U.S. and Pakistan to sign memorandum of understanding to regulate NATO supply route; Seven NATO supply trucks cross into Afghanistan; Pentagon preparing to release $1.1 billion from Coalition Support Fund to Pakistan; Attorney General Irfan Qadir says “no confrontation” between government and Supreme Court; Bomb planted on bicycle kills seven people in Quetta; Security forces diffuse six bombs planted near Punjab jail; Police arrest 39 suspects linked to Karachi bus bombing.
NATO Supply Route
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Foreign Ministry Spokesman Moazzam Ali Khan said on Thursday that the U.S. and Pakistan intend to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize and regulate NATO forces’ use of Pakistan’s ground lines of communication (GLOCs). The new MOU would replace the U.S.’s previous war on terror agreements with former President Pervez Musharraf. Moazzam also said that Pakistan’s decision to reopen the supply route was motivated by Pakistan’s desire to play an active role in regional stability and was made “without any financial benefit.” In regard to bureaucratic delays with the supply route, U.S. State Department Spokesman Patrick Ventrell acknowledged that “it [would] take time for the backlog to be cleared” but stated that the “Pakistanis continue to be committed to getting things moving.”[1]
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On Thursday, seven NATO supply trucks crossed from Pakistan into Afghanistan, three trucks via the Chaman crossing in Balochistan and four trucks via the Torkham crossing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. According to customs officials, the Pakistani government had given NATO trucks and oil tankers permission to cross into Afghanistan three days ago, and an additional seven to ten trucks are due to cross the border via Torkham on Friday. Official sources told Dawn that customs officials planned to finalize the procedure for clearing NATO containers by Friday, after which NATO cargo stored in ports and elsewhere would begin moving to the border crossings. Meanwhile, a committee of local government and security officials dispatched Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police, Frontier Corps personnel, and Khassadar force members to escort NATO trucks near the tribal border. Additional security measures include the provision of detectives, explosive scanners, and an emergency parking area for NATO containers.[2]
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Pentagon Spokesman Cpt. John Kirby told reporters on Friday that the U.S. Defense Department was preparing to release $1.1 billion in reimbursement claims made by Pakistan through the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The Obama Administration authorized the release of CSF funds following Pakistan’s recent decision to reopen the NATO supply route.[3]
Domestic Politics
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During a dinner reception on Thursday, Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said that no extra-constitutional act would be acceptable and that “now there [would] only be the supremacy of the law and Constitution in the country.” Chaudhry’s comments followed the Supreme Court’s order on Thursday for Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to submit a report regarding his compliance with a previous court order to reopen old corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Meanwhile, Attorney General Irfan Qadir said that the government and the court both would act according to the constitution and that “there should be no confrontation.”[4]
Militancy
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New details have emerged regarding the cross-border attack by militants who targeted a Pakistani village in Bajaur agency on Thursday. According to AP, dozens of militants who had participated in the attack reportedly fled back into Afghanistan Thursday night, leaving behind the many captives initially kidnapped during the attack. Locals reportedly saw the militants carrying the bodies of 15 dead fighters back across the border. However, reporters were unable to verify much of the information.[5]
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At least seven people were killed and another 12 wounded on Friday when a bomb planted on a bicycle exploded at an Awami National Party (ANP) political rally near Kuchlak Bazaar in Quetta, Balochistan. The blast was followed by gunfire that resulted in the death of two civilians. No group has claimed credit for the attack.[6]
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Two prisoners were killed and three others injured when Frontier Corps personnel fired on inmates after clashes broke out at Hyderabad Central Prison in Sindh province on Friday. Three jail wardens were also injured in the incident, which resulted from protests over the lack of time out of barracks for prisoners. Deputy Inspector General of Prisons Gulzar Channa also confirmed that prisoners took 15 jail wardens hostage during the clashes. Law enforcement agents reportedly used aerial firing and tear gas to secure the release of the captive jail wardens.[7]
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Three people were killed in a series of violent incidents in Quetta and Sibi districts on Thursday. Unidentified gunmen killed two civilians near Kirani Road and Qumbrani Road, and police also found a body in the Margzani Nullah area.[8]
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An explosion occurred in Peshawar on Friday when an unidentified assailant threw a hand grenade near a bus stand on Kohat Road. No casualties were reported. Police arrested two suspects in the area in connection with the attack.[9]
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Police and bomb disposal squad members recovered and defused six handmade bombs planted near the Borstal Jail in Faisalabad, Punjab on Friday. Police suspect that the six kilograms of explosives were part of a terror plot targeting the Borstal Jail or Police Investigation Cell.[10]
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On Thursday, police arrested 39 suspects in connection with a bus bombing that killed four people and injured at least 15 others in Baldia Town, Karachi on Wednesday. Law enforcement agencies reportedly arrested the suspects during several raids in Saeedabad, Mochko, and Mawach Goth.[11]