NEWS : With Kakar becoming caretaker PM, Balochistan has assumed a place of pride. For the first time in the country’s history, three key posts have gone to Balochistan. The caretaker PM is from Balochistan, senate chairman, Sadiq Sanjrani, comes from Balochistan, country’s new chief justice, to be appointed next month, Qazi Faiz Isa hails from Balochistan. (Kawish, Aug.13)

• Chief of Balochistan National Party Sardar Akhtar Mengal was angry over the appointment of Anwarul Haq Kakar as the caretaker Prime Minister. He has shot off a letter to PML-N supremo, Nawaz Sharif.  “My message today is a continuation of the previous message dated July 22, 2022, because the problems that I had mentioned earlier, and wished that they would decrease, have increased”, Sardar Akhtar Mengal wrote in his letter. And went on to say “We remember well the atrocities of General Ayub to General Musharraf, but your party has forgotten the conspiracies and unconstitutional actions of Musharraf and Bajwa so quickly and again passed legislation in the dark of night without taking allies and democratic institutions into confidence. It will be equivalent to putting more nails in the coffin of democracy”. He wrote that legislation contrary to human rights will probably be used against you in future more than against us because we residents of Balochistan have not been considered human beings since day one. In the last census, the population of Balochistan was around 2.24 million. What message is sought to be sent by reducing Balochistan population by 73 lakhs in the CCI meeting? Making decisions without taking the allies into confidence on any important decisions will only perpetuate mistrust. Akhtar Mengal regretted that it is against the law for the people of Balochistan to raise their voices and shed tears for their loved ones. Like last time, this time too we thought that maybe after those bitter experiences, your party would have realized its mistake, but we were wrong. Today, the caretaker prime minister’s nomination has not only closed the doors of politics for us, but such decisions of yours have created more distance between us and you. (Aeen Daily)

• China directed its citizens living in Gwadar and other places in Pakistan to be vigilant and take precautions against security threats. This followed the attack on Chinese convoy on Sunday near Gwadar Port.  In a statement, the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, said no Chinese citizen was harmed in the attack   and that concerned officials have been adequately protected. The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan strongly   demanded a through enquiry into the attack, and punishment to guilty. (Roznama Intekhab)

• A Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Nazryati delegation met Afghan Foreign Minister Mullah Amir Muttaqi Khan in Kabul. The delegation comprised Central Senior Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Qadir Loni, Jamiat-e-Nazryati Central Information Secretary Syed Haji Abdul Sattar Shah Chishti, Central Finance Secretary Haji Hayatullah Kakar, and Provincial Auditor Maulana Niaz Mohammad.  During the meeting, Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants good fraternal relations with all neighboring countries including Pakistan. “Our land will not be used against any neighboring country, the Afghan nation is tired of 40 years of war. Now the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is focusing on building the country and restoring peace”. (Roznama Intekhab, Kashmir Express)

• Afghan Foreign Minister Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi has said that the Islamic Emirate wants good brotherly relations with all neighboring countries including Pakistan. Our land will not be used against any neighboring country. Afghan people are tired of forty years of war. Now the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is focusing on the restoration of peace. Muttaqi expressed these views when a delegation of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (Nazryati) under the leadership of Maulana Abdul Qadir Loni, the central secretary of information of Jamiat-e-Islam (N) Syed Haji Abdul Sattar Shah Chishti, Finance Secretary Haji Hayatullah Kakar and others met him at his office in Kabul.  In the meeting, there was a detailed discussion on the situation of Pakistan and Afghanistan for two hours. Muttaqi welcomed the delegation and said that Pakistan is the homeland of migration of the Afghan people, it is the second home of the Afghans that has given immense service to the Afghan people for forty years, which the Afghan people can never forget. He said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has fully complied with the Qatar Agreement. Amir Haibatullah Akhundzada has banned the people of Afghanistan from going to other countries or any kind of negative actions and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Interior and other ministers are on a visit to all the provinces and are following the instructions of Amir.  He said, in a short time of two years, they have established ideal peace in Afghanistan and despite international sanctions, they have improved the law and order and economy. (Jasarat)

• The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, (PTI), Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that his party was not consulted on the appointment of the caretaker prime minister. “We have no role in the appointment of caretaker prime minister, but Anwar ul Haq Kakar is an educated man and we hope that he will understand his role as it is written in the constitution”. Qureshi said it is the responsibility of the caretaker prime minister to conduct clean and transparent elections on time. By fulfilling this role, he will serve the nation and we hope that the caretaker prime minister will stop the ongoing crackdown against PTI cadres. There should be a level playing field for the election and we should get the same opportunity as other parties are allowed to do political activities. (Qudrat Daily)

• Leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and spokesman of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Hafiz Hamdullah has said that what is recorded in the alleged diary of Bushra Bibi, shows that the Imran Khan government was run by the first lady. The diary proved that the PTI government was under the influence of witchcraft and magic. Talking about May mayhem, Hafiz Hamdullah said that everything was done according to a plan. He asked who gave the land of Al-Qadir Trust and 190 million pounds? The truth should come before everyone. On the arrest of Imran Khan, Hafiz Hamdullah said that the arrest is the result of his own doings. (Qudrat Daily)

• Addressing the Independence Parade at Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, Army Chief General Asim Munir sad: “We are well aware of internal and external enemies. Today is the day to renew our resolve to defend the motherland.  Pakistan was built based on the two-nation theory. Our mission is to make Pakistan a prosperous and stable country. The forces of Pakistan and the people were one, are one, and will remain one. This day is a day to honor the freedom gained through sacrifices”.   General Munir said criminal attempts to create a rift in the nation and the army will fail. He added: “I give a message of hope to our great nation, and we will not hesitate to make any sacrifice for the sake of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The nefarious attempts to create a rift in the nation and the army will fail”. (Qudrat Daily, Nawaiwaqt)

• Shahbaz Sharif said that time and records will testify that the sinking ship of Pakistan was saved from the worst storms, and brought back to peaceful shores. In his farewell address to the nation, he said that he is handing over the running of the country to the caretaker government. He hoped that the caretaker prime minister will ensure the conduct of transparent and impartial elections. He said, “We came to power through the constitution, and we are going back through the same path. We have not only ended the darkness of the past but we are also lighting the lights of the bright future”. He said that taking a loan is not a success, but it was a journey of walking on thorns for 16 months. “At that time, if elections were held, we could have gained a political advantage. We gave priority to national interests, not to political selfishness”. If the country went bankrupt, there would be a shortage of food and drink, and neither medicine nor petrol, there would only be chaos and commotion. He said that his coalition government did not allow national interests to be affected. “We restored the trust of friendly countries. We held the hands of the flood victims. We distributed 100 billion rupees in the form of cash and goods to 3.3 crores flood victims. We provided relief to the weaker sections despite economic difficulties, and added five thousand megawatts of electricity to the national grid. We gave freedom to the media and gave rights to media workers.   (Qudrat Daily)

• As soon as the Caretaker Prime Minister was announced, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party became active. IPP has appointed Divisional Office bearers of party units at Lahore, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Sahiwal. Murad Ras has been appointed President of Lahore Division and Mian Khalid Mahmood will be the General Secretary. The Election Commission has said that the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party is currently not registered. So it is not eligible for an exclusive election symbol. (Roznama Intekhab, Daily Dharti)

• There is fresh speculation about the return of Pakistan Muslim League (N) supremo Nawaz Sharif from his exile in London. There is no official announcement and no date has been fixed by his party.  He seems unsure when he will return home from London, where he has been living since 2019. Last year, especially after the removal of Imran Khan government in April 2022, PML N leaders claimed “Nawaz Sharif is returning to Pakistan next month”. When the ML-N leader was in Dubai in June end, many persons in his party hoped that he could return to Pakistan in less than 3 hours. On behalf of Rana Sanaullah a letter was sent in mid-July to the presidents and divisional secretaries of the PML N in which they were instructed to inform their MNAs, MPAs, and party workers about the preparations for Nawaz’s return. But no date has been revealed for his return. On his part, Nawaz Sharif returned to London from UAE. PML-N insiders told Dawn that he cannot return before the new Chief Justice is sworn in. They said that we cannot take any risk. He is 74 years old, a diabetic patient, had two heart surgeries, and he has multiple diseases. We can’t put him in a situation where his life is in danger. Talking to Dawn, Khawaja Asif said that Mian Nawaz Sharif will come in September, it is certain, but the date is yet to be fixed. In response to a question last week, outgoing Prime Minister and Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother Shahbaz Sharif also said that Nawaz will return in September. (Qudrat Daily)

• Speaking to private TV, legal wizard Sardar Latif Khosa, has cast doubts on the return of Nawaz Sharif.  “His (Nawaz Sharif’s) career is over; becoming the fourth prime minister is a far cry. He will not come back”. (Roznama Intekhab, Daily Kashmir Express, Daily Khabrain)

• Senator Abdul Qadir, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Resources, has stated that two terrorists were killed and one was injured in an operation by security forces in the Kech region of Balochistan. Security forces conducted a successful intelligence-based operation in Mazband Range area of Ketch. Terrorists were involved in several attacks on security forces and innocent civilians. He stated that a huge number of arms and explosives were recovered from the possession of the terrorists. (Urdu Point)

• Two workers were killed at the crushing plant in Turbat, when miscreants opened fire at them. According to a private TV channel, the workers were busy at the crushing plant when some unknown persons came and fired indiscriminately. As a result, two workers were seriously injured and later died of their injuries. The police reached the spot upon receiving the information and started collecting evidence from the scene. (Qudrat Daily)

• Habib Mehsud, brother of former IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Salahuddin Mehsud was killed after being kidnapped. Habib Mehsud’s car came under firing. While his gunman   was injured, the driver died on the spot. Police investigation is underway. (Qudrat Daily)

• Jan Moha­mmad Mahar, a senior journalist associated with a private Sindhi newspaper and TV channel, was shot dead by motorcycle-borne armed men in Sukkur. According to police, the incident took place near St. Xavier’s School on Queen’s Road. The assailants fired multiple shots at Mahar, who was traveling in his car. He was shot in the head and near the eyes and was rushed to a private hospital in critical condition. Hospital sources said that he succumbed to his injuries during surgery. The motive behind the attack was not immediately known, but police believe the killing was due to old enmity. The police have started searching for the attackers. It should be noted that according to the data released by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), five Pakistani journalists, were killed in the year 2022. (Qudrat Daily)

• Security forces killed five terrorists in Gwadar of Balochistan, and Bajaur of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Suicide jackets, heavy weapons and explosives were recovered. (Baad-e-Shimal)

• Awami Muslim League chief, Sheikh Rasheed, who is also a former interior minister, complained that police raided the houses of Lal Haveli and his brothers and sisters last night. The police took away valuables, cameras, laptops, mobile phones, drivers and employees from the house. He added that all the barriers outside Lal Haveli, which were put up for security reasons, have been removed.  “There have been three suicide attacks on me. Now if any terrorist attacks me, the current rulers will be responsible”. (Roznama Intekhab, Daily Khabrain, Daily Dharti)

• Pakistan sent a plan to the IMF to reduce the revolving debt of the gas sector, which has now reached 16 trillion rupees. The proposed plan is a mix of non-cash book adjustments and tariff rationalization, which can be implemented after approval by the IMF, a government official said. He added that   the plan will be implemented gradually in a few quarters of this year. (Roznama Intekhab, Daily Kashmir Express)

• Pakistan Oil Refinery has denied stopping the import of Russian crude oil. In a statement, the refinery authorities said that the Russian crude has successfully gone through the refining stage, and that if the crude is found on better business terms, it will be refined again. Earlier it was reported that Pakistan has temporarily suspended the import of crude oil from Russia. According to “Geo News”, Russian crude oil import has been temporarily suspended. Industry sources said that no Russian oil ship came to Pakistan after the import by two ships on June 11 and 26. (Qudrat Daily)

EDITORIALS

• While celebrating the 76^th Independence Day, we should pledge that we will do everything for the development and progress of Pakistan and will never allow anyone to play with the integrity of the country. Whenever needed we will stand shoulder- to- shoulder along with our security forces. We will not hesitate to sacrifice everything to root out terrorism from Pakistan. On this Independence Day we should vow to clean this country of corruption and promote good political and democratic traditions, hard work. Surely, 76 years is not a big period in nation’s life but there are also instances where countries have made huge progress and development in less time than ours as can be seen from examples of Bangladesh, China, and Japan. (Edits in Baad-e-Shimal, Daily K2, Siasat, Daily Pakistan, Jinnah, Nawa-i-Waqt, Express Daily, Jang, Ibrat)

• MQM leaders echoed the thoughts of the people of the entire country on the occasion of Independence Day, when they said we could not achieve the lofty goals, for the fulfillment of which this country was carved out. acquired. The intentions of the founder of Pakistan and his associates were good but the beautiful gift of freedom has fallen into hands of greedy people. Because only after the establishment of Pakistan, those who called themselves patriots became obsessed with the lust for power and all around the political fields first the feudal lords and later the capitalists established their monopoly. (Daily Khabrain Edit)

• At last, Anwar-ul Haq Kakar has been appointed as caretaker Prime Minister. There are conflicting opinions about the decision but he is better than many of the people whose names were being considered for the interim prime ministership.  The people who were being named were directly responsible for the country’s destruction, while others were employees of the IMF and the World Bank. In these circumstances, the appointment of Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar seems better. (Edit Jasarat)

• Shortage of drugs used in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, asthma, heart, and stomach diseases is very worrying. Last month, a letter was written by various hospitals to the Drug Regulatory Authority calling for action against pharmaceutical companies to ensure   availability of life-saving medicines. The previous government had approved a 20 percent hike in drug prices in mid-May, but pharmaceutical companies were demanding a 40 percent hike, which is why many life-saving drugs are still in short supply. The fact is that for the last few years, a continuation of such incidents has been seen, first, a self-made shortage of medicines is created and then the prices are increased.   The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) must come to grips with this phenomenon.  The government must consider reducing tax on raw materials of medicines. (Edit-Dunya Daily)