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Pakistan
Statement:2006
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Date
Incidents
January - 1 
Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and Secretary-General of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has warned that the Islamist alliance would launch a protest movement if the Government did not withdraw the decision on foreign students’ expulsion from Pakistani seminaries and c
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Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and Secretary-General of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has warned that the Islamist alliance would launch a protest movement if the Government did not withdraw the decision on foreign students’ expulsion from Pakistani seminaries and changed curricula of the seminaries and contemporary education, according to The News. "The government should forthwith withdraw decisions of foreign students expulsion, cases lodged against Ulema [religious scholars], courts decisions on Madaris certificates, and changes in religious and contemporary education curriculum, otherwise we will unleash a countrywide Jail Bharo Tehrik," Rehman said while addressing an Ulema convention in Islamabad on January 1. The rulers, he said, should note that Pakistan couldn’t survive without Islam and Islamic education. He linked eradication of Islamic education to the elimination of defence capabilities of the country, adding that negative propaganda had been launched to defame the seminaries and its students. "General Musharraf’s policies are demonstrating extremism. He is the sign of extremism. Politics is the name of prudence but army and uniform are the signs of war," he remarked.
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January - 1 
Speaking at the same convention, various religious leaders said they would not allow the Government to deport foreign students. "It is the right of every student to study in a free atmosphere, especially when he has valid documents and a visa," stated a communiqué read out by Sarfaraz Naeemi. The co
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Speaking at the same convention, various religious leaders said they would not allow the Government to deport foreign students. "It is the right of every student to study in a free atmosphere, especially when he has valid documents and a visa," stated a communiqué read out by Sarfaraz Naeemi. The communiqué also demanded the Government allow foreign students to complete their studies and also allow the new students to come to Pakistan to get religious education.
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January - 3 
The Government’s writ would be restored where challenged, declared President Pervez Musharraf, while addressing the 94th Corps Commanders Conference at the General Headquarters in Islamabad on January 3. Gen. Musharraf said paramilitary forces would take action against miscreants in Balochistan and
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The Government’s writ would be restored where challenged, declared President Pervez Musharraf, while addressing the 94th Corps Commanders Conference at the General Headquarters in Islamabad on January 3. Gen. Musharraf said paramilitary forces would take action against miscreants in Balochistan and the Government would ensure protection of important national installations and continue with the development activities, which are people-focused and need of that area.
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January - 3 
Year 2005 witnessed a 30 per cent decrease in terrorist and sectarian incidents against the previous year, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said in Islamabad on January 3. "The decline is welcome but not satisfactory as the government is determined to eliminate these evils completely," he
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Year 2005 witnessed a 30 per cent decrease in terrorist and sectarian incidents against the previous year, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said in Islamabad on January 3. "The decline is welcome but not satisfactory as the government is determined to eliminate these evils completely," he told reporters. He also said that 65 per cent of foreign students in the seminaries had returned to their home countries while the remaining would also be sent back with the consent of the religious schools’ managements, according to Dawn.
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January - 4 
Officials revealed that the security forces arrested a LeJ cadre accused of involvement in two failed assassination attempts on President Pervez Musharraf in Lahore, according to Dawn. Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum was arrested in late December 2005 in the eastern city of Lahore, said an unnamed intellige
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Officials revealed that the security forces arrested a LeJ cadre accused of involvement in two failed assassination attempts on President Pervez Musharraf in Lahore, according to Dawn. Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum was arrested in late December 2005 in the eastern city of Lahore, said an unnamed intelligence official. "He is amongst the top nine terrorists in the country and was also involved in the planning of two failed assassination attempts on President Musharraf," the official added, referring to attacks in Rawalpindi in December 2003.
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January - 4 
The Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqi added at the press conference that 1,058 terrorists were arrested during 2005 and 398 arms were recovered.
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The Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqi added at the press conference that 1,058 terrorists were arrested during 2005 and 398 arms were recovered.
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January - 6 
It is not possible for the complete independence of Kashmir under present circumstances and therefore a policy of co-existence acceptable to India, Pakistan and Kashmiris should be adopted, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman, said on January 6. The Mirwaiz (a heredi
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It is not possible for the complete independence of Kashmir under present circumstances and therefore a policy of co-existence acceptable to India, Pakistan and Kashmiris should be adopted, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman, said on January 6. The Mirwaiz (a hereditary title of one of Kashmir's important religious seats, and also head priest of the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar) is currently visiting Pakistan as head of the APHC delegation to express solidarity with the survivors of the October 8 earthquake. During his stay, he met many Pakistani leaders and reportedly discussed with them the latest proposals for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. In an interview to Daily Times, Mirwaiz said self-governance and de-militarisation of Kashmir could be an interim arrangement under which the people of Kashmir could get a sense of "being masters of their own destiny." He said sticking to traditional positions was no solution and the idea of self-governance could provide the way out. The APHC was setting up an office in Islamabad to keep in contact with the Kashmir Jihad Council and Pakistani political parties, Mirwaiz added. Commenting on militancy in the Kashmir Valley, Mirwaiz claimed the political leadership in Kashmir needed the support of the Mujahideen. "Actually, there is a need to channelise the movement, which is being fought on different fronts. The militants will have to work in tandem with the Kashmiri leadership. Nothing will happen in isolation," he said.
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January - 7 
Gen. Musharraf, however, said Pakistan would ensure there was no violence in Kashmir if India withdrew its troops from the cities of Srinagar, Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley. "Pakistan will be with the Indian government, with the Kashmiris, to ensure that there is total peace and tranqu
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Gen. Musharraf, however, said Pakistan would ensure there was no violence in Kashmir if India withdrew its troops from the cities of Srinagar, Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley. "Pakistan will be with the Indian government, with the Kashmiris, to ensure that there is total peace and tranquility within these three cities," Musharraf claimed.
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January - 7 
In response, India reminded Pakistan that its commitment to not let its territory be used for cross border terrorism against India was ‘‘unconditional’’ and could not be linked with any proposal for demilitarisation in parts of Jammu and Kashmir. ‘‘Any demilitarisation or redeployment of security fo
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In response, India reminded Pakistan that its commitment to not let its territory be used for cross border terrorism against India was ‘‘unconditional’’ and could not be linked with any proposal for demilitarisation in parts of Jammu and Kashmir. ‘‘Any demilitarisation or redeployment of security forces within the territory of India is a sovereign decision... and cannot be dictated by a foreign government,’’ Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Navtej Sarna said.
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January - 7 
President Pervez Musharraf has reportedly said that he was disappointed with a two-year peace process with India and accused New Delhi of not responding to his proposals to end the conflict. "There’s not much of a response from the Indian side. That is why the disappointment," Musharraf said in an i
Read more...
President Pervez Musharraf has reportedly said that he was disappointed with a two-year peace process with India and accused New Delhi of not responding to his proposals to end the conflict. "There’s not much of a response from the Indian side. That is why the disappointment," Musharraf said in an interview aired on January 7 by Indian TV channel CNN-IBN.
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January - 7 
President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have accused India of arming and financing militants in Balochistan. When asked whether India was backing armed Baloch militants, Gen. Musharraf told the CNN-IBN channel in an interview aired on January 7: "There are lot of indications, yes indeed." There is
Read more...
President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have accused India of arming and financing militants in Balochistan. When asked whether India was backing armed Baloch militants, Gen. Musharraf told the CNN-IBN channel in an interview aired on January 7: "There are lot of indications, yes indeed." There is a "lot of financial support, support in kind being given to those who are anti-government, anti-me and to those feudal people who are anti-national", the president said. Musharraf also said that he was "annoyed" and "disappointed" by India’s statements and alleged actions in Balochistan. "It’s a direct interference in our internal affairs," he told the television channel.
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January - 10 
The Federal Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, has reportedly said that military operations in Balochistan have ceased, but the troops would remain in the region for an indefinite period. Talking to a TV channel, he ruled out any compromise on the development projects of Balochistan, which w
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The Federal Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, has reportedly said that military operations in Balochistan have ceased, but the troops would remain in the region for an indefinite period. Talking to a TV channel, he ruled out any compromise on the development projects of Balochistan, which would be completed at all costs.
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January - 13 
Army spokesperson, Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, said he did not know the cause of the blasts, but added "People heard explosions and as a result, there were a number of casualties. My information is that 11 to 14 people have been killed." However, a US military spokesperson in Afghanistan, Lt-Col Jerry O
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Army spokesperson, Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, said he did not know the cause of the blasts, but added "People heard explosions and as a result, there were a number of casualties. My information is that 11 to 14 people have been killed." However, a US military spokesperson in Afghanistan, Lt-Col Jerry O’Hara, said there were no reports of US forces operating in that area. In Kabul, US military spokesman Lt Mike Cody denied the attack. In Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar, which borders Bajaur, Deputy Provincial Governor Noor Mohammed denied Pakistani allegations that the strike was launched from within Afghanistan.
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January - 13 
JWP Secretary-General, Agha Shahid Bugti, said over 43 people, mostly women and children, had been killed since December 30, 2005 when the paramilitary forces launched a crackdown in Dera Bugti.
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JWP Secretary-General, Agha Shahid Bugti, said over 43 people, mostly women and children, had been killed since December 30, 2005 when the paramilitary forces launched a crackdown in Dera Bugti.
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January - 13 
Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chairman and Bugti chief, has blamed the Government for pushing Balochistan towards trouble and for not encouraging conducive and peaceful dialogue. He told reporters in Dera Bugti that the Government had started military operations in the area to ‘
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Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chairman and Bugti chief, has blamed the Government for pushing Balochistan towards trouble and for not encouraging conducive and peaceful dialogue. He told reporters in Dera Bugti that the Government had started military operations in the area to ‘snatch’ Baloch land and that the Baloch would defend their rights to "total sovereignty" to death.
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January - 13 
Paramilitary forces on January 13 launched another operation in the Marri area of Balochistan province using helicopter gun-ships and heavy weapons while unidentified people fired rockets at a Frontier Corps (FC) camp in Kohlu, according to Dawn. Mir Balach Khan Marri, a member of the Balochistan As
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Paramilitary forces on January 13 launched another operation in the Marri area of Balochistan province using helicopter gun-ships and heavy weapons while unidentified people fired rockets at a Frontier Corps (FC) camp in Kohlu, according to Dawn. Mir Balach Khan Marri, a member of the Balochistan Assembly, informed that security forces (SFs) had been lobbing mortars and rockets at the small township of Kahan for the last two days in which 25 people, mostly women and children, had been killed and several others injured. “Kahan town witnessed heavy shelling and mortar attacks the whole day on Saturday. My house was also targeted and has been badly damaged,” he told Dawn. Official sources, however, claimed that SFs were taking action against outlaws’ hideouts and camps in different parts of the Kohlu and Dera Bugti districts.
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January - 13 
Sardar Akhtar Mengal, President of the Balochistan National Party (BNP), has called for international mediation to resolving the Balochistan problem, according to The News. Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on January 13, the former Chief Minister of Balochistan said that there
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Sardar Akhtar Mengal, President of the Balochistan National Party (BNP), has called for international mediation to resolving the Balochistan problem, according to The News. Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on January 13, the former Chief Minister of Balochistan said that there would be no dialogue with the Government and those who were killing children, women and elderly persons. He also said the committees appointed for dialogue on the Balochistan issue were helpless and Baloch leaders would not talk with these committees. Mengal added, "There was no other option left except (the way) that is chosen by the people of Balochistan." Rejecting government claims, the BNP chief said there was no terrorist camp and only mud houses were in the areas in which "innocent" and "poor" people were living. He said more than 650 check-posts were set up in the area and 35,000 Frontier Constabulary force, 12,000 Coast Guards, 1,150 Levies, 6,000 BRB, 2,000 marines and four Army brigades had been deployed in the area. He also claimed that 12 gunship helicopters, nine jets and other weapons were being used.
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January - 14 
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told AFP that Pakistan had summoned the US envoy to the foreign office in protest. “Foreign Secretary Riaz Khan handed over a formal protest to the US ambassador at the foreign ministry this evening,” said Aslam.
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Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told AFP that Pakistan had summoned the US envoy to the foreign office in protest. “Foreign Secretary Riaz Khan handed over a formal protest to the US ambassador at the foreign ministry this evening,” said Aslam.
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January - 14 
Pakistan on January 14 lodged a protest with the US Ambassador over the missile attack in Bajaur Agency launched from Afghanistan on January 13 in which 18 people were killed, according to Dawn. A foreign ministry press release said that Pakistan would also take up the issue in the next meeting of t
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Pakistan on January 14 lodged a protest with the US Ambassador over the missile attack in Bajaur Agency launched from Afghanistan on January 13 in which 18 people were killed, according to Dawn. A foreign ministry press release said that Pakistan would also take up the issue in the next meeting of the Tripartite Commission of the militaries of the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It said “The incident is being thoroughly investigated” and added that “according to preliminary investigations there was foreign presence in the area… Our armed forces have undertaken large-scale operation against the foreign militants and it remains our responsibility to protect our territory from outside intrusion.”
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January - 15 
Afghanistan’s Government said on January 15 that it recently established a 1,000-strong tribal militia force to tighten security along the border with Pakistan. The force was formed a month ago to slow the flow of militants slipping back and forth across the frontier between Afghanistan’s Kunar prov
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Afghanistan’s Government said on January 15 that it recently established a 1,000-strong tribal militia force to tighten security along the border with Pakistan. The force was formed a month ago to slow the flow of militants slipping back and forth across the frontier between Afghanistan’s Kunar province and Pakistan’s Bajaur area, Kunar Governor Assadullah Wafa told Associated Press. "Al Qaeda, as well as the Taliban and other militants have camps over the border… They come across to launch attacks in Afghanistan and then run back," he said.
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January - 15 
Jamhoori Watan Party president and Bugti tribe chief, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, said on January 15 that 85 per cent of those killed in the ongoing "Army operation" in Balochistan were women and children, according to The News. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, he said the Baloch people are fig
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Jamhoori Watan Party president and Bugti tribe chief, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, said on January 15 that 85 per cent of those killed in the ongoing "Army operation" in Balochistan were women and children, according to The News. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, he said the Baloch people are fighting a "battle for survival" and will continue their struggle till the attainment of their rights. "The armed forces are using the most sophisticated weapons against unarmed civilians — most of them women and children," Bugti said. "It’s a matter of life and death for the Baloch people. They will never succumb to any pressures," he added. Bugti said fighting and bombardment continued in the Marri areas, while paramilitary forces and the Army had laid a complete siege to Dera Bugti. He also termed action by the security forces as an operation against all the Baloch people.
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January - 16 
Bugti tribesmen said that the Frontier Corps had started "indiscriminate shelling" in the Lope area, "creating terror among the local people". Dera Bugti District Coordination Officer Abdul Samad Lasi denied there had been any violence in Dera Bugti.
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Bugti tribesmen said that the Frontier Corps had started "indiscriminate shelling" in the Lope area, "creating terror among the local people". Dera Bugti District Coordination Officer Abdul Samad Lasi denied there had been any violence in Dera Bugti.
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January - 16 
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on January 16 defended the tough US tactics to root out Al Qaeda terrorists on Pakistan’s border after an air strike on a village sparked a wave of protests. While Rice did not comment on the reported deaths of 18 villagers in a raid at Bajaur Agency said to ta
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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on January 16 defended the tough US tactics to root out Al Qaeda terrorists on Pakistan’s border after an air strike on a village sparked a wave of protests. While Rice did not comment on the reported deaths of 18 villagers in a raid at Bajaur Agency said to target Osama bin Laden’s deputy Ayman Al Zawahri, she added, "We’ll continue to work with the Pakistanis and we’ll try to address their concerns," according to Daily Times. Speaking to reporters en route to Liberia for the inauguration of president-elect Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Rice made no apologies for US actions against suspected Al Qaeda forces near the border with Afghanistan. "It’s obviously difficult at this time for the Pakistani government… But I think I would just say, to both the Pakistani government and the Pakistani people, we’re allies in the war on terror," she said.
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January - 17 
Pakistan has admitted that foreign terrorists were present in the Damadola village of Bajaur Agency at the time of the US missiles attack on January 13, which killed 18 people, according to The News. The political agent of Bajaur Agency, Fahim Wazir, in a statement on January 17 said the initial rep
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Pakistan has admitted that foreign terrorists were present in the Damadola village of Bajaur Agency at the time of the US missiles attack on January 13, which killed 18 people, according to The News. The political agent of Bajaur Agency, Fahim Wazir, in a statement on January 17 said the initial report compiled by Government agencies revealed that the missile attack was directed against some foreign terrorists, who were present in the area at the time of the attack. Wazir added that according to the available information at least four to five foreigners had been killed in the incident but their bodies’ were removed from the scene by their associates, so as to suppress the actual reason of the attack.
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January - 23 
Former Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, has claimed that Pakistani security forces are using chemical weapons in the province, according to Hindustan Times. Mengal, who addressed the media at the Karachi Press Club, supported his claim by showing pictures of Baloch civilians w
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Former Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, has claimed that Pakistani security forces are using chemical weapons in the province, according to Hindustan Times. Mengal, who addressed the media at the Karachi Press Club, supported his claim by showing pictures of Baloch civilians who he said had been hit by chemical weapons. Further backing his claim of use of chemical weapons, Mengal pointed to the pictures and said that "you will note the blood coming out of people's mouth without any injury to their bodies... what does this show... it shows that poisonous gases have been used in the military operation." "Chemical weapons are being used (to resolve the crisis), and a large number of women and children have died as a result," Mengal claimed in an interaction with the media. Demanding the presence of international mediators to ensure a fair resolution of the dispute between the tribal-dominated province and Islamabad, Mengal, who is presently the President of the Balochistan National Party, said that the Balochis are not ready to negotiate with either President Pervez Musharraf or his hand-picked Government.
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January - 24 
A Jamhoori Watan Party spokesman said that the situation was calm in Dera Bugti with the exception of one incident in which security forces had fired 12 shells on the northern side of the town without causing any damage.
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A Jamhoori Watan Party spokesman said that the situation was calm in Dera Bugti with the exception of one incident in which security forces had fired 12 shells on the northern side of the town without causing any damage.
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January - 24 
Pakistan on January 24 categorically denied reports that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States has succeeded in penetrating the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence agency. "Absolutely rubbish, I categorically deny these allegations as nothing of t
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Pakistan on January 24 categorically denied reports that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States has succeeded in penetrating the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence agency. "Absolutely rubbish, I categorically deny these allegations as nothing of the sort is happening in the ISI. We have very secure systems for all our communications, especially for sensitive communication for which there are secret codes. Of course, we are aware that the Americans have highly sensitive technical gadgetry and we are aware of the manner that they pick up information on unguarded lines but this does not mean that we let our guard down for a minute," a senior intelligence official told The News. The official was responding to queries about a report in The Times in this regard.
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January - 24 
President George W Bush is reported to have termed Washington’s ties with Islamabad as "strategic and vital" for the United States, according to The News. He made a brief statement to Pakistani and American media representatives at the Oval Office and the White House on January 24 after his one-on-o
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President George W Bush is reported to have termed Washington’s ties with Islamabad as "strategic and vital" for the United States, according to The News. He made a brief statement to Pakistani and American media representatives at the Oval Office and the White House on January 24 after his one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Bush thanked President Musharraf and Premier Shaukat Aziz for their role saying: "We appreciate President Musharraf’s personal involvement in fight against terrorism. The two sides are working closely to fight terrorism."
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January - 24 
President Pervez Musharraf said on January 24 that Al Qaeda fighters were probably killed in a suspected Central Intelligence Agency air strike that killed 18 civilians at Damadola village in the Bajaur Agency on January 13, according to Daily Times. "Now that we’ve started investigating the reality
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President Pervez Musharraf said on January 24 that Al Qaeda fighters were probably killed in a suspected Central Intelligence Agency air strike that killed 18 civilians at Damadola village in the Bajaur Agency on January 13, according to Daily Times. "Now that we’ve started investigating the reality on the ground, yes, we have found that there are foreigners there. That is for sure," Musharraf said in response to a question at the Oslo Nobel Institute following his lecture on ‘Pakistan’s Role for Peace and Development in the Region and Beyond.’ "There is indication that there were some people, also Al Qaeda people, who have gotten killed. Now we need to ascertain that. I’m not 100 percent sure of that," he added. The president said Pakistan contacted the United States after the air strike on Damadola. "Yes, indeed, they do assure that they will not act against Pakistan’s interest," he said, without giving details.
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January - 25 
The Jamhoori Watan Party spokesperson Agha Shahid Hasan Bugti accused paramilitary forces of firing 14 shells on the Dera Bugti town on January 25, and said that tribesmen did not retaliate.
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The Jamhoori Watan Party spokesperson Agha Shahid Hasan Bugti accused paramilitary forces of firing 14 shells on the Dera Bugti town on January 25, and said that tribesmen did not retaliate.
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January - 26 
President Pervez Musharraf has said in an interview with CNN that besides the United States, Al Qaeda also violates Pakistan’s sovereignty as it operates from within Pakistani territory. "While we are angry at the violation of (our) sovereignty by the US, I am also angry at the violation of (our) so
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President Pervez Musharraf has said in an interview with CNN that besides the United States, Al Qaeda also violates Pakistan’s sovereignty as it operates from within Pakistani territory. "While we are angry at the violation of (our) sovereignty by the US, I am also angry at the violation of (our) sovereignty by Al Qaeda," Gen. Musharraf told CNN’s Richard Quest at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He said he believed around five or six Al Qaeda operatives were killed in the Bajaur air strike on January 13. But, he added that the US attack was an unjustified violation of an agreement that Pakistani forces should handle operations against Al Qaeda inside their territory. "We were disappointed… Intelligence is coordinated between our two countries, and there is cooperation on both sides at a strategic and tactical level. So it’s a disappointment and we hope this is not repeated," added Musharraf.
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February - 3 
District Co-ordination Officer Abdul Samad Lasi informed that gas supply from Pirkoh and Loti gas fields might be closed down in the next few days, as the water supply pipeline could not be repaired despite passage of considerable time due to sabotage activities. He also said civilians had migrated
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District Co-ordination Officer Abdul Samad Lasi informed that gas supply from Pirkoh and Loti gas fields might be closed down in the next few days, as the water supply pipeline could not be repaired despite passage of considerable time due to sabotage activities. He also said civilians had migrated to safer places in the aftermath of rocket-firing and bomb explosions in the area. Officials of the Balochistan Government said suspected miscreants had laid dozens of landmines at different places in and around Dera Bugti to trap the officials and their vehicles. They added that miscreants had taken position in the hilly area of Sangsillah from where they are carrying out sabotage activities. They observed that life is completely paralyzed in Dera Bugti.
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February - 3 
President Pervez Musharraf has said that the private local militia in Balochistan must disarm for peace to prevail, according to Daily Times. "There is no military operation in the province and there is no collateral damage there," the President said at Camp Office in Rawalpindi on February 3. He sa
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President Pervez Musharraf has said that the private local militia in Balochistan must disarm for peace to prevail, according to Daily Times. "There is no military operation in the province and there is no collateral damage there," the President said at Camp Office in Rawalpindi on February 3. He said that the private militia must "stop hampering development" in the province. He spelt out a four-point solution, beginning with the surrender and disarming of the local militia, to end unrest in the province. "We will not let them flourish and challenge the writ of the government ... (which) will be established in Balochistan," he stated.
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February - 3 
Senator Amanullah Kanrani of the Jamhoori Watan Party told the Senate on February 3 that more than 200 people, including women and children, had been killed in the Kohlu operation since December 3, 2005. The Senate debated the Balochistan issue and senators from both opposition and treasury demanded
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Senator Amanullah Kanrani of the Jamhoori Watan Party told the Senate on February 3 that more than 200 people, including women and children, had been killed in the Kohlu operation since December 3, 2005. The Senate debated the Balochistan issue and senators from both opposition and treasury demanded the Government stop the "military operation" in Balochistan, resolve the issue through talks and give maximum autonomy to the provinces.
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February - 3 
The president informed that the Government would adopt a political solution to the issue only if the local chieftans (sardars) give up arms and stop hampering oil and gas exploration activities and development projects. "I do not believe in politics at the cost of the nation ... the nation comes fir
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The president informed that the Government would adopt a political solution to the issue only if the local chieftans (sardars) give up arms and stop hampering oil and gas exploration activities and development projects. "I do not believe in politics at the cost of the nation ... the nation comes first," he claimed.
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February - 5 
Calling upon the Indian leadership to reciprocate Pakistan’s proposals for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, President Pervez Musharraf on February 5 said New Delhi would have to show more flexibility, according to The News. Addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan occupie
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Calling upon the Indian leadership to reciprocate Pakistan’s proposals for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, President Pervez Musharraf on February 5 said New Delhi would have to show more flexibility, according to The News. Addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, on the occasion of ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’, the president said he had proposed de-militarisation and self-governance in Kashmir as the people were tired of the presence of the Indian army. He said demilitarisation could start from Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara. He also said if there was no dispute resolution, there could not be progress on confidence-building measures.
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February - 6 
Balochistan Governor Owais Ghani on February 6 accused Afghan warlords and drug barons of arming tribal militants, according to Daily Times. Ghani said that the deteriorating security situation was partly a spillover from Afghanistan due to the weakness of President Hamid Karzai’s Government. "Unfor
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Balochistan Governor Owais Ghani on February 6 accused Afghan warlords and drug barons of arming tribal militants, according to Daily Times. Ghani said that the deteriorating security situation was partly a spillover from Afghanistan due to the weakness of President Hamid Karzai’s Government. "Unfortunately Karzai’s central government is weak in the provinces, and the warlords and drug lords there are pushing arms into Balochistan," he told a news conference in Karachi. "We have successfully stopped 10 to 12 percent of arms movement from Afghanistan, but the border between Afghanistan and Balochistan is 1,200 plus kilometers long and it is very difficult to completely seal it."
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February - 7 
The Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) has accused the paramilitary forces of firing chemical gas shells on civilian population in Dera Bugti. Several people, it said, fell unconscious, some others were overcome by nausea and one person suffered loss of memory. Addressing a press conference in Quetta on Feb
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The Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) has accused the paramilitary forces of firing chemical gas shells on civilian population in Dera Bugti. Several people, it said, fell unconscious, some others were overcome by nausea and one person suffered loss of memory. Addressing a press conference in Quetta on February 7, the party’s secretary-general, Agha Shahid Hasan Bugti, said that tribesmen would never surrender their weapons which they kept to protect themselves. Referring to President Pervez Musharraf’s offer for talks after the tribesmen disarmed, he said the Baloch people would rather die than surrender their arms. According to him, the troops had been bombing and shelling civilians in Dera Bugti for 39 days and had killed 75 people and wounded 242 so far. The JWP leader added that 62 law-enforcers had been killed in the area thus far.
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February - 8 
Following the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Washington passed broad legislation waiving restrictions on US arms exports and military assistance to Pakistan and India. These countries were sanctioned following nuclear tests in May 1998, and additional sanctions were levied against Pakistan after
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Following the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Washington passed broad legislation waiving restrictions on US arms exports and military assistance to Pakistan and India. These countries were sanctioned following nuclear tests in May 1998, and additional sanctions were levied against Pakistan after Gen. Musharraf led a successful coup.
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February - 8 
US President George W Bush on February 8 waived restrictions on exports to Pakistan, saying it would ease the democratic transition in the country and help combat terrorism, according to The News. In a memo to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, President Bush said he was easing prohibitions under
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US President George W Bush on February 8 waived restrictions on exports to Pakistan, saying it would ease the democratic transition in the country and help combat terrorism, according to The News. In a memo to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, President Bush said he was easing prohibitions under the Appropriations Act, which targets countries where a democratically-elected Government has been overturned by a coup, according to a White House statement. Bush said the waiver would "facilitate the transition to democratic rule in Pakistan" and is "important to United States efforts to respond to, deter or prevent acts of international terrorism."
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February - 14 
At least 9,300 seminaries belonging to the Ittehad-e-Tanzeemat Madaris-e-Deeniya (ITMD), an alliance of five religious boards, have been registered with the Government, according to Daily Times. Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq said at a press conference in Islamabad on February 14 that 11,882
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At least 9,300 seminaries belonging to the Ittehad-e-Tanzeemat Madaris-e-Deeniya (ITMD), an alliance of five religious boards, have been registered with the Government, according to Daily Times. Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq said at a press conference in Islamabad on February 14 that 11,882 seminaries are associated with the ITMD. He said the registration process began immediately after an agreement between the Government and the ITMD on September 22, 2005. There is no deadline for registration as it is a continuous process, he said.
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February - 15 
Security forces in Afghanistan have arrested "a large number" of Pakistanis and others linked to a recent spate of suicide attacks, according to The News. Many of the detainees have admitted during questioning that they received training at terrorist bases in Pakistan and were given money, explosive
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Security forces in Afghanistan have arrested "a large number" of Pakistanis and others linked to a recent spate of suicide attacks, according to The News. Many of the detainees have admitted during questioning that they received training at terrorist bases in Pakistan and were given money, explosives and other equipment while there, to launch attacks in Afghanistan, Interior Ministry spokesperson Yousuf Stanezai said on February 15. "The terrorists who come here for suicide attacks are attending training bases in Pakistan and are getting all their equipment there… We’ve arrested a large number who are either Pakistani or came from Pakistan," Stanezai said. He also said some of the leaders of the Taliban are now living in Pakistan and are orchestrating the attacks.
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February - 23 
The North West Frontier Province Governor, Khalil-ur-Rehman, claimed in Miranshah on February 23 that the Government has suspended operations in North Waziristan because it believes that tribesmen are able to restore peace and normalcy through their own customs and traditions, according to Dawn. "It
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The North West Frontier Province Governor, Khalil-ur-Rehman, claimed in Miranshah on February 23 that the Government has suspended operations in North Waziristan because it believes that tribesmen are able to restore peace and normalcy through their own customs and traditions, according to Dawn. "It doesn’t mean that the government has backed out of its earlier determination. Rather we want to show that the tribesmen can improve the situation themselves," he added. "However, if there is no improvement, the operations will resume with full vigour and severity," he warned.
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February - 28 
President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have told during an interview with ABC News, that his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai had handed over a list of 40 wanted men along with their phone numbers and "we find that two-thirds of them are dead and it is just a total waste of time". Calling for the
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President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have told during an interview with ABC News, that his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai had handed over a list of 40 wanted men along with their phone numbers and "we find that two-thirds of them are dead and it is just a total waste of time". Calling for the fencing and mining of the border with Afghanistan to clamp down on infiltrators, the President said that while "we are applying military against terrorism, we need to address bigger issues, bigger issues of political disputes". He added, "Eight thousand troops really are being used to operate against al-Qaeda and Taliban who are in South and North Waziristan mainly, but we are not using the Army only to track down Osama. We are using the Army against al-Qaeda and Taliban. Now in the process, if you get word on him, very good. But we are not certainly focusing entirely only on tracking Osama bin Laden and Zawahri. This is not the case."
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March - 4 
Pakistan and the United States on March 4 reaffirmed their commitment to a lasting strategic partnership with close cooperation in the war on terror. “Part of my mission today was to determine whether or not the president is as committed as he has been in the past to bringing the terrorists to justi
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Pakistan and the United States on March 4 reaffirmed their commitment to a lasting strategic partnership with close cooperation in the war on terror. “Part of my mission today was to determine whether or not the president is as committed as he has been in the past to bringing the terrorists to justice, and he is,” US President George W. Bush said in response to a question at a joint press conference with President General Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad. “He understands the stakes; he understands the responsibility; and he understands the need to make sure our strategy is able to defeat the enemy,” said the visiting US President. The presidents held one-on-one talks that lasted an hour, according to Daily Times. The US president also said Pakistan and India had an historic opportunity to work towards lasting peace. He stated: “President Musharraf and Prime Minister Singh have shown themselves to be leaders of courage and vision. I encourage all sides to continue to make progress on important issues, including Kashmir. The best way for Kashmir to be resolved is for leaders of both countries to step up and lead.” He added that US role in this was to “continue to encourage the parties to come together”.
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March - 6 
Meanwhile, curfew was imposed on March 6 in Miranshah to restore law and order after several days of clashes between the army and terrorists. "We have imposed an immediate curfew in the area that would be relaxed between 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm so the people could do their important business," Additional
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Meanwhile, curfew was imposed on March 6 in Miranshah to restore law and order after several days of clashes between the army and terrorists. "We have imposed an immediate curfew in the area that would be relaxed between 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm so the people could do their important business," Additional FATA Secretary, Sikander Qayum, informed at a press briefing in Peshawar. He claimed the situation was under control in North Waziristan and terrorists have been forced to come down from buildings they had captured a day before. As many as 119 militants, including five foreigners, have been killed during the past six days, Qayum added.
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March - 6 
President Pervez Musharraf said on March 6 that it was in Pakistan’s national interest to fight terrorism and extremism and that by doing so his Government was not doing the US or the international community any favour for which it should be rewarded. He also dismissed allegations of "collateral dam
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President Pervez Musharraf said on March 6 that it was in Pakistan’s national interest to fight terrorism and extremism and that by doing so his Government was not doing the US or the international community any favour for which it should be rewarded. He also dismissed allegations of "collateral damage" in the war against terror, arguing that it was minimal given the nature of the conflict in Waziristan. During a meeting with editors in Islamabad he stated: "How can we not focus on terrorism or not talk about it when the ground reality is that there are terrorists in Pakistan who are giving the country a bad name."
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March - 9 
Pakistan will fence its border with Afghanistan and plant landmines to stop infiltration of foreigners, according to Dawn. "There is no writ of the government in some provinces in Afghanistan bordering Pakistan and instead of tackling the situation in its own country, the Afghan government is accusi
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Pakistan will fence its border with Afghanistan and plant landmines to stop infiltration of foreigners, according to Dawn. "There is no writ of the government in some provinces in Afghanistan bordering Pakistan and instead of tackling the situation in its own country, the Afghan government is accusing Pakistan of cross-border infiltration," Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said in Islamabad on March 9. The minister said the Government had taken the decision as a last resort to stop cross-border movement of terrorists from the neighbouring country. "We are suffering from large-scale poppy cultivation and gunrunning in Afghanistan and the Afghan government had no writ in some of its provinces to overcome the situation," he said.
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March - 10 
Meanwhile, tribal clerics announced the enforcement of Sharia (Islamic law) in South Waziristan on March 10, saying that feuds and tribal enmities would now be resolved through Islamic laws instead of the tribal Jirga (council). Eyewitnesses and tribal elders told Daily Times that the announcement w
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Meanwhile, tribal clerics announced the enforcement of Sharia (Islamic law) in South Waziristan on March 10, saying that feuds and tribal enmities would now be resolved through Islamic laws instead of the tribal Jirga (council). Eyewitnesses and tribal elders told Daily Times that the announcement was made during Friday prayer sermons in Wana and other towns of South Waziristan. "We are glad to announce that an Islamic judge will decide cases from now on and not the jirga," a cleric in Wana was quoted as announcing. The announcement was made following letters from local Taliban commanders to all prayer leaders asking them to enforce the Sharia, a tribal cleric said. "We were under great pressure from the commanders to announce the enforcement of Sharia in Waziristan," he added. This will "strengthen the Taliban’s influence in the area", the cleric said.
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March - 10 
President Pervez Musharraf ruled out on March 10 the possibility of an independent Kashmir and said that the idea of self-governance was applicable in the present political scenario, according to Daily Times. The president made these remarks during a meeting with Kashmiri leaders who are in Islamaba
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President Pervez Musharraf ruled out on March 10 the possibility of an independent Kashmir and said that the idea of self-governance was applicable in the present political scenario, according to Daily Times. The president made these remarks during a meeting with Kashmiri leaders who are in Islamabad to attend a conference arranged by the Washington-based Pugwash group. "The president said that an independent Kashmir as a solution to the issue was not applicable because both India and Pakistan do not agree to it," sources told Daily Times. The idea of self-governance is "acceptable and applicable", the president was quoted as saying.
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March - 11 
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao told the National Assembly on March 11 that the unrest in Miranshah had spread to surrounding districts. “These miscreants were continuously challenging the writ of the government, which forced us to take action,” Sherpao said. He said the situation had aff
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Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao told the National Assembly on March 11 that the unrest in Miranshah had spread to surrounding districts. “These miscreants were continuously challenging the writ of the government, which forced us to take action,” Sherpao said. He said the situation had affected the areas of Tank and Mir Ali, where local Taliban had forced the closure of video shops and were asking people not to shave. At least 120 soldiers and supporters of the Government have been killed in North Waziristan since March 1, NNI quoted the minister as saying.
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March - 13 
Authorities in North Waziristan said on March 13 that thousands of Afghans thought to be living there must leave and return home, according to The News. North Waziristan Political Agent Zaheerul Islam said Afghans had been given deadlines to leave two or three times during 2005 but had not done so.
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Authorities in North Waziristan said on March 13 that thousands of Afghans thought to be living there must leave and return home, according to The News. North Waziristan Political Agent Zaheerul Islam said Afghans had been given deadlines to leave two or three times during 2005 but had not done so. "Now they are not Afghan refugees but foreigners and must leave North Waziristan immediately," he told Reuters. "Severe action will be taken if they don’t do so," he said, without elaborating.
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March - 13 
Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani told newsmen in the provincial capital Quetta that the Government intended to resolve all problems of the province through dialogue and mutual understanding.
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Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani told newsmen in the provincial capital Quetta that the Government intended to resolve all problems of the province through dialogue and mutual understanding.
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March - 13 
The United States said on March 13 that the security situation in Balochistan province was "an impediment" to investment in Pakistan, according to Daily Times. "The security situation needs to be improved as it is an impediment to investment. Until there is an improvement, substantial investment is
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The United States said on March 13 that the security situation in Balochistan province was "an impediment" to investment in Pakistan, according to Daily Times. "The security situation needs to be improved as it is an impediment to investment. Until there is an improvement, substantial investment is not possible," US Energy Secretary Samuel W Bodman told journalists in Islamabad when asked about foreign investment in a gas pipeline project from Turkmenistan. Bodman, who arrived in Islamabad for talks on US cooperation in Pakistan’s energy sector, did not support the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, saying: "Our country has significant problems with Iran. They are working on nuclear weapons and we are trying to prevent it, so it is impossible to support a contractual agreement."
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March - 16 
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the North West Frontier Province Governor’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas Secretariat denied on March 16 that local Taliban had been allowed to open offices in Wana to enforce Islamic law in South Waziristan. “No office has been opened or is in the process of opening
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Meanwhile, a spokesman for the North West Frontier Province Governor’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas Secretariat denied on March 16 that local Taliban had been allowed to open offices in Wana to enforce Islamic law in South Waziristan. “No office has been opened or is in the process of opening in Wana under the auspices of seminary students or so-called Taliban,” he said. “Some newspapers in their reports and editorial comments have painted a very grim picture of the situation in South Waziristan…This is completely baseless,” the spokesman added.
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March - 16 
Pakistan is holding a Syrian-born man with suspected terrorism links, a Pakistani official said on March 16. The official gave no further details, including when or where the man was detained, according to Dawn. Pakistani authorities had said in November 2005 that they were trying to determine wheth
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Pakistan is holding a Syrian-born man with suspected terrorism links, a Pakistani official said on March 16. The official gave no further details, including when or where the man was detained, according to Dawn. Pakistani authorities had said in November 2005 that they were trying to determine whether a man detained during a police raid in Quetta was Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, an Al Qaeda-linked Syrian native who holds Spanish citizenship. Nasar has had a $5 million US bounty on his head and has been described by the US Justice Department as a former trainer at Osama bin Laden’s camps in Afghanistan who helped teach extremists to use poisons and chemicals. US authorities have said he is likely to be in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Media reports have linked Nasar, also known as Abu Musab al-Suri, to the 2004 commuter train bombings in Madrid, Spain, that killed 191 people, and to the July 7 attacks in London that left 56 dead.
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March - 19 
According to Daily Times, a former official of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has claimed that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief met Osama Bin Laden and received funds from him. "Nawaz Sharief met Osama Bin Laden on at least three occasions and was desperately seeking his financial assistan
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According to Daily Times, a former official of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has claimed that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief met Osama Bin Laden and received funds from him. "Nawaz Sharief met Osama Bin Laden on at least three occasions and was desperately seeking his financial assistance," Khalid Khawaja told news website Adnkronos International in an interview on March 19. Khawaja, a retired officer of the Pakistan Air Force who was in the ISI in the late 1980s, rejected a recent denial by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz that its leader had sought political cooperation from bin Laden. Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal President Qazi Hussain Ahmed had said in a recent interview that Sharief had repeatedly met Laden, who had offered him money to topple the Pakistan People’s Party Government in 1990.
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March - 19 
The Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah claimed in Washington on March 19 that Osama bin Laden, Ayman Al-Zawahri and Mullah Omar are all together and in Pakistan, where other Al Qaeda figures have been found and apprehended, according to Daily Times. Asked by CNN where Laden is, Abdullah repli
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The Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah claimed in Washington on March 19 that Osama bin Laden, Ayman Al-Zawahri and Mullah Omar are all together and in Pakistan, where other Al Qaeda figures have been found and apprehended, according to Daily Times. Asked by CNN where Laden is, Abdullah replied that according to his country’s intelligence, the Al Qaeda leader is "outside Afghanistan and he might be in the same place where other members of Al Qaeda have been arrested." He added that Zawahri was also in the same place where bin Laden was. Asked whether they were in Pakistan, the minister replied that it was "more likely." To the question where Mullah Omar was, he replied that all these "friends" should be found together.
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March - 21 
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said in Islamabad on March 21 that foreign terrorists hiding in Waziristan would not be given amnesty "because the deadline has now expired", according to Daily Times. "All camps of Afghan refugees in the tribal areas have been closed. The process of their
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Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said in Islamabad on March 21 that foreign terrorists hiding in Waziristan would not be given amnesty "because the deadline has now expired", according to Daily Times. "All camps of Afghan refugees in the tribal areas have been closed. The process of their repatriation has also been accelerated," he disclosed. He said at a meeting with tribal elders from Miranshah, Datta Khel and Mir Ali that "The Government will hold talks unconditionally with those who want peace and development, however all should join hands to restore peace and tranquility in the region." He also informed that "… we arrested Arabs, Chinese, Uzbeks, Turkish and Chechens from Waziristan."
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March - 22 
Government has kept open the option of negotiations for a political solution to the problems in Balochistan and Waziristan, but it will not allow "miscreants" to blackmail the state, President Pervez Musharraf said in a meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on March 22, according to Daily Times.
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Government has kept open the option of negotiations for a political solution to the problems in Balochistan and Waziristan, but it will not allow "miscreants" to blackmail the state, President Pervez Musharraf said in a meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on March 22, according to Daily Times. The Government will not allow the "miscreants" in Balochistan and the tribal areas to challenge the writ of the Government and attack security forces, the president said in the meeting at Army House in Islamabad. However, he added that talks were still possible, "but we will not let them blackmail us".
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March - 23 
Speaking at a public meeting in Lahore on March 23, President Pervez Musharraf warned extremists, foreign militants in Waziristan, Sardars (tribal chieftans) of Balochistan and exiled leaders in London against their anti-state activities, according to Dawn. Exploitation of religion, terrorism in Pak
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Speaking at a public meeting in Lahore on March 23, President Pervez Musharraf warned extremists, foreign militants in Waziristan, Sardars (tribal chieftans) of Balochistan and exiled leaders in London against their anti-state activities, according to Dawn. Exploitation of religion, terrorism in Pakistan and across the world, blackmailing and depriving the weaker tribesmen of their rights would not be tolerated any more, said the president. Referring to the situation in Waziristan, Gen. Musharraf said militants hiding there were violating the sovereignty of the country and held them responsible for spreading terrorism. "I warn them that they should quit Pakistan or we’ll kill them all." The general said those supporting them would also not be allowed to live in Pakistan. "We’ll eliminate terrorists and extremists". The president alleged that a few Sardars were responsible for the unrest in Balochistan. "Their days are numbered. The situation will witness a marked improvement over the next few days," he said, implying that a stronger action was about to be taken against those fuelling the situation. Some Sardars, he claimed, were opposed to the Gwadar port project and it was for this reason that they had killed Chinese engineers.
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March - 26 
Government has approved 30,000 new posts in various departments, including the police and Frontier Corps in Balochistan, to be filled over the next two years to boost employment in the province, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on March 26. "We will also try to provide jobs to Balochistan youth in v
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Government has approved 30,000 new posts in various departments, including the police and Frontier Corps in Balochistan, to be filled over the next two years to boost employment in the province, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on March 26. "We will also try to provide jobs to Balochistan youth in various departments of the federal government, more than their fixed quota," he said at a press conference in Quetta.
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March - 27 
Pakistan on March 27 expressed optimism that Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s offer of a friendship treaty would give impetus to the peace process between the two countries. "The Indian prime minister’s speech encourages us to believe that the peace process will be strengthened and enter a
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Pakistan on March 27 expressed optimism that Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s offer of a friendship treaty would give impetus to the peace process between the two countries. "The Indian prime minister’s speech encourages us to believe that the peace process will be strengthened and enter a new important phase," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad. Reading out a statement, she said: "Eventually the peace process must lead to the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which would usher in an era of good neighbourly relations between the two countries. That environment would also be conducive to the conclusion of a treaty of friendship." Pointing to the fact that ideas of a non-aggression pact or a friendship treaty suggested by the two sides in the past had not materialized, she stated: "The fact remains that distrust caused by persistence of problems and disputes has prevented these ideas from becoming a reality. This further underscores the need for a meaningful dialogue to address problems, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute."
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March - 28 
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on March 28 said that China should also be made a party for resolving the Kashmir issue as it had control over a large chunk of the territory. Addressing the final round of a Kashmir conference at the World Social Forum in Karac
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The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on March 28 said that China should also be made a party for resolving the Kashmir issue as it had control over a large chunk of the territory. Addressing the final round of a Kashmir conference at the World Social Forum in Karachi, he said: "The All Parties Hurriyat Conference is preparing a roadmap-2020 for the resolution of this dispute in which we will also recommend for the inclusion of China as a party."
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March - 28 
The Government will not remove the subject of Jihad from the school curriculum, Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi said on March 28, according to Daily Times. The minister told reporters in Islamabad that the Government’s new education policy will be implemented from 2007. "We will teach Islamiat
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The Government will not remove the subject of Jihad from the school curriculum, Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi said on March 28, according to Daily Times. The minister told reporters in Islamabad that the Government’s new education policy will be implemented from 2007. "We will teach Islamiat from class one to twelve… Geography and history will be re-introduced in the new education policy that will be implemented in 2007," he said.
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March - 29 
President Pervez Musharraf said on March 29 that a gas pipeline network would be laid in the entire Balochistan and the inexpensive fuel would be provided to people in each and every corner of the province either through pipelines or LNG and LPG projects, according to The News. "I have a dream for y
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President Pervez Musharraf said on March 29 that a gas pipeline network would be laid in the entire Balochistan and the inexpensive fuel would be provided to people in each and every corner of the province either through pipelines or LNG and LPG projects, according to The News. "I have a dream for you and trust me that I will make all efforts to realise this dream of bringing prosperity and development to your province to take it at par with other provinces of Pakistan," the president said while speaking at the inauguration of the Gwadar gas supply pilot project. President Musharraf reportedly asked Ports and Shipping Minister Babar Khan Ghouri to prefer locals in appointments at the new port and relax conditions if some candidates lack minimum requirements to increase economic opportunities for them. He also said the Government would provide Rs. three billion for development projects in 29 districts of Balochistan and each of these districts would get Rs 100
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March - 29 
The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) denied on March 29 that three of its cadres were arrested in South Waziristan, according to Reuters. Police in Tank said the three, who were carrying explosives and ammunition when they were detained, had confessed to being members of the Hizb during initial interrogation
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The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) denied on March 29 that three of its cadres were arrested in South Waziristan, according to Reuters. Police in Tank said the three, who were carrying explosives and ammunition when they were detained, had confessed to being members of the Hizb during initial interrogation on March 28. On March 29, a senior police officer in Tank informed that the men hailed from Karachi and had been staying with a colleague, identified as Faizullah, from the Hizb in Wana. Hizb spokesman Saleem Hashmi said the allegation that the group’s cadres were roaming around the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan was an attempt to "blacken the name of Kashmiri fighters."
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April - 2 
A bomb blast was reported from a field camp of the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) in Kohlu district. A clash which erupted between insurgents and SF personnel after the explosion killed two soldiers and wounded eight. "The fighting is still on," a security official told Reuters.
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A bomb blast was reported from a field camp of the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) in Kohlu district. A clash which erupted between insurgents and SF personnel after the explosion killed two soldiers and wounded eight. "The fighting is still on," a security official told Reuters.
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April - 2 
The Government might relax some restrictions on the banned Sunni outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and allow it to commence political activities in a "very low profile" under the name Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan, sources told Daily Times. Sources said the decision was made after a recent meeting in
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The Government might relax some restrictions on the banned Sunni outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and allow it to commence political activities in a "very low profile" under the name Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan, sources told Daily Times. Sources said the decision was made after a recent meeting involving officials from law enforcement agencies, the National Crisis Management Cell and the SSP. Officials have placed two major conditions on the SSP to resume even low-key political activities, they said. "The government has stressed that the Sipah’s leaders cannot incite sectarian violence in any way nor abuse any person in a public meeting," they added. Authorities reportedly decided to relax some restrictions on the SSP after these assurances and allow it to restart political activities under the umbrella of Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan. Millat-e-Islamia’s first public meeting will be held in Islamabad on April 6 and Ali Sher Haidry, patron-in-chief of the organisation, and Dr Khadim Hussain Dhilon will address participants.
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April - 2 
Two terrorists were wounded in a clash with the police in Dera Ismail Khan, Reuters reported. The fighting erupted on April 2 after the Islamists tried to disrupt a traditional fair to celebrate the start of spring. "They dubbed this annual traditional event as un-Islamic and had warned the organise
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Two terrorists were wounded in a clash with the police in Dera Ismail Khan, Reuters reported. The fighting erupted on April 2 after the Islamists tried to disrupt a traditional fair to celebrate the start of spring. "They dubbed this annual traditional event as un-Islamic and had warned the organisers against holding it," a senior police officer said.
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April - 4 
Calling from an unidentified place on telephone, Nawab Bugti alleged that security forces (SFs) had demolished hundreds of houses of Bugti tribesmen outside the Sui gas-field. He said that the Government had set up a force comprising people of Bandlani clan who were helping the SFs in raiding and de
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Calling from an unidentified place on telephone, Nawab Bugti alleged that security forces (SFs) had demolished hundreds of houses of Bugti tribesmen outside the Sui gas-field. He said that the Government had set up a force comprising people of Bandlani clan who were helping the SFs in raiding and demolishing the houses of Bugti tribesmen. He also claimed that troops had fired many rockets and mortar shells at his fort in Dera Bugti, which was lying vacant for the last two months.
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April - 5 
Sixteen terrorists were killed and 19 arrested after security forces (SFs) retaliated to two attacks at two sites in North Waziristan on April 5. "Four troops were killed and eight injured in the attacks," Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the Inter Services Public Relations Director General, told Daily Tim
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Sixteen terrorists were killed and 19 arrested after security forces (SFs) retaliated to two attacks at two sites in North Waziristan on April 5. "Four troops were killed and eight injured in the attacks," Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the Inter Services Public Relations Director General, told Daily Times. The terrorists first attacked a SF check-post in Dattakhel and another at Mana in the heavily forested Shawal region. The army reportedly used ground troops, heavy guns, artillery and gunship helicopters to comb the Mana area where the troops recovered six bodies of the slain terrorists from a compound. A spokesperson for the pro-Taliban operatives in North Waziristan, Tariq Jameel, confirmed attacks on the SFs but denied "any loss of militants". He said the attacks were "revenge" against the killing of two militants in Mir Ali town on April 3.
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April - 5 
The army spokesman said that approximately 200 pro-Taliban operatives had been reported dead in clashes with the SFs since the Saidgai operation on March 1, 2006.
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The army spokesman said that approximately 200 pro-Taliban operatives had been reported dead in clashes with the SFs since the Saidgai operation on March 1, 2006.
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April - 6 
A Government spokesperson informed on April 6 that 43 terrorists and three soldiers had died during the clashes at Shawal and Datakhel in North Waziristan a day earlier. Official sources said two children and a woman were injured while several houses were damaged after security forces (SFs) had star
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A Government spokesperson informed on April 6 that 43 terrorists and three soldiers had died during the clashes at Shawal and Datakhel in North Waziristan a day earlier. Official sources said two children and a woman were injured while several houses were damaged after security forces (SFs) had started shelling in response to the terrorist attack near Miranshah on April 6-night, according to Dawn. Troops resorted to heavy artillery shelling when suspected terrorists fired two rockets on the SFs in Miranshah. Locals said artillery shells had hit several residential compounds in the Tolkhel, Qutabkhel and Chashma villages near Miranshah.
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April - 6 
A state-owned bank building was damaged when two bombs exploded in the Wadh area, about 400km southeast of Quetta, on April 6. "The bombs had been planted by terrorists near the main gate of the Agriculture Development Bank. The blast damaged the structure, but no one was hurt as the bank was closed
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A state-owned bank building was damaged when two bombs exploded in the Wadh area, about 400km southeast of Quetta, on April 6. "The bombs had been planted by terrorists near the main gate of the Agriculture Development Bank. The blast damaged the structure, but no one was hurt as the bank was closed at the time," a police officer told Associated Press.
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April - 6 
In a statement issued in Peshawar on April 6, a spokesperson for the North West Frontier Province Governor’s Secretariat said 19 terrorists had been arrested in the operation.
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In a statement issued in Peshawar on April 6, a spokesperson for the North West Frontier Province Governor’s Secretariat said 19 terrorists had been arrested in the operation.
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April - 6 
Izhar Bokhari, a spokesperson for Allama Turabi’s Islamic Tehreek Pakistan, blamed the outlawed Sunni group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) for the blast and also accused the intelligence agencies of involvement in the explosion, claiming they wanted to create anarchy.
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Izhar Bokhari, a spokesperson for Allama Turabi’s Islamic Tehreek Pakistan, blamed the outlawed Sunni group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) for the blast and also accused the intelligence agencies of involvement in the explosion, claiming they wanted to create anarchy.
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April - 7 
Pro-local Taliban tribal clerics in North Waziristan on April 7 demanded the army pull out of the area while parliamentarians and officials of seven Frontier districts asked the Government to take military action against outlaws in the Malakand Agency, according to Daily Times.
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Pro-local Taliban tribal clerics in North Waziristan on April 7 demanded the army pull out of the area while parliamentarians and officials of seven Frontier districts asked the Government to take military action against outlaws in the Malakand Agency, according to Daily Times.
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April - 9 
According to evidences collected by the Federal Government, the notification said the BLA was involved in sabotage activities, including rocket attacks on national installations, civilian population and security forces. It was also accused of laying landmines in various parts of the province. Interi
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According to evidences collected by the Federal Government, the notification said the BLA was involved in sabotage activities, including rocket attacks on national installations, civilian population and security forces. It was also accused of laying landmines in various parts of the province. Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah told reporters that anyone associated with the BLA or supporting its terrorist activities would be tried under the Anti-Terrorism Act. He said the investigation into several past terrorist acts found that majority of the incidents had been planned, engineered and executed by BLA operatives to create a situation of anarchy in Balochistan. Shah, however, added that no prominent leader of the BLA had been arrested. He also said intelligence agencies had credible evidence that the BLA operated with foreign support, adding "the organisation is being financed from certain foreign sources."
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April - 9 
The Balochistan Home Minister Shoeb Nausherwani said on April 9 that no organisation named the Baloch Liberation Army exists and that only a group of four to five thousand people using the name as "an excuse for anti-state activities." He clarified that the group lacked the structure and planning of
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The Balochistan Home Minister Shoeb Nausherwani said on April 9 that no organisation named the Baloch Liberation Army exists and that only a group of four to five thousand people using the name as "an excuse for anti-state activities." He clarified that the group lacked the structure and planning of a proper organisation.
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April - 9 
The Foreign Office on April 9 denied a report implying that Pakistan had bribed members of the US 9/11 Inquiry Commission to drop from its finding negative references to Pakistan. "Pakistan has never indulged in the illegal activity of bribing or buying influence anywhere in the world," said a state
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The Foreign Office on April 9 denied a report implying that Pakistan had bribed members of the US 9/11 Inquiry Commission to drop from its finding negative references to Pakistan. "Pakistan has never indulged in the illegal activity of bribing or buying influence anywhere in the world," said a statement issued by the Foreign Office spokesperson in Islamabad. Reacting to the report titled ‘Did Pakistan Influence the 9/11 Commission Report?’ appearing in the March 3-9 issue of a Lahore-based English weekly, the spokesperson termed it "utterly baseless and irresponsible." The spokesperson said: "It is full of distortions which are obviously aimed at making a sensational story." Referring to the writer’s claim to have learnt from ‘reliable sources’ that Foreign Office officials had told a ‘secret’ meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that "Pakistan gave tens of thousand of dollars" to members of the inquiry commission to drop negative references to Pakistan, she pointed out that the PAC meeting referred to in the report was not secret.
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April - 9 
The Government on April 9 banned the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) after declaring it as a terrorist organisation for its alleged involvement in terrorist activities. According to a notification issued by the Interior Ministry, the BLA is headed by some tribal leaders. The notification has been
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The Government on April 9 banned the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) after declaring it as a terrorist organisation for its alleged involvement in terrorist activities. According to a notification issued by the Interior Ministry, the BLA is headed by some tribal leaders. The notification has been sent to provincial Governments for action against the outfit. The Federal Government exercised its powers under section 11(b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, to declare the BLA a terrorist organisation.
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April - 11 
'Information we have received from hospitals and police suggest that the death toll is 57,' Salahuddin Haider, spokesperson for the Sindh Government, told Agence France-Presse. One or possibly two attackers climbed onto a wooden stage in the Nishtar Park as around 50,000 people offered sunset prayer
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'Information we have received from hospitals and police suggest that the death toll is 57,' Salahuddin Haider, spokesperson for the Sindh Government, told Agence France-Presse. One or possibly two attackers climbed onto a wooden stage in the Nishtar Park as around 50,000 people offered sunset prayers. They then approached the Sunni clerics and detonated powerful bombs, officials said. Rauf Siddiqi, Home Minister of the Sindh province, disclosed that security forces had checked the stage before it was handed over to the organizers. Meanwhile, riots in the nearby areas of the blast site were also reported. Sources informed that two petrol pumps, one fire tender and several cars were set ablaze by the enraged crowd.
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April - 12 
Gunship helicopters reportedly destroyed a suspected terrorist compound at Nagar village in North Waziristan on April 12, killing a number of foreign terrorists. The raid, launched on the basis of "confirmed intelligence", targeted a hideout in the Nagar village, six kilometers south of Miranshah, m
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Gunship helicopters reportedly destroyed a suspected terrorist compound at Nagar village in North Waziristan on April 12, killing a number of foreign terrorists. The raid, launched on the basis of "confirmed intelligence", targeted a hideout in the Nagar village, six kilometers south of Miranshah, military spokesperson Major General Shaukat Sultan told AFP. "We have conducted a sting operation with the help of Cobra gunship helicopters, which has resulted in the knocking out of a militant hideout… Some foreigners were killed," Sultan said. He, however, had no details of identities and number of the terrorists killed in the operation.
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April - 12 
The body parts of the suspected suicide bomber of the Nishtar Park incident will be brought to the DNA laboratory in the federal capital Islamabad for identification, Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah told Dawn on April 12. While confirming that it was a suicide bombing, he added that investigation
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The body parts of the suspected suicide bomber of the Nishtar Park incident will be brought to the DNA laboratory in the federal capital Islamabad for identification, Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah told Dawn on April 12. While confirming that it was a suicide bombing, he added that investigation agencies had taken into custody three unidentified bodies, a head and some other human organs from the site of the bomb blast in Karachi. As reported earlier, at least 57 people died in the bomb blast at Nishtar Park.
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April - 12 
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said on April 12 that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir had started showing significant improvement, leading to increased flow of tourists and pilgrims. "People are fed up with violence and yearn for peace. Local support for terrorist activities being spon
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Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said on April 12 that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir had started showing significant improvement, leading to increased flow of tourists and pilgrims. "People are fed up with violence and yearn for peace. Local support for terrorist activities being sponsored from across the border is receding. The state’s economy is on the upswing," he said, while addressing a conference of Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police on internal security and law and order in New Delhi. Patil said terrorist related incidents came down by 22 per cent, killings of civilians by 21 per cent and those of security force (SF) personnel by 33 per cent in 2005 over 2004. In the first quarter of 2006, the number of such incidents was lower by 24 per cent, and civilian casualties were down by 53 per cent and SFs by 32 per cent over the corresponding period of the last year. Similarly, infiltration dropped by 54 per cent in 2005 over 2004. SFs foiled 49 infiltration bids killing 189 terrorists in 2005 compared to 43 infiltration attempts checked and 95 terrorists killed in 2004. In the first quarter of 2006, only 30 infiltrators are reported to have crossed over. Referring to the peace initiatives launched by the Centre in Jammu and Kashmir, including discussions held by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and other groups, he said the Centre was using a multi-pronged policy to restore peace and normalcy in the State.
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April - 13 
According to Daily Times, unidentified men abducted five paramilitary soldiers from Razmak sub-division in North Waziristan on April 13. However, Maj. Gen Shaukat Sultan, the military spokesperson, said that he had received no reports of missing paramilitary soldiers. He also said that he had no con
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According to Daily Times, unidentified men abducted five paramilitary soldiers from Razmak sub-division in North Waziristan on April 13. However, Maj. Gen Shaukat Sultan, the military spokesperson, said that he had received no reports of missing paramilitary soldiers. He also said that he had no confirmation as yet of the death of Abdul Rahman Al-Muhajir, an Egyptian-born Al Qaeda explosives expert whom the Government had claimed was killed in an operation near Miranshah on April 12. “I will share it with the media when I have the confirmation,” he added.
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April - 16 
Pakistan does not need any Sipah, Jaish or Lashkar because the "Pakistan Army is the sole Sipah or Lashkar of this country", said President Pervez Musharraf while talking to Islamic scholars at the Governor’s House in Karachi on April 16. In the backdrop of the April 11 Nishtar Park bombing, Gen. Mu
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Pakistan does not need any Sipah, Jaish or Lashkar because the "Pakistan Army is the sole Sipah or Lashkar of this country", said President Pervez Musharraf while talking to Islamic scholars at the Governor’s House in Karachi on April 16. In the backdrop of the April 11 Nishtar Park bombing, Gen. Musharraf said that his Government would not allow any party, including religious parties and groups, to indulge in militancy, according to Daily Times.
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April - 16 
Residents in a market area of North Waziristan on the Afghan border reportedly found the beheaded body of a man on April 16 with a note saying he was an American spy and a warning others would face the same treatment, according to Reuters. "He was an American spy and all of you will face this if you
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Residents in a market area of North Waziristan on the Afghan border reportedly found the beheaded body of a man on April 16 with a note saying he was an American spy and a warning others would face the same treatment, according to Reuters. "He was an American spy and all of you will face this if you follow him," a Government official quoted the note as saying.
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April - 16 
The police have detained 12 suspected terrorists in connection with the April 11-suicide bombing at Nishtar Park in Karachi, Sindh Inspector General of Police, Jahangir Mirza, told reporters on April 16, according to Daily Times. "The suspects are being interrogated and I am hopeful that we are clos
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The police have detained 12 suspected terrorists in connection with the April 11-suicide bombing at Nishtar Park in Karachi, Sindh Inspector General of Police, Jahangir Mirza, told reporters on April 16, according to Daily Times. "The suspects are being interrogated and I am hopeful that we are close to a breakthrough," said Mirza. At least 57 people, including prominent Islamist clerics, died and at least 200 people sustained injuries in the incident.
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April - 17 
Briefing the cabinet on the law and order situation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told the cabinet that the presence of the Taliban in FATA was a threat to national security and Pakistan’s economic development. "Religious extremism, militancy and
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Briefing the cabinet on the law and order situation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told the cabinet that the presence of the Taliban in FATA was a threat to national security and Pakistan’s economic development. "Religious extremism, militancy and terrorism are continuously undermining Pakistan’s image in the international community" he was quoted as saying. He said that the ‘Talibanisation’ of Waziristan was damaging other parts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and that the local administration had been limited to their houses and offices. "The Taliban’s sphere of influence has expanded to DI Khan, Tank and the Khyber Agency, where clerks of the area have started to join them. There has been a sharp increase in attacks on heavily-defended military targets in these areas as well," Sherpao was quoted as saying.
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April - 17 
President Pervez Musharraf claimed on April 17 that the Government had resolved the Balochistan issue "amicably" and no law and order situation exists there anymore. The Government will introduce administrative reforms in Balochistan, said the president. "Several development projects have been start
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President Pervez Musharraf claimed on April 17 that the Government had resolved the Balochistan issue "amicably" and no law and order situation exists there anymore. The Government will introduce administrative reforms in Balochistan, said the president. "Several development projects have been started in Balochistan so that the people of the province can be brought to par with the other provinces," he added. Peace has been restored in the province in letter and spirit, claimed Gen. Musharraf.
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April - 17 
President Pervez Musharraf said in Karachi on April 17 that the Government was well aware about the prevailing situation in Waziristan, "and the issue will be resolved very soon". The Government will introduce administrative reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and under these r
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President Pervez Musharraf said in Karachi on April 17 that the Government was well aware about the prevailing situation in Waziristan, "and the issue will be resolved very soon". The Government will introduce administrative reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and under these reforms the political administrator will be abolished soon, he said. "The Government has already allocated a development package of Rs 10 billion in FATA and Balochistan and the sum will definitely change the face of the two regions," he claimed.
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April - 18 
The Foreign Office on April 18 dismissed a statement as "propaganda" that camps for training terrorists to fight Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir were flourishing in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). "This is baseless. I think we should not even pay attention to such statements," Foreign Office spo
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The Foreign Office on April 18 dismissed a statement as "propaganda" that camps for training terrorists to fight Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir were flourishing in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). "This is baseless. I think we should not even pay attention to such statements," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said. According to her, "This is propaganda and I think the Indians have milked this cow for too long." Aslam claimed aid groups from around the world were working in PoK to help earthquake victims but no one had seen terrorist training camps or infrastructure.
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April - 20 
Violence in Balochistan has claimed 158 lives since January 1, 2006, sources quoted Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao as telling the last cabinet meeting on law and order, with a special focus on the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan, according to Daily Times. Of the dead, 53 were civilians and
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Violence in Balochistan has claimed 158 lives since January 1, 2006, sources quoted Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao as telling the last cabinet meeting on law and order, with a special focus on the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan, according to Daily Times. Of the dead, 53 were civilians and 33 security force (SF) personnel, the sources quoted the minister as saying. He added that 72 cadres of the Balochistan Liberation Army were killed and 41 injured. He said that 147 people had also been injured since January 1. Sherpao reportedly told the cabinet that Dera Bugti, Kohlu and Khuzdar were the main troubled districts where SF personnel, Government installations and infrastructure were being targeted. "Though incidents of rocket attacks, small arm fires and mine blasts targeting government installations have decreased considerably, there has been an upsurge in violence for the last one week because of the proscription of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and cancellation of arms licences to sardars," the minister said. The BLA was banned on April 7, while arms licences to Baloch leaders, including Nawab Akbar Bugti, Senator Sanaullah Baloch and Akhtar Mengal, had been cancelled. Sherpao claimed that the overall capability of the BLA had weakened and the process of rehabilitation of displaced Kalpar, Rahija and Masori tribesmen had been completed. Sherpao also told the cabinet that the insurgency in Balochistan and Talibanisation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) could hamper economic activity in the country.
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April - 21 
The Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao confirmed on April 21 the death of wanted Al Qaeda explosive expert Abu Marwan Al Suri, calling it a major "achievement" in the war on terror. "It is confirmed that he is killed," Sherpao told reporters.
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The Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao confirmed on April 21 the death of wanted Al Qaeda explosive expert Abu Marwan Al Suri, calling it a major "achievement" in the war on terror. "It is confirmed that he is killed," Sherpao told reporters.
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April - 21 
The Political administration in North Waziristan detained 35 tribesmen in Miranshah under "territorial responsibility" clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulations and imposed a Rupees 10.13 million fine on three major tribes on April 21. North Waziristan Chief Administrator Zaheerul Islam told Daily T
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The Political administration in North Waziristan detained 35 tribesmen in Miranshah under "territorial responsibility" clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulations and imposed a Rupees 10.13 million fine on three major tribes on April 21. North Waziristan Chief Administrator Zaheerul Islam told Daily Times that the detained tribesmen would remain in jail as long as the tribes did not hand over militants involved in the April 20-attack on a paramilitary convoy killing around eight soldiers and wounding 22 others near Razmak. He said that three major tribes – Darpakhel, Burakhel and Miranshah Kalay – were collectively fined Rs 10.13 million for failing to meet territorial responsibility by not defending Miranshah against militants’ attacks.
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April - 23 
Elsewhere in the province, SFs seized 11 missiles fitted with batteries and timers from a mountain in Tegh. "Militants wanted to target the Sui gas plant and cantonment area through these Russian-made surface-to-surface missiles," an official of the Sui administration said.
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Elsewhere in the province, SFs seized 11 missiles fitted with batteries and timers from a mountain in Tegh. "Militants wanted to target the Sui gas plant and cantonment area through these Russian-made surface-to-surface missiles," an official of the Sui administration said.
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April - 23 
Syed Salahuddin, chief of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), is reported to have said on April 23 that Pakistan had caused "irreparable damage" to the Kashmiri ‘cause’ by pursuing peace without winning more concessions from India. "One-sided pragmatism and confidence building measures, which are not recip
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Syed Salahuddin, chief of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), is reported to have said on April 23 that Pakistan had caused "irreparable damage" to the Kashmiri ‘cause’ by pursuing peace without winning more concessions from India. "One-sided pragmatism and confidence building measures, which are not reciprocated by the Indian side, have caused irreparable damage to the ongoing freedom struggle in the (Kashmir) Valley," said Salahuddin, also chairman of the United Jihad Council (UJC), in an e-mail response to Reuters. He also said ‘Kashmiri fighters’ were feeling abandoned. "It has created an impression that Pakistan had now become exhausted in extending support to the Kashmir cause," he said, calling for "substantial support" for the movement to continue.
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April - 25 
According to Daily Times, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) will contest the forthcoming Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) Legislative Assembly elections with the promise to fight for an independent Kashmir, JKLF Chairman Amanullah Khan told a press briefing on April 25. He called upon the
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According to Daily Times, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) will contest the forthcoming Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) Legislative Assembly elections with the promise to fight for an independent Kashmir, JKLF Chairman Amanullah Khan told a press briefing on April 25. He called upon the Governments of Pakistan and PoK to remove the provision from the nomination papers that demands that election contestants take an oath to support Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan. He described the provision as a draconian law, adding that it was against human rights and the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
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April - 26 
President Pervez Musharraf told a tribal council in Peshawar on April 26 that the army could be pulled out of the tribal areas if tribal chiefs "guarantee permanent peace" in Waziristan. "You people will have to first expel all foreign terrorists and secondly stop tribal militancy before we pull out
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President Pervez Musharraf told a tribal council in Peshawar on April 26 that the army could be pulled out of the tribal areas if tribal chiefs "guarantee permanent peace" in Waziristan. "You people will have to first expel all foreign terrorists and secondly stop tribal militancy before we pull out the army," Musharraf said. "If the tribesmen tighten the noose around the terrorists and put an end to Talibanisation on their own then the troops will be withdrawn from the tribal areas," he claimed.
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April - 28 
Police have reportedly detained more than 50 people in a crackdown on Islamist extremists following the suicide bombing at Nishtar Park on April 11 in which 57 people were killed. The detainees include members of both Sunni and Shia radical groups, Sindh provincial government spokesman Salahuddin Ha
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Police have reportedly detained more than 50 people in a crackdown on Islamist extremists following the suicide bombing at Nishtar Park on April 11 in which 57 people were killed. The detainees include members of both Sunni and Shia radical groups, Sindh provincial government spokesman Salahuddin Haider said.
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April - 28 
President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have told British newspaper The Guardian that "Extremism in a Talibanised form is what people are now going for. Mullah Omar and the Taliban have influence in Waziristan and it’s spilling over into our settled areas." He also admitted that his popularity was
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President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have told British newspaper The Guardian that "Extremism in a Talibanised form is what people are now going for. Mullah Omar and the Taliban have influence in Waziristan and it’s spilling over into our settled areas." He also admitted that his popularity was waning, but claimed he was "not a poodle" of US President George W. Bush and rejected accusations he was running a military dictatorship. "When you are talking about fighting terrorism or extremism, I’m not doing that for the US or Britain. I’m doing it for Pakistan," he said. "It’s not a question of being a poodle. I’m nobody’s poodle. I have enough strength of my own to lead." If necessary he had "teeth" to bite back, he added. Gen Musharraf also defended his tactic of using military force instead of negotiations to quell the violence and said some collateral damage was inevitable when terrorists’ hideouts were attacked. "We take extreme care to be 100% sure of the target from all sources of intelligence... There is minimum collateral damage. If someone happens to be very close to [the target], that somebody is an abettor and they suffer the loss. Sometimes, indeed, women and children have been killed but they have been right next to the place. It’s not that the strike was inaccurate but they happen to be there, so therefore they are all supporters and abetters of terrorism - and therefore they have to suffer. It’s bad luck," he said. On the insurgency in Balochistan, the president claimed disturbances were confined to only one-twentieth of the province’s area. Gen Musharraf said his mission was to democratise Pakistan. According to him, "My popularity has gone down... but at this moment my country needs me. I’ve put a strong constitutional democratic system in place. That will throw up a successor. I’m a strong believer in democracy."
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April - 28 
The United States put two Pakistani charities on its terrorist list on April 28, saying they were fronts for the proscribed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), according to Reuters. The State Department announced that it was freezing assets in the United States belonging to Jamaat-ud-Dawa and one of its affiliat
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The United States put two Pakistani charities on its terrorist list on April 28, saying they were fronts for the proscribed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), according to Reuters. The State Department announced that it was freezing assets in the United States belonging to Jamaat-ud-Dawa and one of its affiliates, Idara Khidmat-i-Khalq. Jamaat-ud-Dawa has been prominent in providing relief after the October 8, 2005-earthquake in Pakistan.
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April - 29 
The Pakistan Army is in full control of Waziristan, where 324 militants have been killed in operations over the past nine months, officials said on April 29, according to Daily Times. The military made the claim as they accompanied a team of foreign journalists to Miranshah, the main town in North W
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The Pakistan Army is in full control of Waziristan, where 324 militants have been killed in operations over the past nine months, officials said on April 29, according to Daily Times. The military made the claim as they accompanied a team of foreign journalists to Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan. Briefing the journalists, top officials said 39 "major operations" had been conducted since July 2005 to flush out Al Qaeda-linked foreign and local militants. They said 142 militants had been arrested and 76 foreign militants and 56 soldiers had been killed in the operations. Miranshah was the scene of fierce battles between pro-Taliban militants and the army in March 2006 which killed 145 militants, chief military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan told reporters. He said up to 1,500 militants had attacked Miranshah and described the March 4-8 clashes as the heaviest in the region. The officer in charge of operations in Waziristan, Major General Akram Sahi, insisted the army was in control in North Waziristan and said reports that the Taliban had taken over the area were "untrue". "The situation is not absolutely peaceful... But, to say that there is no writ of the government, it is absolutely wrong," said Sultan. He said some 31,000 regular troops and 14,000 paramilitary soldiers were deployed in North Waziristan.
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May - 1 
The Taliban on May 1 agreed to cease anti-government attacks after a three-member Tablighi delegation asked them to not attack during Tablighi congregations starting on May 4. The Tablighis said their talks with the local Taliban were successful, and they had announced a truce till May 11. They said
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The Taliban on May 1 agreed to cease anti-government attacks after a three-member Tablighi delegation asked them to not attack during Tablighi congregations starting on May 4. The Tablighis said their talks with the local Taliban were successful, and they had announced a truce till May 11. They said they expected cooperation from the Government as well, in that it would not launch any attacks and relax a curfew.
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May - 2 
Pakistan has no plans to act against two Islamic charities listed by the United States last week as terrorist organisations, the Foreign Office said on May 2, according to Daily Times. The United States outlawed the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its affiliate Idara Khidmat-e-Khalq as terrorist organisations, s
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Pakistan has no plans to act against two Islamic charities listed by the United States last week as terrorist organisations, the Foreign Office said on May 2, according to Daily Times. The United States outlawed the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its affiliate Idara Khidmat-e-Khalq as terrorist organisations, saying they were fronts for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), a terrorist group active in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told a weekly press briefing in Islamabad that Pakistan was under no obligation to comply with the US decision. “We are not required, and we do not put any entities on the terrorist lists, if action is taken under the domestic US law,” she said. “However, if the UN Security Council’s sanctions committee were to designate any organisation (as a terrorist group), then it becomes a legal obligation to take action.”
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May - 2 
Responding to a question about the release of nuclear scientist Dr Mohammed Farooq – freed last week after two years of detention - Aslam said he had been thoroughly investigated. “We have conducted thorough investigations in this affair. We have shared our information with the IAEA (International A
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Responding to a question about the release of nuclear scientist Dr Mohammed Farooq – freed last week after two years of detention - Aslam said he had been thoroughly investigated. “We have conducted thorough investigations in this affair. We have shared our information with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and other countries, including the United States.” She said no foreign country would be allowed direct access to the scientist. “We have repeatedly said that whatever information is required, questions can be forwarded to the government of Pakistan. We would get the answer, we would do investigation and we would transmit this information,” she said. Aslam also said his release showed the nuclear proliferation case involving Dr A. Q. Khan was closed as far as Pakistan was concerned. “I would presume that with Dr Farooq’s release, we are able to close that chapter,” she claimed.
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May - 2 
Top officials of the Religious Affairs Ministry reportedly confessed before a National Assembly (NA) standing committee in Islamabad on May 2 that Pakistan was the only Muslim country where “no reliable data about exact numbers of deeni madaris (religious seminaries) is available”. Ministry official
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Top officials of the Religious Affairs Ministry reportedly confessed before a National Assembly (NA) standing committee in Islamabad on May 2 that Pakistan was the only Muslim country where “no reliable data about exact numbers of deeni madaris (religious seminaries) is available”. Ministry officials, summoned by the NA body on religious affairs for a briefing on proposed amendments to the law to regulate the working of Madrassas, said that 10,482 seminaries have so far been registered throughout Pakistan, according to Daily Times. According to copy of the briefing given to the NA body, ministry officials said that claims by any agency in Pakistan as to the exact numbers of religious schools were mere ‘guesses’ and no reliable data was available. The officials said two parallel systems of education existed in Pakistan - general education and religious education – but there was a wide gulf between the two. At the time of Partition, Pakistan had a modest network of seminaries, but as the education sector remained neglected, religious institutions too lost state patronage and were left solely to the generosity of the private sector.
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May - 6 
Pakistan is not doing enough to help neutralise the Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders who have found safe haven in its lawless tribal lands along the Afghan border, a senior US security official said on May 6, according to Daily Times. Most Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders are in Pakistan, and while the Unit
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Pakistan is not doing enough to help neutralise the Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders who have found safe haven in its lawless tribal lands along the Afghan border, a senior US security official said on May 6, according to Daily Times. Most Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders are in Pakistan, and while the United States did not know where Osama bin Laden was hiding, he was probably on the Pakistan side of the border, said Henry Crumpton, State Department coordinator for counter-terrorism. “Has Pakistan done enough? I think the answer is ‘no’,” Crumpton told a news briefing in the Afghan capital Kabul. “Not only Al Qaeda, but Taliban leadership are primarily in Pakistan, and the Pakistanis know that,” Crumpton added. Crumpton said eliminating terrorist safe havens in Pakistan’s tribal lands was crucial. “It’s something we have to help the Pakistanis work through because it cannot remain a safe haven for enemy forces… Right now, parts of Pakistan are, indeed, that”, he said.
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May - 6 
The Pakistan army spokesperson dismissed as “absurd” the statement by Crumpton. “It is totally absurd,” Major General Shaukat Sultan, chief of the Inter-Services Public Relations, said on May 6 in Islamabad. “No one has conveyed this thing to Pakistan, and if someone claims so, it is absurd,” he sai
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The Pakistan army spokesperson dismissed as “absurd” the statement by Crumpton. “It is totally absurd,” Major General Shaukat Sultan, chief of the Inter-Services Public Relations, said on May 6 in Islamabad. “No one has conveyed this thing to Pakistan, and if someone claims so, it is absurd,” he said.
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May - 10 
The United Jihad Council (UJC), an alliance of Pakistan-based terrorist groups, termed talks with India futile and warned the moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) that “fruitless talks” with India would spoil Kashmiris’ sacrifices. “Kashmiri politicians who have pinned their hopes on the
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The United Jihad Council (UJC), an alliance of Pakistan-based terrorist groups, termed talks with India futile and warned the moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) that “fruitless talks” with India would spoil Kashmiris’ sacrifices. “Kashmiri politicians who have pinned their hopes on the Delhi Durbar about the (solution to the) Kashmir issue are wasting (their) time. They have not learnt any lesson from fruitless talks of the past 55 years,” a press release issued by the UJC in Muzaffarabad said. The alliance was responding to a statement by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq after his APHC faction’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he reportedly said that a system would be evolved for future talks (with the Indian government) and Mujahideen would also be included in the process.
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May - 10 
The arrest of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden will eliminate the justification for President Pervez Musharraf remaining in power, said former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in an interview with a television channel on May 10, according to Daily Times. “Musharraf will be unable to justify his rule if h
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The arrest of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden will eliminate the justification for President Pervez Musharraf remaining in power, said former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in an interview with a television channel on May 10, according to Daily Times. “Musharraf will be unable to justify his rule if he catches Osama. Musharraf will not give up his leadership and will not commit political suicide by arresting the Al Qaeda leader,” said Benazir.
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May - 11 
British and Pakistani investigators are focusing on almost 200 phone calls made from Pakistan to one of the London bombers in a bid to uncover his links to the Al Qaeda, security officials said in Islamabad on May 11, according to Dawn. One of the bombers may have also traveled to Waziristan, they s
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British and Pakistani investigators are focusing on almost 200 phone calls made from Pakistan to one of the London bombers in a bid to uncover his links to the Al Qaeda, security officials said in Islamabad on May 11, according to Dawn. One of the bombers may have also traveled to Waziristan, they said. A British official report published on May 11 said two of the attackers, Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, were in Pakistan from November 2004 to February 2005 and likely had contacts with Al Qaeda and received “operational training”.
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May - 11 
British Home Secretary John Reid told Parliament after the release of the report that Khan and Tanweer are “likely to have met Al Qaeda figures” during their visit to Pakistan. “There were a series of suspicious contacts from an unknown individual or individuals in Pakistan in the immediate run-up t
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British Home Secretary John Reid told Parliament after the release of the report that Khan and Tanweer are “likely to have met Al Qaeda figures” during their visit to Pakistan. “There were a series of suspicious contacts from an unknown individual or individuals in Pakistan in the immediate run-up to the bombing: we do not know their content,” he informed.
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May - 13 
Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is living in Pakistan while Islamabad’s efforts to arrest him can at best be described as “half hearted”, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister was quoted as saying on May 13. “According to all that we know, he actually is living in Pakistan, close to the Afghan border,” Rang
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Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is living in Pakistan while Islamabad’s efforts to arrest him can at best be described as “half hearted”, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister was quoted as saying on May 13. “According to all that we know, he actually is living in Pakistan, close to the Afghan border,” Rangeen Dadfar Spanta was quoted as telling Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper in a preview of an interview due to published on May 14, today. “Our neighbour could surely catch him and put him on trial,” he told the paper, adding, “attempts to do this have to our knowledge always been half-hearted.”
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May - 13 
Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said, “If the Afghan authorities have any information, they should share them with the Pakistan government.”
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Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said, “If the Afghan authorities have any information, they should share them with the Pakistan government.”
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May - 14 
The Government is reportedly considering reforming the Northern Areas administration, including banning local police officials from carrying weapons after duty hours. Sources in the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas told Daily Times that the Government is considering several proposals t
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The Government is reportedly considering reforming the Northern Areas administration, including banning local police officials from carrying weapons after duty hours. Sources in the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas told Daily Times that the Government is considering several proposals to eliminate sectarianism from these areas. They said the Government could make a new law, binding all local officials to return weapons to their offices after duty hours. The Government was also considering a proposal to start capacity-building courses for Northern Areas police officials, adding that it was planning not to consider the sect of a police official while deploying him in any area, sources added.
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May - 19 
A top British Army officer accused Pakistan of allowing the Taliban to use its territory as a headquarters for attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan, reported the UK newspaper The Guardian on May 19. Colonel Chris Vernon, chief of staff for southern Afghanistan, said Taliban leaders were coordina
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A top British Army officer accused Pakistan of allowing the Taliban to use its territory as a headquarters for attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan, reported the UK newspaper The Guardian on May 19. Colonel Chris Vernon, chief of staff for southern Afghanistan, said Taliban leaders were coordinating their campaign from Quetta, capital of Balochistan province. “The thinking piece of the Taliban is out of Quetta in Pakistan. It’s the major headquarters… They use it to run a series of networks in Afghanistan, he told the Guardian.” Vernon said the Quetta leadership controlled about 25 mid-level commanders dotted across the Afghan south, one of whom was arrested in April 2006. He, however, declined to name him.
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May - 19 
An Inter-Services Public Relations spokesperson dismissed Vernon’s remarks, terming them as “ludicrous”. He rejected the British official’s statement, saying, “this media projection only reflects their own inadequacy to deal with the situation and they start trumpeting irrationally when they feel th
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An Inter-Services Public Relations spokesperson dismissed Vernon’s remarks, terming them as “ludicrous”. He rejected the British official’s statement, saying, “this media projection only reflects their own inadequacy to deal with the situation and they start trumpeting irrationally when they feel the heat”. Col. Vernon should have provided actionable and real time intelligence instead of speaking to media, he said. “Pakistan has suffered heavy losses in the process and it is disappointing when such baseless statements are issued which are nothing but the figment of an individual’s imagination,” he added.
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May - 21 
Asked if militant attacks against Afghan and US-led troops were orchestrated in Pakistan, he said: “Exactly, that is the case.” Spanta said he would travel to Pakistan in the coming weeks and ask Islamabad to “decisively” campaign against the militants.
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Asked if militant attacks against Afghan and US-led troops were orchestrated in Pakistan, he said: “Exactly, that is the case.” Spanta said he would travel to Pakistan in the coming weeks and ask Islamabad to “decisively” campaign against the militants.
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May - 21 
Explosions from Karachi to Neelum valley and the present insurgency in Balochistan and North Waziristan are conspiracies of the Indian intelligence and its military, said Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘supreme commander’ and chairman of the Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC) Syed Salahuddin on May 21, reported
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Explosions from Karachi to Neelum valley and the present insurgency in Balochistan and North Waziristan are conspiracies of the Indian intelligence and its military, said Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘supreme commander’ and chairman of the Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC) Syed Salahuddin on May 21, reported The News. Addressing the Shan-e-Mustafa conference at Kasur in Punjab, he warned if Pakistan showed any kind of retreat or leniency on Kashmir issue at this critical stage, it would destabilise Pakistan because Jihad in Kashmir has entered a decisive stage and showing cowardice would provide an opportunity for Indian forces to infiltrate Balochistan and Waziristan. Criticising the Pakistani Government policy towards India, Salahuddin said Pakistan is fostering friendly relations with India in every field but contrary to this India is responding in shape of intervening in Balochistan and North West Frontier Province.
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May - 21 
Leaders of the Taliban movement and Al Qaeda are living in Pakistan where they organise attacks in Afghanistan, the Afghan Foreign Minister said on May 21, according to The News. “We know that the ideological leadership and also political leadership or military leadership of the Taliban and also oth
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Leaders of the Taliban movement and Al Qaeda are living in Pakistan where they organise attacks in Afghanistan, the Afghan Foreign Minister said on May 21, according to The News. “We know that the ideological leadership and also political leadership or military leadership of the Taliban and also other international terrorist groups... are living in Pakistan,” Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta told a news conference in Kabul.
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May - 24 
An American television has claimed that Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden has left the Afghan mountains and was hiding in a valley in Pakistan. US TV had claimed that it has received the confirmed report from Pakistani officials. According to the sources, the Al Qaeda chief has descended from the mount
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An American television has claimed that Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden has left the Afghan mountains and was hiding in a valley in Pakistan. US TV had claimed that it has received the confirmed report from Pakistani officials. According to the sources, the Al Qaeda chief has descended from the mountains along Pakistan-Afghanistan border and entered 40 miles deep in Kumrat Valley in Pakistani territory and was hiding in the valley in Pakistan’s border district of Kohistan.
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May - 24 
Pakistan military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, told Geo News that the American TV report was downright wrong and baseless. Pakistan had already said that if anyone got such information should provide it to the country, Sultan added.
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Pakistan military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, told Geo News that the American TV report was downright wrong and baseless. Pakistan had already said that if anyone got such information should provide it to the country, Sultan added.
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May - 26 
Jamhoori Watan Party chairman Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti has said the procedure for Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline would “face difficulties” if carried out without the “participation of Baloch element”, according to Daily Times. He cited “grave times ahead” for the ongoing “struggle for Baloch resista
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Jamhoori Watan Party chairman Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti has said the procedure for Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline would “face difficulties” if carried out without the “participation of Baloch element”, according to Daily Times. He cited “grave times ahead” for the ongoing “struggle for Baloch resistance movement” and cautioned that “Baloch coastline was getting out of Baloch jurisdiction”. Replying to a question about the “resistance limits of resistance fighters”, he said that it would continue in defence of “our resources” and region. He said that this conflict had been imposed by the Government and would end only after the latter “withdraws from our land”.
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May - 28 
Rejecting reports of Osama bin Laden’s presence in the remote Kumrat Valley of the district Dir Upper in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the threat of a possible US attack against the Al Qaeda chief as baseless, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on said on May 28, “There is no such
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Rejecting reports of Osama bin Laden’s presence in the remote Kumrat Valley of the district Dir Upper in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the threat of a possible US attack against the Al Qaeda chief as baseless, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on said on May 28, “There is no such threat.” “These are mere speculations, mostly raised by the Hamid Karzai-led Afghan government. There is no possibility of presence of Osama, or his men in the forests and hard terrains of Dir Upper, or anywhere else in the country. Hence there is no threat of any attack by coalition forces,” Sherpao told reporters after his address to a tribal council in the Mohmand tribal agency in NWFP, The News reported. Hamid Karzai and his Government functionaries, instead of leveling allegations against Pakistan to hide their failure, should put their own house in order, he said. “Pakistan has been extending maximum cooperation and assistance to Afghanistan for restoration of peace in the war-ravaged country, as a stable Afghanistan is vital for us also,” he added.
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May - 31 
At the end of the two-day talks Home Secretary on May 31, Pakistan reportedly assured India of working towards "complete elimination" of terrorism and fighting the menace in all its forms and manifestations. The issue of terrorism was discussed "comprehensively" during the two-day talks Home Secreta
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At the end of the two-day talks Home Secretary on May 31, Pakistan reportedly assured India of working towards "complete elimination" of terrorism and fighting the menace in all its forms and manifestations. The issue of terrorism was discussed "comprehensively" during the two-day talks Home Secretary V. K. Duggal had with his Pakistani counterpart Syed Kamal Shah in Islamabad, according to Press Trust of India. An unnamed Indian diplomat said that after a very lengthy deliberation Pakistan agreed to incorporate in the joint statement "the need for effective steps for complete elimination of this menace" and also to "pursue effective and sustained action against terrorists." Pakistan promised to implement its commitment in "letter and spirit," the diplomat said. The talks addressed the issue of terrorism "comprehensively," Shah told a joint press conference with Duggal, adding that the "strong language" used in the joint statement makes the intentions of the two sides very clear.
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June - 3 
Police have arrested 17 people, including five teenagers, on terrorism-related charges, a senior Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer told a televised news conference in Toronto on June 3-morning, according to Dawn. All the men arrested were residents of Canada and most were Canadian citizen
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Police have arrested 17 people, including five teenagers, on terrorism-related charges, a senior Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer told a televised news conference in Toronto on June 3-morning, according to Dawn. All the men arrested were residents of Canada and most were Canadian citizens, said Mike McDonell, Assistant Commissioner of the RCMP. The 12 adults and five youths were reportedly of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. McDonell said it was a "home-grown terror cell intent on launching attacks against targets in Southern Ontario" which would have been more devastating than the Oklahoma City bombing. "This group presented a real and serious threat. They had the capacity and intent to carry out a terrorist attack," he added. Police said they recovered three tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, a quantity three times the amount used by Timothy McVeigh to destroy the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
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June - 8 
No foreign forces will be allowed to operate in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) against the Al Qaeda, a meeting presided over by President Pervez Musharraf decided on June 8, Dawn reported. “Only our own forces will ensure security in North and South Waziristan agencies and other FATA
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No foreign forces will be allowed to operate in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) against the Al Qaeda, a meeting presided over by President Pervez Musharraf decided on June 8, Dawn reported. “Only our own forces will ensure security in North and South Waziristan agencies and other FATA areas. As a sovereign country, Pakistan cannot allow any foreign troops to operate on its soil,” Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said.
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June - 19 
President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have claimed that life is returning to normal in Dera Bugti and nearby areas as terrorists have been eliminated from Balochistan, according to Daily Times. Speaking to Balochistan Governor Awais Ahmed Ghani on June 19, he said that no one would be allowed to
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President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have claimed that life is returning to normal in Dera Bugti and nearby areas as terrorists have been eliminated from Balochistan, according to Daily Times. Speaking to Balochistan Governor Awais Ahmed Ghani on June 19, he said that no one would be allowed to hinder the development of the province and people who had been displaced by the insurgency were returning to their homes and the situation was improving.
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June - 19 
The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Governor, Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai, said the Government is holding secret talks with “various stakeholders” in North Waziristan to reach a peace deal that would then be ratified by a tribal council. He, however, declined to identify the “stakeholders” and how
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The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Governor, Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai, said the Government is holding secret talks with “various stakeholders” in North Waziristan to reach a peace deal that would then be ratified by a tribal council. He, however, declined to identify the “stakeholders” and how close the Government was to reaching a peace deal.
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June - 20 
The Commander of 11 Corps, Lt. Gen Mohammed Hamid Khan, claimed that the Pakistan Army has put militants in Waziristan “on the defensive” and the situation in the Waziristan tribal areas has “cooled down tremendously”. Gen Hamid Khan told Washington Post in Peshawar that the army had shifted from ma
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The Commander of 11 Corps, Lt. Gen Mohammed Hamid Khan, claimed that the Pakistan Army has put militants in Waziristan “on the defensive” and the situation in the Waziristan tribal areas has “cooled down tremendously”. Gen Hamid Khan told Washington Post in Peshawar that the army had shifted from mass raids to “snap operations” based on intelligence, and now controls key towns once in the hands of militants. He said, “In my view, stability for Afghanistan is the best thing for Pakistan. All the turmoil there affects us; we get the refugees, the criminals, the drugs, the weapons. The miscreants have much safer sanctuaries on that side than on ours. If we want strategic depth, better we should have good relations than instability.” However, Afrasiab Khattak of the Awami National Party reportedly said, “North and South Waziristan are in the grip of Talibanisation” and all of the seven federally administered tribal agencies “can come under its grip, too. The army has put up an honest fight, but it has failed, and the government has failed. The traditional system has been made ineffective, and the Taliban have moved into the vacuum.”
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June - 30 
The Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao clarified on June 30 that the Government would not deploy an additional 10,000 troops along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to supplement the current 78,000-strong troop level. He said that there was no need to increase troop levels since the current deployment wa
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The Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao clarified on June 30 that the Government would not deploy an additional 10,000 troops along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to supplement the current 78,000-strong troop level. He said that there was no need to increase troop levels since the current deployment was sufficient to guard the border and that troops had managed to counter militant activity, arresting 600 persons, including senior Al Qaeda operatives.
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July - 1 
The Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao told a delegation of tribal elders from the Mohmand agency during a meeting on July 1 that the Government has found no evidence of Al Qaeda’s presence in the agency. He said, “There is no Al Qaeda network in Mohmand Agency,” adding, “Mohmand Ag
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The Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao told a delegation of tribal elders from the Mohmand agency during a meeting on July 1 that the Government has found no evidence of Al Qaeda’s presence in the agency. He said, “There is no Al Qaeda network in Mohmand Agency,” adding, “Mohmand Agency is a peaceful area.” He also welcomed the cease-fire by militants in North Waziristan. He also said that the Levies force would be deployed in tribal agencies and would work under political agents.
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July - 13 
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while talking to newsmen in Islamabad on July 13 has ruled out general amnesty for “miscreants” in Balochistan. “No proposal is under consideration to announce general amnesty for miscreants in Balochistan. Stern measures will be adopted against violators of the law and t
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Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while talking to newsmen in Islamabad on July 13 has ruled out general amnesty for “miscreants” in Balochistan. “No proposal is under consideration to announce general amnesty for miscreants in Balochistan. Stern measures will be adopted against violators of the law and the writ of the government will be ensured at every cost,” said Aziz.
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July - 14 
President Pervez Musharraf, speaking at a meeting in Islamabad on July 14 ruled out any compromise with the “miscreants” who, he said, were sabotaging peace and development activities in the Balochistan province. “The government will make all efforts for accelerating the pace of development in Baloc
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President Pervez Musharraf, speaking at a meeting in Islamabad on July 14 ruled out any compromise with the “miscreants” who, he said, were sabotaging peace and development activities in the Balochistan province. “The government will make all efforts for accelerating the pace of development in Balochistan and for establishing its writ,” Musharraf said.
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July - 19 
Addressing a 45-member inter-tribal jirga at the Governor’s House in capital Peshwar on July 19, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai urged the tribal elders to help the government establish its writ and urged the militants to leave Pakistan “with
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Addressing a 45-member inter-tribal jirga at the Governor’s House in capital Peshwar on July 19, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai urged the tribal elders to help the government establish its writ and urged the militants to leave Pakistan “with honour and dignity”.
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July - 20 
President Pervez Musharraf said that the tribal rebels in Balochistan are being supplied arms by foreign elements and are getting their weapons from Afghanistan. He also said that the leaders of the Bugti and Marri tribes are subjugating their own people to generate money to finance their private wa
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President Pervez Musharraf said that the tribal rebels in Balochistan are being supplied arms by foreign elements and are getting their weapons from Afghanistan. He also said that the leaders of the Bugti and Marri tribes are subjugating their own people to generate money to finance their private wars with the government, reports Daily Times.
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July - 21 
Senator Agha Shahid Bugti, general secretary of the Jamori Watan Party (JWP), on July 21 accused the government for targeting the families of Baloch political leaders for political victimisation. Agha Shahid Bugti, who had been kept under house arrest in Quetta since last week said that the governme
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Senator Agha Shahid Bugti, general secretary of the Jamori Watan Party (JWP), on July 21 accused the government for targeting the families of Baloch political leaders for political victimisation. Agha Shahid Bugti, who had been kept under house arrest in Quetta since last week said that the government in order to hide its failure to deal with the Balochistan situation, was illegally detaining the members of their families. “On June 23, intelligence agencies kidnapped my nephew Jamal Bugti from Sariab Road. On July 14, Bilal Bugti, my brother and Murtiza Bugti, my cousin, were kidnapped by the intelligence agencies in order to pressurise us to give up our just political struggle for Baloch rights,” he said.
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July - 24 
Senator Dr Abdul Malik, senior leader of the National Party (NP) claimed during a press conference in Quetta on July 24 that about 4,000 Baloch youth, most of them political activists, are in the illegal custody of intelligence agencies and are being subjected to inhuman torture.
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Senator Dr Abdul Malik, senior leader of the National Party (NP) claimed during a press conference in Quetta on July 24 that about 4,000 Baloch youth, most of them political activists, are in the illegal custody of intelligence agencies and are being subjected to inhuman torture.
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July - 24 
The federal government has directed the provinces to take effective measures to curb sectarianism and set up special units to eradicate terrorism. The directive was conveyed to the provinces by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at a high-level meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Islamabad
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The federal government has directed the provinces to take effective measures to curb sectarianism and set up special units to eradicate terrorism. The directive was conveyed to the provinces by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at a high-level meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Islamabad to review the law and order situation in the country. The government, he said, was making efforts to address the root causes of terrorism and other crimes. “It is working on creation of jobs, providing more economic opportunities and better facilities of education to people throughout the country,” he said. Jihad is an integral part of Islamic teachings and Muslim beliefs, said Education Minister Lt Gen (retd.) Javed Ashraf Qazi during a briefing on the draft of the new curricula for classes 1 to XII in Islamabad on July 24. “Jihad has many dimensions which also includes self-negation (Jihad bin nafas). We will teach students the full concept of Jihad,” the minister added.
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July - 25 
President Pervez Musharraf on July 25 reiterated Pakistan’s offer to cooperate with India to root out terrorism and warned that any “punitive action” against Pakistan would be “paid back in the same coin”. “Nobody should have this wishful thinking that Pakistan will bear any kind of adventure inside
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President Pervez Musharraf on July 25 reiterated Pakistan’s offer to cooperate with India to root out terrorism and warned that any “punitive action” against Pakistan would be “paid back in the same coin”. “Nobody should have this wishful thinking that Pakistan will bear any kind of adventure inside its territory. No one is there who can take any punitive action against Pakistan, as its defence is in strong hands,” Musharraf said at a function at Port Qasim in Karachi.
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August - 1 
A US intelligence agency expert told a US court this week that Pakistan is still running a terrorist training camp at Balakot in the North West Frontier Province, according to Dawn. Eric Benn, a terrorism expert for Defence Intelligence Agency, told the district court in California that there was 70
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A US intelligence agency expert told a US court this week that Pakistan is still running a terrorist training camp at Balakot in the North West Frontier Province, according to Dawn. Eric Benn, a terrorism expert for Defence Intelligence Agency, told the district court in California that there was 70 per cent ‘probability’ the satellite images of a place near Balakot were that of a militant training camp. The US intelligence agent showed the jury satellite images taken between 2001 and 2004 but he claimed that the facility in question seemed to have expanded since then. “It may have become less temporary and more permanent,” he testified. The images showed a 3km trail linked to the main road and dotted with several structures that seemed to reflect a guard house, barracks with a tin roof and perhaps some mud houses as well, the reports said. The court is hearing terrorism charges against two Pakistani-Americans, 23-year old Hamid Hayat and his father Umer Hayat. Hamid’s sentencing has been postponed by four months to November and his father Umer Hayat, charged with lying to federal authorities, is being retried after the first round ended in a hung jury.
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August - 1 
In Islamabad, the Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, said the report was absurd. He said, “If US intelligence agencies had detected any such thing in Balakot, they should have passed on the information to us through official channels. The area of Balak
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In Islamabad, the Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, said the report was absurd. He said, “If US intelligence agencies had detected any such thing in Balakot, they should have passed on the information to us through official channels. The area of Balakot was extensively seen by all international agencies, including NATO and the US, during the earthquake relief operation in 2005. No such training camp was spotted by them. We reject this malicious report which is aimed at undermining Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against terrorism.”
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August - 3 
According to Daily Times, Uzbek militants in North Waziristan announced that they would not comply with the unilateral cease-fire by the Taliban, saying that they had never consented to it. Local Taliban leader Gul Bahadar Ustad has reportedly sent a five-member Jirga (council), comprising senior mi
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According to Daily Times, Uzbek militants in North Waziristan announced that they would not comply with the unilateral cease-fire by the Taliban, saying that they had never consented to it. Local Taliban leader Gul Bahadar Ustad has reportedly sent a five-member Jirga (council), comprising senior militia commanders, to negotiate with the Uzbek militants, a tribal elder said. The tribal elder also claimed the local Taliban were in “complete control of all mujahideen, both local and foreign”, in the area and could forcibly stop them if necessary.
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August - 6 
Pakistan has asked Iran to monitor the activities of the Indian consulate in the city of Zahidaan that, according to the Pakistani Government, is fermenting unrest in Balochistan. Official sources told Daily Times the request was made to the Iranian authorities by Syed Kamal Shah, the Interior Secre
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Pakistan has asked Iran to monitor the activities of the Indian consulate in the city of Zahidaan that, according to the Pakistani Government, is fermenting unrest in Balochistan. Official sources told Daily Times the request was made to the Iranian authorities by Syed Kamal Shah, the Interior Secretary of Pakistan. Shah was on an official visit to Iran to discuss issues of border security and human smuggling.
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August - 6 
Urging Pakistan to intervene militarily to resolve the Kashmir issue, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) chief Syed Salahuddin asserted that no political solution was possible since India and the international community had "wasted the opportunity by not responding to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's CBMs
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Urging Pakistan to intervene militarily to resolve the Kashmir issue, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) chief Syed Salahuddin asserted that no political solution was possible since India and the international community had "wasted the opportunity by not responding to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's CBMs," reported UNI. "On the Kashmir issue, Islamabad cannot take a u-turn. Kashmir is an indigenous movement. Pakistan is a party to it. It is Pakistan's responsibility to provide every kind of support to the movement-although until now it has been giving it diplomatic, moral and political support. We want Pakistan to initiate a military intervention in Kashmir," he said, in an interview to The Friday Times from Pakistan occupied Kashmir. He claimed India has realised that militancy could spread to other parts of the country if the Kashmir issue is not resolved soon. "One year, five years, ten years or hundred years... Time doesn't matter in freedom movements. India has realised that if Kashmir is not resolved soon, militancy will spiral out of Kashmir and spread to other parts of the country," he said. However, Salahuddin denied the group's involvement in the Mumbai serial blasts of July 11, 2006. Terming India's demand to Pakistan to hand him over as "absurd," he said that "no law in the world can make anyone extradite me" and it was impossible for the Musharraf Government to take a "u-turn" on him.
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August - 8 
The British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, rejected as “unfounded” charges of the alleged involvement of British secret agencies in the Balochistan insurgency. His denial came as a delegation of British parliamentarians were questioned about the alleged involvement of British s
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The British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, rejected as “unfounded” charges of the alleged involvement of British secret agencies in the Balochistan insurgency. His denial came as a delegation of British parliamentarians were questioned about the alleged involvement of British secret agencies in Balochistan in a closed-door meeting with members of the Senate Committee on Defence on June 3, a report by the Senate body said. “We have a great deal of interest in the stability and security of Balochistan, simply because that is linked with the security of British troops deployed in Helmand across the border in Afghanistan,” Grant is quoted as saying in the report.
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August - 8 
The Government has decided to expel all foreign students staying in Pakistan without no-objection certificates (NOC) from their own countries, Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah said on August 8, according to Dawn. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Shah informed that 700 foreign students
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The Government has decided to expel all foreign students staying in Pakistan without no-objection certificates (NOC) from their own countries, Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah said on August 8, according to Dawn. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Shah informed that 700 foreign students were studying in religious schools and universities in the country. About half of them had not obtained NOCs from their countries and, therefore, they would be repatriated.
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August - 10 
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam confirmed to Dawn that earlier arrests made by Pakistan provided the crucial intelligence that led to the timely arrests of more terrorists – in the UK and in Pakistan. “The information gathered by earlier arrests provided the intelligence that led to the arr
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Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam confirmed to Dawn that earlier arrests made by Pakistan provided the crucial intelligence that led to the timely arrests of more terrorists – in the UK and in Pakistan. “The information gathered by earlier arrests provided the intelligence that led to the arrests of British nationals in the United Kingdom planning to blow up airliners flying between Britain and the United States,” she said, declining to give further details.
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August - 11 
A senior official earlier said that two Britons of Pakistani descent along with five other suspects had been arrested in Pakistan as part of a coordinated operation to foil the plot. The name of the other Briton has not been released. Officials in Islamabad said the two Britons provided vital inform
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A senior official earlier said that two Britons of Pakistani descent along with five other suspects had been arrested in Pakistan as part of a coordinated operation to foil the plot. The name of the other Briton has not been released. Officials in Islamabad said the two Britons provided vital information that helped foil the plot, while five local “facilitators” were arrested separately. “One of the suspects was arrested in Karachi and another was arrested in Lahore. Both the men were British nationals of Pakistani origin and were key members of the Britain-based network of militants,” a senior Pakistani Government official told AFP. “The arrests in Pakistan were made prior to the action in London. They were in full knowledge of the plot to blow up the airliners and the information was passed on to Britain and US intelligence,” the official added.
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August - 11 
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said Pakistan had arrested an Al Qaeda operative who had played a key role in the terror plot. “He is a British citizen of Pakistani origin. He is an Al Qaeda operative with linkages in Afghanistan,” Sherpao told Reuters. He said the arrest of the man, iden
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Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said Pakistan had arrested an Al Qaeda operative who had played a key role in the terror plot. “He is a British citizen of Pakistani origin. He is an Al Qaeda operative with linkages in Afghanistan,” Sherpao told Reuters. He said the arrest of the man, identified as Rashid Rauf, had led to a wave of arrests in Britain that headed off the alleged plot to blow up as many as 10 aircraft flying from Britain to the US. “We arrested him from the border area and on his disclosure we shared the information with British authorities, which led to further arrests in Britain,” he told Associated Press.
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August - 11 
Pakistan said on August 11 it had arrested 24 people, including an Al Qaeda operative with links in Afghanistan, in connection with the alleged UK terror plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners, according to The News. Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said the foiling of the terror plot was
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Pakistan said on August 11 it had arrested 24 people, including an Al Qaeda operative with links in Afghanistan, in connection with the alleged UK terror plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners, according to The News. Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said the foiling of the terror plot was the result of close cooperation between Pakistan, the United States and the United Kingdom. She told the media that 24 people have been arrested in connection with the terror conspiracy and those arrested would be handed over to the UK for investigations. “There are indications of Afghanistan based Al Qaeda connection,” she informed, adding “The case has wider international dimensions ... the intelligence cooperation and coordination at the international level to get to the bottom in this case are continuing.”
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August - 15 
Suspicion has fallen on two Pakistani charities said to be linked to the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and its affiliate Jamaat-ul-Furqan, Pakistani intelligence officials told Reuters. “We are looking into the activities of al-Rasheed Trust and al Asar Trust because there are some questions over
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Suspicion has fallen on two Pakistani charities said to be linked to the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and its affiliate Jamaat-ul-Furqan, Pakistani intelligence officials told Reuters. “We are looking into the activities of al-Rasheed Trust and al Asar Trust because there are some questions over whether they have been involved in money transfers from Britain to Pakistan during the earthquake relief effort, and whether the funds were subsequently forwarded to conspirators in the plot to blow up passenger planes,” said one official.
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August - 15 
The Foreign Office has denied as “absurd” reports in the media that Islamic charities had diverted money meant for earthquake relief to fund the alleged London terror plot, according to Daily Times. It also denied that Rashid Rauf, a key suspect arrested in Pakistan, had any connection with charitie
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The Foreign Office has denied as “absurd” reports in the media that Islamic charities had diverted money meant for earthquake relief to fund the alleged London terror plot, according to Daily Times. It also denied that Rashid Rauf, a key suspect arrested in Pakistan, had any connection with charities involved in earthquake relief. “These are all absurd stories. The objective is to malign Pakistan,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said at a briefing in Islamabad on August 15. She also informed that Britain had not sought Rauf’s extradition from Pakistan.
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August - 16 
President Pervez Musharraf has said that no foreign militant will be allowed to use Pakistan’s territory for any terrorist activity or for training for such activities, according to Daily Times. The spread of extremism in Pakistan shall not be tolerated either, Gen. Musharraf said at the 97th Corps
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President Pervez Musharraf has said that no foreign militant will be allowed to use Pakistan’s territory for any terrorist activity or for training for such activities, according to Daily Times. The spread of extremism in Pakistan shall not be tolerated either, Gen. Musharraf said at the 97th Corps Commanders’ Conference at General Headquarters in Islamabad on August 16.
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August - 17 
President Pervez Musharraf has supported Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s suggestion that India and Pakistan “institutionalise arrangements” to bring people from both sides of Kashmir closer. “None of us is in favour of their (Kashmir’s) independence,” Musharraf said in an interview to A. G. N
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President Pervez Musharraf has supported Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s suggestion that India and Pakistan “institutionalise arrangements” to bring people from both sides of Kashmir closer. “None of us is in favour of their (Kashmir’s) independence,” Musharraf said in an interview to A. G. Noorani for Frontline magazine. He said that a “joint framework for self-governance” of the entire Kashmir region should be worked out as part of solution to the problem.
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August - 24 
The religious leader claimed locals were angered by “obscene” activities at NGOs. “They hire beautiful girls and take them to Islamabad for enjoyment. They keep women in offices as decoration pieces because we know that women have no work and there is no such work that men cannot do,” Shah said.
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The religious leader claimed locals were angered by “obscene” activities at NGOs. “They hire beautiful girls and take them to Islamabad for enjoyment. They keep women in offices as decoration pieces because we know that women have no work and there is no such work that men cannot do,” Shah said.
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August - 24 
Tribal elders and political leaders have rejected the Dera Bugti gathering and described it as a Government-sponsored drama, according to Dawn. The Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Daud, said that the Dera Bugti gathering had no importance as far as tribal traditions were concerned. “It could be considere
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Tribal elders and political leaders have rejected the Dera Bugti gathering and described it as a Government-sponsored drama, according to Dawn. The Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Daud, said that the Dera Bugti gathering had no importance as far as tribal traditions were concerned. “It could be considered a jirga of a class of Bugti tribesmen,” he said, adding that different quarters were talking about the abolition of a tribal system but with the passage of time it was becoming stronger, instead of becoming weak. “A tribal system also exists among Sindhis, Pushtoons and even among Punjabis,” the Khan of Kalat said, adding that a tribal system could not be abolished through such jirgas. He said the Government was involved in all the wrong things happening in Balochistan.
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August - 25 
Militants in the North Waziristan have extended the cease-fire by another 15 days as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has joined efforts to help clear some obstacles to an agreement for restoring peace in the tribal region, according to Dawn. “We are almos
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Militants in the North Waziristan have extended the cease-fire by another 15 days as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has joined efforts to help clear some obstacles to an agreement for restoring peace in the tribal region, according to Dawn. “We are almost there. Everything has been decided. The story is almost finished but the government is a bit slow in responding to certain things,” Abdullah Farhad, militants’ chief spokesman told Dawn on phone from an undisclosed location. “We are satisfied with our talks so far but the government is a bit slow and we feel that if it wants then the whole matter (of the agreement) can be wrapped up very soon,” Farhad said. Sources said that two of the three issues that blocked the peace agreement had been taken care of. They are: release of about a dozen militants and return of the seized weaponry. Sources added that the Government had agreed to release 10 more militants, a fact acknowledged by Farhad. However, the main issue that remained to be worked out was withdrawal of military from the North Waziristan, one of the key militants’ demands. Farhad disclosed that an inter-tribal Jirga formed by the Government to negotiate peace with the militants met their Shura (council) in Khate Kallay near Miranshah, the regional headquarters of North Waziristan, on August 25.
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August - 25 
The Interior Ministry said on August 25 that 134 incidents of terrorism had taken place in the country during the first five months of 2006, according to Daily Times. Addressing the National Assembly’s Question Hour session, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said that 129 people had been killed and 35
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The Interior Ministry said on August 25 that 134 incidents of terrorism had taken place in the country during the first five months of 2006, according to Daily Times. Addressing the National Assembly’s Question Hour session, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said that 129 people had been killed and 354 injured in terrorist acts occurring between December 2005 and April 19, 2006.
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August - 27 
“Violence has continued throughout the province... Protesters have burnt government offices, shops and vehicles,” Balochistan Interior Minister Shoaib Nausherwani told Reuters. A group of students burnt the Polytechnic Institute on Sariab Road. Protesters broke the windows of six ambulances at the B
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“Violence has continued throughout the province... Protesters have burnt government offices, shops and vehicles,” Balochistan Interior Minister Shoaib Nausherwani told Reuters. A group of students burnt the Polytechnic Institute on Sariab Road. Protesters broke the windows of six ambulances at the Bolan Medical College complex, burnt six UN vehicles and three motorcycles, attacked two press photographers, and threw stones at banks. Sources told Daily Times that police detained some 100 Baloch students, including Gulzar Baloch, general secretary of the Baloch Students Organisation, bringing the total detained in provincial capital Quetta to approximately 550.
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August - 27 
Chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, said that the MMA’s anti-government campaign would end on September 6 when the masses would show their dislike for the Musharraf government by attending a public meeting in Rawalpindi.
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Chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, said that the MMA’s anti-government campaign would end on September 6 when the masses would show their dislike for the Musharraf government by attending a public meeting in Rawalpindi.
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August - 27 
The operation against “miscreants” in Balochistan will continue, the Government decided at a meeting chaired by President Pervez Musharraf on August 27. Sources told Daily Times that Gen. Musharraf observed that Nawab Akbar Bugti’s killing would not stop the operation against “miscreants” to establi
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The operation against “miscreants” in Balochistan will continue, the Government decided at a meeting chaired by President Pervez Musharraf on August 27. Sources told Daily Times that Gen. Musharraf observed that Nawab Akbar Bugti’s killing would not stop the operation against “miscreants” to establish the writ of the Government in Balochistan. The President reportedly expressed reservation at statements from some members of the ruling coalition condemning the killing, and stressed the need for unity in the Government. He said he favoured talks to resolve the problems of Balochistan, but added that tribal chiefs who ran militant training camps and private militias could not be tolerated. Bugti, he said, had refused to accept the Government’s writ and had undermined the security of the country.
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August - 27 
The Federal Information Minister, Mohammad Ali Durrani, said on August 27 in Islamabad that the body of Nawab Akbar Bugti had not yet been taken out from the rubble of the bunker destroyed in the military operation and that it would be buried in the presence of members of the bereaved family. The mi
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The Federal Information Minister, Mohammad Ali Durrani, said on August 27 in Islamabad that the body of Nawab Akbar Bugti had not yet been taken out from the rubble of the bunker destroyed in the military operation and that it would be buried in the presence of members of the bereaved family. The minister made these remarks at a press conference in response to a demand by Nawab Bugti’s son, Talal Bugti, that his father and other slain relatives be buried in their ancestral graveyard in Dera Bugti. Durrani also informed that it was unclear whether Nawab Bugti’s grandsons, Brahmadagh and Mirali, had also been killed in the raid.
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August - 28 
Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was not the target in the military operation, said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on August 28. He added that the Government has allowed Bugti’s family to visit the spot where he was killed and witness efforts to retrieve his body, Daily Times reported. Addressing a press confere
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Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was not the target in the military operation, said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on August 28. He added that the Government has allowed Bugti’s family to visit the spot where he was killed and witness efforts to retrieve his body, Daily Times reported. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Aziz said that some Bugti loyalists who were arrested during the operation confirmed to security forces that Nawab Bugti was present inside the cave that was destroyed. He informed that retrieving the bodies could take time because of the huge size of the cave. Aziz said that Bugti’s body would be buried in his ancestral graveyard, adding that there was no credible evidence that Bugti’s two grandsons were also inside the cave.
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August - 28 
Pakistan said on August 28 that the UK had formally sought the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a key suspect in the alleged plot to blow up US-bound airliners, according to Daily Times. “The matter is under consideration,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam. She told reporters that Rauf was
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Pakistan said on August 28 that the UK had formally sought the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a key suspect in the alleged plot to blow up US-bound airliners, according to Daily Times. “The matter is under consideration,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam. She told reporters that Rauf was arrested in Rawalpindi after Pakistan received information from the British Government, and the investigation was focusing on his links to Al Qaeda and threats projected in the UK and Pakistan. She said that information given by Rauf was being shared with the UK.
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August - 28 
President Pervez Musharraf has said he has great love for the people of Balochistan and wants to see it a developed province like other provinces of the country, according to The News. He was addressing a public gathering at the Lawrence College in Murree on August 28 on the occasion of formal inaug
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President Pervez Musharraf has said he has great love for the people of Balochistan and wants to see it a developed province like other provinces of the country, according to The News. He was addressing a public gathering at the Lawrence College in Murree on August 28 on the occasion of formal inauguration of Sui gas supply to Murree. “Whoever wants to harm Pakistan nationally or internationally would have to fight with me first,” Gen. Musharraf said.
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August - 28 
The United States on August 28 called for a peaceful resolution to tensions in the Balochistan province after riots erupted over the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, according to The News. "Mr Bugti was a tribal leader and politician, who had joined with those taking up arms to demand increased au
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The United States on August 28 called for a peaceful resolution to tensions in the Balochistan province after riots erupted over the killing of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, according to The News. "Mr Bugti was a tribal leader and politician, who had joined with those taking up arms to demand increased autonomy for Baluchistan, which included local control of the province's natural resources," a State Department official said. "The US would like to see these issues resolved peacefully and within the framework of a strong and unified Pakistan," the official told a French news agency.
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August - 29 
There is no chance of retrieving the body of Nawab Akbar Bugti from the cave in which he died for four to five days, military regime spokesperson Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said in Islamabad on August 29. However, he said, the bodies of three officers and four soldiers who were killed when the cave co
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There is no chance of retrieving the body of Nawab Akbar Bugti from the cave in which he died for four to five days, military regime spokesperson Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said in Islamabad on August 29. However, he said, the bodies of three officers and four soldiers who were killed when the cave collapsed while they were entering it had been recovered and buried. Sultan told a press conference that that Rs 100 million and $96,000 cash, two satellite phones, documents, eight AK-47 rifles and some rockets were found in the rubble of the cave.
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August - 30 
Baloch National Party chief Attaullah Mengal warned in a statement that the strikes would continue until the Government handed over Bugti’s body to his family. Further, a strike was reportedly observed across Sindh, particularly in Baloch-populated areas.
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Baloch National Party chief Attaullah Mengal warned in a statement that the strikes would continue until the Government handed over Bugti’s body to his family. Further, a strike was reportedly observed across Sindh, particularly in Baloch-populated areas.
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August - 31 
Baloch leader Sardar Khair Baksh Marri has described the killing of Nawab Bugti as a target killing, according to Dawn. In an interview, he said he feared for the life of his own son, Balach Marri, because the Government had the ‘mistaken notion’ that Marri was the epicentre of all anti-state and te
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Baloch leader Sardar Khair Baksh Marri has described the killing of Nawab Bugti as a target killing, according to Dawn. In an interview, he said he feared for the life of his own son, Balach Marri, because the Government had the ‘mistaken notion’ that Marri was the epicentre of all anti-state and terrorist activities, and Balach Marri was an ‘icon of resistance’.
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September - 3 
the Anjuman Ittehad Marri (AIM) has said that security forces have launched another operation in different areas of Kohlu district and many people have been killed. An AIM spokesman said in Quetta on September 3 that the security forces were using helicopter gun-ships and fighter jets against insurg
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the Anjuman Ittehad Marri (AIM) has said that security forces have launched another operation in different areas of Kohlu district and many people have been killed. An AIM spokesman said in Quetta on September 3 that the security forces were using helicopter gun-ships and fighter jets against insurgents who were offering strong resistance. He said that helicopter gun-ships had pounded Tartani, Bhamboor, Surian Kor and other areas of Kohlu district, killing at least 18 people, including women and children. He claimed that 70 families comprising 350 people were missing. He added that after the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, more troops and heavy weapons had arrived in the Kohlu district.
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September - 4 
President Pervez Musharraf on September 4 told Baloch politicians and other leaders that the Government had sealed six points through which arms and money were being sent into the Balochistan province, according to Dawn. According to sources, the president said that sophisticated weapons were being
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President Pervez Musharraf on September 4 told Baloch politicians and other leaders that the Government had sealed six points through which arms and money were being sent into the Balochistan province, according to Dawn. According to sources, the president said that sophisticated weapons were being funneled to Bugti areas from abroad through Rahimyar Khan, Sanghar, Jacobabad, Waziristan, Zhob and Chagai and the sealing of the points had stopped arms supplies. Gen. Musharraf reportedly listed unabated rocket attacks, existence of ferrari (rebel) camps, blowing up of power installations and gas pipelines, killing of Chinese engineers and law-enforcement personnel, targeting of settlers and attacks in Sui and some of the activities that were aimed at disrupting development activities in the province. “These terrorists were also taken to Karachi, Lahore and other parts of the country to create law and order problem,” Gen Musharraf said.
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September - 4 
Principal Officer of the US Consulate in Lahore, Bryan David Hunt, said on September 4 that America is not in anyway involved in the incidents happening in Balochistan, while the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti is an internal affair of the country and it is the responsibility of the Government to settl
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Principal Officer of the US Consulate in Lahore, Bryan David Hunt, said on September 4 that America is not in anyway involved in the incidents happening in Balochistan, while the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti is an internal affair of the country and it is the responsibility of the Government to settle it the way it likes, The News reported.
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September - 7 
A peace deal between Pakistan and pro-Taliban militants does not give “safe haven” to terrorists who may be hiding on tribal lands near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, US President George W Bush said in an interview on September 7, according to Daily Times. “I don’t read it that way,” Bush said of
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A peace deal between Pakistan and pro-Taliban militants does not give “safe haven” to terrorists who may be hiding on tribal lands near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, US President George W Bush said in an interview on September 7, according to Daily Times. “I don’t read it that way,” Bush said of the agreement signed on September 5 in which the militants agreed to stop attacks in the region. “What he is doing is entering agreements with governors in the regions of the country, in the hopes that there would be an economic vitality, there will be alternatives to violence and terror,” Bush said in an ABC News interview. Bush said he did not know all the details of the agreement but added that he would be seeing Musharraf “pretty soon”. “You know, we are watching this very carefully, obviously,” Bush noted.
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September - 7 
President Pervez Musharraf on September 7 publicly acknowledged that Al Qaeda and Taliban militants were crossing from Pakistan to launch attacks inside Afghanistan, stressing that such actions were neither Government- nor ISI- (Inter-Services Intelligence) sponsored, according to Daily Times. In an
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President Pervez Musharraf on September 7 publicly acknowledged that Al Qaeda and Taliban militants were crossing from Pakistan to launch attacks inside Afghanistan, stressing that such actions were neither Government- nor ISI- (Inter-Services Intelligence) sponsored, according to Daily Times. In an address in Kabul attended by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, General Musharraf said: “There are Qaeda and Taliban in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Certainly they are crossing from (the) Pakistan side and causing bomb blasts and terrorist activities in your country.” However, he claimed, “Let me say neither the government of Pakistan nor ISI is involved in any kind of interference inside Afghanistan.” Saying that both sides had to now end the “blame game”, he urged Kabul to work with Islamabad on a new strategy to combat the Taliban. According to a joint statement issued by the Pakistani Foreign Office at the conclusion of Gen. Musharraf’s two-day visit to Afghanistan, the leaders had agreed to consolidate relations between the two countries. They agreed that extremism, terrorism and the phenomenon of Talibanisation were a common threat to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region.
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September - 12 
President Pervez Musharraf has blamed the West for breeding terrorism in his country by bringing in thousands of Mujahideen to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan and then leaving Pakistan alone a decade later to face the armed warriors, according to Daily Times. Gen. Musharraf told the European P
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President Pervez Musharraf has blamed the West for breeding terrorism in his country by bringing in thousands of Mujahideen to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan and then leaving Pakistan alone a decade later to face the armed warriors, according to Daily Times. Gen. Musharraf told the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee in Brussels on September 12 that Pakistan was not the intolerant, extremist country often portrayed by the West, and terrorism and extremism were not inherent in Pakistani society. “Whatever extremism or terrorism is in Pakistan is a direct fallout of the 26 years of warfare and militancy around us. It gets back to 1979 when the West, the United States and Pakistan waged a war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan,” Musharraf told EU lawmakers. “We launched a jihad, brought in Mujahideen from all over the Muslim world, the US and the West… We armed the Taliban and sent them in; we did it together. In 1989 everyone left Pakistan with 30,000 armed Mujahideen who were there, and the Taliban who were there,” he said, adding that Pakistan had “paid a big price for being part of the coalition that fought the Soviet Union.” Musharraf claimed that the scourge of terrorism had been eliminated from Pakistan and that efforts were underway to root out extremism, but this would take time. He also reportedly warned the West that Taliban insurgents were a more dangerous terrorist force than Al Qaeda because of the broad support they had in Afghanistan, Reuters reported. “The centre of gravity of terrorism has shifted from Al Qaeda to the Taliban,” he told EU lawmakers, adding, “This is a new element, a more dangerous element, because it (the Taliban) has its roots in the people. Al Qaeda didn’t have roots in the people.”
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September - 15 
The United States (U.S.) indicated that the agreement the Government signed with pro-Taliban tribal chiefs in North Waziristan on September 5 has the ‘potential to work’, according to Dawn. In a speech at the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State Richar
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The United States (U.S.) indicated that the agreement the Government signed with pro-Taliban tribal chiefs in North Waziristan on September 5 has the ‘potential to work’, according to Dawn. In a speech at the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher endorsed the deal as an effort to get tribal support to defeat terrorism. He declared that no country had done more than Pakistan in the war against terror. Noting that the Government had carved out a new strategy to deal with the cross-border activities of Taliban and Al Qaeda, Boucher said: “The agreement really has the potential to work.” The U.S., he said, understood that to effectively control the Afghan border, Pakistan needed “cooperation from local tribes and they are really trying to get in.”
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September - 19 
A British Pakistani facing trial for allegedly plotting to blow up Houses of Parliament and other high-profile targets in Britain has reportedly refused to give further evidence claiming, that he fears for the safety of his family in Pakistan who have been contacted by that country's external intell
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A British Pakistani facing trial for allegedly plotting to blow up Houses of Parliament and other high-profile targets in Britain has reportedly refused to give further evidence claiming, that he fears for the safety of his family in Pakistan who have been contacted by that country's external intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), after his testimony at Old Bailey last week, according to The Hindu. 24-year old Omar Khyam, who was to continue his testimony this week about his activities in Pakistan in 2000, told the court: "Before we go on to that topic, I just want to say the ISI in Pakistan has had words with my family relating to what I have been saying about them… I think they are worried I might reveal more about them, so right now, as much as I want to clarify matters, the priority for me has to be the safety of my family so I am going to stop... I am not going to discuss anything related to the ISI any more or the evidence." Khyam and six others, including his younger brother Shujah-Ud-Din Mahmood (18), were arrested in March 2004 for allegedly conspiring to cause explosions likely to endanger life. They were arrested after 600 kg of fertiliser, which police claimed was meant to make bombs, was found in a west London depot. They were accused of discussing of bombing public places including pubs and nightclubs. Last week, Khyam told the court that ISI was training militants and during his visit to Pakistan six years ago he trained in an ISI-supervised camp. "The ISI was setting up camps in what we called Free Kashmir, funding it with money and weapons and people that would train people, and logistical supplies, everything,'' he said. According to Khyam, the people who trained him in handling arms were "selected by the ISI.” "The ISI works with Islamic groups,'' he added.
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September - 19 
Pakistani Foreign Office said on September 19 that the joint statement issued after the September 16 meeting between President Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was a positive development and would help the two sides move forward. Admitting some ‘hiccups’ in the peace process, Forei
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Pakistani Foreign Office said on September 19 that the joint statement issued after the September 16 meeting between President Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was a positive development and would help the two sides move forward. Admitting some ‘hiccups’ in the peace process, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told the media in Islamabad that it had now been restored and was in the interest of both the countries. She added the foreign secretaries of both countries would meet in New Delhi to continue the composite dialogue.
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September - 19 
President Pervez Musharraf told the UN General Assembly on September 19 that a resolution of the Kashmir issue is “within reach”, and expressed confidence that his meeting with the Indian prime minister in the Cuban capital Havana would help carry the peace process forward, according to Daily Times.
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President Pervez Musharraf told the UN General Assembly on September 19 that a resolution of the Kashmir issue is “within reach”, and expressed confidence that his meeting with the Indian prime minister in the Cuban capital Havana would help carry the peace process forward, according to Daily Times. “Pakistan wants a peaceful environment in the region,” and has been engaged in a peaceful process with India aimed at confidence building and resolving issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the president said in his address to the 61st session of the General Assembly. Gen Musharraf said a stable security environment is important for peace in the region. Pakistan, he added, had proposed the creation of a strategic restraint regime in South Asia. “We do not want to enter into an arms race. But we will do whatever is necessary to preserve the credibility of our minimum defensive deterrence level.” Gen Musharraf also said that peace and stability in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest, as it would allow the country to realise its ambition of linking Central Asia and South Asia through Afghanistan and Pakistan. “Afghanistan confronts complex security, political and economic challenges including a resurgent Taliban who also threaten Pakistan’s efforts against extremism and terrorism. The common challenge imposes a joint responsibility on Pakistan, Afghanistan and the coalition forces,” he added. The president said that problems along the regions bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan were compounded by the continuing presence of over three million Afghan refugees, “some of them sympathetic to the Taliban”. He opined that old and new conflicts had spawned a deep sense of desperation and injustice across the Muslim world. “Unless we end foreign occupation and suppression of Muslim peoples, terrorism and extremism will continue to find recruits among alienated Muslims in various parts of the world,” he stated.
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September - 19 
The Pakistan-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) dismissed as meaningless an agreement to resume peace talks by India and Pakistan, AP reported on September 19. In a statement to Current News Service, the HM said the message of the two leaders (President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) carrie
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The Pakistan-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) dismissed as meaningless an agreement to resume peace talks by India and Pakistan, AP reported on September 19. In a statement to Current News Service, the HM said the message of the two leaders (President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) carried “nothing new for people of Kashmir”. “The declaration uses old and traditional language and is meaningless for the people of Kashmir. Those who are clapping at the declaration are misleading the people,” the news agency quoted HM spokesperson Junaid-ul-Islam as saying. “The only declaration acceptable to the people of Kashmir is one which gives a timeframe for resolving the Kashmir issue,” he added.
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September - 20 
The Pakistan-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) on September 20 offered a conditional cease-fire in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir during Ramadan, which is set to begin next week. Ehsan Elahi, chief spokesman for the HM, said the limited cease-fire depended on Indian troop reductions on its side o
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The Pakistan-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) on September 20 offered a conditional cease-fire in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir during Ramadan, which is set to begin next week. Ehsan Elahi, chief spokesman for the HM, said the limited cease-fire depended on Indian troop reductions on its side of the Line of Control. “If the Indian government agrees to scale down troop presence, stop human rights violations and release all political prisoners, we will also consider a cease-fire in attacks against them during Ramadan,” Elahi told The Associated Press.
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September - 21 
Pakistan on September 21 vowed to not let foreign forces enter its territory a day after US President George W. Bush said he would order American military action inside this country if Osama bin Laden was found to be hiding here, The News reported. Bush told CNN that he would authorise military acti
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Pakistan on September 21 vowed to not let foreign forces enter its territory a day after US President George W. Bush said he would order American military action inside this country if Osama bin Laden was found to be hiding here, The News reported. Bush told CNN that he would authorise military action inside Pakistan if intelligence indicated that al-Qaeda chief bin Laden or other top terrorists were hiding there. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam declined to respond directly to Bush’s remarks, but reiterated President Musharraf’s recent rejection of any foreign military forces entering Pakistan. “Any terrorist action to be taken inside Pakistani territory would be taken by Pakistan,” Aslam said, adding “He (Musharraf) has said that he would not allow any foreign troops to come inside our territory.”
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September - 21 
The United States threatened to bomb Pakistan “back to the stone age” in 2001 unless it cooperated in the US-led war on terror, President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview released on September 21, according to Daily Times. Gen. Musharraf said the threat came from former Deputy Secretary of Stat
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The United States threatened to bomb Pakistan “back to the stone age” in 2001 unless it cooperated in the US-led war on terror, President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview released on September 21, according to Daily Times. Gen. Musharraf said the threat came from former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. He said the comments were delivered to his intelligence director, according to selected transcripts of the interview with CBS television’s “60 Minutes” investigative news programme due to be broadcast on September 24. “The intelligence director told me that (Armitage) said, ‘Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the stone age’,” Musharraf said. “I think it was a very rude remark… One has to think and take actions in the interests of the nation, and that’s what I did,” Musharraf reportedly said in the interview. Armitage’s alleged threat also demanded that Pakistan turn over border posts and bases for the US military to use in the war in Afghanistan. Other “ludicrous” demands required Pakistan to suppress domestic expressions of support for militant attacks on US targets, according to the CBS. The White House on September 21 declined to comment on President Musharraf’s charge.
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September - 23 
According to Daily Times, a French newspaper quoted a French secret service report on September 23 as saying that Saudi Arabia was convinced that al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan during August 2006. L’Est Republicain printed what it called a copy of the report dated Septemb
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According to Daily Times, a French newspaper quoted a French secret service report on September 23 as saying that Saudi Arabia was convinced that al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan during August 2006. L’Est Republicain printed what it called a copy of the report dated September 21, and said it was shown to President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and the French interior and defence ministers on the same day. “According to a usually reliable source, the Saudi services are now convinced that Osama Bin Laden is dead,” the document said. “The information gathered by the Saudis indicates that the head of Al Qaeda was a victim while he was in Pakistan on August 23 of a very serious case of typhoid, which led to a partial paralysis of his internal organs,” it added. The report, which was stamped with a “confidential defence” label and the French secret service’s initials, said Saudi Arabia first heard the information on September 4, and it was waiting for more details before making an official announcement. Meanwhile, Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said, “The report on Osama’s death in Pakistan is totally baseless.” He said there was no possibility that the al Qaeda chief was treated for typhoid in Pakistan.
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September - 23 
Over 1,000 trained Kashmiri militants are "currently stranded" in three camps of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in the Hazara region of North West Frontier Province (NWFP), a Press Trust of India report quoted the Pakistan-based Herald magazine. "Of these, the Hisari and Batrasi camps are located in Ma
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Over 1,000 trained Kashmiri militants are "currently stranded" in three camps of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in the Hazara region of North West Frontier Province (NWFP), a Press Trust of India report quoted the Pakistan-based Herald magazine. "Of these, the Hisari and Batrasi camps are located in Mansehra district while a third camp is located in Boi in district Abbottabad," Herald reported. It quoted unnamed sources to say that thousands of other terrorists were confined in camps run by half a dozen smaller Kashmiri groups or predominantly Pakistani outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Al-Badr Mujahideen in the frontier and Pakistan occupied Kashmir regions. The report quoted an unnamed Islamabad-based militant leader as saying that the top brass of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had "conveyed to the Kashmiri militant leaders in January 2006 that they should not even think of crossing the Line of Control (LoC), armed or unarmed." It said the official funding traditionally made up the "bulk" of the financial inflows of these groups. Quoting "knowledgeable sources", the Herald said "until recently”, small groups like the Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen, Al-Umar Mujahideen, Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, Al-Fatah, Al-Jihad, Al-Barq, Tehrik-e-Jihad, and Islamic Front were receiving between 400,000 and 700,000 rupees a month. "Large organisations like HM, LeT, JeM, Al-Badr Mujahideen and others received more money, ranging between two to three million rupees," it said. "This was in addition to the funds that paid for the logistics, communication equipment, weapons, explosives, food and trekking kits for the thousands of militants, guides and porters who infiltrated," into Jammu and Kashmir.
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September - 23 
The Government on September 23 denied a report by a British newspaper that the peace agreement in Waziristan was endorsed by Taliban chief Mullah Omar. “There is no truth to the story. We strongly deny that the peace deal with the tribesmen was signed with the consent of Mullah Omar. There was no ou
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The Government on September 23 denied a report by a British newspaper that the peace agreement in Waziristan was endorsed by Taliban chief Mullah Omar. “There is no truth to the story. We strongly deny that the peace deal with the tribesmen was signed with the consent of Mullah Omar. There was no outsider involved in the agreement,” Senator Tariq Azeem, state Minister for Information, told Daily Times. British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the fugitive Mullah Omar signed a letter explicitly endorsing the truce announced on September 5. “Had they been not asked by Mullah Omar, none of them were willing to sign an agreement,” said Lateef Afridi, a tribal elder and former National Assembly member.
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September - 25 
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam dismissed reports about the presence of Taliban leadership in Pakistan, according to The News. “Taliban are in Afghanistan and the insurgency is deep inside Afghanistan, far away from Pakistan’s borders,” she said during a press briefing in Islamabad on Septe
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Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam dismissed reports about the presence of Taliban leadership in Pakistan, according to The News. “Taliban are in Afghanistan and the insurgency is deep inside Afghanistan, far away from Pakistan’s borders,” she said during a press briefing in Islamabad on September 25. She also rejected reports that the agreement between the tribal and local authorities in Waziristan was at the behest of the fugitive Taliban chief Mullah Omar. “It is absolutely baseless,” she said and added that the deal particularly binds the tribal from traveling across the border into Afghanistan for acts of terror. About the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, she said, “We have no information about his coordinates, we have no information whether he is dead or alive.”
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September - 25 
President Pervez Musharraf has written that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secretly paid his Government millions of dollars for handing over hundreds of al Qaeda suspects to the United States, according to Daily Times. He makes the disclosure in his book, In the Line of Fire (which was rel
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President Pervez Musharraf has written that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secretly paid his Government millions of dollars for handing over hundreds of al Qaeda suspects to the United States, according to Daily Times. He makes the disclosure in his book, In the Line of Fire (which was released on September 25), but he does not specify the exact amount paid by the CIA. British newspaper The Times quotes the US Department of Justice as saying, “We didn’t know about this. It should not happen. These bounty payments are for private individuals who help to trace terrorists on the FBI’s most wanted list, not foreign governments.”
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September - 26 
President Pervez Musharraf on September 26 rejected NATO security assessments that Taliban’s headquarters was in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, according to Daily Times. “Anyone who says this is wrong. This is the most ridiculous statement,” he said, adding that Pakistan did not have finan
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President Pervez Musharraf on September 26 rejected NATO security assessments that Taliban’s headquarters was in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, according to Daily Times. “Anyone who says this is wrong. This is the most ridiculous statement,” he said, adding that Pakistan did not have financial resources to support the Taliban who, he said, were being financed by poppy growers. Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations after the formal launch of his book In The Line of Fire, Musharraf said Afghan President Hamid Karzai didn’t understand the environment in his country and said that the Taliban could not be defeated only by force. He criticised President Karzai for claiming that militants hiding in Pakistan’s tribal areas were behind the rise in violence in Afghanistan. “The sooner President Karzai understands his own country, the better,” Gen. Musharraf said, adding that the Afghan president was to be blamed for “disenfranchising” the Pushtoons, who make up a majority of the Afghan population.
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September - 27 
The local Taliban have set up their office in Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, for ‘curbing crimes and anti-social activities’ in the area, according to Dawn. Announcements were made and pamphlets distributed in the town on September 27, asking residents to co-operate with the Taliba
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The local Taliban have set up their office in Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, for ‘curbing crimes and anti-social activities’ in the area, according to Dawn. Announcements were made and pamphlets distributed in the town on September 27, asking residents to co-operate with the Taliban in keeping peace in the area. The office has reportedly been set up on the premises of the main bus stand in Miranshah. The Taliban Shura has appointed a committee to run the office. “There is complete lawlessness in the area and crimes have increased. So after the peace accord Taliban have set up office to serve residents of the area and restore peace,” read one pamphlet, referring to the agreement signed between the Government and the Taliban on September 5. Another leaflet posted around Miranshah said clerics would be collecting funds to pay for a force aimed at protecting people from criminals. The Taliban have imposed ban on the movement of ‘masked men’ in the agency and asked people to inform them if anybody found moving about in the area with his face covered. The pamphlet said that if an incident of robbery, dacoity or any other criminal act occurred in the area, people should immediately contact the Taliban by phone or lodge a complaint at their office.
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September - 29 
Balochistan continues to remain the hub of illegal detentions and mysterious disappearances of political activists and family members of political leaders, Daily Times has reported. According to unofficial estimates, around 3,000 political activists, relatives of political leaders and ordinary citiz
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Balochistan continues to remain the hub of illegal detentions and mysterious disappearances of political activists and family members of political leaders, Daily Times has reported. According to unofficial estimates, around 3,000 political activists, relatives of political leaders and ordinary citizens of Balochistan are being detained by intelligence agencies. Relatives of those detained usually have no information on the whereabouts of their kith and kin and the Government has also not registered any cases against the detained suspects. Official sources said that scores of suspected terrorists, primarily Baloch supporters of the Balochistan Liberation Army, are in Government custody due to their alleged involvement in militant activity in the province. Some of these suspects have reportedly been missing for years. The extra-judicial arrests also include journalists and relatives of political leaders. “Such tactics are applied by the government to emotionally blackmail politicians and divert attention from their political struggle,” Kachkol Baloch, leader of the opposition in the Balochistan Assembly, told Daily Times.
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October - 1 
The Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, has played no role in propping up the renegade Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, President Pervez Musharraf told US television on October 1. Gen. Musharraf, however, added that he is investigating possible support to the Taliba
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The Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, has played no role in propping up the renegade Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, President Pervez Musharraf told US television on October 1. Gen. Musharraf, however, added that he is investigating possible support to the Taliban from retired ISI officials. Asked whether the ISI has been helping the Taliban, Musharraf, speaking on NBC television’s “Meet the Press” programme, said “No… Nobody in the ISI has.” However he added, “I have some reports that some dissidents, some people, retired people who were in the forefront in ISI during the period of ‘1979 to ‘1989, may be assisting with their links somewhere here and there.” “We are keeping a very tight watch, and we’ll get a hold of them if at all that happens,” he said.
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October - 2 
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said “This is all internal and this is yet another effort to externalise (an) internal malaise.” But she added that Pakistan would cooperate in the investigation if India provided evidence. “If India feels it has some information that suggests links with some
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Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said “This is all internal and this is yet another effort to externalise (an) internal malaise.” But she added that Pakistan would cooperate in the investigation if India provided evidence. “If India feels it has some information that suggests links with some people here or some kind of connection, we will take action and help India in the investigation,” Ms. Aslam said.
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October - 2 
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on October 2 rejected Indian allegations of the involvement of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the Mumbai blasts and said Pakistan had received no evidence so far to support this allegation, according to Dawn. Talking to the media in Islamabad, Aziz said: “India has
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Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on October 2 rejected Indian allegations of the involvement of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the Mumbai blasts and said Pakistan had received no evidence so far to support this allegation, according to Dawn. Talking to the media in Islamabad, Aziz said: “India has a history of levelling such allegations but has never been able to prove any of them.” India had alleged ISI involvement in the Mumbai blasts and pledged to forward its evidence for investigations on its part.
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October - 2 
Two former chiefs of the Inter-Services Intelligence have rejected as baseless a statement of President Pervez Musharraf about former officials of the agency abetting Taliban. Former ISI directors-general Asad Durrani and Hameed Gul, talking to Dawn, said there was no need to issue such a speculativ
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Two former chiefs of the Inter-Services Intelligence have rejected as baseless a statement of President Pervez Musharraf about former officials of the agency abetting Taliban. Former ISI directors-general Asad Durrani and Hameed Gul, talking to Dawn, said there was no need to issue such a speculative statement. Durrani said he was at a loss to understand as to what was the need for issuing such a statement. He said some people in their individual capacity might have associated themselves with the Taliban, but it was improper to make such a statement without any concrete evidence. Gul said former officers of the ISI were not involved in helping Taliban. He claimed the Taliban surfaced in 1994, some five years after his tenure as ISI chief was over and about three years after his retirement from the army.
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October - 3 
The United States on October 3 advised India not to blame Pakistan for the Mumbai blasts without certain proof and suggested that New Delhi should resolve the issue through a ‘direct contact’ with Islamabad, according to Dawn. “India should communicate with Pakistan by having direct contact instead
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The United States on October 3 advised India not to blame Pakistan for the Mumbai blasts without certain proof and suggested that New Delhi should resolve the issue through a ‘direct contact’ with Islamabad, according to Dawn. “India should communicate with Pakistan by having direct contact instead of talking about the Mumbai train blasts in the public,” US Ambassador to Pakistan, Ryan C. Crocker, told a news conference in Islamabad. He also said the United States wanted Indian and Pakistani Governments to discuss all the issues between them, including the Kashmir dispute, to normalise their relations.
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