December 2010

Iran
1. Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran ministers to meet
Islamabad, Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Ministers of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan would meet in Islamabad on November 24 and 25 to deepen cooperation in their fight against drug trafficking. It is expected that a declaration would be issued the end of the meeting. The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov would also be attending the meeting

For details see: The International News, Karachi

2. Pak-Afghan-Iran resolve to combat drug trafficking
Islamabad, Friday, 26 November 2010

Under a Triangular Initiative (TI) Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan expressed firm resolve to strengthen regional cooperation in combating drug trafficking. A 21-point action plan was also devised during the deliberations through which a comprehensive anti-drug campaign would be launched to effectively deal with the menace.

For details see: The International News, Karachi

See Also:  Tehran Times

Israel
3. Israelis wanted Musharraf to stay, says WikiLeaks
New York, Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Documents leaked by WikiLeaks reveal that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was concerned about the then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf`s well-being and wanted him to remain in power in 2007. The revelation was made in a secret cable message originating from the American embassy in Tel Aviv which records a meeting between Mossad chief and US Under-Secretary of State Nicholas Burns in the Bush administration.

For details see: The Dawn, Karachi
Saudi Arabia
4. Saudi King called Zardari greatest obstacle to Pak progress: report
New York, Monday, 29 November 2010

Quoting WikiLeaks, a report in The New York Times alleged that the Saudi King Abdullah called President Asif Ali Zardari the greatest obstacle to Pakistan’s progress. Pakistani officials called the reports as “misleading and contrary to facts.”

For details see: The International News, Karachi

See Also: The News, Islamabad,
The Nation, Islamabad

Miscellaneous

5. Take up Hajj issue with Saudi govt.: SC
Islamabad, Thursday, 4 November 2010

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has directed Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take up the issue of alleged misappropriation committed by Ministry of Religious Affairs while renting the accommodations for Pakistani Hajj pilgrims in Mecca. This issue was also mentioned in a letter written to the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry by a Saudi prince.

For details see: The International News, Karachi

Also See: The Nation, Islamabad; The Dawn, Karachi

6. Pilgrims protest against poor Hajj arrangements
Rawalpindi, Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Pilgrims arriving back after performing Hajj complained that the government failed to make even basic arrangements for them. Toilet facilities were not proper and thousands had to stay out in the open during the pilgrimage.

For details see: The International News, Karachi; Also See: The Dawn, Karachi

7. All roads of Hajj scam lead to Multan
Islamabad, Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Investigators looking into massive corruption and mismanagement of the 2009 Hajj operations have questioned Minister of Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Secretary of Religious Affairs and the ex-Director General of Hajj. All the three are reported to be close associated of the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

For details see: The International News, Karachi; Also See: The Dawn, Karachi

Compiled by Mushtaq Hussain

Mushtaq Hussain is a doctoral candidate at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delh. Email.

As part of its editorial policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spelling and date formats to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND.  Editor, MEI@ND:  P R Kumaraswamy