Pakistan: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2012

a man, identified as Ashraf Khan (47), was killed and another, Sher Khan (43), was injured in a clash between two political parties near Rabia City Apartment in Gulistan-e-Jauhar within the vicinity of Shahrah-e-Faisal Police Station. Police further informed that tension prevailed between both groups over distribution of extortion money. Later, Sher Khan was arrested from the hospital. Read less...

a man, identified as Najeeb Ullah (45), was killed and another, Hijrat Gul (42), injured in Baldia Town within the limits of Baldia Police Station. Read less...

a man, identified as Sabir (55), was killed in Liaquatabad area within the jurisdiction of Liaquatabad Police Station. Read less...

Another man, identified as Abdul Jalil, (43), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants at Chotta Gabol Goth near Super Highway within the jurisdiction of Sohrab Goth Police Station. Read less...

another MQM activist, identified as Hamid (33), was shot dead at Meernaka within the limits of Shershah Police Station. Read less...

Anti Extremist Cell (AEC) of Crime Investigation Department (CID) claimed to have arrested three alleged arms smugglers, Islam, Swabi and Gulzar, and recovered a huge cache of weapons, including one light machine gun (LMG), 30 hand grenades, five Kalashnikovs, 12 repeaters, five TT pistols and several rounds from a passenger bus near Lucky Pahari at Hub River road in the jurisdiction of Mauripur Police Station. Police said initial investigation revealed that they belonged to an inter-provincial arms smuggling group. He informed media that the arms, being transported, were collected from Turbat District in Balochistan to hand over Chacha Ghulam at Yousuf Goth area. Further investigation was underway. Read less...

at least four militants were killed when a United States (US) drone fired four missiles targeting a vehicle in Khwaidadkhel area of Mir Ali tehsil (revenue unit) in North Waziristan Agency, reported Daily Times. Read less...

At least seven militants were killed as troops retaliated after a landmine blast killed a security officer in the Mamozai area of Orakzai Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on October 1, reports Central Asia Online. Sources said one security officer was killed and two others were injured by the roadside blast in the Mamozai area. The security team had been on a routine patrol when their vehicle was attacked. Other Security Forces responded to the attack by using heavy artillery fire on suspected militant hideouts, killing at least seven militants and destroying two hideouts. Read less...

During a Difa-e-Pakistan (DPC) rally in Peshawar on October 1 a former Pakistani legislator and General Secretary of Jama’at Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), Ikramullah Shahid announced a USD 200,000 bounty for the maker of the anti-Islam film released in the United States (us), reports The Express Tribune. “We will award USD 200,000 to anyone who kills the filmmaker,” he said. YouTube has been blocked in Pakistan since almost three weeks because Google refused to block the video in Pakistan. Read less...

Six persons, including two activists of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), were shot dead in separate acts of violence in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on October 1, reported Daily Times. A former unit in-charge of MQM, identified as Akhter Hussain Shah (40), was shot dead at Hangorabad in Lyari within the precincts of Kalri Police Station. Read less...

Two Pakistanis, identified as Noor Muhammad and Abdul Ghafoor, were killed in an alleged incident of firing by NATO forces near Pak-Afghan border in Chaghai District of Balochistan on October 1, reported Daily Times. According to sources, the victims had crossed the Afghan territory for bringing firewood and were on their way back when NATO forces allegedly opened fire on their vehicle. As a result, both victims sustained serious injuries and died immediately. Read less...

unidentified assailants hurled a hand grenade on a cement shop in Bhains Colony area partially damaging the shop. No casualties were reported. Read less...

unidentified assailants hurled two grenades hand grenade at a crush plant situated in Manghopir area of Karachi, on October 1, reports Daily Times. However, no casualties were reported in the attack. According to Police sources, a demand for extortion by some banned religious outfit could be the reason behind the attack. Read less...

unidentified militants blew up a Government Primary School Kamal Khel in Qandaro of Safi tehsil in Mohmand Agency, increasing the number of destroyed schools in the agency so far to 104, Central Asia Online quoting officials reported. Two rooms and the walls of Government Primary School were damaged, Agency Education Officer Said Muhammad Khan told Central Asia Online. Read less...

A firing squad of the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) killed one of its former ‘commanders’, Ghuncha Gul Zakhakhel, in Spin Drand area of Sipah in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on October 2 after keeping him in their custody for almost 18 months, reports Dawn. Sources said the firing squad shot Ghuncha Gul Zakhakhel on the orders of its leader Mangal Bagh. Ghuncha Gul, who was heading his own breakaway group Tawheedul Islam had gone missing in April last year and the LI conceded that he was in their captivity. Roza Gul, an associate of Ghuncha, confirmed the killing and said his group was yet to receive the body. Ghuncha Gul and Mangal Bagh had joined hands after the latter fled from Bara during an operation in 2004 and took shelter in Gogrina village of Zakhakhel Bazaar. Sources said Ghuncha Gul headed a gang of kidnappers before joining Mangal Bagh and he was wanted by the political administration in a number of criminal cases. Ghuncha Gul and his associates developed differences with Mangal over the kidnapping and killing of Zakhakhel cleric Maulana Mohammad Hashim in March 2011. Read less...

A suspected militant was killed while trying to plant a bomb in an oil tin in Badhaber area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on October 2, reports Daily Times. The explosion occurred in Badhaber graveyard killing the man on the spot. Police rushed to the area and defused another bomb in the vicinity and started investigation. Read less...

Another dead body of a political supporter was found in Lasbela area. All three bodies bore marks of torture. According to Police sources all deceased were tortured after being kidnapped and then shot to death. Read less...

Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Sindh Police claimed to have arrested two Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in two separate raids, reports Daily Times. CID’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Fayyaz Khan said that on a tip-off, CID officials conducted raids at Federal Capital Area and Mauripur, arresting two alleged TTP militants Sadiq Mehsud and Shah Alam Mehsud and recovered three pistols, a hand grenade and a cab from their possession. Khan informed media that during preliminary questioning, the militants confessed involvement in various cases of crimes, including target killing, extortion and robberies in the city. Read less...

Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Moazzam Khan while speaking on Pakistan Television (PTV) on October 2 said that stable Afghanistan was in common interest of Pakistan and Russia, as both the countries want peace and stability in the region, reports Dawn. Read less...

Four people were killed in various incidents of violence in Karachi on October 2, reported Dawn. An unidentified man was killed in an incident of firing in Quaidabad area. Read less...

Gawalmandi Police defused a time device planted on the gate of a school on Gordat Singh Road in Quetta. Read less...

Gretchen Peters, of the United States (US) Military Academy at West Point's Combating Terrorism Centre (CTC), who has since 2005 spent considerable time studying the link between organised crime and insurgencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan on October 2 told US Congress of the nexus between the criminal enterprise Dawood Ibrahim company, the Haqqani Network and the Inter-Services Intelligence in Pakistan, reported rediff.com. Peters, whose extensive research on the ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan has also included the Haqqani Network and the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism on 'Combating the Haqqani Terrorist Network,' said, "It is well known that the Haqqanis are the most ruthless and violent faction of the Taliban and also that they have the capacity to launch spectacular attacks." "They have hosted, facilitated and networked with all sorts of bad actors around the region," she said, "and also criminal networks like the Dawood Ibrahim Company." She said, "They do work for the Pakistan Government -- Pakistan's ISI, and they will assassinate people around Afghanistan. They operate very much like a sophisticated transnational Mafia network." Peters however noted that "I believe that their relationship with the ISI, although close --and this is a relationship that has lasted since the 1970s, even prior to the Soviet arrival in Afghanistan -- today, are much more fraught than many outsiders imagine." Read less...

Karachi East Range Police arrested 25 suspects in raids from different parts of the city and recovered weapons, including 8 pistols, 2 revolvers and drugs in huge quantity from them, reported The News. The 25 arrested were involved in murder, attempt to murder and street crimes. Police also recovered from the accused. Read less...

Police foiled a sabotage bid by defusing a five-kilogram bomb at Shaikhan area on the outskirts of Peshawar, reports Dawn. According to Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Shafqat Malik, the head of Bomb Disposal Unit, the bomb was planted near the body of a youth to trap police. He said that it was planted to kill the policemen if they tried to shift the body but terrorists failed to do so as the bomb was defused very carefully. Read less...

Rangers, while conducting an operation, arrested an alleged extortionist near Sea View locality in Defense area and recovered heavy arms and ammunition from a spot, identified by the arrested suspect in Old Golimar area of the city, reported Dawn. Read less...

Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of Police claimed to have arrested an alleged target killer, identified as Farhan alias Funter from Shershah area and recovered arms, including TT pistol and five rounds from his possession. Read less...

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) offer security for Imran Khan's South Waziristan rally, reports The Express Tribune. In a meeting of the TTP, the outfit set aside its earlier plans to send suicide bombers to assassinate PTI chief Imran Khan, during his visit to South Waziristan for a “peace march”. The Express Tribune quoting the UK-based daily The Telegraph said that senior ‘commanders’ of TTP as saying that the group noted Khan’s vehement opposition to US drone strikes against militants in its territory “as it reversed course to offer security assistance.” A TTP spokesperson said, “We are ready to provide them security if they need. We endorse Imran Khan’s plea that drone strikes are against our sovereignty. The anti-drone rallies should have been taken out by the religious leaders long ago but Imran had taken the lead and we would not harm him or his followers.” Earlier, the TTP had criticised Khan’s statement in which he had called himself a “liberal”. The TTP contended that by classifying himself as a liberal, Imran Khan had proved that he was a slave of the Western powers — especially the US and Europe. The organisation held that they were not satisfied with his policies. Read less...

the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has reconstructed 30 health facilities in Swat District damaged in militancy, reports Central Asia Online. “A total of 55 health facilities, including basic health units, dispensaries and rural health centres, were damaged by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) between 2007 and 2009,” Dr. Noor Alam Khan, Assistant Executive District health officer for Swat said. The Government allocated PKR 455 million to rebuild the facilities, he said, adding it would finish the job by December. Read less...

the leaders of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) belonging to tribal areas have demanded of the Government to end military operations in FATA and take concrete steps to stop drone attacks. The PTI leaders including Iqbal Afridi of Khyber Agency, Gul Zafar of Bajaur Agency, Daud of Mohmand Agency and Nazar Nawaz told a press conference in Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) that Government should utilise peaceful means for establishment of peace in tribal areas. They alleged that rulers were least bothered to minimise miseries of tribal people. “Tribal people are deliberately kept backward by imposing unjust military operations and US secrete drone attacks on them,” said Mr Afridi. He said that the Government failed to take any practical step to stop extrajudicial killings, drone attacks and military operations in FATA. He said that use of force was not a solution to the issue. Read less...

The South Waziristan Agency’s political administration rejected a request by the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), cricketer Imran Khan, to hold a rally in the Kotkai area near the Jandola, reports Dawn. A local administration officer said the situation in Waziristan is not fit for holding a rally and that the administration can’t protect nearly 100,000 expected participants. The officer said intelligence reports suggested terrorist plans to attack the rally and that local tribesmen opposed holding the event. Read less...

The Supreme Court-appointed two members Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, headed by Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal disclosed on October 2 that 80 more cases of disappearance had been reported to it during the past three months, reports Dawn. The announcement contrasts sharply with a claim Government officials made last month during their meetings with a United Nations (UN) mission on enforced disappearances that the number of such incidents had dropped sharply over recent months. The latest figures released by the Commission show that 539 cases of missing persons were under investigation before it by September 30, 2012. On January 1, 2011, there were 138 cases pending before the Commission which received 714 new cases during the past 21 months, increasing the total number to 852. The Commission set up under directives of the Supreme Court two years ago has so far disposed of 313 cases. The Commission had earlier announced that the total number of missing persons’ cases was 772 by June 30, 2012. Thus it received 80 new cases between July 1 and September 30, 2012. Without elaborating, the Commission said it had succeeded in tracing 27 persons during September when it held its proceedings in Islamabad. An official statement provided the list of the 27 persons recovered last month, but was silent about the place where they were found and the identity of their captors. It once again expressed its determination “to make all out efforts to trace the missing persons”. The relatives of the missing persons allege that Intelligence and Security Agencies picked them up on suspicion of having links with terrorist organisations. Most of the missing persons hail from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas. Read less...

the United States (US) and Pakistan are trying to get their relationship back on track, said the US State Department while commenting on recent meetings between leaders of the two countries. The Department’s Spokesperson Victoria Nuland told a briefing in Washington that the US was also helping Pakistan and Afghanistan in resolving their border disputes. “We are making progress to get our relationship with Pakistan back on track...” she said. Read less...

three Policemen were injured when suspected militants attacked their vehicle in Mattani area, reports Dawn. Read less...

two unidentified dead bodies of political activists were found in Napier area. Read less...

Unidentified armed militants shot dead a member of Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) and tribal leader Karm Khan Marri while he was travelling on Khuzdar Road in Khuzdar District on October 2, reported Daily Times. Read less...

unidentified militants fired on a Police van near Bakkakhel Police Station of Bannu District, reports Daily Times. However, no casualties were reported. A Police mobile party, led by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Asmatullah Khan, was on routine patrol in Bakkakhel area when it was attacked by militants. The accused managed to escape the scene. Read less...

a group of middle-aged American women are considering staging a hunger strike outside the US Embassy in Islamabad as part of a campaign against CIA drone attacks in the country, Daily Times quoting The Guardian reported. The Guardian reports that thirty-five activists from Code Pink, a US anti-war group, have gathered in the capital this week as they prepare for an unprecedented march and political rally in South Waziristan, one of the semi-autonomous tribal areas on the Afghan border, which is a hotbed of Taliban militancy. Despite intense publicity surrounding the event, doubts persist over whether it will be able to take place. Local authorities have expressed strong doubts about the safety of the march, even though the military has long claimed its operations in the area have brought a semblance of security. Read less...

a letter calling for an end to drone strikes in Pakistan, signed by Noam Chomsky, Naomi Wolf, Oliver Stone and other 3,000 American civilians, was delivered to the US Embassy in Islamabad, The Express Tribune quoting a press release reported. The statement said that the letter called upon US authorities to end its campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan and to bring the drone policy in compliance with US and international law. The letter has been signed by leading US authors, film directors, professors, activists and a Nobel Peace laureate. The letter was organised by Just Foreign Policy and includes signatures of Alice Walker, Danny Glover, Tom Hayden and Patch Adams, among others. According to the press release, the letter cited 474 to 884 civilian deaths caused by US drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004, including 176 children. Read less...

Akora Khattak Police raided the house of Qari Ahmad Ali, considered to be affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and recovered weapons from it. Station House Officer (SHO) Fazle Subhan said that Qari Ahmad Ali was not present in his home at the time of raid. Read less...

Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani said on October 3 that any solution to Balochistan crisis should be within the confines of the Constitution, reports Dawn. “Army fully supports any political process as long as it is within the Constitution…” the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) was quoted by the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR). The General’s one-line statement was issued apparently in response to the six points presented by Balochistan National Party (BNP) Chief Akhtar Mengal before the Supreme Court last week. Read less...

During the talks between Pakistani and Afghan Generals on cross-border shelling and militants’ attack on Pakistani security posts along the border, the Pakistan Army said that it only fires after its villages and border posts come under attack from across the border, the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) said on October 3, reports Daily Times. According to the ISPR, Afghan Army delegation, headed by Afghan National Army Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Afzal Aman, visited the General Headquarters for meeting with his counterpart Major General Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad. “The issue of alleged cross border artillery fire by Pakistan into Afghanistan was discussed in detail. Afghan delegation was briefed that problem stems from terrorists’ safe havens in Afghanistan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan, about which intelligence has been repeatedly shared with Afghan authorities,” said the ISPR. “There is absolutely no possibility of indiscriminate fire by Pakistan Army on Afghan forces or civilians. Other border related issues also came under discussion.” Both sides agreed on continuation of such bilateral interaction Read less...

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf decided to re-establish lines of communications with disgruntled Baloch leaders, in an effort to stabilise the situation in restive Balochistan province, reported The Express Tribune. The meeting decided to immediately form a Committee for this purpose which will work under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister, sources said, adding that the Committee will comprise Balochistan’s Governor and senior members of the Federal Cabinet. The committee will finalise its recommendations within a month, sources added. The government will expedite the development process in the volatile province and provide special funds to solve basic problems faced by the people of Balochistan. Read less...

Salman Akram Raja, counsel for Asghar Khan, alleged that ISI had disbursed money for political purpose and that the ISI officials had breached their oaths. The bench adjourned the hearing of the case until October 4, 2012 (today). Read less...

Security Forces (SFs) conducted a search operation in Khanzadgan Musakhel area of Baizai tehsil and arrested six suspect persons. Read less...

the body of Sheikh Arif Ahmed (42) was found in Jamshed Quarters on main Nishtar Road. Ahmed was an active member at MQM’s Liaquatabad Sector office. Investigations revealed that Ahmed was abducted from outside his residence in Iliyas Goth on October 2, 2012. Read less...

The chief of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) Imran Khan on October 3 announced that he will lead a procession to be attended besides PTI supporters by journalists and human rights activists to the tribal region on October 6, to highlight the plight of people bearing the brunt of military action, militancy and US drone attacks, reports Dawn. Meanwhile, the administration of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has expressed concern over Imran Khan’s plan to hold a rally in South Waziristan, describing the law and order situation in the region ‘unfavorable’. “Imran Khan should postpone his rally as the circumstances are not conducive for the time being,” FATA Additional Chief Secretary Dr Tashkain said. However, the PTI is firm on its plan to hold the rally. “Imran Khan’s visit will not create trouble for anyone. We don’t see the situation unfavorable anywhere in the tribal region,” PTI leader Pervez Khan Khattak said. He said a party delegation had recently visited South Waziristan and reviewed the situation. “We are going there (Waziristan) for peace…tribal elders will give a warm welcome to us. No one can stop us now,” he added. Read less...

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on October 3 informed the Punjab Government that some families who left the militancy-hit Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and took up residence in Rawalpindi District of Punjab have received extortion threats, allegedly from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), reports Dawn. Officials in the know of the communication say the threats are delivered to better off over telephone or through ‘chits’, demanding large sums of money, or ‘valuable articles’ meaning jewellery, or ‘assistance’ to their operatives – at the pain of kidnapping or other harm. According to the officials, the money raised by the militants through criminality goes to finance their terror apparatus as Governments at home and abroad have put strict checks on the flow of funds to banned outfits through charity and other sources. In its communication to the Punjab Government, the CTD identified at least eight such wealthy families residing in Naseerabad, Chah Sultan and Chowki Hameeda localities of the garrison city that had paid extortion money. Read less...

The Defence Ministry in its reply submitted to the Supreme Court, on October 3, maintained its stated stance that there was no political cell in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), reports Daily Times. This was stated before a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry which has been hearing the 1996 petition filed by Asghar Khan. The petitioner had accused the ISI of financing politicians in the 1990 elections by dishing out PKR 140 million to them to create the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) and prevent Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from winning the polls. The Chief Justice said that if the court gives a judgement in the case the matter would be referred to the executive for its implementation, however, the Government was not complying with the court’s orders. At the outset of the hearing, Commander Shahbaz submitted a reply on behalf of the Defence Ministry in pursuance of court orders, saying no political cell was in operation in the ISI. Read less...

the FATA chapter of PTI has accused the Government of creating hurdles for it in holding a peace march. “Any step aimed at hindering the peace march of the party towards Waziristan will have dire consequences,” Nazar Nawaz, the organiser of PTI for tribal areas, told a press conference in Peshawar. He said that it was duty of the administration to provide full security to the participants of peace march because it was in the best interests of the country. Read less...

The Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on October 3 that collateral damage caused by drone attacks is very high as many innocent people are killed in such attacks, reports Daily Times. Speaking to British Home Secretary Theresa Mary May in London, the CM said that maintaining law and order in society and eradication of terrorism is the top priority of his Government. During the meeting, various matters of mutual interest, bilateral relations and cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts came under discussion. Shahbaz thanked the British Home Secretary for extending vigorous cooperation and support to the Punjab Government for curbing terrorism and controlling crime. The chief minister said relatives of those who are killed in drone attacks resort to extremism in order to take revenge. He said that drone attacks are against Pakistan’s sovereignty and dignity. He said the Punjab Government had taken the principled stance of not accepting such foreign aid which compromised national dignity and honour. Read less...

Three security men were injured in a blast near Gora Parai checkpost in Baizai tehsil (revenue unit) of Mohmand Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on October 3, reports Dawn. Sources said that security personnel were on routine patrol when the explosive device planted along the road went off. Read less...

Three tortured bullet-riddled dead bodies of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activists were found from various parts of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on October 3, reports The News. Two dead bodies were identified as that of Farhan Shah and Abid Awan, were found near a gutter that passes through the Old Haji Camp area in Napier. Investigators said both the victims had been abducted on October 2, 2012, and that their murder was a targeted killing. Read less...

Two persons, including a woman, were killed in an incident of firing by unidentified armed militants in a tailor’s shop located at Arif Street on Sariab Road in Quetta on October 3, reported Daily Times. The man was identified as Saeed Ahmed, who belonged to Bangulzai tribe; however, the woman could not be identified. Read less...

Unidentified militants blew off the building of Government high school in Adamzai village of Akora Khattak area in Nowshera District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 3, reports Dawn. Bomb Disposal Squad officials said that about six to eight kilograms of explosives were used in the blast. Sources said that Police arrested 11 suspects during a search operation in the area after the incident. Read less...

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan declared on October 4 that he would go ahead with his planned peace march to South Waziristan despite security fears and Government’s refusal to give permission, reports Dawn. He said the PTI did not want a confrontation with the Government. “It is a peace march and we are not going for any confrontation,” Khan said at a press conference, two days ahead of the march which is scheduled to start from Islamabad on October 6-morning. He said he was surprised by the Government’s opposition to the rally. “It is strange that the government is opposing the march despite the fact that the Taliban, tribal elders and the army have no objection to it.” The PTI chief warned that President Asif Ali Zardari would be responsible for any untoward incident. He accused the rulers of being hand in glove with the Americans on the issue of drone attacks for the sake of money. Read less...

a doctor hailing from Sibi District, identified as Muhammad Ali, was shot at and injured in the Killi Umar Gohar area of Mastung District, reports Dawn. Read less...

a man, identified as Ghulam Mustafa Marri, was shot dead on Jinnah Road in Khuzdar District. Read less...

a man, identified as Sikandar Ali, was shot dead and two others, including a Finance Department employee Mushtaq Hussain and Saqib, sustained injuries after they came under armed attack in the Khuchlak area of Quetta. According to Police, the victims were on their way to Pishin District Read less...

an anti-tank mine was defused in Spikan area of Mand in Kech (Turbat) District, reported Daily Times. An official of Frontier Corps (FC) said that the team recovered and defused the anti-tank mine along the roadside in Spikan. Read less...

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani while talking to Dutch Ambassador Hugo Gajus Scheltema in Islamabad on October 4 said that no operation is being conducted in the province, dismissing such claims as sheer propaganda, reports Dawn. Raisani said people were supporting the Government because it had solved several problems faced by them and the remaining issues would be resolved soon. The Frontier Corps, he said, had been given Police powers, but only for a limited period. Read less...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the provincial Government would not ban political activities, including the scheduled PTI march. “The KPK government believes in political activities and will not stop PTI workers from taking out rally,” he said, adding that the provincial governor had explained the prevailing situation and possible threats for the rally. “The provincial government is also not in favour of taking people to a dangerous place, but it will not restrict people from taking part in political activities,” said Mr Hussain who urged the PTI chief not to put citizens’ lives in danger. Read less...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar on October 4 made it clear that Moscow supports Islamabad’s opposition of drone strikes inside its territory and its stance on peace process in Afghanistan, reports Daily Times. Lavrov opposed drone strikes in Pakistan and said violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of any State was unacceptable. He also supported Khar’s reply to the same question that drone attacks were not only counterproductive, but also illegal and unlawful. “There is need to find ways and means to counter terrorism within legal means. Drone strikes are also violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. “Our Pakistani colleague expresses the stance that it is illegal, violating sovereignty of the country and we support Pakistan’s stance,” he said. Read less...

The National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) on Human Rights in its meeting in Karachi on October 4 recommended de-weaponisation of Karachi, with equal focus on early passage of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) sponsored bill on de-weaponisation campaign in the country, reported Daily Times. The meeting, attended by Member of National Assembly’s (MNA) Attiya Inayatullah, Sameen Rizvi, Kishwar Zehra, Khushbakht Shujaat, Doctor Anesh Kumar and Committee Chairman Riaz Fatyana, made the recommendation following an extensive discussion on the issue of violence, target killing and crime in Karachi. The NA standing committee also urged the Provincial Government to increase current strength of Karachi Police comprising 34,000 Policemen by two-fold. The committee recommended the Police must pertain to the metropolis itself so as to be fully sensitive about their image amongst the people coupled with a sense of belonging. Expressing serious reservations that one third of the entire police force in the city is assigned as VIP escort and placed on protocol duty, MNAs said “Red Book” must be strictly followed. They also took exception to the fact that resources available with Sindh Police were being fast surpassed by growing challenges and recommended formation of adequately trained and equipped Anti Riot Police. “We want these measures to be fast tracked and would request the Governor to also focus his attention on “Witness Protection Plan,” chalked out by the Provincial Home Department so as to ensure that culprits do not go escort free,” said MNA Atiya Inayatullah. Read less...

The Peshawar High Court on October 4 directed the Defence and Interior Ministries to produce lists of all detention facilities operated and maintained by intelligence agencies, including Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and intelligence wing of Frontier Corps, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Dawn. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Shahjehan Khan Akhunzada took exception to the slow pace of recovery of the ‘missing persons’ and directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Police officer (PPO) and the Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) to form a special team of experts to probe cases of these persons and inform the bench about results on the next hearing on October 23. The bench issued directions for the sharing of the order with the provincial Home Secretary, observing if no positive development took place in these cases, the court would be constrained to issue any strict order. The bench conducted marathon hearing for many hours in around 65 habeas corpus petitions related to enforced disappearances. Relatives of ‘missing persons’, including women and children, turned up in large numbers. Read less...

the political administration of South Waziristan Agency and PTI are heading for a showdown as the former insists that the situation in the tribal area is not ripe for a big gathering while the latter seems adamant to go ahead with its planned peace march. Well-placed sources said that the administration had received orders not to allow the rally to enter South Waziristan. These sources said that the Federal Government had intimated the authorities concerned to stop participants of the rally ahead of Frontier Region Jandola. “Entry of the rally in South Waziristan and Jandola is out of question. They will not be allowed even get to Tank city,” said a senior official familiar with the situation. On the other hand, South Waziristan PTI organiser Dost Mohammad Mehsud said that the peace march would proceed to Kotkai according to the scheduled programme. “We have reports that the political administration will not let the marchers to reach Waziristan or Jandola. But we will hold protest meeting on the place where the administration disallow us further journey,” he said. Giving details of the programme, Mehsud said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan and others, including foreigners, would reach Dera Ismail Khan on October 6-night. They would stay at Hathala Farmhouse situated along the main highway between Tank and Dera. Read less...

Two people, identified as Imran Bhatti and Shiraz, were killed when unidentified armed militants opened fire on a mechanic’s shop on Zarghoon Road in Quetta on October 4, reports Daily Times. Read less...

unidentified assailants opened fire in the suburban area of Badhaber, killing one child. The identity of the boy could not be ascertained. Read less...

unidentified assailants opened fire on a barber’s shop in Quetta and injured a man identified as Muhammad Arif. Read less...

Unidentified militants on October 4 killed a Frontier Corps (FC) official and a child in separate incidents in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reports Daily Times. Sources said that three unidentified militants on motorbikes shot dead FC official Ali Rehman in the Ghani Kalay area. Read less...

a cadre of ST as well as Dawat-e-Islami, identified as Fida Ali (23), was shot dead in Landhi within the limits of Landhi Police Station. Read less...

a doctor working at a local psychological and drug rehabilitation hospital, identified as Qadeer Hussain (50), was shot dead at Nazimabad No. 2 within the limits of Nazimabad Police Station. Read less...

a man identifying himself as Abu Siyaf, ‘spokesperson’ for the Nabi Hanfi-led militant group, claimed that their men opened fire on the bomber as he entered the building and his suicide vest went off. He added that their men remained unhurt in the blast. On the contrary, talking to reporters from an undisclosed location by phone, the TTP ‘spokesman’ Ehsanullah Ehsan responsibility for the attack stressed that the bomber first killed 15 men of the Nabi Hanfi group in the building before blowing himself up. He said the TTP would continue its efforts to eliminate all the members of the Nabi Hanfi group. Read less...

a Policeman, identified as Asim Sohail (40), was shot dead in Frontier Colony within the jurisdiction of Mominabad Police Station. Read less...

a power pylon was partially damaged in two blasts at Mian Qalla area of Shabqadar tehsil (revenue unit) in Charsadda District, reports The News. The explosive devices were attached to the tower of the main transmission line supplying power to Mohmand Agency (FATA). Read less...

A special cabinet committee headed by Defence Minister Syed Naveed Qamar is in negotiations with Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal and other Baloch leaders, said Parliamentary Secretary Khurram Jahangir Wattoo during a session of the National Assembly on October 5, reports The Express Tribune. Read less...

an accused was killed and two others arrested after exchange of fire between militants and Rangers in Lyari, reported The News. According to Rangers, during a raid near Crown Cinema at Maripur Road the militants opened fire on Rangers which was retaliated. In retaliation, three suspects were injured. An accused, identified as Hanif, succumbed to his injuries Four Kalashnikovs, TT pistol and hand grenade were recovered from his possession. Read less...

An employee of the Buildings and Roads Department, Abdul Karim, was shot dead by unidentified militant while he was going to office in Khuzdar District on October 5, reported Dawn. Read less...

another man, identified as Atif (37), was shot dead in his shop at Golimar roundabout within the jurisdiction of Rizvia Police Station. A Police official said that the deceased had no affiliation with any religious or political party, while it seemed that he was killed over refusal to pay extortion money. Read less...

Five persons, including a suspect, a Policeman and an Imabargah trustee, were killed in separate acts of violence in Karachi on October 5, reported Daily Times. The bullet-riddled dead body of a trustee of the Imambargah Bara Imam, identified as Qamar Allah Ditta (43), was found from his car on Nashter Road within the precincts of Garden Police Station. Ditta was a music composer Pakistan Television Network (PTN) and was abducted on October 3, 2012 from Lyari area. A close relative of Ditta said that the murder was sectarian in nature. Read less...

In an attempt to foil a bid to commit massive killings as militants were planning to carry out major terrorist activities in Karachi, including invasion in Central Jail to get their accomplices released, and attacking their self-acclaimed rival Shia community people the Anti Extremist Cell (AEC) of Crime Investigation Department (CID) on October 5 claimed to have arrested seven militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), including the outfit’s Karachi Chapter Chief Mehmood Babar, from Mauripur area of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh and recovered a heavy cache of weapons from their possession, reports Daily Times. The others were identified as Fahim-ul-Haq alias Bihari, Tahir alias Mota, Abid alias Abbasi, Arif, Enayatullah alias Maya and Rafiq alias Inam. Mehmood Babar had also been arrested earlier and was released in 2008 after facing an imprisonment for at least seven years. The AEC chief Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chaudhry Aslam claimed to have recovered 125 kilogrammes of highly explosive material, seven suicide jackets, a rocket launcher, six rocket shells, two Kalashinkoves, four TT pistols, three 9mm pistols, 50 feet detonator wire, three detonators and hundreds of bullets from their possession. According to details of the planning of arrested alleged LeJ militants, it was revealed that the terrorists first had to hit a van of the school belonging to Shia sect at Mauripur area with an explosive laden vehicle and at the same time, their other accomplices had to attack the Central Jail with another explosive laden vehicle. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) CID Kamran Fazal told media that arrested militants were involved in many cases of sectarian and political killings. He said that during initial investigation, the accused confessed to kill rival persons on the directives of LeJ Pakistan Chief Asif Chotu from Waziristan. DIG Fazal said that most of them had come to Karachi from the northern region and settled in areas where they don't face language barrier, adding, that leaders of the Awami National Party (ANP) were on their hit list, adds The Times of India. Explaining the movement of terrorists and ammunition within the country, Fazal said that all vehicles travelling to the city cannot be scrutinised as it will cause inconvenience to the passengers. He added that much of the weaponry is brought to Karachi in pieces and is assembled here. Read less...

Interior Minister Rehman Malik on October 5 conveyed Pakistan’s concerns to senior American officials on drone strikes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Daily Times. “We have a common enemy and we must have a common strategy to fight this enemy… Pakistan is committed with the international community in this fight… and we will hit them hard,” Malik said after a meeting with United States (US) Special envoy Marc Grossman. “Our side has conveyed our concerns regarding drone attacks – the people of Pakistan have been voicing this and we hope that this voice of the people of Pakistan will be heard,” the Minister said. Malik and Grossman also discussed the issue of combating Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs). Malik said Pakistan is implementing a national counter-IED strategy to curb the cross-border movement of ammonium nitrate which is also used in fertilisers and that terrorists use in IEDs. “We have taken every possible measure... we are an agrarian country and fertilisers are important. What we have done we have regulated the movement of fertilisers. We have also strengthened the (relevant) Punishment Act… so administrative and all other steps are being taken.” Read less...

Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) claimed to have arrested 5 suspects, including Saqib Boxer, a notorious criminal of Lyari gang war, during targeted raids in various parts of Lyari, including Bhagdadi, Nayaabad, Liaquat Colony and other neighbouring areas, reports Daily Times. The identities of the other four were not disclosed and the Police took them to undisclosed spot for further investigation. Read less...

Mengal, in his recent appearance before the Supreme Court, criticised authorities particularly the military for Balochistan crisis. Sources said that the Government has decided to gear up political activities in the troubled province as the upcoming parliamentary elections draw closer. Read less...

Mujahideen Jaishul Khilafa (MJK), an offshoot of the TTP distributed a pamphlet in Tank District near Waziristan which warned participants of the PTI “peace march” to stay away and that they themselves would be responsible for any loss of “life or money” caused during the rally, reports The Express Tribune. PTI’s Media coordinator Tahir Jamil said that the party did not receive any threat directly from any militant outfit active in the tribal region. However, he said that he would be able to clarify party’s stance on MJK’s threat by evening. The pamphlet with the subject “Imperative warning and announcement” termed PTI chief Imran Khan as an agent of Israel, United States and Britain, who wanted to strengthen the hold of “Jewish and Christian forces” in the tribal area of Pakistan. Read less...

Niaz Mehsud (27), was killed at Sultanabad area within the limits of Manghopir Police Station. Read less...

one Abdul Baqi Rind was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Karak area of Mastung District. Read less...

Six militants and one soldier were killed in exchange of fire when militants from Afghanistan side attacked a border security post in Gursal area in Mohmand Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on October 5, reports Dawn. Sources said that a group of militants attacked Mohmand Rifles border post in Gursal area with heavy and light weapons from across the Afghan border near the posts manned by Afghan troops. Security Forces (SFs) retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for over an hour. As a result, Naib Subedar Umar Daraz Khattak was killed while Naik Sher Aslam Khattak and sepoy Sabiullah received injuries. Official sources claimed that six militants were killed in the exchange of fire. SFs took into custody body of an unknown militant along with three Kalashnikovs and one anti-tank gun from the site of the incident. However, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) central ‘spokesman’ Ehsanullah Ehsan phoned media persons from unknown location and claimed that 17 security personnel were killed and as many injured in the attack. Read less...

The Dawn reports that five volunteers of Akakhel Amn Lashkar were killed and six others were injured in a clash with the militants on October 5, in Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency. The sources said that militants belonging to the banned Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) attacked the office of Amn Lashkar. Read less...

the political agent of South Waziristan said that PTI ‘Peace March’ to the agency’s Kotkai area will not be allowed due to security threats. The political agent told The Express Tribune that the rally led by Imran Khan’s party was dubbed a peace march and hopefully there will be no resistance from the PTI’s side regarding the decision. He warned that the security situation was not fit to host such a big rally and the decision to not allow it was taken at his own level without any Federal Government involvement. Read less...

the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) claimed to have arrested at least five alleged target killers from Maripur area and seized four TT pistols and several rounds from their possession. An SIU official said that the arrested suspects were identified as Zahid, Shahnawaz, Nadir and Saeed. He informed media they confessed to kill at least a dozen of men and they belonged to a political party, however, their affiliation was not yet disclosed. Read less...

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) declined on October 5 to provide security to a Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) peace march to Kotkai town of South Waziristan Agency and declared that PTI Chairman Imran Khan was a westernised and secular man, reports Dawn. TTP ‘spokesman’ Ehsanullah Ehsan said in a statement that the TTP was an ideological organisation based on fundamentals of Islam and performed all activities in accordance with the teachings of Islam. “Imran Khan is a liberal and secular person and so is his party. Therefore, we deny all baseless statements that we have offered to provide security for his so-called peace rally,” the spokesman said. He said the lives of ‘Mujahideen’ were too valuable to protect a westernised and secular man. The TTP spokesman said Pakistani politicians were of two types—those who are in power like the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP), were openly hostile to Islam and Mujahideen and the other category was of those who were not yet in power, like the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI, but they also were secular and slaves of the West. “Although we consider Imran Khan a secular and liberal person as he himself proudly claims. So being an ideological Islamic organisation the TTP does not need any sympathy from him (Imran),” said the spokesman. Read less...

Three persons, including an activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and an active cadre of Sunni Tehreek (ST), were shot dead in separate incidents of violence in Karachi on October 5, reported Daily Times. A bullet-riddled dead body of an MQM activist, identified Ameen Ahmed (30), was found from Moosa Lane, Lyari within the precincts of Baghdadi Police Station. SHO Sanaullah said unidentified culprits kidnapped the victim on October 4, 2012 and later threw his body in an abandoned place. Read less...

two empty NATO containers en route to Karachi (Sindh) from Chaman town in Qilla Abdullah District (Balochistan), after unloading goods in Afghanistan were set ablaze by unidentified armed militants on the RCD Highway in Mastung District, reports Daily Times. However, the drivers of oil tankers remained safe, sources said. Read less...

Two Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suicide bombers were killed in Sarkadna of Hangu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 5, when bombs they were carrying exploded prematurely, reports Daily Times. Hangu District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Niaz Saeed Ahmad said the two suicide bombers were killed outside the house of rival TTP ‘commander’ Maulana Nabi Hanfi at Sarakdna. The house was completely destroyed, Police said, adding that parts of their bodies have been found. Read less...

a man was killed in a landmine blast in Dera Bugti District. According to details, a motorcyclist identified as Omar hit a landmine and died on the spot. Levies Force have registered a case and started investigation. Read less...

Five members of a peace militia were killed and seven others injured in militants attack in the Bara tehsil (revenue unit) of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on October 6, reports Daily Times. Official sources in the political administration said that the militants attacked positions of the peace militia in the Akkakhel area. The volunteers retaliated to the attack. The militants fled after the gun battle. Read less...

unidentified armed men in the Lak Pass area of Quetta District, attacked and torched a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) container carrying goods for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and injured the driver and his assistant. Levies Force sources said a container loaded with goods was on way from Karachi (Sindh) to Afghanistan when unidentified gunmen riding a bike opened fire at it that left the driver and his assistant injured. Read less...

unidentified armed men killed a doctor in Mastung District. Police sources said unidentified gunmen riding a bike opened fire at Dr. Hameed, who died on the spot. The assailants managed to flee the scene. Read less...

Unidentified men carrying arms on October 6, gunned down a man and injured a woman on Sariab Road of Quetta in Balochistan, reports Daily Times. According to Police, the assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on the man in the Musa Colony area of Sariab. As a result, the man was killed on the spot and a passerby woman was injured. The motive behind the incident is yet to be ascertained. Read less...

unidentified miscreants blew up a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) container through an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in Jamrud Bazaar in Kyber Agency. However, no casualties were reported. Read less...

a man, identified as Jamal, was shot dead in Sector 1-D, Orangi Town in the limits of Orangi Town Police Station. Read less...

“If we are given drones, we will use them responsibly as we used the F-16s,” said Federal Minister of Interior Rehman Malik, Dawn reported quoting the US media report of October 7 that Pakistan appeared to be changing its position on the strikes. Rehman Malik, who left for Pakistan on October 6-night after a series of meetings in Washington, told reporters he had conveyed Pakistan’s concerns over the drones to senior US officials, although he did not say if he asked them to stop the strikes. Like Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, the interior minister also said that Pakistan had no objection to using drones against militants, it disagreed with the method. Read less...

a man, identified as Munir Ahmad, was shot dead by unidentified armed militants in Paposh Nagar, in the limits of Paposh Nagar Police Station. Read less...

a man, identified as Rafique Baloch (25), was killed while another, Burhan (30), injured in a firing incident in Ilyas Goth in the limits of Super Market Police Station. Read less...

a man, identified as Rahim Zaib (24), was shot dead in Orangi Town in the limits of Orangi Town Police Station. Read less...

a man, identified as Tabarruk Ali, was killed in Sherpao Colony in the limits of Quaidabad Police Station. Read less...

A motorcade of anti-drone rally led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was stopped by the authorities from entering South Waziristan on October 7 and the participants, who had earlier in the day bypassed or removed all roadblocks, turned back and gathered in Tank town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an adjacent town to South Waziristan border, reports Dawn. Addressing the gathering, Khan threatened to launch a march on Islamabad if US drone attacks on the tribal areas did not stop. “I am not scared for my life and can go on to Kotkai (in South Waziristan, the planned destination of the march), but I care for the security of the people and party workers,” he told the cheering crowd. “We would even go to America to get the drone attacks stopped,” he said as slogans were raised against the government, the US and the drone attacks. “If the drone strikes do not stop, I will give a call for a march on Islamabad,” he said. Khan said the government should announce the names of the people killed in the attacks. “President Asif Zardari should tell the truth to the people about the drone victims and should not consider America as god,” he said. The administration stopped the ‘march’ when it had reached Manzai in the Tank Frontier Region after an overnight stay in Dera Ismail Khan. The marchers carrying party flags and banners removed all roadblocks, including containers and barbed wires, while proceeding from Dera Ismail Khan but had to end the march and return to Tank. Personnel of law-enforcement agencies had been deployed along the road to block the entry of the PTI workers into South Waziristan. According to sources, backdoor negotiations between the administration and PTI leaders were held at Manzai for ending the march before evening. Despite a warning from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Government, dozens of foreigners, including rights activists, attended the rally in Tank. The Government had announced that foreigners would not be allowed to enter the area. Imran Khan said the drone strikes were against Islam, the sovereignty and Constitution of the country and the international humanitarian law because the US missiles were killing innocent people. “I have been greatly encouraged by people’s spirit. Today, the PTI and its workers have written a new history. No other party can dare to think of organising a march to South Waziristan.” Read less...

a Shia man, identified as Muhammad Yaseen, was sprayed with bullets by unidentified militants in Musa Colony in Quetta. “The deceased belonged to the Shia community,” Police said. Following the incident, the Yousafzai Ittehad workers marched towards the Balochistan Assembly with the body and staged a sit-in outside the building. They chanted anti-government slogans and appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry to take notice of the killings of innocent people in Balochistan and direct Law Enforcement Agencies to arrest the criminals. Read less...

At least 15 people, including two Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activists, were killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi on October 7, reported Daily Times. Two workers of MQM, as Nihal, and Boorul Huda, were shot dead in Chisti Nagar in the limits of Iqbal Market Police Station Read less...

Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) Chief Talal Akbar Bugti on October 7 announced forming a grand political alliance for General Elections, reports Daily Times. Talking to reporters after a meeting with nuclear scientist Doctor Abdul Qadeer Khan, Bugti expressed his concerns that he would not be allowed to succeed in his political endeavours. He said that he was in contact with various religious and political elements for the formation of the proposed alliance. He said Nawab Akbar Bugti murder case (August 2006) should be reopened in a Balochistan court. Read less...

Kalakot Police found an unidentified dead body bearing torture marks from Lea Market. Read less...

man, identified as Nazeer Hussain, was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in Kunwari Colony in the limits of Pirabad Police Station. Read less...

One Kabir alias Babar was shot dead in Qasba Colony in the limits of Pirabad Police Station Read less...

One Mohammad Saeed, the owner of Shah Flour Mills located on Wah-Bhattar Road at Wah Cantonment in Islamabad, which was allegedly attacked with a hand grenade by militants on the evening of October 6, had received a telephone call from unidentified militants demanding a large sum of money a few days back, reports Dawn. In the attack, an employee of the Mill Mohammad Ramzan (21) was injured. Saeed also confirmed that his nephew Abdul Qayyum Sethi, who also owns a flour mill in the locality, had received the threat call. “The caller demanded a large sum of money and threatened Sethi that he would be eliminated if the demand was not met,” he added. Read less...

Police also found two unidentified dead bodies from Mewashah graveyard in the limits of Pak Colony Police Station. Read less...

Police and paramilitary troops in the Federal Capital beefed up the security apparatus and sounded caution amid reports of terror attacks. The steps were taken to halt possible attempts by suspected militants to cause disruptions in the Red Zone and Diplomatic Enclave after continuous demonstrations against an anti-Islam film. Read less...

Seven people, including six activists of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and a reporter of Dharti TV Channel Mushtaque Khand were killed and 10 people, including three reporters and Administrator of Khairpur Taluka Municipal Administration (KTMA), injured when armed militants opened fire at a public meeting on the night of October 7 in Sadoro Janwari village of Khairpur District, reports Dawn. Member of National Assembly (MNA) Nafeesa Shah of PPP was scheduled to address the meeting. Sukkur Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Doctor Ameer Shaikh said the incident took place because of an enmity between two groups of Janwari community. However, MNA Nafeesa Shah told reporters that the attack was pre-planned and carried out with some political motives. MPA Syed Bachal Shah of PPP said those killed in the incident were workers of the party. A large number of PPP workers, relatives of people killed and injured gathered at the civil hospital. Read less...

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) after the conclusion of the HRCP Council meeting on October 7 expressed alarm at growing intolerance and abuse of belief, continued incidents of enforced disappearance and illegal detention of citizens in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, proliferation of sectarian violence and a general breakdown in law and order in the country and called these overwhelming challenges to the citizens’ right to life and freedom to practise their religious belief, reported Daily Times. A statement issued said, “The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan is disappointed at the continued enforced disappearances and illegal detention across the country, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This endemic malaise has proliferated in conjunction with the plague-like spread of sectarian violence in Pakistan, which is both widespread and systematic. HRCP said that it views with “acute anxiety the rising intolerance and extremism on the basis of religious and sectarian identity, as a result of growing pandering to religiosity. All aspects of life, including education and the justice system, are being affected. All this amounts to making a mockery of the majority’s belief as well as mocking others’ religious beliefs and indeed the very right to hold these beliefs”. It said instances of religiosity in state institutions are growing. HRCP called upon the authorities to dismantle all sectarian organisations “hobnobbing with militant elements and ensure effective implementation of the ban on militant organisations. Unlike the prevailing practice, the investigation and prosecution of cases of sectarian violence must be given due priority”. Read less...

the Information and Broadcasting Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the Government had a clear stance against the drone attacks and considered them illegal and counter-productive, reports Daily Times. Kaira said that the Government was opposing the drone attacks from day one and the entire world had also declared them illegal. President Asif Ali Zardari has been persistently raising the issue of drone attacks at various international forums, he added. Read less...

the KPK Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the Government didn’t create any hurdle in the way of Imran Khan’s march in the settled areas of KPK. He said that police escort and jammers were provided to Imran Khan to avert any untoward incident. Huge contingents of police were deployed in some areas for providing security to the marchers instead of hindering the march, he added. Read less...

the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) while speaking at a public meeting in Quetta demanded the Government to either give equal share to the Pakhtun in all sectors or restore the chief Commissionerate system in Balochistan, reports Dawn. Abdur Rauf Lala, Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal, Sardar Azam Musakhel and other PkMAP leaders claimed that their party played a vital role in the struggle against dictators to protect constitutional and democratic rights of the oppressed nationalities in the country. Read less...

The participants of a jirga (tribal council) in Khar of Bajaur Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on October 7 demanded of the Government to end military operation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas as use of force was no solution to the issue of insurgency, reports Dawn. They asked Government to hold talks with all militant groups in FATA for restoration of lasting peace in tribal areas. Tribal elders, religious scholars and political leaders attended the jirga that was organised by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F). JUI-F provincial leader Mufti Abdul Shakoor, former Member of National Assembly (MNA) Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq, Malik Abdul Qadar Khan and others spoke on the occasion. Read less...

The United States (US) on October 7 urged its nationals in the capital, Islamabad, to avoid going to its parts because of possible terror attacks, reported Daily Times. The message posted on the US Embassy website identified “key Government installations in the downtown area of the city known as the Red Zone” and a number of local hotels. “The US Embassy in Islamabad alerts US citizens that the Interior Ministry of the local Government issued a general threat alert on possible terrorist attacks in the city on.” It advised “all US citizens to avoid these areas, remain vigilant, keep a low profile, and continue to exercise caution while in Pakistan”. Read less...

Two Army personnel were injured and two vehicles partially damaged when a remote controlled bomb went off on the main road near Risalpur in Nowshera District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 7, reports Dawn. Police said that a remote controlled bomb planted in the middle of Nowshera-Mardan Road exploded when an Army truck was passing through the area. Two Army men, identified as Arif Mehmood and Mohammad Asalm, sustained injuries in the blast. The Army truck and a passenger vehicle were partially damaged. Bomb Disposal Squad officials said that about one kilogram explosives were used in the blast. Read less...

two unidentified dead bodies, bearing marks of torture, were also found on Jamshaid Road near Madni Heights in the jurisdiction of Jamshaid Quarter Police Station. Read less...

unidentified armed militants abducted a Hindu trader, identified as Ramesh Kumar and looted a Gandakha (Jaffarabad District)-bound passenger wagon coming from Jacobabad District of Sindh, on National Highway near Mirpur area of Bolan District, reports Daily Times. Read less...

Unidentified armed militants shot dead two persons, identified as Nazeer Qadir and Abdul Haroon, and injured another, Muhammad Yousuf, on Sultan Ibrahim Khan Road in Khuzdar District on October 7, reports Daily Times. Qadir was a brother of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Kalat Division President Habib Qadir. Read less...

unidentified militants blew up a power pylon in Mian Qala area of Shabqadar in Charsadda District, suspending electricity supply to four villages of Mohmand Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Police said that at least two kilograms of explosives were used in the blast. Read less...

unidentified militants blew up gas supply line in Hassanzai area, disrupting gas supply to a number of villages. Read less...

a Bengali man, identified as Anwar Hussain (41), was shot dead at Bawani Chali, SITE within the limits of SITE-A Police Station. Read less...

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