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

1. With projects under the CPEC progressing fast, youth are increasingly keen learn Chinese language. A Punjab government institution has started Chinese language courses free of cost. In Balochistan however, no institution or organization has tried to introduce Chinese language courses. (Daily Intekhab)

2. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister, Pervez Khattak has said that the CPEC project has enhanced importance of KP province and now many industrialists are taking interest in KP. (Urdupoint)

AFGHANISTAN

1. Afghan Taliban have fired a missile on Bigram airbase. There is no information about casualties or losses. (Ummat)

2. After extending Afghan refugees’ stay till next year, the government has announced categories of visas for Afghan refugees. One category is of Afghan who married Pakistani girls. Another category covers medical treatment. The new policy has a provision for businessmen amongst the refugees. (Urdupoint)

3. Afghan Taliban have shot down a government helicopter in Badghis. All 11 persons aboard died. They include an army commander, intelligence chief and chief of provincial council. (Ummat)

INDIA

1. Addressing Hurmat-e-Rasool (Sanctity of the Prophet) Conference JuD Senior leader Maulana Amir Hamza said that the USSR saw its fate by shredding into 14 pieces and soon India would meet the same fate. Pakistan Army is meant for Ghizwa-i-Hind (Battle of East). He also said Pakistan will also support Khalistan’s freedom from India as Sikhs are with Pakistan and they have confessed the mistake of not supporting Jinnah during the making of Pakistan. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

2. Columnist Munir Ahmad Baloch writes: India and other forces have started abducting and killing Chinese engineers by hiring TTP with the intention of sabotaging project as Gwadar is the most significant port in the region and it is beyond India’s Navy’s reach too. (Roznama Dunya)

3. Columnist Zubair Tayyab writes:   Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that stone pelting in Kashmir has stopped because of the ban on Rs 500 & Rs 1000. He is trying to fool his people, and he is ignoring the ground realities. (Al Qalam Weekly, 25 November-1 December)

4. Indian secret agencies are cooking up stories that a Pakistani group had wanted to ensure migration of Khalistan Movement leader Harminder Singh to Germany after jail break in Punjab. Indian intelligence also say that Harminder Mintoo is in touch with Pakistani group. There is no need to investigate these allegations as very soon Indian officials will expose how India has invented the story. (Jasarat Edit)

5. Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit has rightly said that peace is possible only through talks, and that Pakistan is ready to accept unconditional talk offer from India. Pakistan should not accept any offer for talks with pre-conditions because without resolving the Kashmir issue no other understanding would be in the interest of Pakistan. (Daily Pak Edit)

6. Attack on Nagrota army camp in Jammu is the third biggest attack on Indian camps in the last two months in which seven Indian troops have killed including a Major. This is the same unit of Northern command of Indian army which had planned firing on working boundaries. (Jasarat, Roznama Dunya)

7. Mujahideen’ have attacked Nagrota army camp in which 7 troops were killed and 8 injured. The attack spread fear in Indian forces and education institutions have also been closed. Report further state the attack may be blamed on JeM. (Ummat)

8. UN Secretary General Baan Ki Moon has stated that India and Pakistan should resolve their water disputes bilaterally. (Ummat)

ARMY/SECURITY FORCES

1. A private TV says Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had a meeting with PPP President Asif Ali Zardari in Dubai before finalizing the name of General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Sharif wanted to convince PPP Chief to avoid any confrontation in future. (Pk Voices)

2. Now that the change of guard in the army is over, it is the duty of the government of the day to immediately consult all parliamentary parties and frame appropriate policies that will help in handling the internal and external affairs. There is a need for a joint role by all institutions. (Sindh Express)

3. New Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that the situation on LoC would improve soon. Since General Bajwa has had the experience of working in AJK in three different capacities in the past, he will be able to curb the Indian aggression at the LoC vigorously. Pakistanis are expecting that the new Army Chief will intensify the Karachi operation and operation Zarb-e-Azb. (Khabrain Edit)

TERRORISM & EXTREMISM

1. Five suspected persons were killed in exchange of fire during a search operation Frontier Corps carried out jointly with Sensitive Agencies in Sabi. Three bases used by suspects were destroyed in the operation. In Dhadar, unknown motor cycle borne attackers fired on labourers working on a development project. No one was injured. Police have set up check posts in the area immediately after the incident and are searching for the perpetrators. In Gachak area in Panjgur, Frontier Corps and sensitive agencies arrested three suspected militants and recovered arms from them. (Daily Intekhab)

2. JI-Karachi chief, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman, has criticized the Sindh law for protection of minorities. It is against the constitution of Pakistan and Islam. (Urdupoint)

3. Al-Khidmat Foundation has distributed wheel chairs to physically challenged persons in Lahore. This year the Foundation has donated 2200 wheel chairs. (Daily Pak)

ECONOMY/POWER/WATER

1. The federal government’s practice of continuously slashing allocations to provinces under the NFC will boomerang one day because it will only lead to souring of ties between the Islamabad and the provincial governments. Small provinces are upset over twin delays – delay in NFC award and delay in population census. The Provinces feel if population enumeration is done in time, they stand to get higher allocation based on their population. So it is essential to make progress on these twin fronts without any more delay. Sindh must get at least 50 per cent of the NFC award. It is getting now just 23 per cent, which is sheer injustice in light of the fact that Sindh contributes substantially by way of revenue generation, and oil and gas production. (Ibrat Edit)

SINDH/BALOCHISTAN/KP/PUNJAB

1. There are 67 vacancies including four posts of additional IGs in Sindh police. These vacancies have not been filled up though 31 police officers in grades from 18 to 21 are awaiting posting since long. Additional IG Sindh, additional IG, special branch, additional IG, crime branch and other important posts are amongst the posts lying vacant. (Kawish)

2. Columnist Mazhar Abbas writes: terror networks are reaching dangerous levels in Karachi with the continuing influx of foreigners whose number has now crossed 45 lakhs. These foreigners included Afghans staying illegally in the city. Karachi will be a big challenge for the new Army Chief as much as it was for outgoing Army Chief. The basic issues in Karachi continue to be same as hitherto despite success in targeted operations in Karachi. Sadly, both the Sindh and federal governments, have failed when it comes to meeting with Karachi’s basic needs. More than 6 lakh camps and many colonies are still unregistered. After 1998, Karachi’s population has been rising at about 37 per cent annually. If census takes place, it will show Karachi population can be anywhere near 3 crores now. Planning for Karachi has never been done; no wonder huge amounts go down the drain in the name of development. If you have money, then no law of land can stop you doing anything illegal. Karachi needs a metropolitan police system. There is no scope for lasting peace and law and order in the city as long as its basic issues are not addressed. (Awami Awaz)

3. Police have failed to investigate how a huge cache of arms was hidden at the MQM office. Police did not look interested in this matter from the very beginning, and the 30-day old case was not given importance it needed. Though a police officer from Azizabad made the complaint against MQM, the investigation was entrusted to a police officer from Liaquatabad. This case was never given to any senior officer of the Police Investigation wing. The Investigating Officer, Tariq Mahmood, also kept waiting for laboratory reports instead of looking into other related aspects of the probe. The case was investigated under anti-terror laws, but it cannot be filed with anti-terror court because investigations are not completed within stipulated time frame. (Sindh Express)

4. Former Sindh Governor, Ishratul Abad, has made interesting observations on huge arms cache found in Karachi. He said this huge arms cache is connected with a political party of Karachi. The arms seized were in fact military weapons. There used to be one organisational committee of a political party that is of MQM and some of these committee members were behind these arms. (Kawish)

5. Sindh United Party, one of nationalist groups in Sindh, has announced to start agitation from December against corruption and fundamentalism. It will take out a Sindh March in Karachi on February 26. Rallies will be taken in Larkana on December 17 and 18 in Kherpur Miras on Feb 26, 2017. The group chief, Jalal Mahmood Shah, said Sindh will not accept any new financial award unless population census takes place. No population enumeration is carried out since 18 years because the federal government fears that it might affect Punjab’s claims of being most populated province. There should be some effective measures to fight and contain corruption in Sindh. He said his organisation will start campaigns against corruption, fundamentalism and militancy and as part of that protest programme, and there will be mammoth Sindh March in Karachi. (Sindh Express)

6. Chief of Jamiat-e-Islam-Tribal, Mufti Abdush Shakur said any decision imposed by Islamabad or Peshawar will not be accepted. Tribal should be given right to make their own decision. The Tribal Peace Conference will be held on December 18th in Peshawar. (Urdupoint)

POK/G-B NEWS

1. AJK ministry will be expanded; the new ministers are likely to be sworn in after Kashmir Council elections. Those among the probable candidates are Sayed Shaukat Shah, Nasir Dar and Chaudhary Saeed. From Poonch, Sardar Khan Bahadur Khan will be taken as Advisor to the government. AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider and PML –N have agreed on the list. (Daily Dharti)

2. AJK PM Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan and Opposition leader Mohammad Yasin have expressed concern over problems of the people suffering from firing on the LoC. They asked the Federal government to take notice of the situation. (Daily Dharti)

3. The proposed development projects for Gilgit-Baltistan under the CPEC should be implemented and should not remain merely on paper. (Baad-e-Shimal Edit)