Imran Khan says he would shoot down drones; TTP denies reports of granting security to PTI peace marchers; Peshawar High Court orders government to submit lists of intelligence agency detention centers; IMF predicts 3-3.5 percent GDP growth for Pakistan in FY 2013; Prime Minister Ashraf given four more days to draft Swiss letter; Prime Minister Ashraf hopes for strengthened ties with Russia; Chief of Army Staff General Kayani discusses defense cooperation with Russian Chief of General Staff General Makarov; U.S. State Department hopes for progress in the Kashmir dispute; Two suicide bombers blow up a house in Hangu on Friday; Four people found dead in Karachi on Friday; One killed and two injured in a raid in Karachi on Thursday night; Seven alleged terrorists arrested in Karachi on Friday; Seven arrested in Lahore on Thursday.
Imran Khan Wants To Shoot Down Drones
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Former cricket captain Imran Khan said in an interview with the BBC on Friday that if he were to take power through the next general election he would “order the Pakistan Air Force to shoot down American drones.” Khan said he would try everything he could to get America to change their drone policy, and would result to action if needed. He criticized the current government for publicly condemning the attacks but privately giving the attacks the go ahead. Khan believes the drone attacks are pushing young Pakistani’s into collaboration with the Taliban, saying the drone campaign “is totally counterproductive.[i]
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Peace March
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Contrary to a Tuesday report that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) would not attack the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Peace March in South Waziristan and would even offer security to marchers, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan released a statement Friday denying any such reports. Ehsan called PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s march a purely political move, explaining that “as Imran Khan is a liberal, secular person and so is his party, we deny all baseless news stating that we have offered to provide him security for his so-called peace rally.” A flyer circulated by TTP offshoot Mujahideen Jaishul Khilafa (MJK) in Tank labeled Khan an “agent of Israel” who sought to bring “Jewish and Christian forces” into power in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The pamphlet warned marchers not to attend the weekend rally or else they would be responsible for any loss of life or property incurred. Imran Khan has stated that President Asif Ali Zardari will be responsible for any destruction or violence at the rally, and that the PTI plans to march despite TTP warnings and regardless of whether or not the government grants it permission to do so.[ii]
Intelligence Agencies’ Detention Centers
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On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court ordered Pakistan’s defense and interior ministries to submit lists of all detention facilities run by the country’s intelligence agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI), and the intelligence division of the Frontier Corps. This ruling came in response to 65 petitions of habeas corpus regarding enforced disappearances and missing persons. Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan criticized the federal and provincial governments for failing to protect citizens, and stated that any unreported detention centers were illegal. He further added that if the intelligence agencies were unable to publicly list their facilities, they could notify the Court of facility locations secretly.[iii]
Slow Economic Growth
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Noting Pakistan’s weak economy, the IMF on Thursday predicted a 3-3.5 percent GDP growth rate for Pakistan in the current fiscal year as opposed to the government’s target of 4.2 percent, and predicted that inflation rates would soon be in the double-digits again. It added that the State Bank of Pakistan needed to focus on developing better macroeconomic policies through energy investment, subsidy and regulation reform, and more investment in business.[iv]
Swiss Letter Case
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The Supreme Court today granted Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf an additional four days to finalize the draft of the Swiss letter re-opening a graft case against President Asif Ali Zardari. The Court approved of the letter’s first two paragraphs but said that the third paragraph conflicted with them. The contents of the letter have not yet been made public; the latest draft is due in Court on October 10.[v]
Russo-Pakistani Relations
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After meeting with the Russian foreign minister, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Thursday that progress in Russo-Pakistani relations needs to be strengthened. Ashraf pointed out that the two countries have a convergence on “Afghanistan, Syria and the Security Council as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).” Ashraf also emphasized his hopes that Russia would cooperate on energy, railways, and steel mills inside of Pakistan.[vi]
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Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani arrived in Russia on Thursday. Kayani called on the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation’s Armed Forces, General Makarov in Moscow and reportedly discussed bilateral defense cooperation between the two former cold war rivals.[vii]
Kashmir
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U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at a media briefing on Wednesday that she hoped the recent improvement in Pakistan-India ties would result in further progress on the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan and India have made Visa agreements, and have improved trade relations and, Nuland said, “we want to see this economic warming extend to other areas.”[viii]
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
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Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in Hangu district on Friday. They belonged to a Taliban group and blew themselves up outside the house of a rival Taliban commander Maulana Nabi Hanfi in Sarakdna, completely destroying the house and killing themselves.[ix]
Karachi
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Four people were found dead in different parts of Karachi on Friday. The body of a man was found in Lyari. Two bodies were recovered from the area near the Hub intersection. A woman’s body was found in the Keamari area. Two relatives were injured by gunfire in Jamshed Town.[x]
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Rangers conducted a raid in Karachi’s Lyari neighborhood on Thursday night and were fired upon by assailants. The Rangers fired back in retaliation, injuring two people and killing one. Several small arms were recovered.[xi]
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Police arrested seven alleged terrorists on Friday in Karachi. Police officials explained at a press conference that the accused “were planning to [bomb the] Central Jail and a school bus.” One of the arrested was the head of a banned outfit named Mehmood Babar, and he has allegedly trained in Waziristan. A large amount of explosives and weapons were recovered from the alleged terrorists.[xii]
Punjab
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Police arrested seven criminals near Lahore on Thursday. Two of the apprehended “were included in the serial two and three of top-10 offenders.”[xiii]