RAWALPINDI, Jun 10 (APP): Commander Resolute Support Mission
in Afghanistan (CRSMA) General John Nicholson and US Special
Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (USSRAP) Ambassador
Richard Olson on Friday called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General
Raheel Sharif at General Headquarters.

Regional security situation, with particular reference to
border management, peace and stability in Afghanistan in the post
May 21, US drone strike environment came under discussion, ISPR in
a news release stated.

Expressing his serious concern on the US drone strike in
Balochistan as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, COAS
highlighted as to how it had impacted the mutual trust and respect
and was counter productive in consolidating the gains of Operation
Zarb e Azb.

All efforts for durable peace in the region have to be
synergized with shared commitment and responsibility in order to
make them successful.

Chief Of Army Staff said that while Operation Zarb e Azb was launched against terrorists of all hues and sanctuaries of terrorists have been
dismantled without discrimination, all stakeholders need to
understand Pakistan’s challenges with regard to porous border,
inter tribal linkages and decades old presence of over 3 million
refugees.

Blaming Pakistan for instability in Afghanistan is
unfortunate, the statement said.

Raising the demand of targeting Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) and Mullah Fazlullah in their bases in Afghanistan, COAS
reiterated Pakistan’s resolve not to allow hostile intelligence

agencies’ efforts, especially RAW and NDS, of fomenting terrorism.
The COAS reaffirmed the need for continuing harmonized efforts
against terrorists and effective border management as ways to
regional peace and stability.

He said Pakistan is committed to work for a long term peace
process for Afghanistan under the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) framework.

ISLAMABAD June 10 (APP): Parliamentary Secretary for Information,
Broadcasting and National heritage Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha on Friday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf adulterated national politics with derogatory remarks, mud-slinging and defaming politicians.

Speaking at a private TV channel, Ranjha said, it is the PTI that has
promoted abusive language against political opponents from the container, at its press conferences and political processions.

Commenting on the recent remarks of Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif about a PTI MNA, Ranjha said, it is very unfortunate that even in the Parliament the PTI members are habitual to interrupt speakers and pass unpleasant remarks. “If Khawaja Asif lost temper, it is natural because he was continuously being interrupted by Dr Shireen Mazari and couple of other members.”

“Everybody has a stagnation point and may be Khawaja Asif had reached stagnation point early, after continued interference by these members when he was speaking on the important issue of power crisis in the country,” he added.

Ranjha said, the PTI is playing to the galleries on this issue but has
forgotten immoral and unethical remarks of Naeemul Haq and Mahmoodur Rasheed.

Speaking on the Panama leaks issue, he said, the opposition desires the accountability only of the Prime Minister and his family. But, we have a clear stance that accountability should be for everyone. “Why PTI forgets Imran Khan’s offshore company when they talk of accountability. It seems as they are closing their eyes to this reality.”

He contested that the demand of the opposition was unjust as demanding the accountability of each relative of the Prime Minister was unlawful. “The law is clear that family means the Prime Minister, his children and the spouse and not his other relatives.”

He questioned that would it be fair if the government demands to include the name of father of Imran Khan in the list of those to be probed. “If the opposition desires accountability then it will be across the board. You cannot focus only one family for accountability.”

ISLAMABAD, Jun 10 (APP): Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign
Affairs, Sartaj Aziz spoke over telephone with Mexican Foreign
Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu as part of Pakistan’s continuing diplomatic efforts towards mobilizing support for Pakistan’s application for the membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

He highlighted Pakistan’s credentials for the NSG
membership with a view to seek Mexico’s support, a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said.

The Mexican Foreign Minister expressed support for a
non discriminatory approach on NSG expansion to non NPT states.

ISLAMABAD June 10 (APP) Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain Friday said that Pakistan would sign the 18th Protocol with China on Science and Technology cooperation during the current year.

The Minister expressed these views before leaving on a five day official visit to China for attending Second Forum on China South Asia Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation at Kunming China being held from June 12 to June 14.

The Minister said a high level delegation from the Ministry of Science and Technology China would be invited to visit Pakistan in October or November this year the protocol signing.

He said presently Pakistan and China were pursuing cooperation
in the fields of Science and Technology under the framework of
Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation 1976.

He said the agreement resulted in an implementation of the more than 350 items of Cooperation, comprising of exchanges of expertise, training, holding of workshops and seminars, conducting joint research projects, establishment of Joint Research Centers in various disciplines like Water, Micro Hydel, Technology Parks, Science Parks, Oceanography Research Center, Medicinal Drugs Research centers etc..

The current 17th protocol, he said, was signed during a meeting of the Pak China Joint Committee on Science and Technology held on November 4, 2011 at Beijing, for the period 2012 16.

Sharing the decisions taken in last year Forum on China South Asia Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation, the minister said it was agreed to establish the Islamabad based Technology Transfer Center as part of the main programme.

He said that it was also decided to initiate joint ventures in research and development projects, besides formulating Joint Working
group from both Pakistani and China.

He said establishment of Technical Training Center and state
of the art China Pakistan Joint Quality Testing Laboratory at Gwadar
Port for the testing and quality assurance of products including
Halal for import and export purposes will be discussed during the
next meeting.

ISLAMABAD, Jun 10 (APP): The United States’ support to India
for its inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is “unfair and unjust” and Pakistan’s application for the membership should be given equal weightage, defence analysts said on Friday.

“The U.S need to have a criteria based approach rather than
a country specific approach,” Dr Riffat Hussain, a defence analyst
said in his comments on the recent support expressed by the United
States for India’s membership in the elite nuclear club.

Dr Riffat Hussain said the American support for Indian
membership in NSG and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) was “not based on a responsible principled position”.

“However, Pakistan has a principle stance of adoption of non
discriminatory, equitable and criteria based approach, which has been supported by a large number of NSG participating governments,” he told APP.

About implications of India’s NSG membership, he said it would
help the country increase its nuclear supplies.

“In this scenario, India will import nuclear supplies for use of civil energy and will utilize its indigenous nuclear reserves for making nuclear weapons,” he cautioned.

Also, India will be in a position to block Pakistan’s entry to
NSG.

Dr Riffat Hussain said China had taken the right stance that exception cannot be taken on a single country.

“China has asserted that if NSG countries make an exception
for India, they should do the same for Pakistan,” he said.
Defence analyst Lt Gen (retd) Talat Masood said the American
tilt towards India would result in “strategic instability of the region”.

Masood, who has also served as a secretary for defence production besides his 39 year military career, said giving exception to India on NSG membership would be a “discriminatory move”.

“Both Pakistan and India are non signatories of Nuclear Non proliferation Treaty (NPT) and should be treated similarly,” Masood
told APP.

Masood stressed that Pakistan should mobilize the international community with greater zeal to get its point across and stop India getting the membership of NSG.

He said if membership attained, India would be able to buy
nuclear arms and weapons in large quantities resulting in change of balance of power in the region.

Analyst Professor Dr Ijaz Hussain said India’s inclusion in
NSG would be “devastating” and would lead to ‘arms race’ in the
region.

“India will get the privilege of attaining advanced nuclear
technology, which will compel Pakistan to balance the situation by strengthening its own nuclear prowess,” he said.

“The main point of contention is that the U.S. want the matter
to be India specific; Pakistan wants it to be rule based,” he said.
Dr Ijaz Hussain said India’s membership to NSG could be
blocked if China vetoes.

He mentioned that the ‘rule of unanimity’ prevails in NSG and
the applicant country is denied membership even if a single member country opposes it.

ISLAMABAD, Jun 10 (APP): President Mamnoon Hussain has expressed profound grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives due to collapsing of the roof of an under-construction mosque in Karachi.

The President also expressed condolences to the family members of the victims, a press release issued by the Aiwan-e-Sadr here on Friday said.

He also directed the administration to take proper care of the injured.