Suicide bomber kills 28 in Quetta; Car bomb kills 18 in Peshawar; Ministry of Finance to decide on IMF loan; British Prime Minister David Cameron visits Pakistan; Afghanistan angry at Pakistan over “power share” proposal; Kerry to meet with Pakistani officials at ASEAN conference; Four soldiers killed, 16 wounded in IED in North Waziristan; Altaf Hussain quits, then returns, as MQM chief; Two Nanga Parbat suspects arrested; Grenade thrown at Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli; Iran-Pakistan pipeline to finish on time, says government official; 9 killed in shootings throughout Balochistan; Sharif emphasizes bilateral relations with China; U.S.-Pakistan business conference concludes in Dubai; Two policemen killed in Peshawar; Two schools blown up in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; According to Pakistan Army, 75 militants, 21 soldiers killed in Parachamkani in the last month; India and Pakistan exchange prisoner lists; Zardari approves 2013-2014 national budget; Germany will not press charges in 2010 drone death of citizen in North Waziristan; Rangers search Karachi Central Jail in connection with Karachi June 27 bombings; 11 killed in Karachi over the weekend.
Militancy
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A suicide bomber detonated his explosives on Sunday in Hazara town in Quetta, killing himself and twenty seven others in the explosion. Over 60 others suffered wounds in the attacks. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has claimed responsibility for the attack. Reportedly, the bomber had been attempting to enter a Shia mosque when he was detained at a checkpoint, at which point he detonated his explosives. The attack occurred just over two weeks after June 15’s Lashkar-e-Jhangvi bomb and gun attack on the Bolan Medical Complex, which prompted increased security in the city.[1]
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A car bomb targeting Frontier Corps personnel on Saturday in Badaber, near Peshawar, killed 18 people, including a child, and wounded 47 others. Reportedly, the bomb had been detonated as a convoy of FC personnel passed through the area, but killed only two soldiers in the blast. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but an FIR has been lodged against three commanders of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Darra Adamkhel.[2]
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On Satuday, four soldiers were killed, and another 16 were wounded, when two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) exploded near Idak, North Waziristan while a military convoy was passing through the area.[3]
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Two of the 16 identified terrorists responsible for the Gilgit-Baltistan Nanga Parbat attacks were arrested on Sunday. The perpetrators are reportedly residents of Diamer district.[4]
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Early Saturday morning, the Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli was targeted by a hand grenade attack by unknown perpetrators. According to Ambassador Mohammed Ayaz Hussain, no one was injured in the attack.[5]
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Three people were killed in Khuzdar, Balochistan after unknown gunmen opened fire on buses passing through on the National Highway on Sunday.[6]
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On Saturday morning, police recovered three handcuffed bodies on the eastern bypass of Quetta. Two of the deceased were brothers from the Pashtunabad area.[7]
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On Sunday evening, men on motorcycles shot and killed three laborers and injured four others while the men were sleeping by the road in Khan Kot, Naseerabad, Balochistan.[8]
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According to a Monday report in Dawn, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government under Chief Minister Pervez Khattak is currently proposing a plan to withdraw the Pakistan Army from Swat entirely, in an attempt to create a “comfortable situation” for its citizens, in which roads are not hindered by checkpoints and security forces. According to military analysts, however, “[complete] withdrawal is not a possibility.”[9]
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PTI leader Imran Khan announced at a convention on Sunday that the provincial government of Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa intends to meet with Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and possibly Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss national-level counterterrorism policies. Khan’s remarks follow several attacks against PTI members by the TTP in the last few weeks.[10]
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Two policemen were shot and killed in Peshawar on Monday near the Pishtakhara police station, after militants on motorcycles attacked them, stealing their AK-47 assault rifles as well.[11]
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Two primary schools were blown up in Paharkhel Pakka, Lakki Marwat District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday by unknown militants. No casualties were reported.[12]
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An improvised explosive device (IED) injured a station house officer, his driver and a constable on Saturday while they were driving through Swabi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[13]
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On Sunday, an employee of the Pakistan Post Office went missing near Wrasta Road, Hangu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[14]
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According to Pakistan Army Colonel Wasim Zafar Bhatti, security forces have effectively cleared the Parachamkani area of Kurram agency. Bhatti said75 militants were killed and 21 soldiers died in a 34-day-long operation in the region.[15]
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One person was killed and another three were injured after a landmine exploded under a vehicle on Monday in Malikhel, Kurram Agency.[16]
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A polio vaccination campaign began on Monday in Bajaur and Mohmand agencies. Government officials have promised high levels of security for the vaccination teams amid concerns about potential attacks on aid workers.[17]
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Police arrested five kidnappers and recovered an 11-year-old girl on Sunday in lower Kurram agency. The kidnappers were allegedly attempting to move the girl from Peshawar to Afghanistan.[18]
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Two militants were killed in an exchange in fire between two rival groups in Bara, Khyber Agency on Saturday. One of the deceased was a former group commander of Lashkar-e-Islam.[19]
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On Sunday, Lashkar-e-Islam militants set 16 tribal jirga members and six political activists free in Bara, Khyber Agency. The men had been imprisoned for supporting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Suhail Afridi for election in NA-46.[20]
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A clash between militants and tribesmen in Tiarza Khula, Wana, South Waziristan resulted in the death of four tribesmen, and wounded 18 other tribesmen. Reportedly, militants fired rockets at the tribesmen, sparking an armed retaliation.[21]
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A mortar attack by unidentified militants killed four and injured 15 on Sunday near Rustam Bazaar in Wana, South Waziristan.[22]
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According to the Associated Press in a report on Monday, German prosecutors will not press charges against the U.S. for a 2010 drone strike which killed a German citizen in Mir Ali, North Waziristan stating “they don’t consider the German as a civilian covered by international humanitarian law” as he was fighting with militant groups in the region.”[23]
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Rangers officials performed an eight hour search of the Karachi Central Jail on Saturday, allegedly in connection with the June 27 bombings which targeted Sindh High Justice Maqbool Baqar. According to an unverified media statement, a report by the Inspector General of Prisons' notes that the search recovered a cell phone used to plot the attack, but the Rangers deny this claim. According to senior police officials, two LeJ members planned the attack on Maqbool before being imprisoned in 2011. Separately, citing numerous security flaws uncovered during the jail search, officials have moved at least 20 convicts to a prison in Sukkur, Sindh Province.[24]
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The weapons used by TTP militants in the killing of MQM provincial assembly member Sajid Qureshi and his son in Karachi have been used in five other murders in the Pakistan Bazaar and Iqbal market police stations, authorities revealed on Sunday.[25]
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On Saturday, a hand grenade attack by unknown perpetrators in Orangi town, Karachi wounded four people.[26]
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On Sunday, Police in Orangi Town, Karachi, arrested five alleged members of TTP in addition to confiscating explosive materials and firearms. The police claimed that the five individuals had recently arrived in Karachi to plot a terrorist attack against an unspecified target in the financial district.[27]
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A two kilogram bomb discovered in Gulshan-e-Maymar, Karachi was defused by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) on Sunday before it could detonate.[28]
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Five people, including a Rangers member, were killed in Karachi on Saturday. The Rangers official was shot and killed near Nagan Chowrangi while off duty, while a young man was gunned down outside of a milk shop near Mosamiyat Chowrangi. Another man was shot dead near a water plant in Gulshan-e-Maymar, and a body was found near Napier road. After exchanging fire with police, an armed suspect was also shot and killed near a bakery in Tipu Sultan.[29]
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In response to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) allegations of discriminatory arrests and the use of lethal force against its adherents, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Saeed Ghani said the legal system, not law enforcement personnel, was responsible for ensuring justice. Ghani’s remarks follow outrage over the extrajudicial killing of an athlete in Lyari, Karchi, by Rangers last Friday. It also runs counter to the path chosen by officials in Punjab, who have given their police “free reign” to use lethal force against suspects as necessary.[30]
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Six people were killed in firing incidents on Monday in Karachi. Two people were caught in a cross fire during a police operation in Steel Town, two tortured bodies were found in Lyari, a religious activist was killed in Baldia, and a tortured body was found in Qasba.[31]
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Police in Islamabad raided 69 homes on Sunday, arresting 25 people during search operations.[32]
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Police killed two individuals on Sunday in Lahore after the men allegedly opened fire on the officers’ vehicle.[33]
Domestic
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The Ministry of Finance will decide today whether or not to accept an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan package worth $5 billion. Addressing ongoing public concerns regarding the IMF’s insistence on higher taxes and a decreased development budget, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated that the government will not impose any new taxes to satisfy the IMF’s pre-loan requirements. As recently as last Friday, the IMF voiced concerns about the nation’s inconsistent budget figures and mishandling of the negotiations; media spectators are doubtful both sides will reach agreement before the IMF delegations returns to Washington, D.C. this week.[34]
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President Asif Ali Zardari approved the 2013-2014 Finance Bill on Saturday; the budget legislation takes effect today. Parliament passed the bill on June 27th.[35]
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After being connected to Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Imran Farooq’s 2010 murder following searches at his home in London, MQM chief Altaf Hussain initially announced his resignation from party leadership on Sunday morning, before reneging on his decision hours later, reportedly on the insistence of MQM party members. Hussain plans to argue his own case in the Farooq murder if charges are brought against him in the UK.[36]
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Protestors in Lyari, Karachi ended their occupation of the city’s “red-zone” on Monday, following successful negotiations with authorities regarding the extra-judicial killings of citizens without due process of law. Pakistan Peoples Party lawmakers from Lyari supported the rally, demanding that all suspects be treated in the same manner.[37]
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Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi filed a petition with the Supreme Court on Monday requesting a criminal case and contempt of court charges against President Zardari and several former ministers for their alleged collusion on the letter to Swiss authorizes regarding ongoing graft proceedings.[38]
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On Monday, in a letter addressed to federal cabinet and ministries, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the firing of all corrupt officials in Pakistan’s government, calling for “strict scrutiny” in the appointment of any government position.[39]
Afghan-Pakistan Relations
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According to Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Ershad Ahmadi, Pakistan’s suggestion of a power sharing agreement between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan government—proposed by Pakistan’s Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz during a meeting with Ahmadi—is a play by Pakistan to obtain more influence in Afghanistan. According to Ahmadi, this agreement would be a, “means for the Pakistanis to achieve what they could not achieve through their proxy (the Taliban) on the battlefield.”[40]
UK-Pakistan Relations
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On Sunday, British Prime Minister David Cameron became the first foreign head of state to visit Pakistan since the election of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Cameron promised the British government’s support in combating extremism in Pakistan and, separately, remarked on Pakistan’s role in—and the benefits derived from—a stable, democratic government in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his support for Afghan-led peace talks as well, noting that Pakistan, “promote[s] the shared objective of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, to which the three million Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan can return with honour and dignity.”[41]
Iran-Pakistan Relations
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During a briefing to the Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources on Friday, the Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources said that the Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline Project would meet its December 2014 completion deadline. Once finished, the project will help ease the country’s energy crisis according to The News in a report on Saturday.[42]
India-Pakistan Relations
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced on Saturday that he will send Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif to India to discuss opportunities for energy collaboration in the face of Pakistan’s ongoing energy crisis. Indian members of the Pak-India Joint Business Council assured Sharif that the government of India could assist in providing science education and training.[43]
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According to Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, in a statement on Friday, dialogue between Pakistan and India will resume after the newly-elected Nawaz Sharif-led government settles into power. According to Khurshid, progress in relations between the two countries will “move forward one step at a time.”[44]
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Indian-administered Kashmir saw security crackdowns on Monday, after protests condemning the shooting of a teenager by Indian forces turned violent, resulting in Indian Army soldiers firing into the crowd on Sunday. The forces are in the area for anti-militant operations.[45]
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According to the terms of a 2008 Consular Agreement, the Foreign Office provided the Indian High Commission with a list of Indian nationals imprisoned in Pakistani jails as part of a biannual prisoner list exchange. The prisoners are released when their jail sentence is complete, although the government may release some low-level prisoners periodically as a goodwill gesture.[46]
China-Pakistan Relations
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with members of the Chinese media on Saturday; during the press conference, he advocated bilateral relations with China as an important component of the government’s foreign policy. On Monday, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong echoed Sharif’s remarks and said the Chinese government eagerly anticipates improving economic and energy cooperation.[47]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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According to senior Foreign Ministry officials, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz will meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum on Tuesday. Reportedly, Syria, Afghanistan and drone strikes will all be talking points during the discussion.[48]
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The Ministry of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State concluded a two-day business conference in Dubai last week, during which businessmen and government officials discussed investment and trade opportunities. High-level attendees included the President of the India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry S. M. Muneer, and former Ambassador Javed Malik, who praised economic ties with the U.S. and claimed the election of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has boosted the confidence of foreign investors.[49]