NEWS

8.       Following recent by-poll defeat, and loss of its Punjab government, Mariam Nawaz has been given additional responsibility in PML-N with the brief to refurbish the party image in Punjab. She will now spend more time at the party’s central secretariat; a separate cabin is being prepared for her. She will now live more at Model Town than at her ancestral place at Jati Umra. More and updated technical gadgets are also being installed in her office to keep watch on social and mainstream media. Several wings in party will now report to her as per directions of Nawaz Sharif. (Sindh Express)

9.       After much hue and cry, AJK municipal elections would be held on 28th September. This was decided by the Chief Election Commissioner after Supreme Court’s Orders. This is good news. AJK waited for urban civic polls for three decades. (Kashmir Dharti, Siasat)

10.     Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said that the body of Ayman al-Zawahiri has not been found yet. “We are not aware of his presence at that place”. In an interview to a foreign TV channel, he said the missile that hit al-Zawahiri’s house destroyed everything.  Zabihullah Mujahid termed the operation carried out by the US as a violation of the Doha Agreement and said that it will have negative consequences.  Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s deputy Amrullah Saleh has however claimed that the Taliban had secretly buried the bodies of al-Zawahiri and his associates in Panjawai district of Kandahar province. (Jasarat)

11.     Karachi Police have arrested four suspects involved in stealing from a Lyari temple and recovered the idols and pooja items from them. (Jasarat)

12.     The federal government has constituted a 16-member Jirga to improve law-and-order in Swat, Miran Shah and Mir Ali areas.  Leaders of PPP, ANP, Jamaat-e-Islami and NDM are included in the Jirga. The Prime Minister has formally approved the constitution of Jirga, which will hold its first meeting on Friday at Durrani House in Bannu. (Jang)

13.     Peshawar Police have arrested an Afghan migrant who had burnt the Pakistani flag and uploaded its video on social media. A case has been registered and further investigation is on. (Jang)

14.     Unknown persons threw a grenade at the vehicle of SHO Sariab Road, Ajab Khan when he was patrolling near Irrigation Colony in Quetta.  The grenade exploded near his vehicle but SHO and other police personnel were unharmed. (Daily Jinnah, Daily Express, Ummat, Nawai Waqt, Khabrain 11 August)

15.     Unknown groups are demanding extortion money in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information confirmed the report, but claimed that the banned TTP is not involved. He said that the government and the Mufti Noor Wali group of TTP have agreed on a ceasefire. (Intekhab Daily)

16.     People in Swat are scared amidst reports that the banned TTP has returned to some parts of the Swat. “We were told that we could return to your areas”, some armed groups said. But the provincial government, which is holding talks with the TTP, has denied their claim. “Nobody told them to return to their areas”, a government spokesman told reporters. He added that the talks so far were about ceasefire.  (Intekhab Daily)

17.     Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to meet the heads Russia, China and Iran amongst other countries in the middle of next month. He is also likely to meet his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. (Daily Pakistan, Jehan Pakistan)

18.     The Nawaz party is working on a new strategy to regain its ground in Punjab. Maryam Nawaz is likely to be given a new position along with the Vice President to mobilize and strengthen the party. She will spend more time at the party’s central secretariat in the coming days. A separate office is being readied for at the party. (Daily Pakistan)

19.     Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said government is looking into the reported presence of Taliban in Swat. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the11th International Defense Exhibition, he said Islamabad is in touch with Kabul. He said leaders of all parties must respect for institutions of national security. The law will act against those who break the law. (Nawai Waqt, Daily Express, Ummat)

20.     Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has again claimed that the law-and-order situation is very bad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He attributed the deterioration to a conspiracy.   KPK is burning but the Chief Minister is playing flute at Banigala. Now the people will not sit quietly. He criticised that PTI had laid the foundation for economic destruction and added that the PDM has fueled the fire. The common man is deprived of basic necessities and is suffering from insecurity. (Daily Express, Ummat)

21.     Hayter, a leading Chinese company providing professional communication technologies and solutions, will provide a state-of-the-art communication system for the New Gwadar International Airport. According to the agreement, the Chinese company will provide DIB-R5 1 Compact Tetra Base Station, Smart One Dispatch System, and multiple portable radios, including mobile radios and repeaters. The new airport spread over 4300 acres will be ready next year. (Ummat, Daily Express, Nawai Waqt)

COLUMNS

22.     Now that notices have been sent to PTI leaders, Imran Khan has started realizing the gravity of foreign funding case. More so after the arrest of Shahbaz Gill, who is believed to be very close to him. Shahbaz would speak out against anyone including the army. His arrest has made two things clear: Though Imran Khan and other PTI leaders have spoken about the way Shahbaz Gill was arrested, none has criticized his arrest per se. This arrest has popped up a question: Can Imran Khan be next for arrest? Other question making rounds in Islamabad’s political circles is: What will be the future of Imran Khan and his party? Other major topics of the day are: ban on a media channel and arrest of its news director.   Slowly, words like neutral and establishment are fast disappearing in the media. Major beneficiary in all this is the federal government. Yesterday, PML-N leaders were discussing only Shahbaz Gill’s statements against the army. So much so that no one noticed or discussed the decline of dollar rate in a day by Rs.28! On the other hand, Pervez Elahi, Punjab CM has said in very clear terms “We will not be a party in the campaign against the army. No one will make statements on our behalf. Either, I will give statements or Mauns Elahi”. He also said he had old ties with the Punjab governor and they would work together. Incidentally, Fawad Chaudhary said some media persons together with some Baloch rebels have raised voice seeking disqualification of Imran Khan. On his part, Imran Khan told a press conference held through video link that attempts are underway to get him disqualified. He also said attempts are also being made to spread a word around that he is against the army. Imran said he can very well understand what was cooking up against him. He said his government was toppled because the army and his government were on the same page.  PML-N held a presser to lash out Imran Khan and to accuse him of instigating youth to speak out against institutions. PML-N leaders claimed that Imran Khan and his party had raised funds abroad for charity but diverted the donations for political purposes. Meanwhile, federal minister Masdaq Malik of PML -N suggested that there should be no telecast of Imran Khan’s propaganda. One other big news is: a TV anchor who used to be very fond of Imran Khan is not heard these days. There are rumors that he had gone abroad. There are no details about this anchor as to what is his name? And when he was sent abroad. (Kawish, Dr. Ayub Sheikh, Aug.11)

23.     Imran Khan is a smart person. Realizing that we are living in social-media dominated times, he has set up a team of techno experts who took PTI to nook and corners of the country. It is because of the social media that despite being out of power, PTI posts dominate trends for weeks. Recent by-polls in Punjab are also evidence as to how he could defeat Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) with help of social media. Latest debate on social media   tries to convey the impression that the establishment is divided on Imran Khan factor. It means, there are some sympathizers and some are against him within the establishment. The moot question is: Should Imran Khan be supported? There is a feeling that the army is a well organized institution and those campaigning against the army are doing no justice to Pakistan politics. Questions also arise if PTI is aware as to what all it has been doing these days and what can be consequences? Now, pro-PTI sections feel Imran Khan is going to announce a patch-up with institutions on Aug13. But assuming that Imran Khan gives up his hard stand against institutions, what about the change of heart of PTI sympathizers who have been fed with deep hatred against institutions? Will Imran Khan succeed in softening their hatred? (Ibrat, Atif Khan)

24.     Arrest of Imran Khan’s chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill is not the final act but the beginning of the establishment’s attack on PTI. This turn was very much expected especially in view of the ways Imran Khan was pursuing things.  He is no Che Guevara nor is PTI a Communist party. Imran Khan will have to not only admit but also will have to apologize for mistakes made by him. It will be a conditional apology; he will have to give surety that he would not repeat any such mistakes that are to the dislike of the establishment. Impression within PTI is that Imran Khan is too hot to handle. This is what even Shahbaz Gill had said recently. But, he is no historic figure in Pakistan political history. He has been living a life of luxuries. He has no Nelson Mandela like ideology. He wants power, hungry and thirsty for power. He has no stamina for sustained democratic fight against establishment. Arrest of Shahbaz Gill is an alarm bell for all big-mouthed within PTI. All so-called “Tigers” who are pampered by Imran Khan are living under big fear – a fear “accountability”. Everyone knows how Imran Khan started becoming a big obstacle coming in the way of the establishment. One big impression going around from Imran Khan’s activities was that Imran Khan wanted a rift within the establishment.   There are certain red lines in Pakistan corridors of power and none is allowed to cross those lines. Imran Khan had started crossing those lines. Hence, it was decided within the establishment to teach Imran Khan a lesson or else others like Imran Khan would start targeting the establishment on social media. And, the establishment has started giving lessons with the arrest of Shahbaz Gill. He is very close to Imran and also knows a lot about party programs and the establishment could get a lot of information from him. The way Imran Khan wants to run the country and the way he had started a campaign against America was unacceptable to the establishment. Shahbaz Gill’s arrest is a message to Imran Khan and his party that if they do not mend their ways more arrests are on the way. Though Imran Khan might not be an immediate target and might not be arrested for now, it will be difficult for him to function or run the party if his close aides start going behind bars one after another. It is time for Imran Khan to introspect as to how long  he can sustain a fight with establishment with help of “others” who have been helping him so far in the feud with establishment? (Sindh Express, Aijaz Mungi)

25.     Imran Khan at one time feared assassination; later he came to fear arrest. Nowadays he fears disqualification. He looks like one left in a lurch and looks much shaken and lost. He fears that he is being surrounded from all sides. He does not seem to be in good shape, be it physically or mentally. He is restless and it is evident from the statements being made by him. Media reports paint him as a stressed person. When he was in office, he was called “selected” and choice of establishment; he does not seem to be enjoying that title any longer. He does not seem to be realizing his mistakes and also does not have any feeling to mend his ways.  Hence both possibilities, namely disqualification and arrest, cannot be ruled out. (Sindh Express, Mohamad Khan Saiyal)

26.     There is evidence of the return of the Taliban in many tribal areas including Swat, Dir, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan. The killing of a PTI assembly member in the Dir district raised alarm bells. The abduction of a DSP in Swat created a wave of concern. Everyone is asking how did these TTP people have come back? Is the return under any understanding? The continuous silence of the government and the concerned circles has made the matter more complicated. Against this backdrop came the news about the death of Khorasani, an important commander of TTP. Khorasani was wanted in several terrorist incidents in Pakistan. His death will certainly weaken the TTP. But immediate concern is the return of TTP. It raises many questions. Have some TTP people been allowed to return? It seems unlikely that the terms of the TTP have been accepted. Has the Afghan Taliban agreed that they will take action against the terrorists based in Afghanistan? It is impossible; the Afghan Taliban will never act against TTP.  There are targeted killings in KP; there is the talk of extortion. There are also reports of movement of suspicious people. The sequence of events shows that if the Federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments continue to sleep, there may be a big tragedy tomorrow. These people can do everything we fear. We face a lot of difficulty to remove such elements from these areas. Are the old situations going to happen again? What will be done if they reorganize themselves and return to their old ways? Will we have to operate against them again? Can Pakistan afford it?  There should be no leniency towards those who take up arms against the state. Whatever has happened or is happening or will happen with TTP, the whole nation should know. (Muzammil Saharwardi – Daily Express)

EDITORIALS

1.       Like it prepared for the rain havoc and floods, the Sindh government should have put in place a contingency plan to handle water-borne diseases that crop up during rainy season and should have provided hospitals with requisite medicines to check spread of these ailments. Now also it is not too late to start a campaign on how to keep gastro at bay and thus save precious human lives. (Kawish Edit, Aug.11)

2.       The Sindh government has a poor track record in matters of education and Medicare.  People had a lot of expectations from chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah since he studied abroad and has seen what life means in those countries.  One expectation was that the CM would set up experts’ teams to look into social evils like karo-kari (honor killings) and kabila (tribal) clashes, but nothing of that sort has happened. The Sindh people have still not lost all hopes and are expecting that Ali Shah would take measures for social uplift. (Ibrat Edit)

3.       The Federal cabinet has been expanded. This interalia means more ministers and more burden on the exchequer, which the government can ill-afford as of now since the economy is under heavy stress. Need of the hour is not a big cabinet but resizing it. Also there is need to cut down whatever un-necessary perks and facilities are being extended to ministers. And the money thus saved should be used for people’s welfare. (Sindh Express Edit)

4.       The Auditor General of Pakistan has revealed that record is not available for Rs 82.64 crores paid to the owners of completely and partially destroyed houses in North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and Orakzai amongst other places. Record of Rs 59.22 crore transferred to the Deputy Commissioners by the Disaster Management Authority is also missing. Officials claimed that this money was distributed among the victims but failed to provide details of the recipients with their identity card details. (Edit Jasarat)

5.       Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has distanced himself from the statement of Shahbaz Gill criticising the Army. PTI leader Imran Khan should follow and express detachment with the statement of Shahbaz Gill. Not taking a clear stand on the issue can prove harmful to the Tehreek-e-Insaf party.  Since Imran Khan was unseated through a no-confidence motion , the impression on the basis of what is stated  in the mainstream media and social media is that some elements in the PTI do not have a good opinion about state institutions. In such a situation, not showing clear indifference to Shahbaz Gill’s statement will further strengthen this impression. (Daily Pakistan Edit)

6.       Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s decision to roll back the order to close shops and markets after 9 pm is ill-conceived.  Markets in developed countries are open during daylight but here in Pakistan, the Government allows the markets to remain open after 9 pm This translates into hike in energy bill and petrol and diesel consumption. For the sake of political point scoring decisions should be implemented. (Edits in Nai Baat)

7.       Federal Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has said that the country has emerged out of difficult economic times.  Significant stability has also been recorded in the value of the Pakistani Rupee. The financial scenario will improve further in the next few months, which will reduce the hardships of the people. We made difficult financial decisions, and it helped. The deep clouds of hopelessness that were hovering over the horizon are clearing. A patriotic Pakistani will always want Pakistan to develop and appreciates whoever works for the country but it is sad to say that we have some people who give bad name to their own country. Giving lectures on the economy without knowing the basic principles of economics is a characteristic of our. We like countries whose rulers are anti-Western, even if they are sucking the blood of their own people. The children or families of politicians and state officials who speak against America and Europe in Pakistan are not settled in China, Russia, or North Korea. They all flee to America and Europe. Pakistan’s economy has been reeling under the burden of debt for decades. If immediate measures are not taken for a turnaround of the economy, our problems may become more serious. Besides eliminating corruption, there is a dire need to make agro and industrial sectors more active. Taking the path of self-reliance should be the first priority among the necessary measures. It is very important to promote small-scale industries to reduce unemployment in a couple of years. The current situation requires that all political parties keeping their political interests and egos aside, to close their heads for a long-term strategy to end the recurring economic crisis. (Edit Daily Express)