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

AFGHANISTAN
1. Participating in a Geo program, Afghan Ambassador, Omer Zakhelwal said that Pakistan could play an effective role in bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan. Peaceful and secure Afghanistan will not only work for better Pak-Afghan ties but also have positive impact on Pakistan’s security and economy. He said that Pakistani and Afghan Taliban are two sides of the same coin. Afghanistan cannot make any offer to the Taliban; Taliban’s point of view can be heard only on the dialogue table. Large numbers of people fighting in Afghanistan are present in Pakistan and this fact should be accepted. Afghanistan was aware of Mullah Akhtar’s presence in Pakistan, but details were not known; likewise Afghanistan was aware that Mullah Haibatullah was in Quetta and now may have travelled to Peshawar. (Jang)
INDIA
1.India has invested USD 290 million in Afghanistan’s Salma Dam. When PM Modi reached Herat, he received an unexpected and overwhelming welcome by the Afghan President and establishment. Salma Dam is India’s second largest project after the construction of Afghan Parliament. It will generate 42 MW of electricity and will irrigate 75000 acres but this will also reduce 75% water flow towards Iran from Hari River due to which irrigation in Iran’s eastern areas will be affected. Iran has protested many times to Afghanistan over this issue. Security forces at Dam had also been attacked in the past and the blame for this was levelled against Iran and Pakistan. (Ummat Edit)
2.Indian investigating officer has given Pakistan a clean chit in the Pathankot Air Base, attack case. The official said India does not have any evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in this attack. The Indian report on the attack speaks for the fact that if non-state actors are indulging in any terror acts in the region, then these non-state actors will have to be fought jointly by India and Pakistan. It is also a fact that terror networks are spread across several parts in India as well. Following the arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav, an Indian RAW agent from Balochistan, it had also become clear that India had tasked this officer with derailing the CPEC project. If such activities continue on in region, there can be no peace and stability. (Ibrat)
3. India should show seriousness over UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s offer to intercede on the Kashmir issue. The UN Secretary General should conduct a surprise visit to J&K and ask the people over there about want they want. Pakistan’s stance is clear and it has always extended logistical, diplomatic and legal support to the Kashmiri people. APHC Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani opposes military colonies, Pandit colonies and new industrial policies and has announced that elections will be boycotted, as elections in the presence of ten lakh forces would be considered a sham or military exercise. (Ausaf Edit)
4. Pakistan is preparing a dossier on Indian secret agent Kulbhushan Yadav’s activities. This will show how India is engaged in creating chaos in Pakistan and is harming Pakistan economically. (Ausaf Edit)
5. The Indian Army has begun its cheap methods against Mujahideen in Kashmir as it is now using a spy drone to attack suspected locations. (Al Qalam Weekly, 3-9 June)
6. PM’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz told a GEO program that there is a need for composite dialogues between India and Pakistan. He said that Pakistan is not very eager for dialogues and it will not come under Indian pressure. He stated that India’s effort to change Kashmir’s demography will not succeed and protests against Indian police are increasing in Kashmir. Shah Mehmood Qureshi of PTI said that Pakistan’s foreign policy is without any direction. Praising Indian foreign policy, he said that India has reached out to all of Pakistan’s old friends. Owais Laghari of PML-N agreed that Indian foreign policy is much better than Pakistan’s. Sartaj Aziz defended the government, stating that Pakistan has drafted its foreign policy as per its priorities. On Mr. Modi inaugurating a dam in Afghanistan, he remarked River Kabul does not have enough water that a major dam could be built. (Jang, Roznama Dunya, Daily Intekhab)
7. Pakistan has stalled investigations into the Pathankot airbase attack case for want of any evidence from the Indian side. This message has been conveyed through diplomatic channels to India, stating that Pakistan can cooperate fully only when India gives concrete evidence. If India does not give any concrete evidence, then it will not be possible for Pakistan to carry on. Sources also indicate that Pakistan has so far not allowed any visit by an Indian team. Such a visit will not be possible without more evidence. Key sources in Islamabad indicate that a clear message has been sent to India as to for what purpose permission can be given to an Indian team to visit. Pakistani team that had visited Pathankot has also formally informed Islamabad that there is no concrete evidence about use of Pakistan soil or any organisation being involved in the Pathankot attack. (Kawish)
8. JI Punjab chief Mian Maqsud said that not giving access to RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav to Indian authorities was a good decision. He added that proof of Indian involvement in Pakistan obtained from him should be given to the UN and international community to reveal India’s real face. Maqsud further said that anti -Pakistan forces were united against development in Pakistan and such conspiracies could be thwarted only by unity inside Pakistan. (Daily Pak, Nawa-i-Waqt)
ARMY/SECURIY FORCES
1. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a TV channel that Pakistan’s sovereignty has been affected by drone attacks in Balochistan. He stated that the drone issue is dealt by PM’s advisor Sartaj Aziz. He added that Pakistan’s borders are secure and that Shakil Afridi will not be handed over to the US. (Urdupoint)
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
1. Sunni Ittehad Council has decided to observe Friday as a protest against the punishment given to former Hajj Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi in a corruption case. The government is reportedly deliberately framing Kazmi in the case. 30 Ahl-e-Sunnat groups have decided to rally in his support with a protest rally on 16th June. (Daily Pak, Nawa-i-Waqt)
2. Speakers addressing Difa-e-Pakistan Conference, said that the recent US drone attack was a rehearsal and a declaration of war. They warned that if India provides any support to the US or Israel, then no Indian cities will remain safe. The speakers said that Pakistan is an ideological nation and some powers want to turn it into a secular country. JuD chief Hafiz Saeed said that US drones have reached Indian airports and missiles are being installed. They urged Pakistan’s Air force chief and Army chief to fulfil their responsibilities. Hafiz Saeed said that currently Pakistan was facing its toughest time since the fall of Dhaka. Agreement between Iran, India and Afghanistan for the construction of Chabahar Port is an attack on Pakistan. He stated CPEC must be protected. Former PM of AJK Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan said that the hands raised towards Pakistan would be cut down and the leader who sought prayers from Modi before entering into operation theatre cannot fulfil the expectation of the people of Pakistan. (Jang, Roznama Dunya, Jasarat)
POLITICAL SCENE
1. Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar said that Indian PM Modi was very active with regard to foreign relations but Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry’s performance was zero. Pakistan has a defunct foreign ministry, she said. (Daily K2)
2. Hamid Mir says some journalists who talked to him after his meeting with Nawaz Sharif insisted that PM’s bypass surgery was a drama to avoid Panama pressure. He recalls that in the past too such wild conjectures were made. Some media persons believed that 9/11 attack was carried out by US and Israel and that Osama was not present in Abbottabad when US raided his hideout in 2011. Some journalists believe Imran Khan to be an Israeli agent and consider Nawaz Sharif as Modi’s business partner. (Jang)
3. ANP Chairperson Begum Wali Khan said though there should be no politics over CPEC, she will campaign for rights of the Pakhtoon people vis-à-vis the project. She asked if the British Empire couldn’t close the Af-Pak border, then how it could be closed now. (Ummat)
ECONOMY/WATER
4. Senator Aajiz Dhamrah writes: Water is made more controversial within the country and policies made to resolve these disputes are either outdated or they are meant to address only few aspects of the controversy and not any dispute in total. The water issue should be seen from three angles in Pakistan: regional i.e. from Himalayan glaciers to India including all aspects en route, national and the injustice being meted to Sindh on the water issue. At the regional level, the India-Pakistan dispute on water goes back to 1948; with World Bank’s intervention, the Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960. India is not doing justice to Pakistan on the water issue. India has been violating this treaty time and again. There is a need for a fresh treaty with India on water, so that the three rivers snatched from Pakistan can be given back. Even at the national level, there is not much planning in water distribution to provinces and that is the reason that provinces are always in confrontation mode with the federal government on the water issue. Now that Pakistan is in the list of countries facing a water shortage which is expected to touch 31 MAF by 2025, there is a need to segregate water and electricity issues. The major reason for disputes over water is due to the fact that a larger chunk of water is taken away for power generation and hence Pakistan will have to look out for other options for power generation like solar and wind. Sindh is always the victim as it is at the tail end. If there is more water upstream it brings floods and if there is less water upstream, it brings drought into Sindh. There is need for new water distribution pacts between the federal government and Sindh. Non-release of water downstream from Kotri is causing a lot of damage. In this new pact, Karachi and Tharparkar should be given a major share of water. When Sindh’s water is being taken for Islamabad, then justice should be done unto Sindh too. (Kawish)
PUNJAB
1. Banned outfit members have become active in Punjab and have held 58 meetings at secret locations, according to a 90-page report prepared by law-enforcement agencies, three-pages of analysis and recommendations. Many of these outfit members have managed to remove their names from fourth schedule using their contacts with politicians. (Roznama Dunya)
SINDH
1. Pak Sarzameen Party chief Mustafa Kamal said those who had Karachi’s mandate (that is MQM) were on Indian payroll for 22 years. He said that India was paying them to create disturbances in Karachi. (Awami Awaz, 5 June)
2. Sindh CM Qaim Ai Shah told the media that Rs.6 billion has been allocated for K4 project, but the federal government is not cooperating in its implementation. (Roznama Dunya)
POK/ G-B NEWS
1. Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Jafarullah said that files on corruption indulged in by three ex-ministers have been submitted to NAB for action. (Daily K2)
2. Gilgit-Baltistan CM Hafizur Rahman has stated that his government is not politically influencing the police. “Political influence has ended”, he announced and this is indeed welcome. But the question, how long this phase will last. Time alone will tell. (Daily K2 Edit)
3. CM Hafizur Rahman’s statement that construction of Babu Sir Road and Skardu Road would start soon is a welcome development. Roadways are symbols of development and hence the projected should not be reduced only to paperwork but should be completed. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)