Blast in Orakzai kills sixteen near mosque; bomb in Orakzai kill eight more; Jets kill nine militants in Orakzai; Fourteen more target killings in Karachi; Fifteen militants killed in Orakzai shelling; OIC reaffirms support for peace in Kashmir, India says OIC has no jurisdiction; ; U.S. denies warning Pakistan against TTP negotiations; Bomb in Karachi kills policeman; Militants hit Balochistan convoy with RPG’s; JUI announces strike advocating peace; Construction of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline to begin soon.
Taliban Negotiations
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Rian Harris, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, denied that it had “warned” Pakistan against participating in peace negotiations with the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) in response to a news report published Wednesday. Harris added that the U.S. supports Pakistan in its battle against terrorism and that a meeting of the Defense Consultative Group convened in December with a focus on improving relations between the U.S. security assistance and Pakistan.[1]
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On Thursday, officials from the Awami National Party announced it would hold an all parties conference in an effort to discuss a plan of action regarding peace negotiations with the TTP.[2]
Militancy
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On Friday, between ten and sixteen people were killed and over fifteen injured when a bomb was detonated near a security check-post in Kalaya, in northwestern Orakzai agency. Local administration official Fazl-i-Qadir said the remotely detonated bomb likely targeted anti-Taliban Ferozkhel tribesmen congregated near the check-post. The Ferozkhel tribesmen were returning from Friday prayers at a nearby mosque.[3]
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Eight people were killed and at least twenty more injured when a bomb exploded near a CD stand in Kalaya, Orakzai agency on Friday. No one has taken responsibility for the blast which completely destroyed the store.[4]
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On Thursday, Pakistani security forces killed 15 militants and injured many others when they shelled a number of militant hideouts in Kalam Khel, Arghanjo and Lundo Qamar areas of Orakzai agency.[5]
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In Turbat district of southwest Balochistan on Friday, unknown militants fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) at a paramilitary convoy, killing one and wounding five more. No one has reportedly claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, which damaged two of the vehicles in the convoy.[6]
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On Friday morning, after a bomb killed sixteen people outside a mosque in Kalaya in northwestern Orakzai, Pakistani Air Force (PAF) jets bombed and killed nine militants in their hideouts, according to a military official.[7]
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In Karachi on Friday morning, two motorcyclists shot and killed a senior Shia lawyer Malik Jarar Hussain while he was dropping his children off at school. Hussain was a former vice-chairperson for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which lashed out against the government for failing “to take measures to guarantee safety of human rights defenders and indeed all citizens.”[8]
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In Karachi on Thursday, a policeman was killed and six more people, including two additional police officers, were injured in a remote-controlled bomb attack on a footpath in Orangi town.[9]
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Thursday night, police sub inspector Muzaffar Khan Marwat was shot and killed by unidentified attackers in Madaki area, Karak.[10]
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On Friday, two motorcyclists killed a man and wounded another when they opened fire in Qasaba colony, Karachi.[11]
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Two armed men executed a man in Orangi town, Karachi, on Friday. The attackers first kidnapped the man, and then lined him against a wall and killed him.[12]
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Unidentified attackers kidnapped and shot a man, whose body was found on Friday near Keamari gate, Karachi. He was found with multiple gunshot wounds.[13]
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On Friday, locals found two bodies stuffed into body-bags and placed in a rickshaw in Karachi. The men had been bound, tortured, and shot three times each.[14]
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Two men on a motorcycle shot and killed a man in North Karachi when they opened fire on him in his shop.[15]
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A doctor was shot and killed in a “target killing” in North Karachi when two motorcyclists rode by his clinic and hit him with at least three pistol rounds.[16]
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Two armed motorcyclists shot and killed a policeman in Baldia Town, Karachi, on Friday, when he was also on his motorcycle. After killing him, the two unidentified attackers stole his sub-machine gun and escaped.[17]
Strike against terrorism
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The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl announced a strike against terrorism, targeted killings, and assassinations on Thursday.[18]
Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline
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On Thursday, Khalid Aziz Babar, the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran, stated that construction of the controversial Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline will begin “soon.” [19]
Drones
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On Thursday, Nawaz Khokhar, Advisor to the Prime Minister on human rights, met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Micheal Posner in Islamabad. Khokhar expressed his concerns over U.S. drone attacks in the tribal areas of Pakistan stating that the attacks are counterproductive and cause innocent deaths.[20]
Kashmir Dispute
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On Thursday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation reaffirmed its support for the resolution of the dispute over Kashmir. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar led the Pakistani delegation to the 12th OIC Summit and announced Pakistan’s commitment to resolve issues concerning the disputed territory. The OIC also urged India to allow OIC officials to visit Jammu and Kashmir to investigate allegations of human rights violations and conduct its own investigation. The OIC also welcomed Pakistan’s proposal to investigate recent Line of Control (LoC) violations, but Indian officials stated that the OIC has no jurisdiction in the matter.[21]
Supreme Court
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On Friday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court issued a written order against the government’s inability to control law and order in Karachi. The written order stated the government had not taken appropriate action to ensure the safety of Pakistani citizens.[22]