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.

CHINA
1. China completed the construction of a water tunnel in Hanza. Designed to supply water to central Hanza, the project cost Rs. 85 crore. (Daily K2)
UNITED STATES
1. According to a US diplomat, Pakistan is ahead of India in its collection of nuclear weapons, which is a cause for concern in India. In the past two years, Indian PM Modi and the US President Obama held seven meetings discussing Pakistan’s nuclear program. Modi tried to convince Obama to impose restrictions on Pakistan’s nuclear technology. (Roznama Dunya)
2. Kawish and Awami Awaz have editorially commented on the US Congress critique of Pakistan. A section of the Congress members is seeking action against Pakistan. The charge is that Pakistan has failed in its operations against the militant groups. This is not first time that the US has levelled such charges in order to put more pressure on Pakistan. The US itself cannot escape from similar charges since it alone is responsible for the spurt in militancy in the region. Pakistan has lost its independence because of its dependence on other countries for some grants and freebies. This dependence for doles has reduced Pakistan to be at the mercy of countries like the US. Framing an independent foreign policy is not less hazardous in such a situation. It was only during the times of Zulfikar Bhutto that Pakistan had an independent foreign policy but during Zia’s times, Pakistan was just ‘sold out’ for a handful of dollars. Ever since then, Pakistan is not at all independent in framing its own foreign policy. And it is decided by the establishment rather than by the politicians and that is the reason why the foreign policy is being seen more through a security point of view and lacks diplomatic perspective, This is the reason why despite its most advantageous strategic location, Pakistan is more and more in the vortex of problems. If Pakistan has to earn a respectable place in the comity of nations, there is a need to frame a new foreign policy learning from the past experiences. Since the US double standards are no secret, Pakistan’s ties with the US should be reviewed. Pakistan alone cannot fight militancy in the region nor is it only Pakistan’s problem. India too will have to play a role just as Afghanistan too has its role to play. If the US keeps taking the side of India and Afghanistan and throws the entire burden on Pakistan alone, then it is unlikely that the US will ever get the type of results that it wants in this region. The US will have to treat all countries in region equally. The tradition of threatening Pakistan with no aid has to change. (Kawish Edit, Awami Awaz Edit)
AFGHANISTAN
1. Kabul has no plans to make any efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiations table, according to the Afghan President’s Spokesperson, who said, “Peace in Afghanistan depends on the stability in Pakistan. Terrorism in Afghanistan stems from the Pakistani soil”. (Jang, Roznama Dunya, Urdupoint)
2. The Afghan National Alliance (ANA) says that for peace in Afghanistan, exit of the US is necessary and they will make a peaceful struggle towards goal. It has accused the US of sabotaging the peace efforts of Hekmatyar. (Ummat)
3. A secret report has asked the Pakistan government to remove Afghans from the posts of Masjid Imam and teachers in madaris. People should not rent out their houses, hotels or shops to the Afghan refugees, the report said. (Roznama Dunya)
4. The Afghan Taliban have attacked five chowkies in Helmand. As many as 49 Afghan soldiers were killed in the exchange of fire. (Ummat)
INDIA
1. In an interview with Wajih Ahmed Siddiqui, the Hizb ul Mujahideen Supreme Commander, Syed Salahuddin, said: Jihad is Kashmiris last option. If India does not allow the people of Kashmir the right to self-determination, then jihad of Kashmir will enter India though they are looking for a peaceful resolution. The world should force India stop its forcible occupation. This will bring peace in Kashmir. Otherwise, jihad will enter a new phase. And the new phase will enter India to force the Indian people to their raise voices in support of Kashmiris right to self-determination. However, right now the Kashmiri Mujahideen has kept jihad limited to Kashmir. The Kashmiris are fighting a war for the survival and the national security of Pakistan and hence the Pakistani leadership should aggressively support them. (Ummat)
2. The Federal Minister for AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Barjees Tahir said Burhan Wani’s martyrdom will not go vain. He demanded that the UN should take notice of the Indian aggression in Kashmir. (Daily K2, Baad-e-Shimal)
3. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Secretary General in a statement said that freedom is Kashmiris’ right and it cannot be suppressed. (Roznama Dunya)
4. PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto has phoned the Kashmir leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and told him that the PPP will continue supporting the Kashmiri people. Bilawal has instructed the PPP workers to hold demonstrations in front of Press Clubs across the country. (Ausaf)
5. JuD Chief, Hafiz Saeed asked the Pakistan government to raise the Kashmir issue at the OIC and in the Security Council. He remarked that mere statement by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, is not enough; pressure should be increased on India. (Roznama Dunya)
6. The world community has not raised voice over violation of human rights by the Indian Army in the wake of the martyrdom of Burhan Wani, nor has Pakistan protested in a way it should have done. The silence of Pakistan is questionable: has Pakistan backtracked from its principled stand? Has it accepted a defeat on the Kashmir issue? (Al Qalam Weekly, Edit)
7. India is fooling the world by terming Kashmir issue as its internal matter. Kashmir is the incomplete agenda of Partition and India has no right over it. We reject the US stance that Kashmir is India’s internal issue. Prime Minister Sharif rightly demanded a free referendum in Kashmir. The Chief of Army Staff justifiably demanded that the international community should settle the Kashmir issue as per the UN resolutions. (Roznama Dunya-Edit, Jang Edit, Nawa-i-Waqt Edit, Ausaf Edit)
8. JI will organise protest demonstrations at 38 places in all the districts of Karachi against the current wave of violence in Kashmir. The JI Chief Siraj-ul-Haq said that the Sharif government has forgotten the liberation movement of Kashmir. The Pakistani leaders should have protested strongly against the atrocities of the Indian Armed Force. The Karachi JI leaders have said that the Kashmiri Mujahideen were struggling for Islam and the survival of Pakistan. Silence of the world community over Indian atrocities of India in Kashmir is questionable. India is committing state terrorism. (Jasarat)
9. JuD Karachi Chief Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi says protests will be staged at 15 places in Karachi against Indian atrocities in Kashmir today. He asked the Ulema to refer to the Indian barbarism in Kashmir in their Friday sermons. (Jasarat)
10. JuD and the Kashmir Freedom Movement will organize a nationwide strike to expresses solidarity with the Kashmiris against India’s state terrorism. (Daily K2)
ARMY/SECURITY FORCES
1. Banners have appeared in Larkana, Sindh, in support of the Army Chief. The signatories to these banners are shown to be the people frustrated with the politicians and the distressed people of Larkana. (Kawish)
2. Several posters have appeared in major cities of Pakistan pleading the COAS to take over the government, and impose Martial law. According to journalist, Talat Hussain, there are some hidden forces behind such a campaign. Ayaz Amir, however, says it is pity to say that the establishment is behind this campaign as facts are unknown. All the four-five generals who are lined up for promotion after Raheel Sharif’s retirement are watching all that is happening. An organisation called ‘Move In’ has started this campaign at a time when the opposition parties were gearing up for agitations against the PM. The analysts also see some other agenda behind opposition’s agitations. Imran Khan wants to be the PM while the PPP wants to revive its fortunes. Ayaz Amir believes that these agitations cannot remove Sharif from the saddle because such decisions cannot be taken by the opposition parties. Leaders like Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri just create an atmosphere and no one knows what is in the mind of the establishment. If the establishment wanted, it could have easily taken over the reins without any need of the agitations. Talat Hussain thinks that the Sharif government is a victim of indiscipline and poor governance. It is the issue of governance that makes all the difference not the opposition’s strategies. It is however difficult to speculate about the threats in the pipeline. (By Ambar Shamsi in Ibrat)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. PM has set up a high level committee, headed by the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to consider further extending the Security of Pakistan Act even by a Presidential ordinance if necessary. The committee also will decide on the amendments to the act if necessary, says Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who has been authorised to take the opposition into confidence on the issue. He justified the moves to take the fight against terrorism to its logical conclusion. (K-2)
2. The Safe City Project has foiled a major terror bid in Islamabad and 13 militants have been nabbed. Evidence shows that Indian RAW and the Afghan NDS, were involved in the plan. Because of joint efforts of Police and the intelligence agencies, the culprits are nabbed. The cameras installed as a part of the Safe City project recorded the movements of the culprits. The militants had plans to target the Quaid-e-Azam University and five star hotels. Meanwhile, the Home Minister has expressed anger against the Islamabad IG for releasing the details of the terror bid to the public. (Kawish)
POLITICAL SCENE
1. Senior PML-N leaders have advised the Prime Minister to take the opposition into confidence over the Panama Papers issue, and Kashmir situation. So, a meeting is being convened next week in Islamabad with the parliamentary leaders of various parties. It is accepted worldwide that dialogue alone is way out of any problem. There is no such unsolvable issue between the government and the opposition provided there is a sincerity and honesty on both sides. If the government takes the opposition into confidence and makes transparent attempts to the resolve issues, there might be no need for any agitations. Instead of resolving issues in the street through agitations, let these issues be resolved through talks. Hopefully, this time the government will not resort to any trickery and hopefully will try to be in favour of genuine accountability. (Ibrat)
2. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s meeting with PPP leader Khursheed Shah has been put off as he had to rush to Lahore to attend a meeting chaired by Prime Minster Sharif. The agenda for Dar- Shah meeting include the Panama Papers probe, and selection of Poll body. (Awami Awaz)
3. The National Accountability Bureau has decided to close the corruption cases against Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar. The NAB team and a special committee looking into these cases took the decision. A money laundering case was registered against Ishaq Dar in 1999. (Awami Awaz)
POK/G-B NEWS
1. Gilgit- Baltistan is a mess- not a small mess, a very big, bad mess. Job rackets, ghost employees, hospitals with no medical staff, roads crying for repairs, you name it, GB has it making life miserable. Government leaders keep promising new projects, new jobs and new tenders but they seem hard to materialise. Projects like the road construction are announced by the Prime Minister of the country but they remain on paper for months together as no tenders are floated. Dams remain on paper. Leaders say they won’t pay taxes. The Federal government is silent on granting a constitutional status of a province to GB. Locations for setting up important projects are the choice of the federal officials Candidates for GB Council are selected by the Prime Minister. Speaker of the GB Assembly complains that government officials not heeding lawmakers. God alone knows where this journey will take the people of GB. (Daily Intekhab)