U.S. spokeswoman warns Pakistan of sanctions over Iran pipeline; Interior Minister Rehman Malik reports 2,181 terror attacks since 2008; EU observers invited to monitor election; Supreme Court stays LNG contract; ATC grants a four-day restraint on suspects in Joseph Colony riots; Suicide bomber kills two in Bannu; District Election Commissioner for Quetta killed; Rangers arrest 31 in Karachi; Several killed in various violent incidents; Japan sends millions in support of polio campaign.
Iran-Pakistan Pipeline
-
On Monday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland warned Pakistan against following through on a major pipeline deal with Iran, saying “we have serious concerns if this project actually goes forward that the Iran Sanctions Act would be triggered.” Nuland’s warning came in response to the meeting Monday between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, where they inaugurated the pipeline in Chahbahar, Iran.[1]
Terrorism
-
In a written statement submitted to the Senate on Thursday, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that 2,139 people lost their lives in 2,181 terror incidents across Pakistan (excluding Punjab) in the last five years. Malik then broke down specific numbers for each region, citing the number of attacks, deaths, injuries, total compensation money paid, and the cost of fighting or rebuilding after terrorism.[2]
Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal
-
The Ottawa Citizen published a report on Sunday which states that Pakistan is believed to possess 90 to 110 nuclear weapons. The report states that while Pakistan’s reasons for expanding its nuclear arsenal are unclear, it considers a “minimum credible deterrent” necessary to dissuade potential Indian military action against it. According the report, India currently has between 60 to 80 nuclear warheads.[3]
Christian Community Riots
-
On Monday, police officials asked the Anti-Terrorism Court to grant a 14 day physical restraint for 14 suspects in the Joseph Colony riots in which thousands of rioters burned at least 150 houses of a Christian community. The ATC granted police officials a four-day restraint to produce an investigation report.[4]
Karachi Operation
-
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Sindh Rangers said during a press briefing that the Rangers personnel have apprehended at least 460 suspects in connection with targeted killings over the last three months in Karachi. Sindh Rangers launched targeted operations in response to an explosion which killed 2 people in Landhi on Monday and arrested 31 suspects as well as recovered several weapons and ammunition.[5]
Militancy
-
On Tuesday, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a police vehicle killing three people and wounding an additional 18 near the Saddar police station in Bannu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[6]
-
On Tuesday, unidentified assailants opened fire at the vehicle of Muhammad Ziaullah Qasmi, the District Election Commissioner for Quetta, while he was traveling on Munir Menga Road in Quetta. Qasmi was killed in the attack and his driver injured.[7]
-
Unidentified assailants shot and killed one person in Zehri sub-district area of Khuzdar, Balochistan on Monday.[8]
-
On Tuesday, unidentified assailants shot and killed three civilians in Larkana, Sindh Province.[9]
-
On Monday, Pakistani security forces arrested five suspected militants in the Dargai area of Kurram Agency.[10]
-
On Tuesday, an explosion, the cause of which has not yet been determined, injured six people in the town of Pabbi, Peshawar. Police officials suspect that militants may have been targeting Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain who lives in the vicinity of the blast..[11]
Elections
-
On Monday, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said that Pakistan would welcome EU observers for the upcoming general elections. Earlier on Monday, the Council for the European Union offered to send observers in support of the elections, and expressed their excitement for the third EU-Pakistan summit with the new government.[12]
LNG Contract
-
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued an injunction on the proposed Rs4,600 billion ($46 billion) Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) contract from the Ministry of Petroleum until the court makes its final decision about the legitimacy of the deal .[13]
Anti-polio Campaign
-
On Monday, Japanese Chargé d’Affaires to Pakistan Akira Kono announced that the government of Japan has decided to provide 226 million Japanese Yen ($2.62 million) to Pakistan through UNICEF to support the polio eradication campaign. The money will go to purchasing 13 million oral vaccines and supporting the distribution process.[14]