TTP spokesman expresses support for mutual ceasefire during peace negotiations; Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police meets with police officials to review security strategy; Suicide attack closes checkpoint on Afghanistan-Pakistan border; Baloch Liberation Front attack kills 2 in Mashkai, vows to continue attacks against Pakistani military; Police thwart terrorist plot in Abbottabad; Rangers raid MQM office in Karachi calim to find Indian weapons; Punjab University claims more students linked to terrorist groups; Rangers launch targeted operation in Hyderabad; Police arrest MQM activist in connection with murder; Indian Prime Minister praises meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif; Government announces 30 percent increase in energy tariffs; Prime Minister and Opposition Leader meet to discuss NAB chairman appointment; Canadian government to complete construction of earthquake-resistant schools in AJK; Global index shows Pakistani citizens severely limited by visa restrictions.
Talks with the TTP
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On Tuesday, Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid expressed support for calls by religious leaders for the government and the TTP to mutually respect a ceasefire until the end of peace talks.[1]
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In a unanimous resolution passed on Tuesday, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly asked the federal government to begin dialogue with the TTP immediately.[2]
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According to a report in The Frontier Post, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said that the TTP should respect the constitution, and that if they do not, he would support action against them.[3]
Peshawar Bombings and Fallout
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On Tuesday, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani met with regional police officers in Peshawar. Durrani led a review of the security strategy and directed the officers to reduce militancy and crime in their areas of responsibility. The meeting follows a spate of bombings in the city that have killed approximately 150 within the last week.[4]
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The death toll from the September 22 attack on the All-Saints Church in Peshawar increased to 85 after another victim succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.[5]
Militancy
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Eight people, including one Frontier Corps soldier, were killed and 16 wounded on Wednesday by a suicide bomber at the Chaman, Balochistan border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The attack prompted Pakistan to close the border crossing.[6]
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A landmine killed two soldiers and injured two others in Mashkai, Balochistan province, on Wednesday. The soldiers were engaged in relief work in the areas of the province devastated by last week’s earthquake. Shortly after the attack, Baloch Liberation Front leader Allah Nazar contacted Reuters reporters from an undisclosed location to claim responsibility. Nazar said security forces deployed to the region on the pretext of earthquake relief efforts intended to “crush” the Baloch separatists. He promised his organization would continue its attacks against the Pakistani military for its involvement in “large-scale killings” of Balochs.[7]
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Police claimed on Tuesday to have stopped a terrorist plot to be carried out against civilian and military targets in Abbottabad, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Three men, who are alleged to be members of Amaraat-e-Islami, a faction of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, were discovered with rocket launchers. Two were captured in Dhamtor, Abbottabad district, and one was found in Mangal, Rawalpindi district.[8]
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On Tuesday, the paramilitary Rangers raided the Landhi, Karachi office of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and allegedly found “Indian-made” weapons. The Rangers also claim to have arrested two target killers during the raid. The MQM claimed that these raids were further proof that they are the target of the Karachi operation and denied the charge of Indian-made weapons.[9]
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According to a Wednesday report in The News, Punjab University officials have informed the provincial government that a number of the institution’s students are linked to terrorist organizations. In the past four years, the university managerial staff has initiated at least 75 first information reports (FIRs) against Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) members. The disclosure follows last month’s arrest of an al Qaeda-linked operative from a Punjab University hostel.[10]
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Rangers and police launched a targeted operation in nine districts of Hyderabad, Sindh province, on Wednesday to root out suspects fleeing the ongoing campaign in Karachi.[11]
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According to Karachi police Additional Inspector General Shahid Hayat, police arrested a suspect in the murder of Naimat Ali Randhawa on Tuesday. The suspect is allegedly an MQM activist.[12]
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Five people died in various violent incidents throughout Karachi on Wednesday.[13]
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A police officer sustained injuries from a hand grenade attack in the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi on Wednesday morning.[14]
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A total of three people were injured in two explosions in Swabi district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday.[15]
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Unidentified assailants killed one person and injured two more on Tuesday during a hand grenade and firearms attack on a residence in Peshawar.[16]
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A hand-grenade attack in Shorku, Kurram agency on Monday killed a tribal elder and injured two of his family members.[17]
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Two people died and two were injured in Dargai sub-district in Malakand agency on Tuesday in a gun fight. The motives appear to have been personal.[18]
Indo-Pakistan Relations
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During a press conference on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised his meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York on Sunday and said the countries were working towards normalizing relations.[19]
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Indian High Commissioner T.C.A. Raghavan and Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif met in Lahore on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations.[20]
Energy Tariff Increase
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On Monday, the government announced a 30 percent increase in energy taxes. The price of oil also increased 4.2 percent.[21]
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The Supreme Court indicated on Tuesday that authorization to increase energy prices rests with the distribution company regulators, not the federal government. The court is seeking an explanation of the government’s decision from the Attorney General. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said the court will pass an interim order if the price hike is deemed unlawful.[22]
Domestic
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will meet with Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah in Islamabad on Wednesday to determine who will fill the chairmanship of the National Accountability Bureau. Previous meetings to identify a new candidate have been inconclusive, with each party refusing the suggestions of the other.[23]
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In a statement released on Tuesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) denied allegations that the ECP has refused to hold local elections until at least 2014.[24]
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On Tuesday, Energy Minister Sher Ali Khan addressed an international conference on renewable energy. He said that within 6 months the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in Cholistan, Punjab province, will generate approximately 50mw of electricity.[25]
Canada-Pakistan Relations
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Canadian High Commissioner to Afghanistan and Pakistan Greg Giokas announced on Tuesday that the Canadian government will finish construction on 37 earthquake-resistant schools in the Garhi Dupatta and Hattian areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) by late 2013.[26]
Visa Rankings
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According to Henley & Partners Visa Restriction Index of 2013, Pakistan ranks 91st, tied with Somalia and ahead of only Afghanistan and Iraq. Pakistani citizens may visit 32 countries without a visa.[27]