Pakistan: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2012

a bomb ripped through a military vehicle killing two soldiers in at Boya village, some 20 kilometres west of Miranshah, in North Waziristan Agency. Read less...

a girl, identified as Hajra Bibi, was killed and three persons, two among them members of an anti-TTP lashkar (tribal militia), were injured on January 1 when a bomb planted by suspected militants in a sewerage line in Tarano Kalli bazaar of Bajaur Agency exploded, reports Daily Times. The injured were identified as Fazal Rabbi and Gul Nabi, volunteers of the peace committee, and Ali Khan, a passer-by. Read less...

a local trader, identified as Muhammad Akbar Mulazai, was abducted in Surab township of Kalat District on January 1, reported Daily Times. Mulazai was on the way to his shop when unidentified armed militants abducted him at gunpoint and took him to an unknown location. Read less...

According to January 1 media report of Daily Times, the year 2011 was one of the deadliest years for the residents of Karachi. 1,354 people were reportedly killed in terrorist attacks and target killing incidents throughout the year. Target killing incidents escalated in the third quarter of 2011 and some 602 people were targeted on political or ethnic grounds. July and August remained the deadliest months of 2011 as some 552 citizens were killed, including 301 in July and 251 in August. Some 50 people were killed in September, 44 in October, 28 in November and 31 in December. Read less...

an unidentified decomposed body of a young man was found packed in a gunny bag within the limits of Jamshed Quarters Police Station on January 1. Read less...

at Least 10 people were injured in a hand grenade attack in a shop on Joint Road in Quetta, reports Daily Times. According to a Police official, unidentified militants riding a motorbike lobbed a hand grenade at a shop, which caused a huge explosion and injured 10 people. Read less...

at least 12 militants were killed and three hostages were rescued from their custody after an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in the Alamgir Killay of the Karmina area in Landikotal tehsil of Khyber Agency, reports Dawn. Khasadar Force sources said that a Frontier Corps (FC) soldier was also killed and another injured during the encounter. According to official sources, TTP Tariq Afridi group ‘commander’ Qari Kamran was among the dead. Security sources said that Kamran was involved in various attacks on SFs and installations in Nowshera, Risalpur and Shabqadar. SFs took into custody three women and five children from a house where militants had taken refuge and freed three people held by them. Read less...

At least 20 militants were killed in two separate operations by the Army on January 1-2 in Upper tehsil (revenue unit) of Orakzai Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Daily Times. Read less...

Federal Minister for Postal Services Sardar Muhammad Umar while talking to media at the National Press Club (NPC) said that the Government has fulfilled most of Balochistan’s demands according to the aspirations of Akbar Bugti and the people of the province. He said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Government had given more autonomy and financial share to Balochistan under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. “The province has been provided with PKR 164 billion under the new award keeping in view its area, while the share was only PKR 52 billion in the last NFC award,” he added. Umar said that Akbar Bugti presented the charter of demands of the Baloch people, but Pevez Musharraf killed the Sardar, instead of accepting the demands. Read less...

Fifteen militants were killed and five hideouts were destroyed when fighter jets bombed militant hideouts in Torsmat, Jabba Kellay, Akhunkot and Sama Bazaar in Upper tehsil (revenue unit) of Orakzai Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 1, reports Daily Times. The dead included five terrorists of ‘Commander’ Ziaur Rehman group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Read less...

Four security personnel were killed and two others injured in a landmine explosion in Surali area, some10 kilometers from Sui town of Dera Bugti District, on Janaury1, reports Daily Times. According to sources, a paramilitary troop vehicle was on routine patrol in Sui, when it hit a landmine planted by unidentified militants, killing four personnel on the spot while injuring two others. Read less...

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on January 1 said that the future relationship between Pakistan and the US should be based on mutual respect and the country’s interests should be kept supreme. Addressing a public meeting in Mardan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fazl said Pakistan was a sovereign country and its relationship with the international community should be based on trust and equality. Read less...

one person was killed and his brother was injured when three Iranian border guards after allegedly crossing the border shot at a car at Mazan Sar Mashkail area in Washuk District, reported Express Tribune. “All three personnel of Iranian border Security Force were taken into custody for their penetration inside Pakistan and killing a Pakistani national on our soil”, said Deputy Commissioner of Washuk District Saeed Ahmad Jamali. Read less...

Pakistan is unmatched in terms of the freedom it allows for the pursuit of jihad (holy war) and for the spread of Islam, said Jama’at-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed on January 1, reported Express Tribune. Saeed said that he did not believe in modern nationalism, but no other “territory” in the world matched Pakistan and it was a great blessing from Allah, adding that the non-Muslims were conspiring against Pakistan both internally and externally. He said Pakistan was being targeted by conspirators because it had been established in the name of Islam Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) shelled alleged militant hideouts in the Amay Kamay mountain between Darra Adamkhel and Orakzai Agency. Security forces had earlier asked the residents of Bostikhel in Darra Adamkhel to vacate the area for combing operation, as rocket attacks were being launched on Kohat from this area while militants there easily escaped to Orakzai Agency after attacks. Read less...

SF averted subversive attempt by recovered a cache of arms and ammunition during a raid on a house at Sorgar in Bara tehsil. The recovered arms and ammunition included anti-aircraft gun, 75RR gun, 11 rounds, SPG9 gun, 299 rounds of 82mm, 450 rounds of 40mm, 233 rounds of SPG 9, SPG9 gun, 720 fuzzes of 30mm, 168 rounds of 81mm, three mortars of 81mm, two guns of 12.7 range and other explosive and ammunitions. Read less...

A local Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader and former Nazim (secretary) Haji Mohammad Azeem Khan was killed and his driver was seriously injured when unidentified assailants attacked his pickup near Naverkhel on Begukhel road in Lakki Marwat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 2, reports Dawn. Haji Azeem was going to his village Begukhel along with driver Ikramullah and a guard. Read less...

All Jihadi (holy war) groups, in consultation with Islamic Emirate Afghanistan (shadow Taliban Government in Afghanistan), have decided to set up a committee to set aside differences in their ranks and step up support for war against western forces in Afghanistan, reports Dawn. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Taliban Shura held at an unspecified place on January 2. A statement issued in the form of a pamphlet to the media in Waziristan after the meeting said that “All Mujahideen —local and foreigners —are informed that all jihadi forces, in consultation with Islamic Emirate Afghanistan, have unanimously decided to form a five-member commission. It will be known as Shura-i-Murakbah.” The committee comprises Maulvi Azmatullah, Maulvi Noor Saeed, Maulvi Saeedullah, Maulvi Sadar Hayat and Hafeez Amir Hamza. According to sources, Azmatullah (Taliban commander in Barwan) represents the Waliur Rehman group, Noor Saeed (Taliban commander in Barwan) the Hakeemullah Mehsud group, Saeedullah (from Afghanistan) the Haqqani group, Sadar Hayat (from North Waziristan) the Maulvi Gul Bahadar group and Amir Hamza (from Ahmedzai Wazir tribe) the Mulla Nazir group in Wana subdivision of South Waziristan. Spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Ehsanullah Ehsan confirmed that the meeting had been held and the statement dated December 31 was issued after approval by Taliban’s supreme leader Mullah Omar. The sources said the committee had been formed to resolve differences among various militant factions regroup them and investigate killings on spying charges and excesses, if any, committed by the Taliban against local people. “All Mujahideen, local and foreigners, are informed that they should desist from killing and kidnapping for ransom innocent people and cooperate with this committee in curbing crimes. If any Mujahid is found involved in unjustified killings, crimes and other illegal activities he will be answerable to Shura-i-Murakbah and will be punished in accordance with the Shariah law,” the statement says. The sources said the high command of TTP and Afghan Taliban had been trying for two months to reach an agreement on uniting different factions. The first meeting in this regard was held on November 27 in Azam Warsak near Wana in South Waziristan Agency. It was attended by Waliur Rehman Mehsud, Hakeemullah Mehsud, Mulla Nazir, Abu Yehya Al Libi and Abdur Rehman al Saudi of al Qaeda and Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Haqqani network. The second meeting was held on December 11 in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan Agency. It was attended by Sabiullah Mujahid, Maulvi Sangeen and Maulvi Ashfaq from Afghanistan, Yehya al Libi and Abdur Rehman al Saudi of al Qaeda, Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Maulvi Sadiq Noor from North Waziristan and Hakeemullah Mehsud, Waliur Rehman and Mulla Nazir from South Waziristan. Talking to Dawn on phone from an unspecified place, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah said the Mujahideen groups had reposed their confidence in the leadership of Mullah Muhammad Omar and recognised him as the leader of Afghanistan. He said the TTP would send its fighters to Afghanistan after March for waging jihad against “US-led infidel forces”. Read less...

at least five children were injured in a land mine explosion in the Sui area of Dera Bugti District, reports Daily Times. According to sources, the children were going to school when they hit the land mine. The injured children were identified as Muhammad Yusuf, Imran, Muhammad Musa, Muhammad Asif and Abdul Qadir. Read less...

at least four people, including two security guards, Zafar and Younus, and two passersby were injured when militants attacked a mobile company franchise near Hyderi market within the remit of North Nazimabad Police Station. Police officials said at least two militants attacked the franchise near Hydri market with a hand grenade and fled. Read less...

Chief of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Aurangzaib Farooqui and three others were booked in December 31, 2011 murder case of Shia leader Askari Raza on Rashid Minhas Road in Karachi, while Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of the Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) Anti-Extremist Cell (AEC) Chaudhry Aslam also came under interrogation. DIG South Commander Shaukat said that SSP Aslam was automatically suspended since he came under investigation. ASWJ spokesman Taj Hanfi termed the decision as conspiracy against his organisation. The Shia protesters were demanding lodging of an FIR against the killers and taking prompt action against Chaudhry Aslam, who is said to be involved in killing. Read less...

intelligence agencies stepped up security for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, after intercepted messages from militants revealed they were planning a suicide attack. Read less...

Iran shut its border with Pakistan as Pakistan authorities took three Iranians in to custody over alleged cross-border attack of January 1 that killed one Pakistani citizen in Washuk District, reported The News, quoting British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Urdu report. Read less...

Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Khalid Shameem Wynne said that Pakistan's "desire" for peaceful settlement of issues must not be misconstrued as its weakness as the country has the means to give a "befitting response to any unprovoked attack of blatant aggression", adding, "Pakistan is a peace-loving country. However, our desire for peaceful settlement of issues must not be misconstrued as our weakness." "Our armed forces and a vibrant Pakistani nation are fully capable to safeguard every inch of ideological and territorial sovereignty of our beloved motherland and we will give a befitting response to any unprovoked attack of blatant aggression by our adversary," he said while addressing a passing out parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi. Read less...

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Coalition spokesman, Brigadier General Carsten Jacobsen, on January 2 said that NATO wants to get relations with Pakistan back on track “as quickly as possible” to reopen its key supply route for foreign troops fighting in Afghanistan, reports Daily Times. Pakistan closed its main trading route to Afghanistan after the November 26, 2011 raid choking a major supply line for the 130,000 United States (US)-led force. “We ... have an interest for the international community and for Afghanistan that relations with Pakistan are normalising as quickly as possible,” said Carsten Jacobsen, adding, “We are aware that there are things that are not travelling to Afghanistan because they are stuck at border control points. It mainly affects the economy, wages, and work for people who are in the transport business in Pakistan and Afghanistan.” “At present, a total of 3,676 military vehicles and 1,732 containers belonging to NATO forces are at the port,” said a port official in Karachi on condition of anonymity. Read less...

Police found the body of an unidentified man from a drain in Nasir Colony, Korangi within the limits of Zaman Town Police Station. The identity of the victim is yet to be ascertained. Police said the victim appeared to be Saraeki speaking, who wore white Shalwar and Kameez. Read less...

Sindh University Director of Student Affairs Professor Bashir Ahmed Chanur was killed in an armed attack by unidentified assailants in the varsity’s premises in Jamshoro District on January 2, reported Daily Times. One of the assailants got injured when a security guard retaliated by firing. However, they managed to escape. Sindh University has been witnessing a wave of protests by groups of students affiliated with different political parties, after the university rusticated 19 students and banned four ex-students from entering the university premises, blaming them for causing law and order situation. Read less...

the bullet-riddled body of a missing trader identified as Wazir Khan Marri was found dumped near Eastern Bypass, a suburb of Quetta. Wazir Khan, who operated a shop in the Hazarganji area of Quetta, was abducted on an unspecified date in September 2011. Read less...

The year 2011 witnessed a marked decline in suicide attacks in the country, The Express Tribune quoting Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC) reported on January 2. CMC is a data collection NGO which taps into Interior Ministry, Health Department and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) resources. As a result, the number of deaths also decreased by 48% compared to the previous year. The brunt of fatalities were faced by civilians – out of 606 people killed in 2011, 358 were civilians while the Army lost 33 of its soldiers, the Frontier Constabulary lost 100 and the Police lost 54 personnel. A total of 23 of the 41 attacks targeted civilians. As many as 51 suicide bombers were used in the attacks – certain hits used more than one human bomb. Only four of the recorded bomb attacks targeted the military. Read less...

three militants and a volunteer of Qaumi Lashkar (community militia) were killed during a clash in Landikotal tehsil of Khyber Agency on January 2, reports Daily Times. Read less...

Two men were shot dead in Goht Shadi Pert area, in the limits of Barija Levies Thana of Jhal Magsi District on January 2, reported Daily Times. The victims were identified as Sitham Khan and Zulfiqar Ali. Read less...

two security personnel, identified as Hawaldar Hazrat Umer and Sepoy Shukat Ali, were injured in a land mine explosion in Tuba Nukani area of Dera Bugti District. Read less...

unidentified armed militants shot dead a local leader of Awami National Party (ANP), identified as Furqan Shaha, in Hasrat Mohani Colony within Pak Colony Police precincts in Karachi, triggering indiscriminate fire that left five people injured. There were some unconfirmed reports that the ANP leader was killed over extortion dispute but Station House Officer (SHO) Abdul Moid termed the incident as an act of target killing. Read less...

unidentified militants blew up an 8-inch diameter gas pipeline in Pirkoh area of Dera Bugti District on January 2 (today). According to sources, an explosive device was attached to the gas pipeline, which went off with an explosion, resulting into suspension of gas supply to the purification plant. Read less...

Al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani militants have held a series of meetings aimed at containing what could soon be open warfare between the two most powerful Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leaders, reports Dawn. Hakimullah Mehsud, the head of the TTP and his deputy, Wali-ur-Rehman, were at each other’s throats, the sources said. “You will soon hear that one of them has eliminated the other, though hectic efforts are going on by other commanders and common friends to resolve differences between the two,” one TTP commander under the condition of anonymity said. Any division within the TTP could hinder the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda’s struggle in Afghanistan against the United States and its allies, making it more difficult to recruit young fighters and disrupting the alleged safe havens in Pakistan. Taliban sources said Wali-ur-Rehman had ordered his fighters to eliminate Hakimullah Mehsud because of his increasing closeness to al Qaeda and its Arab contingent. Wali-ur-Rehman also alleged that the TTP chief received money from India to kill a former Pakistan spy agency official acting as a mediator between the TTP, Afghan militants and the Pakistani Government. Read less...

an anti-terrorism court on January 2 issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 34 Tanzim Nafiz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) and Swat Taliban leaders for non-compliance with the court order to appear in a case, reports The News. The case was registered against TNSM Chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad and others for anti-state and anti-judiciary speeches at the Grassy Ground in Mingora, Swat in 2009. Maulana Sufi Muhammad, his three sons Hayatullah, Rizwanullah and Ziaullah and another TNSM leader Mufti Safiullah appeared in the Swat Anti-Terrorism Court headed by Syed Asim Imam in the case. However, 34 others who had delivered anti-state and anti-judiciary speeches were absent from the court. Read less...

militants blew up a Government primary school for boys in Gurbaz Gagezai area of Safi tehsil (revenue unit) in Mohmand Agency. An unnamed spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Mohmand chapter claimed responsibility for the attack. In a subsequent operation, the political administration arrested six tribesmen, including Malik Attaullah and his two sons, on suspicion of their involvement in the crime. Read less...

one passenger was injured in a roadside bomb blast at Pir Qayum village near Sadda Town in Kurram Agency. The passenger coach, going from Parachinar to Peshawar, was damaged when a remote controlled device went off at Pir Qayum village. Read less...

Three persons including two Levies personnel were killed and eight civilians were injured when a powerful car bomb exploded in Landi Kotal Bazaar of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Aras (FATA) on January 3, reports Dawn. Officials said that explosives fitted in a car were detonated with a remote controlled device when a number of Levies and Khasadar personnel and civilians were present in Bacha Khan Chowk at around mid-day. The killed were identified as Gulzar and Roza Khan, both Levies personnel, and Mohammad Ikram a cloth merchant. Local militant outfit Abdullah Azzam Brigade claimed responsibility for the blast and said that their target was the Khasadar and Levies personnel posted at the square. The group threatened to carry out more attacks against Security Forces. Read less...

Two alleged suicide bombers blew themselves up near Gorali locality of Gujrat town in Gujrat District of Punjab on January 3, reports Daily Times. According to Police, two alleged suicide bombers, identified as Ramzan Ali and Muhabbat Khan of Bhimber in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), wearing suicide jackets were heading towards their target on a motorcycle when they heard the sound of siren of the Rescue 1122 ambulance. Thinking that police were chasing them, they blew themselves up near Gorali, Read less...

Two persons were killed and 19 others got injuries when a bomb planted in a motorbike at Azam Tower on Arbab Road in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, went off on January 3, reports Daily Times. Police said that the blast took place in the basement of Azam Tower where two Internet cafés were located. Read less...

unidentified militants blew up a pylon on Tarbela-Peshawar transmission line at Baba Ji Kallay in Nowshera District, reports Dawn. Read less...

unidentified militants blew up a tower of Sheikh Muhammadi transmission line near Rashakai, disrupting power supply to Peshawar and adjoining areas. Police said the militants planted a powerful bomb to a 500 KV tower near Rashakai Interchange and detonated it with remote control, destroying the tower completely. Read less...

Unidentified militants blew up an eight-inch-diameter gas pipeline in Loti Gas Field area of Dera Bugti District in Balochistan on January 3, reports Daily Times. As a result, the supply from wells 9 and 12 to the purification plant was suspended. Read less...

‘Secret talks’ between Pakistan’s Security Agencies and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who have reportedly splintered down into many different groups entered a decisive phase on January 4, reported Express Tribune. Now both sides are hoping their negotiations will culminate in a ‘lasting’ agreement which will restore peace in the country’s lawless tribal lands. “We have drawn the broader outlines for a possible accord. And what we’re now working on are minor details,” said an Intelligence Official, who claimed the results of the ‘year-long’ peace process would be unveiled shortly. “Unlike the past, we are trying to have something workable and implementable this time around,” said the official referring to the failure of all three agreements the security institutions had with the TTP. “These are crucial times…we have to be extremely careful. A slight miscalculation can harm us in a big way,” the official, requesting anonymity, added in reference to changes in the regional war given the eventual withdrawal of the United States (US)-led international forces by 2014. However, publicly, the military denies having any talks with the militants. Senior TTP associates also confirmed that these covert talks with the military establishment were reaching a climax and said there were several indications of things moving ahead. According to sources, earlier, the TTP leader Maulvi Waliur Rehman Mehsud had ordered to halt the training of suicide bombers at several camps in South and North Waziristan. “Now look how effective this thing alone is … it has never happened in four years that the TTP stops training its suicide bombers,” said Raqeebullah Mehsud, a young militant commander from the Ludha area of South Waziristan. Further, Raqeebullah said TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud was not aware of these talks and he, along with a core group following his hard-line positions on talks with the Government was aware of these negotiations. “He [Hakimullah] is out. At least people here think so,” Raqeebullah commented. Though it could not be confirmed, some officials said the TTP chief might have crossed into Afghanistan after sudden defections of his loyalists to pro-Pakistan militant groups who were against launching attacks in the country’s mainland. Read less...

A former ‘commander’ of a local peace committee, Umar Gul, was killed allegedly by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Warki village of Tank District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the night of January 4, reports Dawn. The beheaded body of Umar Gul was found in a nearby canal after he was taken away from his house by three militants. “Three persons took him last night and then left a chit beside his body, warning people not to participate in his funeral,” Police quoted a brother of the deceased as saying. TTP have killed at least seven peace committee heads in the past two months. Read less...

A man, identified as Mohammad Waqas, received serious injuries in an indiscriminate firing by unknown armed assailants in Gawalmandi area of Lahore on January 4, reported Daily Times. Read less...

a man, identified as Sikandar Hayat, was found dead in a market at Jutial area in Gilgit. Read less...

Afghan Taliban's Commander Mullah Mohammad Omar put pressure on militant groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan to form a new grouping which pledged to stop targeting Pakistani Security Forces (SFs) and instead focus attention on United States (US)-led troops in Afghanistan, reported Indian Express. It is reported that the Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) formed a joint five-member ‘shura’ or council, named Shura-e-Muraqba, with other Pakistani militant outfits. The new ‘shura’ includes the Haqqani Network and powerful commanders of the groups led by Maulvi Nazir and Hafiz Gul Bahadur who have already signed a peace deal with the Pakistan Army. The new entrants into the shura are the factions of TTP led by Hakimullah Mehsud and Maulana Wali-ur Rahman. The five-member ‘shura’ with other Pakistani militant outfits made a pledge to “stop their fight against their own armed forces and instead focus their attention against the US-led forces in Afghanistan”, The News reported. The council was created after weeks of hectic efforts. A high-level delegation of the Afghan Taliban, sent by Omar, “succeeded in bringing together different Pakistani militant groups on a single platform”, the report added. Prominent al Qaeda members also asked the Pakistani Taliban, in a pair of rare meetings, held on the request of the Afghan Taliban, to set aside their differences and step up support for the battle against US-led forces in Afghanistan, militant commanders said Monday. The meetings were held in Pakistan’s tribal region in November and December. “For God’s sake, forget all your differences and give us fighters to boost the battle against US in Afghanistan,” senior al Qaeda commander Abu Yahya al-Libi told Pakistani militants at a meeting on December 11, 2011. Read less...

at least six LI militants and a volunteer of Zakhakhel lashkar were killed in renewed clashes between Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and the tribal Lashkar (tribal militia) in Bazaar-Zakhakhel area of Khyber Agency, reports Dawn. Another Zakhakhel volunteer was injured in the incident. Meanwhile, several LI bunkers were captured by the tribal lashkar. The gun battle erupted between LI militant and volunteers of Zakhakhel tribe to gain control of some important bases occupied by the former. Read less...

Five Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) militants were killed and 13 others arrested in a clash with the Frontier Corps (FC) troops in Murgha Kibzai area of Zhob District on January 4, reported Daily Times. A FC spokesman said Security Forces (SF) received information about the presence of TTP militants in Murgha Kebzai area and dispatched troops there. He added that when they reached the area, militants opened fire from a compound, injuring two FC personnel. Troops then returned fire and killed five militants. Later, during a search operation, they recovered a rocket launcher and several machine guns. Read less...

militants bombed the house of Haji Muhammad Saleem, a tribal leader from Sada, central Kurram Agency injuring two of Saleem’s daughters, two other children and his brother Malik Sardar, reported Express Tribune. Saleem had played a vital role in the agreement between the Shia and the Sunni factions in the area. Read less...

Over 200 containers carrying supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan started returning to Karachi from the border town of Chaman in Qilla Abdullah District on January 4, reported Daily Times. Official sources confirmed the return of NATO containers to Karachi, and added that they were not allowed to enter Afghanistan through Chaman border gate following the November 26, 2011 attack on Salala border post that killed 26 soldiers. The return of the NATO containers back to Karachi has come as relief for over 600 workers, including drivers, cleaners and helpers. “We were in a tense mental state as we had to stay at Chaman NATO terminal for the past few days,” a driver said. Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) killed 10 militants and injured five others during an operation in the Central Kurram Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 4, reported Express Tribune. Gunship helicopters pounded militant hideouts in the Jogi area of central Kurram destroying four militant hideouts Read less...

the Abdullah Azam Brigade (AAB) has threatened to target all public and private places and social and religious gatherings in Khyber Agency in retaliation of the military operation conducted in Karamna area in Landikotal on January 1. A spokesman for the militant outfit told local journalists from an undisclosed location that they would target public and religions gatherings, including funeral and jirgas, and mosques, bazaars and public meetings, because the locals had not protested against the arrest of three women and as many children and killing of 12 militants in the Karamna operation. Read less...

The Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) annual report 2011 released on January 4 (Today) shows the decrease in violence in 2011, reports Daily Times. Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), a think tank monitoring security situation of the country, suggested “crucial steps” should be taken to root out militancy and terrorism despite reduction in violence in 2011. “Although conflict-related violence decreased in Pakistan in 2011, the complex security landscape in the country made it one of the most volatile states in the region and necessitated effective measures to curb militancy and terrorism,” PIPS said in a press release. The report noted that the trend of an overall decrease in the number of violent incidents and casualties in Pakistan that was witnessed in 2010 continued in 2011. The report attributed a fall in conflict-related casualties largely to military operations in the Tribal Areas and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and to fewer suicide bombings and drone strikes in the country in 2011. According to the report, a total of 2,985 violent incidents—including terrorist attacks, security forces operations, ethno-political violence, inter-tribal clashes, drone attacks, and cross-border attacks—were reported in Pakistan in 2011. This is compared to 3,393 incidents in 2010 and 3,816 in 2009, a decrease of 12 percent and 22 percent, respectively. Casualties in violent incidents also went down, from 10,003 fatalities in 2010 to 7,107 in 2011, a decrease of 29 percent. The number of people injured in these attacks declined from 10,283 in 2010 to 6,736 in 2011, representing a 34 percent decrease. Read less...

The United States (US) Ambassador-At-Large Daniel Benjamin, who will head the newly-established Bureau of Counterterrorism at the State Department on January 4 said that it wants to strengthen Pakistan’s civilian capacity to counter terrorism as the South Asian nation suffered more at the hands of terrorist violence than any other country, reports Daily Times. Ambassador Banjamin also acknowledged that “there’s no question we’re going through a difficult time in the wake of the November 26, 2011 cross-border incident and a number of other incidents that have occurred in the last year,” adding, “But let me go back to basics. We think that it is essential that we have a good counterterrorism relationship with Pakistan. We believe it’s in both of our nations’ interests”. “No country has suffered more at the hands of militancy than Pakistan,” he declared adding that the new Bureau is going to be working closely with Pakistan. Read less...

Thousands people gathered at Data Darbar in Lahore on January 4 in support of the former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s assassin Malik Mumtaz Qadri, and called for his release, reported Express Tribune. Supporters of various religious parties that form the Tahaffuz Namoos-i-Rasalat Mahaz (TNSM) staged protests at the Lahore Press Club, Minar-e-Pakistan and other places before gathering at the Darbar. The participants, mostly Barelvi Muslims, held up portraits of Qadri and chanted slogans in his honor. They raised their arms and pledged to follow Qadri “against every blasphemer”. One speaker, Allama Muhammad Tahir Tabassum, suggested that the Government auction off the gun with which Qadri shot the Governor, “like an auction of the bats or hockey sticks of famous athletes”. It was then announced that the Sunni Ittehad Council was willing to pay PKR 100 million for the “holy gun”. Allama Muhammad Nawaz Bashir Jalalisaid that Taseer’s killing was justified by Islamic injunctions as he had committed blasphemy. He said blasphemers deserved to have their tongues cut off. He accused the media of downplaying their protests. Later, a resolution was adopted at the end of the rally asking President Asif Zardari to declare clemency for Mumtaz Qadri and punishment for Asia Bibi, the Christian woman jailed for blasphemy whose release Taseer had campaigned for. The resolution also demanded the permanent closure of NATO supply lines through Pakistan; purging of all Pakistani air bases of United States (US) personnel; the arrest of the killers of Doctor Sarfaraz Naeemi and terrorists who bombed shrines; the removal of Ahmedis from Government posts; and that “a free, fair and impartial investigation into the memo scandal be ensured and those responsible be tried under treason charges”. Read less...

Unknown armed assailants shot dead Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP-Investigation) Mohammad Ibrahim in Gilgit city of Gilgit District on January 4, reported Dawn. Read less...

a detained Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Karachi chief, who was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) on January 5, 2012, confessed to his involvement in the blast at the house of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister that had claimed the life of his son. Police claimed to have arrested four militants, including TTP Karachi chief Abdul Qayyum Mehsud, Muhammad Sharif, Habib Mehsud and Usman. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) CID Fayyaz Khan said the arrested TTP militants were trained in Waziristan and were involved in several high profile cases. Read less...

A leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) and two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were shot dead in Karachi on January 5, reported Daily Times. In one incident, the President of the ANP, Said Ahmed Khan, was killed and one of his associates, Bashir Ahmed, was wounded in an attack at his house in the Metroville area of SITE, while one of the assailants was shot dead by a Police Constable. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) quoted a Police Constable as saying that earlier when he tried to stop the suspects asking about their identity they claimed that they were Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cadres and had come to kill Said Khan. Deputy Inspector General of Police Imran Yaqoob Minhas said it seemed that TTP had carried out the targeted attack. The killing caused tension in the SITE area where enraged people took to the streets and blocked roads. Also, gunfire was heard in different areas, including Gulzar-i-Hijri, Orangi Town, Al Asif Square and Quaidabad. Read less...

an unidentified dead body of a young man was dumped from a fast-moving car in Murad Memon Goth in Malir area. Read less...

following the killings of political workers on January 5, several parts of Karachi fell into intense wave of tension suspending all commercial and social activities, reported Daily Times. Investigators were of the view that both incidents where three political activists were fallen prey to targeted killings were not linked with each other. Read less...

Hundreds of militants who surrendered in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) areas are facing threats from active Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who are pressuring them to rejoin or face reprisals, Central Asia online quoting officials and former militants reported. “At least 3,000 militants have laid down arms and expressed repentance over their association with Taliban in Bajaur Agency,” Haji Shafqat Gul, a member of the Bajaur peace committee, told Central Asia Online. “A majority of them are now receiving warnings from the Taliban leaders to join their ranks again.” Militants are trying to recruit former members because the militancy has run out of steam, Gul, who has participated in surrender ceremonies over the past three years, said. In other agencies, like Khyber, Orakzai, North and South Waziristan, individual figures are not available, but an unnamed spokesman of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said a total of 9,000 former insurgents have surrendered. Read less...

LEAs arrested 27 illegal Afghan nationals under foreign Act from Mian Ghundi area in Quetta on January 5, reports The News. According to official sources, Afghan nationals were heading towards Panjgur District in a vehicle when they were arrested on Main Ghundi check post. Later, they were handed over to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further investigation. Read less...

One Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), Ghulam Raza Bangash, was shot dead by unidentified militants in Nawan Killi area of Quetta on January 5, reported Dawn. It is believed to be a sectarian attack. Read less...

one unidentified security personnel was killed and two others injured in an accidental landmine explosion in Maro area of Dera Bugti District. According to sources, security personnel were clearing land mines from the area, when one of the men stepped on a landmine, adds Daily Times. Read less...

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants on January 5 killed 15 Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to avenge, in the words of a TTP spokesman, the death of one of their ‘commanders’ in another tribal area at the hands of Security Forces (SFs), reports Dawn. The bullet-ridden bodies thrown on a hill in Mir Ali sub-district were spotted by tribesmen in the morning. According to an unnamed security official, “We had been trying to get them freed and we maintained contacts with their captors. Until last night the indications were positive. God knows what happened afterwards.” TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told local media in Miranshah, “We have killed these personnel”. He said the killings were in retaliation for the death of Qari Kamran, an important ‘commander’ of TTP, who was killed along with 12 others on January 1 by SFs at Alamgir Killay in the Kermina area near Landikotal in Khyber Agency. "This is revenge for the killing of our comrades in Khyber by Pakistani forces. We will soon take revenge for other operations too," Ehsan added. The 15 personnel guarding the boundary between the FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been taken hostage on December 23, 2011 in a pre-dawn attack by TTP militants on their post in Mullazai area of Tank District (KP). Read less...

TTP Karachi Chapter ‘commander’ Abdul Qayuum and his three accomplices were arrested in Karachi along with a suicide jacket, a rocket, a BM missile, two Kalashnikovs and bullets of different types, reported Dawn. The Additional Inspector General (AIG) Crime Investigation Department (CID) said that the accused were involved in the killing of 20 people including a Police Officer. The IG also said that the accused had accepted their involvement in the bombings of December 9 and 10, 2011 and also informed the Police about the presence of two more suicide bombers in Karachi. Read less...

TTP released 17 children, who mistakenly crossed the border into Afghanistan from Bajaur Agency, after three months of captivity, reports Daily Times. Bajaur administration official Islam Zeb said, “Today TTP has released 17 of them. They have been freed unconditionally. Some 8-10 are yet in their custody.” Zeb said the boys had been abducted by a militant group allied with TTP ‘commander’ Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, who led local insurgents but is believed to have fled to Afghanistan in 2010. More than 30 children were abducted from Bajaur Agency during Eid holidays on September 1, 2011. Read less...

two MQM activists, identified as Habibullah and Maqsood alias Kala Guddu, were shot dead in Orangi Town by two unidentified armed assailants. The killing heightened tension in the area. Read less...

unidentified militants abducted a British official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), identified as Doctor Khalil Ahmed Dale, from Chaman Housing Society in Quetta, reported Daily Times. According to details, Ahmed Dale, a Yemen born British national, was on his way to the office when armed militants intercepted his vehicle and abducted him at gunpoint to an unknown location, leaving his driver behind. According to some sources, gangs of kidnappers from Waziristan are presently targeting areas in Balochistan to abduct important personalities. Read less...

unidentified militants blew up the gas pipeline in Pirkoh area disrupting the gas supply from well Numbers 12 and 21, reports Dawn. Read less...

A man, identified as Shaban, was killed and his friend Abid Khan sustained injuries in a landmine explosion in Jan Beri area of Dera Bugti District on January 6, reported Daily Times. Read less...

a Police sub inspector was killed during clashes between Security Forces and militants in Bakhshali area of Mardan District while eight militants were arrested, The News reported on January 6. Read less...

A Police Sub-Inspector (SI), identified as Zarnosh Khan, and Bawar Khan, the father of a militant ‘commander’ Tariq were killed when law-enforcement personnel raiding a house in Jungary village of Dubai Adda area in Mardan District came under attack of the hiding militants on January 6, reports Dawn. A search operation was being carried out on information about the presence of Tariq and other militants. According to official sources, four suspected militants, including two brothers of Tariq were arrested. They were identified as Abid, Nadeem, Sardar Hussain and Javed. Read less...

another Pakistani national, Nadeem Akhtar (46) who lives in Maryland outside Washington was sentenced to 37 months in a US prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to illegally transfer nuclear-related materials to Pakistan from the US, reported Dawn. Akhtar took direction from the owner of a trading company in Karachi who had business relationships with a Pakistani Government entity. He admitted that he and his conspirators from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and New York used his company to obtain or attempt to get various nuclear-related devices and equipment from 2005 to 2010 and he misrepresented what they were and to whom they would be sold, the Justice Department said. The items, which included radiation detection devices, resins for coolant water purification and calibration and switching equipment, had a value of more than USD 400,000. Read less...

At least six militants were killed and 12 got injured on January 6 after Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) and its rival Zakhakhel tribal force exchanged gunfire to gain control of a key base in Bazaar Zakhakhel area of Landikotal in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reported Dawn. The injured included six fighters of the militant outfit and six Zakhakhel force volunteers. Read less...

carrying out raids in different areas, Police arrested up to 50 suspects for questioning in connection to the January 5, 2011 abduction of Khalil Ahmed Dale, a British employee of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from Quetta, reports Express Tribune. However, Law Enforcing Agencies (LEAs) have failed to find any clue about the whereabouts of the abducted official. Read less...

Malik Perveiz Rafique, a Member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) had demanded that the Government do more to provide security to the minorities and their worship places. He had also appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to act against the clerics who were publically supporting Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed killer of former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer. Rafique regretted that Qadri was given ‘protocol’ in jail, while Aasia Bibi’s life was in the ‘barrack.’ Read less...

militants blow up a Government girls’ school in Ibrahimzai area of Charsadda District by triggering an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The blast damaged the school’s boundary wall, rooms, furniture and documents. Read less...

Militants bombed science laboratory of Government High School in Miramshah of North Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in the night of January 6, reports Dawn. Read less...

On January 6, a Pakistani national, identified as Irfan ul Haq (37) was sentenced to 50 months in prison for conspiring to smuggle a member of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit into the United States (US), reports Indian Express. “Irfan conspired with others to smuggle into the US an individual who was believed to be a member of a Foreign Terrorist Organisation,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A Breuer, after the sentencing was announced by a US District Court. Earlier, two other Pakistani nationals Qasim Ali (32) and Zahid Yousaf (43) were sentenced respectively to 40 months and 36 months in prison in the same incident. The three were arrested in Miami in March 2011 after accepting payment and procuring a fake Pakistani passport for the TTP member. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Gillies said that Haq and his co-conspirators sought to smuggle men into the US and did not care if they came here to “blow up” something as long as they got paid. Haq told the federal informants it was not his concern what the purported member of the TTP wanted to do in the US, saying if they want to do “ hard labor, sweep floors, wash dishes in a hotel, or blow up. That will be up to them,” court documents said. “Today’s sentence successfully brings to a close our prosecution of three criminals who aimed to use their human smuggling network to help a person who they believed to be a terrorist infiltrate our homeland,” said US Attorney Ronald Machen, adding, “We have demonstrated our ability to dismantle human smuggling operations throughout the world when they threaten our national security”. Read less...

On January 6, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) directed all exchange companies to follow the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regime by submitting suspicious transactions manually or electronically directly to the Financial Monitoring Unit, reports Dawn. A United States (US) Treasury delegation will meet senior economic managers in Islamabad on January 9 to exchange views on the problem of money-laundering and terrorists funding. Finance Ministry and State Bank officials said the US delegation comprising four to five officials would hold talks with Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, SBP Governor Yaseen Anwar and other officials. Pakistan drew a lot of attention on the issue of money-laundering and terrorists funding since 9/11, but it was never found involved in any crime. Transactions within and outside Pakistan are under harsh scrutiny. Under the Anti-Money Laundering Ordinance promulgated in 2007, money-laundering is a punishable offence, with a rigorous imprisonment term between one and 10 years, a fine of up to one million rupees and forfeiture of property. Read less...

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif demanded an immediate end to military operations in Balochistan and said that an All Parties Conference will be convened soon in Islamabad to discuss the situation in the province and to find ways of resolving the crisis the seed of which had been sown by the regime of Pervez Musharraf, reported Dawn. Read less...

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Member of National Assembly (MNA) Afzal Nadeem Chan said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI) were active in Balochistan while the civilian government had no say in the provincial affairs, reports Daily Times. Chan said that everyone knew it well that who was in control of the Balochistan affairs, but no one dare say it in open. “I am saying that ISI and MI are controlling the provinces and I am not afraid of paying a price for it,” Chan said. Read less...

Planning and Development Minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor on January 6 said that peace and order in the province could not be guaranteed if blasphemy against the Holy Prophet continued, reported Express Tribune. He said the faithful would not always wait for court orders in such cases. Ghafoor suggested that the minority members should wait until the court decided Aasia Bibi’s fate. He said, “If blasphemers continue, the society will produce another Ghazi Ilmuddin Shaheed.” Read less...

Supporters of the People’s Aman Committee (PAC) clashed with the Police on II Chundrigar Road in Karachi during a protest rally that was making its way towards Bilawal House to express their grievances on January 6, reported Dawn. Police used tear gas shells to disperse the protestors. Many of the protestors were reportedly armed and as a result there was also an exchange of fire during the clashes. A number of people were reportedly injured during the clashes. Read less...

the construction of 22 school buildings to replace structures destroyed by militants in Swat should be completed by the end of January, Shakeel Qadir Khan, Managing Director, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said, reports Central Asia online. The completion of the school buildings would benefit thousands of Swat students whom militants have deprived of an education, Khan said. A total of 183 school buildings are being constructed across Swat, he said, with financial assistance provided by international donors. Most of those 183 buildings will be ready by the end of 2012, he added. Read less...

the head of a peace committee, identified as Malik Mohammad Ali Haleemzai, remained unhurt in a blast targeting him in Sangar Khwar area of Mohmand Agency. Read less...

The National Assembly was told on January 6 that about five million illegal immigrants were residing in different parts of the country due to local and regional disturbances, reported Daily Times. In a written statement, the Ministry of Interior told the National Assembly that out of the five million illegal immigrants, approximately two million were Bangladeshis, 2.5 million were Afghans, and 0.5 million other nationals, including Africans, Iranians, Iraqis and Myanmarese, who had been living in the country for more than three decades. The main reasons for these illegal immigrants was said to be partition of Pakistan in 1971, Cold War in Afghanistan in 1980’s, poor law and order situation in Iraq, and the availability of safe havens in Pakistan. The Interior Ministry said that the friendly policies and international obligations of Pakistan to accommodate Afghan refugees was another reason for illegal immigrants in the country. Read less...

A Melbourne-based Pakistani student, Salman Ghumman (23), was deported on January 7 on security grounds after being questioned by Australian security intelligence officials over his suspect phone calls to Pakistan, reports The Indian Express. Ghumman was detained last month by immigration officials after several months of questioning by Australian Security Intelligence Organisation officials over suspect phone calls made to Pakistan and why he was in Australia. His father Manzoor Hussain Ghumman, a retired Pakistani Air Force officer, was quoted by the paper as saying that the family was concerned about his son’s fate if he be picked up and questioned by Pakistani security services. Ghumman said he feared his son had been unfairly targeted because the family had donated money to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a frontal organisation believed to be the charity arm of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). Ghumman, who arrived in Australia in July 2010 to study accounting at the Melbourne Institute of Technology, said he was mortified at his situation and was determined to clear his name and return to Australia to complete an accounting degree at La Trobe University. Read less...

militants fired rockets at the Tochi Scout camp in Miramshah town on January 7. The rockets landed in the nearby fields and did not cause damage to the camp. Read less...

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) on January 7 claimed to have killed an alleged Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Balochistan Chapter ‘chief’ Syed Yasin Shah alias Asghar Baloch and arrested his accomplice, Syed Yar Shan, in a brief encounter near Rasheed Minhas Road at Sharah-e-Faisal Police limits of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, reports Daily Times. The CID team also recovered weapons and a car from the place. He said that the slain leader was involved in several heinous crimes, including target killings, mobile franchises attacks, grenade attacks etc. Read less...

The Defence of Pakistan Council (DPC) on January 7 warned of countrywide protests if the Government reopens supply routes for allied forces stationed in neighbouring Afghanistan, reports Daily Times. The DPC, which comprises the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (Frontal organisation of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan) and others, made the demand in a joint declaration adopted at a meeting between the top leadership in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by DPC Chairman and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sameeul Haq (JUI-S) chief Maulana Samee-ul-Haq, Gen (r) Hameed Gul, JI chief Syed Munwar Hassan, JuD chief Professor Saeed Ahmad, Pakistan Awami League chief Sheikh Rasheed, Pakistan Muslim League-Zia-ul-Haq leader Ijaz ul Haq, Abdul Rasheed Turabi, Jamiat Al-Hadith General Secretary Abtisam Elahi, Ghulam Mustafa Jadoon and Hafiz Abdur Rehman. Addressing a news conference, DPC leaders warned they would resist any move by the Government to reopen NATO supply routes. They added that a mass awareness campaign would be launched against the “terrorism” being “covertly sponsored” by India and the United States in the country. DPC leaders said that the meetings would be held in Rawalpindi on January 22, Multan on January 29 and Karachi on February 12. Read less...

Unidentified militants blew up an 18-inch diameter gas pipeline in Ghot Jani Khan area under Malagzad Police Station of Jaffarabad District in Balochistan on January 7, reports The Express Tribune. The gas supply was disconnected from the main pipeline that feeds Sindh. Read less...

A former activist of Sunni Tehreek (ST), identified ad Abdul Aziz alias Bhayya (36), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in an incident target killing at Tonga Stand Street, Jutt Lines within the precincts of Brigade Police Station on January 8, reported Daily Times. Investigation Officer Sub Inspector (SI) Asif said that the victim quit ST one year ago and was working as a painter. Read less...

A nearly two-month lull in American drone strikes in Pakistan since November 17, has helped embolden al Qaeda and several Pakistani militant factions to regroup, increase attacks on Pakistani Security Forces and threaten intensified strikes against allied forces in Afghanistan, the New York Times reported on January 8 citing US and Pakistani officials. The insurgents are increasingly taking advantage of tensions raised by an American air strike in November 26 that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in two border outposts in Mohamad Agency, plunging relations between the two countries to new depths. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), hoping to avoid making matters worse while Pakistan completes a wide-ranging review of its security relationship with the United States, has not conducted a drone strike since mid-November, the newspaper said. Over all, drone strikes in Pakistan dropped to 64 last year, compared with 117 in 2010, according to The Long War Journal, a website that monitors the attacks. Read less...

American intelligence agency CIA has failed to eliminate more than four al Qaeda leaders in its highly costly and controversial ‘assassination by drones’ campaign inside Pakistan during 2011, revealed an annual report compiled by Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC) on drone attacks, reports Daily Times. CMC, an independent research centre, which regularly monitors drone attacks in Pakistan, has prepared an annual report (2011) on drone attacks inside Pakistani territory. The report notes 43 percent decline in drone attacks during 2011 than 2010. CIA had conducted 132 drone attacks in 2010. The number of fatalities in drone attacks has also dropped by 35 percent. US had carried out 75 drone attacks inside Pakistan during the year 2011 killing 609 people. Among them only three were Arab commanders of al Qaeda; one was UK’s most wanted and just four were senior commanders of different factions of Pakistani militants, the report said, adding that the rest were innocents. American drones fired 242 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles during the year and destroyed 38 houses, 37 vehicles, one camp and a seminary. One such missile costs for $68000 which means the CIA spent $16.456 million or Rs 1.5 billion to kill 609 people. In average, ammunition cost of every single casualty was $27000 or Rs 2.4 million. If other expenses are included the overall cost of killing one suspected militant will further rise. It may become point of concern for American taxpayer that such a huge amount of money was spent just to eliminate four al Qaeda leaders and four Taliban commanders. The report said drone strikes also strained US-Pak relations. Read less...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Culture Mian Iftikhar Hussain on January 8 said the US-Taliban talks could not produce any result without the participation of all stakeholders, reports The News. “Lasting peace cannot be restored in the region without taking all the stakeholders into confidence. Any negotiated settlement of the ongoing conflict is impossible without overcoming the trust deficit among all the stakeholders, including the US, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Taliban,” he remarked. Mian Iftikhar said the Awami National Party-led provincial Government was ready for talks with militants if they laid down arms, accepted the writ of Government and abandoned sabotage activities. Read less...

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on January 8 questioned the failure of the judiciary to take action against former President General Pervez Musharraf despite Benazir Bhutto holding the ex-military ruler responsible if she is killed, reports Indian Express. In an interview to Geo TV, the President referred to an e-mail Benazir Bhutto sent in October 2007 to United States (US) journalist Mark Siegel, where she said that in case of her assassination Musharraf should be held responsible. "He (Pervez Musharraf) will be responsible; he is part of the FIR. Why is the judge not taking actions against him?” said President Zardari, adding, "I ask Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry what has happened to case? The courts are not under me." Zardari said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had submitted the challans with the court and asked why four judges had been changed during the course of hearing. Read less...

Security agencies want the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to abandon their strongholds of Orakzai and Khyber Agencies of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) for a possible truce but are not keen to wrench back the control of other lawless tribal regions from the TTP, The Express Tribune reported on January 8. Officials and TTP affiliates told The Express Tribune on January 6 that the militants were being pushed to vacate Orakzai Agency because of its close proximity to the garrison city of Kohat. “We don’t want to run unnecessary risk. If we tolerate the Taliban presence, it will be a strategic mistake. We will be on their target, if things go wrong again in the future,” said an official privy to the ongoing peace talks between the militants and security agencies. Same is true for Khyber Agency, which borders Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that has borne the brunt of the war on terror in the past three years, the official said. “We cannot continue to allow them to maintain a presence near our cities from where they can plan and mount attacks,” the official added. Both sides, however, said that the military was not keen on regaining complete control of other tribal regions, which are controlled by the TTP or its splinters including South Waziristan, Bajaur and Mohmand – the regions that share borders with Afghanistan. Read less...

The members of the National Assembly’s special all-party committee on law and order will visit Quetta on January 10 to receive a briefing from senior officials of the provincial administration and law-enforcement agencies on the issue of sectarian killings in Balochistan, reports Dawn. The 17-member committee formed by Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza with a special focus on the issues of target killings in Karachi and sectarianism in Balochistan in line with the motion adopted by the National Assembly on August 12 is headed by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Sources in the Government said Federal Minister of Interior Rehman Malik had also been directed to attend the meeting to be held at the Governor House in Quetta on January 10 and 11. Read less...

a man, identified as Asif (32), was shot dead two unknown militants near Pehalwan Goth within the jurisdiction of Gulistan-e-Jauhar Police Station while he was on his way home. Read less...

a passer-by, identified as Sohail, was injured when a bomb planted on the roadside exploded at Ali Masjid, reports Dawn. Officials said that khasadar force reached the area soon after the blast and conducted a search operation. Read less...

According to the confessional statement of a naval officer, Mohammad Israrul Haq, who was sentenced to 15-year imprisonment on May 6, 2010, for planning a series of attacks on important naval installations, the National Defence University (NDU), and for taking hostages, the al Qaeda was planning to hold hostage senior officers at the NDU and use them to negotiate the release of detained militants, besides attacking the Naval Headquarters and targeting other important buildings of the navy, reported Dawn on January 9 (today). In his statement, the accused admitted to meeting al Qaeda members in Makeen area of South Waziristan Agency and Angoor Adda, the border area of South Waziristan Agency and Afghanistan’s Paktika province, where they discussed the locations of important naval installations. He also said that Zafar Iqbal, a son of another former naval officer had introduced him to Azmy, a local al Qaeda leader who was living in Makeen. Azmy planned a series of attacks on naval offices but after he died in a drone attack, Sheikh Ahmed replaced him. The location for the meetings then shifted from Makeen to near Angoor Adda in Afghanistan. Read less...

Arshad Khan who was injured in a blast targeting a local jirga (council) on December 31 in Khugakhel area of Landi Kotal in Khyber Agency, succumbed to his injuries in a Peshawar hospital, reports Daily Times. The blast had left four schoolchildren dead and at least 16 persons, including Mr Arshad, injured. Read less...

Assistant Police Inspector (ASI) Anwar Sheikh (40) of the Foreign Security Cell deployed at the American Consulate was shot dead by unknown armed assailants at the consulate situated within Jackson Police precincts. Read less...

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, expressing concern over the worsening law and order situation in Balochistan, on January 9 observed that the number of missing persons in the province was increasing day by day, reported Daily Times. He said that uncertainty prevailed in the province as bullet-riddled bodies were found every day. The Chief Justice observed that the personnel of the Law Enforcement Agencies were also being targeted in such incidents. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said that if the authorities had closed their eyes over the situation, then the court would be compelled to interfere in the matter. The court also inquired about the arrest of those persons, who were attacking the Hazara community. The court, adjourning the hearing of the case, sought a comprehensive report from the Balochistan Chief Secretary about worsening law and order until January 16. According to an earlier report submitted by the chief secretary, 181 bodies were recovered in three years. Read less...

different departments of the Sindh Police claimed to have arrested two target killers and an extortionist in separate raid in Karachi. Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and Bahadurabad Police in a joint raid claimed to have arrested an extortionist Allah Ditta from Gizri area of Defence. Official sources said that the detained person collected around PKR 10 million as extortion money from trader Muhammad Yousuf on December 20, 2011. His other accomplice Owais alias Momin managed to flee during the raid. Read less...

Former Chairman of the Punjab Bar Council’s Executive Committee, Advocate Chaudhry Nasrullah Warraich, was shot dead by unidentified militants in Lahore District on January 9, reports Daily Times. Police said some unidentified militants visited Nasrullah Warraich’s house, and enquired about his son Mansoor. Nasrullah responded, and as he turned back, the accused opened fire and fled. Read less...

Four people, including a Police Officer and a member of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Elders Committee, were shot dead in Karachi in separate acts of violence on January 9, reports Daily Times. A shia man, identified as Syed Qalb-e-Abbas Rizvi, who was also the member of MQM Elders Committee succumbed to his injuries. Surjani Police said that the victim had been shot and injured on January 7 by unidentified armed assailants while at a general store in Surjani Town. Police initially believe that it was an act of sectarian killing. Read less...

hundreds of protesters closed the Kohat-Hangu highway against the killing of a prominent member of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). Sources said that Abdul Wahab, a cadre of SSP and Sunni Supreme Council, was abducted from the station area of Hangu on December 31, 2011. They said that his body was recovered from Matni area near Darra Adamkhel. Read less...

in Landi Kotal, unidentified assailants abducted a transporter, Niamat Wali, at gunpoint in front of his house from Kuktarhel area at around 9pm. Sources said that Niamat Wali was allegedly involved in stealing goods from NATO containers. Read less...

Police found an unidentified bullet-riddled body of a youngster from old Truck Stand within the precincts of Kalri Police Station. Read less...

Superintendent of Police (SP) Mazhar Mashwani of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), along with his team conducted a raid at Regal Chowk, Saddar and arrested two target killers namely Fahim and Shakeel, besides recovering their weapons. He said the accused persons during initial course of investigation confessed to have killed three persons, including two within Kalakot Police precincts and one in Kharadar over non-payment of extortion. The accused were reportedly involved in several crimes, including extortion, target killing and abductions, and they belong to one of the notorious Lyari gangs. Read less...

The dead bodies of 10 Frontier Constabulary (FCB) paramilitary troops were recovered from in Dabori town of Orakzai Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 9, reports Dawn. One security official said 23 soldiers were attacked late in the night on December 21 by nearly 100 heavily armed militants. “They killed 13 soldiers and took away 10 others. The bodies (of the 10) were found in Dabori today,” said another source on condition of anonymity. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the killings. TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan in a phone call to Reuters said that his men were behind the December 21, 2011 attack. “We take responsibility for killing the 10 soldiers whose bodies have been recovered from Orakzai.” “This is an exchange of bodies with them, as they killed 10 of our people and we have responded with killing 10 of their men,” he added Read less...

the dead body of a man was found near the Pehur High Level Canal in the jurisdiction of City Police Station in Topi tehsil (revenue unit) of Swabi District. Read less...

The Express Tribune reported in January 9 that the al Qaeda continues to preach jihad (holy war) in Pakistan through an Urdu monthly magazine, Hiteen. The 200-page magazine, Hiteen, is delivered by post to not only the Deobandis but also to Ahl-e-Hadith and Barelvis to convert them to al Qaeda’s point of view. Hiteen, the battlefield where Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi defeated the Crusaders, was started in June 2011, a month after Osama Bin Laden’s killing. The magazine has stories which preach jihad and praise Bin Laden. The seventh edition which was sent out last month opens with an essay, Matyrdom of Sheikh Osama bin Laden and the International Jihad Movement. The magazine has the ‘sayings’ of Mullah Omar and some al Qaeda leaders. There is also an interview with Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Rehman Al Husnain, who was once part of Kuwait’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, but has now joined al Qaeda. There is a fatwa by Muhammad Waliullah Hussain of the Jama’at-ul-Uloom-ul Islami, which declares that there is no bar on Muslims looting goods from NATO containers. Hiteen does not carry the name of the editor, the only way to send feedback is through two email addresses. An editorial in the magazine says that it is not true that the mission of the ‘mujahedeen’, (holy warrior) has been damaged with Bin Laden’s death. The mujahedeen are still fighting with their full strength. It advises readers not to pay attention to the ‘false reports about mujahedeen from the hypocritical media’ and to continue the struggle. The fight, it says, will continue till the United States (US) is removed from Muslim countries and an Islamic Caliphate is established. An anonymous essay speaks of the need for another Bin Laden who would fight non-Muslims and defend the Muslims. The magazine thanks the many wings of al Qaeda all over the world. A Police Officer of the Counter Terrorism Department, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that they had knowledge of the magazine and that copies of it were in their record and would soon discover who was responsible for publishing and circulating it. Read less...

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on January 9 voiced concern at the reports of a number of journalists facing threats in recent weeks and asked the authorities to ensure that threats to journalists end, reports Daily Times. A statement issued in Lahore District by HRCP said, “The HRCP is alarmed at reports of threats received by journalists on account of their work. While it is not uncommon for journalists in Pakistan to live under a constant cloud of intimidation and violence, the perceptible increase in threats is manifested by over a dozen journalists killed in 2011, while many others have been forced to go into hiding. Many have exercised self-censorship for the sake of safety and others have suffered for airing views that are unpopular in some quarters. A number of journalists have recently gone public about the threats they have received from ‘anonymous callers’. They have also mentioned cell phone numbers of the callers but little has been done to identify or prosecute these people. A Government committed to media freedom must neither remain a spectator in the circumstances nor wait to be implored into action.” Further the report stated, “HRCP wants to remind the authorities that for two years now Pakistan has held the dubious distinction of being one of the deadliest countries for journalists. HRCP reiterates that those making threats and perpetrating violence against journalists are encouraged by the fact that out of over 70 journalists killed in Pakistan in the last decade, the perpetrators have been brought to justice in only one case.” HRCP urged all state institutions to acknowledge the dangers faced by the journalists, identify and prosecute those threatening media persons on account of their work and ensure that journalism does not remain a dangerous profession in Pakistan. Read less...

unidentified militants blew up a NATO oil supplying tanker at village Mian Khel on Shalman Road. The Afghanistan-bound oil tanker was parked at Mian Khel village when the militants detonated explosive material planted on the tanker. No loss of life was reported although the vehicle was completely damaged in the explosion. Read less...

Unknown motorcyclists shot dead a Mehsud tribesman, Sher Mohammad, in Jafarabad Colony in the limits of Dera Township Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 9, reports Dawn. Read less...

A bomb hoax at Atif Aslam concert held at the Al Hamra Cultural Complex in Lahore led to a stampede that killed three girls and injured five others, reported Express Tribune. The deceased girls were identified as Maheen Naseem (17), Sara Nawaz (22) and Nimra (16). There were reportedly between 6000 and 7000 girls at the concert. The stampede was caused when the crowd exiting was told by boys passing by that a bomb was planted at the concert venue, said administration officials of the Punjab Group of Colleges. There was no Police or Al Hamra security inside where guards employed by Punjab Group of Colleges were taking care of the security. Read less...

A Judicial Commission probing the May 30, 2011 murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad, on January 10 submitted its report to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with findings as well as recommendations by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) for the journalist community and financial assistance to Shahzad’s family, reports Express Tribune. The commission was constituted by the Government on June 16, 2011. Shahzad went missing from Islamabad on May 29, 2011 only to be found murdered a day later. Read less...

A powerful bomb planted in a pick-up van exploded at a petrol station in Jamrud bazaar in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), killing 35 persons, four of them Khasadar personnel, and injuring 78 others on January 10, reports Dawn. The bomb was triggered by remote control. Senior Administration Official Shakeel Khan Umarzai, put the death toll at 35 and the number of injured at 69 while 11 of them were in critical condition. Officials said the pick-up was removed by the Khasadar personnel from near a vegetable market and parked at the fuel station, adjacent to a taxi stand. About an hour later, the pick-up exploded. The blast destroyed several kiosks, six vehicles and the filling station. Khyber Agency Administrator Mutahir Zeb said it appeared that Zakhakhel tribe which had formed a lashkar (militia) against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in the area was the target. The incident could be a reaction to a military operation under way in Khyber Agency, particularly in Bara, added Mutahir Zeb. However, a TTP ‘spokesman’ who identified himself as Mohammad told by phone from an unspecified location that his organisation had not carried out the attack. Read less...

a tribesman was killed in crossfire between militants and SFs in Mian Mandi Bazaar of Mohmand Agency. Read less...

A worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), identified as Ahmed (31), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in an act of target killing while two others, Nadir Bharam (25) and Imran (32), sustained injuries in the same incident at Cantt Bazaar within Shah Faisal Colony in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on January 10, reports Daily Times. Tension prevailed in Shah Faisal Colony over the incident. Nadir Bharam was also an active member of MQM. Read less...

Abdullah Khorasani, a militant who acted as a senior operations organiser for al Qaeda was targeted and killed in one of the two United States (US) drone strikes launched on January 10 on a compound near the town of Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Dawn quoting an unnamed US official reported. US and Pakistani sources told Reuters that the target of the attack was Aslam Awan, a Pakistani national from Abbottabad, the same town where Osama bin Laden was killed last May 1-2, 2011. The sources described Awan, who also was known by the nom-de-guerre Abdullah Khorasani, as a significant figure in the remaining core leadership of al Qaeda. However, Pakistani officials could not confirm that Awan was killed in the drone attack, but the US official said he was. Read less...

after a lull of about 55 days, the United States (US) resumed its drone operation by killing four suspected militants in the out skirts of Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency. The missiles struck a compound and triggered a fire in the building. The strike was the first since US-Pakistan relations plunged to their lowest level after the November 26 helicopter strikes on a border check post which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Read less...

an explosion at a market injured seven persons and caused damage as many shops in Landi Kotal of Khyber Agency. The blast occurred after evening prayers when all the shops were closed. Read less...

In Akkakhel area, two women received injuries when two mortar shells fell on the houses of Khyber Khan and Ambel Khan. Read less...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on January 10 said that students are future of the country and any nation can’t compromise on its future, reports Dawn. The Chief Minister said that education was an effective weapon for defeating extremism. Investment in education is a guarantee of stable and brighter future, he told a function in Peshawar to give away medals and cash awards to position holders of all eight boards of the province in SSC and HSSC examinations. Read less...

KP Minister of Higher Education Qazi Muhammad Asad said that out of USD 200 billion, only one percent was allocated to the education sector per annum. Speaking at a parents’ day ceremony at Government High School Haripur, the minister said an educated society finds the route towards advancement, and ensures a brighter future for its coming generations, reports Daily Times. Asad granted PKR one million and approved extending higher secondary block of the school. Read less...

Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on January 10 said that there was no proposal under consideration to link transfer of civil nuclear technology with the resumption of NATO supply, reports Daily Times. Talking to reporters after briefing the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) meeting, she said that Pakistan and the United States need each other and their relations were not limited to economic ties. FM said that the PCNS has adopted most of the recommendations of the Envoy’s Conference recently held in the federal capital. “The relations with the US and the NATO will be reviewed in accordance with the mandate given by the committee,” she added. Read less...

one child was killed another two got injured when a mortar shell landed in a playground in Spin Qabar area. Read less...

Police found an unidentified body of a woman cut into six pieces at Shaheed-e-Millat Road within the remit of Firozabad Police Station in Karachi on January 10, reported Daily Times. Read less...

Rangers conducted a raid in Hasrat Mohani Colony, Pak Colony area and arrested three suspects besides recovering three pistols from their possession. Sources said that accused belonged to a political party but they did not show their identities. Read less...

the Crime Investigation Department (CID) claimed to have arrested an activist of a Sindh National Party (SNP), identified as Saifal Bugti alias Suriya over the charge of committing terrorist activities in Sindh from Quaid-e-Azam Park located in Gulshan-e-Hadeed area in Steel Town of Karachi. The Police also recovered a TT pistol and several rounds of bullets from his possession. During initial course of investigation the accused revealed that one Shafiq Burfat associated with the SNP decided to start struggle for separating Sindh and for the purpose he directed Bugti to indulge in terrorist activities in Sindh. He said Burfat was running active terrorist network in interior Sindh. According to details, Bugti along with his other accomplices, including Asghar Ali Shah, Nisar, Nawaz Chandio, Maqbool and Ghulam Rasool blew up the railway track at Dhabejee in Mirpur Bathoro tehsil (revenue unit) in Thatta District. Read less...

The death of a senior al Qaeda leader in a US drone strike in the out skirts of Miranshah in the North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 10, the first strike in almost two months, signalled that the US-Pakistan intelligence partnership is still in operation despite political tensions, reports Dawn. The January 10 strike — and its follow-up two days later — were joint operations, a Pakistani security source based in the tribal areas said. They made use of Pakistani “spotters” on the ground and demonstrated a level of coordination that both sides have sought to downplay since tensions first erupted in January 2011 with the killing of two Pakistanis by a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor Raymond Davis in Lahore. “Our working relationship is a bit different from our political relationship,” the source said. “It’s more productive.” Read less...

unidentified assailants shot dead Haji Kaleem, commander of Akkakhel peace committee for Margatkhel area in Khyber Agency. Read less...

Unidentified militants blew up a Government school in the remote Haji Nadir Shah Kallay in Zakhakhel Bazaar area. Read less...

a former lieutenant commander of Pakistan Navy, identified as Asghar Ali Dogar, now heading the Security Department of a private hospital who was shot and injured in Korangi area on the night of January 11 succumbed to his injuries Read less...

a grand Jirga (council) of Utmankhel Qaumi Movement (UQM) demanded complete educational facilities for girls at Utmankhel Tapa in Bajaur, Malakand and Mohmand agencies. According to a press release, the Jirga was held at the remote Khanori village in Malakand Agency on January 10 and was attended by 200 elders of Utmankhel Tribe from Selai Patay, Badama, Dherai, Seend Ghara and Kot Manzaray Baba villages. Read less...

a head constable, identified as Sher Afzal Mehsud alias Dali (35), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in Muzaffarabad Colony within the jurisdiction of Quaidabad Police Station while was sitting in front of his house. Read less...

a hujra (guesthouse) of former Union Nazim Johar Mohammad (Advocate) was partially damaged in an explosion on January 11 in Dallokhel village of Lakki Marwat District. Read less...

At least 11 militants were killed and six others got injured when jet fighters pounded their hideouts in Jabba, Toor Semath, Akhunkot, and Mir Qalamkhel localities in Mamozai tehsil (revenue unit) in Orakzai Agency of Federally Administered Tribal areas (FATA) on January 11, reports Dawn. Four hideouts were destroyed. Read less...

At least 14 of Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, including two junior commissioned officers, were killed in an ambush in the Wakai area near Nawano check post in Turbat city of Turbat District on January 11, reports Daily Times. Sources in Balochistan Levies said that a group of armed militants attacked two vehicles in the mountainous area firing rockets at the vehicles. Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for the attack. Read less...

Interior Minister Rehman Malik on January 11 constituted a task force for early implementation of matters regarding Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package (AHBP). The Interior Secretary will head the task force, while additional secretaries of concerned ministries would be its members. According to Interior Ministry, keeping in view the complaints from various quarters from Balochistan, a close monitoring system needed to be evolved to check day-to-day progress of the implementation by concerned ministries and departments. The Minister said that it was decided that the concerned ministries would prepare their suggestions to evolve a system for a more expeditious and result-oriented mechanism for implementation of the AHBP. Rehman Malik said that the Coast Guards and Frontier Constabulary (FCB) would not establish any check post on RCD or Bolan Highway. The minister said that the provincial police chief had been directed to constitute a force to protect Federal Areas in the province. A Special Police Force for patrolling on highways would also be established. It was also decided that all the ministries would release annual. Read less...

Paris-based global media rights group Reporters without Borders (RSF) and Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) jointly held six safety-training sessions for over 90 journalists in Peshawar, reports Daily Times. Pakistan was the world’s deadliest country for journalists for the second year running in 2011. Ten journalists were killed in the country last year, three of them in the tribal areas in the northwest of the country. A total of 11 journalists from the tribal areas have been killed since 2005. Reporters from Khyber, Kurram, Bajaur, Orakzai, Mohmand, North Waziristan and South Waziristan Agencies attended the six one-day sessions that were held at the TUJ’s headquarters from November 1 to December 4 Read less...

persons displaced from Bara tehsil and currently sheltering in tents and rented houses have complained of prolonged curfew and closure of Bara bazaar, educational institutions and hospitals, and demanded an early end to ongoing military offensive in their area to ease their misery, reports Dawn. The complaint was shared with the media by the elders of Afridi tribe during `Khyber Qaumi Jirga` at the Peshawar Press Club. Noted among tribal elders were Shah Faisal Afridi, Sohbat Khan Afridi, Samiullah Afridi Advocate, Haji Mohkam Afridi, Mir Akbar and Haji Hannan Afridi during the Tehreek-e-Mutasireen Bara event. Read less...

Rafiq alias Akhlaq, head of a militant group Jundul Khyber, was killed by the cadres of Ansarul Islam (AI) in Bagh locality of the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency, reports The News. The sources said that Akhlaq had abducted an associate of the rival Tariq Afridi group, a commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and imprisoned him at his Hujra (guest House) in Narkhaw area of Maidan being controlled by AI. The TTP asked the AI that one of its fighters had been detained by Akhlaq and sought their help to get the captive released. The sources added that members of the AI raided the Hujra of Akhlaq two days back and got the ‘prisoner’ released, which infuriated Akhlaq. The sources said that Akhlaq hurled a hand-grenade and opened fire on the AI men that led to an exchange of fire. In the ensuing firefight, Akhlaq was killed. Three of his associates were also captured by the AI cadres. Akhlaq was appointed as ‘chief’ of Jundul Khyber in May 2010 after ‘Commander’ Adnan Afridi parted ways with the TTP. Adnan had developed differences with the TTP leadership over the killing of his associates by Tariq Afridi. On October 29, 2010, the bullet-riddled body of Adnan was found in Rawalpindi. Read less...

The Army on January 11 warned of “serious ramifications” and “consequences” for the country over Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s allegations that the Army Chief and the ISI Director General “unconstitutionally” submitted their response in the memo scandal to the Supreme Court, reports Daily Times. In an interview to China’s People’s Daily Online, the Prime Minister termed the affidavits submitted by Army Chief and ISI to the court “unconstitutional and illegal”. “There can be no allegation more serious than what the honourable prime minister has leveled against COAS and DG ISI and has unfortunately charged the officers for violation of the constitution. This has very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country”, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Earlier, PM Yousuf Raza Gilani sacked Secretary Defence Khalid Naeem Lodhi and handed over the additional charge of secretary defence to Nargis Sethi. Prime Minister Gilani’s office said in a statement that Lodhi was fired for “gross misconduct and illegal action which created misunderstanding” between state institutions. In a related development, the Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani summoned an emergency meeting of the corps commanders. Dawn quoted sources as saying that the military high command had appointed Brigadier Sarfaraz Ali commander of the 111 brigade. Pakistan Army changed the commander of a Rawalpindi-based unit that has traditionally played a vital role in military coups as Army Chief Kayani gathered his key aides to assess an escalation in tensions with the civilian Government. Brigadier Sarfaraz Ali was named the new commander of the 111 Brigade, an infantry formation that is part of the X Corps and has usually been called out during past military takeovers to take over key buildings and installations in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, sources said. Read less...

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) Senator Mian Raza Rabbani said on January 11 that the committee had proposed 35 consensus recommendations to review relations with the United States (US), NATO and the country’s foreign policy, reported Daily Times. “The committee has proposed 16 main and 19 sub-recommendations to review overall terms of engagements with US, NATO, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the country’s foreign policy,” Rabbani said. These recommendations would now be sent to the speaker of the National Assembly, while another copy would be dispatched to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. Read less...

The Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) is likely to hand over to the Government on January 11 (today) its report comprising recommendations on new terms of engagement with the United States (US) and NATO and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the war on terror and broad outlines of the country’s relations with Afghanistan and India, reported Dawn. The 17-member committee was tasked with formulating new terms of engagement with the US and NATO after the November 26, 2011 attack in the Mohmand Agency that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who represented the Foreign Office during the committee’s deliberations, told reporters that the Government was seeking the Parliament’s wisdom and would reframe its foreign policy in accordance with the mandate given by the PCNS. PCNS chairman Senator Raza Rabbani said, “We will give a broad outline for terms of engagement with the US and other countries, without going into details which was the prerogative of the Foreign Office and the Government.” Read less...

the Pentagon said the US military Chief General Martin Dempsey had telephoned General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani but the United States neither sought nor received any assurance from the Pakistani military that it would not stage a coup. At a Pentagon briefing, US defence officials also said a conflict between civilian and military establishments would not necessarily affect Pakistan’s ties with the United States. Read less...

The United States (US) Embassy in Pakistan said on January 11 that it gave money to Sunni Ittehada Council (SIC), a Pakistani Muslim group that organized anti-Taliban rallies, but which later demonstrated in support of an extremist who killed a leading liberal politician, reported The Times of India. The grant highlights the difficulties facing Washington as it seeks partners to support religious moderation in Pakistan. The US Government website (www.usaspending.gov) shows that the group received USD 36,607 from Washington in 2009. A US diplomat, on the condition of anonymity, said that the embassy had given money to the group to organize the rallies, but that it had since changed direction and leadership. He said it was a one-off grant, and wouldn't be repeated. The SIC was formed in 2009 to counter extremism. It groups politicians and clerics from Pakistan's traditionalist Barelvi Muslim movement, often referred to as theological moderates in the Pakistani context. The American money was used to organize nationwide rallies against militants and suicide bombings, the embassy official said. The demonstrations received widespread media coverage, and were some of the first against extremism in the country. In 2011, however, the council led demonstrations in support of the Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of Salman Taseer, Governor of Punjab who was killed on January 4, 2011, for his criticism of blasphemy laws used to persecute religious minorities. However, two leading members of the council denied receiving any American funds. "This propaganda is being unleashed against us because we are strongly opposed to Western democracy and American policies in the region and in the world," said Sahibzada Fazal Karim, the head of the council, adding, "We are against extremism, but we support Qadri because he did a right thing". Read less...

the United States (US) State Department said that the conflict between the civil and military establishments in Pakistan was the country’s internal matter and it would not like to comment on it. At a briefing in Washington, a State Department official also said the US was not playing any role in removing differences between the civilian Government and the Pakistani military. The official, however, said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was meeting Pakistan’s new envoy to Washington, Sherry Rehman, on January 11 evening and would reiterate the US desire to rebuild its relationship with the country. Read less...

three houses were damaged in Ali Abbas area when five mortar shells were fired at Hangu city from an unspecified location. The mortar shells were fired in a short span of half an hour that caused panic among people of the area. Read less...

Unidentified militants blew up a 132 KV grid station in Matani, a suburban area of Peshawar, causing suspension of power supply to 12 feeders in parts of Peshawar District and Frontier Region, reports Dawn. Officials said that the militants had planted about 10 kilogrammes of explosives at the grid building and detonated them with remote control, which destroyed the supply system. Read less...

Unidentified militants blew up a primary school for girls at Shagai village in Razaar tehsil (revenue unit) of Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 11, reports Dawn. Read less...

United States (US) Consul General William Martin announced USD 10 million in aid on for rehabilitation and provision of educational and health facilities in the Duregi area of Lasbela District. Martin announced the multi-million dollar aid package on behalf of the US Government, while visiting a girl’s primary school in Duregi. “I am pleased to announce USD 10 million aid on behalf of US for the rehabilitation and provision of providing facilities to schools. I will also propose development projects for the area, specifically in the water sector,” said Martin. Read less...

a militant was killed and two hideouts were destroyed during a search operation by SFs in Akakhel area. Two soldiers were also injured during the crossfire. Read less...

a teenage girl, identified as Zahra (17), was killed by a stray bullet in a slum area of Shahzad Moor within the jurisdiction of Pirabad Police Station. Zahra was at her home when a stray bullet hit her head and injured. She succumbed to the injuries. Read less...

another rickshaw driver, Ghulam Rasool, was shot dead near Al Rehmania Mosque within the same police limits by unidentified armed assailants. Angry residents, carrying the body, staged a sit-in and blocked the National Highway. Read less...

At least 15 militants were killed and several others got injured while 3 terrorist hideouts destroyed in an air attack by Security Forces (SFs) in different areas of Orakzai Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 12, reports Daily Times. Read less...

At least 150 militants attacked the Riaz Shaheed Police Post in Sarband area of Peshawar on January 12 injuring nine Security Forces (SFs), reported Express Tribune. In a late night attack on a security check post in Sarband area heavily armed militants opened fire with rocket propelled grenades and other heavy arms. “The Police and Frontier Corps (FC) were pushed back, but we are gearing up for a counter-operation,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Tahir Ayub said, adding, that the attack was in reaction to an operation by SFs which had been launched in Bara-Badhaber area, bordering the Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 12. “We, along with the paramilitary forces, destroyed three of their important hideouts,” said the SSP, confirming the attack by 150 militants and nine injuries of SFs. Read less...

At least seven Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants and three Security Force (SF) personnel were killed in an attack on a c