement of MQM leadership and how the preparations for the assault were made at the MQM headquarters. It is shows that one plaza was set afire to teach an advocate a ‘befitting lesson’. Badliya town garment factory fire of 2012 is also a big scar on Karachi city. There is no doubt that ever since Rangers started operations in September 2013, conditions have improved but it still cannot be said that militancy is fully under control. One political section MQM faction that was set up to keep PPP away from Karachi needs to be crushed. Instead of pushing the Sindhis against the wall, their constitutional and genuine rights must be respected and they should be treated as equals. This alone can bring lasting peace in the city. The innocent people killed in Karachi should be given justice and all those who have committed crimes should be meted out strict punishment. Till this is done, peace will continue to be an elusive pursuit here in Karachi and will remain a pipe dream. (Awami Awaz)

2. MQM- Pakistan’s Farooq Sattar has said his party has removed 4000 activists for violation of party discipline. He denied ever asking any party cadres to indulge in bogus voting. He admitted that there are good and bad elements in the party. He also informed that MQM is registered under his name and ‘kite’ is the party symbol. (Kawish)

3. Sindh Progressive Committee has held protest meetings and rallies in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas and some other parts of Sindh against the proposed amendments to the anti-conversion bill to please the fundamentalists. The committee’s members are drawn from forums like Awami Jamhoori party, Communist party, and Awami Workers Party (AWP). Speakers said Asif Ali Zardari and Sindh senior minister, Nisar Khoro indicated that the bill would be amended to please the fundamentalists. They know as to why Zardari is bringing these amendments as he is under pressure from religious groups. If any amendments are made, there will be much stronger protests. The protestors noted that about 30 lakh Afghans are living in the Sindh and asked the government to oust not only the Afghans but also all illegal settlers in the province Such protests were held at. (Sindh Express)

POLITICAL SCENE
1. Shohda Foundation has demanded that Shaan Taseer, the son of former Punjab Governor Salman Taseer should be booked under blasphemy laws for terming these laws in his video released on 25 December as inhuman. (Ummat)

2. Soon after taking over as the new chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Saqib Nisar has dissociated himself from the Panama case and constituted a larger bench to hear the case. The new bench will be headed by Justice Asif Khosa. The hearings will begin from Wednesday. Whatever may be the ultimate verdict, undeniably the entire country’s attention is focussed on this case. All the judges on the new bench are non-controversial and are known for their transparency. It is known that the Chief Justice, Saqib Nisar, he does not believe in giving verdicts to appease people or nor does he give verdicts for increasing his popularity. Hopefully the new CJ will set good traditions for the judiciary. (Ibrat Edit)

3. Syed Ghani, a PPP Senator, has sniffed a scandal in falling exports during the last three years. If off shore companies can be formed to park money overseas as the Panama scandal showed, it is possible that exports declined because of some people committed irregularities for personal gains. (Ibrat)

4. Hamid Mir laments that corruption has become rampant in the country. It is not only the politicians who are corrupt, even the trader, who mixes water with milk, or sells crow meat as chicken meat are corrupt. (Jang)

POK/G-B NEWS
1. G-B Assembly Deputy Speaker Jafarullah has claimed that some political parties are conspiring to destroy peace in the region by taking money from outside. “We would not allow anyone to ruin peace in the province. We will deal with them sternly as per our zero tolerance policy”. (Daily K2)