The Londoner

By Sikander Hayat Pakistan is facing a great challenge in Balochistan but it is still showing a great degree of restraint unlike Iran which recently hanged many of its own Balochis for bombing a mosque in Sistan Balochistan. Instead Pakistan is trying to solve the issue by diplomatic means by giving more powers to the provincial government of that province. But there is a feeling in Pakistan that enough is enough and a Swat like operation is required to cleanse the Baloch land of terrorists and their allies to stop the killing of innocent inhabitants in that province especially Quetta. Pakistan must work very closely with Iran to obliterate this disease from our land and learn from their experience of successfully implementing a solution to their once festering problem. There comes a time in the history of conflicts when gloves have to come off and Pakistan government must take that decisive action to destroy terrorism and its sympathizers (India has just admitted her own guilt in Ba

KARACHI: The first ever Panamax cargo ship, Al-Fahdah, berthed at Gwadar deep seaport laden with around 650 metric tonne of dates, said the traders on Wednesday. With the arrival of Panamax cargo ship at the Gwader deep seaport, the doors are opened for large vessels to arrive in the country, they added. The Panamax ships are the largest ships and are built to carry the maximum amount of cargo. "The Gwadar deep seaport has proved that it can cater large size cargo ships and it is hoped that more ships carrying wheat and other goods from US and Canada will also be berthed here," Chief Executive, Pakistan Horticulture Development and Exports Board (PHDEB), Shamoon Sadiq said while talking to Daily Times. He said PHDEB has finally decided to start work on two of the three modern dates processing plants in collaboration with private sector stakeholders. Read the full article here .

QUETTA: Minister for Industries and Production Mian Manzoor Ahmed Watto has said that the federal government would invest over 60 per cent of the total allocations made in the Balochistan budget for the promotion of trade and industry. Speaking at a press conference after a brief visit to Quetta on Friday he said that the decision had been taken to develop industries and promote trade in the province Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani, federal ministers Ayatullah Durrani, Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd and Balochistan Industry Minister Syed Ehsan Shah were also present on the occasion. Mr Watto announced that marble cities would be established in the province to encourage investment in the industrial sector and to explore the mineral resources that remained untapped so far. He said that exploration of mineral resources in the province would benefit the country in general and Balochistan in particular. He disclosed that the federal cabinet had approved and notified Gwadar as a tax free zone offe

By Sajid Chaudhry ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Saturday notified a tax exemption on profits and gains of any industrial unit in the Gwadar Export Processing Zone (EPZ) for a period of 10 years. The exemption will commence from the time the industrial unit is set up or begins commercial operations. The FBR also notified that industrial units established in the Gwadar EPZ would be allowed to sell 50 percent of their produce in the local market, compared to 20 percent previously. The remaining produce can be exported as per the producer’s preference. Earlier, the industrial units located in the Gwadar EPZ needed to export 80 percent of their production for availing tax exemptions and incentives. The FBR issued SRO 606(I)/2009, which amended the Second Schedule of the Income Tax Ordinance and added a new clause, 126-D, after clause 126-C. The FBR also issued a notification SRO 612 (I)/2009 that amended the Customs Rules. Read the full story here .

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Tajikistan , Zubaydov Zubaydullo Najotovich on Thursday said that his country is in a dire need of access to the world through Gwadar port of Pakistan. The ambassador expressed these views during a meeting with the Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo here today. During discussion he also pointed out that Pakistan was also looking to import Tajik power to its Northern Areas as Tajikistan has the huge hydropower potentials and cheapest electricity in the world. Easy and smooth of energy supply has become mantra of every government around the globe. The ministers of four countries, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan signed a resolution to proceed further with the Central Asia/South Asia Regional Electricity Market (Casarem) project envisaging transmission of 1300MW from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan; but further commitment to the project will be linked to the availability of financing. A

QUETTA: The Pashtoon Qaumi Tehrik has called for creation of a ‘southern Pashtoonkhwa’ province comprising areas from Sibi to Zhob. Addressing a gathering of PQT activists at the Meezan chowk here on Tuesday, the party’s leader, Rafiq Pashtoon, said it was unjustified to give the top posts of chief minister and governor of Balochistan to Balochs and demanded that till the creation of the new province one of the posts should be given to a Pashtoon. He criticised former military leader Yahya Khan for merging Pashtoon areas from Sibi to Zhob into Balochistan and turning a majority into minority. Read The Full Story Here .

RAWALPINDI: The US will establish Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in NWFP, FATA and some parts of Balochistan for rapid industrial growth and creation of employment opportunities in these underdeveloped and war-affected areas. US Embassy Political and Economic Officer Darren McKinnon stated this during his visit to Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) on Wednesday, accompanied by US Embassy Commercial Expert Naheed Aslam. According to a press release, he said the legislation regarding establishment of ROZs was underway and would be approved by the American Congress very soon. “The most important feature of these industrial zones is that entire production made in a ROZ will be exported duty-free to USA,” he said. To read the full article visit here .

ISLAMABAD: The government plans to link the Gwadar seaport with the rest of the country through rail and road networks, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday. Responding to a suggestion of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) parliamentarian Ghous Buksh Mehar during the debate on the 2009-10 budget in the National Assembly, he said the government would develop the infrastructure in Balochistan and link Gwadar to other parts of the country. He said the Gwadar port was being used to import wheat and fertilizer, adding it would be transformed into a business and economic hub that would generate employment opportunities for the local population. Read the full story here .

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani has suggested construction of another deep-sea port and a shipbuilding yard at Makran coast. Speaking to the editors and senior journalists at the Chief Minister House on Tuesday he said that the site for the new port would be decided after the proposal is finalised. However, the shipbuilding yard could be set up at Ormara. He said that he was also making efforts to set up Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in different areas of the province that would help in providing resources for resolving the long time financial crisis of the province. The chief minister pointed out that possibly, these ROZs would be established in Quetta, Khanozai, Makran, Nasirabad, Khuzdar and some other areas, where industries would be set up with the US financial assistance. To read the full story click here .

By By Aftab Maken With all the skepticism about the Gwadar Port becoming fully operational, the political will of the PPP government has made the strategic port handle 37 shipments of imported commodities and their disbursement to far-flung areas of the country. After satisfactory handling of recently imported shipments of wheat and fertiliser, the federal government entrusted the Gwadar Port with the task of handling more imported fertiliser, as the TCP has accepted bids for 255,000 tonnes for the Kharif season. The Gwadar port has handled 37 ships without any delay including one ship carrying 73,000 tonnes of Canadian wheat, Chief Secretary Balochistan, Nasir Mehmud Khosa told The News during an informal talk the other day on his visit to Islamabad. Khosa said that the cost of transportation would be further reduced after the completion of Gwadar-Rato Dero section. Read the full story here .

ISLAMABAD : Federal Minister for Industry & Production Manzoor Ahmed Watto o has said that a ten year tax holiday has been granted to Gwadar Port Authority and the export processing zone (EPZ) established there. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the minister said only fifty per cent of the products manufactured at the Gwadar EPZ and the industrial areas of Gwadar port authority could be exported. ‘They will have to sell the remaining fifty per cent products to the local consumers,’ Mr Wattoo said. The export processing zone at Gwader would have all the facilities which are available to other EPZs in the country he added. Mr Wattoo said that the plots for investors would be given in consultation with the government of Balochistan. He said that Gwadar is the port of the future and a gateway to trade with Central Asia. Read the full article here . HOME

QUETTA: The Balochistan government is likely to declare Gwadar as the winter capital of the province. 'A decision has been taken in principle and the plan is likely to be approved with the next provincial budget,’ sources told Dawn, adding that officials concerned were working on details of the proposal. ‘The decision will have a far-reaching impact on the economy of Balochistan, particularly of Makran,’ the sources said. Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani confirmed that the proposal was being actively considered. ‘If the government takes a final decision to make Gwadar the winter capital of the province, economic activities in the port city will get a big boost,’ he said. Read the full story here .

Essentially a fishing village, Gwadar is an Arabian Sea port in that province. The port was built by China. In Washington's dream scenario, Gwadar becomes the new Dubai of South Asia. This implies the success of TAPI. For its part, China badly needs Gwadar as a node for yet another long pipeline to be built to western China. And where would the gas flowing in that line come from? Iran, of course. Whoever "wins," if Gwadar really becomes part of the Liquid War, Pakistan will finally become a key transit corridor for either Iranian gas from the monster South Pars field heading for China, or a great deal of the Caspian gas from Turkmenistan heading Europe-wards. To make the scenario even more locally mouth-watering, Pakistan would then be a pivotal place for both NATO and the SCO (in which it is already an official "observer"). To read the full article please click here .

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has demanded the dissolution of the Balochistan Assembly and hold fresh polls so that Balochi people could elect their genuine representatives. Talking to the media at the reception of new members of the party on Friday, he condemned the murder of three Baloch nationalist leaders, saying the present assembly had failed to come up to the expectations of Balochis and lost its mandate. Supporting the Swat peace deal, he said the deal was indispensable because it was the long standing demand of the local people. Besides, he added, there was no option to restore peace as all the government agencies had failed to control situation. He condemned the critics of Swat deal, particularly MQM which was undermining the peace agreement only to serve the interests of the US and the UK. He alleged that MQM itself was a terrorist organization active in Karachi and urban areas of Sindh. He announced that he would visit Karachi on May 3 at every cost. R

By Sikander Hayat A few weeks back, I wrote an article about the necessity for more provinces in Pakistan and in response to that I received a lot of emails from you that it is not the issue of more provinces that will resolve the problems of Pakistan but making Pakistan a true federation will cure the ills of our country. I see this as a viable alternative solution and lately I have heard many notable politicians especially from Pakistan Muslim League (N) like Shahbaz Sharif and Khwaja Asif talking about the need for a new social contract in Pakistan where all six federal components namely Punjab, Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir & Northern Areas be given equal representation in Parliament and Senate and each provincial assembly have sweeping powers in terms of tax collection, spending and other issues. Federal government must only have its jurisdiction in Defence, Foreign affairs, Currency and Communications ( air, sea and land ports should be under federal jurisdict

‘A situation has been created in the province to destabilise Pakistan in what appears to be a conspiracy to seize and destroy the nation’s assets,’ he said while participating in a debate triggered by a number of motions moved by all parliamentary groups on the issue, including an adjournment motion seeking on the recent killing of three Baloch nationalist leaders. The chair clubbed together all the motions containing various demands and suggestions for resolving the issue. Acting Chairman Jan Mohammad Jamali said the matter was very important and needed extensive deliberations. Some lawmakers said they saw an international conspiracy behind the present law and order situation in Balochistan and called for ‘complete autonomy’ for the province. They rejected a committee headed by the Balochistan IG to investigate the murder of the Baloch politicians and demanded a commission under a Supreme Court judge to look into the circumstances leading to the crime and fix responsibility. The prime

By Sikander Hayat When I heard this story yesterday, my heart really sank as I was aware of the consequences of this atrocity and very soon my fears were realised when rumours started spreading that these guys were killed by the secret service law enforcement agencies. I do not know who killed them but it was a very effective stab at the heat of Pakistan. We all know that since Pakistan started working on the Gwadar project, nothing but open aggression has been shown by its near and far neighbours. Keeping on one side the foreign interest in Balochistan, it is the duty of every Pakistani to condemn these killings and for the first time I am finding myself in a position to say that Altaf Hussian and MQM were the first party to condemn these killings and they did it with force and vigour by saying that MQM will support the call for strike all over the country and that all the countrymen are saddened by this cowardly act. Other national parties must do their best to help Balochistan and i

BY SIKANDER HAYAT Today, I am thinking about writing on the issue of Balochistan and its delicate ethnic balance but first here are some facts about the demographic situation in Balochistan. According to various sourses on the web, “Balochistan has a population of around 10 million inhabitants. Overall, the Baloch and Brohi tribes comprise 50% of the province's population. The rest are mainly Pashtuns, Hazaras and Sindhis. Baloch are concentrated in the sparsely populated north-west, west, east and south; Brohis in the centre of the province, while the Pashtuns are the majority in the north. Quetta, the capital of the province, has a Pashtun majority with Baloch, Hazaras and Punjabi minorities. Near the Kalat region and other parts of the province there are significant numbers of Brahui speakers. Along the coast various Makrani Balochis predominate. In addition, 769,000 Afghan refugees can be found in the province including Pashtuns, Tajiks, and Hazaras. Many Sindhi farmers have

Balochistan, or Baluchistan, is a province in Pakistan, the largest in the country by geographical area. It contains most of the historical region of Balochistan and is named after the Baloch. Its neighbouring regions are Iranian Balochistan to the west, Afghanistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to the north and Punjab and Sindh to the east. To the south is the Arabian Sea. The principal languages in the province are Baluchi, Brahui, Sindhi and Pashto. The capital and largest city is Quetta. Balochistan is believed to be rich in mineral resources. It is the second major, after Sindh, supplier of natural gas to the country. Balochistan is located at the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau and in the border region between Southwest, Central, and South Asia. It is geographically the largest of the four provinces at 347,190 km² or (134,051 square miles) of Pakistani territory; and composes 48% of the total land area of Pakistan. The population density is very low due to the