Pakistan calls Afghan military visit cancellation overreaction, expresses surprise at comments about approaching peace talks alone; NATO forces kill 25 TTP militants in Afghanistan; Ministry of Interior puts country on high alert over terrorist threats to election; Attackers kill police officer in Peshawar; IED in Peshawar injures two; Militants bomb filling station in Kurram; Karachi Rangers arrest six, seize weapons; Interior Ministry to provide guards for former Prime Ministers.
Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations
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On Thursday, Pakistani Foreign Office officials expressed their surprise at Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin’s comments that Afghanistan would approach Taliban peace talks alone. Officials went on to call the Afghan cancellation of the visit of an eleven-person delegation from the Afghan National Army (ANA) scheduled to attend an exercise in Quetta as an “over reaction to a local problem.” Afghan forces canceled the visit after Pakistani soldiers reportedly fired nearly fifty rockets across the border into Kunar province, Afghanistan, on Monday and Tuesday. Pakistani officials said they had not even received an official state-level complaint, and had heard about the Afghan reaction through the media.[1]
Militancy
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On Thursday, NATO forces under International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) command killed over 25 Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in an operation in Lakhai, Afghanistan, just across the border from Chagai, Balochistan. An unknown but significant number of people were wounded in the battle. “Most of the dead Taliban belonged to Quetta, Naushki, Chagai, Kuchlak, Pishin and adjoining areas.”[2]
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On Wednesday, the Ministry of the Interior issued a nation-wide terrorist threat for the duration of elections. The threat came after members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and ministry officials met and determined that the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) are planning to attack election targets in Balochistan, Nushki, and Quetta. The Balochistan Republican Army (BRA) is planning improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in Dera Bugti, Naseerabad and Jaffarabad, and an LeJ commander is planning further attacks in Islamabad. [3]
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On Wednesday, two unknown attackers shot and killed a police officer in Gulberg area, Peshawar. Two other people were also injured in the attack. Separately, in Peshawar’s Dabgari area, one man was killed and his taxi driver injured when two armed men opened fire on them. On Wednesday night, a 2.5kg IED exploded in an arms dealership, injuring two people in the Hasht Nagar area. The blast damaged three shops and three vehicles.[4]
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On Wednesday, unknown militants blew up a filling station in Sadda Bazaar, Kurram agency.[5]
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Tuesday night, unidentified motorcyclists shot and killed two police officials at the Durdana Abad check post in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. [6]
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On Thursday, unknown gunmen shot and killed a man in his house in Sohrab Goth, Karachi. His wife is missing as of the attack. In an unrelated incident, Karachi police found the body of a woman in Faisal Town, bearing signs of torture. [7]
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On Wednesday, Rangers in Karachi arrested six people and seized a small weapons cache in an operation in the Lyari area. Separately, two people were shot by unknown attackers in Lyari. Earlier on Wednesday, police recovered the body of a woman who had been tortured and killed in Malir area.[8]
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On Wednesday, unknown attackers shot and killed a man in Qambar-Shahdadkot police district, Sukkur, before fleeing on motorcycles.[9]
Security Provisions
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According to an article in Dawn on Wednesday, the interior ministry “provided 36 police guards to former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 10 policemen to his predecessor Yousuf Raza Gilani.” Increased security comes in response to threats of terrorism and violence across the country leading up to elections on May 11. [10]