Afghan President Hamid Karzai is arriving in Pakistan today on a two-day visit.
During his stay, Karzai would meet with President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani. According to diplomatic sources, Pakistan would discuss India’s interference in Balochistan and security of Pakistanis present in Afghanistan with Karzai, while the latter would likely to raise regional strategy, and issues of 2 million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan.
Sources added that the Afghan President would also seek shifting of arrested Taliban leader Baradar. It would be Karzai’s first visit to Pakistan after being elected President for the second term.

GWADAR, Pakistan News: The Chief Ministers of four provinces on Wednesday signed the historic 7th National Finance Commission Award.

The ceremony at the picturesque Gwadar, in Balochistan province, was witnessed by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and members of his cabinet.

The venue was specially chosen to reflect the desire of all the provinces to end years of deprivation of the largest province of the country.

The Award was inked by the finance ministers of the four provinces in the presence of Punjab Chief Minster Shahbaz Sharif, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti and Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani and Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin.

The new Award would come into effect from the next financial year and marks the agreement by all the federating units over the distribution of financial resources among the provinces of Pakistan by the federal government on annual basis.

Under the award the population will be given 82 percent weightage, poverty 10.3 percent, revenue collection 5 percent (2.5 percent revenue generation, 2.5 percent revenue collection) and area 2.7 percent.

Under the new NFC Award, the federation met the demand of the provincial government for a greater share in the national resources.

The provincial share of the divisible pool would increase from 47.5 percent to 56 percent in the first year of NFC and 57.5 percent in the remaining years of the Award.

Under the new formula, Punjab would get 51.74 percent from the divisible pool, Sindh 24.55 percent, NWFP 14.62 percent and Balochistan 9.09 percent.

In the new award Punjab has given up 1.27 percent, Sindh 0.39 percent and NWFP 0.26 percent, while Balochistan has gained.

QUETTA, Pakistan News: DSP, 3 Policemen killed in Quetta Shooting, Unknown gunmen opened fire at a police van at Sheikh Umar Road of Quetta Saturday morning killing three policemen and injuring two others.

The deceased include DSP Balochistan Constabulary

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the troops have been call back from Kohlu in Balochistan and replaced by the Frontier Constabulary.

Addressing joint session of the parliament here on Wednesday Gilani said the government has determined to explore the causes of the killing of veteran Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti.

He said under the Youth programme employment will be provided to 10000 Baloch youth.

Prime Minister Gilani said that the government was ready to engage all exile leaders of Balochistan in dialogue.

He charged India of interference in Balochistan adding that the evidence to this respect will be provided at proper forum.

Pakistan News:- Polling for 23 out of 24 legislative seats of Giglit Baltistan assembly will begin today.

There are 265 candidates contesting for 23 seats of the legislative assembly. Polling will begin at 8 am and continue non-stop till 4 pm; where as elections have been postponed in the 19th constituency as MQM candidate expired. In 6 districts, 1022 polling stations have been set up, among which 153 are stated to be dangerous while 119 are stated to be extremely dangerous. Governor Gilgit Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that fool-proof security will be ensured.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: PM Gilani-Nawaz Sharif Meeting Underway, The meeting between Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and PML-N Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif is underway in Islamabad. The PML-N leader will present his party’s recommendations regarding Balochistan package in the meeting. PM Gilani had invited Nawaz Sharif on a lunch today. According to the sources, PM will take Nawaz into confidence over the Balochistan package, whereas, Nawaz Sharif will discuss the matters including presenting list of NRO beneficiaries in the parliament and abolishment of 17th amendment and 58-2(b).

MULTAN, Pakistan: PM Gilani Denies Military Operation in Balochistan, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that no military operation is being carried out in Balochistan.

Talking to newsmen during a visit to his hometown here Sunday, the PM maintained that the national defence and country’s nuclear arsenal are in ‘safe hands’.

The PM said that the government had asked the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Islamabad earlier this month to take Pakistan into confidence as well while reviewing and changing United States’ Afghan policy.

Gilani said that no timeframe could be given for the completion of military ongoing offensive in South Waziristan, expressing the hope that the operation will soon be ended in the region.

NEW DELHI : Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Thursday reiterated that Delhi has nothing to hide about its alleged involvement in Balochistan and claimed India’s position in Balochistan as an open book.

Refuting Pakistan’s claim of having evidence about India’s alleged support to insurgents active in Balochistan, SK Krishna said, “Pakistan does not have any evidence against India.”

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: The government will unfold a promised package on Balochistan in parliament today (Tuesday) in a major political move to appease the long-standing dissent in the troubled province.

The National Assembly and Senate will meet in a joint sitting called by President Asif Ali Zardari at 3pm to hear from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani a likely set of both political and administrative ways to peacefully address what is usually called the ‘Balochistan problem’.

The prime minister had last-minute discussions on Monday with the president and a parliamentary committee that formulated the proposals for the package, which a presidential spokesman said in a statement ‘contains a series of constitutional reforms, economic measures and administrative steps to assuage the hurt feelings of the people of Balochistan’.

The joint sitting will likely be prorogued after the presentation of the package, which a parliamentary source of the ruling party said could be debated in another joint sitting for approval after Eidul Azha, which falls on Nov 28.

Though the government has refrained from revealing any details, its spokesmen have said the document will be based on the report of the parliamentary committee headed by Senator Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan People’s Party and also draw on the recommendations of a committee of the previous parliament, which Gen Musharraf had ignored.

But there has been widespread speculation about the possibility of announcing confidence-building measures like giving up plans to construct new military cantonments in the province opposed by Baloch nationalists, a general amnesty for dissidents fighting security forces in the mountains and blamed for acts of sabotage like bomb blasts to blow up gas pipelines and electricity pylons, and assurances of provincial control over the newly-built Gwadar port and main mineral projects.

What has now developed into a low-intensity insurgency revolves around the Baloch demand for the control of natural resources of the country’s largest but least populated province and more provincial autonomy as well as grouse about lack of economic and social development compared to other provinces.

The package is likely to come up mainly with short-term administrative and political measures while the issue of autonomy could wait for constitutional amendments, which are being considered by another Rabbani-headed joint parliamentary committee and which could apply to all the four provinces.

Its very official name of ‘Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan’ (the beginning of the rights of Balochistan) indicates the package is not intended to solve all problems that have afflicted the province since the early days of Pakistan, marked by armed revolts and exiles of nationalist leaders and activists, some of whom even espoused secessionist plans.

While successive military regimes preferred military means over political dialogue, the first major initiative of a civilian leader in Balochistan was taken in the 1970s by then PPP prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto whose forward policy was a mix of politics, abolition of the Sardari system and use of contradictions between the Sardars, and military force that he could not accomplish before being toppled by a 1977 military coup.

Efforts of several months have gone into the formulation of the package, including direct and indirect contacts of the president and the prime minister with the Baloch leaders, dissidents, opposition politicians, including Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif, and allies in the ruling coalition.

An official statement quoted Gilani as calling the package in his meeting with the parliamentary committee as a ‘historical step forward which he hoped would ‘go a long way in redressing the grievances and removing the sense of deprivation among the people of Balochistan and will strengthen the federation of Pakistan’.

It said the meeting reviewed and deliberated the final draft prepared by the committee ‘in consultation with all the stake-holders and political leadership of the country’.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday called on President Asif Ali Zardari here at the presidency and discussed with him the current political situation of the country.

The two leaders exchanged views over the upcoming socio-economic uplift package for Balochistan, post NRO scenario, the expected reshuffle in federal cabinet and various issues relating to the concerns of ruling allies.

Sources said the discussion dominated the scathing criticism facing ruling quarters including president house following the exposed list of NRO beneficiaries.

In the meeting, it was also discussed to invite PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif for another meeting aimed at deescalating tension with the “friendly opposition.”

It merits mentioning here that Zardari has summoned the joint session of both the Houses of the Parliament on Tuesday to approve the Balochistan package.

All arrangements for the joint sitting have reportedly been finalized.