Car bomb in Nowshera kills 17 refugees; U.S. military to take over drone program; Funding to Pakistan questioned; Gunmen open fire, wounding soldiers in Kashmir; Zardari says TAPI pipeline is a primary goal; U.S. releases al Qaeda planning letter; Rangers arrest two TTP and one LeJ members in Karachi; Military increasing operations against TTP in Tirah valley; Pakistan opposes India entry to NSG; ECP will set up 80,000 polling stations; Rangers arrest seven in Karachi; Karzai lashes out at Pakistan; Armed clash in Karachi; Two MQM members killed in Karachi; Tortured man found dead in Karachi; Police seize explosives in Nowshera; Supreme Court to resume hearing on Karachi law and order.
Militancy
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On Thursday, a car bomb killed seventeen people and wounded over 40 more when it exploded in the Jalozai refugee camp in Nowshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The 35kg timed bomb detonated as people waited to register and receive rations. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan called the attacks “inhuman and un-Islamic for targeting innocents.” Members from the United Nations’ World Food Program were among the casualties. The World Food Program’s Pakistan director Jean-Luc Siblot said that though the program is briefly suspending its operations to reevaluate the security situation, but will resume giving aid soon. [1]
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On Thursday, unknown gunmen shot and wounded three Indian soldiers in Nowgam, Srinagar, Kashmir when they opened fire on their patrol vehicle. [2]
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On Thursday, Rangers at Manghopir Road, Karachi, exchanged fire with and then arrested three suspected members of the militant groups Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jaghnvi (LeJ). The suspects opened fire when police stopped them on their motorcycles, and after the skirmish, police arrested three of four militants, and recovered explosives and weapons. Among those arrested was LeJ member Shaukat Sardar, and two TTP members. Police say the militants had formed a new 14-15 person group focused on extortion and hand grenade attacks. Separately, Rangers arrested seven suspects in an early morning raid Thursday raid in Azeempura and Green Town areas of Shah Faisal Colony, Karachi. [3]
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On Wednesday in Hazara Goth area, Karachi, two armed groups exchanged fire during a disagreement. The fighting dispersed when police arrived, and there were no reported casualties. In Lyari Maryann at Adam Khan Road, a man was killed when unknown men shot him. Another man was shot to death at Keamari Masan Road. Police recovered a body that had been tortured and brutally murdered in Al Asif Colony. Rangers arrested fifteen people and seized a large arms cache in Musharraf Colony. Two people were killed in the operation. Two members of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) were shot down in North Karachi, Surjani Town and Ramswami, Garden area, when separate motorcyclists opened fire on them. [4]
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Police seized ten bags of dynamite and arrested two drivers on Trunk Road near Khairabad Chowk, Nowshera on Wednesday when they stopped a truck and searched it. [5]
Military Actions
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According to an Express Tribune article, the Pakistani military is increasing its offensive against the TTP and Lashkar-e-Islam, a TTP ally, in the Tirah valley, Khyber agency. The military is imposing curfews and increasing air strikes in the valley, and is shelling militant strongholds from areas surrounding the valley. The majority of the shelling and bombing is “concentrated on Tirah, the town of Bara and Ghalio,” to prevent militants from escaping to Orakzai. [6]
Drones
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On Tuesday, three senior U.S. officials stated that the White House is considering a plan that would formally merge the CIA’s and U.S. military’s drone programs, giving the military operational control over targeting. According to the officials, shifting operational control to the military is an attempt to increase accountability and create clear standards for lethal operations. However, this shift away from CIA strikes and towards engaging local partners in targeting will not impact the CIA-run drone program in Pakistan for the moment. [7]
Al Qaeda Letter
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On Wednesday, CNN reported on a 2010 letter written by senior al Qaeda operative Younis al-Mauretani to Osama bin Laden describing a “detailed al Qaeda strategy for attacking targets in Europe and the United States.” U.S. special forces found the letter at bin Laden’s compound when they raided it in 2011. The letter explains how “soft” targets, including infrastructure such as gas and oil lines, dams, internet cables, and social events like parades, were all prospective targets of al Qaeda attacks. [8]
Education Funding
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According to an article published by Fox News, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas will propose a bill on Tuesday that will halt education aid to Pakistan. Poe asked why the U.S. is funding education in Pakistan during the sequester while the U.S. military is forced to cut back tuition assistance for U.S. troops. [9]
Elections
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The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will set up approximately 80,000 polling stations nationwide. According to an ECP official, a polling station will be set up every 2km during elections scheduled for May. [10]
India
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On Wednesday, diplomats from Pakistan, China and several European nations expressed reservations about India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The U.S., Russia, and other countries entered serious discussions in favor of admitting India to the NSG earlier this week, but Pakistan “has warned against allowing its rival into the NSG.” [11]
TAPI gas pipeline
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On Wednesday, President Asif Ali Zardari met with Turkmenistan’s President Dr. Gurbanguly M Berdimuhamedov while attending the international Nowruz (New Year) Festival in Ashgabat. During the meeting Zardari and Berdimuhamedov discussed various issues including the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, which Zardari said could help with the growing energy crisis in Pakistan. The two leaders also discussed increasing bilateral trade. [12]
Afghan-Pakistan Relations
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On Wednesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused Pakistanis of killing and imprisoning Taliban members who want to pursue a peace process, further deteriorating relations between the two countries. His accusation came just days after Karzai accused the U.S. of having secret talks with the Taliban in Qatar. Karzai also said that the Taliban could no longer conduct attacks into Afghanistan from Pakistan, adding that it was the presence of foreigners in Afghanistan that had made it weak in responding to cross-border attacks. [13]
Karachi Law and Order
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On Thursday, the Supreme Court will resume the hearing on Karachi’s law and order case. The Supreme Court will review reports submitted by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI) agencies regarding the Abbas Town blast, and Sindh’s chief secretary regarding the suspension of 14 police officers. [14]