Indian forces arrest four in connection with Srinagar attack; AI suicide bombers kill 46 militants; Several dead in Karachi; IED detonated in Charsadda; IMU spokesperson condemns Afghan war; al Qaeda’s head of media in Pakistan releases lecture; Workshop of the Granddaughters of Safiya release pamphlets against U.S. drone attacks; SSP releases special issue of English magazine; Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee discusses Pakistan’s national security; Elections to be held on May 11; Imran Khan elected as PTI chairperson.
Domestic Politics
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Spokesperson for President Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday that general elections will be held on May 11. A parliamentary committee has until Friday to select a caretaker prime minister to lead the country until elections are held following failed negotiations between the Pakistani government and oppositions parties to select a candidate.[1]
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On Wednesday, Imran Khan, Chief of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), was elected as the party’s chairperson. After being elected, he announced that there would be a two-term limit on anyone being head of the PTI in order to maintain a democratic process.[2]
Indo-Pak Relations
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On Tuesday, Indian police arrested four people in connection with the attack in Srinagar which killed five police officers last week. According to police officials in Indian Kashmir, one of the suspects is a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based militant group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks.[3]
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According to Indian media outlets, Pakistan's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have been spying on military activity in India near Rajasthan. The drones allegedly fly inside Pakistani airspace near the Indian border and but are reportedly capable of photographing objects as far as 25 to 30 kilometers away. Indian defense spokesperson Col. Goswami said that if Pakistani drones violate Indian airspace, “suitable action will be taken.” [4]
Militancy
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On Monday, two suicide bombers, reportedly Ansarul Islam (AI) commanders Abdul Ghafar and Kashmir Khan, detonated their explosives inside AI’s headquarters in the Tirah valley, Khyber agency killing 46 militants, including an Uzbek Taliban commander Abu Islam, and injuring several others. The first bomber detonated his explosives when Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants seized the headquarters building after driving out AI’s forces from the area. The second bomber detonated when TTP militants moved into the ammunition cache of AI headquarters. The TTP along with Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) have been expanding control in the Tirah Valley, taking control of several areas including Malikdinkhel, Qambarkhel, Adamkhel, Bagh, Shalobar, and Zakhakhel. [5]
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In Karachi, a car bomb detonated, killing one and wounding two others as it approached the Landi Kotal roundabout in North Nazimabad area on Tuesday. Officials said the bomb was rigged to a timer and attached to Karachi Electric Supply Company deputy general manager Farhan Khalil’s car; Khalil was killed in the explosion. In the Pirabad area, police encountered and killed a TTP member reported to be the brother of a TTP commander. In Sharafi Goth area, unknown assailants shot and killed one person. Two men were killed when unidentified armed men opened fire on them on University Road near Safari Park. Another man was shot and killed near the Malir River at Murtaza Chowrangi on Tuesday. Two people were killed and two more injured when unknown attackers opened fire as the funeral procession for a professor who was shot Monday, passed through Gulshan-e-Iqbal. [6]
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On Tuesday, police killed one man and arrested three others when they stopped a suspicious car and the occupants opened fire on them near Band Road, Lahore.[7]
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On Monday, terrorists detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) outside the home of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) leader Babar Khan in Charsadda, causing no casualties. On Tuesday, one police officer was killed and two more injured when unidentified attackers in Shabqadar bazaar, Charsadda, opened fire on them. Separately, unknown attackers detonated a bomb destroying a school in Shabqadar sub-district. No casualties were reported.[8]
Militant Communication
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On Monday, SITE published a video of Mounir Chouka, a spokesperson for the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), condemning the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. Chouka spoke about various incidents in Afghanistan that he said represent the arrogance and indecency of the U.S. The video also featured a German woman speaking about the destruction of her home and death of her husband by a U.S. drone attack. She condemned the U.S. as well as the Pakistani government for allowing the U.S. to conduct drone operations in Pakistan.[9]
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On March 14, SITE released a video of Ustadh Ahmad Farooq, al Qaeda’s head of media in Pakistan, lecturing Muslims to not be lazy in their worship.[10]
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Sippah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) released a special issue of its English based magazine, "al-Rashideen," on March 12th focusing on the effects of the 1979 Iranian revolution.[11]
National Security
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On Tuesday, the Pakistani military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee convened a meeting in Rawalpindi to discuss national security concerns in Pakistan.[12]