• Pakistan-Iran-China and Afghanistan should form a block to fight US military intervention in the region: Colonel ( R ) Ghulam Rasool
• It would be difficult for Obama to achieve his goals in Afghanistan: Asif Jeelani
• Convince US to think of exit strategy: Imran Khan suggests to Pakistan government
• India’s expansion of defence budget an “alarm bell” for Pakistan: Nawae Waqt
• Xinjiang, a joint conspiracy plotted by CIA, RAW, Mossad and MI 6: Aslam Beig
• Pakistan could not decide its destiny because commoners and elites have two different visions for the country: Qazi Hussein Ahmad
• Constituting a new framework for Indo-Pak talks other than 1997 would be a big mistake: Maleeha Lodhi
• Protest on Xinjiang but do not give message of intervening in Chinese internal affairs: Nawa Waqt

Opinion Column, Ausaf Urdu Daily July 6, 2009
Pakistan-Iran-China and Afghanistan should form a block to fight US military intervention in the region: Colonel ( R )  Ghulam Rasool
In an opinion Column in Ausaf Urdu Daily Colonel (Retd.) Ghulam Rasool writes that during his recent visit to Karachi the Chief of Jamat-e-Islami met the Iranian Consul General and presented a proposal to form a block comprising of Pakistan, Iran, China and Afghanistan to counter US military intervention in the region. Rasool opines that this is a good proposal and reflects the reality of the present time and should be given a practical shape by incorporating more Islamic states. He says that “we should not forget that the alliance of US, Israel and India is a challenge to Pakistani security and is hell bent on declaring Pakistan a failed state.” He says that India has started considering itself a major power and considers Pakistan a “paralyzed organ” and has been avoiding a dialogue. He advises all these countries to strengthen their rank and file to unitedly fight these challenges.
(http://www.dailyausaf.com/edi_detail.php?id=1146&art_id=25)

Opinion Column, Aitadal Urdu Daily, July 6, 2009
It would be difficult for Obama to achieve his goals in Afghanistan: Asif Jeelani
Commenting on Operation “Khanjar” in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, Asif Jeelani in an opinion Column in Aitadal Urdu daily, writes that US president Obama has ordered that American forces must be victorious in this operation. Jeelani opines that it has been the tradition of every US President to “add a feather of a victory in his hat” to be remembered in history and has followed the surge strategy which was employed earlier in Iraq by his predecessor. He says that the US leadership thinks that it would not be successful in Helmand, the strategic region adjacent to Pakistan through which Taliban keep crossing over and receive arms and ammunition. He warns that the US should not compare Iraq with Afghanistan, as Afghans have experience of fighting for the last 150 years while Iraqis do not have that fighting spirit. He says US forces fought with insurgents in Iraqi cities while in Afghanistan it is facing Afghans in forest, mountains and desert. Apart from this, before starting its surge in Iraq it destroyed Shia-Sunni unity. There is no such situation in Afghanistan. Given all this, it would be difficult for Obama to achieve his goals.
(http://www.aitadal.com/page2.html)

Khabrein Urdu Daily, Opinion Column, July 7, 2009
Convince US to think of exit strategy: Imran Khan suggests to Pakistan government
In an opinion Column in Khabrein Urdu Daily, cricketer turned politician Imran Khan notes that during a meeting with Senator John Kerry who participated in his charity meeting in the United States, the senator expressed dissatisfaction over US administration’s military policy in Afghanistan and talked of alternative options. Imran Khan says that considering this change in the US thinking, the Pakistan government should seize the opportunity by sending its representative to the US which should include experts on tribal affairs and Afghanistan to draw the American attention to the real issue in the region. He says that the delegation should convince the US to think of an exit policy from Afghanistan given that the more US prolongs its stay in the region the more extremists it will create. To strengthen his argument, he quotes Graham Fuller, the former CIA station chief in Kabul, who wrote in the International Herald Tribune that there is no military solution to the problem in Afghanistan.
Imran Khan also questions the Pakistan government for not devising a new strategy to deal with internal problems in militancy infested regions. He notes that in the Pakistan government “there are those who are quite willing to go along with the current policy of spilling Pakistani blood- - (both of the soldiers, civilians and militants) - - as long as they can get dollars and US support.”
(http://www.khabrain.com/idaria_detail.aspx?id=2)

Nawae Waqt Urdu Daily, Editorial, July 8, 2009
India’s expansion of defence budget an “alarm bell” for Pakistan: Nawae Waqt
Commenting on India’s defence allocation in this year’s budget,  Nawae Waqt Urdu Daily in its editorial says that India’s defence budget has been increased 34 per cent as compared to last year and that it is seven time higher than Pakistan’s defence budget. The newspaper says that “India’s defence preparation is only and only against Pakistan.” It advises Pakistan to take this expansion of defence budget as an “alarm bell”. The paper says that Pakistan cannot allocate 14 billion rupees on defence budget as India has done, but can deter India’s design by further strengthening its nuclear programme. It adds that the Pakistan government should take the people into confidence and develop a comprehensive defense strategy.  
(http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-urdu-online/Opinions/Editorials/08-Jul-2009/2905)

Ummat Urdu Daily, discussion, July 8, 2009
Xinjiang, a  joint conspiracy plotted by CIA, RAW, Mossad and MI 6: Aslam Beig
Pakistan’s former Army Chief  General Aslam Beig in a an interview with Ummat Urdu daily, has said that violence in  Xinjiang  is a joint conspiracy plotted by CIA, RAW, Mossad and MI 6. He says the CIA has established a centre in Faizabad area of Badakshan and from there it has been trying to create trouble in Xinjiang and other neighbouring countries of Afghanistan.
(http://www.ummatpublication.com/2009/07/08/story2.html )

Jang Urdu Daily, opinion Column, July 8, 2009
Pakistan could not decide its destiny because commoners and elites have two different visions for the country: Qazi Hussein Ahmad
Qazi Hussein Ahmad, in an opinion Column in Jang Urdu daily, opines that elites and the common people have two different visions of Pakistan because of which the country has not been able to decide its destination even after 62 years of its establishment. Quoting an opinion poll he says 87 per cent of Pakistanis hate the US and want to get rid of their servitude, while the elites (ruling classes, establishment, civil and military bureaucracy and big investors and landlords) think that without the US the country can neither prosper nor became self-sufficient militarily and economically. He notes that the American attitude changes according to its own interests and goals and that the entire history of US cooperation with Pakistan reflects its “selfishness”.
He appeals to the masses - the commoners - to launch a struggle against the US and its policies and become self-reliant. He says that for this there is a need for a revolution in each field of life. He further notes that if “we can get rid of so called war on terror, peace can be restored in Pakistan.” Once peace is restored in Pakistan, overseas Pakistanis will transfer their investment and technical skills and the country will proceed on the path of development.
(http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/jul2009-daily/08-07-2009/col3.htm)

Jang Urdu Daily, Opinion Column, July 9, 2009
Constituting a new framework for Indo-Pak talks other than 1997 would be a big mistake: Maleeha Lodhi 
Ahead of a possible interaction between Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers at the  Sharm-al-Sheikh NAM summit, Maleeh Lodhi, former Pakistani diplomat, writes in Jang Urdu daily that India has to evolve a mechanism to resolve the Kashmir issue. She says that the “hesitancy shown by India to restart frozen diplomatic relations indicates that it wants initiation of talks on its own terms and conditions.”  Lodhi opines that efforts for creating “a new ‘set up’ for talks other than the framework constituted in 1997 would be a big mistake  ... and we would lose whatever had been achieved during the last few years on different issues.” 
She notes that “if Delhi considers the call for resumption of dialogues from Islamabad a weakness then it is its fallacy.” There are various reasons that compel both countries to ease tension and strengthen relations. First, Pakistan faces the challenge of terrorism and to deal with this it needs peaceful relations with its neigbours, especially India. Islamabad cannot ignore the challenges which may further escalate tensions. A meaningful dialogue will help both to deal various challenges. Second, Pakistan wants economic stability and India too has an ambition to become an economic power and a member of “big table”, and thus needs peace which cannot be achieved in the present conflict like situation. Third, “the thinking in both the countries is getting stronger that all outstanding issues including Kashmir cannot be resolved through use of force”. And fourth, the two nuclear powers have no alternative other than talks to maintain military and nuclear stability.
For a durable peace in South Asia meaningful dialogue is necessary which has three main dimensions (i) to achieve an acceptable solution of Kashmir (ii) resumption of military contacts and (iii) establishing contacts between nuclear experts. Finally, the future of the dialogue would depend on how the countries change their different stands on Kashmir and agree to an acceptable framework and also what kind of stand they take on bilateral trade relations and what kind of strategy they adopt on Afghanistan.
(http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/jul2009-daily/09-07-2009/col8.htm)

Nawae Waqt Urdu Daily, Editorial, July 9, 2009
Protest on Xinjiang but do not give message of intervening in Chinese internal affairs: Nawa Waqt
Commenting upon the recent violence in Xinjiang, Nawae Waqt Urdu Daily in its editorial has said that the killing of Muslims in China is deplorable. The paper, however, says that China is one of Pakistan’s few friends in the world which has stood with it in every situation and therefore suggests that any protest from the people or the government should not send the message to China of an intervention into its internal affairs. The daily suggests that Qazi Hussein of Jamat e Islami who has given a call of protest on Friday (July 10, 2009) should ensure that nothing happens during this protest to give China a chance to point a finger towards Pakistan’s interference in China’s internal affairs.
(http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-urdu-online/Opinions/Editorials/09-Jul-2009/2926)