Young Christian girl’s age and mental ability assessed; TTP allegedly plotting an attack on a jail in Faisalabad; President Zardari to head delegation at the NAM summit; Indian authorities accuse Pakistan of violating international telecom laws; integrated border management systems planted between Afghanistan and Pakistan to monitor terrorists; new province committee calls for PML-N representatives; KP assembly condemns drone strikes; Nawaz Sharif says PPP mocking the judiciary; targeted killings in Karachi
Blasphemy Case
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A medical board has assessed that a young Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy is under 14 years of age and that her mental capacity is “not at par with her age,” according to unnamed sources quoted in The News outlet.[1]
Militancy
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The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is plotting an attack on Central Jail Faisalabad, where several of its militants are currently incarcerated, according to intelligence reports received by officials in Punjab. The Inspector General of Prisons Punjab confirmed the report to The Express Tribune and, “assured that foolproof security measures were being put in place to foil any terrorist bid to secure release of their accomplices.” Two thousand cell phones were confiscated and 65 inmates were “suspended” following search-and-seizure operations tied to the new report.[2]
International Relations
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President Asif Ali Zardari will head the Pakistani delegation at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran from August 29-31. Zardari is scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the summit.[3]
India-Pakistan
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Indian authorities have expressed security concerns over Pakistan’s violation of international telecommunication laws after detecting what they assesses are signals from Pakistani cell phone operators 15-25 kilometers from the Rajasthan border area into Indian territory. That distance is reportedly beyond the internationally-recognized allowance of 500 meters. Unnamed sources suggested that mobile networks installed near the border are facilitating the collection of information for use by Pakistan’s intelligence services.[4]
Pakistan-Afghanistan
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An Integrated Border Management System has been installed at the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan and at 120 other crossing points along the border. The system will facilitate the inspection of passports and visas in order to prevent the flow of terrorist operatives.[5]
Domestic Politics
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Farhutullah Babar, a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was named the chairman of the commission for forming two new provinces in Punjab. A representative from the Mutahidda Quami Movement, Farooq Sattar, and a member of the national assembly, Jamshed Dasti, urged the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), currently led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to participate in the commission.[6]
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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will reportedly condemn what it claims is the “killing of innocent people in the US drone attacks” in Pakistan’s border regions along the border with Afghanistan.[7]
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PML chief head Nawaz Sharif criticized the ruling government for its relations with the country’s judiciary. “The government has been constantly seeking more time [from the apex court]. This is tantamount to insulting the judiciary…[the] country’s situation would have been much better had the government decided [to work on the basis of Pakistan’s constitution].”[8]
Karachi Violence
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Targeted killings across several areas in Karachi, including New Karachi district, Jamshed town, Lines, and Korangi, have left 17 people dead over a 24-hour period.[9]