Government might reconsider peace dialogue with TTP; TTP denies links to Jundullah; JI chief welcomes TTP’s formation of a peace dialogue committee; PTI Chairman says that TTP should open Pakistan office; Indian Prime Minister confirms meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister; Pakistan complains about cross-border shelling to Afghan Charge d’Affaires; Five Karachi police stations put under Rangers’ control; 41 Karachi policemen suspended for corruption; Militants attack dam in Mohmand agency; Militants injure three in rocket attack on security installation; President’s nephew is victim of extortionists’ attack; Police detain two alleged al Qaeda members in Lahore; Security officials detain Lyari gangster in Lahore airport; Pakistan Army deploys troops to provide disaster relief for earthquake victims; Prime Minister says that ending energy crisis is top priority.
Talks with the TTP
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At a press conference on Tuesday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that the government might reassess its proposal for dialogue with the Taliban upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s return from the United States.[1]
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An unnamed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman on Tuesday reportedly disavowed links with Jundullah , a group which had claimed responsibility for the All-Saints Church attack on Sunday, although he reaffirmed the TTP’s connection to a different faction called Jandul Hafsa; the spokesman insisted Jandul Hafsa did not conduct the attack. Despite this denial, an alleged Jandul Hafsa spokesman Ahmadullah claimed responsibility for the bombing on Sunday. A separate report claims TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told journalists via telephone on an unspecified date that the TTP was not involved in the All-Saints Church attack, leading to concerns that some militant factions are attempting to sabotage the peace process. According to a Wednesday report in The News, Ahmad Marwat, who claimed responsibility for Sunday’s bombing on behalf of Jundullah, has frequently made exaggerated or false claims of responsibility. The News report speculates that TTP is trying to redirect attention surrounding the attack toward the disavowed Jundullah and away from the TTP-linked Jandul Hafsa.[2]
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Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hasan told party members on Tuesday that he was pleased by reports that the TTP had formed a peace dialogue committee. Hasan recommended that the government begin talks immediately.[3]
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On Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said while visiting victims injured in the Peshawar church attack that the government should declare a ceasefire with the TTP and permit it to open an office in Pakistan.[4]
India-Pakistan Relations
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In a statement on Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that he plans to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif this weekend during the UN General Assembly. Earlier press reports have suggested the meeting will be held over breakfast on September 29.[5]
Afghan-Pakistan Relations
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On Tuesday night, Pakistan summoned the Afghan Charge d’Affaires to the Foreign Office to lodge a complaint about cross-border shelling earlier in the day that killed two Pakistani civilians in North Waziristan.[6]
Karachi Unrest
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Security officials detained 48 suspects from various parts of Karachi on Tuesday.[7]
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The government of Sindh announced on Wednesday that five Karachi police stations, one in each district of Karachi division, will be put under the control of the paramilitary Rangers.[8]
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According to a Wednesday report in The News, 41 Karachi policemen have been suspended due to charges of corruption, extortion, and other criminal activities. Thirty-seven of the 41 come from the South Zone, which includes Lyari.[9]
Militancy
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The TTP’s media wing, Umar Studio, posted a video interview with Commander Khalid Haqqani to web forums on September 17. Haqqani discussed the necessity of jihad, and assured his audience that Mullah Omar supports jihad in Pakistan.[10]
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The TTP posted a statement to jihadi web forums on September 16 claiming responsibility for the August 27 assault on a Pakistan Army installation in South Waziristan agency. The statement said the attack killed approximately 100 soldiers and was retribution for the death of Wali-ur-Rahman.[11]
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Approximately 12 militants attacked a dam in the Halimzai area of Mohmand agency before dawn on Wednesday. The assault left three people dead and seven more wounded. The attackers also kidnapped four people.[12]
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On Wednesday, unidentified militants fired rockets at a security installation in the Jani Khel area of Bannu district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Three people sustained injuries.[13]
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According to a Wednesday report in the Express Tribune, President Mamnoon Hussain’s nephew was targeted by armed gunmen in the Light House area of Karachi after refusing extortionists’ demands. There is no indication he was harmed during the attack and police have reportedly identified the extortionists.[14]
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Security officials detained two alleged al Qaeda members in Lahore on Wednesday.[15]
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On Tuesday, security officials at Lahore airport detained the alleged Lyari, Karachi gangster, Sheraz Comrade, who stands accused of murder and extortion.[16]
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Security officials found the bodies of two torture victims in Nawab Town area of Lahore on Wednesday.[17]
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Police exchanged fire on Tuesday with three suspects near Khokah Chowk area of Satellite Town in Jhang, Punjab province. One police officer and two suspects were injured. The third suspect was killed.[18]
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Unidentified gunmen killed a man along Rehri Goth Road, Karachi, on Tuesday.[19]
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On Wednesday, unidentified assailants threw a smoke grenade at the Karachi Central Jail.[20]
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On Tuesday night, an IED explosion in the Mohalla Baqir Shah area of Peshawar injured one person.[21]
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Student members of the Islami Jamiat Talba (IJT) and the Jamiat Talba Islam (JTI) exchanged fire at a university in Takht Bhai, Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The clash left four people wounded.[22]
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On Tuesday, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a NATO container in Jamrud sub-district of Khyber agency. No casualties have been reported.[23]
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Unidentified men kidnapped two policemen and a shepherd on Monday from Gilgit Town in Gilgit-Baltistan. Security officials recovered the body of the shepherd in Gilgit on Tuesday and one of the police officers escaped. The third victim has not yet been recovered.[24]
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According to a Wednesday report in the Express Tribune, militant group Lashker-e-Islam (LI) recently released a video featuring a boy kidnapped two weeks ago from Sheikhan village, Bara, Khyber agency. LI militants have accused the victim of working for the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).[25]
Domestic
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As of Tuesday, the Pakistan Army has deployed approximately 1,000 troops to earthquake-damaged areas of Balochistan province. The Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps are conducting rescue operations and providing humanitarian relief to earthquake victims.[26]
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The Chief Minister of Balochistan Abdul Malik Baloch said on Tuesday that his highest priority is having a dialogue with separatist Baloch militants.[27]
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This August, Pakistan saw net direct foreign investment per month fall to $2.3 million, its lowest figure ever. $74.4 million of foreign investment came to Pakistan in August, but withdrawals of funds that month surged to $71.8 million.[28]
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At a United Nations meeting on Tuesday Nawaz Sharif said that ending Pakistan’s energy crisis is his top priority. He said that his goals include increasing Pakistan’s renewable energy production and encouraging energy conservation.[29]
China-Pakistan Relations